《Civilization》 1 Chapter 1 "Have you heard about the new game?" "No? What is it?" "Seriously? It''s called Settlement. It was made by the samepany who madest year''s game of the year." "Yeah so? It doesn''t mean it is going to be as good." "No no no. Look at the trailer." "Are you serious! Look at the graphics! I can practically drink that water and feel the heat of those mes" "YES!!! There are elves!!!" "Look at that dragon at the end of the trailer absolutely stunning" ¡­ Settlement, the new game produced by Lotus. I got this game after hearing everyone talk about it on my way back from work. Whether it was teenagers, middle-aged men, or women, all I heard from their mouths was that Settlement is the next-gen game. "Well, at least I haven''t stopped ying games since high school. Might as well jump on the hype train." I sat at my desk and turned on myputer, and the familiar beeps and boops filled the room as I slouched in my chair. For a moment, I closed my eyes and thought back to the good old days where I could happily y games every second of every day and not worry about a thing. Everyone around me, friends and family, would always be grinding to improve just so they could rub it in each other''s faces the next day. "I miss them..." It''s been 4 years since my parents passed away in that unfortunate car ident and I have been living alone since. I distanced myself from my old friends and colleagues, and now only work at the local convenience store to get by. I used to be that happy-go-lucky child who did whatever they wanted, from sports to music to camping to ying video games, but now I just sit at myputer ying games after I return from work, sleep and eat. I shake my head and turn my head towards theputer. "Enough, no need to reminisce on the past. It''s time to look into this game." I sit up straight, crack my knuckles and search up ''Settlement'' in the web browser. I click on the first link which takes me to the homepage of the game. I see the trailer and some other links but I first click on the ''Forums'' tab. I can see how active the forum is by the sheer number of upvotes. New posts appear every time I refresh the page, but the most eye-catching one is a moderator pinned post with a title in bold red font. "Things To Know Before You y!!" - Elves_or_Nothin I click on the post and am presented with some basic information about the game. 1. You start with nothing. NOTHING!! 2. The aim of the game is to create a city how do you do it? IDK! 3. The world is 10 times asrge as the earth and incorporates fantasy elements (as shown in the trailer) LIKE ELVES! HOT BLONDE BUSTY ELVES! 4. yers are spawned in random locations 5. There is NO inventory like other games 6. There are NPC humans in the world which I assume you can befriend or maybe enve? 7. Watch the trailer. IT''S AMAZING! I will post more when more informationes!! I close it and go back to the home screen to watch the trailer following Elves_or_Nothin''s advice. The video loads and I put on my virtual reality helmet to get the full experience as I wait for the trailer to start. The trailer starts from the perspective of the yer observing the environment and listening to the sounds of nature. I see the clear blue skies, the emerald grass and the soft whispers of the wind fill my ears. It feels like standing in the middle of the North American prairies as the sun washes over my body and the breeze brushing against my skin but then the scene changes. Hot, damp forests withrge trees and rushing rivers. I hear an unfamiliarnguage and the neighs of horses as I see two females riding past me close enough to touch. Their skin, spotless, with long pointy ears and waist-length tinum blonde hair. Their mounts were white horses with blue eyes and a silver mane and at the top of their heads was a golden horn. Just as I was about to reach my hand out to touch them the scene changes again. The salty breeze and the raging waves crashing on the nearby cliffs as I see twin giant waterspouts simr to the ones that ur near Nassau, Bahamas onlyrger and fiercer. I can feel the force of the winds pulling me into the storm together with various kinds of debris, trees, boulders, and tips of waves bending to the storm. I hear a loud rumble next to me and I look up only to see rocks bothrge and smalle crashing down the cliff but before itnds onto me the scene changes and I see the interior of a cave. Silence, except for the sound of breathing. No wind, no rain or water, no footsteps. Just breathing. Then the sound of a creature inhaling. Soft and gentle at first, then aggressive and fast only to stop, and then the heavy stomping of a creature echos in the cave and like its breathing, starts low and slow gradually picking up the pace until I can seerge yellow eyes and jet ck serpent-like slits in the depths of the cave. Crimson red scales, human arm-length ws,rge spikes around the skull, and folded wings dashed past me. I see the edges of mes lick around its mouth ready to burst out and wreak havoc on the world and with a final step outside of the cave it spreads its massive wingsrger than its body and raises its head towards the sky. The unbearable heat, the strength of the winds, and the loud roar created by the creature were the end of the trailer. "Interesting, the realism in the game is definitely top-tier. Elves, dragons, and I bet there will also be the ssic goblins and orcs even though it isn''t shown in the trailer. What''s more, is the environment I can be spawned in any sort of biome from ins to deserts to mountains and a snowy field. It''s going to be interesting to see what I can do and what other yers can do as well. Well then, let''s get ready - it''s almost midnight." I turned off theputer and while I waited for the server to go online I took a shower and quickly ate some instant noodles. Once I had food in my stomach Iy down on my bed and ced the virtual reality helmet on. I look at my ceiling for thest time before I dive into the new world and right on cue 00:00 midnight my vision blurs before being reced by golden light, fluffy clouds, and a girl. Not that much taller than me but with the addition of white angel wings and a halo. She looks at me with her blue eyes and smiles. She pushes her white hair to the side and speaks to me with her soft angelic voice. "Starting from here is where you will create Civilization" 2 Chapter 2 "My name is Ariel, I will be your guide as you experience this new world." Next to Ariel, a full-length mirror appears and I see myself in it. Short straight ck hair, a babyface but dead-looking eyes, skinny arms, and legs. I look away slightly, I can''t bear to look at myself and what I had be after my parent''s death. "You may change your appearance slightly, up to 15%." Ariel''s words bring my attention back to the mirror. "How do I change my appearance and what can I do?" I asked. "You may change your appearance slightly, up to 15%. You can change your hair, height, body mass and you can do so by imagining yourself in your changed appearance. What you see in the mirror will be how you look in the new world." I think for a bit and I close my eyes imaging how I want to look and when I open my eyes I see myself 4 years ago. I had a simr hairstyle but a brighter face, still a baby face though. My arms and legs are a little bit more muscr and I look like I was happy with where I was in my life. "Are you happy with these changes?" "Yes, I am happy." I give Ariel a smile and she returns the favor by smiling back. "What should I call you human male?" "Ian my name is Ian." "Then Ian, starting from here is where you will create Civilization. I wish you luck." Golden light surrounds Ariel and expands to envelop me. .... After the golden light fades away I finally get to see the world. I could feel the heat from the sun on my back and the clear blue skies stretched towards the horizon. Not a hint of pollution and smoke in the air and soft gentle breezes brush against my body. I look in front of me and observe the cracked, red chalky ground. Small and big rock formations litter the ground with little bits of dry greenery here and there with the asional tall desert tree. The arid environment made me a little skeptical about how to create a city in this location. Like in every game there must be a status screen so I thought status in my head and it appeared. The familiar but not so familiar opaque bluish screen. Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 "Ian, are you ok?" I finally stopped observing the status screen and the environment and turned around towards the voice. A youngdy maybe in herte 20s with a flushed face was close to me. She was wearing a dirty greyish-brown one-piece dress with the ends ripped and frayed. Next to her, holding her hand, was a boy around 14 or 15 with sharp eyes and a frustrated face. "Excuse me miss but you are?" I replied with a confused look on my face. The youngdy looks back at me with a confused face herself. She tilts her head a bit and squints her eyes looking at me a little worried. "Don''t worry about him Lucina, it must be the heat. Did you see him stop for a bit? I bet he must be regretting his actions." A loud out of breath male around 30 years old was behind her. He had short reddish-brown spiky hair and a tall stature carrying two bags over his shoulder. Next to him was an old man with a slightly hunched back. "Howard I was just worried since he wasn''t moving plus he did save us from the encampment. It''s the least I can do." "Hey, Ian! Come on, take a bag, let''s move." The loud man, Howard, shoves a bag into my arms and slightly pushes me to the side, and continues moving. Lucina and the other two people follow behind him slowly. Is this the background of the story? I thought. I sling the bag over my shoulder and follow the group of people. I turned to the old man and started to talk to me to gather more information. "Are you ok? How long has it been since we left the encampment?" The old man looks at me curiously for a second then turns away and looks ahead. "I am fine youngd and as for how long it has been we leftst night and the sun is at its peak right now zing down on us. If you forgot my name, call me old man Hus. The youngdy over there is Lucina, next to her is a little boy called Luke but they are not mother and son biologically at least. Lucina takes care of him to the best of her ability. As for the tall bloke over there, that is Howard, our protector and the reason we lived until the day we left." "I see...I am d you guys are out of the encampment then." I look at old man Hus, and I could see a soft smile on his face as he looks forward. I can only guess how happy it would be to leave a ce like an encampment. Though it got me curious, what is an encampment? A ce where they were ves? Or a prison? No, not with a child, then it must have been a ce where these people were kept as ves of some sort but then that raises the question who were their masters? Looking at Howard, he must have been able to resist against most people even though armor and weapons does that mean it was some sort of creatures like orcs or kobolds? Should I just ask? "Sister Lucina!" Luke shouting snapped me back into the present. I see Lucina lying on the ground and Luke was kneeling next to her shouting her name. Howard ran towards Lucina and touched her forehead with the back of his hand. "It''s burning hot and she is breathing rapidly and she is covered in sweat. Shit, what do we do? We don''t have any medicine if it is some sort of sickness. We can''t- we can''t be losing people when we just escaped." "I-I-I''m fine. Just felt a little faint" Lucina replied softly. "Wait, Howard calm down, panicking won''t help. Looking at Lucina she looks like she might just be experiencing heat stroke, after all, it is hot and the sun is directly over our heads. The first thing we need to do is cool her down and give her plenty of water. Look at the tree over there, that''s the closest ce where we can get some sort of shade and shelter right now so we must hurry over there if we want to help Lucina." I calmly diagnosed Lucina''s condition however, I am not a doctor or a nurse so I was notpletely sure if the diagnosis was correct. "OK, how are we going to get her there? Just lift her?" Howard bends down to put his hands under Lucina preparing to lift her up. "Wait! Give Lucina some water first, then give your bag to Luke. Afterward, carry Lucina on your back and run to the tree we will catch up ourselves. Once you are at the tree be careful, check the location before you ce her down. Make sure there are no insects nearby, no big rocks either in case something is hiding under it, and check the tree trunk in case of other insects. Once you settle her down, cool her down by fanning her, use your shirt ok?" "Ok...Ok, I got it." Howard got out their water sack in his bag and poured water into Lucina''s mouth slowly. Compared to his attitude towards me earlier he had a gentler look and a worried expression. After giving Lucina some water Howard passed his bag to Luke while telling Luke to make sure not to drop the bag and I helped Howard position Lucina on his back. He looked back at us with a face of gratitude and with a nod of his head he headed to the shade. Holding the second bag and making sure Luke and old man Hus was walking with me I spoke to them with a confident tone and a smile. "Everything will be ok, let''s follow them" 3 Chapter 3 After what felt like 30 minutes of walking towards the tree old man Hus, Luke, and I arrived and saw Lucina drinking water and with a slightly less red face. "Sister Lucina! Are you feeling better?" Luke hurries over to her side clutching the bag to make sure nothing falls over. "Yes, Luke I am fine. I was just-just feeling a little hot is all" Lucina slowly reaches for Luke''s hand and gently holds onto it and then looks towards me. "Thank you Ian for looking out for me and I''m sorry for causing any trouble." "It''s fine, are you sure you are feeling ok? Any nausea, headaches, or ufortable feelings?" I kneel down in front of Lucina and look at her face as I asked her a couple of questions rting to her health. "Other than feeling a little light-headed, I am feeling much better than I was when we were walking." [ Loyalty Points (Lucina) + 10 ] [ Loyalty Points (Howard) + 10 ] [ Loyalty Points (Luke) + 10 ] [ Loyalty Points (Lucina) 10/100 ] [ Loyalty Points (Howard) 10/100 ] [ Loyalty Points (Luke) 10/100 ] What? Loyalty points? And howe I got it from Howard, I don''t remember doing anything to him...? I turn towards Howard and look at him. Noticing my gaze he turns to look at me. "Ian, I think it might be better to rest here for a bit while we wait for the sun to go down but we should find some proper shelter before night arrives." Did he just ask for my opinion? Is this what loyalty points do? If so then to increase NPC''s loyalty points towards me would rte to how I approach certain situations and whether or not it improves their opinion of me. Making decisions that rte to their wellbeing or helping them when they are in trouble would be the more obvious choices but then Howard''s loyalty points increased too. Maybe it increased because Lucina got better, it did look like he cared a lot for Lucina. "Then let''s rest up for a bit. Once the sun is past our heads and going down we should start moving. Although I am not sure of the destination we can figure it out along the way. Let''s have something to eat and drink first." I put the bag down to search through it. I knew there was not a lot inside the bag since it was very light. I see that there is another water sack cushioned between a couple of torn clothing as well 2 pieces of bread. I picked up the bread and passed it to old man Hus, who was already sitting on a rock not too far away, at the same time I took a sip of the water. The water had a weird leathery taste but I couldn''tin since I felt dehydrated. Old man Hus tore a small piece away and passed the rest back to me. "Don''t say anythingd. This is enough." I looked at old man Hus''s determined expression and I took back the bread and passed the water sack towards him. "At least drink some more water, I know you are thirsty too." After hesitating for a bit his skinny hands reach for the water sack. He takes a small sip and looks at me. "Drink old man Hus." Closing his eyes he drinks a bit more water before passing the water sack back to me. I look towards Luke, Lucina and Howard and see them sipping on a little bit of water and eating some bread. "They look good together, don''t they? The three of them as a family." I turn back to old man Hus, to see a gentle expression on his face. "Did you know, Howard was always interested in Lucina but he was too shy to say anything so instead he would alwayse to her help when we were getting whipped by the orcs. At the same time, Lucina would always take care of Luke''s well-being after his parents were murdered by the orcs and behind Lucina''s back Luke would give advice to Howard in what Lucina likes to help him get closer. It was like a circle of love and friendship." "I see, they do look like they care for each other a lot." Listening to old man Hus talk about the past allowed me to obtain a lot of information. The encampment they were located in belonged to orcs and Luke, Lucina and Howard each had a rtionship with one another. This exins why all three of their loyalty points increased when I helped Lucina. Now that I had something to eat and drink it was time to make some sort of n. I look around me and saw in the distance a couple of viable locations for shelter. In front of me, I can see arge mesa as well as some green patches near the base. To my left were evenrger mountains however they seemed further away than the mesa and of course behind me was another mountain. The orc encampment was in that direction and it did not make sense to backtrack towards them. "The mesa might be the best location to travel towards. With how far away it is we might be able to get there by nightfall if we hurry." I told them that I thought the mesa might have shelter as well as a possible chance of food and water since there are trees near the base of the mesa. I look at each of them as I tell them the n and Howard nods after I finish talking. He stands up and picks up the bag that Luke was holding on to and slings it over his shoulder. "Sounds good to me we should definitely hurry though, the temperature drops a lot at night" I smile at Howard, and pick up the bag I ced on the ground and start to lead the way towards the mesa. 4 Chapter 4 On the way to the mesa the environment slowly changed, there was more flora and fauna at the same time the rough rocky uneven ground became more sandy and loose. There were cacti, small shrubs, desert pors and other various forms of flora. At the same time, I could hear the asional loud high-pitched cry of birds and the sounds of dry grass rustling in the wind. The zing heat soon chilled to a morefortable temperature as the sun descends towards the horizon and the looming shadow of the mesa creeps over the ground. The surface of the mesa was rugged and worn down by the wind over time with countless ridges and small caves littered on the walls. Walking closer I could see that it wasn''t a single big mesa, there were some taller and some wider creating walls of sandstone. "Over there, if we follow that path we can get on top of the ledge and then it''s just a bit more until we reach that cave." I follow Howard''s finger as he points out our path towards shelter. Once we decided our route we picked up the pace at the same time I saw Luke and Lucina pick up sticks and uprooting dry grass. "Is this for creating a fire once we get to the cave?" I was curious and clueless about the things needed to survive in the wild. Once I log out of the game I need to search up different ways to survive and how to build different essential items and buildings. "Yeah we can use the sticks and bit of the grass to start a fire, we have a flint in the bag Howard is holding and we can use the rest of the grass to make a bed so we don''t need to sleep on the ground." Surprisingly it wasn''t Lucina that answered me, it was Luke. Luke was a quiet boy throughout the whole time I met him. Only asking if Lucina was ok and speaking softly to Howard to watch where he steps but otherwise he did not say a single word to me. I can only assume it was because of the increased LP. "You should pick up some as well Ian, the more the better or do you prefer to sleep on the ground?" "Ah, yeah I will. We should also pick up somerger rocks to ce around the fire. That way the fire does not spread towards the bedding." I pick up branches and rocks from the ground putting the heavier things in the bag while holding onto the lighter objects. We walk towards the path and slowly approach the ledge making sure to hug the side closest to the wall as we walk closer to the cave. It did not take long before we reached the cave and we finally could rest. The cave was very small. It felt more like a small indent inside the mountain with a small overhang but after a couple of hours of nonstop moving, it was time to sit down and rx. However, it was only me resting. Luke started to pile the collected sticks and grass, Lucina took the excess grass and spread it around the interior and even old man Hus was doing something. He took some of the thicker sticks and the sharper rocks and started to cut them in half, rolling them to create fiber. He told me he was going to make some basic weapons for us to defend ourselves but Howard and I had nothing to do. So instead, I started to talk to Howard and asked him about the encampment and ns for the future. ....................................................................................................... The sun starts to set and we sit down around the fire Luke made. Old man Hus made 2 makeshift short spears and 1 makeshift ax out of sticks and stones tied together by the fiber he made earlier. When I picked up the ax and the spear, what surprised me was that a status screen appeared showing the equipment status. [ Makeshift Spear Attack: 1 A stick and a sharp stone fixed at one end by fiber Made by Hus ] [ Makeshift Ax Attack: 1 A stick and a sharp stone fixed at one end by fiber Made by Hus ] [ Loyalty Points (Hus) + 10 ] [ Loyalty Points (Hus) 10/100 ] It was not a major increase in stats however it was the first weapon I could see and hold. Old man Hus was also happy when I confidently swung the ax in front of him telling him he did a good job making it. "What are we going to do for the night? Should we do a night watch?" Howard breaks the silence between us and looks around. "Will there be animalsing out at night or something?" Is there where my first battle will happen in this game? Will it be wild animals or magic beasts maybe even orcs or goblins? "There is a chance. Most magic beasts are nocturnal or have good eyesight at night however the ones we need to look out for are the goblins. They infest the world like rats and attack anything living. However, they are weak but they are never alone." Howard looks at me as he tells me that there is a chance that goblins would attack us at night. "Why does it seem like even though there is a chance it will happen it will definitely happen?" I retorted back jokingly but I immediately regret when I saw the blue transparent screen in front of me. [ OPENING EVENT - Midnight Attack Objective - Survive the night Reward - unknown ] "How do we defend this ce against goblins?" I sit up straight and ask Howard for details. "Even though I mentioned goblins it could be anything thates for us at night. It could be magic beasts, goblins, orcs or even dragons. However, if it is indeed goblins then we just need to survive and slowly wear them out. They are not strong nor fast but they are cunning andrge in number. Why are you asking? Do you think we really will be attacked by something?" "Yes, I honestly do think we will be seeing some uninvited guests. We have reached a new ce and we are not familiar with the environment and its current residents so it makes sense that something will not like us being here. We should rest up now though since the sun has just set and when the moon is at its peak we should be awake and prepare for a battle." I got nods from everyone and after a couple of mouthfuls of bread and sips of water, wey down on the grass beds. I closed my eyes and rested my body waiting for midnight. Soon I fell asleep for the first time in this game. 5 Chapter 5 "W...Up...Ia...Wa...Up...IAN WAKE UP!" I felt a burning sensation on my face when I opened my eyes. I could barely see anything in front of me and I felt so sluggish. It was still dark with the only light being the stars, the moon, and the fire we made before we slept. "IAN COME OVER HERE!" I finally snap back to reality and see Lucina and Howard to the side looking anxiously at the path we walked on before sunset. I pushed myself up using my hand and walked over curious at what they were looking at but it was more terrifying than I thought. I see tens of yellow dots in the dark moving around quickly and slowly. My body shivers and goosebumps form along my arm when I hear the constant chattering and snarling in the distance. I could visibly see Howard swallow his spit nervously in the corner of my eye. Luke and old man Hus were behind us piling up different sizes of rocks and stones. At the same time, I see Howard pick up a spear while passing another to me. "Be careful." He tells me as he gives me the spear. "What''s the game n?" "Survive no matter what." I smiled at Howard hoping to ease his mind a bit but my shaking body did not help. It was terrifying to see who knows how many goblins just crowding around the bottom of the path, scurrying left and right. All of a sudden, I hear the hurried footsteps in front of me. The goblins were on the move and I could see them running towards us. Luckily for us the ce where we stayed the night only had one path that fit at most 2 people side by side. Since goblins were smaller than average humans it 3 goblins side by side. As they got closer I could finally see what they looked like. Hideous green toddlers with pointy ears and an elongated nose. They carried stone knives and wooden clubs with their only clothing being a loose brown dirty animal skin covering theirher regions. Their mouths were constantly open and I could see their short canines covered in saliva. The constant shouting, cheering and snarling filled the surroundings as they made their way up towards us. "Howard! Stay on my right, we can use the fact that we are situated on a cliff to push them down so we don''t need to kill each and every goblin. I''ll do my best to cover you when you go for a wide swing to push them down. Lucina, you need to hold the ax. You need to help us if they move past either me or Howard. Luke and old man Hus throw stones when we look like we are in a precarious situation, do not waste them but do not be stingy either. We can do this. We can survive and see tomorrow." Just as I finish telling everyone what to do the first goblin has gotten in range of me. I knew in order to raise our morale I needed to act first and show them that we can do this. I breathe out slowly and step forward, thrusting my spear towards the closest goblin copying the spearmen in movies and games. The tip of my spear hits the body of the goblin and easily pierces its skin embedding itself inside. I pull my spear back hurriedly and green blood sprays out covering the ground and staining my weapon. Quickly, I thrust forward again aiming for the goblin standing next to the goblin I just stabbed. However, it moved to the side pushing the goblin behind it down the cliff and dodging my spear. Realizing I was in danger Howard finally moves forward and thrusts his own spear towards the goblin I was currently aiming for. The spear pierces through the body of the goblin and lightly grazes the goblin behind it before Howard pulls back his spear. He constantly stabs and swings his pear forward and to the side frantically, sometimes stabbing the body of a goblin two or three times before attacking another one. I follow his example by stabbing and thrusting my own spear but it seemed like my earlier sess was by pure luck. After killing the first goblin, each and every other thrust I did only gazed or scratched the goblins in front of me. The only advantage I had over them was the range of my spear was greater than their knives and clubs allowing me to hit them first and push them back slightly before they could hit me. Even that advantage had its limits as a sneaky goblin used its own kind as a springboard. After I stabbed a goblin in its eye it fell down on its back and another goblin jumped on its stomach,unching itself towards me with its knife aimed for my stomach. I awkwardly moved to the side quickly hitting my back against the wall of the mountain dodging the attack by a hair but now there was a goblin that breached our defense. Lucina froze as she saw the goblin fly past me andnd on the ground. Her throat was dry and her hands were sweaty as the goblin slowly got back up. It smiled at her revealing its yellow canines and started to run at her holding the knife above its head ready to sh down. Her heart raced, she panicked and closed her eyes waiting for her death when suddenly she felt someone push her to the side. Luke ran up to Lucina and shoved her away from danger while tossing a rock at the goblin. The rock hit the goblin in its eye, blinding it and staggering it for a second. Luke grabs the ax from Lucina''s hand and swings it towards the goblin. The ax hits the goblin''s neck cutting into the side a bit before pushing the body away. Old man Hus then smashes a rock into the goblin once itnds on the ground crushing its head until it was a pile of green blood and brain matter. I sigh in relief, seeing the decisiveness of Luke and old man Hus made me rxed knowing that I had support behind me. I continued helping Howard defend the path until suddenly the goblins stopped their advance. They stood in front of us jeering and shouting, swinging their weapons in front of them taunting us to face them. I put a hand in front of Howard stopping him from moving forward. I could hear him breathing heavily, the battle had already taken a toll on him and it didn''t even seem like we were halfway to finishing. "Calm your breathing Howard, take deep breaths when you can. We have a long night ahead of us." "Yeah...Yeah...I will." I looked towards Howard worried about his condition only to see that he had various small cuts and bruises on his legs and arms. I can''t see his health points but I can tell that it would be in the red. "Fall back a bit slowly. Let me handle this while you recover your breath. The goblins aren''t moving right now, they must be afraid since we killed a number of them already. They aren''t stupid they know that if they rush at us they will die." I slowly step back, one foot at a time while Howard does the same thing until there is a bit of distance between us and the goblins. I could see his knuckles white as a ghost from how hard he was holding onto the spear. The stalematests for a while longer with the goblins staring at us making various noises but ultimately they could not handle waiting any longer. The first goblin stepping forward created a wave of goblins rushing towards us like a tsunami. They came more frantically than before, angered about the deaths of their kin and hungry for our flesh. I held my spear tightly and pushed forward stabbing, scratching and sometimes pushing goblins off the side. Howard recovered a little bit during the break and with a loud yell, he grabs the ax Luke was holding and drops the spear at his feet and runs towards the goblins swinging down the ax on the closest goblin and then with a surge of strength pushes the goblin behind it backward knocking a couple of goblins down behind. He yell dazed the goblins a bit and I took advantage of their immobility and stabbed a couple in the head with my spear. If what Howard just did was a skill it would be some sort of CC ( crowd control) skill. It was not long until I could see the night sky turning a little bit orange, hinting that night was almost over but it did not mean that the goblin''s attack lessened. They got more aggressive and some were even able to scratch me with their knife or hit me with their club and I slowly lost 1HP each time. All of a sudden I hear a loud screeching sound from the back of the goblin wave and the goblins at the front move to the side frantically, some even falling off the edge because they identally moved too far. A path between the goblins was born and at the end was a taller goblin with a shield, a helmet with horns on its side and arger club. The night was ending with each second and the event was almost over but it seemed like hours away when the new kind of goblin showed its face. With a yell it started to charge, I positioned myself next to Howard ready to face the new enemy. Without a second thought, I thrust the spear towards the goblin, hoping to slow down the charge. Blocking the strike with its spear it started to swing its club towards my body. I let go of the spear and dodged back while Howard brought down his ax smashing it against the shield. I picked up the second spear and saw Luke tossing different-sized rocks at the goblin hitting it in the face and body. I quickly rushed back, thrusting the spear forward again, this time aiming for the face. The goblin ducked down and tossed his shield at Howard, making him stop his swing mid-motion while swinging its club upwards towards my face. I block the blow with my spear but in the process, the goblin breaks the spear in half and as it was about to swing again old man Hus pulled me back. We bothnded on our backs and were in a vulnerable position but it was as if time stopped. The goblin just looks at us and spits on the ground near our feet and walks back. With a yell, the rest of the goblins retreated and as quickly as they came they were gone. We survived and the sun''s golden rays washed over our bodies and I looked at everyone one by one. "I told you, we got this." 6 Chapter 6 Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 1/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 I thought about it before but there was no level system in this game even though there were stats. I only had 1HP left, my body was tired and sore. I was out of breath and constantly grasping for air. I had bruises and cuts all over my body and it wasn''t just me. After the goblins left, Howard just copsed on the ground. He looked even more roughed up than I did but at the same time he looked so relieved. "Howard...Good job." Howard slowly turns his head towards me and smiles. He brings his fist up towards me and I fist-bump him smiling back at him. [ Loyalty Points (Lucina) + 90 ] [ Loyalty Points (Howard) + 90 ] [ Loyalty Points (Luke) + 90 ] [ Loyalty Points (Hus) + 90] [ Loyalty Points (Lucina) MAX] [ Loyalty Points (Howard) MAX] [ Loyalty Points (Luke) MAX] [ Loyalty Points (Hus) MAX] Fist-bumping Howard triggered a series of notifications in front of me and at the same time, another system notification was shown. [ You can view the status of your Loyal Subjects ] [ Only those with MAX LP can be viewed ] [ To do so, you must look at your subject and think of their name and status ] I look at Howard and think of status following the instructions of the game. Name: Howard Race: Human Health Points (HP): 1/25 Mana Points (MP): 0/2 Strength: 8 Vitality: 12 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 5 Agility: 4 Luck: 1 Skill: Roar (active) - 2 MP So he did have a skill during that time but it could only be used once since he did not have enough mana to cast it again. At the same time, Howard''s stats were greater than mine and I could tell during the fight he was stronger and could tank more damage. I quickly look at Luke, Lucina and old man Hus to see their stats as well. Name: Luke Race: Human Health Points (HP): 5/10 Mana Points (MP): 2/2 Strength: 4 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 7 Dexterity: 4 Agility: 10 Luck: 1 Name: Lucina Race: Human Health Points (HP): 8/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 3 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 Name: Hus Race: Human Health Points (HP): 6/6 Mana Points (MP): 2/2 Strength: 4 Vitality: 3 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 Skill: Weapon Smith (passive), Armor Smith (passive) Not so surprisingly, old man Hus had weapon and armor smithing and with his high dexterity he should be able to create better equipment with better materials. Lucina being more or less useless didn''t surprise me either since she did not do much during the night however that''s not where her talent shines. Her kindness and caring nature create a healing and rxing atmosphere. Luke''s stats surprised me a little bit. He had high agility and even potential to have a skill since even Howard''s 2 MP was enough for a skill. After resting for a bit my HP restored halfway and I started to walk towards the scene ofst night''s battle. I noticed before when the goblins burst into purple smoke but some things were left behind. Lucina stayed with Howard and old man Hus resting against the cave''s wall while Luke followed me down. The closest object was a goblin knife. [ Goblin Knife Attack: 1 A short stick tied to a sharp stone] With all the goblins that were killed by Howard and me, there were only 4 knives. However, as we go down the path and walked towards the ces where goblins fell there was one more object. [ Lucky Goblin Totem Ne Luck: 4 A goblin with a coin on its head. It increases the luck of the wearer ] I wrap the ne around my neck and walk back up to the cave. Curious I looked at my stats again seeing if there was a change and I was right there was a change. Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 1/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 5 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Goblin Knife I didn''t look at my stats when I was holding the makeshift spear but I can only assume that the ''Equipment'' tab appears when I am holding something or wearing something but it does not detect my clothes. Which can only mean my clothes provide no stats and that it would mean it does not appear on the ''Equipment'' tab. Once I finally got back to the cave there was a surprise announcement from the system. [ Congrattions to those yers who survived the night. Here is a leaderboard of the event] [ 1. SAMurai 2. Kitty 3. Scarlet Witch Sabrina 4. Bleu 5. Devel 6. Helioc 7. Hide-ha 8. SanShiGo 9. Elves_or_Nothin 10. Ian ] [ These lucky 10 yers will receive a gift forpleting the opening event to a high degree the next time they login ] Surprisingly, I got into the top 10 along with a familiar name Elves_or_Nothin. I did not expect to get such a high rating for the first event since all I did was hit goblins for hours. I have to thank Howard for doing so much for me in the fight and even Luke for his asional backup. [ There are only 10 more minutes before a forced logout.] Another message not long after the leaderboard message popped up. Having only 10 minutes left I decided to just rest up and talk to everyone asking about their current condition. Not that much longer, the world turned grey and everyone froze. I close my eyes and when I opened them again I see the familiar ceiling of my room. 7 Chapter 7 I take off the VR helmet and move towards the bathroom. I took a shower again and looked at my phone 0620. The game only urred between 0000 and 0600, however you can experience another 24 hours in the game. After walking around for a bit I felt how stiff my body waspared to my in-game counterpart. Since it was still early I changed into shorts and a t-shirt. I exit my house and a drop in temperature causes me to shiver a bit. I start to do some light stretches before jogging and then some light running. Running around the block was harder than I thought and it wasn''t even 3 kilometers. I stopped multiple times before I got back home and once I got home Iid down on my bed breathing heavily. "How can people exercise? It''s so hard, so tiring." I looked at my phone and it said 0730. It took me around an hour to run around the block. I slowly got up and showered again to get rid of all the sweat and then got some toast and butter for breakfast. By the time I finished breakfast, it was 0800. I went to sit on my chair and turned on myputer. I searched for the game site and clicked on the forums tab. The sheer number of posts overwhelmed me, each time I refresh the page tens of new posts appear. At the top, in red bold text, another post of Elves_or_Nothin was pinned. "PROGRESS day 1" - Elves_or_Nothin HELLO, MY BEAUTIFUL ELF-LOVING FANS! It is I Elves_or_Nothin and in this post I will recount the first day of Settlement and give me an opinion. Now, if you read my previous post before ying the game you would know some of the bare basics I was able to find out BUT there is just so much more. You spawn at a location, random, and you are not alone. I have talked to other yers and found out that you can be spawned with a minimum of 3 NPCs or a maximum of 6 NPCs. Furthermore, there were A LOT of people who did not pass the first night and died. I was one of the lucky few that had 6 NPCs. I spawned inside a forest of some sort and the graphics were unreal. The attention to detail to even the smallest rock and the quietest of sounds were UNBELIEVABLY amazing. I was however a little disappointed that the NPCs with me were human and not elves but that''s ok (It was NOT ok. WHERE WERE THE BUSTY BLONDE ELVES!!!). I asked some of the NPCs what we would be doing and about their past and found out that they were previously enved in an encampment. Cross-checking with other yers and finding out the story is exactly the same however the creature enving the NPCs was different. I had kobold enving my NPCs while others had orcs, dragonewts and even goblins. After which our party moved onwards and we were able to find a small clearing where we constructed a simple wooden tent by cing fallen logs against each other to form a triangle. Then draped lots and lots of greenery from bushes to moss and BAM shelter done! As night fell, one of the NPCs got back from hunting and was able to catch a small rabbit and picked up some wild vegetables making a pretty filling dinner. At the same time, I was notified by the system of the first event a night attack which happened between midnight and sunrise. I told my party about a potential attack happening tonight and the ''hunter'' NPC set up some basic traps around the camp while at the same time another NPC sharpened various lengths of sticks to use. Night attack happened as of course, I didn''t die! We were facing wolves and with the help of everyone we were able to defend against the onught. Right before sunrise, we were met with the ''boss''. It was a kobold dressed in leather pants and a chest te holding onto a spear. Who would have thought those traps set up earlier actually helped. The kobold stepped into one of the traps and lost his bnce and me being the strong warrior I leaped on the kobold and stabbed him in the face over and over until I thought he was dead. Pretty good for me!! After killing the kobold the rest of the wolves dispersed and there was a bit of downtime before the event finished. Once the sun rose the monster corpses burst into purple smoke and loot appeared. Not all the wolves gave loot but I was able to get a few goodies. The kobold however gifted me his chest te and then the leaderboard screen appeared and I saw myself at 9th ce. YAY! Overall, the game is super good and I will be posting my experience every day I y. STAY TUNED!! ..... As I was reading the post Ipared Elves_or_Nothin''s experience to mine. His first enemy were wolves and even though they travel in packs there can''t have been as many wolves as there were goblins. This means the system counted the number of goblins I was able to kill and it was simr in value to the number of wolves killed by Elves_or_Nothin. At the same time Elves_or_Nothin could have reached 9th ce because he was able to kill the ''boss'' of the event. I was unable to kill the goblin with the shield but I still entered the top 10 which means that the 9 people above me were able to kill the ''boss'' of the night and everyone below me was unable to or died. Even though I was unable to kill the ''boss'' I still received an item from the night which was obviously different from the standard loot drops. However, I have no idea what the luck stat can do for me at the moment. It seemed like the rest of the posts were about yers either unting that they were able to survive or yersining about dying. I scrolled through the forum a bit more and saw a post that intrigued me. "Status Screen" - Unpopr Student Name: The name of your character or NPC name Race: The race of your character or NPC race Health Points (HP): How much health you have leftpared to your total Mana Points (MP): How much mana you have leftpared to your total Strength: How strong you are, How much damage you will/can do Vitality: How much health you have and the recovering speed Intelligence: How much mana you have and the recovering speed Dexterity: How adept you are at moving your hands, how steady they are when creating weapons or armor Agility: How fast you are when running, improves chances to dodge Luck: How lucky you are, can affect migrating to new ces, resources and loot Equipment: Shows what equipment is equipped Skills: Shows both passive and active skills Currently, all that is seen in the status screen. It was not a popr post and was eventually drowned out by the constant rush of new yers posting about their experience, however, It helped me understand a little bit more about the game. I can only hope that my increased luck will help me in the long run. As midday approaches, I went to my job and once I finished I picked up some dinner and went home. I ate the food quickly and rested my mind and body ready for another day in Settlement. Right before midnight Iid in my bed and once the clock turned 0000 I closed my eyes and went back into the game. 8 Chapter 8 I opened my eyes to see the NPCs who helped me through the first day of the game. I see them chatting happily while eating some bread and drinking water. I was about to talk to them when the familiar blue screen appeared in front of me. [ Congrattions for being in the top 10 of the opening event!] [ Here is your reward] [ Safe Haven Marker] Once I finished reading the message I felt something unfamiliar in my left hand. It was a bronze-colored ring with a small red arrow pointing forward. [ Safe Haven Marker Follow the arrow on the ring to find the closest Safe Haven. A Safe Haven is a ce where there is an abundance of food or metal or a location that is naturally protected ] I put the ring on my left index finger and the arrow starts to spin. It starts to slow down and eventually settles in a direction. p "Everyone, we need to start moving. We won''t be able to live in this cave forever. Let''s find a better location to call home." I address everyone and tell them about what I thought we needed to do. "Yeah, good idea Ian. After what happenedst night we should find a ce where we can gather more resources to defend ourselves." Howard spoke back to me and everyone also agreed. I nodded back to Howard and went to pick up the spear. I held onto the spear and a goblin knife while Howard held onto the ax and another knife. Lucina and Luke both held onto a knife of their own and we picked up our bags ready to set off on our journey. I led the way and constantly looked at the ring on my hand following the arrow. We traversed through the small cracks in between the mountains and climbed up ledges to get to higher ground. It was difficult for old man Hus to get through some of the climbing but with the help of Howard and me, we were able to lift him up bit by bit. Along the way, Lucina collected some wild berries and ced them in the bag Howard was carrying, adding to our food supply. After traveling for a while, I could hear the sound of a waterfall echoing in the distance. The arrow was also pointing in that direction which means the Safe Haven was close to the waterfall. "Just a little bit more, I can hear a waterfall we can rest once we get there." I give everyone some words of encouragement but I know that they are tired from constantly climbing and moving through rough terrain. Old man Hus was panting and needed Howard to hold him up as they walked, while Luke was sweating and breathing heavily. Lucina was in the same condition and since Howard could not hold onto the bag anymore she offered to hold onto it while she collected more wild berries. Thest stretch of the journey was the slowest as everyone was tired and sore but once we got around a bend what we saw was stunning. The sheer volume of the waterfall drowns out all other sounds and coupled with the magnificent view, it took my breath away. Water gushing out of a hole from the side of the mountain, like a real-life merlion from Singapore, crashing into a deep azure blueke parting ways into a river gouging out the insides of a mountain. A deep red canyon surrounds theke and river with small bushes and trees littering the sides. Near the start of the river was a copsed rock pir serving the purpose to bridge one side of the river to the other. I don''t even know how long I just stood there looking at the scene. "It''s beautiful¡­" I hear Lucina''s quiet statement and finally snapped out of the trance I turn back towards everyone. "On the other side, there was a path leading to the top of the canyon. I think that''s where we should stay. We would have water from this river and there is probably fish inside it too so we just need to search up there for a good location to set up something to live in." We cross the rock bridge carefully, making sure to take our time so no one falls into the water and with onest push we walked up the path. The ring cracks and shatters when I reach the top, signaling that the top was the Safe Haven. I saw arge tnd the size of 3 football fields with tall straight red sandstone walls surrounding the sides. There were towering trees along the back wall and soft emerald grass along the ground. I could hear the chirping of birds pierce through the raging waterfall. The rustling of leaves, the dancing grass and the soft warm glow of the sun made me feel safe. "Let''s go collect somerger branches and pile them in a triangle shape to create a simple shelter. We can create a better house tomorrow but for now, we should rest up and rx a bit." Once I told everyone to gather wood for a house we split off into the forest to collect material. Looking into the forest is like looking into the abyss. It was dark and mysterious with only the entrance illuminated in light. There can be predators in the forest but at the same time, there can be rare resources inside the forest as well. I gaze into the forest hoping for something rewarding to reveal itself to me but nothing happens and only the forest gazes back at me. I go back to collecting wood and I cut down some vines using the spear to bring back long thin vines to use as rope. Old man Hus and Howard started to construct the shelter while I helped bnce and hold onto the branches. Lucina continued to gather more wood, while Luke dug out a hole and covered the edges with dirt and rocks before putting small sticks and dry grass to start a fire. It took the rest of the day until we finished making a tent-like shelter that fit everyone inside. During that time Luke found somerger rocks and with the help of Lucina carried them towards the fire to ce down, substituting for chairs. We all sat down and ate some bread with smashed berries on the top. The berries were sweet and sour and we had an abundance of them allowing us to fill our stomachs for the first time. With the warmth of the fire and a full stomach, we started to discuss our ns for the area. "I do not have a lot of experience in nning or in construction however, I do have a few ideas I want to implement. First is a fence or a barrier at the edge of the cliff so no one will fall down and then another fence near the border of the forest. The one near the forest has to be more sturdy, it can be made of mud and dirt for now and then just piled up so we have a defense in case somethinges out of the forest. At the same time, we should improve our living standard by making cups, bowls, hand tools and then a sturdier house." I told them my generic n and after a bit of discussion, we settled on creating the walls first. Luke and Lucina will collect thick branches and vines while Howard will hammer them into the ground and tie them together creating a fence close to the cliff. At the same time, old man Hus will be sharpening rocks and putting them together to create some primitive tools. I would be cutting down vines and small trees for Luke and Lucina to carry towards Howard. It''s not pretty but it''s a start for us. This ce will be our home and the start of civilization in Settlement. 9 Chapter 9 The game ended and just like yesterday, I went on an early morning jog before copsing on my bed wondering why people exercise again. I checked the forums and saw Elves_or_Nothin post talking about his second day in the game. The post was about him traveling through the forest and all the different flora and fauna he saw and touched. He also described the location where he started to settle down and talked about the reward he got from the system, which was the Safe Haven Marker. I close the forum and search for methods for making primitive houses and walls. I found various videos on creating houses from fallen logs and branches as well as making mud walls. I went to work and bought dinner for myself from the store and got home and researched more about the construction of houses and walls. Once it was midnight I went back into the game. I enter the game and the warmth from the sun hits my body, the cool breeze blows against my hair and I see Howard hammering a stick into the ground with a rock. I see Luke carrying a bundle of sticks and vines wrapped around his shoulders walking towards Howard while Lucina walks towards the forest to gather more materials. I walk towards the ce where I want to start the wall but old man Hus stops me. "Take this shoveld it will make digging easier." [ Makeshift Shovel Attack: 1 A stick and a stone fixed at one end by fiber Made by Hus ] "Thank you old man Hus. If possible can you make a lot of simr-sized sticks? I want them the height of Luke and as many as possible. I would also prefer them to be as thick as your wrist." "Hmm...Lad, I will ask Luke to find me some branches and logs and then cut them down to the size. Do you want them to be a round shape or square-ish shape?" "Either is fine I am more concerned about their length and height. Oh! Is there anything I can use to carryrge amounts of water?" "Use the empty water sack. I am carving out some wooden cups and bowls so your poles will take a little bit longer if that is okayd?" "Yea that''s fine I will use the water sack for now." I walk with old man Hus as we discussed what I needed and then went to grab the water sack. I walked past Howard and Luke and waved at them as I went back down towards the river at the bottom of the canyon. I fill the water sack back up to the brim and then walked back up. I try to recall the primitive method of creating a mud wall and remembered that I needed to make mud bricks. I could just pile mud on top of each other until I got a wall however, I decided on this method of creating mud bricks because it would be the foundation of proper walls in the future. I dig into the ground near the edge of the forest as the soil was softer and easier to dig. I then move the dirt around into a small hill and then went to create a small hole at the top. I pour water into the hole and slowly copsed the side of the hill inwards mixing the water and dirt bit by bit adding more water if needed until it was a sticky messy mud mound. I start to use my feet to mix the mud mound around as it was more efficient. Happy with the consistency of the mud I start to carry them to where I wanted to start the wall. Off to the far right side of the clearing and connecting to the red sandstone wall was the start of the wall. I was able to get Luke to find me 4 t sticks to form a mold for the bricks. I ce them together making a rectangle about the size of a hand and start to put the mud in the mold. I make sure topact the mud as much as possible before removing the mold and then cing the mud-brick off to the side to dry. I repeat this process monotonously until I use up all the mud I had created. It was toughborious work but after I finish I could see around 40 bricks. I go down to the river to wash off the mud on my hands and feet beforeing back to the hut to have some food with everyone. Howard reported back to me about the progress of the fence even though I could see how much he had done and surprisingly it seemed like he will finish the fence by tomorrow. Lucina had found some more berries in the forest as well as some fruit that looked like a cross between a banana and an apple. It was delicious and juicy and full of a sweet vor making me want more. A loud scream prates the atmosphere. I look in the direction of the scream to see a group of 4 running out of the forest. I instantly grab the shovel as it was the closest weapon to me and I see Howard hold the ax looking calmly at the uninvited guests. "PLEASE! HELP US!" I hesitate to move forward because I don''t know what was chasing them. I watch them intently waiting for what was chasing them to appear from outside of the forest. With a loud howl, I see a golden yellow wolf lunge out of the forest. I move forward and signal Howard to follow me while Luke went to grab a goblin knife. Lucina and old man Hus walked back towards the path in case they needed to escape. I can finally see clearly who the wolf was chasing, two middle-aged men, one carrying a young woman on his back and a skinny teenager running behind them. "Get behind us! Carry the girl towards the ledge be careful where you step and Lucina, help him get the girl onto the path. Luke find the other knives and give them to the other man and the kid. Howard be careful the wolf looks pretty strong." 10 Chapter 10 Its golden fur shines in the moonlight while its nted amber eyes observe its prey. Each step is cautious and calcting as it walks left and right looking at us. I hold the shovel pointing towards the wolf while Howard stands his ground next to me ax in hand. Luke creeps around to my side with his knife and the 2 new people nervously stand behind us holding onto a knife as well. "What are your names? Tell me quickly." I ask for their names under my breath without taking my eyes off the wolf. "My name is Owen and the boy next to me is my son, Oscar." "Okay, Owen and Oscar we need to fight this battle or else the wolf will most likely kill all of us without a second thought. I want the both of you to stand a bit far back and to the side. Me and Howard, the guy next to me, will be the main fighters while you two and Luke will only attack once the wolf''s attention is on us. Be swift and be careful, attack and then immediately create distance. Okay?" "Okay." Luke, Owen and Oscar all reply and slowly move back. Oscar took the left side closer to Howard while Luke and Oscar were arm''s length apart to the right. I step forward slightly hoping to gauge the movement of the wolf but then out of nowhere it dashed towards me. It got me by surprise and I barely dodge the first initial attack by jumping out of the way and rolling on the ground. Luckily, Howard swings his ax towards the wolf causing it to stop his attack and retreat momentarily. I get back up as quickly as I can and breathe a sigh of relief. The wolf goes back to walking left and right looking at us waiting for our move. This time instead of me moving Howard makes the first move. He starts to run at the wolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. The wolf seemed to stagger for second flinching at the yell, while Howard swings his ax at its body. It awkwardly jumps backward but fails to dodge the attackpletely. Howard''s ax cuts one of its hind legs making a deep gash. Seeing Howard attack sessfully I move forward as well, lifting the shovel above my head and smashing it down towards the wolf. The wolf recovered from the stagger dodge the attack but its speed was affected by Howard''s attack. Angered by Howard, the wolf howls towards the moon and the golden fur shines brighter. The damage created by Howard''s ax was fixed in a blink of an eye and the wolf looks angrier than before. It leaps aggressively towards Howard, opening its mouth revealing the sharp rows of teeth. Its canines were twice as long as a normal wolf''s canines at the same time it was covered in its slimy saliva. Howard rolls to the side and I swing my shovel towards the back of the wolf. As if it had eyes on the back of its head it dodges my strike while at the same time leaping again towards Howard. Caught by surprise, Howardys on his back. The wolf tries to bite Howard but he fends off the beast by holding the ax horizontally blocking the wolf from biting. I see Owen standing there frozen and shout at him. "OWEN ATTACK!" Owen looks at me and then looks at the wolf on top of Howard. He clenches his teeth and then yells out a battle cry rushing forward towards the wolf with the knife. At the same time, I rush towards the wolf as well preparing to swing the shovel at the wolf''s head. The wolf notices both me and Owen rushing towards it and realizes the danger. It tries to move away from Howard and escape when Howard grabs its neck from below. Surprised, it tries to shove Howard off and with a hard shake, Howard is forced to release his grip. It was enough though since both me and Owen have arrived next to the wolf. Owen stabs the wolf on its back while I was able to get a full swing on its face. With how hard I swung the shovel broke into pieces as itnds on the wolf''s face and Owen ends up retreating after lodging the knife in the wolf''s back as deep as he could. I couldn''t continue to attack the beast without any weapons so I retreated and went to help Howard stand up. The beast snarls at us and howls towards the moon again but is interrupted by Luke and Oscar. Luke slowly moved towards the beast when it was on top of Howard and finally he attacked the wolf when it was least expecting it. Luke jumps into the air and stabs downwards as the wolf raises its head towards the moon while Oscar stabs the wolf in the back. Luke''s knife enters the wolf''s eye and stabs through instantly killing the wolf. Its blood sshes on Luke and the golden fur loses its shine. The wolf falls to its side signaling the end of the battle. Unlike before where the goblin corpse burst into purple smoke once the sun rose, the wolf burst into smoke the moment itnded on its side. Recing the corpse was 5 of the wolf''s teeth strung together as a ne. [ Soul of the Golden Wolf Summon the golden wolf to do your bidding. 30-minute duration. 2-hour cooldown. 5/5 uses left. ] I couldn''t believe my eyes. I got an item that summons the wolf we just defeated. While it wolf was not that strong, it had a healing ability as well as being fast and agile. It will be a trump card in any situation however, I was not going to keep it. "Luke,e here. Wear this ne. Whenever you are in danger or whenever someone close to you is in danger and you are not able to help them think of the golden wolf while holding onto the ne. It will summon a golden wolf to help you." Luke looks at me bewildered by my choice. "Are you sure? Once I take this I''m not giving it back to you." "Hahaha! Take it you deserve it for finishing the kill." Howardes overughing loudly and pats Luke''s back heavily. Luke blushes slightly and hesitantly takes the ne from my hands. "There is a 30-minute duration and a 2 hour cooldown period at the same time it only has 5 uses so be mindful and don''t waste it ok?" Luke nods his head and slips his head through the ne confidently. "Now then, I haven''t properly introduced ourselves to you, Owen and Oscar. My name is Ian and this is Howard and Luke. Next to your other two friends are Lucina and old man Hus. Will you join us?" Owen and Oscar both look at each other. They had just experienced running for their lives, meeting new people, and then fighting the very monster that forced them to run. It was a lot to take in and in a small amount of time, however, with a smile, they both nodded at each other and looked back at me. "If you are willing to take us in, we would dly join you." [ Loyalty Points (Owen) + 50 ] [ Loyalty Points (Oscar) + 50 ] [ Loyalty Points (Owen) 50/100 ] [ Loyalty Points (Oscar) 50/100] 11 Chapter 11 "ROBIN! DAVID! Are you guys alright?" Both Owen and Oscar shout towards the cliff waving and walking towards the group of people. Lucina and old man Hus stood up and walked towards us asking if we were ok. At the same time, the two new additions to the group also appeared behind them. Everyone gathered around the fire and I can finally see their faces. Owen looked like a caring dad with short messy brown hair. Oscar looked like a spitting image of his father, Owen, the only difference was his skinny figure. David, the man carrying the woman, was a tall, bald muscr man with a gentle face. Robin was a tall brte with a determined expression on her face. Her legs were covered in bloodied rags, most likely from the wolf biting her. "Thank you for helping us. I am sure Owen and Oscar have already introduced themselves but I''ll do it again. My name is Robin, I am Owen''s wife as well as Oscar''s mum and this is David, a close friend of the family. We were attacked in the forest as we were migrating from shelter to shelter, finding a ce to live." "No problem Robin. My name is Ian and this is Howard and Luke next to me. With the help of your husband and son, we were able to kill the wolf that attacked you. You have already met Lucina and old man Hus when you were by the path behind you." After a quick introduction, Lucina suggested we share a meal. Using arge wooden bowl old man Hus carved out, she boiled water and various vegetables found in the forest to make a simple vegetable soup. The meal warmed our stomachs and slowly everyone opened up to each other. Laughter and chatter filled the air until everyone got tired. I wake up early and go down to the river to wash. As I was cleaning myself I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see David and said my greetings. "Good morning, I see you are also an early bird." "I wake up early to train my body. Howe you are here?" David wades into the river and starts to ssh himself with water. Water droplets cling to his tanned skin and glitter in the light. "I am making a mud wall and it takes a long time to finish so starting early always helps." "Is it possible for me to help you in exchange for letting us stay here?" David looks towards me with a worried expression, nervously gulping his saliva. "I had already asked Owen and Oscar to join us after the fight and they replied yes. However, I am curious looking at your build. Howe you did not fight?" David sighs and sits down on the bank of the river. "If I told you I was afraid, would you believe me? I mean look at me, I haverge muscles, I am tall but I am afraid of battles. I am afraid that with the wrong step I could die." He puts his head in his hands as he tells me his fears. I kneel in front of him moving his hands away from his face and making him look at me. "If I told you I was afraid, would you believe me? I was afraid that I would die but I stepped forward to protect the people behind me. Did you know I only met them a day ago? But even, so they have helped me and when danger strikes I must help them. Lucina cannot fight and old man Hus is old and frail. Howard, me and even Luke are the only ones capable of fighting" I looked into David''s eyes as I spoke to him. "I-I-I can''t do the same things as you. I would run the moment it looks dangerous." "If you really could run when it gets dangerous why did you carry Robin? You could have left her and ran faster and further." "I...I don''t know." I stand up and pat David''s shoulder. "Come, you said you would help me with the wall. Follow me." I walk up the path half expecting David to not follow but after I got halfway up I see him stand up and jog towards me. [ Loyalty Points (David) + 50 ] [ Loyalty Points (David) 50/100 ] Nice! Got David to believe in me more. I am starting to understand the Loyalty system, by helping with their problems I can gain lots of points straight away. Once I got to the top, I saw everyone waking up. I said good morning to everyone and asked Robin, Owen and Oscar about the things they can do. Oscar normally foraged for food and scouted the surroundings, Owen knew how to fish and construct houses and Robin was a hunter/trapper before she got injured. I asked Oscar to follow Lucina and Luke in gathering resources. I told Owen if he could fish down in the river before for lunch and I asked Robin if she could keep old man Huspany since she could not walk. Afterward, I carried the water sack down to the river while David held the wooden pot and exined the process of making the mud bricks. The morning rolled by with everyonepleting their tasks and right before the game ended Howard had finished tying the fence together. Now, we have some sort of barrier to protect us from walking down the cliff and while it was a little flimsy I felt a little bit more safe walking near the edge. 12 Chapter 12 It has been 6 days since the start of the game, I have beening online every night and working with everyone throughout the day. Working on the wall with David had been my mission since we settled down next to the forest above the canyon. After 6 days of hard work, we had finished the wall and connected a simple wooden gate. At the same time, Robin had recovered from her injury a bit enough for her to walk around and help with gathering some resources. Old man Hus had also made various tools and weapons, including daily essentials like bowls, cups and utensils, wooden swords, stone axes, spears and a couple of simple bows and stone arrows. He also worked on wooden shields, chest tes and so we had something to protect ourselves in case of another attack. Owen had been using traps in the river below to catch fish, allowing us to eat a more bnced diet. Howard had made arge mud house, big enough for everyone to stay in, using the same method I used in creating the wall. The old shelter was used as a storage house. Lucina, Luke and Oscar stockpiled various fruits and vegetables found in the forest, sorting them out in wooden pots. During this time, I constantly talked to the new members in order to raise their loyalty points. Owen and Oscar''s points rose quickly, while David''s rose at a steady rate by constantly talking to him and working with him. Robin however, was more difficult since she liked to solve her problems on her own. I was stuck on her loyalty points and could not progress no matter how much I talked to her so I gave up and decided to deal with itter. [ Loyalty Points (Owen) MAX ] [ Loyalty Points (Oscar) MAX ] [ Loyalty Points (David) MAX ] [ Loyalty Points (Robin) 50/100 ] With the max LP I was able to see their stats. Name: Owen Race: Human Health Points (HP): 14/14 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 6 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 Name: Oscar Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 8 Agility: 8 Luck: 3 Name: David Race: Human Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 15 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 I knew David was strong but I didn''t know how strong he was until now. He had almost twice the amount of strength as Howard at the same time only slightly lower vitality. However, his cowardly nature can only be cured by himself. As I was about to be logged out of the game I was greeted with the blue transparent screen. [ Hello everyone! It has almost been a week since Settlement has been released and it is time for a second event!!] [ Second Event - Invasion Objective - Survive the invasion or Destroy the enemy encampment Reward - Unknown ] [ The event will go live tomorrow however, there will be a grace period between the start of the game and the start of the event! ] I read the message and once I finished I was logged out. I wake back up in my room thinking about the second event. Most likely it was a continuation of the first event meaning I would be up against goblins again. With more people and a base to defend survival will be easier however, with the option to destroy the enemy encampment it would mean that to get to the top 10 I would need toplete this side of the mission. Completing the survival mission would be the easy route and destroying the encampment would be the hard route. I think about different scenarios throughout the day but I was unable toe up with a feasible n. I can only improvise on the stop and ask for advice once I go back into the game. The day goes by and once midnight hits, I return once again to Settlement. 13 Chapter 13 The moment I got into the game I called everyone to gather around the fire. The firece has be a ce of gathering, whenever there was an important topic everyone would gather and discuss. This time I needed to discuss theing event. "Ok, since everyone is here now I would like to talk about something. I feel like sometime today we will have some uninvited guests. It has been a week since the goblins''st attack us at the cave and we have not heard of them since. I have a feeling they will being for us today which was why I prioritized defense and weapons. Where they wille to attack us? I don''t know so I want everyone to be alert. The forest and below us are the only ces where they can attack us so just for today we will not be going out. We will use the supplies we have hoarded to get by and prepare for the attack. Any questions?" I see everyone will worried expressions and after letting everyone digest the information, Robin raises her hand. "I know defending this ce would be good but what if we attack them first? If we attack them we can bring the fight to them and at the same time if it goes bad we can retreat back to behind the wall." "I would love to attack them however, we don''t know where the encampment is and how far away it is from us." I reply to Robin and I was surprised by her suggestion. Her suggestion corrtes to one of the objectionpletions and it would most likely be the one worth the most. "Ian, if I may interrupt. I think I know a general direction of where the encampment is." Oscar raises his hand and speaks out after I finished talking. I give him a surprised look and then a curious look. "The encampment is in the forest. I saw tracks of goblins yesterday as I was out foraging for mushrooms. I didn''t mention this because it was a little further out than I usually go to find food. Naturally, I didn''t think it would be a problem but now that I think about it I went to that location before and I didn''t see any goblin tracks." "Wait, if that is the case then...The goblin tracked you." I got a dumbfounded look from Oscar. I exin what I meant to him as well as everyone else. "If you didn''t see the tracks the first time you went to pick mushrooms in that area but see tracks the second time there are a couple of possibilities that happened. One, after you walked in that area and left a goblin walked towards the same ce and found your tracks. Two, they are in the area originally and you going to the area was a coincidence. Three, the tracks are a bait and they are luring us towards that spot to ambush us." The first two points I said made sense to everyone but once I said the third point they all froze. David and Owen swallow their saliva nervously, while Howard let out a long sigh and Robin did a low whistle. Oscar had his mouth open not knowing what to say and the rest stayed silent. "At least this shows they areing from the forest and not from below us. We can prepare our defense for the forest side. We need to first light up the area. On the top of the walls, we should prepare torches and nearby it recement torches for when it goes out. The only people that can use a bow and arrow are Robin and Howard so we need you guys on alert and shooting from above the wall. The ones on the front lines will be Owen, Luke, Oscar, David and me. While Lucina and old man Hus will be lighting torches when needed and passing more arrows to Robin and Howard. Is this ok with everyone?" Everyone nods towards me and starts to move to prepare for the attack. We have no idea when we will be attacked so the faster we move the better. Howard moves some of the bigger rocks near the wall as a recement stand allowing him to look over the wall. He also moved a rock further away for Robin and then gets started in cing torches on the top of the wall. The torches were made of thick wooden sticks and tree resin wrapped at the top with dry grass and vines. Once a spark from a flint sets off the mmable material it burns for an hour before needing to be reced. Lucina gathers extra torches and arrows cing them at various points near the wall. Old man Hus gathers the armor and weapon he ced inside the mud house and starts to equip us with them. [ Stone Spear Attack: 3 An improved version of the makeshift spear. Made by Hus ] [ Stone Ax Attack: 3 An improved version of the makeshift ax. Made by Hus ] [ Wood Chest te Defense: 3 A wooden log carved out to fit the chest of the wearer is tied around the body by vines. Made by Hus ] [ Simple Bow Attack: 1 A bow made from an stic piece of wood and a thin vine as the string Made by Hus ] [ Stone Arrow Attack: 1 An arrow made from stone and wood Made by Hus ] I armed myself with a stone spear and equipped the wood chest te. I also took a goblin knife for extra measure. Owen and Oscar took a spear and chest te while David took the ax but since he was too big the chest te could not fit him. Luke took two knives even though I told him to put on a chest te he said it was too bulky and hard to move in. It made sense to me as a gamer since Luke''s stats were leaning towards agility making him more of an assassin or thief rather than a warrior. I had the lowest statspared to everyone else so I made sure that the equipment I put on was secure. "Owen, Oscar, David and Luke. It will be fine. Trust me and trust each other. Always call out your position and what you are doing. If you engage with the enemy shout out that you have and when that happens if you are free then go help. I will stand at the front, behind me will be David and Owen and at the very back will be Oscar and Luke. We will stand in a triangle-like formation at the gate." I walk away from them but stop to look back after a few steps. "I trust you guys with my back that is why even though I am the weakest one out of all of us, I will stand in front of you. I will show you a brighter tomorrow." 14 Chapter 14 "Waitd, I forgot to give you something." Old man Huses running out of the shelter holding a wooden shield. "I know I made more however they are not equipable at the moment. Lad, I do not want you to depend on a shield that might break after a small hit. This is the only one I was about to make. I made it so you can sling it around your back. Cut the strap away when you go into battle andd be careful out there." Old man Hus passes me the shield while looking into my eyes. I could see his eyes get a little watery and his fragile hands seem to shake a bit as he held the shield. "Don''t worry old man Hus. Nothing will get past us." I pat his shoulder and give him a reassuring smile before walking away and towards the gate with everyone. [ Wooden Shield Defense: 5 A rectangr shield made from roughly cut woond tied together by vines. Made by Hus ] I walk towards the gate with everyone else behind me. Howard and Robin were already stationed at the wall and Lucina and set up a couple of fires behind the wall to relight any torches. The sun was setting and the evening glow washed over us. I stare intently past the gate and into the forest. The forest seems to stare back and the shadows of the trees bend and twist into the darkness of the forest. I could hear David and Owen nervously swallow their saliva, and Oscar anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to another. All of a sudden the blue screen appears in front of me. [ Have Fun! ] A small message from the system sparked a series of events. The forest moves like a tsunami, the rustling of leaves and the various howls and shouts fill the quiet atmosphere. It was like a night market inside the forest but with one loud shout, it quieted. A tense atmosphere fills in and the forest is silent. So silent I could probably hear bug move a rock. Seconds felt like years and minutes felt like decades. I grip my spear tightly and lower my body bncing on the soles of my feet. ,m I see a glint from the forest as if something shiny was there. A soft whistle in the wind could be heard. Then a thud. I felt like I had just gotten punched in the chest. I stumble back a bit and see an arrow stuck in my armor. I silently thank old man Hus for making the wooden armor for me. I open my status screen and see that I took no damage, I let out a sigh of relief but that reliefsted shorter than I would have wanted. The forest came back to life and the howls and yells once again fill the air. Yellow dots appear from the depths of the forest. Goblins. Hundreds of goblins. Their green skin, yellow teeth, pointy ears and nose appear one by one from the forest. Robin was the first person to retaliate, sending arrow after arrow towards any goblin. Some killed the goblin straightaway, others hit their arms, legs, and body and some outright missed. Howard quickly followed suit and started to send out arrows. "With the number of goblins, we can''t stay behind the gate. We need to open the gate and stand our ground right at the front." I shout at the people behind me and started to run towards the gate. I open the gate and stood at the front. The first person to stand next to me was Luke. He had been with me from the start. Albeit quiet, Luke was reliable and I felt d he was next to me right now. Oscar and Owen were next to follow standing nervously to the right of Luke. They looked at each other andughed slightly before shaking their heads and looking forward. The face looked a little less nervous. It seemed like they had epted their fate but they are here to make a stand. David looked at the four people in front of him. He looked at his weapon in his hands and looked around him. He saw the woman he was carrying a couple of days ago sending arrows upon arrows to a crowd of goblins. He saw a man who he help build a wall between the shelter and the forest. He saw the small green monsters running towards him from the forest, all of them half his size if not even smaller. He remembered the conversation he had with that man and he thought. "What if I run away right now? No one would know that I ran away, they would be too busy with the goblins." But even with that thought, he found his feet moving forward not backward until he stood on that man''s left. He left out a nervous breath and heard the man talking to him. "See, it wasn''t that hard right?" I knew with David''s cowardly personality that there was a chance he would run away but I believed in him and waited for him to stand next to me. With everyone at the gate ready and willing I shouted at the top of my lungs. "RUSH AT THEM!! OFFENSE IS THE BEST DEFENSE!!" 15 Chapter 15 My legs move as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I dash towards the closest goblin and stab forward with my spear catching it off guard. The sharp stone end of my spear pierces through the skull sttering green blood and brain matter behind the now dead goblin. I retract my spear and take a few steps towards my next target swinging my spear at the goblin. I could hear the bones of its arms crack when I hit it with the wooden body of my spear. Quickly, I turn my spear around and stab its head killing it in one swift motion. I started to retreat a bit after killing the second goblin and instead aimed for a goblin that was already injured. It had an arrow in its shoulder but it was still running forward in a crazed state. I run towards the goblin and was about to stab it when David pulled me backward. I feel the bridge of my nose get cut and then a thud. An arrow came flying at me from the forest and embedded itself in the wall. "Didn''t you say be careful? Why are you rushing at them?" David pulls my stunned body back towards the group. Owen and Oscar were trying their best swinging their spears around in front of them. Cutting the goblins arms, legs, body but unfortunately not doing enough damage to kill them. Luke was running along the outside wall swiftly cing a knife in a goblin''s head one after another, retreating instantly when he was about to be surrounded. p "If we do not attack them when they are separated and running from the forest we will eventually lose. Once they group up there will be too many of them to face all at once and there is a chance they might be able to climb over the wall too. It might seem crazy but the best ce to fight them is when they have just exited the forest but that opportunity is already gone so the next best thing is the area between the forest and wall. Once they reach the wall the space between each goblin gets smaller." I exin my thought process to David while stabbing the closest goblin. We had retreated to Owen and Oscar and helped them take care of the goblins next to them, however more and more goblins were congregating towards us. Luke started to face them head to head rather than running around them as well since he was losing ground. "We are not looking too good Ian." I hear Owen talking to me and I nce in his direction. His lower body was covered in goblin blood and he was breathing heavily. Oscar next to him was a little bit better, it must be Owen doing more than normal to make sure he protects his son. "Owen, I know it is hard but keep attacking no matter what." I reassure Owen and at the same time, I decided to take a risk. I step forward stabbing in front of me multiple times aiming at the space in front of me rather than the goblins. I make big swings and deep thrusts and any unfortunate goblin that was in my path got sliced or punctured. I move forward until I was about 10 steps away from the rest of the group and shouted at the top of my lungs. "COME AT ME!" The goblins nearest to me looked at me and snickered. There were 6 goblins within arms reach of me. I swing my spear around like a mad man keeping them away as best I can while screaming. I started to attract more attention and 6 goblins slowly became 10 goblins and then 15 goblins. On the bright side, the goblins near David and the rest were less and were quickly defeated by them. I could see them handing any stray goblins that I could not attract but I had more things to worry about. I unsling my shield and carry it with my left hand while holding my spear tightly with my right hand. I squat down ready and constantly shift around poking at the goblins that moved closer to me. I knew this stalemate would notst long and the bnce shifted to the goblins side really quickly. 4 goblins ran towards me ar different directions. I swung my spear around frantically hitting 2 of them with the body of the goblin and luckily hitting the other with the tip of my spear but 1 goblin was free to attack me. Its knife went under my shield and stabbed my thigh. The sharp pain from my leg caused me to wince a bit but I quickly recovered and bashed the goblin away with my shield. I open the status quickly to observe my HP. Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 8/10 (Bleeding Lose 1 HP every 30 minutes) Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 5 Equipment: Wooden spear, Goblin Knife, Wooden Chest te, Wooden Shield, Lucky Goblin Totem Ne A new status effect was seen next to my HP and was slightly saddened by the status effect. I lick my dry lips and prepare for the next attack from the group of goblins, hoping I can avoid the next attack properly. The group of goblins surrounding me grew impatient and they all started to run at me in all directions. Knives were in the air ready to be swung down and some knives crept along the ground waiting to strike. I couldn''t defend against all of them and I seemed to have epted my mistake for pushing forward without any help. "HAAAAAAHHHH" From behind, I hear a loud yell. A yell I was familiar with. The goblins seem to stand still like statues. Their knives hang in the air just a bit more before they drew blood. Howard used his skill and at the same time rushed towards me with his ax followed closely were David and Luke. They killed the goblins behind me and stepped around in front of me pushing the goblins away. "HAHAHA! Ian, it looked like you need some help." Howarde next to me with a beaming smile, he had helped me once again with his skill. "Don''t worry Ian, this time I won''t run away." David reassured me but I could see his shaking hands and legs. "That''s right Ian, watch. Summon Golden Wolf!" 16 Chapter 16 Luke grasped the tooth in the middle of the ne. As he finished saying the chant the tooth became enveloped in a golden light. It warped around the tooth detaching itself from the ne and forming a golden ball. The ball morphs into the shape of a wolf before dissipating revealing the golden fur underneath. With a loud howl at the sky, a golden wolf appears next to Luke. Name: Golden Wolf Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 15 Vitality: 25 ,m Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 8 Agility: 25 Luck: 5 Skill: Moonlight Renewal (active) - 2 MP, Pounce (Active) - 1 MP It bears its fangs at the closest goblin instantly biting the neck before pouncing on the next goblin. It travels from goblin to goblin killing them with a single strike. It wasn''t before long when the goblins in front of the wall died. Due to the strength of the golden wolf and the pressure it exerts the goblins stopped running towards us and instead stayed in the depths of the forest. It was the first time we had a break from the constant attack. Although I was still worried about the goblin archer. The two arrows that the archer shot towards me could have taken my life. I gathered everyone near the gate making sure to close it before talking. "We have two options. Stay here and defend or split up and attack while defending. The first option is without a doubt the safer option. The second is extremely risky because we can end the fight by destroying the encampment however, by splitting the up we lose a lot of defense here as well as potentially sending the attacking party to their deaths. For those that want the second option put up your hand." I gave everyone a little bit of time to think about the two options. After a bit, it seemed like everyone made their decision. Robin, Howard, Luke and myself had put their hands up. I was thest person to put up their hand and once I did David asks me a question. "Do you think the second option is the better option in order to survive?" I look back at him and shook my head. "No, if I was thinking about only survival then I would choose to defend against the goblins. However, I am thinking about the future. If we can defeat the encampment we will be able to take the resources from the encampment at the same time there might be hidden gems there. Items that will enhance our lifestyle or enhance our strength. At the same time, this is all a guess. There might be nothing there and I just made everyone go through hell and back but it''s a risk I am willing to take." David still shakes his head. "I don''t understand. We don''t have the resources to attack and defend how do you propose we do it?" I smile at David and tell everyone my n. "It might sound hard but I think we have a chance. With the number of goblins that attacked us from sunset to now, there would have been hundreds of footsteps meaning it would be an easy task to backtrack towards their encampment. Oscar will be leading the way especially since he knows where the general direction might be. Luke will be the weapon or more importantly, it would be the golden wolf. However with only 30 minutes before the golden wolf disappears we will need to time the attack wisely. We have already used it once so we know what to expect. Then there is me, I will make the decisions on moving forward or retreating." Everyone looked at me as if I was a ghost. "Wait, how is this a n it sounds like suicide." Owen broke the silence with a sarcastic tone. "It does not SOUND like suicide it IS suicide" Oscar did not agree with the n at all and expressed his disbelief at my words. "No, I think it is the best option we got." Everyone looked at Robin. She stood there with one hand on her hip looking at us with a face of disinterest. "Honey, stop being a bitch. You are the best tracker we got and if we want to find the goblin''s encampment only you can do it. You need to grow a pair and go out into the wild. Furthermore, we need to repay Ian for helping us when we needed it most." Robin walked over to Oscar and stands right in front of him. "Mum...I-I can''t just go out there knowing I am going to die." "You are not going to die. No is, I''ll make sure. The moment there is any danger I will voice the order to retreat and the 3 of us will go back to here and defend until the goblins stop attacking." I look straight into Oscar''s eyes as I speak to him. Not wavering a single step. With a sigh, Oscar reluctantly agrees and Owen looks at Robin giving a doubtful look. Robin looked slightly annoyed before she walked over to Owen and punched him in the chest. "BE A MAN OWEN. You better defend this ce with your life." I gulp nervously looking at the interaction between the two thinking I should never get on Robin''s bad side. [ Loyalty Points (Robin) + 10 ] [ Loyalty Points (Robin) 60/100 ] "Ok, here is the n once again. Howard, David and Owen will be defending the gate. Robin will provide support from the wall and Lucina I want you to help Robin out whenever she needs it. Luke, I know you did not say anything during that conversation so I assume you know what is happening. I want you to stay behind me. If we get into extreme danger I want you to call for the golden wold immediately otherwise wait for my signal. Oscar, lead the way." With a nod from everyone, Oscar, Luke and I set off for the goblin encampment and into the depths of the forest. 17 Chapter 17 It is the dead of night and we just entered the forest. The canopy covers the sky allows only small rats of moonlight to touch the ground. It was the first time I was so entering the forest past the edge. It was strangely calm. Only the sound of rustling leaves and small twigs snapping under our feet can be heard. It was very odd since there were so many goblins just moments ago scurrying across the forest floor. I see Oscar crouch looking intently at the ground. "This way, it seems like they were retreating. Not too sure of the number of goblins running away but in the group of footprints I can clearly see arger footprint. It looks to be twice the size of a goblin. Did one of them evolve into a hobgoblin?" "What is a hobgoblin?" Luke asks the question on my mind softly. The only information I knew about hobgoblins was from other games. Usually, they were justrger versions of the goblins and are slightly smarter and strongerpared to their counterpart. "I only know from what mum told me but hobgoblins are an evolved species of goblins. There are 3 versions of them and it usually corrtes with their strengths. She told me that they can specialize in strength, agility and magic." "Magic? As in like magic like fireballs and stuff?" It was the first mention of magic in the game and it also proved that magic existed in this world. Although I had my suspicions that magic existed there was no information that it as confirmed. "Yes, fireballs and stuff but I don''t know what a hobgoblin that knows magic can do or what they would look like." "Hmm, I think we are not dealing with a mage. There is a higher chance of strength or agility-based goblin because of what happened at the wall. There was no magic used instead, it was a simple bow and arrow. It means the hobgoblin is proficient in archery which might lean it towards agility-based. Let''s keep moving forward Oscar." Oscar nods towards me and starts to move forward again only this time more slowly. He looks around the ground in front of him more often constantly checking broken branches or areas in the trees before advancing. I don''t rush him and I calmly wait for his judgment before following him. Luke follows me closely behind trying his best to make as little noise as well. After walking deeper into the forest we finally arrived at the area where Oscar first say goblin prints. "Okay, there are two sets of footprints here. From my memory the goblin prints I saw before leading towards the left but from what I see right now I see more footprints towards the right. I cannot see the hobgoblin prints for some reason though. Did it wander off from the group or did it get covered by the number of goblins..?" "Wait, Oscar did you just say there are no hobgoblin prints?" "Yea, why?" "Shit, MOVE!" I rush from where I was standing and pushed the confused Oscar. The ce where he was just standing was suddenly pierced with an arrow from above. I look up to see a goblin twice the size of a normal one. It was crouching on top of a thick branch holding onto a bow and slung on its back was a quiver. It had slightly smaller ears than other goblins and its nose was smaller. It wore something simr to a red beanie and dirty brown rags around its waist. At the same time, it had a disgusted expression and soon it turned away and jumped from branch to branch. It disappeared from the tree and into the darkness. Oscar was breathing hard while he was on the ground. I can only imagine what was going through his mind right now. I stand up and grab his arm pulling him up I pat his back, dusting the dirt and dead leaves off his back. "Are you ok?" I look at his face carefully looking at his expression. Oscar opened his mouth but couldn''t say anything. He looked around a bit not knowing what to say until he saw Luke. He saw Luke, standing still looking in the direction of the archer hobgoblin. "I''m fine. Let''s keep moving, we should follow the footprints to the right. There are more goblins that way but it is most likely where they are staying." Oscar looked different. He still had a worried expression but it looked more calm and ready. "Okay, lead the way." Oscar nods his head slightly while moving towards the right and we follow him onwards deeper into the forest. We follow the footprints for a little bit more until we get to a clearing. There were small wooden tents huddled around arge fire. Loud yells and the nking of rocks fill the air. There was arge rock near the fire and on top of the rocks was a single hobgoblin. It was the same one from before and it was shouting at the goblins below him. "We got to the encampment but now what?" Oscar nervously asks me as he observes the encampment in front of him. "We need to look for an opening or somewhere to attack from but we need to make sure we have a retreat path." "Ian, what if the form of attack was the golden wolf appearing?" "Hmm, I think that idea is perfect Luke. Nowe here let me talk to u about how we are going to do this." 18 Chapter 18 I slowly crawl along the ground towards the closest tent. I held onto my spear and shield and carefully crept closer to the tent. I make sure I made as little sound as possible. Behind the tent, I got up slightly and crouch walked to the next tent drawing closer to therge rock. The noise from the goblins shouting at each other drowned out the noise from my footsteps. I could see the hobgoblin''s face as I got closer. It was wearing a wide grin as it looked down at the goblins a look of superiority could be seen. There were 6 tents and arge rock surrounding arge fire. I could see arge pot hanging above the fire, from a couple ofrge poles. Clouds of steam could be seen above the pot and a single goblin was stirring the insides of it. There were goblins holding weapons hopping from one leg to the other dancing around the fire. Some yelling and shouting while eating some sort of meat. Pieces of the meat would spray over other goblins every time they yelled. It was like a chaotic mess around the fire. I stay quiet slowly moving behind tents inching my way towards the rock. Suddenly, a goblin turned the corner and walked behind the tent. Its eyes were closed and it was whistling softly as it walked further away. As silent as a cat, I stay still and unmoving. The goblin walks past me and I leaped on it. Stabbing the back of its throat with the spear while pushing his head down to the ground. I kill it as quickly and quietly as I can making sure no other goblin notices my presence. I move back behind the closest tent and let out a sigh of relief. It took a bit of time to get to the rock and during that time I had killed 2 more goblins that wandered away from the fire. I looked up and saw the hobgoblin grinning. I lick my lips and swallow my saliva while I held onto my spear. I draw the spear back and aimed for the hobgoblin''s head. I step forward and tossed my spear. Unfortunately, I stepped on a branch and the sound made the hobgoblin turn behind. He sees the spear fly towards him and awkwardly twists away. The spear barely grazes his shoulder and he falls down into the crowd of goblins. I curse under my breath and start to sprint away. I hold onto the shield tightly with my left hand while grasping the goblin knife in my right in case something unexpected happened. Not long after I could hear the sound of goblins chasing after me. Their iconic screeching and yelling filled my ears and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I sprint faster and faster, I can feel my heart beating louder and harder than ever and as if my luck couldn''t get worse I had run into a dead end. Since it was dark and there was only a limited amount of light I couldn''t tell where I was running and I didn''t even know I had run into this dead end. In front of me and to my sides were the walls of a mountain towering over forest. I turn around to see the crowd of goblins slowing down and spreading out covering any path of escape. I smile weakly at the group of goblins and went into my battle stance. I can see their nasty grins and smug faces as they surround me, some were taunting me with their weapons while others licked their lips revealing a disgusting set of teeth. The group of goblins parted in the middle and the leader of them appeared, the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin walks forward confidently and the moonlight shines on his body as if he was a saint. Its bow was reced by a thick wooden club, twice the size of its arm. It spits in my direction and that was when I recognized it. The hobgoblin was the goblin with the club and shield during thest attack. It had evolved, became stronger, faster and bigger while at the same time earning the rights to lead a group of goblins. Iugh nervously at the goblin looking at him intently ready to react to any of its moves. It leans forwards and pushes off the ground hard enough to leave a small indent on the ground. It dashes forward and swings the club upwards and then smashing it down. I block the strike with my shield but underestimated the amount of raw strength of the hobgoblin. I could feel the blow throughout my whole body. I see the hobgoblin wind up for another attack and quickly sidestep the blow. At the same time, I counterattack stabbing forward with my knife. The hobgoblin rolls away and the knife nicks his nose. It looks at me pitifully and starts tough. Its wide grin grew wider and its eyes bulge out of its sockets and with a crazedugh pounces towards me gripping the club with both hands swinging it down from the sky creating a cloud of dust as itnds. With such an obvious attack I step back dodging the blow but I couldn''t stop the follow-up attack. The hobgoblin leaped towards me hitting me square in the chest cracking and breaking the wooden chest te. I bring up the status screen to see how much HP I had left. Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 3/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 5 Equipment: Goblin Knife, Wooden Shield, Lucky Goblin Totem Ne With only 3 HP left I was very worried but despite how dire the situation looked right now, I smiled. "LUKE NOW!" Hidden on top of a ledge above a golden light shed and a golden wolf jumped down. Standing next to me was once an enemy but now my friend. A confident smile spread across my face as I saw the hobgoblin''s surprised expression. "Hey hobgoblin, get ready because it is our turn." 19 Chapter 19 I back off and run towards the mountain and start to climb. I grab Luke''s hand and swing myself onto the ledge. Looking behind me I see the golden wolf fighting against the hobgoblin and the goblin army. The wolf dodges the hobgoblin''s strike and bite''s its arm ripping it from its body. At the same time, the wolf is hit by multiple goblin knives and its golden fur is dyed in crimson blood. It leaps backward and howls towards the sky and as if the moon answer''s its call a silver ray of light falls down on the wolf. The crimson blood fades away and its golden fur shines even brighter. It growls at the goblins and leaps towards the closest one ripping its head apart before swiping its paw at the next one. The hobgoblin slowly retreats from the golden wolf while ordering for more goblins to attack the wolf. "Ignore the goblins! Attack the hobgoblin!" I hear Luke shout an order towards the golden wolf and in response, it howls and leaps from the ground and towards the wall. Jumping from the side of the wall forwardnding behind the goblins and facing the hobgoblin. The wolf leaps forward with its jaws wide open aiming for the hobgoblins head. The hobgoblin dodges to the side and raises its club hitting the wolf on its back. Due to the failed attack, the wolf was now surrounded by the goblins and was eventually overwhelmed but it did its job. Injuring the hobgoblin as well as decimating part of the goblin army. I let out a sigh of relief d that the n worked out but we were still in danger. Looking at the army of goblins only numbering in the twenties and an injured hobgoblin I decided to take a risk. "Luke let''s jump down and try to kill them all." "WHAT?" I look at Luke with a very serious expression while I see his dumbfounded and confused face. "I''m serious. You and I jump down right now. The goblins won''t expect a thing and we would be able to quickly kill the closest ones lowering the amount we have to face already." "Wait, no wait are you sure it would be 2 against like 20 something." "Trust me, we can do this." As I say thosest words I jump down and quickly ran towards the closest goblin. I stab the side of its neck instantly killing the goblin and grabbed the knife that dropped from its hands. I toss the knife at another goblin and run towards it stabbing its body. To my side, I see Luke finally jumping down and killing goblins. He was swift and mobile running around goblins stabbing their neck or chest not missing a beat. The goblins started to realize that they were being attacked and started to fight back. I make sure to block as many attacks as possible since I was still low HP but running on adrenaline I kept pushing myself to kill goblins. I was lucky with a lot of the attacks barely dodging some shes from goblins and barely blocking the club swings. I could hear the yells and shouts of goblins all around me as their blood sprays over my body. Finally, it was only the hobgoblin left. I look at my status and look at Luke''s. Name: Ian Race: Human Health Points (HP): 1/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 5 Equipment: Goblin Knife, Wooden Shield, Lucky Goblin Totem Ne Name: Luke Race: Human Health Points (HP): 2/12 p Mana Points (MP): 4/4 Strength: 6 Vitality: 6 Intelligence: 8 Dexterity: 4 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 Equipment: 2x Goblin Knife, I did not notice before but Luke''s stats had changed. He gained more strength, vitality, intelligence and agility. If there was a level system in the game then he would have leveled up. I was curious about why his stats had increased but there were more pressing matters. The hobgoblin was breathing heavily in front of us, bleeding profusely from its shoulder were the golden wolf had ripped his arm from. I couldn''t believe it was still alive but even so both me and Luke were low on HP too. This time I can''t take any risks. I lick my lips and squat a bit while bringing the shield in my hand in front of me. Luke backs up behind me and to the side ready to strike. It was a stalemate, with both parties staring at each other intently. The hobgoblin grew impatient and screamed at us. It raised his club and charged towards me. No tricks, no feints just a straight charge. I remember the previous battle at the cave where the goblin had attackedst time. I toss my shield at the hobgoblin blocking its sight with the shield while I jumped and rolled to the left. I toss a spare goblin knife at his face while I shed at his feet. Being distracted by the shield and having one less arm the hobgoblin was hit by both knives. Luke pounces on the hobgoblin from the other side cing his knife in the neck of the hobgoblin before jumping away. With a look of horror and disbelief, the hobgoblin fell to the ground breathing itsst breath. [ Congrattions for defeating the boss andpleting the second event!] 20 Chapter 20 All around Luke and I were the bodies of goblins, some with their neck pierced others with stab wounds in their chest. I plop down on the ground, exhausted from the battle while Luke leans against a tree. "Luke, we did it. Good job!" I look at Luke as congratte him on the victory but he looks back at me and shakes his head. "I''ll talk to you in the morning. I''m going to rest here." Luke slides his back down the tree and closes his eye once he is on the ground. I pick myself up and walk towards him sitting down next to Luke and closing my eyes as well. A wave of fatigue hits my body and thest thing I see is the silver moon in the sky before darkness. I hear someone talking to me and feel my body shaking. I open my eyes to see Oscar. He had tears in his eyes and was desperately calling my name. "Oscar...You are ok." I had made Oscar stay at the encampment while Luke and I executed the n. He was there to kill off any stray goblins as well as running back to the rest in case another group of goblins had split from the hobgoblin and attacked us. Looking at his body it seemed like he had encountered some goblins too. There were scratches and green blood sttered across his body and his wooden chest te was missing. "Ian are you ok? How is Luke? What happened here? What do we do now?" Oscar bombards me with a series of questions but my head felt like a mess right now. "Oscar, Oscar please can you quiet down for a bit. I''ll answer your questions in a bit let me rest up." I noticed the moon had barely moved since Ist saw it before I copsed from exhaustion which meant that Oscar had found me quite recently. "No, no, no what if there are more monsters? We need to get out of here as soon as possible." I had just realized what Oscar said was very reasonable. There was a chance that other monsters would appear. I slowly pull myself up with the help of Oscar and woke Luke up afterward. Luke''s sleepy and exhausted face tried to fight the movement from the two of us but eventually, he calmed down. With Luke on his left and me on his right, Oscar held the two of us up while he slowly walked away from the scene of battle. I don''t know how long we were walking but it felt rxing. The forest even though dark and mysterious had be more peaceful. Oscar led us back to the rest of our people. I could hear Howard''s loud voice as he runs towards us helping carry Luke, while I see Owen and Robin asking Oscar if he was ok. I sit down next to the gate and closed my eyes listening to the constant chatting between people as they ask about the goblins and our safety. "Good jobd." I barely open my eyes to see old man Hus next to me. He ced his hand on my shoulder and looked at me nodding his head slightly. I couldn''t find the words to reply to him and only nodded my head back. I can feel the warmth from everyone around me and I smile looking at the scene. I lean my head back against the wall and fell asleep, this time I was undisturbed until I woke up naturally. I woke up inside the mud house with Luke and Oscar next to me, the two of them still sleeping soundly. I get up slowly and walk outside I see the sun reaching the peak of the sky while the log-out message had just appeared. I go to sit down on a rock next to the fire and looked around me. I can see Robin and old man Hus making arrows, Lucina holding a basket woven from vines and leaves walking towards the forest, Howard and David standing near the gate looking ready to pounce on even the smallest threat. It feels like one whole big happy family and at that moment I thought of a name for this ce but since the game was shutting down I decided to tell them next time I log back in. ...............¡­.. I open my eyes to my familiar ceiling and take off the VR helmet. I stretch my body more than normal since I felt a little more stiff and sore. Even though there is no damage on my body from the game I could still feel the ces that got hit by goblins. After stretching I go on my morning jog. After a week of jogging around my block, I find myself less tired and out of breath by the time I was home. I have a quick breakfast of eggs and sausages go on myputer ready to see the posts on the forums. Instantly I am greeted by Elves_or_Nothin''s red post. "Second Event was HECTIC!" - Elves_or_Nothin HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL ELF-LOVING FANS. It is I Elves_or_Nothin and in this post I will be talking about the second event. To give a rough recount of what has happened before the event. I was attacked by wolves in the first event and survived. Found a next ce to settle down in the middle of the forest. Set up some simple forms of shelter and gathered food and water. My people made lots of traps through the immediate surroundings to catch food and deal withrge predators but then the second event came. We were again attacked by wolves but this time they were apanied by more kobolds. Now, these guys were scary! They had bows, spears and axes while my people were still using simple sticks and stones but luckily we were able to defend against them and the kobolds retreated. GO ME! The ''hunter'' NPC suggested we chase them and obviously I epted that proposal. We chased after them until we found their encampment. There were so many kobolds but the scariest one was this kobold with a hood over its head and a big staff. IT WAS A MAGE KOBOLD! yers we have confirmed MAGIC IS REAL! It chucked a big fireball towards us and all of us dodged it by the skin of our teeth. There was so much fighting but once again your boy survives and kills the kobold mage. However, after the battle, my people and I were very tired so we retreated back to our camp and rested before returning to the encampment the next morning. We got a TON of loot too. Some armor and basic weapons and wolf teeth but the best one was the staff. [ Kobold Staff ,m Magic Attack: 5 Intellegence: 5 Mana Regenertation: 1 MP every 30 minutes Skill: Fireball (Active) 5 MP A wooden staff imbuded with a lesser fire spirit ] THIS STAFF IS CRAZY!!!!!! After looting it was the end of the game. Most likely when we log back into the game there will be some sort of leaderboard hopefully, I am still in the top 10! I read Elves_or_Nothin''s post as well as a couple of others recounting about their event. I found out that most people only survived the event rather than destroy the encampment since destroying the encampment meant killing a boss-level monster. The loot Elves_or_Nothin received from the kobold mage made me curious about what my loot would be and I was excited for the rest of the day anticipating my return to the game. 21 Chapter 21 [ Congrattions to these yers who have gone above and beyond ] [ 1. SAMurai 2. Scarlet Witch Sabrina 3. Devel ? 4. Helioc 5. Kitty 6. Bleu 7. SanShiGo 8. Hide-ha 9. Ian 10. Elves_or_Nothin ] [ While other yers achieved spectator results. The top 10 will receive a greater prize for their efforts. The top 50 will also receive a prize however, will not be mentioned on the leaderboard.] The blue screen appeared in front of me the moment I logged back into the game. I see that the leaderboard had changedpared to the previous leaderboard. However, SAMurai is still at the top. I can only imagine how strong he is or how strong his NPCs are. As I was thinking about the leaderboard another message appeared. [ You will now receive your reward. ] [ Please choose one: +(1 - 5) Strength +(1 - 5) Vitality +(1 - 5) Intelligence +(1 - 5) Dexterity +(1 - 5) Agility +(1 - 5) Luck ] Surprisingly, the prize this time was a stat increase. The only way to increase the stats of yers is from equipment but now there is a chance to increase stats. However, which is more important right now? Strength will increase my damage but that can also be increased by the attack stat from weapons. Vitality will increase my HP in case I get hit too much. I don''t have any skills to use the MP so intelligence is unnecessary. Dexterity is also unnecessary since I am not building any weapons. Agility could be important for running or for dodging. While luck is something that I wasn''t sure of. I already had an increase of Luck from the goblin ne but I do not feel the increased luck. "What if I got luckier?" I spoke quietly to myself as I select Luck from the blue screen. [ Congrattions you have received +5 Luck ] I was stunned for a bit. I got the maximum value from the reward and my luck increased to 10. Was the increase in luck from the equipment what helped me get the maximum reward? I could not help but think the two were rted but I did not have long to think as I heard footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Oscar and Luke walking out of the house. "You two wash up and get something to eat we need to go back to the encampment and the ce where we defeated the hobgoblin to collect any loot." Both of them nodded towards me and walked off towards the river in the canyon. I could hear them chatting aboutst night''s adventure as they walk away. "David, Lucina and Robin get ready we are going on a small trip." David and Robin got their equipment while Lucina got a couple ofrge woven baskets. She seemed to have made a couple more since yesterday but I was d she made more, it would make it easier to transfer some of the loot. Thinking about moving things I believe I should invent the wheel here to make some carts and wheelbarrows. I can get old man Hus to cut out wood and make some rough versions of carts but that will be for another day. Everyone eventually got ready and we set off. We follow Oscar as he leads the way towards the dead-end first since it was closerpared to the encampment. Once we got there we saw the loot on the ground and made sure to pick up everything. [ Goblin Knife Attack: 1 A short stick tied to a sharp stone] [ Goblin Club Attack: 1 A short slightly thicker stick] [ Hobgoblin''s Club of Rage Attack: 10 Vitality: 5 Skill: Rage (active) - 5 MP Arge wooden stick fueled by the rage of the previous holder] There were 10 goblin knives and 8 goblin clubs which David carried in his basket. I walked over to the hobgoblin''s club and when I touched the club I could feel the wrath and rage of the goblin. My mind was filled with rage for a split second before it disappeared. I pick up the club and swing it around before moving on towards the encampment. Robin and Lucina chatting along the way about the bright flowers along the forest floor while Luke silently shadowed them. Oscar was busy leading the way and checking for tracks while David and I were in the back talking about the events that happened after I left. Only a few stray goblins hade towards the gate and were instantly silenced by Robin''s marksmanship. "Everyone, we have arrived at the encampment be careful I am not sure what is still here." Oscar warns us as we got to the encampment. There was still smoke from the firest night,ing from the middle of the encampment, and the 6 tents were still there. It looked like a ghost town. We slowly move forward with Lucina in the middle, Oscar and David at the front, Robin at the back, and Luke and I on the sides. It seemed like there was no danger in the encampment anymore. We spread out and quickly raid the tents picking up anything that might be useful. I walk towards the tent closest to the rock and out the corner of my eye I see something golden half-buried under the rock. I walk towards it and dig around it revealing a small golden box. I grab the box and a message appears. [ Congrattions you are the first yer to find an Ancient Ruin ] [ An Ancient Ruin is an item that can give the yer various benefits ] [ Since you are the first to find an Ancient Ruin you may choose from these benefits] [ Please choose one: + Poption + Stats + Resources + Equipment + Artifact ] 22 Chapter 22 I was shocked when I saw the system message and I couldn''t help but speak my mind out loud. "Is this part of the increased Luck? Or was this always supposed to be here? What do I choose?" I have no idea which benefit to choose and what they would bring for me. Does poption mean I get NPCs from the box? Will I get to increase my stats like the previous reward? What does it mean by resources? Do I only get one piece of equipment? What is an artifact? There were so many questions that ran through my head. I sit down and stare at the blue screen and the golden box. I put my hand under my chin and think intently. "I have to choose wisely." I psych myself up and taker a deep breath. I clear my mind of the questions and look at each benefit closely one by one and try to figure out the reason behind each benefit. Poption usually means increasing the NPCs however I find it unlikely that NPCs would appear from a box. This means that it either increases the chances of random NPCs finding me or it is an item that summons NPCs. This would be good regardless because I need more people for a vige, town or city. Stats should mean the increase of stats just like the previous award. The difference is most likely the system randomly increases a stat rather than me choosing one. I don''t think I would need this since I won''t be at the front lines all the time. Resources are very ambiguous. It could mean food, water or even raw metals. I don''t need food or water and metals can''t be processed yet so getting resources might end up being a waste. Equipment would mean getting a piece of equipment. No matter how good the stats are in the equipment it only helps in fighting monsters rather than improving the lifestyle of everyone. Lastly is the artifact. Looking at all the previous options the artifact is most likely an item that gives a buff. It could be anything as well which makes it hard to choose since the effect might be useless. A hard decision for this ancient ruin but at least from how the system worded its message it means there are more ancient ruins yet to be discovered. "What do I need the most right now?" I look around as I silently said those words. I see everyone picking up random objects that the goblins had before. From stone forks to random pieces of animal skin to stored fruit. I think back to the base and remember there are only 2 people there. With most of the people here helping me the base ends up vulnerable. Thinking about that I decided to choose Poption. I tap on the blue screen and selected Poption. The golden box opens and an orb is inside. I pick up the orb and the description of the orb appears in front of me. [ Goblin Spawn ce the orb in the ground at a location desired. A goblin house will be erected. Goblins that spawn from this house and are MAX LP. 1 Goblin / Day ( Max 30 Goblins ) ] The golden box crumbles into dust and my face starts to twitch, I couldn''t hold back my grin. I couldn''t believe my eyes. With this orb, I can solve problems with manualbor as well as be able to send out scouting parties to search deeper in the forest without risking the NPCs'' lives. I hold onto the orb and went back to the test of the group since it looked like they have finished searching the encampment. We had gained from this encampment 15 goblin knives, 5 goblin clubs, 50 pieces of animal skin, some fruits and various stone utensils. Following Oscar back towards the base I ending up thinking about the name for the base. For a whole week, there was no name for the ce and I could hear other people refer to the ce as a base however it would be easier if there was a name attached to the ce. I rack my brain trying to think of a suitable name and not before long we hade back. Howard greets us at the gate and helps Lucina carry the basket full of animal skin. We gathered all the loot near the fire and started to store away the loot. cing the weapons in a wooden barrel, animal skin inside the mud house and storing the food in the shelter. The stone utensils were collected into one basket and ced next to the weapon barrel. Using this opportunity I raised the question that was on my mind. "Does anyone have a name for this ce?" Howard shrugs his shoulders and moves off to the side carrying more weapons to be ced in the barrel. Luke and Oscar stay silent while old man Hus looked like he ignored the question. David and Robin just waited for me to say something else while Owen looked at everyone not knowing what to say until Lucina spoke up. "Isn''t the name something you should decide Ian?" I look at Lucina confused. I reply to her. "Why me?" "Because you helped everyone here. You find us this ce, saved Robin, Owen, Oscar and David. Stepped forward in the battlest night even though you knew yourself that you were not a fighter. You have more than enough qualification to decide the name since everyone here whether they voice it or not thinks of you as our leader." I could see some small nodsing from the group as I look around. "Even so, I don''t know what the name should be. Does anyone have any suggestions?" "Ian, just take your time to decide. Or think about what this ce means to you?" Lucina gives me some advice and while I thought about it my thoughts came out of my mouth. "This ce means home to me or a safe haven. Living here lets me feel the warmth of the sun in the day. It allows me to hear the rushing water from the waterfall next to us as well as the voices from the forest. The words I think of when I think of this ce are home, safe, waterfall and forest. So maybe the name of this ce should be something to do with one of those words." After giving this a moment''s thought I smile. "I will hereby dere this ce we live in to be called HavenFall." 23 Chapter 23 Once I had chosen the name, old man Hus brought out a long piece of wood. He took out a goblin knife and I wrote down the name HavenFall on the wood. Howard and David picked up the wood and went towards the gate. cing it between the gaps of the wall above the gate. Our ce now had a name and anyone thates near it can tell that this ce is HavenFall. Oscar and Luke rested up chatting near the fire while Robin and old man Hus were discuss about improvements to her bow and arrows. Owen went down to the river to catch some fish for dinner while Lucina went into the forest to forage for more vegetables and fruits. At the same time, Howard and David were building another mud house next to the first mud house. Everyone was moving forward towards a goal or rxing making me happy inside since I did not need to tell them to do anything allowing me to get to my own devices. I hold the Goblin Spawn orb and walk towards the corner of HavenFall. Near the edge of the cliff and next to the wall I ce the orb in the ground as per instructions. It shines blue before melting into the ground. The orb turns into a blue liquid which starts to spread out covering a rectangr area. I step away from the area and after a few moments, the edges of the rectangle start to move upwards towards the sky. It forms a dark blue box before bursting into blue smoke. Once it clears I see a small wooden cylindrical structure. It had a red curtain covering the front a grey animal skin as the roof. It was the same height and about twice the size of my body. I reach my hand out to grab the red curtain to look inside when a system message appears in front of me. [ Goblin Hut Spawns 1 Goblin a day. 23 : 59 : 59 ] The red curtain seemed to be immovable and the hut itself looked very run down. Thinking about it a bit more I went to Howard and David and asked them to make a smaller version of the mud house next to the Goblin Hut. They were confused with my request since they never heard of a Goblin Hut so I brought them to the location. "How does that make goblins?" "Not sure Howard I got it from the encampment. The goblins thate out of it will however be friendly. I will exin it more at night when we have dinner with everyone." Howard and David ask a few more questions before I left them to make the house. Now it was time to n for HavenFall. At the moment HavenFall only had a storage house (shelter), a mud house, a fence next to the cliff, a mud wall, a wooden gate that looked like a couple of logs between the wall and the Goblin Hut. There was a lot of space since the area of HavenFall was veryrge. Currently, the houses were closer to the cliff and the wall was only 2 houses from the forest which was on the other side of HavenFall. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other side. While HavenFall was very long it was not the widest ce. Only able to fit about 10 houses between the mountainous walls that surround HavenFall. I walk around the whole ce thinking about what to put and how to improve HavenFall. Some problems I thought about were food and defenses. Our source of food at the moment was fruits and wild vegetables from the forest and fish from the river. While it is readily avable now there will is a chance that this game has a seasonal system. Once winter arrives in the game then food will be harder to acquire. A reliable source of food is need something like potatoes or onions. Lucina has harvested some variations of potatoes from the forest so maybe we can start a farm. As I walk along the edge of the cliff I find the location is good for a farm. It had a lot of sunlight and since the river is only below so obtaining water for the crops would be very easy. After plowing the ground and maybe adding soil from the forest the ce would end up being a farming district but that would require a bit of time. As for our defense with only a wall, there really wasn''t much of a defense. As I walk towards the wall I think about ways to improve it. I think back to other games I yed before that had castle defenses and thought about building a moat or a trench in front of the wall. I also thought about spikes ced in the trench and along the wall. I walk past the gate and look back at the wall from the outside. I see the hard work put into the wall. Each brick is ced into the wall made by hand and anotheryer of mud on the outside to smooth out the appearance. A roughly build gate bridging the gap of the wall with a sign above it disying the name. It looked like a cheap impersonation of a gate but I felt warm looking at it. I need to rece the gate with a proper door or even a draw bridge if I decide to create a trench although the more I look at the wall from the outside the more I feel creating a trench would benefit HavenFall. Creating a deep hole would make it harder for enemies to attack HavenFall. At the same time, it would make enemy attacks be more focused at one point rather than spread out since there are not enough people to defend the whole stretch. In the trench could be spikes or water or even both. Behind the wall, I think having some watchtowers would benefit as well. Having a ce snipe from would help Robin when she uses her bow. I can see a couple of possible locations for a watchtower. Having 2 at the gate would pose as an immediate threat and having one at each end to take care of the nks. I had a lot of ideas in my head for improving HavenFall but after walking around the ce the best thing to implement is a farm and then the trench. I walk back towards the fire outside of the mud house and see everyone already gathered walking for fish to be cooked. Lucina was also cooking a vegetable soup over the fire steering the pot full of various kinds of vegetables. Since everyone was gathered here I start to exin about the Goblin Hut and my ns for the future. I asked Lucina to gather the potatoes tomorrow morning in order to sort them out at the same time I asked her to see if any other vegetables could be rented. I exined to men about creating a trench at the wall. I also exined that the goblins thate out of the Goblin Hut will be another addition to our family and there will be no discrimination. Everyone slowly took in the information and epted the ns making me relieved that there were no objections. I can only wait now until tomorrow for the goblin to spawn and see its capabilities. 24 Chapter 24 The next morning arrives and I wake up to a beautiful sunrise. The golden rays illuminate the canyon below glittering off the surface of the water. Another day in Settlement and another day closer to civilization. After a bit of time, everyone else starts to wake up and they start doing their daily works. "Ian, do you want toe with me to look at the vegetables. I also told old man Hus to make some hoes in case we are making a farm." Lucina walks towards me while pointing towards the storage. "Yes, lead the way." We walk towards the storage and I could see a couple of wooden pots next to each other. Lucina bends down and lifts the lid of the barrels showing me the food inside. "There are only 4 wooden barrels with food inside them. The first one has mushrooms that Oscar harvested further from the edge of the forest. The second contains root vegetables a few potatoes and wild carrots. We usually eat this in the vegetable soups I make for dinner. The third and fourth are fruits food on trees. I am unfamiliar with a lot of them but most of them have been sweet and juicy." "Well from what we have we can potentially rent the root vegetables and we can try nting the seeds from the fruit and see if they will bear fruit. The ce in the corner of HavenFall near the fence looks like a good ce to start a farm. We would just need to build a more secure fence maybe another mudwall near the edge for safety. Then we plow the ground and mix soil from the forest into the ground. How does that sound Lucina?" "It sounds good but I''m not sure how to proceed with the nting process." Lucina had a worried expression as she told me about her problem. "It''s fine for now keep finding more vegetables I will get Howard or David to start on the mud wall while I wait for old man Hus to make me a hoe. I will start tilling the field once I get a hoe." Lucina nods her head and heads off with a woven basket in her hand towards the forest. I also see Oscar and Luke walk towards the forest apanying Lucina. The two boys seem to have grown closer together after the goblin encampment incident at the same time I also see Howard and David making mud bricks off to the side. I had previously told them to make a small mud house for the first goblinpanion and they were diligently creating mud bricks and cing them on the side to harden up in the sun. I walk over towards them and started to help out while waiting for the log-off screen. .... Morning in the real world. My routine is still the same. Morning jog, breakfast and check the forums. The forums have mostly been about random things in the game from talking about an animal or a flower to about an NPC''s stats. The forum is flooded every day with new yers talking about their daily deeds. I turn myputer off and decide to go on a walk since today was my day off. I live in a suburb in New Straya, a country part of New Oceania. Earth had now be 4 nations, New Oceania, EuroNation, Asiafreeca and Ameri. New Straya is part of the 4 states of New Oceania. It is a new state with a lot of construction in the works. If you move closer to the middle of the state there are more cranes and more skyscrapers. I live on a more humble side of the state with only a one-story house and quiet streets. Deciding to do something different I walk towards the train station and board a train to the city. The train ride was quiet with only a few other people sleeping or on their phones. I decide to lean back into the seat and close my eyes thinking about the next steps in Settlement. After an hour''s train ride, I arrive at the city. Stepping outside of the train was like stepping into another world. The hustling and bustling of the tform overwhelmed me. People were pushing and shoving each other trying to get onto the train before the door closes. I squeeze myself through the crowd and escape the train station. I rarely leave my suburb and have never gotten used to the chaotic scene of the city. The front of the station was as crowded as the tforms for the trains. Hundred of people crossing the streets, constant chattering everywhere and the sound of horns and exhaust pipes. I walk towards a gaming store 2 streets down the main road. As I turn the corner I was finally able to escape the main bulk of the crowd and with fewer people around me, I could finally breathe more freely. I walk inside the store and then I see a huge disy at the front for Settlement. A whole wall dedicated to the game with various mythical creatures that were shown in the trailer around the title of the game. I could see a group of people crowd around the side of the wall talking to each other. "How''s Settlement for you?" "Did you clear the second event?" "Who is SAMurai?? He topped the leaderboard twice in a row!" "I came top 50 this time!" "NO WAY! What were the rewards??" "Increase one random stat by 1 to 5. I got Strength increased by 2." "Man, I wish I can see the elves." I stood near them cing my phone to my ear eavesdropping on the group. I was not sure if I should approach them or talk to them even though. However, thatstment made me wonder if one of those people was Elves_or_Nothin. As I stood there contemting whether I should approach them another customer entered the store. A girl with long crimson hair tied in a high ponytail wearing a scarlet tank top, short denim shorts and white sneakers. She was sucking on a lollipop as she looked around the store with azy expression. "Over here, Sabrina!" The girl looks towards the voice and her expression changed. She storms over and kicks a tallnky guy with brown hair and sses. "Don''t yell my ign like that you elf-loving dumbass!" "OWW! Don''t kick me, you idiotic witch!" "HUH?? I guess you want to be beaten up." The pair start to curse at each other and from the way they acted I could tell they were part of the top 10 in Settlement, Elves_or_nothing and Scarlet Witch Sabrina. 25 Chapter 25 Who would have thought that my trip to the city would bring such surprises? It seems to me that the two of them are quite close to each other. The other people seem to be unsurprised by their interaction as well, is the whole group close? After a short argument between Elves_or_Nothin and Sabrina the whole group moves towards the back of the store. I follow them as they walk towards the back but they start going inside a private room. "Hey, are you also a Settlement yer?" One of the other people noticed me following them and called out to me. "Ah, yeah I am but I''m not doing too well." "That''s finee in with us half of us are here for some help anyways." It seems my luck stat from inside the game has followed me to the real world. I quickly move to catch up with the rest of the yers and enter the room. The room looks like a private booth for gaming. It hadputers on the sides of the wall and a couch at the far end. There were only 7 people in the room including me and they had already sat down at theputers looking towards the front where Sabrina and Elves_or_Nothin were standing. I chose to sit at the chair furthest from the front and waited. "Ok, since there are no more people here let me introduce myself. My name is Evan, I am also Elves_or_Nothin and this is Sabrina, Scarlet Witch Sabrina. We usually y MMORPGs or VRMMORPGs and usually, we create a guild called ScarletElves you may or may not have heard of us before. However, Settlement is different from traditional games and there has been no confirmed contact between yers even though it has been a week since the game has been released. I reached out on the forum to see if there were any willing yers that wanted to meet up and here we are today. Thank you foring." Evan steps to the side and Sabrina walks forward. "Now that Evan had gotten the introductions through I want to talk about what we have found out about the game. The game is a big sandbox, whatever you do will impact the game in some sort of way. Upgrading your own character is extremely difficult. Knowing the next step to proceed with the game is also difficult. So what do we have? A game that gives you almost no direction other than the events." Nods urred here and there as Sabrina talked to everyone and I too agreed. The game was very loose in its gamey allowing a lot of different gamey styles. "From the information in the forum as well as our own experiences we have been able to make some findings. Each yer is slowly creating a vige and establishing their own territory. yers can be found in any biome. The NPCs are stronger than the yers and they also gain stats. The NPCs seem to obtain stats by doing certain activities that would benefit them. For example, a yer has found that one of his NPCs goes for a run every day and after a week his vitality increased by 1 and his agility increased by 2. There are wild monsters in the world and they do not have a set spawn however, certain biomes like forests have an increased chance of encountering a wild monster. We also found out that monsters can evolve into a stronger version of their selves however we do not know the condition or reason for the evolution. Does anyone else have anything they want to add?" After speaking, Sabrina looks up at everyone in the room. She looked rxed but at the same time, she looked anxious. Nobody spoke for a while and as she was about to speak one of the guys spoke first. "What is the objective of gathering us here?" "The objective is to share information so we can flesh out more of the game. Eventually, there will be interactions between other yers and then there will be conflicts in territories. Forming an alliance early will benefit all of us." Evan talked back to the guy that spoke. The guy did not have a response so he kept quiet. I saw Evan sigh before allowing Sabrina to continue. "Both Evan and I are in the top 10 and while we haven''t told the forum about the reason there is some spection between us. The first event was survival and to obtain a higher ranking you would need to kill more monsters or kill the mini-boss. I was unable to kill the mini-boss however the monsters I fought were slimes and they were very easy to kill. I had 5 NPCs with me and one of them was able to make spears which we used to kill a lot of slimes. Whereas Evan was unable to kill a lot of wolves but managed to kill the mini-boss. In the second event, both of us were able to defeat the boss of the encampment. Despite this, I went up in ranking but Evan went down. This means the number of monsters you kill also corrtes to the ranking and since I was able to kill lots of slimes in the encampment I went up in ranking." "I have also spoken to SAMurai and he told me the reason he came first was that he was killing lots of weak monsters. The biome also mattered in which monsters we met. I met slimes in the ins, Evan met wolves in the forest and SAMurai said he was located near a river and grasnd." Sabrina and Evan took turns in talking about their experiences and by listening to them I gained a lot of information. Everyone started to open up about their experiences through the first week of gamey and until it was my turn to speak. "Hey bro, you haven''t really spoken this whole time. Want to tell us about your game experience?" I didn''t know what to say. Should I lie about my experience? Or should I say the truth? "Sorry, I have just been listening to everyone talk about Settlement. Umm, most of the things I experienced have been said by one of you guys already. I spawned in a wastnd biome and walked with my NPCs towards a canyon. There we have created simple structures and survived both nights. Nothing too special happened during the game." I told part of the truth and sprinkled some lies in between in order to make it less suspicious. I did not feel right about lying to everyone since they were so nice in sharing their information but at the same time, I did not want to reveal my identity to random people. However, if it was just Evan and Sabrina I would tell them my identity and form a three-way alliance. The talk ended after a bit more discussion and people started to leave one by one in order to go home and rest before entering the game. Thest people to leave were me, Evan and Sabrina. After I check to make sure there was no one outside eavesdropping on us I turn around to the pair. "Evan and Sabrina I have something to tell you." "Go ahead." Both of them spoke at the same time and both had curious expressions. "I lied before about my experiences with the game. I''m actually Ian, part of the top 10." 26 Chapter 26 "WHAT? Yo-" Before Sabrina could yell any louder Evan covered her mouth. "Quiet you dumb witch. Can''t you tell he doesn''t want other people to know wh- ARGH!" Sabrina bit Evan''s hand hard and pushed him away. Then proceeds to walk towards me, getting right up to my face. "So. What did you want to talk to us about?" "I want to propose an alliance between the 3 of us. I did not trust the other people in the room since they have nothing to show that they can deliver. However, I trust the 2 of you since you are in the top 10 as well. Now don''t get me wrong I''m saying this to put down the other people here. They were all great people but Settlement is a huge game." After recovering from the bite Evan joins in the conversation. "Ian, I get what you are talking about but isn''t more people better?" "Not necessarily better. Having more people will allow for a better flow of information about the game but trust is harder. In other games, you only need to trust them to show up for a guild war or donate there were very minimal things needed to do but in Settlement you need to trust them with your location once the world develops to a point where we can travel long distances. Imagine you tell someone here the exact location and they use this information to gain more benefits. The people here are just people on the inte. They have no connection to you." I exin to the pair my views of the gathering and future views of the game. "I don''t like how you approached the situation. Evan and I were here to help people not deceive them." "Sabrina, I was here to get information from other people. I already post a lot in the forum to help people as well as showcase a little about the game other others who might be struggling but ultimately I don''t get much information back from them. The yers here did give me some insights into the rest of the game as well as approximate locations for where they are situated. Don''t hit me for saying this but I got them toe so I could find out if there are people near me." Sabrina turns to Evan and clenches her fist. "WHAT? I thought we were here to help." "We are helping them by giving them information about how we seeded but I am worried that someone is near me and they attack me. We haven''t had any incidents of PVP yet in the game but I don''t want to be the first." Sabrina swings her fists in the air in frustration and then turns back to me. "Sit down. Let''s talk more about things and YES I agree with the alliance." "I agree to by the way. Let''s work together Ian." Evan brings his hand out waiting for a handshake while Sabrina walks towards the couch. I grab Evan''s hand and give him a firm handshake. "Let''s work together." .... After a long chat with Evan and Sabrina, I finally start to head home. I get on the train and collect my thoughts. I told them about my experiences with the goblin encampment and the golden wolf. I mention the Ancient Ruin and for them to keep an eye out for anything golden. I also tell them my location and what equipment I have managed to acquire. Afterward, they told me about some of their equipment which they were able to obtain. Evan had found a bow called Wind of the Forest which used air instead of arrows and Sabrina uses a Staff called mes Embrace. They did not mention this equipment because it was their trump card but since I revealed about the Ancient Ruin they returned the favor. I was also able to find out more precisely their surrounding environments. Evan is in a vast forest with trees as tall as skyscrapers and wide as houses while Sabrina is in the ins with only minimal trees and bushes. From Sabrina''s location, she can see a mountain range on the horizon as well as a forest near the mountain range. Evan had not searched his surroundings as much since it could be dangerous. He had been attacked by various monsters outside of the events. Even I haven''t seen too much around HavenFall however with the addition of the goblins soon I will be able to start scouting after securing the defense of HavenFall. Once I got back home I made some dinner and went into the game at midnight. I went to help out with the mudhouse for the goblin and was able to finish it right in time as I hear some rustling from the Golbin Hut. The immovable curtain was spread to the side and a small green goblin walks out. The goblin was different from the goblins which we had faced before. It had a gentler face and walked out of the hut hesitantly with small steps. It had its hands together and looking around confused until we locked eyes. Terrified it walked back a couple of steps and fell on its bottom. "Are you alright? My name is Ian. You are?" "I-I-I''m sorry!" The goblin turns covers its face with its hand. "Wait. Why are you so afraid of me?" "D-D-Do y-y-ou not re-m-m-meber me? Y-y-you defeated me b-b-before?" "Are you the hobgoblin¡­?" The goblin nods his head slowly. "I see. Well, now I am not your enemy but your friend. Will you help me?" The goblin had a scared and confused look on its face as it looks at me. "Y-y-you will n-n-not kill me?" "I won''t kill you. Look behind me, this house is yours for now." "You really will not kill me right?" "No, I won''t. Now, what is your name?" The goblin stands up and shakes his head. "I do not have a name." "Hmm, then I will call you Gobi. Wee to HavenFall." 27 Chapter 27 After showing Gobi around HavenFall and introducing everyone to him we finally sat down around the fire and I exined about his job. "Gobi, you are the first goblin to reside in HavenFall and while everyone is ok with you so far just be careful and slowly build up your reputation. People are generally cautious towards monsters and while I have spoken to everyone about it I am still worried. If you help them and stay on your best behavior everyone will eventually ept you wholeheartedly. Furthermore, every day there will be more goblins until there are 30 goblins in total. I want you to be the leader of the goblins." "Why me?" "Because you are the first goblin toe out of the Gobin Hut." Gobi had a nervous expression as he hung his head down. "I-I-I don''t know If I can do it." "You can. You already lead a goblin army before. Leading 30 goblins will be easy for you. Furthermore, I am here to help you." "Wh-What do I do?" I pat Gobi''s shoulder and give him a reassuring smile. "Let me tell you my n." After a long talk with Gobi I was finally able to exin to him the n for HavenFall. Creating a trench in front of the wall, cing spikes in the trench and along the wall, making another wall to rece the fence and starting a farm. There were a lot of to-dos and having Gobi lead the goblins that will appear soon will help. I asked Gobi to be in charge of excavating the dirt near the wall and slowly forming a trench and replied that he will dly do it as well as teach the goblins that will appear soon on their duties. Old man Hus walked towards me after Gobi moved towards the wall with a shovel. "Youngd, I was able to make the hoes for you as you requested. I also improved on the weapons and made a few more armor and shields." "Thank you old man Hus. I got another project for you." "Tell med. What do you want these old bones to make for you?" I simile as I look at old man Hus. "I want you to make a wheelbarrow." Old man Hus had a confused look on his face after I told him what to create. I got a stick and started to draw out a rough image of a wheelbarrow. "It''s simple, I need an efficient way to transport lots of dirt and buckets and bowls are not that efficient. A wheelbarrow is a cart with 1 wheel at the front and 2 supporting legs and arms at the back. Do you think you can make it?" Old man Hus scratches his chin as he thinks about the design. "This circle thing here at the front you called this a wheel. What is it and how do I make it?'' It was my turn to be dumbfounded. This game''s NPCs do not know about the wheel. "Umm well, that is a problem. I assumed you knew about making wheels but since you can''t do it...I know, let me help you. Let''s find the material first in order to create everything." In order to make a wheelbarrow I need wood however without sufficient tools to cut the wood into certain shapes and sizes the needs to be some improvisation. I walk towards Luke and Oscar who had juste back from foraging in the forest. "Hey, you two can you help me search for some things in the forest. I need a lot of straight sticks and vines, the more the merrier. Also, I will need a solid piece of wood something big maybe a stump would be good that way we do not need to chop down the trees. Bring me all of that as soon as you can." The boys nodded towards me and went off into the forest to search for the materials. "How are we going to make the wheelbarrowd?" "For the wheel, I thought of using a stump. We just need to cut away the roots and smooth out the edges then we make a hole through the middle. We can make a hole by constantly drilling a sharp stone through the middle. The sticks are going to be the body of the wheelbarrow and the vines are what holds everything together." "Interesting conceptd. I will be waiting for the boys toe back in order to create this wheelbarrow with you. For now, I will rest up in the house." "Okay old man Hus." I wave old man Hus goodbye and move towards Lucina and Robin who were starting to til the farm. The two girls swung the hoes into the ground pulling the dirt towards them before repeating the process one step backward. "Are you alright with tilling the ground?" My voice seemed to have startled Lucina as she jumps forward a bit tripping over the ditch she had just created. "I''m sorry for scaring you, Lucina." I quickly kneel down to help Lucina to her feet. "It''s fine sorry for jumping around. As for your initial question, I only have the idea of pulling the ground towards me then repeating it. I''m not sure if this is even correct. Robin said she would help but she has no idea as well." "Hmm, I see you have marked out an area for the field. I think what you need to do is till one row and keep the dirt on the side then once you till the next row fill it with the first from the first row. You repeat this and once you get to thest row you use that dirt to fill the first row. Tilling the ground is used in order to move the soil from the bottom of the ground upwards. Also, I think it would be good to mix some of the soil from the forest since the vegetables that we foraged came from the forest. Maybe one of you would collect some dirt while the other tills one row and then you swap?" "That''s a great idea!" Lucina''s eyes lit up after I suggested a way to improve the field and Robin had a gentle simile on her face. "Come follow me Robin for now let''s go to the forest we should dig the soil that is closer to where the vegetables are found. Let me show you!" Lucina grabs Robin''s hand and they walk towards the forest happily chatting to each other. I''m d that everyone is happy and with this, it seems like HavenFall is slowly moving forward one step at a time. 28 Chapter 28 It was not long until Luke and Oscar came back with bundles of sticks and vines. They dropped off their findings before taking a shovel and ax to go get a stump. They informed me that the stump they are getting happened to be rtively round which made me excited to put the parts together. Old man Hus and I got to work cing sticks next to each other to measure out a good size for the wheelbarrow. I cut off the tops of some sticks in order to make a more uniform length as well as shave down the sides of some of the sticks making them more smooth. Old man Hus had different shaped stones for different uses and I was surprised with some of the hand tools he also made. He had made small knives for carving and made a sandpaper-like device by cing a really rough rock in a box made out of sticks. It looked like a whetstone of some sort but he told me that he uses the tool in order to shave down edges of branches or armor in order to make it more smooth. After making sure all the branches were ready old man Hus started to weave the vines in between the tops and bottom of the branches. Although there were gaps in between the branches he told me that we can use mud to close the gaps and attach anotheryer of branches on top. While this addition will add more weight to the wheelbarrow since Howard or David have high strength they will most likely be the ones to move the dirt. While old man Hus was connecting the sticks together I went to make a pile of mud as well as check on Gobi. As I walk past the gate to the far right next to the mountainside I see a small green creature shoveling away by itself. My chest tightens and I felt guilty. Looking at the scene was like looking at a bully victim. It didn''t feel right when I saw Gobi shoveling dirt away. I quickly walk over to him and surprised him with a shout. "AAAAHHH!!" Gobi jumped in fright and Iughed out loud looking at his reaction. "Gobi, I think you did enough digging. Come help me with a project." I pull Gobi up from the hole he had made by digging and took some of the dirt and ced them in a woven basket with me to make mud. Gobi followed me back towards old man Hus. Old man Hus had finished connecting thest sticks together making the base of the wheelbarrow. It was squarish and about as long as two people standing close to each other. He had also made the sides of the wheelbarrow but they were still not attached. I asked Gobi to mix dirt and water together to make mud while I get two long sticks and ce them diagonally across the base of the wheelbarrow. I held onto them tightly while old man Hus tied the middle together and the ends to the base. I flip it around and Gobi spread the mud on top making sure to even it out as much as possible. Right on cue Luke and Oscar had return carrying arge stump about the size of a watermelon. Since there was no way to precisely cut out a smaller cylinder shape from the stump I had Gobi cut shave the bark off the side while I cut off any roots. Old man Hus went to get a spear since the hand drill he had made before was not going to be efficient in creating a hole through the stump. The spear he bought back had a smiler head and he had attached another stick near the end shaft connected by a vine. The vine wrapped around the spear and connected to both ends of the stick. It looked like a meter-tall version of a hand drill. I asked Howard toe over and try to operate the spear drill and funnily enough it was working. It was slow but steady progress and the spearhead slowly descending into the stump. While Howard was busy drilling, Gobi went to make more mud and I helped old man Hus connect the sides of the wheelbarrow together and attach the legs and arms. It took the whole day before the form of the wheelbarrow waspleted and tomorrow Howard should be done with creating a hole through the stump to create the wheel. I asked Luke and Oscar to gather more thick sticks in order to create an axle and once night fell everyone including Gobi gathered by the fire. "Today is the first day we have a new member of HavenFall. Gobi will be the leader of the goblins thate through the Goblin Hut and together all of us will create a prosperous ce to live in. Right now we are like a small vige, not even a town but together I can see a time where we will have rows of houses, streets and a multitude of races living together happily. That is what I envision HavenFall will be. A ce where everyone belongs." Everyone cheered including Gobi and with a lucky haul from Owen we had our fill on fish and vegetable soup. It was a good night with lots ofughter and cheering. Morning soon came and everyone was back to work. Howard and David took turns drilling the spear into the stump to create a hole for the axle. Lucina and Robin slowly tiling the ground while Owen helped by mixing the soil from the forest into the field. Luke and Oscar took over the duty to forage for some food andrge pieces of wood. While old man Hus, Gobi and I created anotheryer of mud on the wheelbarrow. Right before it was time to log out David had sessfully drilled through the stump and with the help of Gobi and Howard we were able to sand off the sides of the stump to make a smoother surface for the wheel. Old man Hus carefully slotted the axle in the hole and then tied the ends to the wheelbarrow and it was finallypleted. I pick up the arms of the wheelbarrow and lift the legs off the ground and with a push the wheelbarrow moves. The first one to scream with excitement was Gobi. "W-W-WE DID IT!!" Like a tsunami, everyone who contributed starts to shout and cheer. I push the wheelbarrow forwards curving it around and moving it backward testing the structure and it works. Everyone took turns in moving the wheelbarrow and with all the excitement Howard lifted old man Hus into it. Driving old man Hus around towards Lucina, Robin and Owen. At that moment a blue screen appeared in front of me. [ Congrattion onpleting 3 technologies.] [ You have unlocked the Technology Tree. ] The message disappears and another blue screen appears afterward. [ Technology Tree ] [ Completed - Archery - The Wheel - Masonry ] [ Partial Completed - Pottery ] The screen disys a tree-like map where the ''Completed'' were highlighted and the ''Partial Completed'' were half highlighted. Both were in a shape of a rectangle with the name of the technology in the middle and a small icon symbolizing the technology next to it. Branching out of the rectangles were lines towards ck rectangles. Between some ck rectangles were vertical lines sectioning different parts of the tree. It is a new screen and since Elves_or_Nothin and Scarlet Witch Sabrina did not mention it then it must mean they have notpleted 3 technologies yet. However what definespleting a technology? 29 Chapter 29 Aftering out of the game I went for a jog and at the same time, I scheduled a meeting with Evan and Sabrina. I checked the forum after my jog and did not see any new information which means either people have not found out about the technology tree or people are hiding the information. Hiding the information is a perfectly valid strategy to get ahead of the rest of the yers since there are a lot of ck rectangles which means there is a lot of technological milestones. I decide not to think too much about it until I meet up with Evan and Sabrina. I instead look up information on the creating of pottery. Since it was partiallyplete that means that something the NPCs in HavenFall corrted to pottery. It might be referring to the wooden bowl created by old man Hus. So I searched the inte for information on creating y pots and other uses of y. Surprisingly, I found out that y can be found in canyons and near river banks which means there is a change that the river below HavenFall has y. With the addition of y, we can make pottery and structures. There would be less reason to create mud walls and houses because y can be used to create bricks. I keep researching more on the applications of y until it got closer to the designated meet-up time. I take a train to the city and walk towards the game store where I see Evan and Sabrina arguing in front of the store. I wave towards them and said my greetings. "Why is it every time I see you two I see you both arguing? Are you both dating or something?" "NO WAY WOULD I DATE THIS GUY! It''s this elf-loving idiot''s fault. He told me the meet-up was 2 hours ago and I''ve been here since." "HEY! HEY! I said I was sorry. Plus I got you some ice cream." "WHATEVER LOSER!" Evan sighs as he looks at Sabrina pouting next to him. "Ian, let''s go in you said you wanted to tell us something important?" "Yea, lead the way." We all walk toward the private rooms again and after closing the door I got straight to the point of the discussion. "Do either of you know about the Technology Tree?" The pair showed confused looks before shaking their heads. "Okay, well in the game I discovered a new feature. The Technology tree appears after you havepleted 3 technological advancements. In my case, I achieved Archery, The Wheel and Masonry. Let''s call the new feature Tech Tree for short. The Tech Tree is extremely big it has a lot of uncovered technologies waiting to be discovered and implemented. I do not know which ones you both had achieved but once you have done 3 you will unlock it. I suggest we all share whenever we achieve a technological advancement, that way all of us can proceed through the Tech Tree. Any questions?" Evan and Sabrina stayed silent for a bit before Evan proposed a question. "What are the terms ofpleting a technology?" "I don''t know yet. I n to test it tonight. The game shows partiallypleted technologies too which means that so long you are on the right track you can figure out the rest of the technology. My partial technology is pottery and tonight I n to find y and create a wooden pottery wheel to create a y pot. Hopefully, this seeds and the pottery technology will bepleted. I achieved The Wheel technology by creating a wheelbarrow. You can create something simr that uses the wheel and I would assume the technology will bepleted." "Hmm, I can only think of Archerypleted for me since one of my NPCs made a bow and some arrows. However, nothinges to mind when I think of technological advancements" "That''s fine Evan, I wanted to tell both of you this information because I do not think I was the first to find out about the Tech Tree. The system did not reward me foring first which means that someone else has done this and not shared the information." "THOSE SNAKES! Even though Evan puts so much information on the forum. " I jumped a bit back after Sabrina''s sudden outburst. It seems she cares about Evan a lot more than she shows. After more talking about the Tech Tree and methods I used to potentially achieve my advancements we parted ways and I went back home. I had dinner and rxed in bed before going back into the game. Once back in the game I still see everyone celebrating. I smile as I look at the scene before me and my body felt warm. I let everyone celebrate a while longer while I went over towards the Goblin Hut. The next goblin is to spawn in 10 minutes so I decided to stay nearby. Gobi noticed me heading over towards the Goblin Hut and he followed as well. I inform Gobi again about his leadership duties and the importance to guide and integrate the new goblins into HavenFall. The goblin''s tasks will be to dig up the trench while Howard or David will shovel the dirt into the wheelbarrow and transport it towards the cliff edge in order to create another wall. Luke or Oscar will be gathering thick pieces of wood from the forest while foraging for more food. Owen, Lucina and Robin will be tending to the field and slowly expanding it to create 4 fields of equal size next to each other. Once the new goblin came out I introduced myself to him and let Gobi handle the rest. Old man Hus was sitting near the firece sharpening the spearheads. I walk towards him and proposed a new project for him. "Old man Hus, now that we have created a wheel how about we create something else that uses the wheel." "What is itd?" "It''s called the pottery wheel. We will find another piece of wood much like what we used for the wheel only this time we need it thinner. We then dig a hole and ce a log over the hole and create a hole through this log. We then create find two sticks, one needs to be hollow to some extent and one needs to fit inside the hollow stick. We attach the solid end to our wheel and insert the stick through the hole to make a stationary axle and the wheel can spin around horizontally. We then make another hole near the edge of the wheel where we can put jam another stick there to turn the wheel. It will be faster than turning it by hand as well as more convenient. What do you think old man Hus interested?" Old man Hus thought for a bit while scratching his chin before smiling and looking at me. "Lad, you have some very interesting ideas. I don''t know what this pottery thing is but it will eventually be something I will be doing too so this is just the first step. Leave the construction to me I will ask Luke to help me find the materials." I nod at old man Hus''s words and move off towards the river. It''s time to find some y! 30 Chapter 30 Thinking back to the research I had done beforeing back to the game I start to search along the river bank for y-like soil. Further down the river, I notice the soil color changing from a red to a greyish hue. The following instruction on the inte I bend down and touch the soil and notice it had a different texture to the dirt and soil I had previously been walking on. It was glossy and smooth with an almost stic-like texture. I further test out the y by going towards the river and cupping water in my hands and then spreading it over the y wetting it and then digging into it grabbing a handful. I knead the y into a ball and notice that the ball tends to resist breaking as well as feeling sticky. I simile to myself since I had just discovered natural y. The next step is to transport and store the y which will be a problem. There is no way to store the y without the use of an air-tight container, the next best thing would be to dig up the y when needed. "Well no big deal, let''s make a small stone kiln here and see if I can make a y pot." Remembering the tutorials on the inte, I start gatheringrge stones and ce them in a rectangr formation make sure to leave space in the middle for wood. I mixed some mud to secure the rocks on top of one another and continued to pile them around until they were knee height. I made a small hole at the bottom on one side so I could feed it with more wood when needed and another closer to the top where I have ced some t stones between the sides to make a stone bridge. It looked like a two-story house with two holes one at the bottom and one near the top. The roof of the kiln was made using thin t stones as well by covering the sides with mud I eliminated the small gaps. I after making the kiln I went back up to HavenFall and gathered some tinder and wood. I lit one of the branches I found on fire and carried it back down to the kiln where I tossed the tinder at the bottom and lit them up with the branch. I slowly fed it with more small sticks slowly increasing the temperature. Now it is time to make the y pot. I found another t stone to use as a table and gathered some of the y making sure to wet the surface of the stone before cing the y on top. I kneaded the y together into a ball and started to wedge the y. Wedging is the method to push air out of the y and it is simr to kneading bread dough. cing the y on the stone and pushing down and forwards before picking it up turning it on its side and repeating the steps. I constantly added a little bit of water each time when I felt like the y was bing dry and slowly wedged the y. The less air in the y the better. Since it was my first time and I had only seen videos online on the process I did not know when to stop wedging. I kept doing it until I felt satisfied with the job before tearing a piece and ttening it into a circle. This circle is the base for HavenFall''s first y pot. I score the edges with a stick and precede to tear off another piece from the y ball and roll it out into a long sausage shape. I add more y in ces and make sure to keep it wet before scoring it again on one side. I ce the y coil on top of the base and squeezed the ends together to form the full circle. I repeat until I used up all the y and I was able to create a pot 7 coils high which I end up cing to the side in order for it to dry. For the rest of day, I kept making different-sized pots and cups while maintaining the kiln''s temperature by adding wood every so often. I had made 11 small cups, 2 small bowls,3rge bowls and 1 small pot using this method. To help with the drying process I ced it near the kiln in direct sunlight until sunset. It was time to fire the y pots. I ce the y cups and bowls on the t rock which I had suspending in the middle of the kiln carefully making sure they do not touch each other and then put in more wood. I went to wash off all the dirt and y and then went back up to the main firece. I could smell the fish cooking and the vegetable broth and after such a hard day''s work, I was famished. I talk to Lucina and Robin about the farm and they informed me that they have tilled one section and nted different sized cuts from the potato-like vegetable. They will continue on the second field tomorrow when they wake up. Luke and Oscar had brought old man Hus the material for the wooden pottery wheel with only needing to create the holes and smoothing down the wheel left to do. Howard had got to work by digging the dirt and transporting it to the far side of the cliff edge where David had started to make the mudbricks. Gobi had named the other goblin Gomi and they both were having fun digging the trench with Howard and interacting with the other residents. Everyone was doing their part in making HavenFall a better ce and it made me feel warm inside. Before sleeping I made sure to add more wood into the kiln and all that was left was to wait until tomorrow to see the result. Tomorrow came faster than normal and the first thing I did was rush to the kiln. I could still feel the heat from the ashes radiating out of the holes and carefully with a long stick, I nudged out the y pots. I could see from the top hole that some pots had burst into small pieces but there were 5 surviving pots. 2 small cups, a small bowl, arge bowl and the small pot had survived the kiln. The moment I held the y pot the familiar blue screen greeted me. [ Pottery Technology Completed.] There was no reward but the message itself was rewarding. With this, we can create more pots and hopefully createrge kilns to firerger y structures. Once old man Hus has finished with making the pottery wheel there will be no need to create a y pot from using coils the production will be faster as well. Training a goblin to be a potter may even be better since they have smaller hands and longer fingers. New ideas ran through my head but first I needed to wash off the pots. I went to the river and carefully rubbed off the ash on the pot and once it waspleted I see my grayish brown y cup. It was rough to touch and did not look pretty but this is the first step towards civilization. I bring up my creation to show old man Hus since he will be creating something simr to this using the pottery wheel. "Incredibled. It is very different front the wooden cups I had made. The texture is rougher but it feels more solid. With a little fine-tuning in the design process, you can make any shape for the cup. This is fascinating and you say with this pottery wheel you want me to make I can do something like this?" "Old man Hus, with the pottery wheel you can make something even better. You can make it smaller, thinner, taller, wider. You can make it a different shape. There is an endless amount of designs." "Well, well, well what are we waiting for? LUKE, OSCAR hurry up and start digging a hole and quickly sand off the bark of the log. Smooth it as quickly as possible I want to get to work as soon as I can!" Iugh at the scene. Old man Hus seemed to be acting like a child with a new toy. "Old man Hus while the boys do that why don''t I show you where to get the y and how to fire it in the kiln." "Lead the wayd!" asionally missing content, please report errors in time. 31 Chapter 31 For the following week, everyone was busy in HavenFall. Luke and Oscar finished making the pottery wheel and I helped old man Hus create some simple y pots, cups, spoons, tes andrge pots for storage. Afterward, Luke and Oscar went to help Davidplete make arger kiln next to the small kiln I had made and once they had finished they helped Davidplete the wall. Lucina, Robin and Owen were able to finish tilling 4 fields as well as nt different crops in each field taking. Howard and the increasing goblins were able to finish digging the trench and a simple wooden bridge was ced in front of the gate served as the only passageway. Wooden spikes were ced randomly in the trench and through many trips, the trench was filled with water. HavenFall had a lot of protection with a moat, spikes and a wall at the front. The steep mountainside enclosing the sides and the cliff with only one path at the back. Completing the wall at the back was the only task left to properly secure HavenFall from enemy attacks and now that that was finished I was confident that if there was an invasion or a horde of enemies the residents of HavenFall could stay safe and fight back. During this time, old man Hus had created more weapons and armor in between the pottery-making sessions. [ Improved Stone Spear Attack: 5 A sharpers stone and a more solid shaft make a better spear Made by Hus ] [ Improved Stone Ax Attack: 5 A bigger head and a sharper de make killing easier. Made by Hus ] [ Stone Chest te Defense: 5 cingrge t stones and securing them with wood and vines protects the chest. Made by Hus ] [ Wooden Bow Attack: 3 Having the right wood sometimes helps in making a better bow Made by Hus ] [ Improved Stone Arrow Attack: 1 An arrow made from sharper stone and sturdier wood Made by Hus ] [ Stone Knife Attack: 4 Improving the goblin knife with a sharper stone Made by Hus] [ Goblin Wood Chest te Defense: 4 Making a smaller wooden chest te but with better wood and craftsmanship Made by Hus ] [ Stone Shield Defense: 10 A rectangr shield made from stone and wood tied together by vines. Made by Hus ] Old man Hus asked Gobi about the preferred weapons of goblins and found that most used knives or clubs due to the simplicity of the weapon and also disregarding armor and shields. I overheard the conversation and told old man Hus to make knives and wooden chest tes for the goblins. Since there will eventually be 30 goblins I asked old man Hus to slowly make the chest tes while prioritizing the weapons first. At the moment, there were 8 goblins and after finishing digging the trench Gobi gathered them to do some training. I asked Gobi to do this to create a more organized troop. Since Gobi was the leader of the goblins they quickly followed his orders and started to some basic training. Running most of the time and simple swings with spears. I had looked at the stats and unsurprisingly there were weaker than me, even Gobi was about as strong as me. His stats must have downgraded from dying. Name: Gobi Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 4 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 6 ,m Luck: 1 Race: Goblin Health Points (HP): 8/8 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 3 Vitality: 4 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 4 Luck: 1 I have seen the effect of training as Luke, Oscar, Howard and David had participated every day with the goblins and their vitality had risen by one. Even the goblins had increased their vitality by one as well. However, no matter how much effort I put into training I did not get any increased stats. It must be a game mechanic and it was unfortunate since there was no way to make myself be stronger other than using items and equipment. Since HavenFall is in a good spot now it was time to start a new project, scouting the forest. Luke and Oscar have been into the forest every day and have mapped out parts of the forest however, they never go too far in case there were hidden dangers. The furthest they went into the forest was the old goblin encampment. Unfortunately, we were unable to take the structures with us and the encampment disappeared soon after the event. This time, I had a n since more goblins were appearing from the Goblin Hut every day I wanted Gobi to stay back and take care of the new goblins while Luke, Oscar and 6 goblins were to scout out further into the forest. After telling the boys and the goblins my n they took got 3 woven baskets and filled them with some food and water and set off in the morning. The n was for them to go beyond the goblin encampment and search for anything, whether it be more food resources, animals, predators, encampments orndmarks. I needed to know more about the area surrounding HavenFall and the only way to find out was searching bit by bit. It was only the next day when the scouting party had alreadye back. They had already met with some trouble and it was not too far away from the goblin encampment. Surprisingly enough it was an old enemy, golden wolves. There was a pack of golden wolves past the goblin encampment across a river. Luckily, the scouting party was downwind and on top of a small hill so the wolves were unable to sense them however not too far away from the pack was the alpha wolf. It had arge lightning-shaped horn, shining silver fur around the neck and sparkling golden fur for the rest of the body. It was twice the size of a normal golden wolf and its paws were as big as a goblin. With another stroke of luck, the alpha wolf was sleeping in a cave with 5 golden wolves resting nearby and with a nce at each other the scouting party retreated. Instantlying back to HavenFall and reporting the situation. I requested the scouting party to rest up for the day and depart once again in a different direction. "I want you guys to scout another location, follow the side of the mountain and avoid the wolf den as much as possible. Do NOT go near the ce. We were able to kill one of them thatst time but there is no need to take the risk and fight with them again. Do I make myself clear?" With nods from everyone, I was able to feel calm about letting them go back out to scout the forest but deep down there was a slightly ufortable feeling in my chest. I can only hope that they run into no troubles and make it back in one piece. 32 Chapter 32 I can still remember the disturbing and grotesque scene in that encampment. Screaming and yelling mixed withughter and cheer. Puddles of deep crimson blood litter the ground, filled with bits and pieces of flesh. You can see parts of innards, ears, fingers and teeth floating about in the red sea. The smell of iron, urine and feces fills your nose and even if you vomit only acid and watere up. I was only there for 2 days and I had already seen so many women tortured, men ughtered and monstersughing at their achievements. Lucina was lucky. It was mere coincidence that she had not been chosen yet and Howard was lucky to even survive retaliating against those monsters. Old man Hus huddled away in the corner sheltering me from them but still, I can hear, I can see and I can smell everything. Every day, someone died. Every day I prayed for a way out. For a way that these people I know can survive. Then one day it happened. A man not tall, not short, not muscr, not skinny just as average as theye. He came from outside the encampment and like a ghost weaved into our prison and convinced us to move. To rise up and escape and so we did. We followed him and we ran. Now, he leads us. He takes care of us. He makes sure that we have everything we need to survive and now he asks me to help. Help him in his quest to create a safe haven for us. I am with another man, Oscar, and a team of 6 goblins. I do not know how to lead them around, frankly, I do not care. I just want everyone to be safe and after we search around we return. Oscar is in the front looking at tracks and trying to spot any potential dangers while the 6 goblins were following behind him whispering to each other. I can hear them talking about the forest. The emerald green leaves, the bronze trunks and the golden sunlight creeping through the canopy. They talk about the bizarre flora, touching them sometimes and sometimes being yelled at by Oscar. However, I remain at the back. Silently watching and listening. I have spoken to Oscar a lot through the past few days and have gotten to know him well. He is a kind but scared individual. Despite this trait he wants to prove to himself, prove to his parents and prove to Ian that he can do it. He is constantly worried that his actions drag everyone down. To me, he had found a goal to pursue and that is more than enough. Likewise, I too had a goal. I want to be strong. To be faster than a wolf. To be stronger than an orc. To be smarter than a wizard. To be kind like Ian. I had a goal and I will do my best to achieve it. Throughout most of the day, we follow Oscar slowly moving through the forest while hugging the left mountain. This mountain the gigantic, with its peak reaching for the clouds and luckily for HavenFall it was on our left making it a natural wall. We follow the rocky surface, staying inside the edge of the forest. I take note of the change in environments as we walk further and further away from HavenFall. There were fewer trees and a thinner canopy. The ground became rocky and uneven and there was a slight elevation. "Luke! It seems like the forest ends around here and we enter a more mountainous terrain. It took us about three/quarters of a day to reach here and since the sun is setting I think we should find somewhere to rest up for the night." Oscar steps on a boulder and talks to me from the top as he looks around trying to find a ce to rest up for the night. The 6 goblins looked around aimlessly copying Oscar but to no avail. I step closer to Oscar and looked towards the mountain. "We should look for a cave along the mountainside or at least there will be some sort of overhang." Oscar nods and calls the goblins over to follow him. Like a mother goose and her children, Oscar leads the way with the goblins following behind him closely. The mountain did not provide us with the shelter we expected and night had already fallen. Walking in the dark is dangerous but with little choice, we had to stop progressing. I made a small fire with some twigs and dead leaves scattered on the ground while the goblin and Oscar moved some of the bigger rocks together forming a wall. At least this way the winding from that direction would be blocked. We stay close to each other staring at the flickering mes. The warmth from the fire escapes us drifting away in the wind. With not much left to do I slowly close my eyes and try to sleep. After some time, I open my eyes. The small embers from the fire glow softly like a beating heart. To my right I see Oscar sleeping and next to him were the goblins all huddled up together. I stand up and stretch my back and arms letting out a small groan as I do. Nothing in front of me but darkness. I turn lethargically to check the surroundings behind me. "..." Two glowing yellow eyes with ck slits in the middle. A round body and limbs as huge as a tree trunk. A log in its hands with armor reflecting the moonlight. Raging tattoos across its scarlet body. Its fangs as long as half its face emerging out of his mouth as it smiles almost reaching its eyes. Its eyes be upside-down crescent moons as it stands there looking at me. My feet are frozen at the same time they feel like jelly. I could do nothing but stare at this creature as it stares back at me. Smiling like it just found a new toy. Seconds pasts and then minutes and what felt like hours. My forehead drips from cold sweat and I gulp nervously. What do I do? What do I do? That question keeps running through my head. What do I do? What do I do? It moves. With its right foot, it steps forward. WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? I scream internally, sound fails to escape my mouth. It''s moving closer one step at a time but I can''t do anything. I watch move towards me but then it clicks in my brain. Oscar is here too. It''s not just me. If that thinges closer it won''t be just me in danger. I have to move. I have to do something. I have to tell Oscar to move. I have to inform the goblins to do something. But I can''t. I watch as it moves towards me. Until it towers over me. I can smell its horrible breath as it exhales above me. I stare up at its eyes. Those crescent moon-shaped eyes look down on me. The tips of its mouth reaching towards its ears. Those fangs creeping closer to the top of its head. I can see the intricate tattoos on its body. Serpents, lions, fish and man. It leans forwards looking at the rest of the scouting party quickly before turning back to me. Its face, right in front of me. Close enough to touch me. Then it opens its mouth. Slowly. "Hello, there...boy." 33 Chapter 33 It was a cold night on this mountainside but still, I was happy. I felt like going out and finding new things so when Ie back mum, dad and even Ian will praise me. I am lucky that Luke ising along too. He is a great guy. Although he does not speak much, his actions tell a hundred words. It was like that time when we were going to fight the goblins in the encampment. Ian had initially told us we would both hide on a ledge and then appear when he was in trouble but Luke told Ian that I should stay back. He knew I was too scared to fight. He knew that I could not do it. I felt relief that I did not go to fight those goblins then but in the back of my mind I felt guilty. Since then whenever I went out to the forest with Luke I would ask him to help me train myself. ying a serious game of tag and running through the forest. It helped me in my instantaneous decision making, where to ce my feet, where to turn, how to cover my tracks. Luke helped me get better. Now, we were all in a bind. I heard Luke stand up but decided to be quiet hoping to fall asleep again. The goblins were resting peacefully, one of them was even snoring but I noticed Luke did not move. I would have heard the sound of rocks being kicked or dust flying away in the wind but I heard nothing. I choose to keep my eyes closed I felt like I was just paranoid. Until. "Hello, there...boy." That deep rugged tone sent shivers down my spine. I open my left eye ever so slowly. I see something huge next to Luke. Something twice his size bending down. A red monster covered in tattoos and wearing reflective armor. It held a log in one of his hands dangling it near its waist right above my head. My mouth became dry, my hands started to sweat and I could see Luke with a distressed expression. He was looking at the monster, staring into it. I could see Luke swallow and as he shakily opens his mouth. The monster moves his free and onto Luke''s shoulder. Luke''s eyes widen and he stops his mouth half-open. I grit my teeth and stare at the scene. Scared. Scared. Scared. I have not changed. I am still scared. Those days running around with Luke training my speed and my determination all went with the wind. I am scared. I am so scared. All of a sudden the monster''s face appear in front of me. It moved its head from next to Luke right in front of me. I can see its pores, the small fine hair on its face, the fangs as big as my head, eyes like the crescent moon and its creepy grin. My scream stayed in my throat refusing toe out. My eyes stay fixated on its eyes. Sweat drip down the side of my face. It squints its eyes even further as it looks at me. "Are you...afraid?" Its smile grew evenrger. It starts to stand up straight slowly. My mind is nk. I do not know what to do. What do I do? What can I do? "RUN!" I hear Luke scream at the top of his lungs. In the corner of my eye, I see him swing his knife at the neck of the monster. The goblins wake up, confused and distraught. They notice the enemy and scream. Scrambling for anything to toss at the fiend while looking like clowns. I could not move. I was worse than the goblins that were aimlessly moving around. I sat there frozen in ce. "RUN!" I hear Luke scream again. This time I turn towards him. I see the knife break the moment it touched the monster''s neck. The monster''s face still wearing the creepy smile. It stood up straight and looked down on us. It starts to chuckle. My skin crawls and my throat bes dry. It feels like someone is gripping my stomach. My hands go back behind me reaching further away while I push my feet slowly. I back off bit by bit. My eyes were wide and my breathing was unstable. "RUN OSCAR! GOBLINS ATTACK!" Luke''s scream pierces through my brain. My body starts to move before my mind. I turn around and scramble on the ground. My hands and knees desperately pushing my body forward until I stand up. I start to run. Towards the forest. Towards HavenFall. Away from that monster. Away from...Luke. I step away, a few steps only to turn back. I regret turning back. The joy,ughter from its face vanished. Instead, anger. Its eyes were wide. There was no smile. The log gripped above its head. The goblins were stabbing the monster''s feet with broken knives and rocks. Luke stood there motionless gripping his ne. "SUMMON GOLDEN WOLF!" He jumps backward while a golden wolf leaps forward towards the monster. Shooting forward like lightning and bearing its fangs at the monster''s neck. Luke turns around without waiting to see the result and sprints down the mountain towards the forest. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OSCAR? RUN! RUN! RUN!" Luke sprints past me grabbing onto my arm. I run. I run with him. Right behind him. I do not stop. Behind me, I hear the howling of the golden wolf and the screams of the goblins. We enter the forest. Our domain for the past weeks. We knew most of the forest''syout. Where exposed roots are, where there are low branches, dead logs and random pits. We run further and further away. "Why...run?" Like a bolt of red lightning, it appears in front of us crashing into the trees. Its eyes shine yellow and a roar escapes its mouth. "OSCAR! RUN BACK TO HAVENFALL. I''LL DIVERT ITS ATTENTION." Luke pushes me to the right while tossing his knife at the monster''s face. The knife is easily repelled by the 2rge fangs. Luke runs fast towards the direction of the wolf den but as ifdy luck had forsaken him he trips. His feet catch an exposed tree root and he falls straight on his face. The monster''s angry expression returns to the yful grin. Heughs again and slowly trods towards Luke. Luke is going to die. Luke is going to die. LUKE IS GOING TO DIE. "HHAAAAAHHH!!!!!" I run towards the monster smashing a random tree branch across his face. Of course, I do no damage at most all I do is irritate and annoy him. But that is enough. "THIS WAY YOU UGLY PIECE OF CRAP!!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs and toss anything my hands can grab at the monster while running weaving through the dense forest. "NO OSCAR!" Its eyes filled with bloodlust and anger. It screams and charges towards me. "RUN LUKE! RUN!" I run desperately. Jumping behind thick trees as it catches up to me. I could not even tell which way I was going anymore. I just had to run. Further, further away. Dodge everything thates towards me. Just survive. "Huh...? Why is the ground above me?" 34 Chapter 34 I watch Luke, Oscar and the 6 goblins walk into the forest to scout out the surrounding areas around HaveFall. While they were gone HavenFall was still busy. With the construction of the moat finished there now needs to be a way for us to attack over the wall. There are two solutions. One is to create some sort of tform right behind the wall, something like a step. The other option is to create watchtowers. I personally prefer creating watchtowers because we can make two to four watchtowers near the front while having two at the back. They will provide a better cover for us when met with other ranged opponents since the people in the watchtowers will have a height advantage. Aiming at an enemy from the top of a watchtower is easier than aiming at them from the wall since the wall will not provide as much cover. The only problem is how to make the watchtower. I consulted Howard, old man Hus and Robin on their opinions in making a watchtower. Since Robin is our best archer I wanted her opinion on the idea of a watchtower. To my liking, she agrees and proposes the tower to be at least twice the height of the wall but to keep it at two towers at the front, both near the mountainside. She suggests this because it would be easier to construct the tower next to the wall as we can chip away into the mountainside and secure the tower both at the ground and at the mountain. It would make it less likely to fall from its own weight as well as making a second option on getting down in the case of the tower being destroyed from the bottom. Howard suggests we cut down the trees further from the edge of the first as they were more thick and sturdy. Old man Hus was fine with the idea but needed time to understand how to create the watchtower. With that, most of the nning for the watchtower was down and Howard and David was to set off for the forest tomorrow morning. Owenes back from the river with his catch of the day and everyone ate a hearty dinner. Gobi was a little bit sad since most of his goblin friends were in the forest but despite this, he told me he was ok. He just needed to wait until the next day and another friend will appear from the Goblin Hut. I went to rest in the mudhouse and prepare my body for tomorrow. It was the middle of the night, I felt a little thirsty so I woke up and nned to go towards the river with the water sack. I step out of the house and look around. The silver moon shining in the ck sky surrounded by sparkling stars smile down on me. The sound of the water rushing down from the waterfall is like music to my ears. I have heard it every day, every hour, every minute and every second. A calm breeze flutters my hair and brushes against my skin. It''s so peaceful. There were no sounds of cars honking each other, no smell of gas or petrol, no yelling of neighbors, it was just a quiet night in Settlement. All of a sudden a blue screen appears in front of me. [ Gomi has died. ] [ Gori has died. ] [ Gopu has died ] [ Gotu has died ] [ Goki has died ] [ Gowu has died ] A string of messages appeared before me. "What¡­? They died. " The goblins that were sent out as a scouting party with Luke and Oscar had died. I drop the water sack and run towards the gate. I look into the dark forest and I see nothing. The darkness looks back at me. "What happened¡­?" I start to sweat, Luke and Oscar are still ok. There were no messages saying they died yet so it was safe to assume that they were still alive. In fact, this is the first time I have seen this message since no one had died yet. I panic, I look around aimlessly at the gate. I do not know what to do. Should I go into the forest? Should I arrange another scouting party? Do I just wait until the morning? Terror sinks into my heart. I start to breathe quickly. I run back to the house. "HOWARD!" I wake Howard up with my shout but by doing so I woke up everyone else. "Ah...Sorry, everyone. Howarde with me." I grab the sleepy Howard''s wrist and pull him away from the mudhouse. After going a good distance away I turn back to him. He looked like he woke up a bit after the initial wake-up call but he was still a little groggy. "I think something bad happened in the forest." Upon hearing my bad news he snapped out of his sleepiness. "What''s wrong?" "You know how I am somewhat connected to the goblins since I ced the Goblin Hut. Well, not too long ago I felt that each goblin had died." Howard''s face contorts in distress. "Wh-What about Luke? And Oscar? Are they ok?" "I am not sure just yet. I have not felt anything from them." Howard''s eyes shake and he starts to pace around on the spot. He walk back and forth for a moment before he stands in front of me with a determined expression. "I am going." I give him a confused face. "Going? Going where? Into the forest? We do not even know what is in there. Only Oscar or Luke can lead us in the direction. How do we even know which way they took?" "Ian, it''s not we. I am going." Howard runs to the storage and takes out an ax and a shield before running towards the gate. I click my tongue and grab a spear and shield of my own before chasing after Howard. "WAIT HOWARD! YOU CAN''T JUST GO OFF ON YOUR OWN." "IAN! They are in danger. I cannot just stay back." "No, what I am saying is I will go with you. I might not be the best fighter but I can at least do something when we meet the enemy." "Are you sure?" Howard gives an unsure expression to me. He knows that I am not the strongest nor the fastest person in our group. "Yea, I''m not the best guy here but I am the luckiest right?" With a smile on my face, I convince Howard to move with me. But even that simile did notst long. [ Oscar has died ] 35 Chapter 35 "Oh no¡­" I stand there staring at the blue screen. I can''t believe it. "IAN! HEY! IAN are you ok?" "Huh. What¡­I." Howard grabs my shoulder and shakes me. "What''s wrong?" "Oscar...He..He¡­" I can tell I look distraught. I can''t even speak properly. Howard stops shaking me and dashes into the forest. I grit my teeth and run after him. The only thoughts left in my head were, why did I send them out? I could have just asked only the goblins to go searching for things? What if Luke dies too? How can I exin this to Robin and Owen? Why did this happen? I can barely keep up with Howard he seemed to be running faster and faster into the abyss. Neither of us knew where Luke and Oscar went, we just kept running. Keeping the mountainside to our left we run through the forest hoping to catch a glimpse of Luke or Oscar. I see Howard stop in front of me. I couldn''t catch my breath. I bent down breathing in and out heavily, with my hands on my knees. "H-Howard what is it?" I could barely speak. My voice was cracked and my throat was dry. I look up slightly and my eyes widen. Large trees shattered in half spread across the ground. There was arge gaping hole in the canopy, moonlight shining down on the destruction of the forest. What could have done this? "It looked like some beast went on a rampage and knocked everything down. Could that be what Oscar and Luke encountered?" Howard and I crouched down and followed the trail. Away from the mountain and deeper into the forest. So many unknown factors were piling up on top of each other. What made this trail? Where is it going? Where is Luke? Are we even safe right now? Each step felt like a million years. I hear my heart pounding against my chest. Whenever a sound urs I snap my head towards it. I was filled with fear and anxiety. My palms were sweaty and my throat was constantly dry. My head felt like it is being squeezed under the pressure. I wonder if Howard felt the same? He looked calmer. Cautiously surveying the surroundings in front and each step quiet and confident. The forest was filled with dangers one cannot even imagine. We already knew about the den of golden wolves but this destruction could not be thor doing. They are intelligent, agile and crafty. What split these trees in half and plowed through them can only be something bigger. "RRRRRRROOAAAARRRR!!" A head-splitting scream urs in front of us. Followed by the sound of trees falling to the ground. It was still on a rampage. Howard leaps up from his crouching position and starts to sprint towards the sound. I watch him as he runs further away. I pick myself up slowly and start to run after Howard too. Watching his back blend into the darkness. It was not long until I see our culprit. Twice the size of Howard. Scarlet red skin with jet ck tattoos covered in some sort of armor. It swings its huge log around like its paper smashing it into other trees. Each time it exhales I can see the missing from out of its mouth. Surrounding the monster were 10 golden wolves and the alpha golden wolf. The wolves growled and howled at the monster. "Luke¡­" I hear Howard say Luke''s name but I could not see him. I search in front of me looking at every corner until I focus near the alpha golden wolf. There was a small golden wolf showing the most aggression. Its body almost touching the ground, with its fangs exposed and paws digging into the dirt. It looked ready to pounce on anything. Right behind it was Luke. His face was covered in dirt and blood. His head swaying back and forth, eyes unfocused and his mouth slightly open. His chest was covered in bruises and scratches. He slouches down against the tree and looks in the direction of the monster. His mouth slowly forms a smirk and silentughter escapes his lips. I see Howard stepping forward but luckily I grab his shoulder in time before he exposes himself. I whisper to him as silently as I could. "Stop Howard. You cannot go there." "Why not Ian? Luke is right there. He is hurt, in pain and he might even die." "Because what can we do if we were to walk there? That red giant thing will kill us and if that doesn''t kill us I am sure the golden wolves will. The only upside is that the golden wolf next to Luke is the one from the ne. I am not sure what happened but for now, the rest of the golden wolves seem to be on Luke''s side. We cannot change that or else Luke, you and I will die in seconds." Howard grits his teeth and looks at me with his worried and angry expression. "SO what? You expect me to stay here? Stand here looking at Luke? I treat him like a son Ian. I do not know if you know how that feels but I cannot just stand here." "Yes, I know. I know Howard. You, Lucina and Luke have a very special rtionship and I cannot understand that. But if you go out there and attract the attention of those monsters and die what then?" A sense of realization passes through Howard. "Ok, Ian how do you suggest we do this?" "The wolves are currently engaged in a fight with the red monster. We should detour around them all ande to the back of Luke." "Ok...I understand. Luke...Wait for us." "And Howard. I am sorry for before. I was not thinking clearly." Howard pats my shoulder and shows a forced smile. "It''s fine, I understand. It''s hard. Let''s save Luke. Ok, Ian?" "Ok let''s move." 36 Chapter 36 Run. Run. Run. Run. RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! Don''t stop. Don''t stop. Don''t stop. Don''t stop! I''m sorry Oscar¡­ I can''t get that scene out of my head. Oscar running after hitting that monster. His stomach smashed in half. Blood and guts sttered across the ground and his face was full of disbelief. The maniacalugh in between the crunching of bones resonated in my head. My eyes blurry from tears, my skin scratched by random branches, my arms and legs bruised from tripping and falling. But I don''t stop moving. There is no way of killing that monster. It is in a league of its own but now where do I go? HavenFall is out of the option and I do not even know left from right. I''m lost. That tree looks the same as the tree I passed by seconds ago. I keep running aimlessly trying to increase the gap between me and that monster. I step around arge grey boulder in my path and I see the turquoise-blue stream. Its crystal clear water babbles and burbles as it jumps over protruding rocks in its path. "The river...THE GOLDEN WOLVES!" A wave of relief shes through me as I desperately search for the golden wolves. The sense of death looming over me vanished and I slowly wade myself through the stream. All of a sudden I hear the sound of trees copsing on top of one another behind me. A dust cloud reaching higher than the canopy creeps closer. "It''sing. It''sing." I desperately move my legs faster and faster. Pushing with my arms and grasped the air desperately going moving closer to the other side. Then I stood still. In the vegetation, I could see therge amber eyes peeking at me. It wasn''t just one pair but four pairs of eyes locked on me. I gulp down some saliva and could not move. All of a sudden, all four wolves spring up from their location and dash towards me. I bring my arms in front of me bracing myself but all four wolves leap over me and into the forest behind me. Not long after another group of wolves appears. Six golden wolves jump over me and follow their kin. I rx a bit thinking it might be over and I turn my head back towards the direction away from the monster. "Little one, why are you here?" In front of me, arge wolf head appears. Its tworge amber eyes stare at me and its silver and gold fur dance in the breeze. Did it just speak? My mouth moves to reply but nothinges out. "Little one, I do not have much patience. Speak why are you here?" "Umm...I am running away¡­?" I was dumbfounded. What was I meant to say in that position? The wolf moves its head into the river and lifts me into the air. I let out a surprised gasp and il my arms in the air helplessly beforending on the wolf''s back. "Little one, I know you saw me and my kin before. Why have youe back? You, say you are running from something? Is it the Blood Ogre?" The wolf leaps over the river and starts to move slowly into the forest while speaking to me. I can only answer back its questions but even then I do not know much. "I ran from a red monster. M-my friend was killed by it. I remember that there was a den of wolves near. I could not bear to bring the monster back to my family so I took a gamble. If I died to the wolves so be it. At least the wolves might kill the red monster for me." "Interesting thought little one, you are mistaken about something though. We would not harm you. Around your neck is a symbol of the Golden Wolf Tribe. An amulet that allows our ancestors and past brethren to appear once again in this world. Little one, may I see the wolf which is imbued in this amulet of yours?" I hesitate for a second. All this information ising in too fast. The ne Ian gave me is an amulet that brings a golden wolf from the dead? Golden wolves are a tribe in this world? Are they not monster''s themselves? Are they simr to goblins? I look at the ne and see there are only two fangs left on it. I grasp one of them and think about that golden wolf that appeared at HavenFall. "SUMMON GOLDEN WOLF." Next to the silver and gold wolf appears the wolf which has protected and fought alongside me. "I see little one. This is the wolf that resides in the amulet. Please take good care of the amulet as there is only one more use. For now, let us go towards the Blood Ogre." The silver and gold wolf leads the way while my golden wolf follows after closely. I can hear the destruction of the forest and the howls of wolves as I get closer. My palms start to sweat and the fear wells up inside me. We reach the clearing where the monster or what the wolf calls it Blood Ogre was surrounded by ten golden wolves. The Blood Ogre looks in my direction and smirks. "Wee back...Boy. Your friend was...delicious." It licks its lips after speaking and my spine runs cold, the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. "LEAVE THIS PLACE BLOOD OGRE!" "Oh...You''re here...Dumb mutt. Just...DIE!" The Blood Ogre pushes off the ground leaving a small crater dashing towards the wolf and me. With a shake of its back, I get flung away hitting my back against a tree. The golden wolf runs next to me and stands in front of me. The silver and gold wolf leaps forward dodging the log and swiping at the Blood Ogre''s face. Missing narrowly the Blood Ogre leans back and punches forward with its free arm hitting the wolf on its side. All the wolves growl baring their teeth at the monster slowly approaching it from all sides. I smirk at the scene. "An enemy of my enemy is my friend. You told me that before didn''t you Oscar¡­" 37 Chapter 37 "Ian, hurry up and keep moving we need to get to Luke as fast as we can." Howard whispers behind me lowering his voice as much as possible. There were no movements from either the wolves or the monster so we weren''t sure if they noticed us yet. To be safe we were further away from the edge of the clearing and proceeding slowly and quietly. Each step as though three or four steps in advance to reduce the amount of noise while increasing the distance as quickly as possible. I look over to the monsters and observe their movements every so often through the gaps in the leaves. The red monster was surrounded but it looked calm and dare I say happy. Whereas the wolves all had an agitated expression baring their fangs. The alpha wolf with the silver fur around its head looked anxious about the situation, constantly ncing in Luke''s direction. "I know Howard. We need to get Luke out of that situation. The longer he is there the higher the chances of him dying." It was the crack of dawn and a golden wave creeps over the tips of the trees washing over the forest of darkness. The sun peeking over the canopy momentarily blinds the alpha wolf making it close its eyes. At that moment, the red monster makes its move. Stomping off the ground and dashing forwards towards the alpha wolf with a grin reachings its ears. It raises the log in its hands and ms down at the ground. Swiftly and gracefully the alpha wolf dodges to the side while howling to the other wolves signaling the attack. The surrounding golden wolves dash at the monster swiping with their paws or baring their fangs to bite. Uninterested the monster swings its log around it making the wolves stop in their tracks. Unfortunately, one of the wolves was hit by the log and isunched far into the forest mming and breaking a tree. Howard and I hasten our steps while the monsters were battling they will pay less attention to the environment further away from them. We were behind Luke now and only needed to approach him but a loud howl stops us from moving. The alpha wolf howls towards the sky and a golden light fall on it. The light gathers around its body making its fur shine a brighter color and its amber eyes are reced with golden ones. It dashes forwards leaving behind a trail of golden energy and dodges the iing log swiping at the monster''s chest. The sound of screeching metal invades the surroundings and then a loud thud as the monster starts to m the log on the ground around it shattering the log intorge splinters. It roars and spreads its arms wide charging at the alpha wolf with big strides. The golden wolf blinks behind the monster like lightning and leaps forward opening its jaws wide. Straight out of aic book the monster leans towards its side and jumps sidewards. Kicking upwards at the unsuspected wolf mming its legs on the wolf''s head. The alpha wolf is sent flying into the forest crashing into multiple trees along the way. While another yell and banging on its chest like a gori the monster charges after the alpha wolf followed by the other golden wolves. An opportunity arises, Howard and I rush towards Luke. "LUKE! Are you ok?" Howard, obviously faster, reaches Luke before I do and quickly checks Luke''s injuries. "I-I''m fine. How are you here?" Luke had a nk surprised expression as he sees Howard and me emerge from the forest behind him. "We ran. From HavenFall to a trail of destruction and then to here." Luke seemed to take a minute to process what happened and then all of a sudden burst into tears. Like a newborn baby, Luke cried his eyes out. "I-I''m s-s-sorry. *hic* Oscar *hic* Oscar *hic* H-he is d-dead." Through the torrent of tears streaming down Luke''s face, he was able to make out those words. An apology was all he could say. My chest tightens as I know, I too was at fault for sending them. I couldn''t make out any words either as I look at Luke crying. "Luke, Luke it''s not your fault. Let''s go home ok?" Howard tries his best tofort Luke. He wraps his arms around the fragile boy and pats his head and back as Luke cries into his chest. Howard lifts Luke up and starts to move away from the clearing and back into the forest. I turn my back away from the clearing about to follow Howard but suddenly a st of winds hits my back. "More...Humans...Boy, where are you...Going?" I turn around and see the towering monster. Its red skin is covered in a glossy scarlet liquid as it licks the same liquid off its fingers. Its grin is wider than ever as it looks at Howard, Luke and me. I could only gulp nervously as I stare back at it. My palms start to sweat and I could only hear my heartbeat ever so faster with each passing second. The monster leans forward while reaching out with its hand cing it on my shoulder. "STOP BLOOD OGRE!" The smile disappears from its face, reced with a face of disgust and annoyance. It looks back to see the alpha wolf bloodied and limping. The monster clicks its tongue and starts to walk back towards the alpha wolf. "Howard, run." I whisper as quietly as I can while motioning Howard to run away. I don''t hear any reply from Howard so I turn around to see what was wrong. It was another one. Another monster. It looked human at first but then you notice therge horns on its head and scaly wings on its back. It is wearing ck pants and leather shoes apanied by a white button-up shirt, ck tie and suit. At the same time, it had white gloves and thin ck-framed sses. The new had an uninterested expression as it looks at us. Howard and I were frozen like statues while Luke had already stopped crying and was motionless staring at the new monster with his red eyes. It starts to walk towards us with slowly steps looking at us uninterestingly and then ncing away before pushing off the ground towards the Blood Ogre. "Rautt. Stop. Do you want the master to be upset at you?" The new monster ced its hand on the Blood Ogre''s shoulder stopping it from punching the alpha wolf. "Casper...Master...Waiting?" "Yes. He is waiting for all of us. Now let''s move. Leave this mutt." The Blood Ogre looks at the wolf and then at us. "Boy...I...Will be...Back." The pair of monsters jump into the sky and the one with wings shines a bright blue. Its body expands, the wings stretch across the sky, its body is reced by a lizard and the head emerges out from the light breathing fire at the sun. The glistening jet-ck scales cover its back, head, arms and legs while its stomach is covered in pearl white scales. Tworge ck horns sit on the top of its head and between them is the Blood Ogre. "Ian...Did I just see a dragon?" "Howard. I just saw some monster ogre, a wolf bigger than the both of usbined and a dragon. Do you think I can think right now?" 38 Chapter 38 With the departure of the two monsters, I slump down to the ground, leaning against the nearest tree. Howardes near me and ces Luke down next to me making sure to not injure Luke. I look to my side and I see the alpha wolf struggling to move as it limps closer to us. "You can understand me right? Do you have a name?" The wolf slowly leans its body against the tree in front of me and then falls down, resting its head between its front two paws. "Little one''s friend, I am Aur, leader of the Golden Wolf Tribe. Or at least what is left of it. Only my battered body and the young ones are left." "I did notice that only you came back from the red monster''s attack. Did you call it Blood Ogre? Why that name?" "Little one''s friend, it is impolite to not give back one''s name after asking another for thiers." "Ah, my bad Aur. I am Ian, this is Howard and the little one you are referring to is Luke." "The Blood Ogre is a subordinate of the Horde, one of the four kings of ournd. The Horde is a tyrant, he steals, attacks and destroys whenever and wherever. The only logical being in his army is Casper, the yin-yang dragon. You have seen both of them already. As for why the Blood Ogre is named the Blood Ogre it is simple. It evolved after consumingrge amounts of blood." "I see...Does the Horde live near here?" Aur shakes their head and looks me in the eyes. "The Horde does not simply live in an area. Why the Horde has a castle he merely goes wherever he pleases. Even invade other kings'' territory. We are currently in the middle of the Dark Forest which is a territory in the middle of all four territories. It is a no-mansnd which is surrounded by many different monsters who have not pledged loyalty to a king." Aur slowly stands upon four legs and moves away from us towards the river. "I must go back to my children. Little one, take care." "Wait, Aur. I have a suggestion. Why don''t we join together? Eventually, the kings might pass through here and you by yourself cannot defeat the Blood Ogre so we should band together and protect each other." "Little Ian, I admire your thinking but do you think you can even touch the Blood Ogre? He is not even one of the top fighters under the Horde. The Blood Ogre is merely a lowly general in his army. Nothing you nor I can do to stop them." Aur takes a few steps away and I rack my brain to figure out a reply. I could not lose the chance to gain a powerful ally and there might be a chance we could get some rewards from the wolf den, maybe even another ancient ruin if I was lucky. "Aur! Please help us." I look in the direction of the voice and see Luke. Gasping for breath and in slight pain, he looks at Aur with determined eyes. "I know we humans might have nothing that you might see as useful in the fight against the Blood Ogre but we can change. Ian has thought of many different ways to improve our survival and I know he will think of more things in due time. So please give us a chance. Be our ally and let us be someone you can rely on in your time of need." Aur looks back at Luke and gazes at the ne around Luke''s neck. Seconds felt like minutes before Aur turns away and looks forward. My heart sinks, I hoped deep inside that Luke''s words would change Aur''s mind. "Little one and his friends please follow me towards my dwelling." My eyes brighten up and I quickly get to my feet. Howard and I helped Luke get up as well and the three of us followed Aur. ..... We got to the wolf den after a couple of hours due to Aur copsing on the side of the river nearly drowning himself. With the help of Howard''s insane strength, we were able to push Aur out of the river where he recovered a bit of his strength to move on. There were ten wolf pups and three female adult wolves at the den that ran toward to greet Aur. Aur smiled and licked some of the pups giving off a gentle and happy atmosphere while the three of us waited on the side giving them some space. However, the happiness did notst long. Aur copses again on the ground and his breathing bes more rapid. The pups sense the danger and start to whine and whimper while the female wolves dash towards the cave bringing back various leaves and small pails of water. Aur shakes his head and looks at Luke. "Little one, you have our ancestry following you. My father and the previous pack leader is the golden wolf that resides in your ne. While he does not look like a proper pack leader since he never had a chance to evolve as I did, he lead our tribe and helped us survive for years. I can feel deathing and I would like you toe towards me." Luke slowly walks towards Aur and bends down cing his hand on Aur''s head. Brushing his hand against his fur and looking at Aur''s eyes. Aur closes his eyes and ces his head against Luke''s forehead. A bright golden light shines around Aur and it starts to collect at Luke''s forehead. I watch the spectacle unfold before me in awe. The light slowly envelops Luke''s body and while this happens Aur''s body starts to fade. A brighter light surrounds Luke and on his forehead, a golden symbol of a wolf''s head appears and as if it was a vacuum it sucks in light around Luke. "Little one, may my gift to you help you find a way for my tribe and for your tribe to survive." Aur''s body fades away but the symbol on Luke''s forehead shines even brighter than the sun. The golden wolves start to howl into the sky before bowing their heads to Luke, pressing them down on the ground and closing their eyes. The light starts to fade and the symbol slowly disappears. Luke opens his eyes and I could see his eyes had be an amber color while his hair had a long golden clump of hair on his left side much like the color of the golden wolves. "Ian, Howard it seems like Aur left me with the gift of being the pack leader." Howard just stood there motionless and silent trying to process everything that had just happened. I sigh and look at Luke asking him the obvious question. "Do you want to give us an idea of what was given to you?" "I have been given the highest position by Aur and nowmand the wolves but they are mostly pups so I cannot expect too much from them. They need to group up first. There are some treasures in the wolf den how about you go inside and check it out, Ian?" I nod my head and left Luke to deal with Howard. I walk up the slope and into the cave. It was not very deep and I could already see something near the back of the cave. On top of a rock-like pedestal was a wolf fang. It wasrger than Aur''s fangs and was embedded into the rock. I look around the cave in case I missed anything and lo and behold in the corner of the cave between some rocks was something golden. I grin and quickly run towards the golden object digging into the rocks and removing them to reveal the golden box. It was exactly the same shape and size as the first ancient ruin I had found back in the goblin encampment. I held onto it and went back to the wolf fang. I reach out with my head and grabbed it when a blue screen appeared in front of me. [ Golden Wolf Den Core Spawns a pup 1 every 5 days Needs to be ced in a cave or in an enclosed space ] I let out a small scream of joy and I held onto the Golden Wolf Den Core. I look at the fang in amazement and spoke to myself. "HavenFall has just gotten even stronger." 39 Chapter 39 I walk out of the cave with the ancient ruin and the core in my hands. I see Luke ying with the pups grinning happily while Howard is standing against a tree watching over him. I take this chance to see Luke''s status. Name: Luke Race: Human Health Points (HP): 24/24 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 10 Vitality: 12 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 6 Agility: 20 Luck: 1 Skill: Pack Leader ( Passive ), Golden Ascension ( Active ) - ( 50% Hp and 50% MP) , Moonlight Renewal ( Active ) - 2 MP Luke''s status had gone through leaps and bounds, skyrocketing past David and Howard''s stats. With the addition of new skills, he is currently the strongest resident of HavenFall. Since there was no way of getting a description of the skills I could only interpret them. Moonlight Renewal is the skill that the golden wolf knew to restore HP. Pack leader must rte to his position in the golden wolf tribe and allow him to control andmand the remaining golden wolves. However, Golden Ascension puzzled me. I think it had to do with the golden wolf mark that appeared on Luke''s forehead when Aur vanished but what it does I have no idea. "Luke, Howard shall we head home?" I get their attention and after a quick nod from them, we started to head back to HavenFall. Luke leads the way with the golden wolves following behind him closely. The small pups would trip and fall randomly since they were not used to the environment making the return journey a little slow until Luke came up with an ingenious idea of cing them on the female wolves back. The three female wolves each had three pups while Luke carried the remaining pup in his hand. I was amazed at Luke''s ability tomunicate with the wolves. Each time he talked to them they would carry out the order to the smallest detail at the same time his previous colder attitude to people slowly disappeared after interacting with the troublesome pups. He had to manage them carefully making sure to teach them not to wonder or jump off the backs of their mothers. He had to constantly correct them and sometimes scold them. Every so often though I could see a dark sad expression on his face. The weight of Oscar''s death still hangs over Luke''s head and as we get closer to HavenFall his expression slowly gets worse. I could see HavenFall''s wall through the gaps of the trees but Luke suddenly stops in front of me prompting the wolves to stop as well. He turns around and looks at both Howard and me. "I-I don''t how I should face Robin and Owen. Oscar...He was with me...I-I." I could see Luke''s eyes start to tear up. He hangs his head low and the tears rolled down his cheeks. I forget despite what he has done he is still a child. His life is like a rollercoaster constantly going up and down. I see Howard walk towards Luke, stepping in between the wolves and then wrapping his arms around Luke. He pushes Luke closer to his chest and pats his head. "Luke, I know it will be hard. It was hard when you were in the situation with the Blood Ogre. It was hard running from it and it will continue to be hard. There is no easy way out in life. Both Robin and Owen know this, they are not young people. They have gone through their fair share of death as well. Oscar...Oscar will be tough on them. It won''t be easy for them to ovee it but they will. You will make it up to them. You have this new power inside you. Protect them. Don''t let anything bad happen to them anymore and when you see them. Tell them how you feel. Tell them everything." Luke cries while nodding his head up and down. The guilt in my heart was not any smaller than Luke''s. I sent them off to scout the surroundings knowing that there was going to be dangerous. After Luke''s waterworks, we continued onwards towards HaveFall. The sun was high in the sky already and I could see Gobi pacing back and forth at the gate while David was holding a spear and shield nervously watching the forest. Luke steps out of the forest followed by the wolves, Howard and then me. I could see David''s tense expression loosen. He turns around and shouts towards the back. "EVERYONE! THEY ARE BACK!!" Everyone except for old man Hus ran towards the gate while Luke, Howard and I slowly walked towards them. Luke''s expression was still tense and dark while Howard was trying to keep a straight face. I see Robin and Owen''s heads peek out behind David and immediately I tense up. Luke puts the pup in his arms down on the ground while telling the wolves to move towards the side. He then lets out a deep sigh and walks towards Robin and Owen. "Where is Oscar?" Owen expresses his concern while asking us the important question. Luke stands in front of them, looking into their eyes while he delivers the sad news. "Robin, Owen. I am sorry. Oscar...Passed awayst night." Owen''s eyes shook and he started to blink rapidly while trying to say something but nothinges out of his mouth. Robin reacted a bitter before covering her mouth with her palm and turning away. Both Howard and I were silent. Standing motionless behind Luke. I could see their hearts sink at the same time the moment Luke finished his sentence. It wasn''t just them. David and Lucina who were nearby were speechless as well. "I would like to speak to the both of you...About Oscar. Can we talk inside the house?" "O-Of course. Luke, I-I-Let''s go." Owen could barely make out words and while looking at his wife quietly sobbing with tears running down her face he could only ept it and move on. He leads the way to the house while holding onto Robin''s shoulder, patting her back every couple of steps. Even the toughest woman, like Robin, bes a small fragile mother when it concerns this topic. I watch their backs as the three of them walk away to the house. All that was left was a sad atmosphere at the gate. Lucina said she was going to go foraging in the forest but I told her to just get some rest and rx today. She ends up going to the river and I ask David to apany her in case anything happens. Gobi could tell that the rest of the goblins had passed away too since there were no goblins with us when we returned. Gobi went back to the goblin house and rested up taking in the series of deaths that just happened. Howard went to old man Hus in order to tell him what had happened and I was left with the wolves. Since there were no caves I could not ce the core down just yet so instead I motioned for the wolves toe into HavenFall closing the gate behind them and like that my day in Settlement waspleted and I wake up in my bed. 40 Chapter 40 I took off the VR helmet and I noticed that my face was a little wet around my eyes. I went to touch it when my eyes started to fill up with tears. I did not cry inside the game but now that I was out I guess the sadness and the guilt finally came out. I was different, I never cried when a character I knew in a game died but this time was different. I felt like I knew Oscar personally. He was a timid character at the start but slowly he was changing, trying to be more confident with his actions. He liked the fish his dad caught and hated vegetables. He would annoy Howard and then run off into the forest with Luke. He was a friend of all and he was still a child but now he is gone. I sobbed a bit in my bed before picking myself up. I go to wash my face and start my daily routine. Since the start of the game I had exercised every day and now I am doing better for myself. I feel less tired at the end of my jog and started to implement push-ups, sit-ups and squats into my routine before having a light breakfast. I then went to my job at the convenience store before finally returning home at night. I hop on myputer and went to the game page. On the home page, there was a message clearlybeled. [ Server Maintenance It has been an eventful month since we, Lotus, have released our new game Settlement. Hundreds of thousands of yers have created their small vige in the world and have touched the start of civilization but now we intend to spice up the gamey. A yer has interacted with the hidden main storyline of our game and has activated the next phase. The world as you know it will be changing drastically from now on. Civilization never rests! Patch Highlights 1.1 Removal of Loyalty System - Reced with Happiness System We have found that the loyalty system has not been working ording to themunity since some yers have too many NPCs and as one would slowly expand their power they would continue gathering more NPCs. Thus we have changed the loyalty system to a happiness system. Instead of each NPCs'' loyalty, it will be the overall happiness of all the NPCs. Negative Happiness will lead to revolt and rebellion. Neutral Happiness will give no benefits. Positive Happiness will boost production, stat gain and work ethic. Increased monsters We have found that most yers are living a carefree life, building their vige slowly with the resources around them. However, this defeats the purpose of being rewarded with no challenges, thus we have increased monster activities. There will be more monsters throughout the world and increasing attacks on yers. Travelers instead of Leaders Some yers do not like starting civilization so we have decided to give the yers an option. Travelers or Leaders. Travelers can stay with NPCs and travel the world and eventually settle in other Leaders'' viges. They will be under a different system where there is no happiness with the NPCs. The NPCs they are traveling with can decide to leave the Traveler at any point and live at another Leader''s vige. They are the solo yers of Settlement. Leaders are what the yers are currently doing. That is all for now and more will be added in the near future. The yer that interacted with the main storyline will be rewarded. Have fun yers! :) ] I read through the patch notes and I could tell it was me that interacted with the main story. The main story will have to do with the Horde and the other three Kings. If their territory gets taken into ount then every yer will have to fight against one King at a minimum. The increased monsters will most likely rte to the King''s army indirectly or directly and it will allow yers to gain item drops as well as potential allies. They also changed the loyalty system which I can agree with. After maxing out the loyalty points of my NPCs there wasn''t much left to do with the system bing almost irrelevant. However, the happiness system has greater potential. It can signal the yer that his NPCs are feeling happy or unhappy about their current living conditions. The most interesting new feature is the Travelers. It can allow yers that prefer a solo role to finally be allowed to just travel the world with a group of NPCs and see what the world has to offer rather than stay at a location slowly building their vige. I prefer my current ystyle since I have invested quite a bit into it already. HavenFall is looking good with the wall, the moat and with the addition of the golden wolves the attacking power of HavenFall has risen significantly. Luke will also be actively performing in the uing battles since he has gotten a lot stronger after Aur has passed on the pack leader role. What do I need to do next though? Creating an enclosed space for the wolf core takes priority since it takes 5 days for a wolf pup to spawn but then what is next? Watchtowers to secure a higher ground for archers, the farm and finding new technology is just the start. The major problem is ourck of poption, with six goblins killed and Oscar dying as well HavenFall''s poption took a hit. While the goblins wille back over time Oscar will never being back. "Hopefully, there will be some encampments where humans were captured or maybe some travelers wille nearby and I can steal their NPCs." I message Evan and Sabrina about the patch notes and to get their opinions. "Hopefully, this patch allows me to see elves." - Evan "Shut up, you waste of air." - Sabrina "HAH! You can''t kick me through a screen. Stupid Gori!" - Evan "WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU PILE OF HORSE SHIT!!!" - Sabrina "Guys...How about we talk about the patch notes rather than yelling at each other?" - Ian "See Sabrina, you need to calm down just like Ian." - Evan. "OHHHHHH THAT''S ITS WAIT UNTIL I SEE YOU! YOU GONNA WISH YOU WERE BORN A GIRL CUZ YOU ARE IN A WORLD OF HURT!" - Sabrina "IAN! HELP ME!" - Evan "Like I said the patch notes¡­" - Ian "Right! Some of the yers I know are going to be travelers since their vige was destroyed in the second event, they had a hard time recovering from that event." - Evan "I think the monsters being increased will help me out. I have ack of resources in my location. Monster drops might end up helping me a lot." - Sabrina "Yea agreed, with the travelers going around maybe we could get some sort of world map going in the forum too." - Evan "I do like the changes as well. By the way, the one who triggered the storyline was me." - Ian "OH! Nice job! What is it?" - Evan "The world is divided into 5 parts. 4 of them are in a territory of a ''King'' and thest part is in the middle where its called a no-mansnd. I can only assume the main story will have to do with either taking over their territory or fighting against them or something like that." - Ian "Do you know which territory is which king?" - Sabrina ,m "No. I don''t have that information. I do know that one of them is called Horde and two of the subordinates are called Blood Ogre and Casper. Blood Ogre is a massive red ogre with ck tattoos on its body wearing some sorta shiny armor. Casper is a dragon that can turn into a human. His human form looks like a butler and his dragon form is ck scales and wings with a white body." - Ian "Wait...Did you fight them?" - Sabrina "No...I just watched them attack a monster and almost kill me." - Ian "I was about to say there was no way you fought one of those monsters and lived to tell the tale." - Evan "Well if that is all then I will talk to guys another time." - Sabrina "Before you go, just make sure to be careful the Blood Ogre was considered just a normal general of the Horde''s army which means there are monster stronger than it and the Blood Ogre was a powerhouse." - Ian "I will take your advice seriously and prepare my defenses." - Sabrina "Me too. Gotta make sure everyone is safe." - Evan I turn off my phone and have a light dinner before going back into the game. 41 Chapter 41 I open my eyes to the bright golden sun above my head raining down sunlight on HavenFall. The wolves were still next to me and I could see Gobi sitting at the door of the Goblin Hut staring at the curtain. I see Luke, Robin and Owen enter the mud house together with a worried Lucina walking past. A blue screen pops up in front of me as I was observing everyone. [ Congrattion yer Ian. You have managed to interact with the main storyline. As the first yer to interact with the main storyline you have been given a gift from Ariel, our goddess. ] [ 1 x Ariel Statue ] After reading the message, a ball of light appears in front of me. Dispersing into smaller bubbles of light and floating up into the sky, revealing a small stone statue. A girl with long hair dressed in a straight long ball gown with her angelic wings wrapping to the front. Her eyes were closed and her face was pressed downward towards her hands which she held together interlocking her fingers and above her head floating magically was a halo. I reach out and carefully grab the statue. [ Ariel Statue Faith + 5 per day A statue of the goddess Ariel, praying for your wellbeing. cing the statue on the ground will cause the statue to ergen to the size of an average human being. The statue cannot be moved after being ced. ] The statue radiates warmth even though it is made of stone. It looks and feels like the NPC I met at the start of the game, it radiates warmth like a heartbeat. Another message appears soon after I picked up the statue. [ World Main Storyline Mission (1) Objective: ??? Reward: ??? A yer has interacted with a King and ''they'' have started to move. All yers will be faced with their own trials and dangers. Wars and alliances will be necessary and the world the yers know will start to be known to each other. Expand your power and your might and either defend or attack. Have Fun!! ] The main storyline mission had started and it was time to expand HavenFall. Thest expansion helped with defense and now we need to focus on our offense. David, Lucina, Robin, Owen and old man Hus will have to stay back and focus on developing HavenFall while Howard, Luke, the goblins, the wolves and I will have to focus on scouting and figuring out the terrain. Hopefully, find more residents for HavenFall and clear any encampments. For now, I need to figure out a way for the wolves to get some proper rest and a ce for the statue. I saw that Luke had finished his talk with Robin and Owen and the couple had walked off towards the river leaving Luke sitting by the fire staring at the crackling embers. "Luke...Are you ok?" Luke smiles weakly at me and breathes out a deep sigh. "I..I told Robin and Owen about what happened in the forest without skipping any detail. From when I woke up and noticed the Blood Ogre to when Oscar passed away. I told them about...about when I froze up and didn''t move. About Oscar attacking the monster despite being scared and saving me. About me running...Running away¡­" Luke covers his face with his hands and I could hear the soft snifflesing from him. The wolves notice his change and walk over towards him whimpering with him. Rubbing their heads against Luke''s body it was like seeing man and beasting together and helping each other. I kneel next to him softly pushing the pups to the side to get closer to Luke and I ce my hand on his shoulder. "Luke listen. I know it is tough. I know this feeling does not go away. When you lose someone it''s like a rope gets tied around your heart. Every time it beats a constricting feeling urs. It gets heavy to breathe and tears form within seconds. I know how it feels but you cannot beat yourself over this. Oscar would not want you to constantly torture yourself over his death. He would move on and search for a goal and strive to achieve that goal. You...You can do the same." I look into Luke''s eyes as I say this staring into his amber eyes without faltering. I could see his eyes shaking a little. They were lost. Like he was looking into the abyss even though I was right in front of him. The Luke that received Aur''s power disappeared and all that was left was a shaking child. It was depressing looking at him. "Luke. I have a mission for you. You can choose to do this and you can choose to not do this. I want you to go around the forest and map it all out in your mind. Figure out where every turn will take you. What is behind every tree? What is next to each rock? Where it ends and where it begins. You however cannote back to HavenFall until you have seen the whole forest and memorize everything that is there. You have until the sun sets to tell me your answer otherwise you will stay in HavenFall. You will not be able to exit HavenFall no matter what you do or what happens ok? I am going to figure out a ce for the wolves now so take your time and decide." I stand up and left Luke before he could say anything. I walk towards the cliff and next to the path down to the canyon I ce the Ariel Statue. It expanded to a human-sized statue and with the golden sun positioned right behind the statue it looked like a goddess had descended in front of me. [ You have acquired Faith ] [ You are currently in Negative Happiness ] [ Ariel Statue has radiated warmth into the residents of HavenFall ] [ You are currently in Neutral Happiness ] [ To check Happiness look at Status ] I got bombarded with a series of messages from the system and after carefully reading them I open up my status. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 5/100 ( Reach 100 to pick a Pantheon ) Happiness: 0 ( Neutral ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 10 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne The Ariel Statue had helped mee out of the Negative Happiness which most likely urred from the collective feelings of everyone after knowing Oscar had passed away. I can only hope that everyone will eventually pick themselves up from this ordeal ande back stronger than before. I notice next to the Faith was Pantheon. I was unsure of this terminology however, I do remember that the Pantheon was a temple for the gods. Assuming this means that once I reach 100 Faith I would then get to choose a god? I decided to bench the thought for now since I need to wait for 20 days before collecting enough Faith. Looking over the cliff I could see Robin and Owen sitting on a rock by the waterfall. Robin was resting her head on Owen''s shoulders and they were both just staring into the distance. Further away, near the mud kiln was David and Lucina. They were cing wood into the kiln and talking to each other. The sun was slowly descending towards the horizon and with the limited light left, I walked down the path towards Robin and Owen. It was time to talk to them and find out about their thoughts. 42 Chapter 42 "Robin, Owen are you ok?" I sit on the ground next to them looking in the direction they are looking. Feeling the small water droplets sshing onto my face as the golden glow of the sun wash over me. "Ian...We...I do not know what to say to that." Owen speaks to me sighing after he finished his sentence. The somber atmosphere of the pair loomed over. I nce over towards the two and I could see Robin curling up into a ball cing her head between her thighs while Owen grabs onto her shoulder holding her tightly. I could see their bloodshot eyes and could hear the asional sniffle. "Oscar...Oscar was a great son. More than a father could ever ask for. He was scared of a lot of things. Moving into the wilderness was not easy and he was scared of almost everything around him. However, aftering here I could see him change. He was happy in a different way. He made a friend. He ran around. He yed an important role in an attack. He...He...He was my son." Owen started to choke up near the end as tears rolled down his face. He looked up into the sky and let the waterworks flow crying out loudly. Robin let out all her pretenses clinging onto Owen tightly as she cried into his chest. I look up into the sky but my vision started to blur. Tears well up in my eyes and once I closed them the tears kepting out. I cried alongside the pair letting out all my emotions. I could only feel the tight grip around my chest. ..... "Ian. I want to thank you for allowing us to live here. I know I said this before but even if it was short I could see my son have a happy life." Robin approached me soon after the sun had fallen. I had cried next to them, alongside them before entering a state of emptiness. I could only hear the sound of the waterfall and could only see the sun falling below the horizon. It felt like I had emptied my mind and soul and just embraced the environment around me shutting out everything else. "Robin, it''s fine. Thank you for being here. How about we all go up and eat some dinner?" She nodded and helped Owen up before walking up the path. I followed them slowly. My mind was still thinking about what would happen the next time a fearsome enemy appears. What if they appeared at HavenFall? What would happen to everyone? Would we even survive if a monster like the Blood Ogre appeared? Everyone was already gathered by the fire leaving just the three of usingst. "Come eat Robin, Owen and Ian. It''s a nice warm hearty soup." "Thanks, Lucina." The meal was eaten quietly with the sounds of slurping and sipping filling the atmosphere. "Robin, Owen. Old man Hus, David and I made something for the two of you." Lucina went to the mud house and came back out with a small block of wood. On the wood, carved out nicely was a small portrait of Oscar. A little rough around the edges but if one was to look at it they would recognize the cowardly energetic young man. "We hope you like it. Tomorrow when the sun rises we were hoping to do a small prayer by the Ariel Statue. To pray for Oscar''s safe ascent." "Thank you. Thank you, everyone." Owen bursts into another crying fit. Lucina walked over and hugged both the crying Owen and Robin. "It will be ok. We are all here for you." Bit by bit, Howard, David, old man Hus, Gobi and Luke went over and hug them forming a big ball of people. A warm sight of themunity helping each other, loving each other. After a long hug, everyone slowly packed away their things and went to rest for the night. I pulled Luke to the side and asked him where we should let the wolves rest. After a briefmunication with the female wolves, they went to search for a location. Running around HavenFall and then down towards the canyon. Surprising, there was a small gap behind the waterfall. Neither Luke nor I knew about this and we followed one of the female wolves into this gap. The rest of the wolves followed behind us closely. The gap was small only able to fit one maybe two people side by side but enough for the wolves to walk through casually. Darkness was all that greeted us for about twenty steps until the walls started to widen and there was a soft blue lighting in front of us. "Wow." A single word came out of Luke''s mouth while mine was speechless. Like someone had pierced through the mountain straight down without moving slightly to the left or right. A perfectly carved out hole straight to the top where the moon was looking down on us. The first female wolf stood in the middle closing her eyes and embracing the moonlight. Her fur glitters and glows. The ''room'' or ''hole'' or whatever you want to call it was outstanding. A perfect hideaway. I take out the wolf den core and move towards the middle of the room. The wolf sensing my movement opens her eyes and moves away making a small noise to the rest of her kin to move into the room. The wolves sit along the edges of the room while Luke stands at the entrance. I ce the core into the ground pressing slightly allowing the fang to dig into the ground a bit. Once I let go of the fang, it starts to radiate a soft golden glow, pulsating brighter and brighter. The golden wolves all bring their head upwards, howling to the moon. The moon responds back to them illuminating the room with a silver light. Once the howling ended the light from the moon and the fang disappears. The wolvesy down on their bellies and fall asleep. I touch the core and I see the familiar blue screen. [ Golden Wolf Den Core The core of the golden wolves, blessed by the moon it has a chance of spawning a Silver Moon Wolf. 1 Golden Wolf / 5 Day ( No Limit ) Cannot be removed. ] I walk out of the wolf den with Luke and the both of us were tired and exhausted. Agreeing to rest up we return to the mudhouse and retire for the night. 43 Chapter 43 Before the break of dawn, I woke up remembering that I had forgotten to ask Luke for his answer. I look around the house but I was unable to see him so I walk outside. With a woven basket on his back and two adult golden wolves following him carrying a pup each on their back was Luke. He had a determined expression on his face as he looked at the Ariel Statue. "I heard from Lucina that you are a goddess. I have never believed in gods and goddesses after what I saw at the encampment. I always wondered why did we end up like this? But now I believe it was fate that I ended up in that encampment and that I met Ian through it. I want to wish that Oscar has safe travels to the upper realms. I want to tell him, thank you for saving me. Let his soul rest in peace." "So this is your decision?" Luke jumps from surprise as he looks behind him to see me standing there watching him. "Yes. I had thought about it before and throughout the night I talked to the golden wolves. They agreed to help me in my mission and at the same time help guide me through the forest." "Then go." Luke looks at me for a while gauging my expression before nodding and silently walking past me with his newpanions. I watch him walk further and further away until he got to the gate. As he opens the gate I shout at him. "STAY SAFE LUKE! COME BACK TO US! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS OUT THERE YOU NEED TO SURVIVE AND COME BACK!" My shout wakes up the other residents and I could see the surprised Howard as he exits the house and looks at me. Without a second thought, he sprints for Luke only to not even catch a nce at him. He storms back with an angry expression grabbing my clothes by the neck. "Why? Why did you send him out again?" "Howard. Luke is not the same Luke you knew before. I''m sure you are smart enough to know this. Ever since he gained something from Aur he was changing. He was epting the loss of Oscar, epting the me of his death, epting his own weakness. He cried and cried. He felt lost and alone even when we are next to him. However, this gives him a goal. Something to aim for and a way to atone." "IAN! He is just a kid." "I know. However, I need him to grow into a man. All of us do. Every second we are here we are under an unknown threat. What is to say the next day a monster shows up on our doorstep and starts to wreak havoc. We need to be stronger than yesterday. This is a path for Luke to gain strength." I look dead into Howard''s shaking eyes. His hands tremble in anger and confusion before letting me go and walking towards our armory. He picks up an ax and walks towards the forest. "We need wood for the watchtower right? I''ll go get some¡­" Howard''s soft lonely voice travels into my ears. He was depressed, sad about Luke''s departure. Maybe even sadder that Luke did not even consult him or speak to him before leaving. Lucina, on the other hand just stood still watching the forest as the leaves dance side by side in the gentle breeze. "Everyone, let''s go to the Ariel Statue and pray for Oscar." Lucina slowly turned to everyone signaling them to walk towards the statue. She turns around once more watching Howard''s back be smaller as he walks past the gate. ......¡­. After the prayer, I checked my status. I had a hunch that praying would increase my faith but I wanted to confirm it after everyone had prayed to the Ariel Statue. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 17/100 ( Reach 100 to pick a Pantheon ) Happiness: 0 ( Neutral ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 10 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne I was right, the Faith had increased to 17. It went up by 5 since it was a new day and then further increased another 7 which represented each resident including Gobi. This meant that every time someone was to pray to the statue then I would get Faith points. Reaching 100 Faith points and picking a Pantheon seemed like an even closer goal. I let Robin and Owen rx for the day telling them they could go for a walk around the area or sleep in the mud house. While Lucina would be busy tending to the farm, watering the crops and pulling out any weeds. Howard was chopping down trees at the edge of the forest while Gobi and the new goblins were chopping the logs into smaller logs. Old man Hus was practicing making different shaped cups and bowls using the primitive manual pottery wheel. All that was left was David and me. "David,e with me I want to search along the river." 44 Chapter 44 David nods to me and we both walk along the bank of the river. Each step was slow and steady as we were trying not to slip on the muddy ground. It was the first time going down the canyon, the first time we reached this spot was the initial journey from the small cave after the first event. Speechless from the waterfall and exhausted from the journey we founded HaveFall but barely searched the surroundings. Afterwards, the only ces we travelled to was the forest. Now it was time to search deeper into the canyon and find out if there are any enemies or resources in this area. Tall umber cliffs surround me and David, enclosing the winding river. The river slithers between the cliffs like a snake. It is calmly traveling further and further into the horizon. On the banks grew patches of small shrubs and young skinny trees. They housed bright olive green leaves, swaying in the gentle breeze. It was like walking into a new world. If walking into the forest felt like I was being trapped in its dark green embrace, then this was like walking down an aquamarine runway with a green crowd following you every step of the way. A truly different experience, I felt rxed and refreshed even if my feet were getting water and slightly muddy but that''s just part of the experience I guess. I look behind me and saw David admiring the view as well his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wandering around inspecting every nook and cranny. Like a child seeing a new toy for the first time, his slightly excited expression could be seen as he followed me. "David, you seem like you are enjoying yourself." I chuckle as I talk to him, amused at his surprised and slightly embarrassed red face as if he was caught doing something he should. "It''s not like that. The view was just amazing." "Hahaha, I know. I get that too but we have to be careful. Neither of us know what is down this path, it could be paradise or it could be hell. " David nods and tries to assume a straight face but despite his efforts sparks of joy can be seen every time we turn a corner. We followed the river slowly, twisting and turning until I had to leave but after an uneventful day I returned and continued the journey with David. I talk to him about how his life as been in HavenFall as his past. "It has been good here. Old man Hus and Lucina have been taking care of me well and I help them whenever they need it. Sometimes, I see old man Hus try to spin the pottery wheel really fast and I get scared he is going to hurt himself so I rush over and help him. Sometimes, Lucina brings back a heavy load of fruits and vegetables s I rush over and carry it for her. I like it here. It is better than before." "What is before if you do not mind me asking." "Before...Was bad. Robin and Owen fought the leaders of a goblin and orc encampment barefly breaking Oscar and me free from that ce. However, the rest of the ves were either captured or killed in the escape. That as about a week before we met with you guys. During that week, we ran and we ran. Over a mountain, through rivers and finally into the forest where we were met with the lone golden wolf. At that point, I thought I was just destined to die. No matter how much I ran I was going to die. That thought came to me when we were getting attacked by the goblins as well. But you were here, Howard and Luke as well. You guys were brave and had so much strength. I want to be like you." "David, you can be better than me. Look at me, I''m small, skinny and not that agile either. You are big and strong. You are just a little bit timid of new things and tough challenges but one day you will be faced with a task and you will grow from it." I end up talking to David more and more, trying to boost his ego and change his way of thinking. With his stats he could be a big asset in the near future. A tank, just like in MMORPGs, he had high vitality and high strength and with his huge stature he could easily overwhelm other humans. While he is still smaller than Blood Ogre, he was reaching that size only being a head shorter and his body being less muscr. As we talked I was still trying to pay as much attention to the surroundings as I could in case there was something in front of us. We were reaching a bend and arge bush was blocking the sight around the corner so I felt a little anxious. In fact, every time there was a big tree or boulder I felt anxious that there would be a monster hiding there waiting for easy prey. It seemed this time though my gut feeling was right. As I turned the corner, at the edge of my peripheral I saw something move. Quickly, I pull my head back and signal David to be quiet. I crouch and slowly edge myself around the corner hoping to catch a glimpse of what was moving. My lips were dry and my palms started to sweat as I moved my head around the bush. I could finally see the culprit of my anxiety. There were two goblins standing next to each other. They had brown tattered bandanas swung around their necks and an animal skin wrapped around their waist and were holding a goblin knife each. Behind them was arger monster. It had a lighter colored green skin with a rounder face and body, smaller less pointy ears and a stout like nose. At the same time, two small fangs protruding out of a wide mouth and droopy red eyes. With only a tattered animal skin covering its lower regions it was about the same size of a fat teenager. It was also holding onto a small wooden club in one hand while the other was scratching its belly. It yawned loudly, scaring the two goblins next to it before speaking to them in a low,zy tone. "Should we head back now? I''m bored of standing here." The goblin on its left snapped back at him quicker than usain bolt. While the other goblin joined in the jeering. "No, youzy pig. Do you want to die to the chief''s ax?" "Yeah, yeah you pig. Although, you are right, it is boring here." The orc hit the left goblin on his head with his club, causing the goblin to show an angry expression. "I''m bored! Maybe, I''ll go y with those humans the chief just found." "HA! You y with the humans? You have about as much chance as we do. You are just another grunt. If you were as strong as the left and right guardians maybe but you are not." This time it was the orc''s turn to turn mad. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD." The orc consumed with rage swings his club at the goblin, repeatedly smashing the goblin until it was just a pile of mushy guts and green skin. "Ian...We should leave bef-" David''s quiet shaky voice snaps my attention away from the angry orc but suddenly a low shout cuts David''s sentence in half "WHO IS THERE?!" 45 Chapter 45 Silence. "WHO IS THERE?" The orc shouts in our direction again but this time starts to move towards us. He grasps the club tightly and slowly moves close to the bush. Edging closer and closer, the goblin behind the orc nonchntly held its knife with a cheeky expression. Stupid me forgot to take any weapons with us and now we are faced with a dangerous situation. How do we get out? Simply hit the orc first figure it outter. The round pig head emerges around the corner slowly but luckily for us, we could see its stout-like nose first before the eyes. I pick up a nearby rock smash it into the orc''s nose. David follows up quickly by jumping around the side and pulling the club out of its unsuspecting hands. The goblin blinks a few times registering the turn of events before slicing forward with its knife. I pull David back allowing him to dodge the knife but by that time the orc had recovered and looks angrily at us. "Stupid humans, give me back my club and I''ll let you leave." I look at the orc dumbfounded. Does he think we are stupid? But I guess I had too much expectation in David. "Will you really let us go?" "David? Are you really believe that orc?" "Umm, no¡­?" I felt like facepalming myself. I guess David isn''t the sharpest tool in the shed but all well. "Hrmp, then die." The orc grunts loudly before charging at David. His fat jiggles with each step but at the same time, each step creates a deeper impression on the ground the closer it gets to David. David hesitantly steps back bracing for impact and as I was about to tell him to dodge the attack the goblin leaps at me shing at my face. Without much time to react, I awkwardly dodge to the side, resulting in me falling to the ground. I grab a hand full of dirt and toss it at the goblin''s face blinding it temporarily before grabbing another rock and getting back onto my feet. Off to my side, I see the orc mming his fat body into David pushing David into the river. Unfortunately for David, there was something protruding out of the ground causing him to fall backward and since the orc was mindlessly pushing forward without David resisting its push it also falls into the river. It was like watching two children wrestling in the water. David desperately swinging the club in front of him after getting up and the orc swinging its arms around sshing water everywhere. But there was not enough time to watch them il about, the goblin had recovered from my dirt attack and it was poised to strike. It runs towards me shing the knife near my leg which I easily dodge by walking back. I toss the rock I was holding in my hand at the goblin hitting it in the eye and quickly leaped forward wrestling the knife out of its hand. Before stabbing the goblin multiple times in its chest. Lots of green blood ssh onto me and I could hear the goblin''s screaming each time I stab into it, its long green fingers desperately scratch at my legs trying to push me off but to little effect. I get off the bloody corpse and look towards David who had just swung the club hitting the orc on the side of its head. Concussing the orc and giving time to David to smash the club into the top of its head. Copsing from the hit the orc falls into the water. A very surprised David remains standing with the club in his hands staring at the floating orc. I wade into the river and stab the knife into the orc''s head making sure to finish the job but asking David if he was ok. "I''m fine. This is just a bit much. I always thought orcs were stronger. They beat down so many of us back in the encampment before and they always seemed to get their way. It''s...It''s just unthinkable that he just died." "David, before you were scared. Scared to do anything but look at you now. You took away its weapon and used it against it. Be proud, plus you were fighting goblins before during their attack. Anyways, what do we do now? " As I was talking the two monsters we had just killed burst into purple smoke revealing the loot. [ Goblin Knife Attack: 1 A short stick tied to a sharp stone] Disappointingly, it was just another goblin knife but I guess that in itself is still lucky as we had no weapons. "Ian, do we go back to HavenFall, or do we keep going?" "We should move on right? It seems like the three monsters were at a far lookout. There was so much noise from the goblin and when you two were sshing about in the river but even then there has been no response. No other monster had been attracted which means that their encampment is still quite far from here. " "Okay, whatever you say." I hold onto both knives while David held onto the orc''s club. I was able to inspect it after the battle and I was surprised that it was even better than the average weapon. I was regretting not bringing the Hobgoblin''s Club of Rage since it would have helped with any fighting but I had left it in the house next to old man Hus forgetting about it since there was no need to fight anything for a while. [ Orc Club Attack: 3 A thick stick with animal skin wrapped at the bottom to make it easier to hold ] We carefully moved onwards, sticking close to the walls and moving as silently as possible. It was mainly a straight line before another bend where the river curves to the right. I signal David to cross the river with me so we were both in a position to fight if needed. As we get closer to the bend I start to hear some sounds. Shuffling of feet, nks of stones and the asional cry. Curiosity got the better of me and I look around the corner with David close to me. There were 10 humans, both male and female, children and adults, half were on the ground with their back facing the sky and their hands on top of their heads. Dirt covered their body and I can see the tears rolling down their faces. The other half had a small stone pickaxe and they were mining into the wall. It was too far away for me to see what they were digging. They were each apanied by either an orc holding onto a club or two scarf goblins. Suddenly, one of the orcs mmed his club into one of the male adults on the ground. Sttering his brains and blood all over the ground and onto the female adult next to him. Unable to bear the horror she lets out a high-pitched scream and gets up to run away from the orc. She could not even take two steps before getting hit by another orc on her waist. Sending her flying into the wall and breathing herst breath. Now enters a new orc, d in some sort of leather chest piece and pants and holding onto arge stone ax. "You maggots, don''t deserve to live. You tried to run. Escape. But you got caught. HAHAHA! IDIOTS! DO YOU THINK YOU COULD RUN?" The ax-wielding orc walks around the adult stomping on the adults on the ground and kicking the children. It was painful watching. Tears stream down their faces and I could see the children holding onto their screams and biting down on their lips. The adult closes their eyes to the violence and look away. "So Ian...Retreat? Or-" "We stay and we find a way to help them." 46 Chapter 46 "Child, are you scared?" I look away from David and see the ax-orc crouching down, lifting the head of a girl by their hair. He sets the knob of the ax on the ground next to the girl and holds the ax by the shoulder. The girl looks at the orc and trembles at the sight. She slowly opens her mouth and in a low squeaky voice she replies. "N-n-no, I am not s-s-scared." "GOOD! Child, who am I?" "Y-y-you are, Balta the M-Mighty." "GOOD! You have learned well during the past two days. BUT not well enough. Tell me why you and everyone else tried to run and tell me who''s n it was. If you tell me I will let you go to the other humans over there and mine for me. IF you lie. I. Will. Kill. You. So? Speak child." Her eyes dart around looking at different adults one after the other, trembling as Balta stares at her. "I-I do not know." "You don''t know. You don''t know? YOU DO NOT KNOW HUH?" Balta releases the girl, stands up and kicks the ax with his foot making it swing upward before grabbing the handle of the ax with both hands above his head. He stops ax raised and looks at the girl in contempt. "Then die." Balta grips the ax tighter and goes to swing his ax down. "WAIT!" The de of the ax stops right on the girl''s forehead and a slight cut appears. A trickle of blood flows down her nk face and her eyes roll back before she copses on the ground. A man that was holding a pickax had knocked out two goblins and had yelled at Balta to get his attention. "Balta. I made the n to escape. Please stop hurting them." "So, you are the human who thinks he is smarter than me. Who thinks he can make a ruckus in my territory. Kill him. Whoever kills him I will give them a human toy." "Ah shit." The man runs past the goblins near him pushing them away. The only option of escape was towards the bend near David and me. "Ian, what do we do? We can''t fight that Balta orc." "We don''t need to. David follow me." The man was fiercely pushing and swinging his pickax at nearby monsters desperately weaving and dodging any attacks from them. Balta smiled at the scene and moved away from the people lying on the ground, slowly walking over a rock bridge towards a cave on the other side of the river. Once Balta entered the cave, there were only two monsters guarding the people while the rest of the monsters were running around trying to catch the slippery man. He had climbed up onto a ledge and was busy hitting any hands that tried to get on top of the ledge. David and I had snuck around two orc guards. They were holding stone spears and had a veryzy expression as they watch the horde of monsters pushing on top of each other to get to the man. Slowly and quietly we approached the orcs and positioned ourselves to kill them with one strike. I stab both goblin knives into the orc''s neck one on each side before slicing through the neck as deep as I can. Unable to even squeal the orc bends around, his wide-eyed expression tells it all. At the same time, David smashes the club onto the orc''s head knocking the orc out. I went over and finished the orc by stabbing a knife through the head. I look up and see the supposed faces of 3 people, 2 adults and a child. The other child was still unconscious. I spoke softly while keeping an eye on the monsters that were trying to kill the man. "Are you okay?" A girl with brte hair and a curvaceous body spoke up for the rest of the people. "W-Who are you two?" "Umm...Just your friendly neighborhood...Orc and goblin killer? We were walking along the river we found this ce. I''m sorry I was not able to save the man that got his head uhh smashed. My name is Ian and the big guy is called David." "I am Melody, this is Frank and Celine and the girl that is passed out is Lime. Please help Noah, he is the man that''s being attacked by all the monsters. He tried to help us escape but we ended up being found out by Balta''s left and right-hand men, Tog and Kog." "Melody, it will be difficult. Do you see the number of monsters there? Plus the only other people with weapons were already ushered away before Baltamanded the monsters to attack Noah. For now, I want you guys to escape, I''m sure Noah would want it too." "I..But..Okay¡­" "Thank you, David lead the way for Melody and the others. Go fast and then prepare in case we need to attack them." "What about you Ian?" "I got something I need to do." David kneels down and pulls Lime over his shoulder holding onto her waist and legs. He nods at me and starts to move back towards HavenFall. "Everyone we need to fast but please be careful. The ground along the way is slippery." After warning everyone David moves quickly. Celine and Frank follow David but Melody stays behind. "Let me help you. I can tell you are going to help Noah somehow." "Are you sure Melody? It might be dangerous." "I''ve been through worse and I need to pay back my debt to Noah for at least trying to help." "Okay then, the n is to attack the outliers first, any monster that is hanging in the back and kind of isted we kill if we get noticed though we run. Simple as that, if we end up killing enough we can save Noah but if they notice us and there are too many of them I am running. Whether you can follow me is entirely up to your own fitness. Okay?" "Okay...Give me that knife." 47 Chapter 47 Both me and Melody crept as quickly but quietly as possible to the nearest goblin, silencing it forever with a stab to its neck. I make sure to hold the mouth of the goblin to make sure there was no sounding from it. The crazed monsters were pushing, climbing on top of one another, grunting, yelling and shouting at each other to get higher. Noah had seen us move towards him quietly and slowly eliminating threats and without us telling him he already knew his role. "COME HERE, YOU UGLY BASTARDS! DO YOU THINK YOU SCARE ME?" At the top of his lungs, he screams at the monsters and starts to be more aggressive in his assault. He ms the pickax down on the orcs'' hands and pushes off goblins with his feet. Beads of sweat roll down the side of his face and each time he sees a monster about to turn around he screams at him, trying his best to get their attention. Melody was trying her best as well. Although, unskilled with the knife against unsuspecting goblins even she can kill them. After watching me kill goblins from behind she did her best to replicate the result. Stabbing as hard as she can in the neck and then slicing it forward. Grasping the head of the goblin before it can make any noise and then stabbing it again in the eye or cheek. The green blood stter across her face, body and arms but that didn''t stop her from moving onto the next target and killing them as swiftly as possible. We can collectively kill 10 goblins and 2 orcs but there were still about 8 orcs and 10 goblins left but all good things muste to an end. With screaming, yelling and swinging the pickax over and over again, eventually, Noah slipped up. He did not notice a goblin had climbed up the ledge from behind him as he was busy focusing on the enemies in front. The goblin approached him with a wide grin and thrust forward with its knife. Without much time to think or react, I called out to him after slicing the neck of a goblin. "NOAH! Jump towards us. NOW!" The moment my words flowed out of my mouth and reached Noah''s ears he started to move. Without even knowing that an enemy was so close to hurting him, he stepped forward and leaped forward. Stepping off a grinning orc''s face and propelling himself over the crowd beforending on the ground and rolling forward. The jigs up and all the monsters turned around to see not 1, not 2 but 3 humans. Noah quickly picked himself up and stood beside me and Melody. He whispered to me from the side. "What''s the n?" I gulp nervously and nced towards both of them. "RUN! FOLLOW ME!" I turn to the side as quickly as possible and started to sprint towards the bend. Noah reacted as fast as he could and followed behind me. Melody was a split secondte but since she was closer to the bend she was running beside Noah. Not long after I could hear the stampede of monsters rushing behind me. Like a tsunami of crazed beasts rushing at us with no intention of stopping. Any unlucky goblins that tripped or slipped got swallowed under the stampedeing out as a pile of mush. I felt the hair''s on the back of my neck stand tall. "Across the river, as quickly as possible." I got to the river bank and jumped as far as I could into the river, pushing off the riverbed and wading through the rest of the river. Seeing my stunt, Noah and Melody copied me. Their sess surprised me, they were both very fit and athletic people and that made me want to keep them alive more. The stronger my NPCs are the more chances I will survive. Once we made it across the river I nced behind us. It was a mess of green flesh piling on top of one another. Their eyes were full of hunger and greed, desperate for human flesh. So desperate I could see orcs pushing each other down, drowning them and stepping over their kin''s body. I shook my head at the scene from hell and kept running away with Noah and Melody. Melody started to slow down and her breath be more haggard. I slow down and look at her. Surprisingly, I was not tired even though I had lower stats than other NPCs. Does that mean all the jogging I had done in real life has affected the virtual game a bit? I see Melody grip her chest while leaning forward and holding onto my shoulder. "Are you ok Melody?" I kneel a bit in order to get to the same eye level as Melody. "I...hah hah...Fine." She licks the bottom of her lips and smiles at me, giving a thumbs up with the hand that was on her chest. "How much further do we need to go? Umm sorry, I don''t even know your name." Noah ced a hand on my shoulder as he looked down at me a little embarrassed. His other hand brushes the top of his head as he gives me a nervous smile. "My name is Ian and the initial journey was about half a day walking slowly. I think it would take us about a quarter of the day and looking at where the sun is, we might just make it as it sets." Both of their expressions brighten at the good news but it was short-lived happiness. I could see the monsters catching up but there are significantly fewer. Only about 3 orcs and 2 goblins remain. Which meant the rest had died to each other rushing forward not caring about the other''s life. If Howard and David were here it would have been possible to fight them and kill them or if I had brought the Hobgoblin club with me it would have been an easier fight but s it was just us three with 2 knives and a pickax. Not the best situation and gritting our teeth we kept running. We were going at a slower pace since Melody was having difficulty running. She was desperately gasping for air and each step took a lot out of her. I urge her to keep going up we go around a bend. That way if we were to fight we can ambush them and take them by surprise. The monsters were screaming and yelling more energetically as if they can smell and taste the victory within their hands. They weren''t too far away now with the goblin taking the lead and the fatter, heavier orc slowly stomping behind them. Their wide grins and eyes seem to show little exhaustion as if they were running on energy drinks. Quickly, we pass the bend and I could see the waterfall in the distance. "Almost there. That waterfall, right next to it is our home." I put on a brave face but even I was tired and exhausted. My legs were wobbly and it burns every time I took a step. I was breathing heavily and sweat was dripping from all over my body but still, I keep going. I look forward and see David in the distance, a smile grew on my face and I push myself to the limit until... "AHHHHHH!" 48 Chapter 48 I turn around quickly and I saw Melody''s ankle getting grabbed by an orc. It licked its lips and gazed at Melody''s leg like it was a chicken wing. I grit my teeth and tossed the knife in my hands at the orc. Not noticing the knife flying towards it, it opens its mouth wide and grips Melody''s leg hard preventing her from moving it. No matter how much she screamed or kicked with her other foot the orc was not letting her go. The knifends handle first on the orc''s face, making him look around for the culprit. I dash forward and punch the orc''s face as hard as I can, hitting square on the nose. I notice Noahing to help me too swinging the pickax at the orc''s feet. A loud displeased angered yell came from the orc as he lets go of Melody''s leg. It res at us angrily and the other orcs and goblins rush towards us. I had lost my weapon and Melody''s knife was nowhere to be seen, it must have dropped when she was attacked by the orc. Noah fends off the attack by doingrge wide swings with his pickax. Unfortunately, the attacks had little effect to damage or even scare the monsters. They rush forward without a care in the world, punching scratching and kicking. Noah gets hit in the stomach by an orcunching him off the ground slightly before getting kicked in the face by a goblin causing him to fall to the ground. I pick up a rock from the ground and hit the approaching goblin causing it to stagger back a bit before grinning and rushing towards me again. I stood in front of Melody bearing the full force of the goblins attacking me. In the corner of my eye, I could see Noah getting kicked over and over by the orcs, blood sttering from his mouth and bruises forming all over his body and arms. "IAN CATCH!" I turn my head slightly to the voice of Howard rushing towards me. He tosses the Hobgoblin Club high into the air while he charges forward trying toe to my aid as fast as he could. Besides him were the golden wolves and David not too far behind them. Howard roars at the orcs and goblins causing them to stagger for a bit giving me time to catch the Hobgoblin''s Club. Grasping the handle I feel anger and rage well up inside me. I spit out blood and saliva from my mouth and clench my teeth as I m the club down on the nearest goblin, crushing the head. I breathe out slowly before crying out and swinging the club at the remaining goblins. Killing them one by one before standing in front of the dazed orcs. Their faces fill up with anger and hatred and they squeal as loud as they can at me. I feel myself smiling as I look at them. Green blood drips on the ground from the head of the club and I step forward towards Noah confidently. I could see he was only barely awake as his eyes blink slowly. I feel my rage building inside me as I look at his weak body and turn towards the orcs. I hear the growling of the wolves as they rush past me pouncing on the orcs. The adult wolf tore the orc''s face off while the pup helped by bitting and scratching at the legs. Even though it was just a pup it was trying its best to help out. They eliminate the first orc quickly and pounced on the next. Not before long, the adult wolf had eliminated all three orcs with the pup standing proudly next to it as if it had done all the work. The adult wolf picks up the pup by its neck and slowly moves to the river to wash off the orc''s blood. Howard stands next to me resting his hand on my shoulder. "Looks like the wolves had finished the job before I even got here. Are you ok Ian?" I look at Howard and the longer I looked at him the more I felt like hitting him. Rage was swelling up inside me and my mind was getting invaded by dark thoughts. I grip the club in my hand tighter and turn towards Howard. Suddenly, the club gets yanked out of my hand by the adult wolf. It grabbed the head of the club with its jaw and tossed it on the ground. I look into its amber eyes speechless. Slowly it turns away and goes back into the river to y with the pup. "Ian?" I snap my attention back to Howard. He had a concerned look on his face as he nces between the club and me. "I''m fine. Thank you for rushing to our aid. Shit, we need to get Noah back to HavenFall. He was hurt very badly during the fight just now." I quickly go to Noah and kneel down checking his condition. Noah''s eyes were closed but I could feel a slow flow of airing from his nose meaning he was just unconscious. Howard walks over to the other side of Noah and I slowly lift his upper body making sure to not move his head too much. I hear Noah inhale sharply and his face showed a pained expression. "His ribs might be cracked we can''t just lift him, we need a stretcher." I tell Howard about Noah''s condition but he was unsure of what a stretcher is and instead was about to move Noah again. I stop Howard from making any unnecessary movements and turned around to see David huffing and puffing next to Melody. "David, take Melody back to HavenFall and find 2 long branches, lots of small sticks and vines. Come back as soon as possible." David nods and looks at Melody. She hesitates to leave but decides to follow my instructions. After they both left, I copse on the ground next to Noah. I took deep breaths and close my eyes letting my overworked body rest on the cool reddish-brown dirt. "Ian, do you want to tell me what happened today?" Howard sat down next to me, cing his ax down to him. "Howard, if we follow the river for half a day we reach an encampment. A mix of orcs, goblins and human ves ruled by arger orc with a big stone ax. After David and I found it, we stayed around to try and save them. Then they made it back with David while I tried to save Noah with Melody. There are still humans back there, Howard will you help me try to save them?" After I asked Howard the question there was a small pause. The sound of the river and the crashing waterfall was all I heard for a while until Howard finally answered. "Ian, what is your goal in creating HavenFall and saving the people in other encampments?" "My goal? Originally it was to save you, Lucina, Luke and old man Hus. After Oscar''s death, I realized that no matter where we settled down we would have faced a monster stronger than us one day. Now, I want to create a ce where would be safe and to do that I need more people. HavenFall right now is no more than just two houses and walls. We have about 7 people living there, its not even to the point of calling it a vige let alone a town. We have nothing, so we need to make something and with more people, we slowly be stronger. Howard, have you ever heard there is safety in numbers? I think that line is perfect for this ce and perfect for HavenFall." I push myself up from the ground and look at Howard. I ce my hand on his shoulder and smile at him. "Will you help me make HavenFall into a ce where its residents feel safe? It does not matter whether it is humans, goblins or animals. I want to make HavenFall a true safe haven." Howard smiles at me and nods his head. "Of course I will." 49 Chapter 49 After confirming Howard''s resolve to help me I copsed back on the ground. I observe the streaky white clouds as they move slowly across the sky. The dark blue of night mixes with the pink and orange sunset as the moon rises and the sun falls. The sshing of the wolves in the slow current and the crashing of the waterfall echo in the canyon with an asional breeze picking up the water droplets and spraying them on the river bank. I close my eyes and embrace the sounds around me, my heart beats loudly in my ear and each breath I take moves my whole body up and down. It felt calm, too calm. As if the fight between the orcs, goblins and us didn''t happen. The monsters burst into purple smoke however there was no loot from them this time. Iy there until the sky turned dark slowly regaining my strength and recovering from the fight. During the fight, I did not lose that much HP since I was able to dodge most of the goblin''s blows due to their small arms and legs but I felt like my body was made out of stone. My arms and legs were heavy and each movement I had to do needed lots of energy. I heard the quick footstepsing from HavenFall and turned my head in the direction. Howard stood up and walked towards the footsteps. "Howard, here I got all the stuff Ian asked for." Lucina had apanied David and Melody carrying a bundle of sticks. I got up with great difficulty, my whole body felt heavy and sore. Seeing my struggle Melody ced down the vines she was holding and came over to help me up. Grabbing my arm and ced it around the back of her neck while holding my waist with her other hand. "Thanks for the help Melody." Even speaking was a bit difficult, my voice was soft and hoarse. I coughed slightly at the end and the sudden jerky movements caused pain in my already weak legs. Standing up was hard, my legs felt like jelly and I was in a half-bent state. "Ian, what do you want us to do?" I took a deep breath and told them the steps slowly. "Howard set down the 2rger sticks next to each other with a gaprge enough that Noah can fit on top of it. Since we don''t have enough vines to make the whole thing just out of vines I need you to ce the smaller sticks in between the 2rge ones...Yeah just like that. ce it so it''s a bit more apart...Good job, Lucina I need you to tie all the small sticks to therge one and after you are done wrap the rest of the vines between the middle." Lucina, went to work after Howard finishes his part. Slowly the stretcher came together and once it was finished it was ready for Noah to get on top. David and Howard moved the stretcher so it was right next to Noah. Since it wasn''t good to move Noah''s body too much they slowly lifted his head and arm shifting the stretcher under his body bit by bit. It took a while but eventually, Noah''s body was on the stretcher and it was time to lift him up. David and Howard slowly lifted the stretcher off the ground stopping for a bit once it was off the groundpletely. Since the stretcher didn''t break and fall apart they got more confident and lifted it up higher until it was at waist height. They both nodded at me confirming that they were good to start moving. I nod back and start to move back to HavenFall with Melody helping me move along the way. The wolves stopped ying around and start to follow behind us as well with the pup riding on top of the adult wolf. It was a long slow journey home but as we got closer I could see the worried expressions of our new and old friends. Owen and Frank rushed down the path to relieve Howard and David, letting them rest their arms. I heard the two breath sighs of relief and saw that their arms were trembling slightly. "David, Howard get some rest and try not to carry anything for the rest of the night. Let your arms recover." They both smiled weakly, slightly embarrassed that I noticed their time of weakness. We got up the path and Owen and Frank moved Noah into the mud house. Everyone else gathered around the fire as we waited for Owen and Frank toe back. "Now that everyone is here let me introduce myself. I am Ian and wee to HavenFall. Melody, Frank, Lime and Celine this ce houses humans, goblins and golden wolves and we live in harmony. It might be a bit tight in one house but we will build another one so please bear with me on that. Any questions by the way?" "I have one." "Yes, Celine?" "What do we have to do here? Are we...ves here?" "No. Of course not Celine. Ideally, I would like all of you to stay here and help HavenFall grow however, if you want to leave feel free I will not stop you. If you do decide to stay I would like you to help either build new architecture, forage for food, farm, fish gather resources there are just too many things that can be done. We are all starting from zero." Celine nods slightly at me and looks at Melody. "I think we should stay here Celine. Ian and David helped us out of that hell and we should live freely from now on. Ian, I have a question too. Are you going back to the Balta and killing him?" I look at Melody and nod. "Everyone, I have an announcement. We are going to prepare an attack on Balta and the encampment. From what I heard there are more humans stuck there ving away and I wish to free them as well as eliminate the threat that is Balta. We will not be attacking straightway but once everyone has recovered and we prepared the equipment I want to attack as soon as possible." I saw the grim expressions on the new residents but at the same time next to them I could see the smiling Howard. "EVERYONE! WE CAN DO THIS!. Get some rest, tomorrow we start the preparations." 50 Chapter 50 "Hot! It''s so HOT! LUKE! Can we jump into a river or something?" "Quiet Sylvia!" "Hrmp!" I look to my left to see Sylvia moving her shoulder-length wavy jet-ck hair with blue highlights away from the front of her face. Revealing her slightly tanned rose cheeks, sapphire eyes and pink lips. Her eyes move away from the front and went towards me, she slightly cooks her head, raising an eyebrow while looking at me. I blink a few times before moving my line of vision away from her and to the front. Chest-high wooden fences surround a small vige. Three wooden houses are forming a triangle and two smaller wooden houses on the outer edges of the triangle. In the vige I could see goblins pace back and forth moving from house to house, patrolling the perimeter, speaking with each other and sharpening their stone tools. Above them on a small hill hidden in the bushes were me and Sylvia. "You said that you escaped from here a few days ago right?" "Yep! Don''t believe me?" "It''s not that I don''t believe you. I just...Find it hard to believe that you escaped an encampment alone." "Well, I did and after running away for two whole days, TWO! I ran into a psychopath that jumped me with again TWO knives pressed to my neck." "I said I was sorry for that already¡­" "Yea, okay whatever Luke. The same psychopath dragged me through the forest and made me lie on my stomach under some bushes, under that zing hot sun for what? To see some goblins walk around?" "I said I need to watch their movements. I want to save as many people and/or monsters if I can. That''s what he would have done¡­Sylvia, quiet something is happening." I signal with my hands to be quiet and then point towards the vige. The goblins were gathering at the center of the vige and I could see two hobgoblinsing out of the top house while dragging two humans. One of them had tinum blonde hair, pointy ears and emerald eyes while the other had dark skin ash gray hair, amethyst eyes and simrly pointy ears. Both of them had hourss bodies and were covered in a sheer white cloth and through it, I could see bruises and cuts. "Oh no...Those poor girls." "Were they not here when you left Sylvia?" "No...There were only adult men when I was here, in fact, I don''t even see any of them left were they killed¡­?" I did not reply to Sylvia and instead, I focused on what was happening. The hobgoblins drag the girls to the center while the rest of the goblins moved to the side letting them pass. Their eyes are full of hunger and noticing the surroundings the girls start to retaliate violently. They swing their arms, kick their legs and scream at the top of their lungs but are unable to break free from the hobgoblins'' clutches. "We need to get down there and save them." I couldn''t watch them anymore. I slowly crawl backward and nod at the wolves that werezing on their stomachs under the shade of a tree. They perk their ears up and start to move towards a path down the hill. "Luke! How are we going to do that? Look how many goblins there plus there are 2 hobgoblins." "I don''t care. I''m going down there, thank you for leading me to this encampment. You can leave if you want I won''t force you toe with me." "Wait! What about me? I can''t survive in the forest by myself. Leave them ande with me." I look at Sylvia and took out my goblin knives. "Like I said. I''m going down there." I quickly follow the wolves down the path leaving Sylvia at the top of the hill. I step as quietly but quickly as I can and I reach the bottom of the hill in a blink of an eye. I nod at the adult wolves and in response, they howl as loud as they can before dashing towards the encampment. The pups stick close to my legs and I wait for the signal from the adult wolves. "Luke. I...I''ll help too." Sylvia ces her hand on my shoulder as she reached the bottom of the hill as well. I pass her one of my knives and ces my finger on my lips. The howl of the wolves reaches my ears and I quickly turn around and dash towards the encampment. The wolves had distracted a good portion of the goblins, running away from them and dragging them further from the encampment. Only the two hobgoblins plus ten more goblins were still in the encampment. The two girls were lying on the ground trembling, their faces full of disgust and anger. I could see new additions to their bruises and ropes tied around their wrists and ankles. I grit my teeth and dash behind a house but it was all in vain as the hobgoblins noticed Sylvia''s presence. Her slow and clumsy movements caused her to trip slightly letting out a small cry but that was enough the hobgoblins have seen her and ordered the goblins to attack. The signal the pups to go back to Sylvia and protect her. I look at her and it''s surprising seeing her expression. Full of confidence even though she had just slipped up and made a mistake. She nced at me and nodded while smiling at me. I nod back and lean over the side to catch a glimpse of the hobgoblins. They were looking at the goblins that were rushing at Sylvia and due to that, they did not notice me moving from house to house until I was positioned behind them. I hold the knife tightly and crouch. Slowly, slowly moving one foot in front of the other. I keep an eye on the peripheral just in case something sees me and once I was close enough to slice the head of a hobgoblin. I took the opportunity. A swift slice into the neck cut flesh and bone. Decapitating it without a second''s thought and once I finished the deed I turn to the next hobgoblin but it had noticed its friend dying. It awkwardly stepped back to dodge my quick strike but unfortunately tripping over the two girls. Seeing their chance they move their bodies ontop of the hobgoblin trying to pin it in ce while looking at me with desperate expressions. Acknowleding their help I leap on the hobgoblin and stabbing its eye. It howls in pain and stratches my arm but to no help. I twist the de in his eye socket causing greater pain until it finally goes quiet. I let out a sigh of relief but suddenly I remember, Sylvia. I turn around in her direction and got surprised when I saw her face so close to mine. "What? Why do you look so surprised? Do I have something on my face? Is it goblin blood?" "No...Nothing. Don''t worry about it. Thank you for the help." "Whatever. You just need to stay with me now ok?" "Okay, but first let''s release the girls and kill the remaining goblins." 51 Chapter 51 I kneel next to the two girls and cut off the ropes bounding them and removed their gags. "BEHIND YOU!" My back concaves forward and I feel the air leaving my lungs. I see darkness for a split second and the next thing I knew I was under a pile of wooden rubble. I cough out blood and I could feel the splinters digging into my skin. I slowly push the wooden nks off my back, waving my arm around to get a grip on my surroundings but everything was spinning. I try to reach for a wooden pole but for some reason, I kept missing it, my hand would seem like it was grabbing the pole until thest second where the pole dodges me. I ce my hand on my head and feel a hot liquid dripping down my face. Slowly, I look at my hand. A deep crimson liquid covers it and then the paines in all at once. I scream. Like someone was opening my head. I start to pant, my breath bing more ragged as time went on. ,m Questions pop into my head one after another. What hit me? How do I get out of this mess? It hurts. Was it wrong for me to try and help? What about Sylvia? Ah, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts! IT HURTS! "LUKE!" I hear my name somewhere. All I feel is my head splitting open and the hot blood running down my cheek pooling around my waist. "LUKE! Stop. I''m. I''m tired. I should have stayed at HavenFall. I should have been the one to die. Not Oscar. "GRAB MY HAND, YOU IDIOT!" I see something. Light? Heaven? Was this what Oscar saw? I reach out with my hand to grab it. I feel, warmth around my hand. Like an angel holding onto me. I start to see clearer. My angel. Shoulder-length ck hair with blue highlights. Her sapphire blue eyes were, red with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Sylvia¡­?" "Come on! You said you were going to help them right? This is the best time to do it!" My head felt heavier than my body as I sway slightly as I get to my feet. I look around hoping to find something. I see Sylvia pointing towards a direction and my eyes slowly follow her fingertips. I see it, the blond girl struggling for air as a goblin evenrger than the hobgoblin holds onto her neck. It had moss green skin with handsrger than its face, tworge dirty yellow eyes with ck slits in the middle and a long red tongue poking out of its mouth. "What is that¡­?" It was so different from normal goblins and even the Blood Ogre looked more normal than that. Some sort of weird mix between goblins, snake eyes, tongue and gori hands. "It''s a failed evolution from hobgoblin to goblin general." "A monster can fail an evolution?" I look at Sylvia with a newfound curiosity. Not only did she help bring me out from the depths of the abyss but it looks like she has a lot of hidden knowledge. "Normally they can''t but this monster has been forced to evolve. See the neck? It has a ck hourss with a diagonal line through it that''s the mark of one of the Kings, Kronos. A king that is more of a mad scientist than anything. He creates monsters by attaching parts together or experiments on them and forces them to evolve forming those hideous things." "Whatever it is, Sylvia help me save them." "Of course! Why do you think I went and saved you?" I rush towards the monster and howl at the top of my lungs, signally the adult golden wolves toe back and help me. At the same time, the pups came out from their little hideaway and growled at the monster bearing their little fangs. I see the blonde girl start to struggle less, her movements bing more sluggish. I grit my teeth and toss my knife at the monster hoping to distract it in any way possible. By sheer luck, the knife hits the monster in the eye making it release its grip on the blonde girl. Grabbing the blonde girl by the waist, the silver-haired tanned girl moved out of the way allowing me to pass by her. With a nod of my head at the girl, I turn towards the monster. The monster growls lowly at me, I was so close to it I could see its saliva drool out of its mouth, forming puddles on the ground. Its scent makes me nauseous and I could feel the small breakfast I had forcing its way up my throat. Its eyes stare at me and I stare back. Luckily for me, I was stalling for time. Waiting for the wolves toe back, each second it spends doing nothing is a win for me. My knife is nted on the ground near its foot, while the other was held by Sylvia. I had instructed her to move around the encampment slowly while I did my best to distract it. I can only hope she can get into a position to attack the monster as soon as possible. Suddenly, it screamed at me. Its loud high pitch scream pierces through my eardrums. I grip my head tightly, the head-splitting paining back to me. Barely keeping one eye open, I try to move my feet away but I can''t move. Not before long, I stopped hearing it in fact, I could not hear anything. Not even the sound of my heart beating. I look around trying to ess the situation and I could only see Sylvia''s mouth moving in the far distance and her pointing towards me. Once again, I got knocked into the air. My feet left the ground and my body was temporarily suspended in the air but I did not hear the monster move. I finally realise that it took away my ability to hear. That scream must have ruptured my eardrums or something. Relying only on my sight now is difficult. After getting punched again I focused more on the fight trying to collect as much information on the monster as it punches, kicks and uses its long tongue to attack me. Bruises start to form on my stomach, chest, arms and legs but I don''t give up. The wolves have arrived to help and while I can''t hear them I could see them tearing the monster''s flesh off its bones. The wolves were angry and they were ready to destroy. 52 Chapter 52 Damn... This¡­ This monster is strong¡­ My body feels so sore. The wolves were on the ground breathing slowly, blood flowing out of their wounds. The two girls were knocked out and sprawled on the ground. I grip my knife and clench my teeth. I whisper, without looking back and only staring forwards. "Just a bit more Sylvia. The sun is setting..." ........... It happened in a blink of an eye. The wolves had arrived and it was looking good. Bite marks along its arms and legs, torn flesh everywhere and green blood oozing out of its body. But then it happened. I picked up a corpse of a goblin and ate it. No. Swallowed it. It opened its jaws and dropped the goblin in its mouth. The goblin body could be seen as it traveled down its throat and then with a plop, into its stomach. The crazy thing was that its wounds started to heal. Green smoke enveloped the wounds. Sharp hissing sounds came from it and once the smoke dispersed a newyer of green skin could be seen. Its long red tongue licks its lips and it reveals a disgusting smile. If the Blood Ogre''s smile was terrifyingly creepy then this was absolutely horrific. It would have made Lucina faint with just its smile. "Uhh, what''s the n, Luke?" Sylvia approached me slowly whispering into my ear as we both stare at the monster as it regenerates its wounds faster than a wolf would leap on a defenseless rabbit. "Kill it before it regenerates anymore. Just keep piling on the damage...I think." "Okay sounds good! Go Luke I believe in you!!" I roll my eyes at Sylvia as I see her pointing at the monster with her knife but expressing that I should be the one to deal with it. I should have run at this point. Leaving the monster to its own devices and leaving with everyone including the two girls. It was clear they were the only survivors left since no other human or humanoid had approached us even after all the fighting and destruction. But I fought it. I ran at it with my knife slicing here and there while the wolves coordinated with me swiping their paws at the monster with the asional bite. Its arms swung around, picking up dirt and dust. It growled and howled at us and its inability to retaliate. It was going well. Too well. Because I let my guard down at this moment. I did not learn my lesson. After slicing the monster''s back with my knife I felt the air leaving my lungs. The pain sunk in and I was sted through the air,nding on the ground and coughing up blood. I wince at the pain and grab my stomach. That monster...After failing around unable to hit me or the wolves just started to beat us down. After punching me, it went on to grab one of the wolf''s hind legs in mid-air and swing it down smashing its body against the earth. Followed up with a kick against the side of the other wolfunching the wolf further away crashing into the pile of wooden rubble. I picked myself up and rush in front of the monster as it started to approach Sylvia. I was panting hard, desperately getting air into my lungs as I watch it slowly approach me. So many questions run through my head but now was just not the time for that. "Sylvia, walk back slowly and when I give you the signal run away as fast as you can." "What but-" "NO BUTS! Just run, please." The monster did not even consider me as an opponent. I was not even in the same league like it. All it took was a punch and I was practically sent flying out of the fight. Any wounds heal after it cannibalizes a goblin. It had abnormal strength. Long reach. Powerful legs. And a sinister gaze as it leans forward. It cooks its head in front of me. Its eyes staring right into mine. I swallow my saliva before stabbing the monster in the eye with my knife. "RUN SYLVIA!" After stabbing it I rush forward grabbing its body and pushing it back but to no avail. I could not move it but that''s fine I just need to distract...it. Like a frog hunting flies, itunched its long tongue at Sylvia''s back. Piercing through her body and out the other side. "Oh no. Oh no no no. SYLVIA!" I let go of the monster''s body and sliced the elongated tongue. A blood-curdling cry fills my ears but I wasn''t bothered by that I ran towards Sylvia''s falling body. Catching it just before it falls. "S-Sylvia are you ok?" Her weak voice escapes her mouth as she looks at me. "Y-you idiot. Finish the job won''t you? I-I''m going to rest here." Her eyes close and her breathing slows. I stand up. With the sun setting on my back I face the monster. I can see the hatred in its eyes. I howl at the sky and I could feel it. The moon looking down upon me. My body starts to glow a soft yellow. "I can feel you, Aur. Lend me your strength. GOLDEN ASCENSION!" 53 Chapter 53 I can feel another heartbeat pumping alongside mine. A slow and steady heartbeat. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. A warm sensation flows throughout my body. It felt like I was being held in my mother''s arms again. At the same time, it felt like time had stopped. Neither the monster nor I moved. I stood there enveloped in a slow yellow glow gripping my knife tightly in my hand. Kill it. Kill it and find a way to help Sylvia. The only thoughts running through my mind were ways to attack the monster but I couldn''t move. Something felt off. Looking at how the fight panned out we should have died to one or two strikes from the monster but I am still here. Albeit bruised, exhausted and slightly out of breath I didn''t feel like I was about to die. The only deadly strike it did was against Sylvia where it was able to pierce her body with its tongue but since I cut that off it lost one of its weapons. I can do this. Its punches and kicks hurt but they aren''t to the point where it is deadly so long it doesn''t hit my face. Time to start the fight again. One step at a...time? I only took one step but I''m already right in front of the monster. I can practically hold him. Snapping out of my thought I quickly slice upwards towards its throat. Realizing the danger it swung its head back dodging the knife by a hair. It leaped backward gaining some distance from me. Did going activating Golden Ascension increase my speed by that much? It really only felt like I took a single step but I had moved close to the monster in that one step. It also felt like I was attacking faster so how did the monster get out of the way so fast? Was it just Instinct? No, it does not matter. I am faster. I am stronger. I can do this. Again! Just try again. Stab forward at the chest. Slice upwards for the throat. Slice at the legs. Stab its arms. Repeat. Repeat. Don''t let it have a chance to move. Don''t give it a chance to retaliate. Don''t stop moving. Green blood sprayed and sttered everywhere. Pools of green blood start to form everywhere. I cut its limbs off one by one until It was just the head and torso. Its eyes, full of confusion and hatred remain staring at me. I breathe out heavily. Stabbing the knife into its head. My hands tremble on the knife''s handle. Shaking uncontrobly. My breath bes ragged. I can''t feel the air entering my lungs. What is happening? A side effect from using Golden Ascension? I should have known it was going to be bad. My eyes start to get heavy. My knees give out firstnding in a pool of green blood next to the monster''s corpse. I feel the world spinning around. The ground and the sky flip sides. The warm green blood sshes over my body as I copse into it. I let out loud coughs as I grip my chest. I try to stand back up only to fall again into the blood covering myself in it. Is this it? I kill one monster and try to destroy an encampment. At the cost of my life? No. I can''t let it end here. I slow my breathing, taking deep long breaths. Closing my eyes and only focused on my breathing. Once my breathing slowed to a nice rhythm I took a deep breath. I open my eyes and see the shining moon in the middle of the dark night sky and I let out a loud howl. Like always it responds back. Washing the pain away with its soft silver moonlight. While I''m notpletely healed it was enough to slowly get to my knees and then my feet. The two girls on the side were staring at me in a daze. Next to them was Sylvia. She was still unconscious but it seemed like the girls had bandaged her up, wrapping the wound in cloth. "What are your names? And what do you n to do now?" The girls look at each other and gulp nervously before looking at me again. The blonde girl took the initiative to introduce themselves. "I am Sr and this is Ster. We were captured by Kronos''s minions and then brought here as food for the monster. We were going to die...But then you came. I would like to follow you. There is nothing else for me to do. My home is likely destroyed by Kronos already¡­" "Me too...Both of us are elves, although I am a dark elf. Let use with you. We can help heal the girl. It will be slow but slowly she will get better." "Okay. My name is Luke. Please heal Sylvia as well as the wolves. Let me tell you my n. I decided this not too long ago but I feel like I need to get stronger. Without strength, the people I care about will die. I n to destroy every encampment around and inside the forest. Will you two join me?" "We will." Ian, do you think I''m on the right track? 54 Chapter 54 5 days. It has been 5 days since I was at the Ax-Orc encampment. During this time I have been busy getting to know the new residents of HavenFall. Frank turned out to be an out-going person. Constantly moving around seeing if anyone needed help. One day he would be helping Howard construct the new house the next day he would be with Lucina tending to the fields. Having him constantly help out with everyone has lifted their spirits and allowed everyone to get closer. After looking at his stats I can see that he is very bnced which allows him to be able toplete a lot of different tasks. Surprisingly, he already had a skill and when I asked him about it he dodged the question. Looking at the skill though, it would be a defensive skill most likely boosting his defense in battle. Name: Frank Race: Human Health Points (HP): 14/14 Mana Points (MP): 2/2 Strength: 8 Vitality: 7 Intelligence:7 Dexterity: 7 Agility: 8 Luck: 1 Skill: Bronze Skin ( Passive ) [ Bronze Skin ( Passive ) - The user''s skin is as hard as bronze. Increase defense 5%] Moving on to Celine, I found out after interacting with her that she is an animal lover. At first, she was afraid of the wolves but once she overcame her fears I don''t think I have ever seen her by herself. Especially when the wolf den summoned a new wolf. After 5 days had passed from when I ced the wolf den in the cave, a small wolf pup appeared. Celine happened to be the first person it saw and after much love from Celine, the wolf pup has never left her side. Name: Celine Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 4 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 4 Agility: 4 Luck: 1 Skill: Animal Lover ( Passive ) [ Animal Lover ( Passive ) - Allows animals of all kinds to feel safe and secure next to the user. Aggressive animals will slowly be more passive as the user interacts with the animal ] Even Lime surprised me after she woke up. She was the youngest resident of HavenFall but that didn''t stop her from helping out. Being light on her feet, she helped old man Hus gather any material he needed as well as forage for food in the outskirts of the forest. Through her help gathering, food had be a lot easier especially since the poption had increased. I also found out she was incredibly quick skilled with her hands as well. After, old man Hus showed her how to make y cups she was able to create a very intricate cup design. It had a snake-like body as the handle and the body of the cup was shaped like a flower bud. She called it the Flower Snake and deemed it as her cup. Name: Lime Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 10 Luck: 1 Skill: Dash ( Active ) - 2 MP [ Dash ( Active ) - Allow the user to move forward at high speed for a very brief time ] Noah had been getting along well with Owen. Both of them had been fishing and setting up traps down the river in order to catch fish. At the same time, they dug out a small hole on the side of the river, connecting it back with a small stream. They made the hole a ce for the fish they catch to grow. cing the smaller fish in the pond and then feeding them crushed fruits and vegetables. After much talk, they decided to create the pond in order for the fish to grow and then get big enough to breed and theyy eggs in order to create more fish. I think these NPC''s have found a very primitive way to farm fish and only time will tell if they are sessful. Name: Noah Race: Human Health Points (HP): 16/16 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 10 Vitality: 8 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 7 Luck: 1 Lastly is Melody. I spoke with her the most since she hase to HavenFall. From her, I got to understand themon living standards of humans. Due to our weak strength but high poption, humans were regarded as ves or even livestock. Any human city or vige has long since been wiped from the territories of the Kings and any stray humans were captured and sent to whether manpower was needed. Most humans were born and bred in encampments living the lives to be sold to other encampments or used as a tool until death. Recently there have been reports from other encampments that humans are rebelling and escaping the clutches of the encampment leader. That would rte to the yers releasing humans or attacking the monsters. Other than interacting with me, Melody was learning archery with Robin and the goblins. The goblins were learning archery because Gobi mentioned to me that we had very little range troops. While learning how to master archery is hard after 5 days of constant training they were just barely passable. Hitting a still target is more than enough for now. Melody was trying her best to learn new skills such as swing swords, archery, construction and foraging. Watching her take in all these new skills was fun at it also sparked my own interest in learning how to properly fight. Having Howard teach David, Melody, the goblins and me was a wise choice. Name: Melody Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 7 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 8 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 7 Luck: 1 The rest of the days went by with David, Howard and me building 2 new houses. One made out of long branches and piles of leaves and the other made out of mud. The additional houses were able tofortably amodate all the new residents as well as allow the original residents more room to sleep. Bed, pillows and nkets were made out of wood fiber and vines. Lucina and Celine slowly weaved them together making enough for everyone after a couple of days. Furthermore, during this time old man Hus increased the armory. Creating more spears, arrows and armor for the uing battle. The only adult wolf has been keeping an eye on the encampment watching from afar and onlying back for food. Since the encampment isn''t going to us then we must bring the battle to them. On the sixth day after midday was time for us to attack. Everyone except old man Hus, Lime, Lucina and Celine armed themselves. The troops for this battel consisted of 7 goblins, 3 wolves ( 1 adult and 2 pups ) and 9 humans. We were ready to fight. 55 Chapter 55 Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 59/100 ( Reach 100 to pick a Pantheon ) Happiness: 0 ( Neutral ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 10 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Improved Stone Spear, Stone Chest te, Stone Knife, Stone Shield I grip my spear and shield tightly, taking deep long breaths. I calm my nervous heart down and look behind me. Our formation was not exactly the best but it had to make do since the river takes up most of the space in the canyon. The entrance of the encampment is on the left side of the river, inside a cave big enough to fit two orcs side by side. On the other side of the river was the ce Noah was stuck at with the ledge. The area was mainly used to mine a certain bronze-like material but since none of the people that were enved there knew about the material I couldn''t be certain. The n is to attack at night and have the goblins near the ledge side with bows attack any orcs/goblins that might be patrolling the area. Since they have night vision it will be easier for them to potentially snipe a few enemies before the fight. Next to them will be the wolves, since the goblins are weaker than everyone else I ced our best attackers with them to protect them. Even the pups can fight the goblins one on one. On the side with the cave will be the rest of us. Howard and David will be at the front with a stone shield, chest te and ax and right behind them will be me. I will help direct the battle and with the equipment old man Hus made I feltfortable even if I am in the front lines. Right behind me will be Owen, Noah and Frank. I made the three of them use spears like myself since they would be able to attack from a longer range. Stabbing and probing an enemy with the tip of the spear is more than enough. It can potentially do damage or in the worst case just cause a distraction for the enemy. Robin and Melody will be using a bow. Attacking from a distance is the role of archers and with Robin''s excellent archery I felt safe with her at the rear. We were ready for the attack. I could feel the tension in the air. It felt differentpared to every other fight that has happened. Maybe it''s because this time I am on the offensive rather than the defensive. The first time I am initiating a fight rather than reacting to a fight. My palms are sweating and I can feel my heart slowly beat faster. I take deep breaths again. "Ian, we should stop here and wait for the sun to set." Howard stops me midstep. I didn''t even realize how close we were to the encampment. With only one more bend I would have arrived. "Yeah, good thinking Howard. Let''s eat something light and rest our bodies. I''ll have the wolf stand guard." With that, we sat down on the ground huddled around each other. The chilling winds blow against our bodies. Being inside the canyon at night would only get colder and I could see my breath forming mist each time I breathed out. We ced the shields in the direction of the wind to redirect the wind as much as possible and then stayed close to each other to preserve as much heat as possible. Taking out some fruits to munch on we waited for the sun to set and night to roll in. ..... Darkness all around us, without a moon or star in the night sky. I didn''t notice it before but it seems like this game has moon cycles as well and tonight happens to be a new moon. I lean my head against the canyon wall and stare at the sky. Quiet whispers between the residents and the running river fill my ears. In the corner of my eye, I see the adult wolf''s ears stand up. She slowly gets off the ground and emits a low growl. I tap Howard and David''s bodies and signal everyone to be quiet. We all quietly stand up and hold our weapons doing our best to stay as quiet as possible. The somewhat peaceful atmosphere shatters and is reced with tension. I nod to everyone and Howard sneaks forward to get a look at the situation. I follow him and crouch down looking around the bend as well. Two goblins chatting with each other were approaching us. They had left the encampment and with a knife, in their hands, they were walking towards us unsuspected of any danger. I pull Howard back and signal the wolf to move back closer to the goblins that were on that side of the river. As quietly as I can I whisper to Howard our n. "The moment they show themselves around the corner we kill them." With a nod, he acknowledges the n as now we wait. 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds pass by but each second feels longer than thest. My heart is racing and my breathing is quickening. I grip my spear tightly and look in front of me. Both Howard and David standing like statues. They were tense may be too tense. I ce a hand on their shoulder and with a small jolt, they look at me. I smile at them and nod my head. "I will be fine, rx." I might have been talking to them but really I was talking to myself. They nod back to me and rx their bodies a bit. The goblins turn the corner and with a sh, their heads roll on the ground. Swiftly and cleanly they were taken care of by our two tanks. David surprised me with his decisiveness, killing the goblin as fast if not faster than Howard. "Let''s go, we push forward!" With that begins our fight. 56 Chapter 56 With Howard and David standing side by side leading the way we slowly crept closer to the entrance of the cave. I look towards the other side and I could see the wolves leading the goblins. They got to the bend first, the pce where David and I first saw the inhabitants of the encampment. Gobi was in the lead next to the adult wolf as they quickly went around the corner. His bow was raised and arrow nocked ready to fire at any enemies. I stand there watching with bated breath. His hands slowe closer and the bow is lowered. Gobi turns towards me and shakes his head. No enemies. I nod my head back towards him and tap Howard''s back signaling them to continue moving forward. The goblins got into position on the other side of the river, three on the ledge and four on the bottom next to the wolf and the pups. The closer we get to the entrance of the cave the more my heart thumps against my chest. A loud beating sound resonates in my ear alongside my slow deep breaths. I constantly have to wipe my palm against my chest te or else I wouldn''t be able to grip my spear properly. Strange. We had just gotten to the entrance of the cave but it was quiet. Howard peeks into it but with the limited light, all he saw was darkness. Deep in the cave however was a small flickering light. A tiny me dancing in the dark. Enticing us, teasing us, watching us from afar. I could hear Howard gulping his saliva and David''s teeth slightly chattering. "We move in, shield up and walk slowly making sure to check the sides in case of an ambush." I sent out my orders quietly and with a nod in response from Howard and David, they slowly grip their shield tightly bringing them up in front of their chests. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. A slow advance but a careful one. Only the sound of our steps against the cold rocky ground can be heard. A quiet echo in the distance. The slight stench of body odor and rotten flesh waft over us. I wrinkle my nose at the unpleasant scent. The torch gets closer with each step, the me illuminating the small area around it. The torch was a simple wooden branch wrapped in a cloth and then set alight. It was ced at a bend in the cave. The entrance only led us in one direction, with no turns until the light. Beyond it is a mystery, one left turn and there could be nothing or there could be a horde of orcs and goblins. I tap Howard''s and David''s shoulders signally them to stop. Just shy of the area where the torch illuminates we stop. I listen as carefully as I can. What do I hear? The breeze from the entrance, my heart pounding in my chest and our breaths. But nothing from our enemies. Was it just deeper inside? Were they sleeping in other parts of the cave? I couldn''t shake this bad feeling I had. Where were they? Hesitantly, I tap Howard''s and David''s shoulders again making them advance into the light. More tense and more careful steps ahead as they walk into the light and around the bend. Half expecting an orc or a goblin to appear Howard lifts his ax above his head as he turns. But nothing. Just more darkness and at the end of it another torch. My heart nearly jumped as I turned the corner with them. It''s a rush. Not a good kind of rush. Howard slowly lowers his ax and licks his lips before nodding his head towards David. They both start to move forward again slowly, step by step. I look behind me and I could see their tense expressions in the flickering light. I smile the best I can and nod towards them hoping to bring their morale up. In return, I only got half-smiles and worried expressions. I can''t me them though, the situation is like being on a rollercoaster. You can see each bend but when you get to it your heart will drop each time. We can only push on. Holding my spear and shield I advance behind Howard and David. Onwards towards the next torch. After doing it the first time it seemed like we had gotten used to the tense atmosphere. We got to the second light faster and once again we stop just shy of the light. This time, I stopped them from moving onwards because I heard a sound. Slow rhythmic breathinging from the right of the torch. Around the bend is our first enemy. asional grunts and snorts could be heard from that direction as well. It wasn''t just one enemy it was multiple. The number is currently unknown but they were close. David looks at me with a worried and confused expression. I know what he wants to ask but I signal him to be silent. I look on the ground and saw a pebble. Letting Frank hold my spear I pick up the pebble and went to toss it, low and slow. Each bounce echos deeper into the cave and like dominos the grunting stops and small light steps were heard. Goblins. These steps cannot belong to therger monsters which meant it was goblins. I take back the spear from Frank and at the edge of the light, we prepare for them to turn the corner. I can hear it. Soft. Light. Footsteps. With each step brings them closer. 57 Chapter 57 A small green foot emerges in the light and an unsuspecting character walks forward. Unbeknownst to it that an ax was swinging down on its head. Slicing through the green flesh and spraying green blood in all directions. A war cry is heard. Loud and full of anger. A stampede of feet. A tsunami of green bodies. Small and nimble but fragile and weak. Constant screeches and constant shrieks echo into the abyss, bouncing off the rocky surface. A response to the war cry. A single united yell from the two men at the front. Full of courage and bravery. Without an ounce of hesitation or cowardice. "FIGHT! TOGETHER!" nks of weapons on weapons. Knives on shields. Spears on flesh. Whistles of arrows. Screams and shouts. "STAY LOW ON THE GROUND, HOWARD, DAVID!" Dropping onto one knee and holding the shield to protect the face while behind the synchronized stabbing urred. A step forward. A lunge forward. Stone piercing flesh. Screams of pain and horror. Sttering of green blood along the walls and ground. "STEP FORWARD AND PUSH WITH YOUR SHIELDS!" Like an immovable wall, they push forward into the flickering light. mming their shields against the bodies of their enemies. Pushing past the corpses and stepping into the pools of blood. Hearts pumping against our chests. Blood pumping fast through our veins. Chop. Hack. Slice. Stab. Slow deep breaths follow afterward. A rare calm. Waves of fear spread. The once energetic goblins, quiet. Trembling in their shoes and hesitantly moving back and forth. A quick step forward causes them to fall on their bottoms. An opportunity! "ATTACK! NOW!" Quick sessions of hacking and shing, murdering the goblins as fast as possible while they are unable to react. Their terrified screams echo down the cave causing an uproar. A booming voicemands them to stop. "ALL THOSE THAT FLEE SHALL DIE!" In the darkness, outside the light of the torch, screams and disgruntled shouts ur. A terrified goblin stumbles against Howard. Looking more afraid of the dark than of us. "Retreat! We need to get out of here!" Looking at the situation, it was time to go. Staying any longer would just result in potential death and injuries. The girls in the back turn around dashing through the dark cave as fast as possible. Followed by the spearmen and then the tanks. "RUNNING? ARE YOU RUNNING? GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARDS!!" As we turn away and start to run out of the cave a booming voice echoing in the cave reaches us. To make matters worse, loud deafening footsteps can be heard. Each step brings it closer and closer. "RUN! FASTER! ONCE YOU MAKE IT OUT, GET ACROSS THE RIVER!" I shout at the top of my lungs and pray that the voice does not reach us. "COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARDS!" In the distance, I can see it, the night sky. Even without the moon, it is still brighter than the cave. We were almost there. The huffing and the puffing were worth it. Robin and Melody, exits the cave and dash into the river, wading across as fast as possible while signaling to the goblins to be ready to fire their arrows. Frank, Owen and Ie out next jumping into the river and as fast as possible get to the other side. Davides next with a worried expression. Waving his arms in the air and desperately shouted at us. "IT CAUGHT UP! IT CAUGHT UP! HOWARD HE-HE-ARGH!." Blown out of the cave and crashing into David was Howard. Shattered remains of the shield in his hand. Blood ran down the corner of his mouth as he slowly opens his eyes. "David get across the river now!" He stands up weakly. "NO! Get back, Howard. I can do it." David stands in front of Howard in a defensive position. Staring intently at the cave, waiting. d in a bronze chest te and leggings. Holding a double-headed stone ax with a bronze handle. An orcrger than its other kin steps out of the cave slowly. Eyeing us from left to right. An annoyed expression appears on its face as it looks at us. "So...It''s you, bastards. You came before. Now you are back. I am Balta. A proud orc general. FEAR ME!" 58 Chapter 58 Balta''s bellowing shook the air and created waves in the river. With bloodshot eyes and bulging muscles, he charges at David raising his ax high into the air. I turn to Gobi and the goblins and yelled my orders. "SHOOT! Keep shooting your arrows!" At the same time, I leaped into the river wading across the river towards David. Following me were the wolves, Owen and Frank. The axes crashing down on David''s shield cracking and shattering it to pieces. The excess force pushes David and Howard back a few steps. David''s hand trembles from the hit and he fail to hold his weapon. "DAVID MOVE!" Howard pushes David to the right while leaping to the left narrowly dodging the iing de. Grunting at the failed strike Balta kicks Howard in the chest sending him rolling towards the river and near us. The arrows whistle through the air, some lucky shots hit Balta in the chest and thighs but were unable to pierce through his armor, while othersnd on the ground near him. "Howard are you ok?" I kneel next to him and check out his body. Owen and Frank push forward getting near Balta with their spears in hand thrusting and stabbing while rolling and dodging to the best of their abilities. The adult wolf harasses Balta with her constant hit and run technique while the pups growl and howl at Balta. Howard grips his chest and coughs up blood. His eyes are disorientated and he fails to make up words. "Stop trying to speak Howard. Stay here. Rest up. Thank you for the good work." I pat his shoulder and look at the situation. David is defenseless and is currently focused on dodging however looking at the beads of sweat pouring down his face I can tell he was nearing his limits. Owen and Frank were trying their best to do damage with their spears but due to theirck of experience Balta manages to dodge or block their attempts. The only reason Balta has not killed them all yet was due to the adult wolf. Her timely attacks prevented Balta from making a lethal blow on anyone but even then we can''t rely on just that. I need to find a way to win. A way to beat Balta. A weakness. "ARGHHH!!!" There it was a weakness. Robin''s arrownds dead on Balta''s right eye. Green blood sprays from his eye like a fountain, he drops his weapon and pulls the arrow out. Resulting in pulling his own eye out of its socket. He screams and shouts gripping his face in pain. A chance! Owen and Frank step forward confidently stabbing at Balta''s right arm. Since they knew they would be unable to puncture the chest te, they opted for an easier target. The exposed right arm and with the blindspot from losing his eye he would be defenseless against the strike. And like nned his right arm now had two new holes. Following up on the opportunity the wolf pounces on Balta''s head wing and scratching the top of his head creating deep crimson marks. "RRRRAAAARRRRR!!!!" Enraged at the attack Balta bellows at the top of his lungs. Sending Owen and Frank flyingnding on their bottoms. The wolf noticing the danger retreats first andnds gracefully behind Balta. I haven''t even done anything yet but it seems like they were doing fine. But it looks like we were celebrating too soon. Balta''s skin changes from the green orc skin to a blood-red color. Simr to the Blood Ogre skin however Balta''s body started to glow a soft red. He removes his hand from his face revealing a river of blooding from his right eye socket as well as a face as ck as thunder. His eyes staring daggers at us and his mouth was half closed with a white misting from it each time he exhaled. "Little bastards dare hurt me the great Balta. You think just because I lost an eye you win? WRONG! You have only made it worse. Now. DIE!" sting off the ground Balta punches David in the chest, breaking the stone chest te as easily as breaking a twig. David getsunched into the air andnds in the river with a big ssh. Trying to avenge David, Robin, Melody, Gobi and the goblins fire their remaining arrows at Balta. With a snort in their direction, Balta leaps off the ground and dashes towards them. The moment he enters the water I attack. Tossing a rock at Balta''s right side,nding it square on his face. Stopping with one foot in the river he turns his head towards me. "Did you just throw a rock at me? DIE!" Drawing his attention might not have been part of my n but now it is, I prepare for the engagement and position my spear pointed at Balta''s head whiling holding my shield in front of me. Balta draws his fist back ready to punch me when an attack on his right side urs. Melody''s arrow finds its mark piercing his old wound, the right eye. Squealing in pain and distracted in front of my I take my chances and stab at his left eye with my spear. Seemingly more conscious of the attack Balta sways his head back allowing himself to be sliced on his cheek. Out of the frying pan and into the fire they say because Balta''s swaying causes him to be unbnced. Frank had picked up David''s ax and swung it at the back of Balta''s knee causing the orc to fall to his knees. In this sticky situation, Balta swings his arms around rolling off to the side out of the immediate danger. However, where he rolls too was not in his favor. Owen''s lucky positioning stabs Balta in his shoulder with a goblin knife causing the orc great pain. "ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK! WE CAN DO THIS!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I dash forward holding my spear. I toss a knife at Balta''s face missing it narrowly but the shock of the knife causes him to dy his retaliation. Owen moves away and the wolvese in to clean up. Biting the defenseless rolling orc and scratching him with their ws. The red glow wanes and Balta''s war cries instead be cries of pain and horror. It didn''t matter where we attacked, face, eye, hand, arm, feet or legs we sliced, hacked and stabbed Balta with anything in our hands. From knives to spears to even rocks on the ground. It was like a scene out of hell, green blood sttering everywhere on our bodies and the ground while a single monster was betting beaten up by humans, goblins and wolves. [ Defeated Boss Monster - Orc General Balta ] 59 Chapter 59 Owen, covered in green blood, popped his head out of the crowd and looked at me. "We killed him? Wasn''t he meant to be an orc general? How? How did we kill him already?" I shrug my shoulder and smile at him. The rest stopped their assault and the once-proud orc general was reduced to a pile of meat and bones. "I guess even a general can be beaten down with numbers¡­" I quietly mumbled my thoughts while Balta''s body disperses. Everyone rested against the canyon wall exhausted from the fighting inside and outside the cave. Owen closed his eyes while leaning on Robin''s shoulder and in a minute he was already asleep garneringughs from the rest. Eventually, the body disappears into purple smoke drifting away with the wind, recing it is the same double-headed ax. [ Stone Headed Ax Attack: 15 Agility: - 5 Sharp-ded double-sided ax with a copper handle, its heavyweight makes it less than ideal in a battle.] I bent down to pick it up only to only be able to lift the handle. The head of the ax barely lifted off the ground and after trying I gave up and let it drop. A small cloud of dust and dirt spread from underneath the ax once I let it fall to the ground. While we had defeated Balta unexpectedly there is still a chance of more enemies deeper in the cave. I went with Gobi and the goblins alongside the wolves, Frank and Melody to search the rest of the cave. Leaving Robin, Owen, Howard and David at the cave entrance to rest. Having Gobi and the goblins in the front made traversing the cave a lot easier. Their natural night vision made looking in the cave as bright as day. Gobi stopped us at the second torch and spoke in a sad tone. "Ian, in front of us is a pile of dead bodies. They seem to be chopped up with their guts spread across the ground. Most likely the orc with the ax did this to them." "Were there any survivors, Gobi?" Gobi hangs his head low and shakes it. He sighs a little before getting the goblins to move the bodies to the side of the cave to make space for us to keep moving. As we move forward through the thick pool of blood our footsteps create disturbing squelching sounds. I could feel something soft and solid below my feet but due to the darkness, I could not make out what it was. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because do I really want to know what I was stepping on? The cave goes further down reaching the third bend and then a fourth being thest corner. There was more lighting from the fourth bend and curious as I was I quicken my steps overtaking Gobi in the lead. "Ian, be careful!" Melody calls out to me but I choose to ignore it as I turn the corner. Glittering reddish-brown minerals snake along the walls, reflecting the light from multiple standing torches nted across the wide cavern floor. My jaw nearly hit the floor, the amount of harvestable copper was out of this world and next to the entrance was a pile of already mined copper ore as well as a group of goblins huddled in a corner with their hands over their heads. "Gobi go over there and talk to the goblins and try to make them feel safe. I won''t hurt them and I would prefer to take them in as part of HavenFall." After instructing Gobi I told the wolves to search the other side of the cavern while I lead Frank and Melody to inspect the walls. I pull out a standing torch and bring it closer to the walls of the cavern. I inhale sharply as I gaze at the walls slowly moving from the entrance to the left,pletely entranced by the sight. I look and I see, sandwiched in between grey stones is an aquamarine river with reddish-brown banks. The river snakes from throughout the wall diverging and converging at different points creating a web spanning the whole wall. "It''s beautiful...I-I don''t even know what it is but it''s beautiful." Melody''s said what was on Frank and my mind. "It''s a mineral called copper. It was used in weaponry, jewelry and many more things." Frank points towards the wall with an interested expression. "How do we get it out of the rock?" "Just like how Balta was doing it before, mine it slowly and eventually we would be able to mine all the copper that is in this cavern. Balta had already started the job but unfortunately for him, he was never able to finish it." "Mining it and then transporting it back towards HavenFall will take a lot of time though?" "Yea, it would Frank, but you are forgetting something. With more goblinsing everyday and with new inventions like the wheelbarrow we have in HavenFall, transporting the copper will be easier than you think. Plus it will help you gain some muscle right?" "I think you need the muscle more than me Ian." After some light banter, we continue looking at the copper vein as it runs along the wall. Eventually, it ends near the other side of the cavern where the wolves werezily lying on the ground near a small golden box. Another ancient ruin, buried in the depths of a cave. Nearby in the back corner were small makeshift shelters made out of wood and stones, presumably where the residents of this encampment lived before being executed by Balta. I pick up the ancient ruin and motioned everyone toe back up to the surface. Gobi was able to convince the group of 10 goblins to follow us back to the surface. These goblins were used by Balta to mine the copper and since they were busy with their task they did not even notice that Balta had stormed off to kill the invaders. Only after one of the goblins noticed it was very quiet did they see the pile of dead bodies further up the cave. Frightened and scared for their lives they huddled together hoping everything would pass by and they would be safe. Once we reached the surface again, I told Howard, David and Robin about our findings as well as introduced our new goblin friends. Finally, it was time to head home. Back to HavenFall. 60 Chapter 60 Slowly we drag our feet back to HavenFall, our tired bodies and mind preventing us from moving quickly. Only the wolves and the goblins that was in the lead looked okay as they moved along. David was being helped along by Frank, after the battle, his chest started to hurt and after removing his chest te there were small bruises here and there. After the adrenaline during the fight wore off the pain started to kick in making it hard for him to move. Howard, being beaten down by Balta, was being helped along by me. With his arm swung around my neck we proceed step by step slowly. The sun had risen over the horizon and its golden rays beam down on us. The water glistens as the sun shines over it and a gentle breeze brush against our skin. The sound of the waterfall slowly gets louder as we get closer. During the travel home, everyone was quiet. Too tired to make conversation but once the waterfall was in sight, sighs of relief came. Happiness wash over everyone''s expressions and with newfound energy we start to jog, then run. Small cries of joy came from everyone the moment we got home. Lucina, Lime, Celine and old man Hus met everyone at the top of the path. Waving at us from the top all the way until we got to them. A round of hugs and tears of joy came afterward. Celine hugged everyone while crying, her face only showing how relieved she was that we all came back safely. "I''m so d everyone is safe!!" I pat her head once it got to my turn for the hug. After the pat, she wraps her arms around me cing her hands at my back and held me tight. "Thank you for bringing Melody and Frank home safe." "It''s fine, they both did a great job over at the encampment. I should be thanking them for a job well done." After the hugging session and a quick bite to eat courtesy of Lucina, everyone that went to the encampment fell asleep. Lime was helping old man Hus repair the equipment while Celine was grooming the wolves as they rxed and Lucina was tending to the budding crops. I took this time to find out what the ancient ruin will give me. Holding the golden box I open it and after the box disperse into the air a small ring appears. [ Tin Ring Follow the arrow on the ring to find a Tin deposit. Only works once. Will disappear once the deposit is found.] "THIS IS IT!!!" I cry with joy and pump my fist into the air. With copper and tin, I can make bronze. With bronze, I can make better armor, better weapons and maybe even some jewelry. I can start an economy if I wanted to with just bronze coins as well. So many possibilities! I slip the ring onto my ring straight away and I see that the arrow was pointing in the direction of the encampment. While the encampment was still far away at least tin might be found somewhere near it. If it was next to the encampment it would be the best since there wouldn''t be much distance between the two when ites to mining them. Without worrying too much about what happens now I went to rx with Celine and the wolves. Gobi came towards me not long after with the new goblins and asked for some advice on what they needed to do in HavenFall. "Gobi, I will eventually need the new goblins to teach other goblins the ways to mine copper however I want them to rx for now. If Howard and David were awake I would have ask them to co-operate with you to build your house but since they are injured and resting I would have to trouble you to build it yourself." "Don''t worry Ian, I got it sorted!" "Great! Also, I want you to teach them how to fight. Archery is a good start but using other weapons would be great too. Most goblins only know how to use a knife or a club I would prefer if they are able to use shields and spears. They would be more effective in a fight and allow for more strategic positioning and formations. Think you can do that?" "Hmm...I think I can show them basic spearmanship and how to wield a shield but I''m not an expect either. I used a club before and now I have only kind of learn how to shoot an arrow with a bow but even then I''m not that good." "That''s fine. Basic is enough. How to thrust, poke and swing with a spear. How to raise their shield and how to block a strike. Those are the things I need them to understand. You and the goblins aren''t dumb. U need more time and experience in order to be strong. " "Okay. I understand I will work them hard! First, building a house! Second, get strong! Got it, Ian!" Gobi sents off with the goblins new and old with a happy expression finding sticks, branches and bundles of leaves and tall grass in order to create a house. Their happy expression hits my heart and a smile forms on my face. I ce my head on the adult wolf''s side resting in her fluffy coat and watching the clouds roll across the side. Eventually, time passes by with me resting there and the game shuts down and I see the familiar ceiling of my house. 61 Chapter 61 Waking up and doing my daily exercise has be a routine. Every day after gaming I would run around the block twice, doing some pushups, nks, squats and other body-weight exercises. After working out I would have something to eat for breakfast, usually eggs, toast and the asional bacon or sausages. It was 0800 when I got a message from Evan in the group chat between him, Sabrina and myself. "GUYS! Look at the forum. Some yers have finally met each other and posted about it." - Evan. "On it!" - Sabrina After seeing the text message I go to myputer and turn it on. While waiting for theputer to boot up and I sipped water. I gaze at the screen as it blinks awake. Once, theputer booted up I opened the browser and searched for the forum. The first post''s title was "I Met Another yer!!" and since Evan piqued my curiosity about the topic I clicked on the post and read the information. "I Met Another yer!!" - CrystalWand Hi everyone my name is CrystalWand!! I started ying after the patch so I missed out on a lot of things :(. However, because of the changes, I was able to pick Traveler rather than Leader. In doing so when I spawned for the first time I was with a group of 3 NPCs who looked like they had been traveling for a while. In joining them I learned the ways of survival in the game by foraging for food and hunting. I should probably talk about where I spawn. Somewhere in a mountainous environment with tall bare trees and snow falling onto the ground was the biome I was spawned in and this made life pretty hard. I opt for finding a warmer location so I convinced the NPCs to travel down the mountain and eventually we got to the bottom and it was a forest. Very little greenery but even so it felt warmer as I traversed through the forest. A couple of days go by and in the distance, I see a trail of smoke. Now, this was not the first time I had seen a trail of smoke in the sky. The first time I saw it I almost died to goblins. Running into an encampment thinking it was going to be other yers or NPCs was not the best decision of my gaming career. So I carefully approached the location and WHAT DO YOU KNOW IT WAS HUMANS AND A PLAYER AT THAT! I will not mention the yer''s ign since he/she did not want to reveal it however I did ask if it was okay to post about our interactions after meeting and they allowed it. So, I will be calling the yer I met P. P''s NPCs weed us and my NPCs and looking at the patch notes I was a little afraid that my NPCs would leave me and stay at P''s base. However, it was a very different scenario. Both parties got along well and helped each other but neither wanted to merge with the other party. The NPCs are loyal to whomever they are with first. Most likely if the yer allows them to leave the party will the NPCs decide if they want to stay at another yer''s base or leave with the original yer. We tested this theory and IT WORKS! My NPC who I had told could leave and stay here actually left soon after but none of my other NPCs left. They did not even stop him from leaving. Likewise, P''s NPC joined me when P asked the NPC to leave. This means other yers cannot steal NPCs from other yers. Now, I am with P and trying to build their small vige into a better and bigger vige. Slow progress but we can do it after all 2 heads are better than 1! After reading the post I collected my thoughts and started to message the other two about it. "They only tested if the NPC can leave more or less voluntarily. What if the yer was killed by the other yer would the NPCs rebel or be willing to go to the killer?" - Ian "I had that thought too and looking at it logically I would think the NPCs that lost their leader would be taken as prisoners first and then slowly their outlook will change and the NPCs will admit to the new leader." - Evan "Then isn''t better to just kill any yer?" - Sabrina "Yes, but what if theye back with a bigger army?" - Evan "The game is too early to have an army though?" - Ian "Maybe for you guys. But I rescued more NPCs from nearby encampments and I am currently housing about 25 NPCs in my settlement. I bet Sabrina still has 5 HAHAHA" - Evan "I DO NOT OK! I recused some NPCs too. I''m around 16 NPCs. What about you Ian?" - Sabrina "Hmm, counting just humans then I have only 13 NPCs, but if it is all then 13 humans, 17 goblins, and 4 wolves. " - Ian "WHAT!!! HOW??" - Sabrina "That''s just insane..." - Evan "HOW ARE GOBLINS PART OF YOUR SETTLEMENT???? AND WOLVES TOO LIKE ARE THEY NOT MONSTERS??" - Sabrina p "They are monsters but at the same time, they are not. It''s uhhplicated. " - Ian "Ian I want to meet up with you in-game so you can just carry my people around. I''ll give them all to you just give me a high position in the soon-to-be city." - Evan "HRMP! I''ll create a massive city here on these ins and then find a route to connect the two of us so we can develop a trade." - Sabrina "Okay, guys we are getting sidetracked. Has anyone met with any other yers yet? I think it will be happening more and more now since more yers are joining the game. " - Ian "Nope seen no one. Not a single elf even though I''m in a god damn forest with big trees and green leaves." - Evan "Before I left the game I saw in the distance a smoke trail. It came from pretty far away so I was going to check it out the moment I go back into the game." - Sabrina "Okay keep us updated Sabrina!" - Ian "Will do." - Sabrina "Don''t die!!!" - Evan "I would kill you if I died Evan!" - Sabrina " :O well then." - Evan With that I turned off the screen and focused on the rest of the day. Work, work, work and then dinner. After all of that, it was finally time to go back into Settlement. 62 Chapter 62 I open my eyes and the first thing I see is the blue sky. I''m back and I have a game n. With the new ring, I have a goal and that was to find the tin deposit, mine both tin and copper and then find a way to create bronze. Since today was mainly a day of rest for most of the residents I instead consulted old man Hus about the future ns. Standing up and leaving Celine and the wolves I slowly walk over towards the first shelter we made. It had been converted into a storage house as well as a workshop near the front of the shelter. Both Lime and old man Hus were at the front sharpening the heads of the stone axes. As I approach them, old man Hus looks up and initiates the conversation. "Lad, good job on making it back." "Well, without the armor you made I think Howard and David wouldn''t have made it back. Although, I am sorry about breaking them." "Don''t worry about it,d. Armor is meant to break at some point and if it did it just means it''s not strong enough yet." "Yes, and that leads to why I am here. I think I have a way to acquire better material for both weapons and armor." Hearing the topic, old man Hus puts down the ax head and focuses on my next words. Lime, noticing the change in atmosphere puts down what she was doing and listens in as well. "Have you heard of bronze?" "Nod I have not." "Not surprising that you have not because it is a mixture of metals or an alloy. Itbines copper and tin to create a stronger metal that can be used for weapons and armor. We can also use it for jewelry and create a currency of sorts from using the bronze you just need a hot enough fire so maybe the kiln will work but then I''m not too sure. We would have to test it and-" "Lad. Lad. LAD! Stop right there. Exin it to me in more simple terms. What is copper? What is tin? What is an alloy? This old man does not understand these words you are saying." "Oh, sorry old man Hus. I got carried away telling you about some of the ns I have already thought of." "That is ok,d. Just tell it to me slowly. I want young Lime to learn as well." "Okay well for starters I''ll exin what is copper, tin and bronze. Copper is a metal that we found in the depths of the encampment we had juste back from. It is a very soft metal that can be hammered into a shape without breaking or cracking. Tin is the same and by melting both of them and then mixing them you can create bronze. Bybing these two soft metals you can create a harder and more durable alloy." "Sounds very very interesting. However, I understand you have found copper but what about tin? You said it requires both of themd." Hearing the question I smile and hold out the ring on my finger. With the arrow pointing behind me, I move my hand left and right, making the arrow move slightly. "This ring can find us a tin deposit. While it might not be a big deposit it should be enough for us. Bronze consists of mainly copper and only about 10-15% tin." After staying quiet this whole time Lime chimed into the conversation. "Ian, why are we still here let''s go and mine!" "Lime, I would love to do that but we have just gotten back from a very hard battle. I want to let them rest. Tomorrow I will take some of the goblins with me and scout out the area. Afterward, I will proceed to find a way to mine both the copper and the tin and transport them back to HavenFall." "Transporting them along the river bank will be hard. Even with the wheelbarrow that old man Hus made. He told me you thought of the idea Ian, good job! " "Not exactly all my idea...But I''ll take the credit. Maybe I should tten the ground somewhat further from the river and more alongside the canyon walls?" "YEA! That''s a good idea. Then you can ce a fence made up of just branches so the person pushing the wheelbarrow knows where exactly where they can move it and the bronze will most likely be made down in the canyon anyways." "Yep. Old man Hus are you up for the challenge in making bronze equipment?" "Am I up for it? Lad, I don''t know how long I have let to live in these old bones so every day you introduce me to something new it is a treat in itself. Learning new things at my age is a godsend. I thank you for thatd." "It''s ok old man Hus. I''m going to check up on other people now. I''ll get you once I have all the material for the bronze work to begin." With thatment, I leave old man Hus and Lime to continue with their repairs. I move around HavenFall and talk with some of the other residents. Lucina''s crops have started to sprout and small green stems can be seen poking through the soil. At the same time, Gobi and his team of goblins have created a second house next to the original mud house next to the Goblin Hut. Gobi had started their training already, the moment the house waspleted he made all the goblins jog around the perimeter of HavenFall all the way until dinner. Everyone came out for dinner and with a nice hot fish and vegetable stew inside everyone''s stomachs, the day draws to a close. 63 Chapter 63 Early mornings, with the sun, just peeking over the horizon. Golden rays wash over thendscape and the branches flutter in the wind. The rustling of leaves and the crashing of water are nature''s rm clock. I open my eyes to another beautiful morning. I walk out of the house and step down to the river. Kneeling by the river, sshing water on her face was Melody. Her ck hair was slightly wet on the edges, eyes closed and a satisfied smile on her face. Slowly, I walk down the path ncing between her and the sunrise. I didn''t know what was more beautiful. She flicks her wet hair back over her shoulders and opens her eyes slowly as she turns behind her. Her cheeks were slightly pink in color as our eyes met. I quickly nce away from her eyes focusing on the waterfall. "Good morning Ian. How was your sleep?" "Uhh...It was fine. Yours?" "Well, my neck is slightly stiff want to help me by massaging it?" I nce over in her direction to see her slide her shirt slightly off her shoulders. A yful smile on her face. "Uhh...I¡­" "Just for a bit okay? You just need to rub it until I say stop." Losing all my reasons I walk over towards her. Pulling her hair to one side and slipping the shirt off her other shoulder to reveal her white skin, she turns her body forward waiting for me to massage her shoulders with her eyes closed. I stand behind her for a minute, looking at her. Hiding behind her jet-ck hair was her unblemished nape and shoulders. Her shirt just loosely hanging above her chest, and a clear valley could be seen between it. Noticing myck of movement she opens her eyes and tilts her head up. Her long ck eyshes bat at me and a cheeky smile wees me. "Am I making you ufortable?" "NO! No, no, no. Sorry...uhh...Turn back forward. I''ll help massage your shoulders now." Her smile reaches her ears as she closes her eyes once again returning back to her previous position. I ce my hands on her shoulders and they instantly sink into her skin. Soft like a marshmallow without a hint of stiffness. A slight moan escapes her lips and realizing her mistakes she moves a hand over her mouth and looks at me with nted eyes. Turning back around after looking at me and slowly she nods her head signaling for me to continue. For a whileter, the river was filled with small gasps for breath. "Thank you, Ian, for helping with my stiff shoulder!" With beaming face Melody waves and thanks me while skipping away. Once she got to the top of the path, I kneel on the ground and cover my red face. "Dangerous. Women are dangerous." .... After an eventful morning, I gather 10 goblins at the river telling everyone else that I was going to follow the ring towards a tin deposit. I thought about gathering more forces however, most of my heavy hitters are resting up after the battle. It wouldn''t be wise to push them anymore, plus it''s best for them to recover so the next time they are needed they will be well-rested and ready for a fight. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 71/100 ( Reach 100 to pick a Pantheon ) Happiness: 1 ( Happy ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 10 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Improved Stone Spear, Stone Chest te, Stone Knife, Stone Shield I equipped everything I had from thest time I went to the encampment and made sure the goblins were also properly equipped. 3 archer goblins, 3 spear/shield goblins and 4 knife/shield goblins were the party I took with me. I left Gobi at HavenFall to train the rest of the goblins. I needed the rest of the goblins to be able to cooperate with each other in an orderly manner so that when big battles ur they will be a unified force ready to wreak havoc on the battlefield. It was the first time I was next to the goblins by myself as it was honestly pretty surreal. Not too long ago I was killing them but now there are some goblins who I consider extremely important to our survival, like Gobi. I spoke to them bit by bit as we travel closer to the encampment and learned that they too had many likes and dislikes with their current living standards. They love the environment they are currently in, plenty of food and water and no tyrannical leader to boss them around. However, their dislikes were much the same as the other residents. With how little there is to do in HavenFall other than training, foraging or crafting they were bored. I had noticed and talked to some of the other residents and I found that they too were slightly bored. Forms of entertainment were needed. A group of people/monsters cannot just work, eat and sleep every day, there need to be things they can do leisurely. Which got me thinking, what if I recreate some popr board games or even card games in this world for my NPCs. It would give them something to do now and potentially lead to a casino-like environment in the future for increased revenue and entertainment. Eventually, there will be an outlet for alcohol as well and that in turn creates a new form of entertainment. Taverns, bars etc there are many different methods to incorporate ''fun'' into people''s lives and I want HavenFall to eventually be a ce of fun and safety. As I thought about things to potentially add to HavenFall we eventually got back to the encampment. I look at the arrow and it was pointing further down the river and since we have never gone past this point yet it was all uncharted territory. "Everyone, stay alert. Who knows what we will see from here on. I want knives at the front, then spears and then archers. Walk at a steady pace and carefully observe your surroundings before you proceed and if there is anything potentially unusual, stop and say something...Good! Now then let''s follow the arrow!" 64 Chapter 64 I nce at the ring and kept following the river making sure to observe the surroundings. The goblins in the front had their shields already raised and their knives in their hands. Focusing on the front, they move forward leading the slow charge. ncing left and right were the spearmen goblins. Following my orders to a T, they make sure to check every potential hiding spot with their spears before telling the shield bearers to move forward. I was surprised by their coordination and when I asked them howe they were so coordinated they replied that Gobi had helped them. "Leader Ian, Boss Gobi had told us before we left to make sure you are well protected. Our actions were taught to us the night before. Shield bearers look front, spearmen left and right and finally archers oversee the whole situation in case one of us misses something. Always attack first even if there is nothing there as a precaution." "Leader Ian? Boss Gobi? What¡­?" "Yes, we were told by Boss Gobi to call you Leader Ian." "I see...Wait until I get back Gobi, I''m going to have to talk to you about this." As we move forward, the arrow slowly vers to the left. Noticing it''s movements I stop everyone and observe the ring and the surroundings a bit more. In front of us is another bend in the canyon, the river flows to the left and around the corner. From our current location, the arrow has moved from 12 o''clock to 11 o''clock meaning that there is a chance the deposit is in the canyon wall or it''s behind the corner and further away. "Everyone, stay alert. We are going around the corner now." I hold the shield in front of me and grip the middle of my spear tightly as I nod to the rest of the goblins to move forward. We slowly approach the corner and I quickly nce at the ring and see that the arrow has moved to 8 o''clock position. Behind us, around the corner many possible ces for tin deposits and while it could be underground I was still afraid of uncertainties, especially in a different environment. The front goblins turn the corner followed by the spearmen, me and then the archers. Just another carved-out path in the canyon. I let out a sigh of relief and rxed my shoulders. I notice the only difference in the environment was that the river have gotten more aggressive and that there were some overhangs along the walls. The canyon was in a slight downward slope with various overhanging ridges in the wall creating long shadows across the canyon floor. The river had multiple protruding rocks in it creating small whirlpool-like pockets behind them. At the same time, the once calm aquamarine river slowly transitions into a choppy white stream as the water crashes into the rocks flowing downwards. The river tumbles and crashes into each other escaping down the canyon, disappearing through a tight passageway with nond to stand on. I look at the ring and notice that the arrow is pointing to the other side of the river. Looking at how dangerous the river might be, I decided to move upstream before crossing. Undercurrents could potentially sweep all of us as we move through the river so the further away we cross the better. I turn around ready to move upstream when one of the front goblins yelled at all of us. "ENEMIES AHEAD!" I snap my body forward and crouch down slightly making sure to cover as much of my body with the shield. "ON THE LEDGE ABOVE US, ACROSS THE RIVER!" An arrownds on my shield, creating small sparks on it before bouncing off. "Shit! Shields up! Archers peek over the shield and fire at your own will." Unable to see the situation clearly I could only rely on the goblins toplete the task. All the goblins with shields came close to each other in order to reduce the number of gaps. I could hear the constant rain of arrows hitting our shields, some narrowly missing their targets and our only response to it was defense. Luckily for us, I made sure that not only the front line had shields but also the spearmen. With 7 shields all together we were able to protect ourselves from the initial wave of arrows. Noticing the opportunity to counterattack, one of the goblin archers peek out with their arrow already nocked aiming at the potential location of our enemies. "There is no one there!" "What?!" I bring down my shield and peek my eyes over and as the archer goblin had just said I saw no one as well. Carefully, I look across the many overhangs making sure to not miss a signal detail but there was no one there. Not a trace of an enemy. "Walk back. Keep the shields up and ears open. Anything strange then say something immediately. Archers under the shields." We readopted our defensive formation and carefully walk backward. I make sure to observe behind us in case there are enemies that snuck around. My heart pounds against my chest as we slowly retreat. Unsure of our enemies and where they might be and the frustration of not reaching our goal despite being so close were all on my mind. I did not have any of my stronger NPCs and while the goblins were cooperating well their stats are still lower than that of other monsters or NPCs. At the same time, I did not want them to die so I could only make the decision to retreat. After walking back halfway towards the copper mine there was a second round of arrows. Above us again, but this time various rocks were thrown in the mix. Our shields rattle under the beating but due to its high defense, the shields were still okay. I peek over again to try and get a glimpse of our enemies and I could see that were not on an overhang but all the way at the top of the canyon looking down on us. With how far away they are I could not see their faces but I could make out their figures. p 10 skinny, human-like figures with bows and rocks on their hands firing at us from above. Were they NPCs or yers? From this distance, I could not tell but since our shields were not giving way the second round of attacks slowly stopped. The figure disappeared and the sun slowly gets closer to the peak. The game was ending soon. I hurried the goblins to run towards the copper mine and position inside with the same formation right before I had to return to the real world. 65 Chapter 65 After going through my uneventful day I return to Settlement. We were still positioned in the cave poised for battle in case the enemy had a method to scale the wall. "Did anyone see who attacked us?" While I did know that they were human-like figures, they were still far away and I was doubting myself. One of the archer goblins answered my question. "Leader Ian, I had a look through a gap in the shields. There were 10 enemies. They look like a mix of human and demi-human or humanoid monsters. Less likely to be humanoid monsters as they would not use a bow and arrow to attack their prey. There was 6 bow wields and 3 throwing stones. 1 was on the side looking at us and I think they weremanding the rest to attack us." "Wow. Good job GomiTwo! I had only seen 10 human-like figures but I could barely make out anything else. How did you notice them?" "Umm...I''m not sure leader Ian. I just kind of noticed them I guess¡­?" "Hmm, well good job anyways at least we have some information about them. Let''s stay here until dusk before moving forward again. If we get attacked again on our way there we will retreat." With that order, I made the goblins rx and chill at the entrance. I had them stand guard a bit further into the cave to make sure they could escape into the darker territory to take advantage of their night vision. During the same time, I went down deeper towards the copper vein. I took GomiTwo with me since his vision seems to be better than other goblins and after looking at his status I found the reason. Name: GomiTwo Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 3/3 Strength: 3 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 8 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 4 Luck: 1 Skill: Enhanced Sight ( Passive ) [ Enhanced Sight ( Passive) - Allows the user to see further away as well as increased vision in cloudy, foggy or even dark environments ] What an insane skill to have! Being able to see further away was like having a free telescope and the fact that the user can see better in blurry environments makes ambushing in a foggy area even better. Taking GomiTwo down to the copper vein was to allow him to look around in the dark environment where the torches cannot reach. ces like the corner of the cave or the ceiling were ces I could not see and thus I needed GomiTwo. Once we arrived GomiTwo let out a low whistle. The sight before him was stunning and even for me, seeing it for a second time I could not help but step back at how amazing this ce looked. "Ok, GomiTwo I need your eyes here. ces where I cannot see, you will be able to see. I need you to tell me if there is anything unusual or anything that might be different or things that might not belong here." "Yes, leader Ian!" A scroll in a dark cave with a goblin, not the most ideal date but I guess I had no choice right? I wanted to know more about this ce and GomiTwo will or should have my answers. "Leader Ian, this ce is amazing. The light reflecting off the brown things on the wall makes everything sparkle a different colorpared to the sun reflecting off the river. There also seems to be blue mixed in with the brown substance. Near the top, however, are even more golden-looking things." "What do you mean golden-looking things?" "Exactly what I mean. The things near the ground against the wall are brown however, there is like a gap somewhere about three-quarters the way up and then a little bit higher instead of brown it looks more golden." "Wait. Wait. So, it looks like gold rocks right?" "Yes, leader Ian. If you want it in simple terms then yes gold rocks." "Oh my god. There is not just copper here. THERE IS GOLD TOO! WE''RE GONNA BE RICH!" "Umm, leader Ian?" "YES GOMITWO?" "Uhh...In the far corner of the cave, I can see something looking at us." "What¡­?" "Its perched upside down, grey skin, tworge wings, red eyes and pretty sharp-looking ws. Looks kind of like a human too." "And it''s looking at us. It didn''t do anything before when we werest here. Maybe it does nothing?" "Umm, leader Ian?" "Yes, GomiTwo?" "There are moreing from a hole of some sort next to the creature." "Walk back slowly. Don''t turn around and we walk back to the surface. It''s only about 50 or so paces away we can do this." My heart was racing. I could not even see the monster since it was so dark in the cave. Where the light from the standing torches reaches was the extent of my vision and the fact that were monsters in the cave slowly increasing terrified me. I can''t see the monsters but they can see us. With chattering teeth and a trembling body, GomiTwo slows down and point towards the direction of the monsters "L-L-Leader Ian." "Yea?" "A b-b-bigger version of the m-m-monster appeared through the hole." I look towards the exit towards the tunnel leading upwards. "Only 10 steps...GomiTwo! RUN!" I turn my body and push off the ground with all my might dashing towards the tunnel. Behind me I hear GomiTwo''s hurried steps as well. To my horror though, the moment I started to run I could hear loud pping from the corner of the cave. Like a bird lifting off the ground ready to take flight. "THEY''RE COMING! LEADER IAN THEY''RE COMING!" "I KNOW I CAN HEAR THEIR WINGS! JUST RUN UP!" Reaching the tunnel was easy but it was the next part. A bending narrow road to the top with monsters flying towards us. They were most likely faster than us as well. I look back and see that GomiTwo was extremely slower than me. With lower agility and smaller legs the distance he covered in the same amount of time as I was a lot smaller. I grab his waist and pushed his body over my shoulder. "Grab onto my neck with one of your arms to stabilize yourself. I''m going to be running for my life ok?" "Okay leader Ian!" I had only gotten around the first bend when I could finally see the monsters entering the tunnel. The torch nearby illuminates their body for me too see and like how GomiTwo describes it, they had stone-like skin, a body of a human but with red eyes and blood-like tears and tworge bat-like wings on their backs. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. That was the only thought on my mind. 66 Chapter 66 Luckily for me, I left my weapons with the goblins near the entrance so there were fewer things to weigh me down. Unluckily for me, I left my weapons with the goblins. I HAVE NOTHING TO DEFEND MYSELF IF THEY REACH ME! "L-Leader Ian, leave me. I''ll stall for time!" "Are you kidding me, GomiTwo? Those things will rip you to shreds in seconds while chasing me. Don''t waste your life like that. Do you not believe I can outrun them?" "Umm, well...They do be gaining on you." "It''s fine. It''s all part of the n. Haha." I push my feet off the ground and pump my arm up and down forcing every ounce of strength I had into running. I can feel my chest pound and my blood flowing through my veins while I run. I do not dare look behind me, the sound of their wings already sending shivers down my spine. What made it worse was they made no sound. No growling. No howling. No grunting. Nothing. Just silence other than the sound of their wings propelling their body forward. From what little I saw when they entered the tunnel it seemed like only 1 maybe 2 of those monsters can fit side by side but with their wings being almost the same size as their bodies at most they were in single file. While would have made it easy for them to be defeated if there was a proper method of fighting them, however, I cannot do that right now. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Push off your feet harder. Lift your knees higher. Anything and everything just move. Move as fast as you can. So few thoughts were left in my mind. I turn the corner once again and this time I can see it. I can see the entrance of the cave. I can see the goblins crowded around the front. Wait. They are crowded around the front and not in the correct formation. Something happened. I grit my teeth and continue running. Keeping my eyes peeled in front of me observing the situation. I can hear the monsters getting closer. Only a few steps after I turned the corner did one of them crash into the wall. Which meant they were not too far away. Mixed with the sound of the monster''s wings pping behind me was the sound of weapons and shouts. As I get closer I can see that the goblins were defending against some enemies, presumably the ones we encountered before. "Leader Ian, I have an idea. Once we get a little closer shout to the goblins to jump close to the side walls andy t on their bellies." "Why?!" "Just do it leader Ian, I guarantee it will work." "Fine, fine." I continue running and by mistake, I took a small nce behind me. That hideous stone human-like face with tears of blood staring at me close enough that I could touch it. A silent scream escapes my lips and I bolted faster. Phishing my body to its utmost limits. I was close to the battle in front of me but I don''t even though if I could reach it. "Now, leader Ian!" Hearing GomiTwo''s signal, I suck in some air and let out the loudest shout I could do while running. "ALL GOBLINS!... STICK TO THE WALLS AND GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" My booming voice reached the goblin''s ears faster than lightning. Like puppets they ceased the fighting and lept towards the sides onmand, some even rolling until they reach the wall. "Leader Ian, jump to the side now!" Once again, following GomiTwo''s signal, I leap for the stars or in this case for the walls. With great timing, the monster had just reached me and swung its ws at my previous position. I roll along the ground and behind a rock breathing heavily. I could see the terrified looks of our enemies. With how close I was to them I could finally make out their figures. There were 5 humans and 5 humans with wolf-like ears on the top of their heads. They were dressed in leather armor and held onto bows and spears. But even they were terrified at the sight before them. The monster now unable to see me, instead sees 10 new prey. Not just that the rest of its kin had arrived behind it. The sound of their wings echoes throughout the cave eliminating any other sounds. "Shit! What are those?" "Gabe, What are those creatures?" "How would I know? I''m only here because those goblins looked easy to kill but well equipped." "Goddamit, should we run?" "Run? Look how many there are you think we can run?" "I don''t care about you guys but I''m jetting, cya!" "Fine. Fine. RUN!" The moment they turned around to escape was when the ughter happened. The monster dashed forward knocking them down to the ground. Grabbing the closest human by the head it pulls his limbs until they tear away from his body. The deathly scream of the victim, followed by the screams of his allies fills the cave. It starts with just his arm, then his leg, his other arm, his other leg until he could not scream anymore. Silent from the victim and whimpers from his allies. They were wide-eyed and frozen in fear. Were they next on the chopping block? That thought must have run through their minds but what about goblins and me are we even safe? After the monsters kill those humans and demi-humans aren''t we just next? Where are the goblins? I peek around the rock and see everyone cing their hand over their mouths to prevent any sound froming out all looking at me with terrified expressions. Only one thing to do here right? I grit my teeth and prepare to shout after all only one wordes to mind. Run. "EVERYONE, RUN! DON''T LOOK BACK! RUN BACK TO HAVENFALL A.S.A.P!!" 67 Chapter 67 I push off the ground and dash past the stunned humans on the ground. Following mymand, the goblins ran after me, running around the humans and making them human shields against the monster. "Yo! Gabe! That dude is a yer!" "Yea and Kingston just died and we have a big ass stone human freak thing in front of us what do you want to do? "Shut up you two and run! Every man for themselves." "Just leave the demi-humans they are just NPCs anyways." "Okay, okay, running." I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. While the conversation was short I figured out that the humans were yers while the demi-humans were NPCs. At the same time, I was disgusted by their attitude towards the NPCs. Thinking about the residents of HavenFall, I would never treat them like that. I nce behind me the moment I escaped the cave and I saw a scene from hell. The goblins had escaped from the monster''s reach and were ahead of the human/demi-human party. However, behind the goblins was a grotesque scene. With the monster''s wings folded and them on the ground, they grabbed the escaping demi-humans ankles pulling them closer. The screams and cries by the captured demi-humans silenced the moment a monster''s w enters their body. Heads roll, limbs torn and shattered. And blood. Sttered everywhere. The monsters weren''t even eating the demi-humans. Just killing. Ripping. Tearing. Their once stone-grey bodies are now covered in the blood of the demi-humans. Even the once haughty yers were speechless at the scene. They back off slowly. One of them covered their mouth with their hands trying not to gag. It was horrifying¡­ "Oi...Let''s get out of here." I could hear a soft whisper from one of the yers before the 4 of them bolted towards the exit. My group had escaped and once they did we kept running. Our feet dig deep into the muddy river banks leaving clear distinct tracks behind. I dare not look behind, afraid I would see one of the monsters flying out looking for prey. "Leader Ian. Leader Ian. LEADER IAN!" I turn around after hearing my name being called. To my surprise, the goblins were very far away from me. I had crossed the river and ran almost to the next corner while the goblins had only just entered the river. "I thought you guys were behind me¡­" GomiTwo reached me first and after taking a few deep breaths to control his breathing again. "No...No...You kept running leader Ian." "I''m sorry, I did not mean to run ahead." Was I that terrified that I wanted to escape that area as soon as possible? So much that I left the goblins behind and I didn''t even notice. I leaned against the canyon wall waiting for the rest of the goblins to catch up before moving again. I look at the goblin''s condition and I was disappointed in myself. They were wearing haggard faces as they drag their feet along the ground. Despite this, not one of them let go of their weapon or shield. Other than the ones that got hit away during a battle or damaged during the escape every goblin was holding onto their weapons firmly. What about me? I left my spear thinking it was going to be safe down at the copper mines. Ended up some random monster ambush awaited me and without GomiTwo I would have most likely died and the goblins would have died as a result. Even after running from the monsters, I did not pick up my weapon to fight, no the first thought was to run. I could convince myself that running was the better option. Run and fight another day but there was this ufortable feeling in my chest as I walk alongside these goblins. They were determined to die. If I had told them to stand and buy me time to run away I guarantee they would do it and feel proud that they helped. But what about me? I can''t do that. The only battles I have faced were ones that I have calcted that I could win or at least have a high chance to win. Fighting a losing battle? No, I ran from them. The Blood Ogre, the dragon, the human/demi-human party and then the stone monsters. I ran from them. Would the goblins have just fought them even if they were going to die? Snapping myself out of this spiraling descent into depression was a familiar sound. The sound of wings pping behind me. "Quick! Around the corner!" Sensing the urgency in my voice the goblins run, dash and leap over each other in order to get around the corner as soon as possible. I fine tune my sense of hearing and lo-behold I do hear it, the distinct sound that I heard from the start of the tunnel to the end. I peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of just one of those monsters flying slowly along the river. It looked like it was hovering above the water, its feet just skimming the surface as it looks left and right searching for something, maybe us? I look around me and spot a couple of protruding rocks along the wall. "There is one monster following us. It is going at a slow pace and I propose we try to kill it. Anyone object? Be honest as well." With no hands being raised or voices of objection, I continue with the n. "Okay, I want the same formation as before, shields spearmen and then archers. However, we are only going to do half of the formation the rest will hide along the wall behind the rock ready to set up the same formation behind the monster. We are going to pincer it. The most dangerous thing about it is its ability to fly and its sharp ws. We can''t stop it from flying but we can defend against the ws. When it raises its arm be ready to defend against the strike and if needed sacrifice the shield. Everyone got that?" "Yes, leader Ian!" "Okay, let''s do this. Let''s hunt one of those scary monsters." 68 Chapter 68 Facing the corner, nervously breathing were 5 goblins. 2 in the front, shields in front of their faces and knives in their hands. 2 more behind with spears pointing forward ready to puncture the enemy and finally a lone archer at the back poised to shoot at any moment. Not too far away hidden behind small rocks and protruding edges of the cliff was the rest of the team. 2 shields nearby the main party ready to engage at a moments notice while not too far away was the spearmen and I. Located on the other side of the river were the two other archers ready to fight as well. We were waiting with bated breath as the sound of the monster''s wings drew closer. Each second feels like an eternity. Sweat drips down my nose, falling to the ground forming a small puddle. I lick my dry lips and peek above the rock and as I do I see it turn. Its dead eyes crying rivers of blood look in our direction. Quickly I duck down afraid it might have seen me. My heart thumps against my chest ready to burst out. What was happening? Why was it so quiet? By now the monster should have seen the goblins standing stationary and should be aggressively moving towards them but I don''t even hear the sound of its wings pping. I resist the temptation to look at the situation and could only try to listen more attentively to figure out the situation. The goblins spoke no words only breathing slightly quicker than normal. The monster did not move and since I could not hear the sound of the wings it must havended on the ground silently observing the situation. Until the archer goblin lost his patience and let loose an arrow towards the monster. The arrow cuts through the air creating a whistling sound before hearing it getting hit out of the sky. But that one arrow set the battle into motion. No longer hesitating I could hear the heavy footsteps of the monster as it charges towards the goblins. "Jump towards the river!" I could hear one of the goblins taking charge of the tactics. Quickly, forming an escape route which would work to our advantage as well. "Archers! Help!" With a cry of help from the mainline, the archers hiding on the other side of the river emerge. Sending a small volley of arrows in the direction of the monster. Although the damage was minuscule it served its purpose of momentarily distracting the monster. Allowing the goblins to enter the river and wade halfway across before turning back and facing the monster. "OVER HERE, YOU STONE BASTARD!" Further adding to the distractions was one of the spearman goblin shouting and calling out to the monster. Whether the monster understood thenguage was a different story but it worked. The monster slowly turned towards them and instead of flying above the water it enters it slowly moving its heavy feet through the river. Surprised by the turn of events, the goblins slightly panicked and retreated further towards the other side of the river. The archers sent arrow after arrow at the monster hoping to get lucky and hit a weakness. Once the monster was halfway through the water it was our turn. "LETSGO!" With a battle cry, Ie out of hiding with the other goblins. Without a weapon to fight I picked up a decent-sized rock and tossed it at the monster hitting its head squarely. At the same time, the shield goblins stood at the river bank ankles in the water position with their shields up ready to block any attack while the spearmen behind them thrust their spears at the monster. With great coordination, the goblins at the other side attacked as well pressing forward with their spears and stabbing at the monster. Old man Hus''s weapon pierces the monster''s stone skin but that was as far as it could go¡­ With just a little bit of the tip entering the monster the damage we did was the same as an insect would do to him. It spreads its wings out knocking the goblins behind back onto the riverbank while pulling back its right w ready to attack. "SHIELDS!" I shout at the top of my voice and luckily for me the goblins were ready for the attack. As the monster''s w starts to descend towards the goblins in front of it all the shields got pressed against each other. The w strikes the row of shields creating an annoying high-pitched sound as well as 4 clear white marks along the shield. Grunts and groans could be heard from the goblins that withstood the attack, however, the goblins that were knocked away were still unconscious leaving only 7 goblins left. I went over and picked up the dropped spear and shield and turn back at the monster. "We can do this. We can do this." I psyche myself up before yelling at the top of my lungs as I charge at the monster. Attacking near its chest, lower back and wing area had proven to be ineffective, courtesy to the goblin''s smaller stature and attack range. If it was simr to a human than its head is still a weakness and that was my aim. I run into the river as the monster swipes at the goblins again creating another annoying sound as well as breaking one of the shields this time. My feet push against the river discing the water around it before I leap into the air pulling the spear above my hand and following an arc motion, I swing it downwards as I get closer to the monster. Being so close to it now I could see the intricate details on its skin. It was like a desertke. Cracks across the whole body but from a distance, it seemedplete. As the speares downwards to the monster''s head it suddenly swerved to the left while knocking the spear with its right hand and in the process knocking me away as well. Ind in the river with a loud ssh followed by GomiTwo''s voice. "Leader Ian, the weakness is its head. Much like other creatures without a head, it cannot cooperate. We need to cut it off or destroy it." "Easy thing for you to say but how do we even kill it?" "Hmm...Towards HavenFall and with the collective effort of everyone we can definitely defeat it." "Okay then if we get out of this situation alive we need to lead it to HavenFall. Let''s do it GomiTwo." 69 Chapter 69 "Aim at the face archers! And spearmen when thrusting, thrust at the face and then quickly retract ready to defend against a counter-attack!" I pick myself up and push my wet hair to the side grabbing my spear with my free hand. I see GomiTwo opposite me holding onto a spear behind the shields. I can see the tip of the spear shaking up and down slightly as well as GomiTwo''s terrified expression. "L-l-leader...I might be w-w-wrong about defeating it." Through the cracks of GomiTwo''s teeth, he squeezes out a message towards me without taking his eyes off the monster. It wasn''t just GomiTwo whose eyes were glued to the monster. The four shieldbearers were standing stationary with their shields half covering their face and their eyes shaking back and forth. What''s happening to them? I step forward cautiously gripping the spear in two hands and pointing the tip towards the head of the monster. Slowly wading through the river gradually got closer to the monster but soon I realized only I was moving. Even the archers couldn''t fire another arrow and all the goblin''s that were with me about to attack or defend depending on the situation were frozen, shaking in their boots. "L-l-leader...run, please." Hearing those words quietlying out of GomiTwo''s mouth sent shivers down my spine. Subconsciously I felt myself taking a step back, heeding to GomiTwo''s words but all of a sudden I felt my whole body freeze. I find myself staring at the monster''s head. As slow as a snail I see its neck turn. The cracks along its skin shift ever so slowly but even then I couldn''t move. My feet were nted on the ground and the spear felt glued to my hand. The river flowed around me and I could feel the slow-moving undercurrent against my leg. Slowly but surely I could start to see the side of its face which I wished I didn''t see. The corner of its mouth almost touched its ear while a crimson red trail of tears flowed down its cheeks, over the mouth and stopping at its chin. Its eye is in a half-moon shape and was as ck as night. I couldn''t peel my eyes off its eye. I felt like I was traveling up a red carpet towards the abyss. The space around me was void of light and my body moved at a robotic pace getting closer and closer to the abyss. Seconds tick away and the only thing in my vision was the monster''s expression. It covered everything I saw, I don''t even know how GomiTwo was able to speak to me. I felt like my throat was clogged, only big enough for air to pass through. Seconds be minutes and minutes be hours or at least that what it felt like to me. I couldn''t tell how long I was staring at the monster''s eyes for and even if I did what would I do with the knowledge. I am trapped. Frozen in ce. I can''t move. I can''t speak. I can only look at the half-moon eyes, the carpet of blood and a smile that reaches the ears. Until its whole face was finally in front of me. Anxiety. Fear. Dread. Distress. Horror. Scare. Stress. Worry. Panic. So many thoughts. So many emotions. I watch as the monster finally made its move. It snaps its head forward, to its rightful position before stepping closer to the goblins in front of it. With 4 shield bearers and GomiTwo behind them trembling in their ces, I could feel the vibrations in the water as the monster gets closer. Each step closer meant a step closer to certain death. Despite this, I found my eyes just following it as it moves towards them. Unable to even move a muscle I follow its movements closely. Each movement of its limbs, the drawback of its arm as it lifts its hand high creating a w in midair. The sudden eleration of its hand as it smashes down on the gobins'' shield knocking them away as well as pushing the goblins through the river and onto the riverbank. Caught in the crossfire, GomiTwo isunched as well to the riverbank. Like a spell had been broken, they were able to move. The slight movement of their hands as they press against their bruised area confirmed it for them that they were able to me. "GETTING HIT ALLOWS FREEDOM FROM THE FREEZING SKILL! NOT SURE ON THE ACTIVATION YET THOUGH!" GomTwo screams out his findings as he quickly gathers the goblins and puts their shields up preventing any eye to eye contact. "Test 1, eye contact!" The 5 goblins walk further ind before the goblins lowered their shield and stared at the monster with bated breath. Who would have thought, only 1 test was needed to figure out the method the monster used to freeze us. Some sort of paralysis or hypnosis was caused by looking at the monster directly at the eyes. Even though I did not look at the monster directly for too long I was also affected. This means the monster can nominate when to use the ability as well as when to turn it off. That means we can never make any eye contact with the monster or else we would eventually freeze in ce unable to move. "Getting hit allows freedom. Goblin buddies let us hit our allies including leader-" Before GomiTwo could finish his sentence the monster dashed forward mming a fist at the unsuspected frontline. Smashing hard into the goblins and in turn sending GomiTwo back a few paces as well. The shield end up cracking and looking like it could barely defend against another attack. "Everyone split up. Hit as many allies as possible before the monster catches us." A final order from GomiTwo was issued to the goblins before they sprint in different directions away from the monster. Only hope and luck were left in this battle. And retreat is the only option. Fighting was next to impossible... 70 Chapter 70 My legs feel like jelly. My lips cracked and peeling. My throat is as dry as a desert. My eyes wander aimlessly. My head is spinning. The pungent smell of blood and urine fill the atmosphere around me. I wade through a thick ocean of blood and flesh as it slowly merges and mixes with the constant flow of the river. From a glistening aquamarine blue to a vivid dark ruby red. My knees drop and a small wave of blood ssh against me, pping across my face covering me in this mixture. My eyes void from light blinking slowly unaware of the surroundings. Behind me slowly drifting towards me until it bumped into my back as something soft but hard at the same time. It rolls around me with the current and drifts around in front of me. I hold back the urge to chunder as I see the once helpful and insightful GomiTwo''s head drift away from me. His face had a mix of surprise, anger and a hint of sadness. I had only properly got to know him in the pass day and it wasn''t just him. Properly speaking andmunicating with the other 9 goblins only happened after leaving HavenFall with them. Now, they were dead. Some smashed into a pile of flesh. Others ripped limb from limb. But the most disturbing death was when the monster opened its wide mouth revealing a row of sharp teeth shredding the unfortunate goblin before spitting out parts of the goblin and blood into the river. It didn''t even start with me. Whenever there was a choice between killing me and killing a goblin it would always kill a goblin first. Not even allowing the chance of one of the goblins to escape and run back to HavenFall to bring back reinforcements. "What...What did I do wrong to make this happen¡­? I-I-I should have kept running with everyone. Why did I say we could defeat it if we ambush it. Why..." I look up at the clear blue sky. Without a single cloud and with the sun raining down on me I speak to myself. Quietly sshing and sploshing towards me was the very same monster that caused this massacure. A gigantic shadow looms over me as it leans forward. Spreading its wings and creating a bigger darkness around me as it slowly grips my neck with one hand. Its sharp ws slightly dig into my skin causing my neck to bleed slowly from multiple locations. I can feel the blood run out of my body slowly being dragged downwards by gravity, over the stone cold ws and down my weathered body and finally joining the styx river. With its other hand it grabs my waist. This time with more force making my body tremble a littl causing the w to dig deeper into my neck creating longcerations on my neck and waist. The air moves so slowly through my nose and mouth. I desperately try to inhale air only to find myself slowly losing consciousness. Was it from bleeding? Or was it because I couldn''t breathe? Abination of both maybe? The monster peers into my eyes. Its deep dark ck eyes, void of any life stares at me. It was like looking into the abyss. Its already wide smile grows wider as it increases the pressure on my neck. I could feel my life slowly escaping me bit by bit with every second that passes. I bring my hands up from the river gripping onto the stone w. I pull and tug on it but it doesn''t move. Punch, pull, w, anything I could do. I start toil my legs about creatingrger andrger waves. Forcing the blood river to move downstream faster but no matter how much I struggled the monster did not even move, it didn''t blink, it didn''t flinch. No, it stood there with the creepy wide simile, looking down on me and covering as much sun as possible. Then nothing. With a small tug upward and downward my head separated from my body. The clear sensation of my skin tearing, arteries bursting and finally my bones snapping apart lingers on my mind. It happened so suddenly. Like an impulsive decision. Like a toddler deciding whether or not to kill an ant passing by its feet. Then my vision fills with darkness. Seconds pass and then minutes before the darkness fades away. Recing it, the ceiling of my room. I slowly move my hand up towards my neck feeling it with the fingers of my hand then the palm. No cuts, nocerations and no bleeding. I move my hand down my chest towards my waist. Again, no cuts, nocerations and no bleeding. "Just a game...Right, I was just ying a game." I sit up and take off my VR helmet and ce it to the side. I checked my phone and it was only 0125. Early for the game butte in real life. It felt different. I turn on the light around my house and pour myself some water, drinking it all in one gulp. I ce the ss down and lean back in a chair. "Just a game¡­" I feel my neck again just to make sure it was still there. "How...How did other people deal with this feeling when they died in the game? It''s horrible. Terrifying. How...How is this a game?" I curl up in a ball. Close my eyes. Sleep? How can I? I just saw 10 goblins who I had just spoken with not too long ago about their lives die in front of me or around me. Their screams and desperate cries for help echo in my ears. And...And GomiTwo''sst words¡­ "Leader Ian...I''m sorry" The waterworks won''t stop. What is this feeling? I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. Just a game my ass. If I''m trying to y a game where my people''s lives are a resource then I can''t keep letting him die. The less people there are, the less things I can do. Less manpower, less food, less troops. I can''t let this keep happening. "Next time. No one will die." 71 Chapter 71 It is stillte at night for most people and since I had died in the game I could not go back into the game until tomorrow. I didn''t feel tired so what can I do during this time? For the past month and a bit, this was the time I was in the game experiencing a different world alongside characters'' who I have established a bond with but now I don''t even know what is happening in the game. I poured myself a cup of water and sat at my table, pondering on what I should be doing with my time. I had no work tomorrow so I was free to do anything and since I can''t schedule anything with Evan and Sabrina since they were still in the game and won''t see the message until after 0600. Sleep? No...Not with how awake I am right now. After experiencing the monsterpletely massacring everything around me I just didn''t feel like sleeping. I had an odd feeling around my neck, like a noose slowly getting tighter and tighter. I boot up myputer and sip on my water while thinking about what just happened in the past couple of days of ying Settlement. I found yers nearby, got ambushed by an extremely stronger group of monsters than I was used too and died for the first time in the game. What have I learned? Absolutely nothing! My location felt so isted from other potential yers due to the towering walls of the canyon as well as the steep mountainous terrain and the dark creepy forest. I almost didn''t think I was going to see another yer until a couple more months into the game when yers be more adventurous. Then there were the monsters. The previous safe copper mine had been overrun and overtaken by them but why now? During Balta''s ''reign'' of the copper mines they weren''t seen or mentioned. Usually, when a bag guy is about to die they would mention a higher power seeking revenge but now nothing like that came from Balta which leads me to think that they had only recently discovered the mine as well and from a different entrance. This means that could have just been a scouting force or their real nest or home is in a location not too far away from the copper mine. This worries me since they are just so much stronger and I didn''t have a way to defeat them yet. Lastly was death. It felt terrifying. The feeling of my head leaving my body and then reattaching it again after some time while I was still ''alive'' waspletely unreal. Like an out-of-body experience except I was experiencing it every step of the way. I shiver slightly and look at my screen since theputer has booted up. I go to the game forum to find out some information on other yers that have experienced death. Scrolling through the forum I see a lot of simr posts. "Dying by a goblin stabbing me in the chest. Not the best feeling by the way" - y3r "A goblin ambushed me from behind. Embarrassing right?" - LighterOfHell "ORCS! ORCS! ORCS! I HATE THEM!!!" - HateOrcs2021 "Can''t believe I died like this¡­" - WiZARDo "Yet another death." - Constant . . . "Dying by strangtion and going to a physiatrist." - Therapy101 A post near the release of the game attracted my attention. Much like me the yer had more or less died from trauma to the neck. In this yer''s case, it was strangtion and in my case it was decapitation. Both are pretty bad ways to die. I look through the post and the yer describes his death in great detail. From prior to his death to after his death the yer had described everything and post-death we were the same. After dying, the yer felt ''alive'' while in a dark space. Clearly feeling the fact that his throat had been squeezed and air could not flow inside them but being able to see the dark space around for a while until he was transported back to his room. After the event, he tried to sleep however was incapable of doing so as his throat kept feeling like it was being squeezed. Breathing became difficult and with the increasingck of sleep, he resorted to going to the hospital where he was referred to a physiatrist. As exined in his post, he spent multiple days with said physiatrist as well as being in the hospital where they would force him to sleep allowing his body to recover slowly. After many meetings, he exined that the feeling of death in the game will vary from yer to yer and the more extreme or violent the death was the more likely the brain would believe it was a real event. Once the brain is tricked into believing it has happened then the brain would try to recreate the event slowly making the body do things that would harm itself. For example, if the brain believed that the yer died from being stabbed then around the area that was stabbed causing the death of the yer would be a scar. A kind of stigma the brain creates to resemble death. After reading the post, I subconsciously touched my neck to see if there were any bumps or cuts and luckily there were none. I was fine for now. I close the forum and take a deep breath before shaking my head. "I''m fine. Just a game. Just a game." I bring out my phone and texted the group chats with Evan and Sabrina. "Hey, I just died in the game and I want to talk about it with someone. Is anyone free during the day to have lunch or something?" - Ian Knowing that the message would not be seen by anyone for a while I turn off my phone and turn the lights off before climbing into bed and under my covers. I looked at my ceiling and for some reason, it just felt off. I felt ufortable like something was wrong with this scenario. Me being in bed under my covers in the dead of night trying to sleep but it felt weird. I brought my hand to my neck again and once again confirmed it was still there. I sat up and just looked around my eyes, slowly adjusting to the darkness. Nothing was out of the ordinary around me nor did my body feel weird but this atmosphere...It didn''t feel right. Unable to pinpoint the reason I stood up and turned the lights back on and put a movie on the TV and watched in silence until my phone buzzed at 0610. "Brunch 1000!" - Sabrina 72 Chapter 72 "Not free, sorry." - Evan "Where?" - Ian "Cafe next to the game shop. TTYL! CYA!" - Sabrina I put the phone down and get up to pour myself yet another cup of water. Most of the early morning I had been drinking water and watching random movies but now it was time for my daily routine, exercising. I go out of my house and do some light stretches before jogging at a nice slow pace. The sun had already risen over the horizon and a nice golden glow was nketing the suburb. I pull my hoodie over my head as I start to jog faster. The route had changed from just around the block to traveling around a couple of blocks and through a park. The park had outdoor fitness equipment set up for the locals who don''t want to go to the gym to do some simple bodyweight training. After discovering the fitness equipment I had started to regrly travel here during my morning exercise toplete some simple tasks. I would start by jogging to the location as a warm-up and once I arrived I would immediately stretch again. The first task would be pull-ups, followed by sit-ups, leg raises, dips and finally push-ups. Nearby, is a water station that allows me to stay hydrated throughout the whole exercise. After being stagnant at home for hours thinking about the game moving about felt oddly satisfying. I sat on a bench after stretching since I finished my workout and looked around. Some other early birds had arrived and started working out nearby as well. Some doing yoga stretches others practicing some tai chi and some using the equipment I had just finished using. Next to me were two girls who were doing some stretches while chatting with each other and as I was just rxing basking in the sunlight I happened to hear some details especially after I heard them mention Settlement. "Mary, how''s Settlement?" "Hmm, it''s okay like I''m not doing too much. Just rxing with the NPCs near a river. Nothing dangerous so far." "What! A river, lucky! I''m stuck in a rocky region. Barely any water or even grass for that matter. I''m lucky one of my NPCs can get water from the cactus-like nts." "Well, have you heard Renee there is apany that is going around recruiting Settlement yers?" "WHAT! Really? Mary, should we go to them today? Maybe we can get them to help us in the game." "Yea, we can try I don''t mind. Next to the big game building in the city is Bones, thepany recruiting yers." "Bones? Why have I heard them before¡­?" "Silly Renee. They are the ones that usually make the yer guilds in games. They created MercSwords in LeafStory, PowerHouse in World of Witches and Bones''R''Bones in Magic&Swords. So, assuming the same trend they will most likely create another guild like ce in Settlement even though there are no guild functions in the game." "Hmm...I see, I kind of understand but not really...Oh well, you can exin it to me more let''s start heading there first." "Wait, Renee. Wait up you''re running too fast." I watch the girls run away and think to myself about the little snippet of information they had leaked. I remember seeing a post on the forum about recruiting people for a guild but never did I imagine it was something this big. Should I join it? I get up from the bench and slowly walk back home thinking about how to progress in the game and whether to join the guild the girls were talking about. I can check it out since I am going near it today to meet up with Sabrina and at the same time maybe get her opinion on it as well. I got home, showered and changed into something more casual before walking to the train station and getting on the train. A nicefortable ride without much happening around me until I got to the cafe. It''s 945, a little early so I went to send a text to Sabrina saying I have arrived. "I''m here." - Ian "OH! Wait, almost there. Walking from the station." - Sabrina "Take your time, no rush." - Ian Standing in front of the cafe I am able to see the tall ss building next to the game shop. At the top of the building in big white bold letters is the world Bones, with two long bones in a shape of an X behind the letter B. At their front door is a line snaking around the side of the building with men in ck suits and ck sses standing near the line. I look at the people slowly moving up the line when another person exits the building. The people exiting the buildings always had a big smile on their faces, holding onto a Bones carry-on bag. "Wondering what''s happening in the building to Ian?" A sudden voiceing from behind me surprises me, making me jump in fright while I turn around. Sabrina, dressed in a white crop top, an unzipped maroon red jacket and short denim shorts appeared behind me. "Why did youe at me like that?" "I don''t know. It seemed fun as a thought. I was originally going to hit you on the back but then again you are not Evan so...Didn''t do it. Come on let''s go in the cafe I''m hungry, tired and thirsty. You are paying by the way." "What?!" "Hurry up!" Without any warning she had already entered the cafe and sat down, waving to me to sit with her. "Okayyyy, I want pancakes with honey and maple syrup andddd an iced vanitte. What are you getting?" "I...Don''t know. I just sat down." "Come on, hurry up it''s not that hard." I quickly look at the menu and looked at the cheaper options. "I''ll get a ham and cheese toast with water." "Why are you telling me? Go to the counter." I look at her in disbelief and confusion but once I saw her face as she looked at the menu and a picture of the pancakes I just sighed and went to the counter. After ordering the food I went back to the table and sat down. "So, you died. Are you feeling ok?" 73 Chapter 73 I look at Sabrina''s stone-cold expression. Her eyes carefully look at my expression as she ces her head on her hands propping them up. "It felt weirdly disturbing. Like...Like I truly died." "Are you ok?" "Well, if you consider the fact that I woke up in cold sweat, spent 3 or 4 hours thinking back to the moment and then came here. Yea, I''m okay." "So you are not ok, don''t worry that''s why you are eating at a cafe with a cute girl." "Where is the cute girl? I don''t-ARGH!" A sharp pain shot up from my shin when I felt Sabrina kick me. "Hrmp, whatever. What happened prior to your death?" "It...Uhh...I...I was going around my area following an item and I came across some other yers. Since I was in a disadvantaged position I retreated to a previously destroyed encampment. There I encountered a group of new monsters, stone humans with devil wings and creepy smiles. Imagine a gargoyle but the face and is more human-like. These monsters were extremely strong but after running away there was one stray monster and thinking I could defeat it with my team I challenged it only to getpletely and utterly dominated. The gargoyle killed everyone around before killing mest." "How strong were they? Compared to the events that happened previously." "Insanely strong and this was just one monster. If the whole I don''t know pack found me or where my people lived we would be wiped out in a second." "Okay, how about after you died? How or what were you feeling?" "That was worse. I felt like I was alive but I knew that my head was separated from my body. I couldn''t move and I was in a dark space floating but not really floating. Then after a bit, I woke up in my room." After, recounting the story the waiter brought our food and drinks to the table. Telling Sabrina about what happened felt like something was lifted off my chest. "Eat up first Ian, we can talk more after." ......¡­.. "I...I almost died in the game." We had finished eating and I was just sipping on my water when Sabrina broke the silence. The unexpectedment made me almost choke on the water. "What happened?" "The event with the invasion happened. One of the slimes was a bomb slime variant. When one of my people killed it with a sword it exploded and I happened to be nearby. The st propelled the de of the sword in my direction and it ended up stabbing me in the chest. I thought I was going to die. The pain of being stabbed was unreal. I couldn''t believe what I was feeling but I guess with the devil''s luck I wasn''t immediately killed and one of the other NPCs was able to take the de out and apply a ve from herbs found in the river nearby." "You, you never told this before. Does Evan even know?" "No, of course, that idiot doesn''t know. What is he going to do about it?" "But still¡­" "Don''t worry it''s been a while. Ultimately, the feeling that I was going to die was something different. I never thought I could feel so much pain, sadness and anger at the same time. Like it''s a game but it felt real." "I know what you mean...It felt very real to me." We sit in silence for a bit drinking from our cups and listening to the sounds around us. People chatting, doors opening, milk foaming, utensils clicking and feet shuffling. I look at Sabrina and notice a soft smile on her lips as she looks at her drink. "What are you thinking about when you look at your drink?" "Oh, I was smiling? Sorry, I didn''t realize. Evan introduced me to this drink one time when I was feeling down and since then whenever I or whoever I am meeting feels a little sad I would get this drink." "Really? That''s pretty sweet of Evan to do that for you." "Maybe, who knows...Now, want to go down and see what is all the fuss over at the Bones building?" "Sure why not." With a small shrug, I agree with the idea and follow Sabrina out of the cafe. The line at the Bones front gate still looked as long as before we had our food. With Sabrina confidently leading the way towards the Bones building, I walked closely behind her. Walking closer to the building I could feel how impressive it was with its many bodyguards watching the line as well as the many different security features at the front gate. "Wow, they really went all out." "What do you mean, Sabrina?" "This isn''t the first time Bones have done mass recruitment and nor are they the onlypany. The major three gamingpanies Bones, Lotus and Aqua always create guilds in the big new games and employ yers to help them dominate the game. Even if one of thesepanies make the game their guild firms are separate from the mainpany in order to provide a more fair way topete." "Have you or Evan joined any of them before?" "We have in a couple of games but since Settlement is a vast sandbox-like game we were deciding to not join one of thepanies and make a small guild together with just us two and well most likely you too." "Having help in the game would be nice and it would make exploring the world feel safer." "Exactly and that''s what thesepanies are doing. They are taking the insecurity of yers in this different world and trying to make a profit out of them. Evan showed me a post on the forum about a yer exining the benefits they received once they got hired. In exchange for daily reports on location, game events, NPCs, flora, fauna, environment etc they receive information on nearby other yers employed by thepany and are required to team up and help each other. That''s it. Information on other yers nearby. It''s a scam and yers are buying it because they don''t know what is beyond their scope of exploration." "Surely, they have approached other yers on the top 10 right?" "Yep and the most likely provide or offer more than the general public. Ian, what do you want to do? If you want to join a guild then go ahead we won''t hate you for it since they are still a safe option and with the fact that you are in the top 10 they would most likely provide you with a lot in order to keep you. " "Sabrina, I think for now I am content with what I have. ying the game for fun and talking to you and Evan about it. The only thing I want is to eventually meet up in the game." As we were chatting near the front of the Bones building both of our phones vibrated. Evan had messaged the group chat and his message was slightly worrying. "Ian, you said that your base was in a canyon right? I think some yers have found it and are preparing to make a show out of it. Look at thetest forum post." - Evan 74 Chapter 74 After reading the text, I could feel my heart skip a beat. I look at Sabrina and she was already on the web browser searching up the forum. Quickly I do the same and once I opened the forum it was the first post I saw. "To the guy surrounded by goblins in the canyon" - EyeSpy We will find you! We will find you and kill you, your little goblins and your NPCs. To any other yers who have seen/heard or have any information help us avenge our friends. This yer who we will call P, lured 3 of my friends, our 4 NPCs and myself into a cave where he set loose an army of stone freaks to kill us. What did we do to you? Nothing. We did nothing. We saw you at the bottom of the canyon and wanted to talk but instead, you ran away. Thinking it was weird we followed and got ambushed by the stone monsters. These things ripped us to pieces. Like literally torn us limb from limb. One of my friends is having nightmares about it and could barely sleep for the rest of the night. SO. We will find you. We will kill you. So be ready. While the post was small and only contained a bit of information thements were erupting in a storm. yers were curious about who P was and where the ''war'' would take ce. Some yers werementing that they knew who P was in real life and other wasmenting about P''s army. False information was thrown everywhere in the post as this was the first kind of yer versus yer event even if it was unofficial. "Hey, are you going to be ok?" Sabrina grabs my arm and asks me a question not even I knew the answer to. I could only shrug and just shake my head not knowing how to answer her. "When you go back into the game tonight make sure you prepare your defenses straightaway, okay?" "Yea, I know Sabrina...Do you believe in what they said in the post?" "Are you kidding me? Of course not! I already know your story. They are just a bunch of attention seekers. I bet they aren''t even that strong." "Right...So, if I die again you''re paying for the meal ok?" "WHAT? Helllllllll no. You are paying no matter what happens. Well hopefully, you won''t die again, after all, you really did not look well when I first saw you." A slight smile appears on my face and I turn around, walking away from the Bones building. I currently have no need to join the guild and no reason to give away my information. ying by myself with my NPCs and finding out more about the world is more than enough for now and eventually, there will be a way to connect with Sabrina and Evan. The both of us talked a bit more before parting ways at the train station. On the way home there was much to think about including the yers who will be attacking me soon, the stone monsters, the copper mine, the tin deposit and then progressing HavenFall to a higher level. What can I do for my small vige that would help them? Thinking about my options I realize there were not many but something dide to mind when I thought about fighting against a group of people. It was the area of effect attacks or what most gamers called AOE. What are AOE attacks good against if not groups of mobs? While there is no magic in HavenFall a very primitive method of attacking would be using fire and as if a light bulb turned on above my head, ming arrows. With the army of goblins plus Robin and Howard who are proficient at using a bow and arrow constantly firing ming arrows, it would be able to handle most if not all situations where the opponent''s military strength is more or less the same as mine. I already have an advantage with terrain, being the location of HavenFall and the limited methods of entry but if I include using height and mes as well I can improve our militaristic strength by tenfolds. Ok, range weaponry can be improved but what about melee fights? With the fight against the stone monsters eminent there needs to be a way to defeat them. Most attacks from the spears and arrows only made scratches against the skin of the stone monsters. While the goblins do have lower strength than Howard or David or even Frank they were still capable of attacking and defending against them to an extent. However, what if Howard or David was fighting the stone monsters could they prate the skin? My mind goes to work thinking about a weapon that can help the fight and eventually lead towards the club. Blunt weapons are effective in doing heavy strong strikes like how a hammer is used in the process of refining metal. So what if we got a club that can do damage to the stone monsters? I look through my phone and searched on the inte for some answers. An effective ancient era blunt weapon was the club which evolved into the mace. Finding arge sturdy stone and then attaching a solid wooden pole would create a simple mace and I can easily tell old man Hus of this weapon. Furthermore, a mace is more effective on heavily armored units which in a sense is what the stone monsters are therefore, using a mace would allow more damage. Now, the defense was the circr wooden shields enough? I remember the fight against the stone monster, the goblins tried to protect each other by lining their shields together. If it was a human opponent then that makeshift formation had too many holes but luckily the stone monster only knew how to swipe its ws. If old man Hus can make tower shields or the scutum then that''s a different story. Long rectangr shields held by the Roman legion were called the scutum and it was the core of the phnx formation. A big grin appeared on my face as a thought went into my head. What if I can make a goblin phnx formation? While the individual strength might not be there just yet if they are able to cooperate effectively and perform the formation to a high degree they would be able to defend and retaliate against most other monsters. So long the enemy isn''t insanely bigger or extremely sturdy then the formation might be able to work. The insane ideas run through my head as I sit on the train and as I walk home. Things from history that worked and things that didn''t work and why did they not work, I kept thinking and thinking, researching and researching all the way home. Once I got to my doorstep, it was already night. I had spent extra time wandering the streets formting ideas and looking through my phone reading about ancient history that I didn''t even realize how much time had passed. Still, there was some time before the game opens for the night. I made a simple dinner of rice and stir fry beef, enjoying the meal since in the game I would be very busy preparing everything. After cleaning the dishes, I went to my room and took out a notepad. Things to do in Settlement Create new weapons, shields, armor Mace Scutum Fire arrow Figure out a way to teach the phnx formation to goblins, Howard and others if needed Prepare a rotating night shift to secure eyes and ears 24/7 throughout the day Be wary of yers attacking Be wary of the stone monsters Copper and Tin mining expedition Creating a road from HavenFall and the mines Find more encampments to increase the poption Make sure agriculture is doing well for future food resource GET STRONGER! I jot down some of the main points I needed to do or work on in the notepad. Afterward, I rxed while watching some TV or scrolling on my phone until midnight where it was time to go back into the game. Iy down in my bed and close my eyes after cing the VR helmet on and once I open them again I see that I had spawned in the mud house where I had slept in during the nights of Settlement. I walk out of the house surprising Lucina and Melody who had been walking past the house towards the farm. "Ian! What are you doing here? Weren''t you on the scouting mission?" Lucina spoke in a surprised tone still in a state of disbelief. "It...It was a failure. A lot of variables came up during it and the goblins died¡­" "Oh no...Wait here, Melody and I will get everyone else so you can tell them what happened." "Thank you, Lucina." I sit down by the fire putting some more firewood into it allowing it to burn stronger. It didn''t take long for everyone to gather even Gobi and his goblin troops joined in not too far away. "Okay, since everyone is here I''ll keep it in and simple. We might be getting attacked very soon. It could be today, tonight or even tomorrow, I don''t know." "Ian, what...what happened?" I look at Gobi and I could see the dark clouds covering his face. "Gobi...We were attacked by humans and demi-humans when we were very close to the objective and due to that, we retreated. We went back to the cave where we defeated Balta and since we were in an advantageous position I went deeper into the cave with GomiTwo. There we found stone monsters that looked like humans with wings. These monsters attacked us and eventually we had to retreat again. One of the monsters separated from the group and I thought we could defeat it. I severely underestimated its power and we got massacred. These monsters are not too far away from us and might eventually reach us. Then the humans also might being as well as the monsters did kill some of them and they most likely me us for it." "So, do you think we can defeat them?" Surprisingly, Owen came forward and asked the most important question. "Yes, Owen I do think we can defeat them. However, not as we are now. I have ideas which can help us defeat them however since I don''t know when they might attack we might be pressed against time." Howard stands up and hits his left palm with his fist, grinning like a child. "Then what are you waiting for Ian? Tell us what we need to do." 75 Chapter 75 I stand up, grin and p my hands together. It''s time to do some work. "Maces, shields and arrows. These 3 things will be our first step in improving our offense and defense. To exin, the maces are going to be very simple. Big rock plus wooden stick, done! Arrows, simple as well. Lots of them, however, the head is not a point instead it will be something like a ball of mmable objects. We can use tree sap, small vines and tinder to create the head of the arrow. These arrows will be set alight before firing them and even if they miss the target, having lots of these will reduce the area of where our opponents can move." "Are we using fire as a weapon?" "Yes, David we are and it is a very effective weapon used correctly. Lastly is the shields. They are the most difficult thing we need to create and I will be working with old man Hus and Lime toplete it. Lucina, Melody, Robin and Howard will be creating arrows. David, Frank, Owen and Noah will be creating the maces. Celine, Gobi and the goblin troops will be patrolling the area. I want the wolves with Celine at the bottom of the canyon alongside 3 goblins while the rest is spread in the forest. Do not go too far and retreat immediately if seen. Does everyone understand?" I look around for a bit, observing each person''s expression before moving on to the next. "Can you exin what kind of size you want the mace to be? As well as a description of it?" Owen steps forward to confirm about the mace and I was d he said something. After Oscar''s death, I wanted Owen to be more proactive. Searching for things to do and things to improve on as well as interacting with other people and asking for answers when needed. "A mace is a rtively simple weapon to create. Its base design is a club and all you need to do is find a rock with a hole in it and drill to the other side using old man Hus''s hand drill and slide the club into the hole. Secure it with some vines and you have created a mace. Stone plus stick." "Why is this weapon going to be helpful? Wouldn''t our axes already be enough? Both is a stone plus stick." With a smile old man Hus answered the questions for me. "Young Owen, what do you use to break stone? Is it an ax? No, you use something of simr material or higher which means you use a stone to break the stone. A hammer or a mace are one and the same, with the same function of breaking." "I see¡­The hard skin of the stone monsters is why we need maces." "Yes, exactly. While I do think our axes will work, creating them takes a longer process as the de of an ax needs to be sharpened. Maces however are easier to create and maintain." "Ian!" I snap my head towards the voice and find myself looking at Robin. "The arrows won''t work. How will they fly if the head is a ball?" "It doesn''t have to be a ball, it can be vines wrapped around the tip of the arrow covered in tree sap and tinder. It just needs to be able to carry enough mmable objects on the arrow so that it stays alight all the way until itnds on our target." "Okay, and how many do you want?" "The more the better. We might use all of them in the following battle and if there are any leftovers then they are used in future battles." "Understood." "Any more questions before we begin?" I look around once more making sure to double-check so I didn''t skip anyone that might be hesitant about asking a question. "Okay everyone you know what your job is so go andplete the task. If there are any questionse and talk with me. Old man Hus and Lime let''s go to your crafting space." Everyone dispersed into their own little group talking with each other about the roles needed toplete their tasks. I could see Robin''s group that the girls had already run into the forest to collect the materials while Howard was setting up another fire further away to test their arrows. Noah and Owen were going down the river in search ofrge rocks while David and Frank headed to the forest to find a solid stick to the handle. I lead the way towards old man Hus''s crafting space while thinking about how to create a scutum. I had researched about it on the inte prior toing to the game and luckily for me the scutum was made out ofyers of wood stuck together by a glue of some sort and leather. Since there was no leather or glue in HavenFall I thought about using vines and some homemade glue. "Lime, I have an important job for you. I need you to collect a lot of sap and charcoal. The charcoal is from the fire we burn, around it is a lot of charcoal. However, the sap will have to be from the trees in the forest. Grab one of the y pots and collect it until it fills it all up. While this is happening I will be constructing the basic skeleton of the shield with old man Hus. Do you understand?" "Got it! I''ll be back soon with everything you asked." I watch Lime run away with a y pot in her hand as she joins up with Lucina and Melody on their sap collection. "Lad, so what do you want me to do for you?" "Old man Hus this shield might be a bit hard." "Why is thatd?" "Because of the detail. I want this shield to be light but durable and big enough that even David can hide behind it and his body won''t be shown. At the same time light enough for the goblins to be able to pick them up and walk or run around with it." "That¡­That''s impossible. You would need to cut the wood into very thin pieces but the thinner it is the more likely it will break." "That''s why I need the glue solution. Old man Hus, the scutum is not one piece of wood as the shield. It isyers of wood that create the shield." With a confused look old man Hus blinks at me waiting for me to borate. "Okay, the shield is bent outwards. We can make a mold using some of the wood we have to create an arc shape. Once we have done that we cut out the wood so that it can bend enough to fit the curvature. Then, apply the glue and ce anotheryer of wood on top of that. Do this so that there are 3yers of wood and then let it dry and we have finished out the first shield. Sound easy?" I let old man Hus contemte the idea while I search around his area. Since he was using the front of the food/armory shelter as his own personal crafting space there had been quite a lot of material piled up waiting to be used. Howard or David must have helped him cut down some trees as he had logs cut into smaller logs ced evenly along the back and side of the shelter. By sheer coincidence, the sizes of the logs happen to be close to the desired length. I lift one of the logs up topare the size kneeling a bit I was shorter than the log. I smile to myself at the coincidence and was ready to make the shield. "Lad, I have an idea to improve on your idea of the shield. You want threeyers of one solid piece of wood correct?" "Yea, that sounds about right." "What if instead of 3rge pieces, each piece is cut into 3 pieces since the wood we have does note inrge sizes. Then when constructing the firstyer will be up and down while the secondyer is across and the thirdyer is up and down again." "Wait¡­Old man Hus that''s brilliant! It solves the problem of our resource plus having both horizontal and vertical points of the shield allows for a different area of protection. If a blow is too heavy on one side, instead of the whole shield breaking it could just be one part. That''s brilliant!" "Hahaha, thank you,d. It was because of you that I can keep my mind moving with new ideas." Excited at the new method of creating an ancient shield I quickly went to move the logs closer to us. Old man Hus went to grab his makeshift saw which was just a stone he had sharpened to cut the log into thinner pieces. There were no machines to do this step for us so a coborative effort was needed. I hold onto the sides of the log bncing it vertically. Old man Hus stepping onto a t rock to get higher starts to cut into the log. Slowly by surely, he makes his way from the top to the bottom. The sawdust fly onto my face and body, making breathing a challenge but ultimately I had to close my eyes and ask for breaks every so often. Lime hade back with a y pot filled all the way with tree sap. The tree sap was still hard and in lots of clumps but that is okay since the point of the tree sap was to slowly melt it. I had Lime create a smaller fire near us using some tinder and small branches and start to melt the tree sap. With her trusty pair ofrge sticks to transfer the hot y pot away from the me, she started to move the tree sap around as it melts. I warn her to not let the sap boil but instead, continuously move the melted sap with the nonmelted sap to make it melt faster as well as keep it smooth and even. Keeping an eye on Lime''s mixture as well as stabilizing the log got easier as old man Hus got lower. With less sawdust in my eyes, I could look at Lime as she mixes the paste together. I get her to crush some charcoal on a rock until it is a fine powder making sure to look out for the paste as we don''t want it to burn or boil. Once the tree sap was at a consistency of sticky bread dough just shy of a liquid I made Lime add the charcoal. Mixing the two ingredients together created a ck swamp-like creation in the y pot, dying the inside jet ck. After incorporating the charcoal evenly into the mixture I had Lime apply it on a stick. Graduallyyering the ck glue until there was only a little left sticking to the y pot. Our ck glue stick is about the size of a remote controller both in length and width. Sticking the nonglue side into the ground we let it cool off to the side as I continue to help old man Hus cut down the logs. I ask Lime to make more glue sticks and by the end of the day as night is about to roll in I and old man Hus had cut down approximately enough wooden nks for 10 shields and Lime had made 5 glue sticks. While the width of each cut is a little bit different from one another it was fine since that just added to extra protection in parts of the shield. I head to the mud house to rx and get some shut-eye keen for tomorrow as old man Hus and I would be assembling the shield. 76 Chapter 76 A new morning. Waking up to the roaring sound of the waterfall and the golden ray of light. A big smile on my face as I breathe in the fresh air. Standing at the top of the path looking over the canyon, seeing the wolves taking a morning walk. With the only adult wolf in the lead, the young wolves follow behind her closely as they around in circles. I stand next to Ariel''s Statue looking at it being bathed in the morning glow. Old man Hus walks up to me enjoying the early morning as well as giving me a slight nod before looking at Ariel''s Statue as well. He closes his eyes and straightens his back in front of the statue. He brings his hands together, intertwining them and slowly breathes in and out rhythmically. I assume it was his method of praying to Ariel and while it is different from other prayers I have seen before I didn''t say anything but instead I copied it. I give my own prayer to the first NPC of the game and wish for an enjoyable time. After a moment of silence, I open my eyes and what I saw wasn''t Ariel''s face but instead¡­ [ You have acquired 100 Faith ] [ You are able to pick a Pantheon ] [ Please select a Pantheon Goddess of Fertility God of Crafts God of Healing God of the Forge God of the Sky God of the Sea God of War . . . Goddess of the Hunt Monument to the Gods God King Goddess of Luck ] ,m A list longer than any research paper was shown to me. Like an endless sea of different gods and goddesses each with their own unique trait. I click on some of the names which interested me like: Goddess of Fertility - Your Settlement growth rate will be 10% higher God of War - When you or your troops kill an enemy Faith equal to 10% of their HP will be rewarded Monument to the Gods - When constructing a wonder, the effect will be increased by 10% God King - +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Agility, +1 Luck, +1 Faith, +1 Culture Goddess of Luck - Anything with a randomness element to it will always be slightly more favorable to you With so many options I couldn''t even think of what to choose. I stood there staring at nk space as I click on random names and read their trait definition. Some had caught my eye but the one that stood out to me the most was the Goddess of Luck. I already had a high luck stat but what if I could increase it even further? Acquiring the Pantheon for the Goddess of Luck would make it whenever I open an ancient ruin the reward will always be better than average. While it might not be the best or most needed reward it will never be negative. If I had this trait in the real world I would immediately go to the casino. I said my goodbye to old man Hus telling him that we can get started on the construction of the shield after some breakfast and a small rest. Most of the time I would be looking through the long list trying topare different gods and goddesses for each situation. The Goddess of Fertility was a very long-term investment, since increasing the rate at which my settlement grows will always be better in the long run. An increase in poption would eventually lead to a baby boom, increasing the amount of work and jobs needed to amodate everyone''s needs and wants. However, looking on the short term even the God of War sounded reasonable. Going into a battle soon knowing that there will be killing would serve as a motivation to gather more Faith. Having more Faith will eventually lead to more benefits whether it would be short or long-term benefits. By the time it was almost time to log out of the game I had only just made a decision. I am choosing Goddess of Luck! Why? Becausedy luck will always shine on me if I pick Goddess of Luck as my Pantheon. [ You have selected Goddess of Luck as your Pantheon ] [ Congrattions for being the first yer to acquire a Pantheon. As a reward, you will be given a gift] [ 1 x Goddess of Luck Fortuna''s Statue ] Much like the time I acquire Ariel''s Statue the same small stone figure appeared before me. A woman dressed in a simple elegant tight-fitting dress, apanied by a ne of the sun as well as wings made up of feathers standing on a pile of coins with her back slightly arched backward. She raises her right hand over her head pointing her elbow outwards and looking in the opposite direction with her eyes focused on arge woven bag in a shape of a bukkehorn. Overflowing from the bag are the same coins she is standing on. Since I was standing next to Ariel''s Statue I ced down Fortuna''s Statue on the other side of Ariel and an erged version of Fortuna''s Statue appears making it look like two angelic gatekeepers watching over the path to the canyon. I look at the description of Fortuna''s Statue. [ Goddess of Luck Fortuna''s Statue Faith + 5 per day Luck + 1 Permanently The goddess of luck smiles upon her subjects, watching over the growth of their fortunes ] Happy with the new addition of Fortuna I head towards old man Hus to construction the shield, checking my stats as I move along. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 0/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 2 ( Happy ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 11 I notice the next hurdle for Faith is 10,000 Faith. A massive jump from the previous 100 as what can picking a religion mean? Picking an already known religion like Buddhism or Christianity? Or is it like how I picked a Pantheon? Choosing a trait or multiple traits to construct a religion for my Settlement. A lot of questions pop into my head but one of them was what is culture? I encountered it during the selection screen for the Pantheon. Some of them increased my culture either by a percentage or by 1 but there was no description of what was culture. Much like Faith, it is a hidden stat that is most likely going to be unlocked once Iplete a certain task but until then I''ll push it to the back of my mind and focus on what I need to do now and that is making HavenFall stronger. 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 - Scutum "Old man Hus! Are you ready?" I call out to old man Hus once I got closer. His beaming expression told a thousand worlds. I had Lime prepare another fire nearby as well as all of her ck glue sticks as well ready to soften the glue at a moment''s notice to begin the sticking process. The original scutum is slightly convex however, bending wood requires a bit of time as well as resources. Creating mps to hold down the wood as it glues together as well as build frames and molds of the shape would increase the amount of time to create the shield. In response to this, old man Hus suggested we make a straight shield and section it into three parts both vertically and horizontally. I start off by gathering three nks of wood and setting them elevated between two stacks of wood, with only the top and bottom of the nks touching the nks. "Lime start melting the first glue. Make sure to stop before it gets too runny." "Okay!" Once Lime had melted the glue it was time to apply it. Carefully I run the tip of the glue stick alongside the side of the nk. A ck line appears on the nk running all the way from top to bottom. I let old man Hus push the two nks together while I apply the glue on the third nk. Lime watches over our shoulders curious about the whole process. Why she had heard the conversation between me and old man Hus she did not understand it fully and proceeded to bombard old man Hus with questions after I left. The rhythmic sound of a wooden hammer slowly fills the atmosphere. Old man Hus, after pushing the two nks together was softly hitting the side of the nks. A method to ensure that both nks are properly touching. I could see small dots of ck glue popping out of the side where old man Hus scraped away using a small t stone. Applying the glue in ces where the wood does not align perfectly. I never took into ount that the wood would not be perfectly touching and thus didn''t have a n to cover up the small cracks and gaps but it seems like I didn''t even need to worry about it. Using glue as putty he fills the holes with the excess glue and he repeats this process with the third nk creating the firstyer of the shield. Without even finishing one stick of glue we had already finished oneyer but now onto the next. The secondyer is horizontal pieces of wood, 4 pieces all together and they were smaller in size as well since the shield is rectangr. I apply the glue alongside one of the t sides. Using up the rest of the glue stick and making Lime melt another one. I carefully ce it at the top of the firstyer and once again old man Hus prefects the piece, hammering it down and scraping away the excess. The second, third and fourth pieces were the same process applying the glue on a t side as well as one of the long sides. With the secondyer done it was finally time for thestyer. The process is mainly the same as the secondyer just with longer nks. The whole process of making the shield took about an hour or so, however, the glue had not dried yet and we were leaving the shield on top of the stack of wood to dry. Throughout the rest of the day old man Hus and I kept gluing nks of wood together and even allowed Lime to glue some together as well. Altogether we were able to make 5 shields, not enough for every goblin but with what we had I thought we did very well. For some reason, I was unable to see the specs of the shield. Does that mean it is still iplete? Then I realized it, I hadn''t ced a handle¡­ "Old man Hus, I forgot to put a handle in the design of the shield¡­" "Lad, I know. Don''t worry I have a solution." With some of the smaller pieces of wood that were cut from the log, I saw old man Hus use a hand drill and create two holes on the back of the shield. Putting some of the glue in the hole and then inserting a wooden pole into it securing it with more glue. Connecting the two poles was another wooden pole and more glue but he also secures all three poles using small thin vines, creating a wooden handle at the back of the shield. "What do you thinkd?" I pick up the only shield with a handle after hearing old man Hus''s question and I smile at him. [ You have created a shield. Please give it a name. ] "Old man Hus, I think this shield is great. As for the name is it okay if I give it a name?" "Of course,d. I don''t care too much about that stuff anyway." "Great, then from today onwards, the shields created with this process will be called Scutum. After all, I wasn''t the first person to create a shield like this, the Romans had already created it millenniums ago." [ Scutum Defense: 25 A shield created byyering wooden nks on top of one another. Made by Ian, Hus and Lime ] Satisfied by our work I got to chopping more nks with old man Hus while telling Lime to gather more tree sap to make more glue. The amount of glue used in the process was far exceeded expectations. Unknowingly I had to continuously add more glue to the wood in order to stick them together. This is still the first version of the shield and I already have ways to improve it including the addition of a spindle-shaped boss in the middle of the shield to allow another form of attack when bashing the shield on the enemies. Furthermore, adding leather or canvas in between theyers and on the outside will further increase the defense and strength of the shield as well as make the shield convex in shape. But for now, this was enough. Luckily for us, there has been no development in the situation with the stone monsters and the other yers. With Celine, the goblins and the wolves guarding the only entrances to HavenFall, if there were any disturbances then I would have known by now. Gobi is constantly instructing the goblins in the forest to move to ces around the forest slowly expanding the area of coverage. I still made sure to warn him to not push too far since the forest is still a big unknown for us. Thinking back to it, I''m worried about what Luke has been up to. I sent him out a long time ago to explore but he still has note back and since there have been no notifications of his death I can only assume he is safe somewhere. The day rolls by and night enters. I stop making more shields with old man Hus and retire for the night. The progress for today was better than I had thought with 5pleted Scutum, enough pieces for 3 additional Scutums and about 100 additional arrows. The arrows are of higher quality than the previous stone arrows with the addition of the glue stick next to the arrowhead. It seemed Lime had given Robin some ideas after discovering about glue and she applied it to the body of the arrow, sticking more tinder and creating fletching at the back of the arrow. Using small leaves she had improved the aerodynamics of the arrow without even knowing it as the fletching creates wind drag making the arrow spin in the air and making it more stable and urate. [ mmable Arrow Attack: 1 A stone arrow with mmable glue and tinder along the shaft. Made by Robin, Lucina, Melody and Howard ] It seems like the attack value is the same despite the different names and descriptions. Damage caused by fire must not have a real damage value but will do damage to the victim if they are burning from the mes. Then there were the maces. Stone is brittle and heavy for most people to wield however, without metal stone is still my best option. The rocks around the canyon can easily shatter once enough force is applied so I told Owen and Noah to create lots of maces and just rotate them out once a mace has been destroyed. In turn, they had made about 30 maces. All different sizes and shapes but they all have a simr design with the stone hollowed out and filled with a wooden stick and the glue. The glue connects the stick and stone together and afterward it is wrapped in vines to prevent any slippage. [ Stone Mace Attack: 7 A mace made out of a stone and stick found anywhere. It can break very easily. Made by Noah, Frank, Owen and David ] I am impressed with their efficiency and happy with the preparations and even though some of the weapons created by them looked dodgy I felt it was okay. Weapons during this time period are all about what can be found right next to me. What can I use right now in order to deal more damage than I was doing just 5 minutes ago? So long as we have more weapons, shields and people eventually HavenFall will be safe. 78 Chapter 78 Dead of night, with only the moon and stars to illuminate the surroundings. The constant stream of water echoed throughout the vige. The rustling of leaves in the night breeze. I open my eyes to an unfamiliar but familiar sound, a single long howl. I get up from my leafy bed and exit the mud house. I wasn''t the only person alerted by the howl. Celine, Howard, Robin, Noah and Owen all exited the mud house. We look at each other and nod proceeding to the cliff. Meeting us at the entrance were 4 goblins and the wolf cubs. "Leader Ian, it seems like the female wolf has spotted a couple of humans walking along the banks of the river not too far away. She howled as a warning signal to them as well as an rm for us to be ready." "Okay, get the rest of the goblins as well as Gobi and proceed with gathering the weapons. Each goblin is to be armed with a spear or a knife as well as a shield. Have the 5 strongest goblins use the Scutum and then set up a wall on our side of the river. In addition, the fastest goblins are to move forward to scout with the female wolf." The 4 goblins nodded and moved towards the goblin house to carry out my orders. "Umm, Ian." "Yes, Celine?" "You do know the female wolf is called Luna right?" "WHAT? They had names? I only knew about Aur because he spoke." It might have been the wrong time to be surprised as well aste to find out that the female wolf had a name but I am very surprised. "Yes, she told me that it was her name. While you never called her by her name she still acknowledges your leadership due to the wolf called Aur. Aur epted a person called Luke and Luke sees you as the leader and thus Luna and the wolf cubs see you as a leader." "Wow, I never knew about this. Do the wolf cubs have names as well?" "Unfortunately not. They are only able to receive a name once they be adult wolves. " "Okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me, Celine." "That''s okay." "Okay. Everyone, it is time for the battle and I want everyone to be awake. Prepare a fire at the corner of HavenFall and have Robin, Lucina, Lime and some of the goblins as archers. Wake up everyone else and have them pick up the weapons at the armory and head down to the canyon as well." With a nod from Howard, Celine, Robin and Noah they went off to wake everyone. Hearing the news about the attack instantly woke everyone up. Lime went to create a fire while Lucina grabbed more firewood from a pile next to our main fire. Owen and David moved the many arrows towards the sniping position, cing them in y pots nearby for easy ess. Noah, Frank and Howard went to get the weapons and shields while old man Hus helped fit them into the wooden armor. They also grabbed more spears and maces and ced them at the base of the path in case their primary weapon breaks and they have a quick way to get another weapon. Celine went with Gobi and the goblins to set up the first line of defence as well asmunicate with the wolves to find out about the situation. Standing at the top of the path watching over the hustling and bustling of the vige made me feel proud. I had people that were following their orders as well as going above and beyond, thinking for themselves on how to improve the situation. I never told them to get spare weapons or put on the armor but they did it. It felt refreshing, like I wasn''t aplete overlord over my people and they had the freedom to do things they believe was right. I put on my own armor and weapons before heading down the slope to meet up with Celine. From the top I could see that the goblins that went first with the wolf cubs had alreadye back and reported to Celine about the situation. Luna not being with the returning party meant that she was still at the very front lines either observing the movement of the attacking party or was already fighting them. "What is the situation like Celine? "Ian, Luna is currently engaging with the enemy. From what the cubs were able to get from Luna was that there are 20 humans and 15 demi-humans on their way here. They have to walk 3 people side by side due to the narrowness of the river bank and Luna has been attacking them as she retreats towards us." "What''s the attacking army''s troops like? Archers? Spearmen? Swordsmen?" "From what could be seen and what Luna told them there are only about 10 known weapons used. Spears, clubs and arrows. At the back were 3 known archers and in the front consisted of spearmen. No shields but they were wearing some sort of armor on their chest. That was all the information they were able to receive from Luna." "Okay that''s good. How long until they arrive here?" "They were close to the copper mine so they should still be a couple hours away." "Good, we are going to set up an ambush for them. On the other side of the river hiding in the cracks of the rocks will be the goblins. Not all of them, have 8 goblins on the other side as well as the wolf cubs. The 5 goblins here will be wielding the Scutum shields while the rest of us are behind. 3 goblins will be archers with Lucina and Robin and have them fire only on mymand. Gobi! Ry my message to the goblins." "Yes Ian!" Quickly the gobins moved to their designated spots and with their superior night vision they were able to find hidden spots where they could fit into without being seen from our enemies. Gobi stayed at the front holding on a shield n the very middle, grasping onto a spear as well speaking to the other goblins and boasting their morale. Behind them were Howard and David, our two strongest warriors each holding onto their stone ax and a wooden shield, taking deep breaths as they prepared themselves for the fight. Noah, Frank and Owen were ready with their spears as well quietly talking to each other and making final checks on each other''s armor. Standing behind them all was me. The weakest of the bunch but that was okay because this time I''m holding onto the Hobgoblin''s Club. Our strongest weapon and my trump card in case things go south. Not much longer now before we have to face other yers. Will I be okay? What about the stone monsters? How did they reach the copper mines and not be attacked by them? What is happening near Luna? Nothing bad will happen right? We can survive this right? No-one will die right¡­? 79 Chapter 79 Dashing around the corner was Luna, throwing herself into the river before spinning around. I can see cuts on her leg and blood dripping from her fur. With a nce in our direction Luna runs out of the river and towards us and not longter were the enemies. They emerge around the corner and take defensive positions instantly as they see us. Some of them were holding onto torches lighting up their faces a bit. I can see the mix of humans and demi-humans, each holding onto a weapon with a slight grin on their face. They spoke loudly as if they wanted me to hear their conversation. "Hey Gabe, that should be the yer right? Somewhere in that crowd." "Yes, Phil I do believe a yer is there. Some mutt that attacked us not too long ago." "If only we can live-stream this or record it. How much money we would make for being one of the first PVP fights?" "Shut up Kingston! Gabe, how should we do this?" "Well, we kill the yer. Get their NPCs to follow us. Then take everything in their vige and finally tell Bones about everything and we get paid a nice bonus." "Right, right, kill, steal and get real money. How good of a job this is? We were so lucky we found another yer." "Yea, I know right!" "Shut up Kingston! You are a waste of air only thing you can do is be good at fighting and think about what if I could make money." "But I-" "What part of Shut up do you not understand? Now go forward with the demi-humans and start attacking. Stupid halfbreed NPCs only listen to another monkey." Bones? I didn''t think I would hear such useful information here. I guess some of thepanies are already trying to establish a lease on their hired guns. By offering money for such services they can control the yer base and eventually establish a territory of only Bones yers. I won''t let myself be the first victim of this corporate scam. Let''s start by trying to talk to them. "Hey, question! Since we are both yers why did youe and attack me? We could have maybe set up a trading route or even be allies." "Oi, Gabe I think he is talking to you." "Phil, I know. Ahem. Uhhh yer P, it is quite unfortunate but it''s all about the money." "Wow, Gabe I didn''t know you were such a miser. Only about the money what is that?" "Shut up Phil or I''ll take 10% of your share." "Yes, Boss!" Money? Is that all there is? "So you would risk being killed for money?" "Are you kidding me P? This is a game, people die. Just part of the process. Plus you don''t even know where our vige is so we have all the advantages here. If we die we only lose these shitty NPCs and we respawn back at our vige." "You have a point¡­" "Right, so I would say I''m sorry for this but I''m really not. Kingston! Attack!" "DEMI-HUMANS CHARGE! RAHHHHH!!!!" At the front of the enemy''s army is one of the yers, Kingston. A muscr man with arms like cannons wielding a wooden club as his weapon. With the minimal light, I could make out that he was wearing some sort of light armor. It didn''t look bulky like the wooden armor we were wearing but instead fit tightly against his body, kind of like leather armor in other games. The charge consisted of Kingston at the head followed by 10 demi-humans behind him all wielding either spears or clubs. The demi-humans had wolf or dog-like ears along with three distinctive scratch-like marks on their cheeks resembling those whiskers as well as small fangs recing their canines. I was lucky enough to observe some of the demi-humans due to the torches they carried, illuminating their face as well as a small area around them. "Shields! Dig the shield into the dirt and do not get pushed back. Howard and David stay closer to the sides of the shields and fend off anyone that is trying to go around them. Noah, Frank and Owen prepare to fight back with your spears over the top of the shields. Luna stay with me and be ready to pounce on anyone." I made sure to give out clear orders as the enemy army charged towards us. I even gave Luna orders not knowing if she can understand me but maybe since Celine canmunicate with the wolves they would be able to understand me to a simr degree. "HAHAHA! Do you think your shield can stand against me?!" With arge swing of his club, Kingston hammered against the shield Gobi was holding creating a loud DONG sound to echo throughout the canyon. Gobi pushes his shoulder against the shield digging the bottom of the Scutum into the ground as he braces the attack. His whole body shakes and as he feels his legs about to slide back from the sheer force of the attack, Noah grabs Gobi''s body and pushes forward stabilizing the situation. "WHAT!?" "COUNTER-ATTACK!" As soon as the first contact rides in our favor Owen and Frank stab their stone spears at the confused Kingston, slicing against his shoulder but only creating surface wounds. Multiple drum-like sounds echo in the canyon as the demi-humans start bashing the Scutums hoping to bring it down. David would asionally swing around the side attacking any ambitious enemies that want to go around the shield and some really ambitious demi-humans would climb on the cliff wall only to be attacked by Howard. "Shit, demi-human archers and human archers start to volley!" "Well, if you are going to attack with arrows then we will too. ROBIN! FIRE! AIM AT THE ENEMY ARCHERS!" The moment I said those words I could see above me a rain of fire pummeling down on the condensed archer troops. While a volley of arrows was released from them first, most of the arrows overshot or undershot hitting their allies more than us. However, our fire arrows were on point. With the aid of higher ground, there was less aiming to do and the fire is already helping. Burning hair or clothes and sending the archer troop into a panic. "RUN INTO THE RIVER YOU IDIOTS IT WILL PUT OUT THE FIRE!" "Good, it''s time. Luna howl for me, signal the wolf cubs to attack." The battle is already in my favor but something tells me it shouldn''t be this simple. 80 Chapter 80 Another long howl fills the canyon. One wolf speaking to another, signaling a pincer attack. In response, multiple higher pitch howlse from behind the enemy army along with the short grunts and yells from the goblins. In the dark, their bright yellow eyes shone brighter than any light. I can see them darting around as they approach the confused enemy troops, some wading into the water while others nocked their arrows into their bows and let loose an arrow. Screams and criese from both the human and demi-human NPCs as they are attacked from different angles and directions by the goblins. Theirck of sight only increased their fear. "STOP SCREAMING LIKE LITTEL KIDS! IT''S ONLY GOBLINS. STICK CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AND WATCH ALL ANGLES" Gabe''s booming voice struck all the NPCs like lightning. Quickly they formed groups of 3 or 4 with their backs against each other they only need to worry about the threat that is in front of them. Soon their counter-attack began, they slowly retaliated against the goblins and the wolf cubs waving their spears, clubs and arrows in front of them to ward off any attacks. However, they forgot that there was a team of archers above them and with them sticking close to one another without moving the target on their backs only grewrger. Robin, Lucina, Lime and the goblins let loose a rain of normal arrows with some fire arrows mixed into it on the floating army. Arrows pierce skulls, shoulders, backs and arms filling the river with blood. "GET BACK! GET BACK! RETREAT! KINGSTON! WE ARE RETREATING!" With a hurried voice, Gabe tries his best to recall his troops, however, the ones stuck in the river could not get out. With goblins on the other side shooting arrows directly at the floating targets and goblin spearmen ready to pounce on any enemy close enough they could only slowly wade their way towards the river bank taking damage from the countless arrows. The battle at the frontline wasn''t looking too well for Gabe and his friends. Kingston is constantly being kept in check by Howard or David preventing him from turning around and running. The other demi-humans were busy doing their best to break down the Scutum wall but to no avail, the spears from Gobi and the other shield bearers slowly piling on the damage. Each stab and thrust hit the ankles, skin and feet creating lots of scratches and cuts. Furthermore, Noah, Frank and Owen were doing their best to attack any demi-human brave enough to try and climb over the wall. Blood stter in all directions and screams echo in my ears but lucky for me there have been no casualties yet. With the constant downpour of arrows as support for the main fight, everyone felt confident and morale skyrocketed. "Gabe! We need to run now! Leave Kingstone he can''t escape anyways." "Shit, you are right Phil. Who is still able to retreat with us?" "Just 3 demi-human archers and a human spearman." "Okay, everyone let''s leave this is a losing battle." "Yes, sir Gabe." As I observe the battle from behind my troops I could see the torch that was always illuminating Gabe''s face moving further away. I squint my eyes and I couldn''t believe my eyes. They are running? Already? The fight had just started. Only some of his troops had died but most have life-threatening injures. But even then there is still a big bulk of his army that has not died or given up yet. However, he gives up first? "DROP YOUR WEAPONS ON THE GROUND AND YOU WILL BE SPARED! YOUR COMMANDER OR LEADER IS RUNNING THERE IS NO NEED TO FIGHT ANYMORE!" "HAHAHA! Bullshit! Gabe would never leave me! Right, Gabe?" Kingston steps back a bit after doing a big swing which cracks the shield and left a dent. He turns around expecting to see Gabe and Phil watching him from behind but to his disappointment they were gone. He could only see 10 or so humans and demi-humans drenched in blood and water with their hands in the air and their weapons on the ground next to their feet. "What¡­?" "Kingston, give up. Your friends left you to save themselves. " "This¡­This¡­" As Kingston begins toprehend the situation some of the more heavily injured demi-humans fighting with the shieldbearers drop their weapon and slump on the ground throwing his head back and taking big breaths. With the one demi-human losing his will to fight a chain reaction is set forth throughout the remaining army. One by one whether they were human or demi-human they drop their weapons and looked at me waiting for my decision. "Kingston. Let''s stop this. How about you join me? I can tell you are a Traveller instead of a Leader. Gabe and Phil obviously left you to die. Are you going to just let them do that?" "I¡­Gabe¡­He¡­He promised that after this we would eat some Korean BBQ together. We would get the money from Bones and¡­and have dinner together." It felt weird seeing such a big guy confused about the situation and unsure about how to proceed, break down in front of me. I wasn''t sure how to handle it myself but I can only try and get him on my side. "I can''t promise you Korean BBQ but I can at least promise you that if you team up with me you can at least ask Gabe why he let you." "Really? I can do that?" "Yes, you can." "Okay, let''s go now!" From behind the shield wall, Ie out and ask Gobi to move the wall to the side to shake Kingston''s hand. The first yer ally and it happened to be a previous enemy who would have thought. As we just shook hands and I was about to tell everyone to start moving a blood-curdling scream is heard in front of us. Kingston turns around and I peek around his massive body. It''s dark so I couldn''t see much but the goblins further away started to sprint towards us with frightened eyes. "Robin fire a fire arrow towards the bend. Now!" Without hesitation, Robin fires an arrow the moment I finished my order. The bright orange me zooms across the sky but I focus on the dark space that is the river bend. To my surprise, the arrownds on a body. With half a head, brains sttered across the ground and blood pooling was Gabe''s body. The upper half of his body ripped and separated from his lower half with his intestines dangling between the two halves. Another scream is head and what little of what used to be Phil''s body was smashed on top of Gabe''s body not once, not twice but three times. Merging the two piles of flesh. A stone arm grips the leg of what once was Phil and pulls the congealed mess around the corner. "Oh no¡­" I guess my bad feeling was right. The fight was not over, heck it hasn''t even begun yet. 81 Chapter 81 The goblins scramble away running towards the main force as quickly as they can, their feet pushing off the soft muddy ground kicking up mud, dirt and small pebbles. Desperate cries and shoutse from them as their terrified expressionse closer, amplified by theck of light. Their bright yellow eyes dart around telling a hundred words but despite it all, they still cling to their weapon, holding it close to their chest. It didn''t take long before everyone was grouped up together and with the addition of all the goblins, the surrendered humans, demi-humans and Kingston, a new battle formation was formed. With the imminent threat that is the stone monsters, there was only one option if we didn''t want to die. Stand together. No matter how cheesy it might be the situation just did not allow for anything else. "Everyone group up. Humans, demi-humans and goblins throw away anything and everything about race. Right now we are just prey to the stone monsters and as we just saw one of them just killed Gabe and Phil." "Ian, can we win against a whole bunch of them?" Howard grabs his mace and bnces it on his shoulder as he looks towards me. "Howard, in all honesty, I don''t even know if we can handle one of them. Thest time I tried I pretty much got yed with until I died. I can only hope we can deal with them." "Okay, how do you propose we go about this?" I look at everyone around me and I can only see simr expressions. It didn''t matter if it was someone I knew or someone from HavenFall or someone I just met in this battle. They all wore worried and depressed faces as if they know no matter what happens during the fight they are going to die. I grit my teeth and took a deep breath before addressing everyone. "Everyone, listen up here is the n. All archers, goblins, humans and demi-humans head up the path to the top and replenish your arrows. Your position will be on the path as well as HavenFall. The monsters are able to fly and while the arrows might not damage them consistently they might be able to distract the flying monsters and divert the attention away." With a slight nod the archers slowly left, following my orders and positioning themselves correctly. "New human and demi-human members I want you to be at the top defending the archers in case anything unexpected happens. There are spare wooden shields at the base of the path. Noah, I want you to be the temporary leader of this group. Get old man Hus to make as many makeshift weapons, armor and shields as he can right now and during the fight." "Sure, Ian. I''ll get some of the new recruits to help out as well. Lime too because she is pretty handy in these things." "Thank you, Noah. Goblin spearmen and warriors your position will be within the formation. Right behind Gobi and the other 4 Scutum shields will be your spears and clubs. The moment the shield looks like it is going to move or the goblin behind the shield is wearing out, push against the shield or rece the goblin shield-bearer immediately. Constantly look out for each other and say something the moment it looks bad." "YES LEADER IAN!" "Howard, David and Kingston you will be the main warriors and our method of attacking the stone monster. We have disposable maces, clubs and spears that you will be able to use the moment your current weapon breaks. I feel like I am too weak to join in on the fight however I will be constantly looking out for you. I will shout, scream or yell at you the moment the situation changes, especially if the situation worsens. Howard, you will be using the Hobgoblin''s Club. Be careful ok?" "Okay, Ian. Don''t worry we will be fine." "Y-y-yeah we will be fine. This is not that s-s-scary right?" "WELL SAID! Give me a weapon and I will crush these monsters." The different responses from the main damage dealers somewhat cleared the knot in my stomach. Even though David is still scared, in his own way he is trying to cope and rather than running away from the problem he is even making a joke out of it. Even Kingston sounded excited to be fighting. "Frank and Owen, your job is going to be to support these three. Use your agility and longer reach with the spear to intercept any anomalies. If I don''t catch something, it is your job to detect it and defend against it to protect the others okay?" "Got it." A synchronized response from the two of them bought a slight smile to my face. My troops are starting to intertwine with one another and getting closer. It''s time to prepare for the attack. "ROBIN LIGHT UP THE SPACE IN FRONT OF US!" With a shout, I start my preparation for the attack and the first thing I needed to do was create some light for everyone. Rather than looking into the darkness waiting for the creature to emerge, it might be drawn out by the light and then exposes itself to us. 10 or so fire arrows get released at the same time creating an arc across the night sky. Somend on the ground and emit a faint light around it, while othersnd in the river and a lucky fewnd on the small shrubbery creating a small bonfire. The embers spread to other small greenery creating a carpet of mes. I take small breaths as I wait for the action. My heart racing faster and faster, beating against my chest as each second ticks. I can tell it wasn''t just me. The tension in the air was tighter than a taut rope. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. And when I thought nothing was going to happen. It happens. At the end of the carpet of mes, hovering just off the ground emerges the stone monster. The flickering light from the fire creates a massive shadow, extending from the monster into the abyss behind it. Itsrge wings spread wide as the embers from the fire tap against its skin before falling to the ground. Its arms hanging by its side and at the tip of the ws was dried blood. The most horrific part about the monster was its expression. The same smile that reaches its ears and crescent moon-like eyes as it looks at us. Despite appearing from the darkness ever so slowly it didn''t move after it revealed itself. Just floating there, with the same expression. Watching us. Looking at us. Observing us. Without blinking. Without moving. 82 Chapter 82 Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. It''s only a game. It''s just a monster in a game. It''s got big scary ws. A menacing smile. Hard skin. Wings. Looks like a human. It''s fine. It''s fine. What can go wrong? "Ian. What do we do?" A question. So quiet I thought I missed it. The words escaped through the small gaps between the teeth. What do WE do? What can be done? Do we move first? Is it by itself? Will we be able to defend against it? Are the shields strong enough to withstand the sharp ws? Do we even have a weapon that can damage the monster? "Howard¡­I don''t know." I can feel the sweat forming on my forehead. I can feel it trickle down the side of my cheek and pool together at my chin before separating from my body and falling to the ground. I can tell it wasn''t just me. I see Howard and David constantly shifting their hands on their weapon. As well as Gobi and the other goblins slightly trembling as they wait in silence unable to even see the monster. "It moved." Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. I gulp on my non-existent saliva as I observe the stone monster hover towards us a bit. It didn''t move much. Just a bit. Like someone taking a step forward. But it was enough. Unconsciously, everyone took a step back. The tension and pressure in the air loom over us, forcing us to take a step back whether we wanted to or not. I try to calm myself. Focusing on the task at hand. But I can feel my body shaking slightly. The scene of GomiTwo and the other goblins getting massacred in front of me ys in front of me. Only yesterday did a whole squad of goblins and myself get killed by the stone monster. Complete domination, without us, even standing a chance. I bite down on my lip and shake my head. I''m going to force my words out. If I the leader of HavenFall is already in this state then what about everyone else. They must be feeling worse or at least the same as me, right? "Everyone, It''s slowly approaching us but we can''t let it have the first move. We must be ready right now to engage with it and be prepared for anything that happens." I gulp once again and lick my dry lips. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. I inhale, filling my lungs with a lot of air. "ROBIN! FIRE THE ARROWS IN FRONT OF US!" Responding to my shout a rain of arrows pummels down from the cliffs. Both fire arrows and normal arrows rain down but it wasn''t just the archers above that responded to my shout. Kicking off the air, the stone monster flies towards us with its arms wide open. Its creepy smile slightly agape with the rows of sharp teeth slightly showing. The arrows bounce off its hard skin and wings unable to prate through. Even the fire arrows have no effect since there was nothing to burn, but at least they lit the area sightly. "SHIELDS PREPARE FOR IMPACT!" With my warning, Gobi and the others push the shields into the mud bracing themselves for the impact. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds. IT''S HERE! With its arms bent backward it swings it down at the shields. Prating into the firstyer of wood and slicing across the whole row of shields, not once by twice. The sheer amount of force pushed the goblins back but luckily the other goblin spearmen and warriors were right behind them helping them keep the shield steady. Activating Roar, Howard jumps up swinging the Hobgoblin''s Club at the stone monster''s face. Reacting to the taunt the stone monster looks at Howard, only to receive a full swing to its face by Howard. Knocking its head back was the best Howard could do with his attack but it created an opening. "DAVID FOLLOW UP! LUNA YOU TOO!" David steps around the shield wall, sshing into the river before dashing up the river bank to the stone monster. Faster and more agile than David Luna jumps on top of thending Howard and leaps into the air mming her body against the stone monster''s chest causing it to fall on the ground and giving David a chance to catch up. He swings the stone ax above his head before smashing it down on the monster''s head. But it didn''t work out like how I thought about it in my head. The ax breaks into smaller rocks and the handle of the ax breaks in half. The monster swings his arm along the ground hitting David''s legs knocking him off the ground and making himnd on his back. A loud groan escapes David''s lips but shortly turns into a cry for help. The monster grabs his ankle and lifts up David as it uses his wings to get off the ground. "KINGSTON! HOWARD!" "ON IT!!" With the higher attack on the Hobgoblin''s Club Howard jumps over the wall with the help of Frank and Owen and smashes the club against the right side of the monster cracking its skin. Seeing the opportunity Kingston wraps around the wall following David''s previous path and swings his ax at the same side Howard just attacked creating a web of cracks along the side of the monster. Its expression changes for the worse, with its creepy smile now reced with a frown. The curves of its mouth create a big upsidedown U and the river of blood flowing from its eyes started to flow down the whole body reaching its feet. Tossing David against the canyon wall, it hovers in front of Howard and Kingston looking down on them. "GOBI! We are moving the wall! GOGOGO!" Like a machine, the goblins holding the shields lift them off the ground and form a new wall in front of Howard and Kingston, quickly forming a new defensive line. "We can do this! Howard can do damage to it. That means we can win-" Before I could even finish my moral boosting speech the monster swings its ws down again on the shields. This time constantly beating down on the shield and unable to handle the force the goblins got knocked back and the Scutums were mostly destroyed only having oneyer of wood left. With no wall between the monster and us, it rushes with its arms wide ready to swing down and w into our flesh. Being the first person to create damage on the monster Howard meets its w with a swing of his club. Followed by Kingston jumping on Howard''s back screaming like a madman as his ax smashes into the monster''s face shattering into pieces. For the first time, I heard the monster scream. Like a cat''s w running along a ckboard, the piercing sound sts into my ear. An unexpected sounding from the monster incapacitates everyone bringing them all to their knees. The shadow of death looms over us once again. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Don''t be afraid. Again all I hear in my head is my voice repeating the same words. 83 Chapter 83 I can taste the dirt in my mouth as my ears ring with that ufortable sound. I''m barely able to open my eyes to the surroundings. Holding my hands over my eyes didn''t help and I can see that everyone was trying their best to endure the pain but it hurts. It really, really, hurts. Then. Something warm sprays over my head and back. I reach a little over my shoulder as I feel something trickle down the nape of my neck. I touch the warm liquid with the tips of my fingers and then bring it away from my shoulder and closer to my eyes. Blood. Whose? I jolt my body up quickly but a wave of dizziness hits me at the same time forcing my body to lean to the side. I prop myself up with my arm to prevent myself from falling and I look around. Whose blood was it? The towering monster covered most of my sight. Standing in a pool of blood and munching on a goblin leg as if it was a drumstick. At the same time, I finally notice the death notification in the corner of my eye. [ Gopo has died. ] [ Guro has died. ] [ Gami has died. ] [ GobuTi has died. ] [ Garipi has died. ] [ Gebui has died. ] 6 goblins had perished to the monster. Their green blood pool around the monster''s feet with their torn limbs scattered in every direction. Quickly I check my status to view my HP. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 23/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 2 ( Happy ) Health Points (HP): 6/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 11 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Improved Stone Spear, Stone Chest te, Stone Knife, Stone Shield I must have taken some damage earlier from the stone monster''s screech. Around me, I could hear the soft groans of the survivors. Howard, Frank, Owen etc all slowly struggling to get to their feet. The front of their body is covered in mud and dirt while their backs were spotted with bits and pieces of goblin flesh and blood. The stench of blood envelops the surroundings and with green lipstick on, the monster smiles at us. Its side still shattered from our attempt of bringing it down before but when it smiled at us a chill ran down my spine. An illusion that our damage was negligible. Oppression from its presence. "Ian! Snap out of it. We can defeat it." Howard ces his hand on my shoulder waking me up from my own delusions. "Right¡­Everyone make sure you have a shield and a stone mace. Aim for the cracked part and be run or shield if needed!" With a somewhat determined voice, I instruct everyone on their duty. Knowing I wasn''t in the best mental state Howard chimes in and yells at the top of his voice while swinging the club above his head. Followed by Kingston as he grabs a stone mace and charges towards the monster. With newfound energy, the rest of the residents charge including Luna and Gobi. Howard lead the charge with Kingston and Luna following behind him closely, the rest followed behind shields ready for an unexpected situation. With a loud cry from Howard, the monster turns towards him swinging its stone fists. Matching the fist was the Hobgoblin Club creating a loud sound that echoed in my ears. Momentarily stopping the monster''s movements and creating an opportunity for the agile Luna to dash around Howard''s body ramming the monster''s weakness forcing it to take a step back. Followed up by Kingston shattering yet another weapon across the monster''s head but this time creating a small web of cracks on the ce of impact. Those three weren''t the only ones putting in work. Owen and Frank did their best to poke and stab at the monster''s cracked skin creating small holes which slowly ergened after multiple stabs. Behind the monster, I could see our reinforcement as well. Noah and a rag-tag team of demi-humans, humans and goblins came sprinting down the pathway each holding onto a spear or a mace and some of the stronger ones holding onto a shield, leading the charge. With the attacks increasing on the monster it starts to panic and ils around. Bashing its stone arms around and continuously turning and spinning, picking up dirt and scattering rocks. Weapons constantly break against its hard skin but at the same time the web of cracks grows and holes appear more frequently until with ast loud screech the stone monster falls. The stone monster is now reced by a mound of rocks but with something blue and shiny at the top of it. Throughout the whole battle, I was at the back watching everyone fight, I was afraid of it and couldn''t move. BUT since it was over, time for me to move. I walk past everyone that was huffing and puffing near the rocks and climbed the small mound of rocks. At the top, I took a quick nce around somewhat expecting something to happen but nothing. I kneel down and look at the shiny object at the top of the stone mound. It was the size and shape of a tennis ball but a translucent blue color. I pick up the blue ball and a message appears in front of me. [ Golem Core A blue translucent ball that can contain mana. Combined with a magic circle and a medium a golem can be created. ] Wait¡­ That stone monster was a golem. Those stone monsters which took over the copper mines were all golems? Who is controlling them then? Or are they autonomous? What is happening¡­? I took a deep breath look up and in the corner of my eye was something flying away. I snap my head towards the fleeing object and squint my eyes. A bat? No, a bird? No¡­ It was a flying golem, simr to the one we just defeated but a smaller size. Shit¡­Whoever it was, was watching us for the longest of time. Looking at the fleeing golem I gulp and pray for the best. Hopefully, I won''t be raided by them any time soon¡­ 84 Chapter 84 "Luke! Luke! Look, look. LOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKK!" "Okay, okay, I''m looking." Her jet-ck hair twirls around in the air as she performs a backflip. Her clothes entuate her already petite body. With just a small amount of cloth, some vines and animal skin, she looked like a war goddess descending from the skies as shends. Except, her cheeky smiles and childish nature shatter the image in seconds. "I''m d you are all better, Sylvia." Standing behind me were two women. A blonde hair slender elf as well as a silver hair curvaceous dark elf. After being with them for a while I had gotten to learn more about their circumstances. Originally, their two tribes were at each other''s throats constantly fighting for supremacy until a wave of monsters attacked them at the same time killing most of their tribe. Some individuals were captured instead and were used as experiments in creating new kinds of monsters much like the failed goblin/orc thing that I faced a while back. The two of them were captured separately but tossed to the same location where they met. Having known each other briefly through their battles they were somewhat surprised to meet each other but due to their circumstances, they quickly bonded and tried to help each other survive. But their luck was going to run out, after a couple of months of dodging the guillotine they were going to used to feed a failed experiment however, I appeared and helped them out of the situation. After the battle, we quickly retreated away deep into the forest where we found a cave hidden behind somerge trees and moss where we tended to each other''s wounds and made sure that Sylvia was going to be okay. Sr harnesses the power from the sun in order to disy healing powers as well as light magic. Likewise, Ster utilizes the moon''s energy to disy healing powers and dark magic. However, there were clear differences between the two''s power. Sr was more focused on healing and supporting magic whereas Ster while she can heal her magic was more offensive-oriented and yed more on stealth. "Well, that was all because of you two, Sr and Ster." "We didn''t do too much. With the help of the energy from the moon and the sun as well as your own body''s natural healing abilities, you were able to recover much faster than we expected." Her smile grew evenrger and it seemed like she had a cheeky grin on her face. "See that Luke. My body is amazing! HAHAHA!" "Yes, yes I get it. Well, now that you are all rested let''s get a move on. While we were here, I did some scouting and found a couple of encampments in the general vicinity. We can start by taking down the closest ones and saving anyone in there to increase our strength as well as bnce out our formation." "Do you know what monster upies the encampments?" "Two of them were goblins and thest one was some sort of stone monster with wings and-" "Did you say stone monster with wings? "Yea, Sr what is wrong?" Sr grips her head with her hands while Ster replies for her. "Those monsters were what attacked our tribes." "What!" Both Sylvia and myself eximed our surprise at the same time. "Those monsters aren''t monsters in the conventional sense." "What do you mean by that?" This time Sr exins more about the monsters in detail. "What you saw most likely looked like arge human with wings like a bat and ws for hands right?" "Yes." "Right, these monsters are like pawns to Kronos. While he prefers to experiment and create new kinds of hideous monsters he much like the other Kings has his own army. These stone monsters are golems he creates to substitute for a flesh and blood army while he spends his time creating stronger and stronger monsters tomand the golems." "So, they aren''t living monsters?" "That is half correct. They aren''t living like how you and I are living but they are still very much alive. They make their own decisions in battle and have different styles ofbat which they prefer. With only a golem core to power their movements and a hard stone skin to protect the core. They were thought to be one of the stronger armies of all the kings." "Okay Sr, so that encampment which I saw is most likely one of the numerous bases Kronos has around this area right?" "Maybe, I would think he is gathering resources for his experiments and he is using the golems to acquire whatever he needs." "Should we fight them? Sylvia jumps into the conversation after listening in and absorbing the content. "Kronos''s army wouldn''t all be here. This would be like a scouting party of some sort and there wouldn''t be as many golems. OR we can raid the goblin encampment first and potentially gather more allies before attacking the golem army but if we do that we risk being detected by that golem army and they can attack us and we lose the element of surprise." After hearing Sylvia''s point I got to thinking, what would Ian do here? Would he attack the stronger army and rely on the 4 of us to be able to handle it? Or would he retreat and attack other ces and recruit more people? As I was thinking about it, the golden wolves which have been with me for the whole journey came back from scouting. Imunicated with them about our potential ns as well as learned from them that the golem encampment is on the move. Some of the golems had left and only about half of them remained however one of the wolves saw a golem that looked different from the rest. It wasrger than the normal golem was wielding a white stone greatsword and it had arge horn in the middle of its forehead. Was it an evolved golem? "Oh no, it''s the horned golem. It''s one of the generals of the golems. It looks like a golem because Kronos made it that way however, it is actually an experiment that turned out to not be a failure. Its strength outssed our tribe''s elders. We should avoid it at all costs!" Listening to Sr''s plea I decided to postpone attacking the golem encampment despite most of the golems leaving the encampment. The new horned golem just seemed like too big of a risk to fight against. Instead, I lead Sr, Ster, Sylvia and the wolves to the furthest goblin encampment slowly while covering our tracks the best we could to avoid any idents. The goblin encampment housed 20-30 goblins with two humans, a boy and a girl, trapped in a cage. The goblins were dancing around the two constantly jabbing at them with their knives and spears while jeering and spitting. The terrified looks on their faces reminded me of my past experiences. I grit my teeth as I watch the scene almost pouncing out of hiding from the rage that was building up inside me. "Wolves loop around the right, Ster stealth to the left, Sr support from behind and Sylvia you are with me." I grip my knife tightly while looking at Sylvia as she tosses her knife in the air. "Luke, don''t worry. I have your back." "Thanks, Sylvia. Letsgo!" 85 Chapter 85 What a familiar feeling. My small stone knife with just the edges sharpened against other rocks slicing, cutting and stabbing into flesh. Green blood sttered everywhere covering my arm, my body, my legs, the rocks, the dirt and even other goblins. The constant screams, shrieks and yells fill my ears. My eyes dart around constantly taking in the new information, where is the closest goblin? Should I dodge backward and then attack? Maybe a stab here will be enough to kill it? Is Sylvia doing okay other there? How about Sr? Ster? I stab my knife into the eye of an attacking goblin puncturing through it and twisting it, destroying its brain before pulling my knife out. I take away the goblin knife held within its clutches and proceed onwards to the next enemy. Stab. Slice. Cut. Rinse and repeat. The sound around me muddles together. Like the feeling of trying to listen to someone talk to you when they are above water while you are submerged. My breathing slows but my body moves faster and faster. I cut and cut. And once my knife breaks I pick up another from my enemy pushing forward constantly. "..ke¡­Lu¡­ke¡­LUKE!" Pulled out from my trance and literally pulled backward I fall on my back looking at the clear blue sky. "What¡­What?" "You dumbass. Look at where you were going to attack." I push myself up with my elbows and look in front of me. Standing behind the cage in front of the girl was the guy. Both with terrified looks on their faces, like they saw a monster even though goblins were just surrounding them. I reach out with my hand trying to grab onto the cage in order to break them free. "H-hey-" "STAY BACK!" I jolted back from his aggressive tone. "Just stay back, please." I stood there in a daze. Unsure what to do. "Luke, the goblins have been more or less defeated with the wolves hunting down any escapees." "Thank you Ster. Where is Sr? And Sylvia are you okay?" "Sr is tending to one of the wolves. As for whether or not I''m okay, I should be asking you that. What the hell happened during that fight? You started to go crazy you know. Running headfirst into a crowd of goblins. Sure you got out alive and barely touched but that is some reckless behavior." "Sorry, Sylvia¡­" "Whatever. Just¡­Just say something if you aren''t feeling well. HEY! You two what are your names? I''m Sylvia, this dumbass on the ground is Luke and the dark elf is Ster. We have anotherpanion who is an elf called Sr and some wolf friends." The boy looks behind him, seeming hesitant about revealing anything about himself or the girl. But for better or for worse he resolves himself and introduced themselves. "My name is Spike and this is my little sister Val. We were ves that were captured yesterday when the goblins here attacked a transportation unit between two other settlements." Hearing about active trade routes piqued my interest. "Who was trading with who and where is the trade route?" "Kronos¡­And any settlement or vige within his domain. However, trading ves is the norm. We have been shipped to 5 or 6 different settlements already but yesterday just so happened to be the first time where we were attacked mid transport." "Kronos is gathering ves? What for?" "Sorry, I''m not sure. Most of the time we get traded between other ve traders. This time someone or something with a Kronos emblem was trying to gather ves of any and all kinds. I doubt they care if one batch of ves were lost." Listening to Spike''s story I began to wonder more about the purpose of the golem encampment. "Hmm¡­Ster what do you make of this?" "Well, I think Kronos wanted to conduct some experiments by mixing different races rather than different monsters. Or even mixing races and monsters together." "That would be worrying right?" ''Luke! Enough thinking let''s get the two of them out first." "Okay, okay. Ster give Sylvia a hand. I don''t think I should help here." Sylvia and Ster began to knock down the cage with the goblin clubs. At the same time, I went to find Sr and thankfully she wasn''t too far away. Kneeling next to a golden wolf whose side had been stabbed by a knife was Sr closing her eyes and pouring a soft golden light into the wound. "Sr, after you are done here can you do a quick check on the new people. The boy is called Spike and the quiet girl is Val. Heal any wounds they might have sustained." "Sure Luke. Are you okay by the way?" "I''m fine why do you ask?" "I was going to cast haste and lesser shield on you however both spells seemed to be unable to be cast on you. It happened when you ran into the horde of goblins and you were surrounded. I understood you came out okay but I was still worried." "I''m not too sure about it either. During that whole time, I felt like I was in a trance-like state. I couldn''t hear anything around me. Like someone had covered my ears with something just enough that I can hear sounds around me but I couldn''t make out any words." "Hmm¡­Not too sure either sorry." "That''s okay Sr. Thank you for worrying about me." Sr gives me a soft smile before turning back to the wolf and continuing to heal her. I walk back to the cage where Sylvia and Ster had released the two. At the same time, Sylvia had broken some sort of wooden nk chain around their wrists and feet allowing them to move their limbs more freely. "Spike and Val. I have a question for you. Will you join us in gathering more people? My goal is to save people or other demi-humans or other races that have been ced in an unfair situation due to monsters or the Kings." "You want us to fight? Never! Me and my sister are not fighting for your goals. Even if the goal is a very just and selfless goal. I cannot risk my sister who is my only family dying." "That''s fine. I only wanted to ask you. However, there is no ce safe at the moment. I know of a safe haven however it is far from here and I do not intend to return there any time soon. I can take you there after I finish my business, is that okay?" After a moment''s silence, Spike gives in to my proposal. "Okay¡­But my priority is my sister. If the fight looks unwinnable I will leave as soon as I can." "That''s fine as well." I smile and look away from Spike and look towards Sylvia who was tending to Val''s hair. It''s so strange how can anyone be able tomunicate so well with someone they had just met. This girl who I had deemed quiet and reserved is giggling away with Sylvia. Noticing my stare she gives me a small frown, pushing the inside of her brows together and pouting her cheek a bit. "What you looking at, huh? Dumb Luke!" I can only sigh, why is she like this? 86 Chapter 86 "So, what do you want us to do?" With a slightly angry but determined face, Spike steps forward to confront me about his role. "Well, do you have any preference in weapons? Have you fought before?" "I have not fought before. As for preference in weapons, I wouldn''t know." "Then take this goblin club. Just swing it at anything that moves in front of you when we are in a fight. That goes for your sister as well. She needs to be able to defend herself with her own weapon." "Okay." Spike grabs onto the club somewhat hesitantly. His anxious eyes move quickly between me, his sister and the club. "What now?" "Now? Nothing. We search through the encampment, see if there is anything we can take, and move on to the next one." And with that I left Spike and started to search through the small goblin huts. There unfortunately was not much here, just some animal bones, animal skin, bits and pieces of rotten flesh, some makeshift pots and other assortments of goblin weapons. Deep down, I knew that goblin knives I keep recycling weren''t good weapons. They break easily, and they were small and short, an eventually I might have to battle a creature or monster where the goblin knife is just useless against. In the back of my head, I feel a slight panic, hoping to find a weapon that would be of use againstrger and stronger enemies but to my disappointment after searching through the whole encampment with everyone there was no such weapon. I had Spike and Val pick up any goblin knives they came across, and at the end of the search there was a total of 15 goblin knives. I distribute 4 to Ster, 2 to Sr, 2 to Sylvia and 1 each to Spike and Val while keeping 5 tied, so they were hanging from a vine and I wrapped the vine around my waist. "Heyyyyy Luke. Are we done here yet?" I look towards the bored Sylvia. Honestly, I couldn''t believe she had a bored expression on her face as she lies on the ground, resting her head on one of the wolves stomach, whilst the surroundings were green blood and broken huts. Absolutely unbelievable. "Yea, I''m done. Let''s move onto the next encampment." I do a short howl to gather the wolves and asked them to lead us to the next goblin encampment. Along the move towards the next encampment, Val asked me some questions. "So, howe you can talk to the wolves?" "Just can." "Do they have names?" "Yep." "Oh. What are their names?" "The two adults are called Belle and Dawn, while the cub is Hugo." As I was finishing introducing the names of the wolves, Sylvia, who was at the front of the pack, turns around and zooms towards me. "THEY HAD NAMES??? WHY DIDN''T YOU TELL ME!!!" I was shaken back and forth by the surprised Sylvia, and the words could barely escape my mouth. "No¡­One¡­Asked" "Ugh, whatever. At least now I don''t need to guess which wolf is which. I can say their names now! Belle! Dawn! Hugo! Come follow me!!" Like a storm, she pushes me aside and runs to the front with the wolves on her tail. "You have your work cut out for yourself, Luke." "Stop giggling to yourself, Ster and Sr, wipe that smile off your face." "Whatever you say." Both the elves walk past me, following the chaotic path of Sylvia and the wolves. However, I turn to the side since Val stopped moving and Spike was checking on Val. "Sis, are you okay?" "I''m fine brother. I just slipped a little. Let''s keep moving." Confirming that nothing was wrong, I let the siblings move ahead of me before following them closely. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary during our walk from one encampment to another, but regardless, night was slowly approaching. The sun was kissing the horizon and its golden rays wash over the canopy of the forest and peek through the gaps between the trees. In front of us, another encampment. Since night ising, the best move would be to attack now before the goblin''s night vision bes a problem. After a quick scout around the perimeter, Steres back and reports the details. "About 20 goblins. Slightly less than thest encampment, however, there is a hobgoblin leading this group as well as a cage housing 5 or 6 humans and another cage next to it housing 2 demi-humans. All the captives look beaten and broken." "What about the weapons the goblins and hobgoblin are using?" "From what I can tell, most of the goblins have some sort of chest te, shield and small sword. It''s longer than the goblin knives we have, so they would have more reach, but we should be able to still out range them with our longer limbs. The hobgoblin was holding onto a whip of some sort, as well as a club. Not sure if it will use the whip as a weapon or if its just a device to torture captives." "Okay I understand. Thank you Ster." "It''s fine." I close my eyes for a moment to think about a n which would reduce the amount of risk and injury. However, with the additional armour and weaponspared to normal goblins, I was not sure how strong they would be as well as how strong the hobgoblinpared to the goblins. Myst encounter with a hobgoblin was when Ian fought it, however it had a club and was worn down from constant fighting beforehand. I grip onto the wolf fang ne and concentrated on the task at hand. After a moment of silence, I open my eyes and started to tell everyone my n. "We will be doing a diversion. Dawn and Belle wille into the encampment and attract as many goblins as they can by wrecking havoc before running away. Depending on how many goblins follow them will depend on our next n. If there are only a few, then we go after Belle and Dawn and defeat the goblins first before repeating this part of the n again. However, if half or more than half of the goblins get baiting into running after the wolves, then we run into the goblin encampment and fight." "What about the hobgoblin?" "Sylvia, rx, I''m getting to that point. Sr will buff me before we rush into the encampment, and I will rush towards the hobgoblin and start fighting it. Sylvia will lead the charge, with Spike and Val behind her. Ster will focus on defending the group from unexpected angles, while Sr will provide support. Hugo will do what a wolf cub does!" "WHAT! You want to send poor Hugo into battle?" "Sylvia, he already has gone into battle." "But he had the adults with him that time." "It doesn''t matter. A wolf will always be a wolf, even if he is a cub. Don''t worry about him." "Hmm¡­Okay." "Okay, any questions?" I look around and stop at Spike and Val, almost expecting them to have a question for me. "I got one." And I was right. "Is this battle dangerous?" "Every battle is dangerous. Anything can happen in battle. You can meet a monster which shouldn''t even be here. You can run as far and as fast as you want, but it will still chase you down. Likewise, you can fight and struggle, only to die. There are no guarantees. You have to trust the people around you, Spike. Even your sister looks like she is ready." "Val?" Val was gripping onto the goblin knife handle, slightly trembling. Sylvia ced her hand on both Spike''s and Val''s shoulder, whispering words of encouragement to the both of them. "Spike, Val, we can do this. We just have to protect each other, okay? Don''t worry. Luke is going to kill that hobgoblin suppperrr fast thene back and help us if we need it." With a weak nod, the both of them looked slightly more confident. "Okay let''s begin." With a small, short howl, I signal Belle and Dawn to start the attack. Like two bolts of lightning shing through the forest, they jet towards the encampment. Howls and growls resonate and mix with the confused cries of the goblins. I can hear the hurried steps of goblins finding their weapons before attempting to attack the wolves. With a loud howl, Belle starts to run out the side of the encampment, followed by Dawn and a handful of goblins slowly running behind. Keeping their attention, I saw Dawn looping back and attacking the group of goblins before running away again. "Luke, I think about 10 goblins left." "Are you sure, Ster?" "I am half sure. We can regroup of the wolves and attack the goblins before attacking the main encampment." "No, if we do that, they might suspect a second attack by that time. However, it will be aplete surprise if we attack right now." "Then?" "Sr start the buffs on me. I''m going in as soon as you are done." 87 Chapter 87 Sr sps her hands together and closes her eyes. Her hands glow a soft yellow tinge and with a quiet inhale she starts to chant the buff. " .???i? ?i? ni mi? ????o?q bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! ???d ?i? ??ni??? wold ?bniw ??? ??l bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Haste!" After Sr finished giving me the buffs, I could feel the magic around my body. A whitish-yellow glow surrounds my body, as well as the weightlessness of my body. With a nod at Sr, I run around the perimeter of the encampment and got closer to the hobgoblin. As I left, Sylvia dashed out of the forest with everyone else towards the goblins, managing to defeat a confused goblin straightaway. The fighting drew the attention of the goblins and then it starts. The cries. The screams. The constant chattering of goblin as they fumble around towards the fight. However, the hobgoblin stays behind. Looking from my position, I see that it is standing between the cages and its hut. Like Ster had mentioned there was a whip and a club however, it was currently only wielding the whip. Hanging from its belt, tied together, was the whip and the club was casually resting against its hut. With its arms crossed and a grumpy expression, it looks in the direction where Sylvia and the others were fighting. I sneak as close as I can and grip onto the handle of the goblin knife tightly. Looking left and right for onest time, I push off the ground as hard as I could, dashing forward, knife in hand and shing the hobgoblin''s throat. Or at least that was where I aimed. Did I make a sound as I dashed toward it? Or did it already know I was targeting it? No, that should be impossible. I didn''t reveal myself at all. There is no way it could have thought that it would be attacked right after the wolves left. Then¡­How? As if it had eyes on the back of its head, the hobgoblin swerved its neck out of the way and repositioned its body to face me. At the same time, it grabbed its whip and cracked it in the air, creating a loud thunderp. The loud and unfamiliar sound temporary stuns me, and I flinch expecting something to happen, and as I let my guard down the whip hits my face. Luckily for me, the shield absorbed the damage. The hobgoblin grins menacingly while it cracks the whip to the side, producing thunderps with a flick of its wrists. I click my tongue at my failed attempt of dealing substantial damage before the fight begins. Guess I have to do this the hard way. I breathe out and dash forward, using the speed boost from ''Haste'' to close the gap between me and the hobgoblin. However, as if it predicted I would dash forward, the hobgoblin brings the whip from the side andshes at me ruthlessly. Its wide swings and quick flicks of the wrists created a constant barrage in front of me, hitting all parts of my body. I couldn''t just dash forward hoping to close the distance anymore. I reluctantly retreat outside the range of the whip, and once I did the hobgoblin stopped its barrage. Moving slowly backwards until it could grab its club. Now what? I can''t approach it and even if I did, it''s got a weapon. A cocky expression forms on the hobgoblin''s face and with a snarl it slowly moves closer to me, asionally cracking the whip in front of me. Even though I had the shield buff, I couldn''t just run in head first. What if it ran out in the middle? I could have been bombarded with the whip until I couldn''t move. I nce at my surroundings. Cages. Huts. Rocks. Hobgoblin in front. Cages to my right. Huts to my left. Rocks behind me. Gaps between each cage. Lure it closer? What about the captives? I nce at the humans and demi-humans in the cages for the first time. Huddled and terrified. Crouching together in the middle of their respective cages with their eyes closes, begging and praying for it all to end. I can do this. I can save them. Ian did it for me. I can do it for them. Taking my eyes off the hobgoblin was a mistake, unfortunately. Just that nce was enough for it to quickly step forward and crack the whip at my face. pping me across the face. No damage, but I could still, regardless, feel the blow. I retreat back a bit more and slowly move towards the gap in between the two cages. Like an idiot, the hobgoblin approaches me at the same speed, asionally cracking the whip at me but missing since I was out of its range. Once I reached the gap, I toss the goblin knife I was holding at the hobgoblin and quickly brought out another while dashing quickly to the gap. Dodging by a hair, the hobgoblin pushes forward, cracking the whip in the air before attempting to attack me in the gap. It can see me and I can see it through the small gaps in the cage, but regardless, I let it push closer push I bolted from the other side of the cage through the opening and at the hobgoblin. Already in mid-motion for the whip, it continues to bring it down on me, hitting me on the left shoulder. The surrounding shield vibrates and fades, but I push onwards. I toss a knife at its face while simultaneously shing at its right thigh. The hobgoblin barely blocks the flying knife with its club but suffers from a deep cut on its thigh. It yells. It screams. Dropping the whip on the ground and desperately swinging the club to make be retreat, however, I had already looped around it With the additional speed from ''Haste'' I was able to attack and run around the hobgoblin before it was able to react and proceeded to do another deep sh at its other thigh forcing the hobgoblin to slump to the ground. Immobilised and unable to retaliate, I finish it off with a stab to its throat. A lot easier than I had thought. Maybe I could have brute forced it at the start, rather than being careful. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and had a look around. I had a proper look at the humans and demi-humans in the cages. 5 humans in a cage and 2 demi-humans in a separate cage. In the cage with the humans, a young girl was held in the arms of 3 women, desperately holding in their screams and tears, while a dumbfounded teenage male stood in front of them. I look to the demi-human cage and saw teenage twins, a boy and a girl. Both with white wolf-like ears and a small fluffy white wolf tail. They were standing there confused and slightly on guard. "My name is Luke. I have friends currently fighting on the other side of the encampment. I will go to them first ande back for you. Okay?" With a slow nod from the teenage boy and the twins, I push off the ground and run towards Sylvia and the rest. It didn''t take me too long to meet up with them, but I guess I was too worried. They had just finished defeating thest goblin as I arrived. "Heyyyy slowpoke. What took you so long to defeat 1 hobgoblin?" "Shut up Sylvia. Is everyone okay?" "Yep! We were doing fine and the Belle and Dawn arrived which made it even easier." I see all the wolves cuddling Sr as she heals Spike. There was a small cut along his forearm, but with Sr''s healing it should be gone in a minute. "Did anything happen, Sylvia?" "Not really. Ster though we were getting ambushed from behind, but it was just the wolves. How about you, everything okay?" "Sr''s shield helped me a lot. Since I was not used to it, I wasn''t sure how much it could handle, so I was more careful about getting hit and took it a little slower." "Luke. How are the people in the cages?" "They are fine, Ster. A little confused but fine. I told them I was going here first thening back to help them out since everyone here is my first priority." "Then let''s go and free them and exin the situation." I nod at Ster''sment and after helping Val, who was sitting on the ground next to Sr and Spike up, we moved back to the cages. We took apart the cages and released everyone that was trapped, and finally were able to introduce ourselves properly. "Like I said before, my name is Luke and these are my friends. We came here to help free people from the monsters. Is everyone okay?" The teenage boy was the first to speak. "We are fine. I am Rex and these are Lily, Rose, Daisy and the little one is Meg. We were captured from different ces. I overheard from a monster in a ck robe that spoke the human tongue that we were meant to be sent to Kronos. I¡­We¡­Thought we were going to just die." The 4 girls, Lily a slender girl with long dark-blue hair, Rose a short weak-looking girl with short pink hair, Daisy a well-endowed youngdy with brown hair and blonde highlights and Meg a young girl with brown twin tails. "I see. How about you two, can you understand us?" I look at the twins, hoping they could understand me. I didn''t realise that there were differentnguages, since Sr and Ster understood me. I guess they already knew the humannguage. Then, does that mean thenguage they speak to cast their spells is elvish? "We¡­Understand¡­Small¡­Name¡­Ken¡­Sister¡­Kaede" "Understood. I know it might be hard for you to speak, but you can slowly learn. I have a question I want to ask everyone. I am looking forpanions to help save those that are trapped in other encampments. Will you help me?" I let my words sink into them while I look behind me. I see Sylvia nodding at my words while Ster was busy looking into the distance, Sr brushing Belle''s fur and the siblings standing next to each other taking in everything I was saying as well. "We¡­Help¡­Luke." This time it was the twins that initiated. Stepping forward together with determined faces. "Wait, Luke. We want to help, but I am worried about the girls." "Rex. We can take care of ourselves, okay?" "Daisy¡­But." "It will be fine. Luke will help us. Right?" "Uhh¡­Daisy was it? I will do my best, but everyone will take care of themselves, especially during battle." "Then we will join you. That okay girls? And Rex?" ,m The girls next to Daisy nodded quickly, while Rex reluctantly agreed. "Then-" Cutting me from telling the rest of my n, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. The direction of the golem encampment. What happened? 88 Chapter 88 A cloud of smoke in the distance, rising up into the sky and small ck dots circling the cloud. "Luke¡­" "I know, Ster. We need to go there. Our best chance in attacking that encampment is right now. Everyone, let''s move." I howl at the wolves and told them to lead the way. Everyone started to run after Belle and Dawn without muchint. I see the nervous expressions on our newpanions as they follow my lead towards the unknown. As we ran through the ce where Sylvia and the others fought the goblins, we took the goblin weapons and shields and proceeded to move onward. Out the corner of my eye, I see Sylvia holding the hobgoblin''s club and whip. When did she take those? As I was about to say something, she notices my gaze. With a carefree smile, she points forward, and I follow her finger. The wolves at the front had stopped and were growling. I in turn stop as well and put my hand up hoping that everyone would stop as well. Luckily, they did, but a wave of uncertainty washes over us. Nothing in front us. No sound around us. Which is already a sign of danger. The forest should be buzzing with insects, however right now it was as silent as a grave. I carefully watch our surroundings. Observing every small movement my eye can catch. But. Nothing. No movement. Only Belle and Dawn, silently growling. I gulp nervously. My sweat dripping down my cheek. A slight tremor below my feet. Like the ground had a heart and it was beating slowly and rhythmically. Turn back? Stay? It''s like I''m in a loop. Always deciding whether to push forward or to turn back and retreat. Never an easy option. The tremors be stronger by the second, and the wolves be more and more agitated. What do they see in front of us that I can not? An enemy right? Move back Luke. Move back. We should move back. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat. "Retreat¡­" My thoughts escape my mouth very so quietly. But it was enough. Sylvia sensed my distress and immediately yelled out to everyone else. "MOVE BACK. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!" Like mice scurrying away from a cat, everyone bolted backwards towards the encampment. I ran as fast as I can as well, but I noticed Belle and Dawn not moving. I howl at the top of my lungs for them to get back, but maybe I was toote in my decision. I finally saw it. Crashing the trees down as if they were saplings and emerging from the depths of the forest was a golem with a giant horn on its forehead wielding a white great sword. "The general golem¡­?" Ster''s voice trembles as she notices the monster behind us. From what I heard from wolf''s description when it originally saw it, I didn''t realise it was going to be so huge. With a body as big as a house with a sword as big as its body, it towers over Belle and Dawn. But they didn''t retreat. Instead, they dash in opposite directions, targeting both sides of the golem. Ramming the legs with their whole body and then dashing away was their strategy and due to their agile steps, and they were able to dodge the golem''s attack. I stood there dumbfounded. You can do that? You don''t need to just run away? Seeing me stop, Sylvia told everyone to pause on the running. She jogs up to me and asks me a question I was asking myself. "Do you think we can fight it?" I look at her. My face full of confusion. "I¡­I don''t know." "Both Belle and Dawn are doing okay, but it might notst long. They will eventually tire out and with them constantly ramming the golem they might be taking more damage with each hit while the golem looks perfectly fine to me. We don''t have a weapon that can hurt it, unless you think maybe this club can?" She waves the club in front of me with a nonchnt face. "She is right, Luke. Even if we try to attack it, we have no weapon to fight it. It''s better off for us to run." Ster joins the conversation with her own point, and frankly I agree with it. "What about Belle and Dawn? I can''t leave them, and they didn''t listen to me when I tried earlier." "Hehehe, Luke you just need to try again and this time we can have Hugo try too." Sylvia grabs Hugo off the ground. The little wolf cub had been busy following Val and Spike and hadn''t been bothering anyone. "I''ll try again. Hugo call for Belle and Dawn with me, okay?" With a short howl at Hugo to get the point across, I breathe in a huge amount of air and howl at the sky. A high pitch howl urs next to me as Hugo joins in. Noticing our call, both Belle and Dawn respond as well, and after dodging the golem''s attack once more they start to run toward us. "Okay, everyone move we need to get away as fast as we can." One foot in front of the other, faster and faster. We run and run back to the goblin encampment. Val and Meg were the slowest, so I grabbed Val and swept her off the ground and carried her and seeing my actions, Ster helped Meg. However, I could feel it. Below my feet. The ground trembling as we run on top of it. The shaking bes stronger and stronger and not daring to look behind us, I focus on moving. Being at the back of the group doesn''t make it any easier, too. "LUKE DUCK!" Val''s words pierce through my thoughts. Without even thinking, I duck my head and pushed my body forward into a roll. A gush of wind brushes above me and the crashing of trees fill my surroundings. It caught up. It''s right next to me. Shit. What now? I stand up and look at the golem. Being so far away before, I didn''t even notice the disgusting expression it was making. A cheeky grin from ear to ear and eyes like a crescent moon. It looks at me from above like it is looking at an insect. I can only imagine what kind of expression it was making while it was chasing me "LUKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RUN!" "No Sylvia. If I run, it can potentially kill all of us. Get everyone back to the goblin encampment. I''ll try and fight it. Toss me the hobgoblin''s club, Sylvia." "What no. Luke just run." "Trust me. I''ll be fine. Val run away now, okay?" I put Val on the ground while keeping an eye on the golem. It didn''t even try to attack. Is it just confident that it can kill me and then move on to kill the rest. "Luke. Don''t die okay¡­" Sylvia tosses the club towards me before picking up Val and running away. " .???i? ?i? ni mi? ????o?q bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! ???d ?i? ??ni??? wold ?bniw ??? ??l bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Haste! Don''t die on us, Luke. " Sr was able to cast her buffs on me before she left and standing next to me was Belle and Dawn growling at the golem once again. "I won''t. I''lle back in a bit." My whole body trembles and I can feel a chill on my neck as I look at the golem. I take a deep breath and howl towards the skies. Another fight. Another chance to lose my life. But another chance to grow stronger. I grip the cold wooden club in my hands and exhale. I can do this. How hard can it be? Just a golem twice or even three times the size of me. Hard skin which would break the tiny goblin knives which I normally use, and a giant sword which would squash me rather than cut me. I should be fine! Almost instinctively, the wolves dash to the sides as the golem lifts its sword above its head. Time to move. I dash forward while keeping an eye on the sword, but I greatly underestimated the golem''s speed. In the nick of time, I jump to the side and the ground shakes from the impact of the sword. Dirt and dust cloud my vision and in a futile attempt I m the club against the golem''s ankle only to feel the force bounce back into my arms. The wolves continuing their attempt from before while ramming their bodies into the golem''s legs, but maybe it was luck, or maybe it was working, the golem shook slightly to one side as Belle hit it with her body. Another chance for us. I''m bait. Belle and Dawn are the ones truly doing damage to the golem. "Hey, big guy. I don''t know if you can understand me, but you have to do better than that if you want to hit me with your sword." It''s face contorts and shifts. The once cheeky grin reced with arge frown. The crescent eyes reced with an angry stare. It can understand and it knows. Well, shit. 89 Chapter 89 Clouds of dirt block my view. Loud explosive sounds ring in my ear. Sweat flying in every direction as I desperately dodge and jump out of the way. It is hard dodging in this environment. Trees bing sticks. Boulders bing rocks. And the once levellednd filled with dips. What makes it worse is that it is night. The darkness has crept in, and the sun has fallen, reced by the moon. It''s moonlight softly illuminates the surroundings but even then it is not enough. A massive shadow is cast over the ground, blocking the majestic light. Belle and Dawn''s movement has turned sluggish from the repeated attacks on the golem, however, not a dent can be seen in its stone skin. Even when I attempted to damage it with the club, it was futile. Nothing can hurt it. The protective shield from Sr has also disappeared after saving me from some unfortunate hits. At the same time, I can feel my own movements slow down as well. It won''t be long until I run out of stamina. My heavy breathing condensed white clouds in front of my face. I can only try it again. I reposition myself, dashing forward and under the golem''s legs. Turning my back to the moon as it shines up in the sky. I can feel it. A deep gaze upon my back, just like before. I channel the feeling inside me and imagine myself in that state once again. A soft yellow glow envelops my body. A heart beat right next to mine. Aur¡­ The golem turns around and looks down at me, readying its sword above its head. I breathe in sharply and whisper under my breath. "Golden Ascension." I jump forward, smashing the club against the golem''s face. Cracks form around its skull, but before I could attack it with all my strength again, it retaliated. Swinging its head around and almost hitting me with the point of its horn. I kick off its neck andnd on the ground, dashing forward immediately and attacking its legs. Cracks form with each attack, but it came at a price. The hobgoblin''s club was slowly breaking. I need to deal a decisive blow before the club gets destroyed. I dodge out of the way as I see the golem stomp the ground. A desperate attempt to retaliate against me. It starts to il, stomping the ground near it and swinging its sword around its body. Belle and Dawn rendezvous at my position and look at me. I felt a deep connection with the both of them. I howl at the moon while pushing the energy inside me to its limit. Yellow sparks envelop both wolves. Their fur gradually glowing a bright yellow, and their fangs grewrger and longer. A distinct lightning bolt can be seen in their eyes as they howl to the moon. Their bodies wrapped in a cloak of lightning as they dash towards the golem. Their speed double, maybe even triple what it originally was as they ram their bodies into the legs of the golem, targeting the cracks which I created. Not wanting to fall behind, I move forward as well. Slower than Belle and Dawn, it takes me a bit longer before I joined the attack, but I felt slight changes in my body. At first, it was just a second heart beat that I could feel, however after howling to the moon and cing all my energy into it, I could feel Belle''s and Dawn''s heartbeat. Their hearts beating at the same time as mine. Synced together. I feel like they are drawing power from me while I am drawing power from them. I can see it. Tiny sparks along my skin and the yellow glow bing brighter and more defined. An explosion like sound urs to the side of me as Dawn destroys one of the golem''s legs. I run out of the way as the golem copses on one of its knees. Seeing an opportunity and seeing as how the club is on itsst legs, I dash forward while calling for Belle and Dawn to follow me. Time to finish this. We dodge past thest attack of the golem, using its falling momentum to attack us with its sword. Its facepletely open and without any protection was our objective. Belle rams into the side of the horn, cracking it, while Dawn proceeds to destroy it with another ram. Followed up by me as I swing the club into the same spot where I attack the first time. The club cracks and shatters into many small splinters, but so did the golem''s head. Small stones scatter in multiple directions, all except for a blue stone. ced in a hole of the golem''s neck as a blue stone. Not knowing any better, I take out the ball and like magic the golem, which was upright on one knee, tilts to the side and copses on its side. The yellow glow leaves my body and the wolves turn back to normal. Belle brushes her head against my body seeking attention, followed by Dawn as she licks the back of my hand. I give them a gentle smile as I brush their fur. However, strength leaves my legs and I fall. My eyes blur, and before I pass out, a shadow oveps the moon. ........ "Will Luke be okay, Sr?" "Sylvia, can you please stop asking. He is going to be fine. He just overexerted himself." "Yeah, but like¡­" "Sylvia. It''s going to be okay. Can you go find Ster for me?" "Okay¡­" Sylvia leaves in search of Ster, while I slowly awaken. My eyes flutter open and I feel my whole body groan. "Luke, stop moving. I felt like you were somewhat awake during that short talk with Sylvia. I told her to go out, so I can talk to you privately." "Where¡­Are we?" "At the goblin encampment that we raided before sun down. We are currently inside one of the huts. Ster is in the forest with Hugo and the twins while Val, Spike and the other two wolves are nearby next to a fire warming up." "That''s¡­ Good. Everyone is safe." "Luke¡­ I don''t think we can keep raiding encampments. Sure the goblin encampments are doable however, I doubt we will be able to find any more of them. You weren''t there during the fight between us and the goblins, and you didn''t see it, but we were definitely struggling. Now, seeing the golem attack us like that and how little power we have against them, we will die at this rate." "... I -" "That''s not all. We have more people now. Some of them have no experience fighting. Even Spike and Val had to take up arms. It was fine hen it was you, Sylvia, Ster and me since we were used to fighting, however, not everyone is like us." "Then what do you suggest?" "We find a home for them. Somewhere, some ce where they will be safe. You came from a safe haven, did you not?" "Yeah, I did, but I don''t know if I am ready to go back¡­" "What do you mean?" I elevate my body slightly, leaning on my elbows and looking at the concern Sr. "Sr. I left that ce because I needed to be stronger. I¡­I let my friend die before. I can''t let that happen again." "LUKE! It will happen again if you are not careful. You were lucky this time with the golem but what about next time. When Sylvia saw you on top of Belle''s back, she thought you died. You obviously didn''t wake up when she was crying and shaking you, which only added to her worries. I''ll leave you for a bit and let you think about what I said. Get some rest for now." Sr stands up and walks out of the goblin hut. Her steps quiet and hesitant. Once she left, I slump back down to the ground. My whole body refusing to move the way I want it too. Sr''s words stick in my mind. Is it okay to go back? I haven''t even achieved anything yet. Would Ian, Howard, Lucina and old man Hus wee me back? I would right? What do I even say to them? Hey, I''m back and well these are my friends I helped along the way. Is that it? How long have I even been gone? A couple of weeks? A month? Maybe 2? As these questions bombard my head, Sylvia enters the room. I tilt my head back a bit and see her worried expression as she looks down at me. Tears well up in her eyes and I can see her holding them back. "Sylvia, you can cry, you know." I expected a waterfall of tears, but to my surprise it was more of a small stream. "I-I know. *hic* I know. *hic* " "Come, sit. Talk to me." "I-I *hic* Thought you died. *hic* Don''t die you idiot." "I won''t die." "Don''t *hic* die." "I won''t." Iy there in silence as Sylvia softly cries. Holding onto one of her hands softly to reassure her was the best I could do but after a while she stopped. Her eyes puffy and red, but it looked like she was ready to talk. "Luke, I know you are stupid and an idiot, but you cannot go rushing into battle again like that, okay?" "Yea, I get it, Sylvia." "And we should prepare ourselves more for uing battles. Weapons and armour. We can''t go running into strong monsters like that with small knives and animal skin." "Yea I understand." "And we should teach the newer people how to fight. They will have to put in some effort or else we will all die to an ambush." "Yea." "And we-" "Sylvia." "Yea, Luke?" "Let''s go to a ce. A ce where it is safe." "Huh? Where?" "HavenFall." 90 Chapter 90 "So, Ian. Have you seen any elves yet?" - Evan "No Evan, I have not. Are you going to ask me that every time you have the chance?" - Ian "OF COURSE!" - Evan "Evan¡­SHUT UP! I have had enough of your elf fetish. JUST STOP!" - Sabrina "Wow. Wow. Sabrina chix hon. Why so serious?" - Evan "ARGH, YOU MOTHER! You infuriate me!" - Sabrina "Guys, stop it, please. We are here to discuss the main storyline and about the forum." - Ian "Right. Sabrina, calm down, let us talk like civil humans." - Evan "Evan. Get ready for the next time I see you." - Sabrina "Let''s talk about the forum first. Has everyone seen it?" - Ian "Yep." - Evan, Sabrina [ Bones, Lotus and Aqua Territories - Settlement_News_Agent Hello everyone, my name is Settlement_News_Agent. You may recognise me from my other names, such as Cyber007_News_Agent or WEW_News_Agent or even FRXX_News_Agent. Today, I am here to share to themunity about some of the findings I havee across in the new game Settlement, specifically about the "Territories" of the 3 major guilds. From what I have found out, every continent in the world is separated in the game as well. For example, New Oceania as a continent is connected to a single continent in Settlement. This also applies to our ranking. The top 10 is New Oceania''s top 10 and while there has been leaks of other continents top 10 we can only wait until an official release for the correct information. Moving on, our continent is made up of 5 parts. 4 of these parts are ruled by a ''King''. yers across the continent have already found out some basic knowledge about these ''Kings'' and at the same time using this information we can roughly map our continent. On a very basic scale, imagine the continent as North, East, South, West and Center. North is ruled by The Horde, East by Kronos, South by Reaper and West by Cordelia. Now I know some of you have guessed it, but Cordelia does sound like a female name, so technically it should be Queen but who knows, we cannot judge! The Center is like a dead-man''snd as all 4 ''King''s venture into this area whether it is to potential steal resources from one another or to wage war we do not know. The information from the yers that have spawn in this location usually consisted of them being attack not long after they established a base of some sort. While there have been reports of yer interaction, it had typically ended up in some form of fighting. Getting to the main point now of the territories of the major guilds. Judging by the yers recruited by the different guilds, they have seemed to collected in their own respective sections of the map. Bones are mainly in the North, Lotus in the East and Aqua in the West. The South consists of smaller guilds that have not decided to join the major guilds and of course there are smaller guilds in each territory, I am just giving a very basic overview. Now, what does this mean? With what information I could collect from yers, it seems like the difficulty of each part of the map varies greatly. Bones are currently in a state ofplete chaos as the army of The Horde continues to engage in warfare, slowing the technological advancement as well as establishing viges or cities. Lotus is currently in short supply of resources, as Kronos seems to be a greedy King. Collect everything of value inrge quantities. His army of golems also provide little back to the yers that do end up defeating it. Aqua, however, seems to be having a great time. Thend is full of rivers and lush forests and jungles, and it seems like Cordelia has not engaged in any warfare just yet. There hasn''t been as much information on this part of the map since yers are slowly traverse through the dense jungles. Furthermore, the South is a ce where death is imminent. The Reaper''s army consist of the undead, which also spreads a poisonous environment in ces it has been. Theck of fertilend has proven to be a great challenge for yers in this area. That is all the information I am going to share at this time. After more extensive work, I will return with another news update. Thank you. ] "Settlement_News_Agent really out did himself. He ys every game and loves to be like amentator of sorts." - Evan "Plus, his information about the ''Kings'' is more or less urate." - Sabrina "From this are the both of you about to tell where bouts on the continent you guys are?" - Ian "I''m most likely in the West. The amount of huge trees and dense shrubbery I have to go through when I''m exploring near my vige is insane." - Evan "I think I''m in the East. There is very minimal resources here. However, there is a surprising amount of monsters and some look very different from others eve tough they are of the same species. Not sure why that is." - Sabrina "Yea, and I told you about how I''m in the Center." - Ian "Have you met anything other than that dragon and ogre?" - Evan "I had to fight the golems. Which means Kronos''s army is also in the Center." - Ian "Hmm. Oh, well, not much we can do about it yet. We are all still split and with no way to connect with each other. Sabrina, just stay safe and try not to engage with the Lotus guild, if possible just establish friendly terms. They won''t invade you just because you are ying the game and they are the more friendly of the 3 guilds." "Will do. I''ve had interactions with other yers, but I don''t think they were part of the Lotus guild. Most likely Travellers, since they were wondering about just hunting monsters." - Sabrina. "Okay, since that is settled, let''s move onto the next topic, the main storyline. As you know, I was the one who interacted with the main storyline first by encountering the Blood Ogre and the dragon. Since then, I had an encounter with Kronos''s golems and unfortunately a flying golem flew away after seeing my vige. There has been no major attack since, only small skirmishes with lone golems. Not sure if this corrtes to the main storyline" - Ian "Going purely off the new interactions with the game since the patch, we can assume the main storyline is to do with the 4 "Kings". Most likely, we will be facing against them and potentially overthrowing them until it is yers ruling over each section of the continent." - Evan "The only problem with that scenario is the difficulty of the "Kings". Ian died to a golem and was only about to beat one after pouring in a lot of resources and losing some of his citizens." - Sabrina "I think you are looking at this wrong, Sabrina. Ian was in a 1 vs 1 situation. This game consists of thousands of yers, each with their own set of NPCs. Defeating the "Kings" will depend on the numbers as much as it will depend on an individual''s strength. " - Evan "I agree with Evan here. No matter what we do, we will not be able to defeat the top leaders of the "Kings" army. I saw it first hand with the Blood Ogre. Itpletely destroyed everything, just imagine what it would be like in a real battlefield. This game is trying to create alliance and go to war, whether it is against other yers or against the monsters in the game" - Ian "Then isn''t it a big disadvantage to solo yers and small guilds?" - Sabrina "Of course it is but isn''t that every other game as well. The major guilds will always be at the top, fighting each other for no.1 but solo yers have their own method of ying and so do small guilds. Don''t you remember debauchery tea party? A small guild consisting of only elite yers. This game has a lot of freedom for us to do what we want. Plus, everyone starts the same starting point." - Evan "So, how are we going to deal with the main storyline?" - Ian "Not much. I will try to find a path to reach the Center and then set up a way for us to trade. Maybe even move my NPCs closer, since it would be easier for us to help each other if we are closer." - Evan "Then I will do the same." - Sabrina "Okay. I guess I will continue to discover more about it, whenever I have to fight a new enemy." - Ian "YEAH GO IAN WOOOO! BTW, if you do see elves, say something, okay?" - Evan "Shut UP Evan." - Sabrina "HAHA, peace going to y some games." -Evan "BYE!" - Sabrina "Okay, talk to you guyster." - Ian I turn off my phone and ce it on the table. It has been 10 days since the battle with the golem. In the real world, I haven''t changed that much. Casual meet-ups and talks with Evan and Sabrina, lots of work and exercising daily. I check the forum every so often just to see what the new topic is and sometimes there are some interesting posts. A couple of them include the rankings of the other continents. Some familiar names that have dominated other games have appeared again in this game, but there are also a lot of new names. The major guilds have been pushing recruitment in the city as well as the forum, filling it with a lot of garbage posts. At the same time, I have been researching more on different weapons, shields and armor that can be used in the Stone Age era since I am still having difficulty reaching the copper mine. However, that doesn''t stop me from researching about the Bronze Age. The next step for HavenFall is to enter the Bronze Age and acquire stronger weapons in order to defeat stronger foes. Time flies while I watch YouTube videos and read small articles about history, and eventually midnightes. Time to go back to HavenFall. 91 Chapter 91 I open my eyes to the bright sun and crashing waterfall, as well as the constant chatter between humans, demi-humans and goblins, with the asional howl and growl here and there. HavenFall has grown since the battle, no it needed to grow. With the addition of new NPCs, HavenFall needed to change in order to amodate them, but if we were changing just for the new members, then HavenFall wouldn''t be improving. So, what was needed first? Houses. With more hands avable, it sped up the process of creating more houses. 3 additional kilns were made next to the original one down by the river, and more y was gathered along the river banks. However, it posed to be a dangerous job since there were roaming golems. Fortunately, there was always a team of the strongest warriors as well as scouts nearby to ensure safety. Howard was always at the forefront of a battle, leading the charge alongside Kingston and David. Kingston and I have been in contact ever since that night, and his ''friends'' have since left him. Good for him though since those people were worse than pigs and having a yer who can fight effectively is a big bonus for HavenFall, so on you Kingston! Noah has been handling the scouting alongside Celine. With Celine''s special skill ofmunication with the wolves, Noah has been able to n out scouting paths with both goblin scouts and wolf scouts in order to always have eyes and ears in our surroundings. But now that we have houses, what was next? I thought it would be good to introduce education to everyone. Teaching them how to write as well as mathematics will prove useful now and in the future. I thought about this after some new human NPCs and the demi-humans looked at the "HavenFall" sign at the wall and was wondering what those words meant. Can''t have my own NPCs not even know how to read HavenFall, the name of this ce. So, I took the liberty of gathering who I thought would be good at teaching and taught them the basics first. By writing out the alphabet on a y board and firing it, I was able to produce a character cheat sheet to help the teaching process. I decided on Melody and one of the newer demi-human NPCs, Ash, to be the teachers. Melody was keen on the project and I wanted a non-human to also have an important role as to show to other demi-humans and future non-humans that they too can have a good future in HavenFall. I also taught simple addition and subtraction using food items as an example to Melody and Ash so that they can in turn teach them to everyone else. With the power bestowed upon me, I made it mandatory to everyone to attend a ss every day. Holding a ss in the morning with Melody and one before dinner with Ash, allows people who have things to do ample time to attend at least one of the two sses. Since, I was ale to create an alphabet cheat sheet, I also went ahead and made a y calendar. Using a red mixture from berries and water, I crossed out the dates that have passed since the opening of the game until today and told everyone the date. I could see the confusion on their faces since they never had a calendar before, however I assured them it would allow keeping track of time as well as nning for future events to be easier with the help of a calendar. During these events, I got a lot of notifications. [ Writing Technology Completed ] [ Calendar Technology Completed ] [ Construction Technology Completed ] [ Mathematics Technology Completed ] [ You have exited the Ancient Era. You have entered the ssical Era ] [ Ancient Era Technology which has not beenpleted can be viewed in the Technology Tree ] As per the instructions given by the system, when I view the Technology Tree I was able to see the Techs which I haven''t finished and once I saw it I knew why. [ Technology Tree ] [ Completed Archery The Wheel Masonry Pottery Writing Calendar Construction Mathematics ] [ Partial Completed Philosophy ] [ Iplete Sailing Animal Husbandry Trapping Bronze Working ] Since HavenFall is not near the ocean or even ake, I understood ''Sailing'' was never going to bepleted anytime soon. In addition, ''Bronze Working'' is something I am currently trying to achieve with acquiring copper. However, ''Animal Husbandry'' and ''Trapping'' is going to be more difficult. I have only seen the asional rabbit in the forest and with a bow and arrow from Robin or any of the goblin archers there was not a need to create any traps. I can only assume these will bepleted once arger animal simr to a sheep or a cow or even a horse are captured and tamed, but for now that is very unlikely. Moving on to the rest of the new additions to HavenFall is our Barracks and Armory. We constructed 4 new buildings next to the first goblin house. 2 more goblin houses for future goblin residents from the ''Goblin Hut'' as well as a Barracks and Armory. The Barracks hold our weaponry on top of built-in wooden shelves and benches. These include the various goblin knives and clubs, the stone spears, maces, bows and arrows. While the Armory holds the stone chest tes, shields and the new wooden helmets, arm guards and leg guards. Gobi has also started to train the goblins even harder ever since he saw his friends die tragically against the golem. I remember the day after, he came to me with a determined face and told me. "Ian. I have failed. I know goblins are weak, but I saw it. We could fight against that golem, but we failed. Next time, next time will be different. The ones that are still alive feel the same as me. We will train harder than anyone else. All new goblins will go through the strictest training as well. The next time we fight against those monsters, we will give them hell for our brothers." The fire in his eyes and heart was zing. I could see his attitude towards the goblins change, and he was morphing more into a leader. The goblins would train day in and day out with a new recruit copsing every day but after a goodnight''s sleep I see them back at it working towards a goal. The small area in front of the ''Goblin Hut'' got transformed into a training ground. With wooden training dummies, stone weights and wooden spears/swords. It wasn''t just the goblins training in that area. Demi-humans and humanse there to spar and work up a sweat while participating in Gobi''s training. A specialized training for the scutum shields can also be seen every day with both a goblin team and a human team. As well as a team of archers with Robin teaching and guiding both demi-humans, humans and goblin archers. On the other side of HavenFall is Lucina''s farm. Taking care of the farm has been Lucina''s job and with some help from new NPCs she has been expanding it slowly. Adding new crops and taking care of the old, and from what she can see it will only take another week or two for the first harvest. We built a small house for her to keep all the vegetables and fruits she has collected, as well as a ce for her to store any seeds she might find. Both Owen and Frank have been running around everywhere. From fighting golems to scouting to helping with construction to gardening, they have been helping everywhere. Their continuous efforts motivated everyone to strive to achiever better results, boosting morale and happiness. Old man Hus and his apprentice Lime had recruiting a few more hands to create more weapons and armor for everyone. The construction of scutum has peaked to the point that there were multiple spare shields in case they broke. As well as additional weapons and armor ced in the Barracks or Armory. Sometimes I would see old man Hus create something obscure only to break it to pieces with a grumpy look. I guess he is trying to create something new, but since he won''t tell me, I won''t find out until hepletes it. I look at the status menu to observe any changes in my NPCs and found that everyone that participated in fights or training had increased their stats. For example, Gobi''s stats have improved a lot since the battle with the golem. Name: Gobi Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 11 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 9 Agility: 10 Luck: 1 Skill: Leadership (Passive) Leadership (Passive) - 10% increase in allied stats when under the leadership of this person Gobi even acquired a skill for his efforts. The other NPCs such as Howard and David have increased their stats greatly from the continuous battles, the only problem is me. My stats are still the same, but I guess that''s just one way to y this game. Rather than increase my own strength, I will create a strong unified army. Every day in the game, I was following Howard around fighting golems but instead of fighting alongside him, I was assisting with quickmands. Calling out new ns in the heat of the moment and providing changes to tactics as if I was ying a real time strategy game. Helping out with the decision-making for my troops provided a different method of fighting, and it helped elevate our fighting potential. I guess I am more of amander or general rather than a warrior. I look at my own status to see progress in the ''Faith'' as well as to check on the ''Happiness'' stat. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 516/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 10 ( Happy ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 11 More people means more ''Faith'' and since there are no conflicts then the ''Happiness'' is constantly positive. Smiling to myself, I pick up my gear and proceed to the river, where I know Howard and the others are waiting. Today was the day I nned to assault the copper mines and take back what should have been mine. 92 Chapter 92 Walking past both statues of Ariel and Fortuna, I start my descent into the canyon. Noticing my steps, Howard looks up and waves at me. "Ian, are you ready?" I smile back and hurry my steps. "Ready. Is everyone else ready?" "Of course!" The team I got together for the battle consisted of Howard, David, Kingston, 3 more humans, 3 demi-humans and 5 goblins. Our strategy was simple. Howard, David and Kingston were the main damage dealers, while in front of them was a scutum shield formation using thebination of humans and demi-humans. The goblins were going to be both archers and assassins since they are able to see in the dark as well as counter-attack anything that might get through our front-line. I will be in charge of orchestrating the fight as well as light. Prepared for me were 30 arrows with the ck glue mixture on the tip, as well as 10 extra torches. I would light up one at the start and continuously fire arrows into the cave for vision while the goblins make sure nothing is out of the ordinary in the dark. Luckily for me, Robin was a good teacher and while I won''t be the best archer, I can at least fire an arrow. The frontline is equipped with the scutum shield, an extra smaller circr shield, two stone knives, and either a short spear or an ax. In addition, they are wearing wooden chest tes, helmet, arm and leg guards. With the help of Lime''s ingenuity and Lucina''s weaving skills, we were able to create belts and small holders from vines. This made holding onto multiple weapons a lot easier, as well as fixating them on the body for easy ess. Howard is currently holding onto the Hobgoblin''s Club, as well as an additional stone ax and two stone knives. Fitted with a stone chest te and wooden helmets, arm and leg guards, he was the most stacked NPC I had. Next to him was David. While still somewhat cowardly, his attitude has changed and his confidence has been boosted. It might have been from experiencing the golem fight which changed him, or it could have been through the many fights with Howard and Kingston which made him feel safe knowing that there were reliable people around him. He has chosen to wield a stone spear to add to the variety of attacks as well as provide some mid-range damage, while also holding onto 2 knives in case his weapon breaks in the cave. His armor is the same as Howard, only slightly bigger, since his stature wasrger than Howard''s. Kingston, the other yer in HavenFall was more rxed and calm about the whole expedition. He had told me he was very excited to participate and since everyone was nice, and friendly, he has gotten along with the NPCs. Dual wielding stone axes as well as carrying two short spears and two knives, he looked like an anime character ready to fight a boss. Of course, he was also equipped with the same armor, and he was busy talking to the demi-humans. The goblins wore lighter armor, using wooden chest tes and helmets as their main defense. They carried two quivers each holding 30 arrows, as well as a single goblin knife and bow. While they might look weak, these 5 goblins have been hard at work under Gobi and have proven to almost best some human warriors in a spar. Then there was me. I made sure to put on everything needed in order to keep myself safe, as well as carefully tie the quiver and torch basket to my body, so nothing would fall out. Strange enough when I look at my stats and look under equipped only the quiver shows as an equipment and not the basket of torches. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 516/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 10 ( Happy ) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 11 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Improved Stone Spear, Stone Chest te, Wooden Helmet, Wooden Arm Guards, Wooden Leg Guards, Stone Knife, 30x mmable Arrows, Wooden Bow [ Wooden Helmet Defense: 2 A simple helmet shaped like a bowl. It helps protect the head and is tied below the chin by a small piece of vine. Made by Hus and Lime ] [ Wooden Arm Guards Defense: 3 A carved out log with vines tied tougher around the fore arm. Basic, but it works. Made by Hus and Lime ] [ Wooden Leg Guards Defense: 3 A carved out log with vines tied tougher around the lower leg. Basic, but it works. Made by Hus and Lime ] "Okay, since we are all ready, let''s go. I had Celine tell Luna to go first and scout the area towards the cave. There will be wolf cubs along the way to signal the one in front that we areing." "Okay, leader!" I sigh to myself, ever since the goblins called me leader Ian, everyone else have picked it up and started to call me leader. Except for Kingston and the first few NPCs, everyone else including Howard and Noah have adopted the new trend. We venture off following the river and at the first bend resting her head between her paws was the first cub. There were now 4 cubs in HavenFall with one reaching adulthood, but this one was the youngest, only came out of the den today. Noticing our presence, she stands up and howls to the sky, before running towards us and rubbing her head against my leg. I signal for the group to move onwards. There was no second howl, which meant the coast was clear for now. ,m As we proceed towards the second cub, Kingston slows down until he is walking next to me. "Ian, what do you expect to see at the cave." "A golem army. However, with how small the cave is, at most we would be fighting them two at a time. If we are careful and slowly progress deeper into the cave, then we should be able to fight them off." "I understand that, but I am worried about our stamina." "What do you mean Kingston?" "Fighting constantly will drain our stamina, obviously. But when you are fighting in an enclosed space where there is no escape, then your mental strength depletes faster than your physical strength. It''s like being bullied constantly, but the bullies do not hurt you." "Then how do you suggest we fight them?" "Are we able to fight, then back off?" "Not from how they are programmed. The first time I met them, I was only able to escape by running fast enough and getting out of their vision." "Which means it will be an endless stream of golems. Shit man, what did I sign up for?" "It''s fine Kingston. Believe in us. You have seen them fight first hand with the stray golems. We got this." "Whatever you say, man. I got nothing to lose, right." After finishing hisment, Kingston jogs up and ps David on the back, proceeding to make conversations to lighten up the mood. Although, what he said has weighed in the back of my mind. I knew the battle will be relentless, but going off the information on the forum about Kronos then I think there will be fewer golems. Most likely, they have taken most of the copper and maybe even the gold and left behind some golems to defend the ce in case Kronos needed more resources. However, I find it unlikely that a monster greedy by nature would bother with an already raided resource. I can only hope that there is enough copper in order to create more bronze weaponry and armor. Potentially even use the copper for other projects like electricity. However, that''s for another day''s thought. Reaching the second cub, he howls to the sky, signally our arrival as well as our journey to the third. It didn''t take us long before we reached the third and then the fourth. Looking at all the cubs side by side, you can see their growth period, with the first cub being the smallest and youngest and the fourth cub being thergest. Well, he might even be called a teenager in wolf years. The fourth wolf signals Luna of our departure from that section, and we proceed onwards towards the cave. Everyone is currently in high spirits, joking about with each other and having some fun and happy conversations. I even joined in with the banter at the front, as well as the banter with the goblins. With high morale and less tension in the air, we finally saw Luna waiting patiently in front of the cave. She was resting on top of a small boulder, ced directly in front of the cave. Facing towards the cave, she waited for us. Her ears perked up as we went around the bend and a small howl was used to greet us. The cubs respond with their own howl and dashed towards her. Using this opportunity, I stopped everyone for onest pep talk. "Everyone, it is finally time. Luna will have our backs, so everyone only needs to focus on the front. Everyone here is a talented individual, and together we are a strong team. Nothing will get past our front line, and we will push forward like kings. Let''s reim what should have been ours. FOR HAVENFALL!" "FOR HAVENFALL!" 93 [Bonus Chapter]Chapter 93 "Phnx shield formation!" As the words roll out of my mouth, my men gather in front of me. Shields pressed against each other, shoulder to shoulder, with a shield roof covering their heads. It might not be to the extent of the ancient Greeks, it''s purpose still stands. To create a physical wall in front and above in order to defend against the enemy. I would have loved it for Howard and David to join the formation, however, their size and stature were toorge and uneven when grouped with the others. I proposed that the demi-humans would be at the front, since their strength and vitality is higher than the other humans, and now that I am looking at the formation in front of the cave, I feel like that was one of the best decisions I could have done. Howard is positioned behind and on the left, whereas David would be on the right, with Kingston in the middle. There will be times when I miss something, and having Kingston in the middle would provide him a better view of the battle, allowing him to make split second decisions if needed. I position myself behind the three, with the goblins next to me. I take out a stone and hit it against another, producing sparks. I only found out recently that Owen had found some flint stones in the river. Having a goblin hold a torch, I proceeded to light it with the flint. Once, the torch was aze, I hold an arrow and light the end. Calmly, I position myself to fire the arrow. Following Robin''s instructions, I breathe in and out, nocking the arrow and pulling back. With another breath, I release the string at the same time I exhale. The arrow flies into the cave, whistling through the air and lighting up the path. Unfortunately, it doesn''t fly all the way until the first corner, instead it gradually falls onto the ground burning slowly on the path. "It looks clear for now. Gibing, anything in front?" "Nothing out of the ordinary, leader Ian." "Okay, everyone advance." "Yes, leader!" With one foot in front of the other, the shield wall advances. Three people side by side with the scutum shields just barely fit in the cave, with only enough space for maybe a goblin to squeeze through. Each step, we make echos throughout the cave. An idental bump with the shields would cause the air to vibrate softly, resonating with the echos. Tension fills the air, and I can sense everyone''s grip tighten on their weapons. Even though there has been no signal from Gibing and the other goblins, everyone still reacts to even the slightest of sounds. In what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the ce where my arrownded. The fire has long since extinguished and only a wisp of smoke remain. "Everyone, take a deep breath. I know it is tense, but we can''t keep progressing like this. Every time someone identally makes a sound, I can see everyone tense up, and that''s going to keep happening unless we learn to rx a little. So, DEEP breaths everyone." I try my best to calm everyone''s nerves. Making them stop and perform a different task. At the same time, while everyone was trying to rx, I nocked another arrow and fired it forwards. "See everyone. I know it is tense, and we don''t know what is in front of us but look. That arrow will light our path and each arrow after it. We will know when something is in front of us, and we will be able to prepare for it, okay? Now, rx yourself and let''s move onwards." Contrary to everyone''s thoughts, I was the most tense, but at least now they have more confidence in themselves. Each step they took felt less hesitant and a small me can be seen in their eyes. We reach the second arrow, this time much quicker. One of the demi-humans at the front picked up the arrow and passed it back. I take the arrow and fire it again, sending it down the tunnel, but as I do, I hear a loud banging noise echoing from the depths. Howard nces at me and I nod at him. "Everyone, get ready. They''reing." It sounds like giant scurrying mouses running from the bottom of the cave up, each step bringing them closer and closer. Stone banging against stone, tumbling forward with all their might. The vibrations in the ground feel like an earthquake is happening, stones fall from the sides and the ceilings. I give Gibing a fire arrow, telling him to shoot it as far as he can, at the same time I light up 2 torches and throw them in front of us as well as another 2 behind us lighting up our surroundings. Gibing''s arrow flies further than mine,nding just shy of the next corner, but it was enough. Secondster, the first golem turns the corner. Its white stone body peak from behind the corner and horrific grin can be seen. Its long ws creep around the corner and like a tsunami, more golems rush behind it. Smashing into the cave wall before tumbling forward. At the forefront of the golem''s attack, zooming faster than the others, was a flying golem. With a sinister grin and its wings stretched out far enough that it is scraping along the walls, it flies towards us. "GET READY! BRACE FOR IMPACT! SHOVE THOSE SHIELDS INTO THE GROUND AND DO NOT GET PUSHED BACK NO MATTER WHAT!! REMEMBER! DO NO GET PUSHED BACK!" One second. Two seconds. Three- "HOLD!" Not long after my shout, the golem smashes head first into the shield wall. "ARGHHHHAHHH!!!" The demi-humans at the front groan together, shouting their lungs out as they push against the golem. I can see them struggling from the sheer force that the golem produced, but luckily they pushed off the initial impact. "HOLD AGAIN!" Unlike the people behind the shield, I could see the golem winding up. Its stone wes crashing down on the shield, creating an ear-piercing screech. "Anyone with a spear attack first! Howard watch on your left, its wing mighte close. David, attack it with your spear and Kingston you might have to help the shields hold its ce, just be ready." The two demi-humans on the side of the wall proceeds to stab the golem on the sides, while David and Howard find opportunities to attack when the golem gets too close. However, this was just the start of the fight. Within, minutes the rest of the golems caught up and pressed against the first golem making it incapable of doingrge swings and this worked in our favor. Making less space to move, it became more susceptible to hits. Ever since the golem fight, old man Hus thought about using the golem''s body as a weapon. Recing the original spearheads were sharpened golem stones, creating a stronger weapon. However, I only gave it to the front-line. Since the goblins and I won''t be engaging in closebat, there was no need for us to use the weapon. [ Golem Stone Spear Attack: 15 Using the body of a in general golem to create a stronger spearhead. It has a lower chance to break when struck against other objects. Made by Hus ] "Be careful on the right, David! Howard get back!" I shout outmands while sending arrows over the heads of the golems, however with all the shoving and moving at the back the arrows get lost in the abyss. It was a slow grind as we constantly fight with the golem, each and every small stab eventually umted into cracks along the golem''s body and with one good swing from Howard or David the golem''s body would break. Sweat flew off everyone''s body as they continue to stand their ground against the wave of golems, and eventually their work paid off. The first kill. "THAT WAS GREAT, DAVID! WE KILLED THE FIRST GOLEM! WE CAN DO THIS! KEEP IT UP, EVERYONE!" With the first golem down, its body copses onto the ground and is immediately stepped on. Broken into even small shard by the next golem. I notice that the golem was slightly different. The one in front of us was bulkier and had proper hands. Forming a fist, it lifts its hand above the shields. "ITS COMING FROM ABOVE! GET READY! BRACE YOURSELVES!" "Coming to support!" Kingston rushes under the shields and holding it upwards with the other NPCs. The fistse mming down on the top, mimicking an explosion as it echoes throughout the cave. Due to the golem failing its attack, both Howard and David stepped up slightly on the protruding rocks of the walls and swung their club/spear at the golem, smashing its upper body and simultaneously breaking the golem core. The second kill. "GOOD JOB EVERYONE! HERE COMES THE NEXT GOLEM!" Sometimes one and sometimes two, the golems, came up and banged on the shields. I see the blood dripping from the shield bearers'' hands. Their skin peeling from gripping the handle too hard, but it wasn''t just them. After noticing their pain, I signaled three goblins to rush to the front, recing the shield bearers'' duty of attack, allowing them to focus only on holding the shields together. In turn, they were able to switch the handle to their non-dominant hand and allow their other hand to take a break. Kingston would constantly shift between helping the front shields push back against the golems and the top shields from the attacks. His extra strength allowed the shield bearers to have an easier time, but I can see the sweat dripping off his face. The constant attacks are wearing him down, and not just him, everyone as well. However, I can''t see an end to the golems. "Leader Ian, we might need to retreat slightly." "Gibing, I know that, but why are you suggesting it now?" "We do not need to go too far. Just around the corner. It will allow ample space for wolf Luna to attack from the sides while still being small enough that the golems will not push through." "Are you sure on this information?" "Positive, leader Ian." "Okay. EVERYONE! WE ARE GOING TO RETREAT BACK TO THE CORNER! FOLLOW MY VOICE AS YOU STEP BACK AND KEEP IN FORMATION." The best moment to move back is when Howard or David defeat a golem. Timing a step or two during that moment was easy enough, and with just 10 steps we were at the corner. "LUNA!" As if waiting for her turn, she goes under Howard''s leg and through the gap on the left. Jumping off the ground and ramming into the closest golem before retreating back through the gap. A hit-and-run strategy. While the damage caused to the golem was minimal due to its defenses, it provides another avenue of attack. This meant Howard and David do not be the only ones that needed to deal the final blow. When there were enough cracks on a golem, the force of Luna''s attack shattered the golem into smaller rocks, dislodging the core and letting it fall to the ground. It was slow, but it works, and slowly I could see the stats of my NPCs rising. 1 strength here, 1 vitality there, bit by bit. While it wasn''t guaranteed that they were gaining stats from every kill after a bunch, I could see a small increase. Slow and steady. Just like any MMO, there is always a time when you have to grind mobs. 94 Chapter 94 How long has it been? An hour? Two hours? Maybe 3? Who knows but all I do know is we survived. The tsunami of golems did not stop us, in fact, the toughest part was the start and the finish. The middle? Well, that was¡­That was just a blur. The front line''s shields slowly broke after the repeated attacks and recing them were the shields covering the top. Howard, David, and Kingston had to face off against the golems the best they could while the shield bearers swapped out but it ended up in our win. Everyone was resting on the ground or leaning against the wall. Even the goblins stepped in with their knives when it got dicey. I picked up one of the spears and attacked as well blocking a golem fist from hitting David. Throughout the whole battle, I was firing offmands and small details. Warning those that might not have noticed any small attack. Reducing the amount of damage everyone took by carefully blocking an attack or telling them to dodge out of the way in time. In the end, we had just lost some HP, our shields, some of our armor, and some weapons. In return, we beat down an army of golems that would have destroyed us given enough space. Their numbers and strength greatly exceeded ours but I guess with just the terrain advantage and some quick thinking even we can win against them. The ground was littered with white stones of varying sizes. With the stampede of the golems, a lot of it became a fine powder, and scattered in the remains were crushed golem cores. Shining a torch over the powder would produce a blue glittering effect, kind of like the ocean sparkling from the sunlight. However, picking up the powder did not produce a system message. I thought maybe it would say "Shattered Golem Core" or something. I look at everyones'' status and was surprised to see their new stats. Name: Howard Race: Human Health Points (HP): 3/40 Mana Points (MP): 1/5 Strength: 15 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 10 Luck: 1 Skill: Roar (active) - 2 MP Name: David Race: Human Health Points (HP): 5/50 Mana Points (MP): 4/4 Strength: 19 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 8 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 7 Luck: 1 Name: Gibing Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 7/30 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 10 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 Name: Luna Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 10/70 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 20 Vitality: 35 Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 8 Agility: 30 Luck: 5 Skill: Moonlight Renewal (active) - 2 MP, Pounce (Active) - 1 MP The most important ones were Howard and David since they were closer to me. I would love to see Kingston''s stats but I''ll have to just ask himter, for now, I''ll let him rest. Gibing and the rest of the goblin''s had simr stats which exceeded even Gobi''s. Their impact in the fight was definitely smaller, however, their keen eyes have helped some of the other NPCs from getting hurt. At the same time, they were able to hold the shields up for a little bit of time while the others swapped out to a smaller shield. I was surprised by the versatility of the goblins and if it wasn''t golems but other humanoids then the goblin''s would have been like an assassin in the dark. Luna also put in a lot of work. Her stats were the highest but the match-up was not in her favor. The hard bodies of the golem prevented her from using her jaw to deal damage and her ws once produced scratches on its body. She did take some hard hits for the team when someone couldn''t dodge but with her high vitality she was able to survive a lot of the hits. There were only 2 other people who could move effectively, one demi-human and other human NPC. Together with them, I moved everyone out of the cave and into some fresh air. The whole ordeal took longer than I thought since David and Howard were so heavy, but I could feel their hands and feet shake slightly as they took deep breathes to recover their energy. I propped their bodies against the wall and told them to rest and not worry about anything. The sun was setting by the time I took everyone out and I instructed the wolf cubs to go back to HavenFall and bring back some food for everyone. I made a couple of small fires near everyone as well 1 at the cave entrance. The goblins were ced closer to the entrance in case another enemy appears. Once the wolf cubs came back with small baskets of fruit and boiled vegetables I slowly fed them to everyone. Without food in their stomachs, the recovering process would take longer since their bodies needed energy. Night had arrived and I could see a grouping from HavenFall. The torches they carried lit up their faces telling me it was Lucina, Noah, 2 other human NPCs and 4 goblins. They carried more food as well as some herbs with medicinal properties. Lucina prepared a stone pot over the fire and proceeded to create a soup with the ingredients she bought while the goblins and human NPCs took up night watch around the camp. Noahes over to me in order to get an update on the situation. "What happened leader?" "We won. Though I don''t know how much longer we would havested. Luckily for us, the golems are big monsters and the tunnel inside the cave was small enough to only fit 1 or 2 depending on their form." "Their form?" "Yes, Noah their form. While some golems resembled each other there were some that hadpletely different forms. Themon ones we have faced were golems with wings and sharp ws. Some were bulky withrge fists, while others were skinny with ball-like fists. They were too many different shapes and sizes of the golems which makes me believe that Kronos created them differently in order to find a shape that was the strongest." "Hmm, that would make sense. By the way, I have something to report. Right before I left, there was an explosion of some sort and arge amount of white smoke could be seen far off in the distance. Somewhere on the other side of the forest, there is a big battle happening." "Interesting, was any goblin scouts able to get close?" "No. It looked like a day or two away maybe even more. We have such little information of the forest and have only just touched the perimeter." "I know. I hope there is enough copper in this ce in order to have enough for everyone. The increased defense and attack will help us in expanding our search." "This copper thing you mentioned are you sure it is there?" "I know it is there. I saw it, however, I am afraid that Kronos has taken it all. I can only hope that once everyone has recovered enough we go down and I still see the copper. How was the journey here from HavenFall?" "It was fine for us and the goblins however, Lucina did have trouble. She wasn''t used to the slippery surface since she has never gone this way and there was a lot of tripping causing our journey to slow. I suggest creating a pathway." "Yes, I have ns for that. Once we confirm there is copper we would need to mine it and then move it back to HavenFall. The pathway home is too uneven. I am thinking we need to create bridges of the river at the ces where there is less ground to walk in as well as rece the ground with bricks." "I will have everyone producing more bricks for this project then." "Focus on housing first. I know it is still somewhat cramped. Build enough houses for everyone first before focusing on the road." "Okay leader!." "Ian, Noah, can you two help me give this soup to Howard and the others." "Sure." "Of course." I took a small bowl to everyone and carefully helped them drink it. Feeding it slowly bit by bit. Once I got to Kingston, who was sleeping, I shook him a little making him wake up. I sit down next to him and waited for him to finish the soup. "Hey, Ian. This soup is amazing!" "Tell that to Lucina, she was the chef." "No, no, no. Like the taste is kind of okay but it''s the effect of it. 50% HP recovered over 10 minutes. This is the first potion dude!" "Wait, what?" I grab the soup bowl out of Kingston''s hands but he had already finished it. Bringing it over to Lucina to refill it I also checked her status. Name: Lucina Race: Human Health Points (HP): 14/14 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 5 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 5 Luck: 1 Skill: Beginner Herbalism (Passive) Beginner Herbalism (Passive) - This allows the user to create food or potions with medical properties effectively. Also gives a slight increase in the herb''s effect. "Lucina, where did you learn how to create this soup specifically?" "Oh, umm, Lime bought me back some herbs some time ago and she had scraped her knee. I applied a herb that I knew could soothe the pain but also created a soup from it since I had extra. Lime told me that the soup helped her soothe the pain and she was up and about helping old man Hus in no time. Why do you ask?" "I think, that this soup helps with healing, quite effectively. Is it possible to create a farm for the herb?'' "Umm, I would have to find more samples and then test it out. I''m not too sure sorry Ian." "No, that''s fine. When you get back ask Lime to show some of the goblins where she found the herb and only take a few. Then test how it grows before taking more. We don''t want to identally cause the herb to go extinct." "Okay, I will look into it." After taking some of the soup and drinking it, I realized that the effect is only applied after consumption of all the soup in the bowl. Any less and the effect would not work and trying to take another bowl of soup also did not add to the effect, nor did it reset the healing. Since there was no system message I couldn''t get a clear understanding of the properties of the soup and eventually returned to Kingston''s side in order to discuss it. "Ian, this is the first potion. Nowhere on the forum has said anything about something like this yet. Did you find out why and how?" "Lucina made the soup to treat Lime. However, it was Lime that found the herb. She also has a skill that makes her effectively create healing food and potions as well as increase the effect. This means that if one of us were to make it the same way as Lucina then the effect of the food would either not exist or would be much worst. Forget 50% healing it might not even be 10%." "Okay, wow this game has so much hidden stuff. I know games have medicinal herbs but usually, you can find it using the system. Everything around us could be used differently and if we walk past a random nt we could have identally walked past something of insane value." "I know what you mean, Kingston. This game is amazing. Okay, in roughly 10 minutes I''ll get everyone to move down into the cave. Rest up for now, maybe even get some shut-eye." "Will do, leader." Lucina and Noah eventually finish feeding everyone some healing soup and after a while even recovered. The soup also helps animals as Luna''s HP was recovered as well. Letting Lucina, Noah, and the new group leave, we venture back into the cave. Luckily for us, we reced our weapons with the weapons of the new group. With new spears, clubs, small shields, arrows, and armor we walk into the cave. 95 Chapter 95 We slowly progress through the cave, keeping the same amount of caution as before, as well as lighting up the path with fire arrows. It''s a slow journey, but we have no choice, danger lurks at every corner. As we walk past the previous battlefield, piles of white stones and powder cover the ground, making progress through the tunnel a slow and tedious process, but after a while, we get past it and follow down the tunnel once more. I guess there wasn''t anything left since we got to the cavern at the bottom without another fight, but just to be safe, we set up a shield wall at the entrance. The goblins and I fire arrows into the darkness, lighting up the cavern bit by bit. Once the coast was clear, we move a bit inside, just enough so that we can fire another set of arrows, this time to our direct sides. Nothing. Just darkness. A good thing, I guess. No more fighting. "Gibing, anything unusual at the other side of the cavern?" "Nothing, leader Ian. The other goblins also confirm that there is nothing out of the ordinary at the moment. What should we do?" "For now, spread out and search the cavern. Make sure to look up as well as down. Be wary of any cracks and crevices and be quick on your feet. Gibing, make sure to look up. There is arge hole somewhere." "Yes, leader Ian. Let''s go everyone." I sent the goblins first int the cavern. Their superior eyesight allows them to see in the dark, which makes this ce the perfect ce for them. Furthermore, they had higher agility than most of the other NPCs, making them more likely to escape in a bad situation. "Everyone, stay on high alert until the coast is clear. Keep your shields up and be ready for anything." I make sure to warn everyone just in case. Setting up a lot of precaution since this was the final step. I didn''t want anything to happen. After a while, the goblins came back to me one by one, reporting that there was nothing in the area. Gibing, going to the furthest corner of the cavern, came backst. "I have checked the back of the cavern as well as the top. There is a hole there however, at the moment there seems to be nothinging out. I also think that there is no way for us to block it, so we would have to be on our guards at all time." ,m "I see, that is unfortunate." "Furthermore, the ground is very uneven. Lots of small rocks are scattered across the ground, especially closer to the walls. Near one of the walls is a mound of rocks, towering close to halfway up the cavern." "That would be the excess rocks from Kronos''s mining. For now, let''s search along the walls for anything left. I''ll light up some more torches, so everyone can have one. Look for anything shiny or reflecting the light, okay?" Our group traveled in the same formation while holding the torches close to the wall and ground. Working clockwise, we made our way patrolling the perimeter. "Ian, what kind of shiny object are we looking for?" "It''s called copper, Howard. It is reddish brown, but also might have a slight blue tinge to it. When I saw it for the first time, it was beautiful. A whole wall was colored in a sea of red, brown and blue making wondrous shapes and lines. But s, there does not seem to be much left." "Don''t be so disappointed. We have only just started, and this cavern is huge." "Thanks, Howard." "Is this copper important, leader Ian?" "Gibing, without it, we won''t be able to progress HavenFall to the next step. Acquiring copper will allow us to create bronze and in turn create stronger weapons and armor. With stronger weapons and armor, we can increase the range of our patrols, searching the surroundings for more material that can benefit us. At the same time, we can defeat stronger monsters and save other people, increasing the poption of HavenFall. There is just so much we can do if we get stronger." "I see. Leader Ian has thought about this a lot. We must find copper here then." "Yes, we can do it. Just gotta believe, right?" "Of course leader Ian." "Well, Ian your belief might have just been enough." "What do you mean, Kingston?" "Look dude. We just passed it. We walked past the corner of the cave looking upwards, but we didn''t look downwards. It''s small, but it''s definitely reddish-brown and since it goes into the cavern, sandwiched by the floor, there might be more if we can dig through the stone." "KINGSTON! You''re amazing! I can''t believe we just passed it. Okay, okay, noting that down in my brain. Left corner as you walk into the cavern, potential copper. How did Kronos''s golems missed this?" "Maybe, they thought it was just too small to worry about. I can see not too far down there is a huge hole in the wall. Which meant, that was where the bulk of the mining took ce." "Alright, alright, I can''t be too happy. Let''s keep going." Leaving the left corner and proceeding onwards, we got to the start of the hole Kingston had noticed. "The mining must have been done by both ground golems and flying golems. After all, with the small light from the torch, we can''t even see the roof of the hole. Gibing, how deep does the hole look?" "One of the goblins went inside briefly to check before. It is not thatrge, possibly the size of Lucina''s fields. However, from what I can see, the sides are all jagged and broken in different ways. There are a lot of small holes here and there as well asrge holes and while I call them holes, it looks more like they were wed out. " "What you say is true. Just by looking at the ground and the sides here, the sizing is too irregr to be done by a pickax and carefully removing the mineral. More like something bulldozed into the side and ripped out the copper. Thank you for the observation Gibing." "My pleasure, leader Ian." "Let''s move into the hole for now and serif they missed anything." Like what Gibing had said, the whole wasn''t that deep, being only about 20-30 steps deep, however as I suspected the sides of the hole is irregr. Stones are jutting out like horizontal stgmites, and sections of the wall can be seen carved out. It was definitely a strange sight to see, but eventually we walked through the entire hole with nothing of importance to be seen. Continuing on, we carefully scoured the rest of the left side, getting closer to the back of the cavern. From what small light the torches can provide, we were able to see that small sections of the cavern were carved out, leaving gaping holes here and there. From my memory, most of the walls of the cavern were covered in copper and the topyer being small amounts of gold, but from Gibing''s vision all he saw were holes of crying shapes and sizes littering the cavern walls. Nothing on the rest of the left side, and nothing at the back of the cavern. Making our way to the right side, one of the demi-humans spot something shiny on the ground. Hurrying over to pick it up, he notices that it''s a reddish stone with blue streaks all around it. Brining it back to us with a huge smile on his face as I congratte him on finding our first copper ore. While it might be small, it was definitely something. It was a start. Moving on, the right wall was the same as the rest, just holes here and there, as well as the right wall next to the cavern entrance. Nothing. Scraped clean, except for that one spot that Kingston found. "Kingston, I''m d you saw that bit of copper. I would have been extremely sad and disappointed if we found nothing after all that hard work." "Well, it might still be a small amount of copper, you know." "I know, but at least we will be able toe back with something from here." "How do you suggest we go about with mining it?" "There are still a couple of goblins that mined before. They were the previous miners from Balta''s camp. We go back to HavenFall, get some pickaxes using the golem''s body, ande back. I also want some people to carry the stones and powder back home as well. It will be arge project. Get only the minimum amount of scouts in the forest and have a team of 5 staying back to keep constructing houses. The rest wille and transport the white stones and golem cores. Let''s go back home." "Yes, leader Ian." And with that, our cavern journeyes to an end. We exit the cave and see Luna sleeping on the side, cuddling the other wolf cubs. It was night and the moon was at it''s highest. "Ian, how about we rest here for the night and return in the morning." "You know, Howard, I was just about to suggest the same thing." "David, Kingston, you two are on night duty first. Switch with the next two after an hour." "There is no clock here, Ian. How do you think David and I will know when an hour is up?" "I know that, look at the moon. Once the moon touches the cliff from this angle, then an hour has approximately gone by." "Damn, how did you learn that?" "Old man Hus taught me. Neat isn''t it?" "Very neat." With that, I started a couple fires and used the wall as a pillow. The soft sshes of water and the slight whispering breeze fill my ear. I let all the fatigue out during the day and let out all the tension. I close my eyes and drift into sleep. Another night in Settlement, yet it strangely feels morefortable than sleeping outside the game. 96 Chapter 96 "Leader Ian, it is time to wake up." I open my eyes to Gibing shaking my shoulder. "Thank you for waking me up. Is everyone well and rested as well?" "Yes, it seems like everyone is fine and ready to head back home." "Good, then let us make haste. I want 2 goblins to stay back with Luna, they are to report back if anyone approaches the cave." "Of course, I will let Gowto and Gitpo stay with Luna." Leaving behind the two goblins and Luna, we made our way back to HavenFall. On the way back, I was determining the route for the road as well as the bridges. An efficient path needs to be created so that wheelbarrows can carry the copper ore and golem stones away from the cave easily and effectively. The uneven ground is already posing to be difficult to rece. Digging it all up and then cing bricks downyer byyer might be easier. As I ponder on the solution needed for the road, we eventually arrived back at HavenFall. Lucina, anticipating our arrival, had already prepared breakfast, consisting of more healing soup and some fruit. At the same time, some goblins came down and helped put away the weapons and armor. I let everyone go to their own devices while I head towards Noah, who was currently cing more firewood into the kiln and firing the y bricks. "Noah! How is the brick production going?" "Steady, with all kiln constantly firing bricks we should have enough for our final house, making it a total of 20 houses. There might be some empty houses since the people here have grown ustomed to living under the same roof, but at least now they will have an option to move." "That''s good. After that start, creating more bricks for the road. Pile them up near the kiln but not next to it. We need to dig into the ground in order to create a leveled surface before we ce the bricks in and create the road." "Of course, should we get started on the digging? I know that about 7 or 9 people who are more or less free. They usually attend ss in the morning and then help with construction and train." "Yes, and get Owen and Frank to lead them. I will also be apanying them, as they do not know the route I want the road to take. "Okay, let me go get them after I finish here." "I will be with old man Hus if you need me." After discussing with Noah the n for the road, I head to old man Hus. "Old man Hus, how are you feeling?" "Fined. Something you need?" "Yes, as a matter of fact. The weapons you made from the white stone that made up the golem''s body were very effective in defeating them. Resulting in our victory, and furthermore, there is a lot more stone where that came from. Once we have transported everything here, I think that you will have enough materials to create armor and shields from them as well. That''s not the most exciting thing though, we have found some copper and while it might be small, once we mine the tin as well you will be able to forge bronze things." "Lad, you sound very excited about all this." "Of course I am, but first I will be needing you to make be shovels and pickaxes. They can be normal stone since they will be used to dig up the riverbed, I also want more wood to make multiple bridges. Do you think you can handle that old man Hus?" "Youngd, if I can''t handle something so simple, I would rather die." "Thank you, old man Hus." Nodding at me, old man Hus turns around and calls for Lime. Seeing her energetic and ready for work put a smile on my face. Leaving them be, I go towards Melody as she proceeds to teach everyone avable in the morning the alphabet. The training grounds Gobi uses had been converted into a small open ssroom. Melody stood at the front with a pointed stick and the y cheat sheet with the alphabet. There were about 14 humans, 2 demi-humans and 28 goblins in ss. A huge number by normal standards, and what impressed me the most was they were very intent in learning. In front of them were soft y spread out rtively thin, and with a stick, they wrote down letters. The method of learning was simple, brute force muscle memory. By constantly writing down the letter and sounding it out, Melody was able to teach them all 26 letters, and now she is in the process of teaching them words. Luckily for her, she was a fast learner and was able to pick up on spelling rtively quickly when I was teaching her and Ash. I can tell, the moment we get paper or papyrus, Melody will be the first to create a book or novel, and with it, a library will be born, but that''s deep into the future. After watching the ss for a bit, I head towards Lucina who was busy watering her crops. Having old man Hus make a watering can from wood was rtively easy and once he made it, it helped Lucina greatly in her farming. "Lucina, is everything okay here?" "Yes, I estimate that the first few crops I nted might be ready in a couple of days to a week. They are the mostmon crop found in the forest next to us and while there is still an abundance in the forest I thought it would be good to be self-sufficient." "Excellent idea, Lucina! What of the herbs I asked you aboutst night?" "Unfortunately there was none left in the small storage where I keep all the fresh crops and herbs." "I see¡­You can ask Lime to help find some as well as instruct her to tell other scouts about the herb. Take a few and try to nt them. Hopefully, they will be able to thrive and we can farm them." "Of course Ian. How are you feeling by the way?" "Me?" "Yes, you have been constantly running around every day doing different tasks. It seems like you never have a break." "Ah, well, don''t worry about me so much. I do take breaks but right now I want to get as many thingspleted as possible. Creating more housing, building the road, expanding the farm and then eventually mining. A lot to do with not enough time and manpower." "That is true, but it is definitely better now than it was before with just the 5 of us. As more people join us, the ce has gotten more lively. I used to be able to only hear Howard speaking but now the sounds of Gobi training the goblins or even the nking near old man Hus drowns out his voice. People chattering while they build the houses and some evene to help me. It feels like a dream." "It''s not a dream. We have be bigger as a family, as amunity and we will only keep bing bigger." "Yes, thank you Ian for saving us before." "No problem, Lucina." After a small conversation with Lucina, I proceed to help with the construction of the house. I had finished talking to the NPCs about the situation of HavenFall and with nothing else to instruct them about I can only help build and quicken the construction process. I started to make more y bricks and set them aside to dry while I instructed Kingston and 3 demi-humans to go into the forest and cut down some trees. I would have liked to create a stone bridge like the Romans but making a wooden bridge might just be a little bit easier. Following the path towards the cave, I would need 3 bridges in order to make the journey as smooth as possible. Furthermore, the bridges need to be able to support the weight of not just a couple of humans but also the weight of the copper ore and stones. Will have to look into bridge-building once I get out of the game. I converse with some of the different NPCs as I continuously create more and more bricks. Talking with them helped me understand their thoughts. I asked questions to do with the living standards, their general day-to-day life as well as how they felt about the other NPCs around them. Interestingly enough there was not one negativement. They were shocked by the cooperation between different races as well as the harmony built between everyone. No one was discriminated against as everyone was friendly towards one another, asking questions and asking for help. Fitting in was easy and finding something to do was easy too. Since HavenFall was only just starting to grow there was much to be done. I was more surprised to hear that Gobi was a source of inspiration. Amander of the goblins, a taskmaster pushing for more effort and work but a kind superior ready to lend a hand when someone was down. I almost burst outughing considering I know about his previous life, as a goblin that attacked us and then got defeated. However, I was d that people were talking to each other and conversing creating a friendly environment. As I was talking to one of the goblins near me I heard a shout from above. "IAN! HE IS BACK! LUKE IS BACK!" Howard''s shout boomed above me, his excitement shared with me as I ce down what I was doing, rushing to the river to wash off the y on my hands. "Hurry up!" "I''ming, Howard. Give me a second." For about a month now he had been gone. My most OP NPC, Luke! 97 Chapter 97 I rush up the slope with an excited grin on myself. I think to myself, how much stronger has he gotten? Has he acquired allies? Has he changed? What was the purpose of himing back? Thoughts flood my mind and once I reach the top I see in the far distance, standing at the gate was Luke. Not just Luke though, he had allies standing next to him. "Lucina,e with us, let''s meet him at the front." With a nod, she hurries on over, and not before long we reach Luke. A gentle smile on his face as he watches use closer. He was standing in the middle of the gate waiting behind it with hispanions around him. A total of 12 NPCs stood around him. I take this chance to check his status as well as hispanions. Name: Luke Race: Human Health Points (HP): 60/60 Mana Points (MP): 12/12 Strength: 19 Vitality: 30 Intelligence: 24 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 20 Luck: 1 Skill: Pack Leader ( Passive ), Golden Ascension ( Active ) - ( 50% Hp and 50% MP) , Moonlight Renewal ( Active ) - 2 MP However, I could only see Luke''s status. For some reason, I could not see the status NPCs around him. Does that mean I cannot see the status of someone who is not ssified as ''under'' me? Would I need to convince them to stay at HavenFall before viewing their status is avable? Maybe¡­ "Ian, Lucina, Howard. I''m back." A soft voice escapes Luke''s lips and before I could say anything, Lucina runs up and hugs Luke over the gate. "I''m so, so, so d that you are okay." "Lucina, I''m fine." "No! Stay for just a moment." Howardes over and breaks up the hug, opening the gate for everyone toe in. "I''m d you are doing well too Luke and hello everyone my name is Howard." "I''m d as well, Luke. Hello everyone my name is Ian and wee to HavenFall." I say introductions and with a slight nod from a few of them was my reply. "No need to be shy,e in first, let''s get you guys something to eat while we introduce each other." Seeming slightly unwilling to move in at my request I felt slightly awkward. "Everyone, let''s go." But at Luke''smand, they follow. It seems he built quite a loyal crew while he was away. We walk quickly towards the fire pit where we eat dinner and I ask one of the NPCs to prepare a pot of soup as well as bowls for our guests. After, settling down near the fire and acquiring food for everyone I tried to strike up a conversation again. I had heard slight whispers from the group as they walked through HavenFall but decided to wait until we were in a morefortable position to talk. "So, is the girl with ck hair and blue highlights Luke''s girlfriend? Wife maybe?" "NO! What are you saying, Ian?" "Aww, don''t be like that sweetie. Don''t you remember that time when we did that thing?" "Wow Luke, smooth moves. So when did you and Sylvia get together?" "Ster! Do not add to the confusion. Ian there is nothing going on." "Sweetie, how can you do this to me? I-I thought we had something special." "SYLVIA SHUTUP!" "It seems like yourpanions are very lively given the right setting. I''ll reintroduce myself, My name is Ian. I have created a ce for people to live here in HavenFall. I would like to know your names if that is okay?" "My name is Sylvia. A cute and cheerful girl right Luke?" "Sylvia shut up." "Ian, this was my firstpanion after I left. To my left are Sr and Ster. Both of them are elves and they have helped me greatly in my journey. Behind me are Spike, Val, Rex, Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg, Ken and Kaede. Ken and Kaede are both of wolf-kin, demi-humans." "Great to meet everyone. As you might have noticed there are humans, goblins, and demi-humans living here. We live together in harmony so please do not be worried about discrimination of sorts." The tense expressions on the elves and the wolf demi-humans slowly rxed. I could tell they were worried about the treatment they would receive in a new home. "Does anyone have any questions they want to ask first?" "If I may." The blonde elf raises her hand slightly. "Sr, am I correct? What is your question?" "Do you know that this location is extremely perilous? There are constant fights from different ''Kings'' nearby and yet you still choose to settle here. Why is that?" "I know this ce is in the middle of the continent. Our location is part of a dead man''snd and we have already experienced battles with Kronos''s golems." "Then why stay?" "Because there are resources here we can use to stay safe and repel them. We have fought on a couple of asions with Kronos''s golems and we havee out victorious. From the first victory, we used the body of the body to fashion weapons which in turn damaged the rest of the golems easier." "What about general golems? Have you encountered one before?" "Yes, and we were able toe out victorious. However, a few goblins did pass away." "So you want to stay here and fight them?" "Yes, where else can we go? The more we move the more likely we are to encounter a situation where we cannot run and we would have to fight. Rather than go looking for danger, why not stay and slowly build up our strength?" "Sr, I like this guy''s thoughts." "Ster, I think it is reckless." "Reckless or not,bined with our current strength we should be able to be stronger as well." "Ladies, for now, how about everyone here rest for the day. You are allowed to go wherever you want and do whatever you want as well. Just rx. We will find a house for everyone here as well as beds." Standing up and leaving them to their own thoughts while they experience life in HavenFall is most likely the best thing to do for now. I motion Luke toe over and walk with me since I wanted to learn more about his experiences. "Did the scouts not see you on your way here, Luke?" "No, they discovered us first. By firing an arrow from far away from upwind, outside the range of Belle and Dawn''s nose they were able to initiate the conversation. They asked about our purpose as well as who we were. After giving your name, Lucina''s, Howard''s, and Gobi they allowed us to pass and show us the direction we needed to take in order to get here." "So, Noah is teaching them well. Tell me about yourpanions." "Well, Sylvia can be annoying but she is good at heart. Her cheerful and childish temperament lights the mood and allows for an easier flow of conversation." "I could tell that by the way she teased you. Am I right though? About the two of you?" "No. We are merely just friends. Moving on, Sr and Ster were originally captives at a goblin encampment. One of Kronos''s experiments was housed there and they were meant to be fed to the beast. After defeating the beast I was about to rescue them and we move away from that area." "So Kronos does more than just create golems?" "Yes, ording to both Sylvia and Sr. Kronos prefers to experiment on monsters, humans, demi-humans in order to create a new monster." "Wah, like Frankenstein." "What is a Frankenstein?" "Don''t worry about it. What about the rest? Spike, Val, Meg and even Lily look extremely young to be out on an adventure." "I rescued them from goblin encampments. They shouldn''t be fighting but instead living a happy safe life. That includes Rex, Daisy, Ken and Kaede" "Is that why you came back? To give them a home." "That was one of the reasons. Before deciding toe back I had to fight a general golem. The rest of them could not damage the golem and instead of putting them in danger, I told them to run while I tried to handle the situation. It was tougher than I expected since it wielded a giant sword but eventually I beat it. I was heavily wounded and Sr advised me to think about my decision to continue." "Sr is right. If you could only barely beat the monster then retreating is the best option." "Yes, so I came here. I intend to go back out once everyone is settled." "Well, you can after a while. For now, don''t leave. You want to leave but I can tell you that you would be going to your death. I saw the weapons you were holding and theck of armor on yourselves as well. With no protection and no way to deal a decent amount of damage how do you expect to survive out there?" "I was just going to get old man Hus to make me a knife and then I would go back out¡­" "See, Luke that''s where you are wrong. Wait a bit. Once we acquire copper and make bronze you will get stronger weapons and armor. Then instead of leaving HavenFall for an unknown time, you can go at a couple of days time or even a week to scout further out. Of course, it won''t be by yourself either. HavenFall has grown and so have you. I think you too need to experience what it is like being here for a bit. Go and run around, I think Sylvia might be lonely without you." "I''ll see and she wouldn''t feel that." "We will see." Watching Luke jog away towards Sylvia who was next to Lucina at her farm made me feel warm inside. Luke hade back stronger than before. Not just physically but also mentally. While he doesn''t think too far ahead and is still somewhat spontaneous, I believe that he had matured on his trip away from HavenFall. The sun was reaching its peak and the game was almost about to finish for the night. I walk back to the training grounds to see Gobi training the goblins and I sit on the ground waiting for time to pass, within 10 minutes I was back home, outside of the game. 98 Chapter 98 I pick up my phone and open messenger, texting the group chats about my recent discovery. "I have seen and met elves. 2 of them in fact." - Ian Almost immediately after I texted I get a barrage of replies. "ARE" - Evan "YOU" - Evan "SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Evan "HOW?" - Evan "HOW?" - Evan "HOW?" - Evan "YOU GOTTA BE JKING." - Evan "WHAT IS THIS BS?!?!??" - Evan "WHERE ARE YOU! I''M GOING TO YOUR SETTLEMENT ASAP!" - Evan "Wait, wait wait. Were they busty or slender elves?" - Evan "Both." - Ian "OH" - Evan "MY" - Evan "FKING GOD!" - Evan "That''s it. I''m done. I''m moving locations. You are in the middle of the continent and I am somewhere west, therefore, by moving east I will eventually meet up with you." - Evan "Can. You. SHUTUP! It hasn''t even been a minute since the game closed and my phone is constantly beeping because of your notifications." - Sabrina "Well, youngss. You see there is a time and ce for everything and right now. Yes, right now is the time to get excited." - Evan "Whatever, dude. Was that all you wanted to say, Ian?" - Sabrina "To be honest, more or less. I defeated a bunch of golems and found out Kronos creates Frankensteinian monster but like that is less important right, Evan?" - Ian "Of course my brother. Now tell me their names, no tell me what they look like. No that''s spoilers. Tell me nothing!" - Evan "SIR YES SIR!" - Ian "Okay, I''m done. BYE!" - Sabrina I close the messenger and move to get changed into a simple t-shirt and shorts. I have an early shift for work so I needed to exercise now if I want to have time to eat breakfast before work. I had slowly increased the amount of jogging I did every day as well as added some simple stretches and bodyweight training at the local park. On the way to the park, I passed by a young couple chatting about Settlement while they were doing a morning jog as well. "Yesterday was CRAZY! That battle with the red ogre was insane!" "I can''t believe you got me killed like that. Nevere near me in the game again okay?" "Wait, babe, it was an ident. Plus we all died in the end. That thing massacred us. Hopefully, the base is still okay. Rebuilding that would take a while even with all of us." A red ogre? Is it the Blood Ogre I met ages ago? "Excuse me, this red ogre can you tell me about it?" "Oh, umm. Well, are you part of any guilds?" "No, I''m not affiliated with any of the major guilds." "Oh, then yeah I can tell you. Sorry just had to check if you were part of any guilds. The red ogre was huge. It had like a deep red skin with ck tattoos on it and it was wearing this sick silver armor which covered about 50% of his body." "Where was this at?" "At the top side of the continent. We saw it sleeping in the forest and thought maybe it was a mini boss. Guess not, we got destroyed." "I see. That must have been a terrifying experience." "Yeah, but it''s just a game, right babe." "Yep, it was very fun even if we died." "Well, thank you for the information. I''ll try to avoid that area since I am somewhere near the top as well." I say my goodbyes and jog off. It seems like the Blood Ogre is busy on the top side of the continent. The monster had always been on my mind since that incident. What if it came back and attacked the settlement. It won''t be just Oscar that dies then, everyone would be killed. Knowing that the monster is far away from HavenFall, lightens my mood. Construction of the road to the mine as well as mining will be underway when I go back into the game. I get back from my jog and change into my work uniform, my boring yellow convenience store work uniform with green vertical stripes. I get to work 10 minutes before my shift and greet the manager. "Morning, manager." "G''day mate. You''re here early." "Manager Ie 10 minutes early every time I have a shift." "Well, don''t worry about it. I''m leaving the store so you can start working now since you''re already here." "Okay." I watch as my middle-aged manager leaves the shop, putting on a brown coat over his uniform and cing a cigarette in his mouth. Once he leaves I go to the back to get my name tag and then work officially starts. The slow grind of filling shelves and serving customers. Hours passed and I continue toplete my job until someone I knew came in. Wearing a denim jacket with a ck sports bra underneath and denim short shorts was Sabrina. "Yo!" "What are you doing here, Sabrina? I know this isn''t that close to where you live." "I was going to hang out with Evan, but his parents are sick so he is taking care of them. Since I had nothing to do I decided toe to visit. How long until you finish work?" "In half an hour." "Great, after you finish let''s have something to eat." "Sure, do you want to wait outside? I''ll get you something to drink." "Hmm, give me a coke. I''ll be at the bench outside okay?" "Okay." I go to the fridge and get a can of coke for Sabrina. It felt different, I never had anyone visit me at work before, nor have I had someone invite me out to eat after work. I was used to working, getting my pay, going home to y games, and then repeating that the next day. It was different, but it was a good difference. Feeling reenergized at work, I finish up as quickly as possible and once the manager came back to take over the shift, I said goodbye and walked out of the store. "Sabrina, what do you want to eat?" "MEAT! Maybe barbeque?" "Hmm, there is this Korean BBQ ce that is not too far away. Shall we go?" "Of course, it''s almost dinner time and I am hungry." "Alright." We walk together down the footpath with Sabrina asking about my day. Since it was just another boring day at my job I instead told her about some of the worst customers I had to deal with. Including customers that wanted discounts on food items, rude customers that threw food at me when they got upset, and even customers that tried to beat me up. I had some pretty rough times during my working days as a convenience store clerk but I guess it makes for funny stories as Sabrina wasughing at a lot of them. We got to the restaurant at 1900 and waited another 10 minutes for our table to be ready. It was quite packed today but luckily for us, we got a seat rtively quickly. We ordered ox tongue, beef intercostal, short ribs, pork belly, and pork neck as well as some kimchi pancakes and vegetables on the side. "So, tell me, Ian. Are you feeling okay in the game? Like ever since that incident?" "I''m fine now. Dying definitely shook me and I prefer not to die again but I think I''m okay." "That''s good. By the way, have this pork belly it''s SO good." "Will do. How about you? How''s the game treating you? I realize you don''t talk too much about the game unless it is something important." "Hmm, I''m doing okay. My technology tree is slowly improving especially after I expanded the scouting radius." "Oh, what did you find?" "Horses and cows." "You found actual animals? I thought the game only had monsters." "Well, I say horses and cows but they aren''t like the ones we see in real life or like the ones we see on the inte. However, the gamepany designed these monsters to be the recement for horses and cows." "So, you were able to unlock animal husbandry by taming those monsters?" "Yea, how did you know?" "I progressed to the next era for the technology tree. With it, I was able to see what I was missing and that technology was one of them since I haven''t seen anything that might resemble an animal." "Interesting. By furthering your technology you can see what technology is needed to potentially go to the next step from a different angle." "What do you mean by that? And are you gonna have that pork neck?" "Take it. I mean think about it. I had to unlock animal husbandry by taming the animals right? After that, I tried riding and got used to riding the horses which in turn unlocked another technology called horseback riding. The technology is linked in some way because you can''t get to horse riding without first unlocking animal husbandry." "So the technology tree is some sort of guide then." "I think so. Evan should have a better understanding of this since he said he got into a new era as well but since he only briefly mentioned it over the phone I didn''t get a chance to talk about it. Oh, and horseback riding is part of the ssical era. I already knew what happens when you progress into a new era. Guess you are the slow one this time Ian. " "What can I do, I can only work with what I have. Have you unlocked any other technologies, Sabrina?" "Nothing new. It''s very hard with my environment. I can''t progress on the mining side since there is nowhere to mine and I am nowhere near an ocean toplete sailing. The only thing I can do is expand my scouting radius since I acquired a means of transport. " "You will eventually meet up with yers as well as Kronos''s army." "Yeah, I''m afraid of that. Eat the rest, I''m full. Aren''t you in a tight spot as well?" "Okay and not really. There was an explosion on the other side of the forest but nothing has happened since then. I also found out that one of The Hordes general''spleted massacred a Bones base." "Oh, what happened?" "Some yers thought that the Blood Ogre was a mini-boss or a field boss I guess. Tried to attack it and well, that guy is stronger than anything I have seen so far. " "Right, because you saw it fight against that wolf thing a while back." "Yep, and knowing that it is very very far away has put my mind at ease." "So what''s your n for your ce?" "Build a brick path toward the mine. Mine the copper and tin and create bronze." "Bronze working technology right? Damn, you are gonna be so far ahead." "I''m just working with what I''m given." "Yeah, yeah. Well, since you look like you are finished let''s go. I need to head home as well before midnight." "Okay, I''ll go pay the bill. Meet you outside." I go pay at the counter and met Sabrina outside. "Are you going?" "Yep! I''ll talk to you on messenger if somethinges up." "Alright. Do you know how to get to the station?" "Turn left at that corner then right at the next light right?" "Yep." "Okay bye!" I watch Sabrina walk away until she reached the corner. Noticing that I was still watching her leave she waved her hand at me ushering me to go home. I wave back and turn around walking back home. I smile to myself, having enjoyed my dinner as well as my time with Sabrina, I was in a good mood. I whistle to myself all the way home and once I got I took a shower and rxed until midnight when I once again enter the game. 99 Chapter 99 I open my eyes to the world of Settlement, today and for the next or so is going to be filled with hard manualbor. The ground needs to be excavated so that it can be refilled with bricks and trees need to be cut down to get the wood needed to build bridges. Most of the NPCs were already hard at work with their own duties but I could probably grab a few to get this properly started right? First, I needed to check on old man Hus for the tools. In the game world, it has only been half the day so there might not be any tools yet but can''t hurt to check. "Old man Hus are the shovels and or pickaxes ready?" "Youngss, bring thed to the barracks." "Yes sir! Iane, follow me." "Lime, since when have you started to call old man Hus, sir?" "When he showed me how fast he could make the tools you requested." "What do you mean?" "The shovels were made by tying a straight stick to one of the white stones which had been rubbed against another stone in order to create a ttish surface. I don''t know where he gets the energy but he made 2 shovels between when you asked and now while also making another 2 pickaxes." "I see. Old man Hus has some hidden strengths." "Yep. I helped too by the way." "I know you did, good on you Lime!" "Hehehe, thank you. Well, here they are. If you want someone to help you, I think both Owen and Frank are free. They are both in the forest cutting down some small trees for sir. Ah, I see theming back." The shovels were slightly different from modern-day shovels and like how Lime described the process of making it, it looked more like arge chisel. The wooden stick was the shaft and instead of having a de, it was a stone cutting edge. Unfortunately, there is no handgrip which would have made shoveling easier but we have to make do with what we have. Simrly, the pickax was created by attaching a wooden stick to a smaller piece of stone. I wave towards Owen and Frank as theye back from being in the forest, calling them over to discuss some tasks that need to be done. "Owen, Frank, I''m going to let the both of you be the leaders in this project of mine. I''m sure Noah has already briefed you on this am I correct?" "Yea, Noah as spoken to Frank and me about it. Since we needed shovels and pickaxes we decided to wait until old man Hus had finished making them before we start anything. In the meantime, we went to get more wood for him while Noah found some more people to help us with everything." "Good, well as you can see I''m holding onto the 2 white stone shovels and pickaxes. I noticed that we still had 3 more stone shovels from when we were creating the moat in front of the gate. With this, it should be enough to make the base of the road I am thinking of, at the same time we would need more wood for the bridges." "Ah, we have 2 people in the forest right now finding good trees to cut down. Noah told us to find trees that are not toorge and more on the skinny side since making them into smaller nks of wood would be easier if the tree was already small." "Good, well then for now follow me. I''ll teach you what I want to be done as well as show you the route I want the road to take." I let Owen and Frank, ce the wood they had acquired at old man Hus''s workshop and then led the two of them down to the canyon. "I would prefer the road to start the moment the slope connects to the bottom of the canyon. However, doing it first will impact everyone else''s movement so this ce will be der and most likely at night so we can minimize any impact on the rest of the people here." "Ian, I got a question." "Yes, Frank?" "What about in the main ce? Wouldn''t you want a road of some sort up there too?" "Of course I do. But we can make thatter. Plus if we find some nice-looking rocks we can use that instead to make the road a nicer color." "I see." "Any questions from you Owen?" "Not yet. Keep going with the exnation, for now, I''ll interrupt if there is something I need to confirm." "Okay, as both you know I want this road to connect HavenFall and the cave. The both of you have traveled there before and know that as we walk from here to there we need to cross the river multiple times and watch our footing when we walk. I want to change it so we don''t need to worry too much about that as well as provide a more stable path for when we transport copper from the cave." "Right, when I was escaping from Balta and we were going to fight him, I did notice that the pathing we took was sometime''s dangerous as we could have slipped at any point and potentially hurt ourselves." "That''s right Frank. So the basic method of making this road would include first digging out the ground. Most of the path from here to the cave is uneven, with it being higher closer to the canyon wall and lower closer to the river. We need to make it so it is even but also deep enough that we can ce down the foundation of the road. " "What is the foundation?" "Good question Owen. I would have preferred to use sand but since we don''t have it, we will be using mud mixed with small crushed stones. So, for starters, we will dig out a section so that the two of you know what to do." "Sure." I bring both of them down the river a bit so that we weren''t too far away from thest kiln. Using the shovel, I mark out a rectangle in the dirt and then passed the shovel to Owen, Frank was already holding a shovel. "This is roughly the size I want the road to be like. The first step is to dig it out but remember to not dig too deep. Using the shovel as a guide, the moment it is about halfway deep up the de of the shovel it should be good, since the dirt is higher on the side closer to the canyon, make sure to dig down a bit more so that it is even." Following my instructions, Owen and Frank started to dig on the side closer to the riverbank first before going closer to the canyon wall. Making sure that it was still even, I told them they should tap the ground lightly with the feet. I went away for a bit and brought back 4 pieces of wood that were approximately the same length as the rectangle I made. Since I didn''t have exact measurements I had to estimate when I asked Lime to cut it up from the wooden sticks she had. "Good job with the hold, Owen, Frank. How was it? Hard?" "The shovel''s hurt our hand after a while but if we go slowly our hands won''t hurt. Otherwise, I think Frank and I are fine doing this." "Great! The next step is to put these wooden sticks along the side of the hole. This is just used to ensure the straightness of the road, however, I knowter down it won''t be straight but neither are sticks. After this, using the dirt you dug up we are going to mix water and small stones to create a foundation. So start by moving the dirt to the side away from the hole, I''ll go get a small bowl. When you are done moving the dirt, create a small hole in the middle so that it looks like a dirt bowl." I leave the two of them again to their own devices while I get a bowl as well as stones. I see a pile of broken y next to Noah as he ces a new set of bricks into the kiln. "What happened to the y?" "Ah, this is from the inside of the kiln, some times when we are making the bricks or cups or bowl it breaks inside. I took out a bunch of them and left it on the side since I wasn''t too sure what to do with them." "Hmm, this is perfect. If there are more, pile them here. I will be using them in the creation of the road." "Are you sure?" "Yep, we can''t just waste them." "Okay, do you need some now?" "Yep, can you get someone to bring me a basket of them?" "Of course. I''ll get it down right now." Leaving Noah and returning to Owen and Frank I begin the next step of making the road. One of the demi-humans came to us not long after I got back carrying a basket of the broken y pieces. Since he was here already, I told him to stay and learn as well since he was going to help Owen and Frankter. I take the bowl and fill the hole with water until it was about half full. While doing this, I asked them to crush the y pieces so that it is smaller. I slowly mix dirt and water together while adding the y pieces until it gets to a thick paste, adding in more water if needed. It turned into a budget concrete-looking paste and once I got it to a nice consistency I started to shovel into the hole. Getting the demi-human toe back with a basket of bricks, I let Owen and Frank fill the hole until it was half full with the mud mixture. Once the demi-human returned with the bricks, I took one and ced it on the mud mixture. I press it down slightly so that the brick is at the same level as the edge of the hole. Afterward, I told them to ce down the bricks, leaving a small gap between each brick until the hole was full. Luckily for us, we only needed 2 trips to collect enough bricks. With the excess mud mixture, I told them to spread it on top of the bricks, moving it into the gaps so that all the gaps are filled. This part required them to use their hands since it was easier to ensure that the gaps were all filled. Once that waspleted, on the long sides of the road, I asked them to ce anotheryer of bricks on top. Creating a line on the sides, and making it stick together using the mud mixture, all that was left was for it to dry and set together. "And with this, we are done. Any questions?" "How about the paths which are curved? The bricks obviously do not curve as well. Do we just end up using more of the mud to fill the gaps?" "Pretty much, Frank. Do the best you can with the bricks since the bricks are the core structure of the road. The mud is more of glue to stick them together. I also want shelter on top of the road in case of any rain. I know it hasn''t rained at all since we have been here but if it does one day, I want to protect the road from rain since it might get unsettled from the water." "Okay, well there won''t be enough bricks to fill the whole path yet but do you want us to dig it all out first?" "Yes, Owen. The path should be dug out and supported with wooden sticks. That way you already have a guide on the path. During the time when the bricks are being made, I''ll help you with making bridges but until we have enough wood, it might be tomorrow when we start." "Okay, thanks Ian. Frank, Yor and I understand it now." "Okay, follow me since you three will need to know the path." 100 Chapter 100 "The road will curve along with the canyon. There will be parts where it can be straight and paths where it might have to curve. At the same time, it will need to connect with the bridges that need to be made to ensure a smooth journey." I lead the way while talking about where I approximately want the road to be. At the same time, I see Frank mark out withrge arrows ces where there will be a bend and ces where the road would curve towards the river. Owen marked with a cross where the bridges would start and again on the other side where it would end. Since I was leading them on the path I made sure to cross the river where I want the bridge to be, making sure that the bridges are ced in ces where the river is small or where there is enough room for the road to be constructed on both sides. Yor, the demi-human, was constantly asking questions about the road and bridges. Since Yor was part of Phil''s group I asked him about how he was treated there as well as the activities Phil had done. Kingston had already told me some things but since he was bullied by Phil and Gabe and couldn''t retaliate he was constantly in the dark with some ns. Yor told me that Phil was a tyrant. He didn''t only bully Kingston but a lot of the NPCs as well. Making them work and fight with little food was the norm so when Yor was able to leave that group and join HavenFall he felt blessed. At the same time, Phil hadn''t done too much. They were constantly on the move after Phil met with another human and was constantly on the lookout for anything new and interesting. Yor didn''t know who the other human was but from what I can tell it was another yer and most likely from Bones. Kingston was still employed by Bones since he wanted money but because he wasn''t in any area where Bones was operating I told them there was a very easy way to continue making money from Bones while not revealing anything about HavenFall. Bones wanted information on the center of the continent and Kingston was the only survivor from Phil''s group, so by revealing that Kingston is currently in a dangerous forest where there were a lot of monsters to Bones, Kingston gained money while ying the game in a more free manner. I didn''t realize it before but Kingston''s attitude towards money changed after he left Phil''s group. By making himself seem like a greedy person it allowed him to y a persona, not revealing who he was and who he really acted. Acting slightly stupid and greedy was an easy way for others to not pry into his matters but knowing that I wasn''t part of Bones and just preferred to y the game as is he slowly opened up. Showing his true colors, just another kind guy that likes to y games while earning money. It took the rest of the day for me to show the group the way to the cave and then get back. Yor had been a great help and since this was one of the first few times I got close to the demi-humans I also took the liberty of checking his stats. With dog-like ears and a waggy tail he had simr features of abrador, including the yellow color of his hair or fur. Name: Yor Race: Demi-human ( Dog ) Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 8/8 Strength: 12 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 8 Agility: 12 Luck: 1 Skill: Energy Booster ( Active ) - 5 MP Energy Booster ( Active ) - Gives the user a boost of energy, instantly increasing vitality, strength and agility by 10% for 10 minutes at the expense of 50% reduced stats after 30 minutes Suprisingly, Yor''s traits were simr to those of abrador as well. He was active and constantly asking or talking about different things, creating a friendly and lively atmosphere. Furthermore, after learning about the road and it''s construction he was able to think of various other applications as well, asking about creating roads to make walking around HavenFall easier as well as other potential applications for the wheel includingrge carts driven by people to transport other people around. His imagination exceeded my expectations and I could tell he will be essential for HavenFall''s growth. We got back to HavenFall as the sun sets, arriving just in time for dinner. Luke and hispanions joined us for dinner as well and from the atmosphere, they were creating they had already started to fit in. During the time I was in HavenFall, I did notice that most of them separated from each other, finding different things to do and looking at the small groups everyone was sitting in I could more or less figure out the new guests'' preferences. I put up a small cup of water and tapped it with my wooden spoon. Unfortunately, it wasn''t ss and I couldn''t get everyone''s attention right away so I coughed slightly to grab everyone''s attention. "Ahem. Everyone, I would like to say something." The small chattering quieted and all eyes were on me. "I want to take this opportunity to say, wee home Luke and wee to HavenFall, Sylvia, Sr, Ster, Spike, Val, Rex, Lily, Daisy, Rose, Meg, Ken and Kaede. This ce is your new home and I wish to give you a warm wee. There is not much here right now, but slowly we are creating an environment where we will be safe and happy and with you guys joining us we can quicken this process, so I also want to say, thank you. I wish to learn about all of you more as we chat, have fun, and work together. Thank you!" A round of apuse is given to me as I finish my speech. I can see the beaming smiles from everyone and for the rest of the night, it was lively and full of cheer. Theughtering from HavenFall could probably be heard from the other side of the canyon. There was singing, dancing and teasing from both old and new NPCs bringing them together in a happy manner. Getting away from the festivities, I walk off to the side and down the path to the river. Theughter up above seemed to even drown out the sound of the waterfall and I can tell everyone is having a good time. "Why are you here?" Surprised by the sudden voice behind me, I turn around and notice it was one of the elves, Ster. Her silver ash-grey hair seemingly glows in the moonlight. She ces one hand on her waist and cocks her head to the side slightly as she questions me. "Just getting a little bit of fresh air. Why are you here and not up there?" "I''m getting some fresh air too." "I see. I know that you were one of Luke''s earlierpanions. At the same time, I know that Kronos''s golems happened to invade your tribe. I would like to know more about you, your tribe, Kronos, as well as anything about this world. I don''t have a lot of knowledge of the outside world and taking care of everything here has made it even less likely that I will venture out until we are stronger. Is there anything you can enlighten me with?" "Ian, I can call you that right? I heard some of the goblins calling you leader Ian but I wasn''t sure." "You can call me Ian or leader Ian. I am not too fussy." "Before I tell you anything, Ian. I want to ask you something first. You are very different from the other humans. Not just you, the one called Kingston as well. The both of you are different. It''s like you see this world as something else. Your knowledge is beyond our understanding but at the same time, yourmon sense is below ours. You know nothing around us but know so much that is unknown to us. What are you? Because if you are a threat then-" With a speed as fast or even faster than a golden wolf, a goblin knife was ced against my neck. The cold stone edge presses against my adam apple but I don''t move. I look into her amethyst eyes and strangely enough, I wasn''t scared. I felt like she wasn''t going to kill me and instead I just looked back at her until she slowly retracted the knife. "You are somewhat correct. Kingston and I aren''t normal humans but we are still humans and no matter what I want to protect what I have here. I think Kingston thinks the same seeing how he was having a good time with Howard, Gobi, and some of the others up there. I can''t exactly exin to you why we are different but just know we are but at least we are good people." "Hmm, I''ll ept that excuse for now. As for filling your request, what do you want to know? I''ll exin to the best of my abilities however, some information Sr might know more of." "That is okay, I''ll eventually find time to talk to not just Sr but everyone. I want to understand you all and I can only do that by talking to you. For starters, who are you? Tell me more about your background. I have heard some stuff from Luke but hearing it from you will make it easier." "My name is Ster. I am a dark elf that used to live in the ??i?n¦Ôl ?¨º?o?, which roughly trante to Moon Forest. It is adjacent to li?lo? ¦Ôb ?¨º?o?, Sun Forest, where Sr lived. Our tribe worships the moon and is usually enemies with Sr''s tribe. I use dark magic to perform some basic spells which include invisibility and in our tribe, I was one of the generals. I wasn''t the strongest by any means but I could hold my own against one of Sr''s tribe''s generals. We lived in constant war with her tribe until Kronos''s army attacked. Even though his army had to travel past the Center to get to our tribe, it happened anyway." "You can use magic? Is it teachable? Can I learn it?" "I am not sure. We can try another time." "I see. I am beginning to understand that some of the ''Kings'' armies move outside their territory a lot." "Yes, they raid and attack anywhere and everywhere. There are a lot of tribes and races that are not under themand of a ''King'' which makes attacking them easy. Our tribe had refused Cordelia''smand and while Cordelia had not attacked us in recent times, we knew we were eventually going to be attacked by her army. It was only a matter of time." ? "Okay, what about the rest of the world? What do you know about that?" "I only know basic information about all the ''Kings''. Usually, you can identify a monster under themand of a ''King'' by their mark. Kronos has a ck hourss with a diagonal line through it, The Horde has tattoos across their bodies, Cordelia has a small golden trident embedded in their foreheads and the Reaper is the back miasma that emits out of their bodies. They are all unique and cannot be copied." "I see. That''s a lot to take in, especially since they are all different. Howe the golems don''t have the mark?" "Because why they are part of Kronos''s army they are nothing more than minions and pawns. They aren''t important enough I guess. However, no one else uses white golems but Kronos." "So it is assumed? That they are part of Kronos''s army?" "I guess so." "Interesting. Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything that you can tell m about the world itself?" "Hmm, to be honest, I wasn''t interested in a lot of things as I grew up in my tribe however there is a legend that was passed down in our tribe and I know Sr''s tribe had a version of this story." "Oh, what is it?" "One day. Both moon and sun will disappear. The darkness will grow. Monster''s eyes will glow scarlet. Seas will run red. Time will slow. Nothing can stop it. The gods will forsake us. That should be what it trantes from mynguage to yours. However, through the many years I have been alive and the many years the elders of my tribe have been alive nothing of this sort has happened and I don''t know if this will ever happen." "Well, not much can be done about that if you don''t know. Thank you Ster for entertaining my questions and thoughts. Shall we go back to everyone?" "Sure." We walk back to everyone and while we do I look at the new message I got from the system. [ A yer has heard a piece of the prophecy. The main storyline has progressed. ] [ There will be a patch after the game tonight. We will update you on our website for when the game goes back online as well as the patch notes ] [ Enjoy gaming everyone! ] A new message and with it the key is to do with the ''prophecy'' that Ster and Sr know. I also imagine that other races have something that joins together with this piece since the system is hinting that there are different pieces of the ''prophecy'', like a jig-saw puzzle. I need to know more, but I think it is not something I can hold to myself, after all, different races exist in different areas. With new information about the game unlocked and information hidden in the NPCs backstory, I get excited, eager for more information but understanding the atmosphere of the dinner I refrain from doing anything. Instead, I too join in the festivities having fun joking around with the new NPCs and getting to know them bit by bit. 101 Chapter 101 A long night with lots of fun must eventually end as the sun rises over the horizon and the gentle breeze washes over thend. Sunlight sparkles and glistens over the waterfall as the water droplets spray down into the earth. I exit the house to see some of the NPCs sprawled across the ground near the fire, resting on each other''sp or shoulder, leaning against the rocks we use as seats. To a modern-day person, it might seem ufortable but with their gentle smiles on their faces, it would prove otherwise, however, I do think I need to ask old man Hus to build tables and chairs so that we can all eat together in a morefortable fashion. I notice by both the statues was the tinum blonde elf, Sr. Kneeling in front of them with her hands interlocked and her hair gently ruffled by the wind. Her skin glows in the morning sun and as I approach her slowly, silently as to not disturb her, I hear a soft mutter. A differentnguage, simr to thenguage Ster used in some of the words. A prayer perhaps? Nheless, I wait patiently on the side, looking at the statues myself. I take a nce at the statues'' stats in case there was a change but unfortunately, there were none. After a while, Sr opens her eyes, her emerald girls shine as the sunlight hits them and she turns her head slowly towards me. "Thank you for not saying anything during my prayer." "It''s fine. I know not to disturb anything religious." A gentle smile forms on her face and slowly she gets up, patting her knees to get rid of any dirt. "Is it okay, if you tell me more about that prayer, Sr?" "Of course it is okay. How about we sit by the river? I would like to rest by the water." "Sure, this way then." A slow and quiet walk down the path to the river. Water travels with the wind spraying both of us lightly. In response, I gesture that we move further down the river, and with a nod, Sr agrees and follows me. I pull some of therger rocks closer to the river and we both sit down, letting our feet submerge into the stream. "What about the prayer do you want to know, umm Ian?" "That''s okay, you can call me Ian. Since I do not know thenguage I was curious about it. What can you tell me? I also do not know the name of thenguage, I forgot to ask Ster about it." "For starters, thenguage is called ?¦Ô?n?l ??l?, or the Elf Language in themon tongue. The prayer is short and simple, thanking Goddess Ariel for the food, water, and life we were given. I also noticed that Goddess Fortuna had also blessed this ce, thus I also did a short prayer thanking her for her blessing." "I see. I have noticed that ever since I ced the Statue of Ariel, HavenFall is always bright and happy." "Yes, that is Goddess Ariel giving this ce her blessings." "I also want to ask you something. Ster told me about the legend of her tribe and told me that your tribe has something simr as well. Since both of you are of a simr race, I wondered if there is a major difference?" "While we are both ssified as elves we worship a different god. Our tribe worships the sun and in turn, we are sun elves. The legend she is talking about is most likely the prophecy of our tribe. A tale told by the elders passed down by their elders about a time that has not happened yet." "Can you tell me the prophecy? If that is okay?" "Yes, I can. There is no harm in sharing the prophecy as more people hear it there is more chance that it can eventually be stopped, even if it is not within our lifetime. If I were to trante it to themon tongue it would go like this; Our god will disappear. Their blessings, lost. Danger at every turn. Elements will rage. Time will stagnate. One is not enough." "I see and did you ever understand the prophecy?" "No, I asked other elves but they too did not understand the prophecy to a high level. All we know is one day the prophecy will happen but we do not know when." "Do other races have something simr to this prophecy?" "I''m not sure. You can ask Ken and Kaede or the other demi-humans, however, if they did not live in a tribe that has gone through a couple of generations they might not know anything." "Why do you say that?" "A lot of demi-humans are enved or born in very. They might not know much about life outside of it and if they did they were not there for long." "Okay, I''ll ask them about itter. For now, I want to get to know you more." "Huh? I-I am not that interesting." "No, you are very interesting. There is so much I want to know about." "Umm, okay. A-Ask away." "First, I want to know more about elven history, if you know anything about that?" "Oh, of course. I do not know when our history started however, I do know that there are multiple different tribes of elves. The main tribes worship Faunus, God of the Forest, while there are other tribes like mine who worship the sun or moon. Despite just all being elves we have disputes over our gods. The biggest happens to be my tribe and Ster''s and there are multiple points of conflict throughout the world since it is not only our tribes that worship the sun or moon." "Tell me about the main tribe, the one that worships the God of the Forest." "The main tribe is extremely big and it is what most other races refer to when they think of elves. The children of this tribe have a small emerald diamond embedded in their foreheads. This emerald is a catalyst for their magic, and with their already outstanding talent in wielding magic they are one of the main forces fighting against the ''Kings''. The tribe also has a hierarchy system, with its normal citizens being the lowest, then higher magic aptitude elves called nobles, with the highest being called High Elves. Other tribes do not adopt this system as it creates a clear boundary between their people, instead, we only have elders as a form of government." "I see, so the main tribe has advanced in civilization to the point where a hierarchy throughout its people is needed to create some sort of order." "I believe so." "What about magic? Can you tell me about that?" "Of course. I wield magic powered by the sun. My magic is at its highest when the sun is at its peak. Normally, I use magic to support other people as well as heal them but I do have offensive magic which I use to protect myself. Ster''s tribe uses the power of the moon. Her dark magic is strongest when it is a full moon. She also has a variety of illusion-based magic including her invisibility. Other tribes also focus on their own magic but the main tribe focuses on nt or nature magic, utilizing the environment around them to their advantage." "There is a lot of different magic isn''t there?" "Yes, the potential of magic is limitless." "Okay, thank you so much for talking with me Sr. I must converse with Ken and Kaede as well." "No problem, Ian. Please find time to rest up as well." "Yep, you too." My conversation with Srsted for longer than I had expected and looking at where the sun was in the sky I knew I didn''t have too much time left before the server closes. I wanted to learn a bit more about the prophecy from the two new demi-humans since I had pretty much confirmed from previous conversations that the demi-humans that came with Kingston were always working for Phil which meant they had no knowledge of their history. Going back up to the main area of HavenFall, I notice the twin holding onto wooden swords, swinging them up and down next to the goblins as Gobi shouts outmands. I walk up to both of them, stopping them mid-swing, and asked if I could talk to them. "Ken, Kaede is it okay if I talk with you? I want to learn a bit more about the both of you." They look at each other and shrugged before nodding their heads." "Okay, where do you want to sit?" "Near¡­ce¡­Eat" Only now did I notice that they couldn''t speak themon tongue properly. I guess sincest night they were usually with other demi-humans orughing I didn''t get a proper chance to speak. "Okaye. If the both of you can''t speak properly are you able to read or write?" "No¡­" "That''s fine. Then I won''t take too much time from you but promise me that when Melody or Ash starts ss you attend both okay? They are teaching everyone to read, write and for the both of you even speak. Promise?" "Promise" Their eyes sparkle at the notion of learning and with quick nods of their head, they readily agree to the promise. "Okay, well the question I wanted to ask was, who are you? Where were you from? And do you know anything to do with the history of your people? Specifically a legend of prophecy?" I spoke as slowly and with a fewplicated words as possible for both of them to understand. Ken took a while before he responded, Kaede however had a confused looked on her face. "Name¡­Ken¡­Kaede¡­Wolf¡­Child¡­North¡­People¡­No." It was broken but I understood from what little Ken was able to talk about. They were from the North however their people must have been killed or he didn''t know if they even existed. The prophecy obviously wouldn''t be known but at least now I understand a little bit more about their backstory. I pat their heads and gently rub their hair. "Thank you. HavenFall is safe, okay?" "Okay!" With beaming smiles on their faces, I let them go back to Gobi where they took up arms again swinging their wooden swords with big smiles on their faces. Time had run out for me but now I can at least tell the others a little bit more information. I can''t wait to discuss it. 102 Chapter 102 "Ian! Was that you?" - Evan I open my eyes and look at my phone only to see Evan messaging the group chat. "That prophecy thingy, that has to be you right?" - Evan "Yea. I heard it from the elves." - Ian "God damn. So, what was it?" - Evan "There are 2 parts which I have found and if I remember correctly it is; One day. Both moon and sun will disappear. The darkness will grow. Monster''s eyes will glow scarlet. Seas will run red. Time will slow. Nothing can stop it. The gods will forsake us. AND Our god will disappear. Their blessings, lost. Danger at every turn. Elements will rage. Time will stagnate. One is not enough." - Ian "Morning" - Sabrina "Morning, Sabrina" - Ian "Yo! Lots of information for you and me to consume." - Evan "I know. I was pretty surprised. Right before I slept in the game I see a system message. I have a thought it was Ian because he has elves in his settlement but didn''t expect it fully." - Sabrina "Yea, I feel you. Did you learn anything about it, Ian?" - Evan "No, the elves don''t know too much about it other than the prophecy will happen one day but from the system messages, we can assume that the prophecy rtes to the main storyline." - Ian "You said that this is 2 parts of the prophecy, right? How many parts are there?" - Sabrina "I don''t know. Apparently different races and different tribes within that race has their own version. The two I have are from different tribes of elves however, from reading them they are simr to each other. There are slight differences which means they add more to the prophecy but without theplete puzzle we won''t know." - Ian "From what we can interpret from the two and if we take it literally then there will be a day where it is all darkness, the elements being most likely fire, water, air, earth, will cause havoc and time will either slow/stop." - Evan "That''s if we take the prophecy literally. There have to be hidden meanings in it as symbols which represent different sections." - Sabrina "Also know that this is a tranted version of the prophecy. It was originally in the elvennguage and it was tranted to ournguage for ease of understanding otherwise we would have had to find a way to trante it ourselves." - Ian "So there might be meaning lost in trantion?" - Sabrina "Maybe?" - Ian "That is highly possible. There has been lots of text that has been lost in trantion in the real world and obviously they would incorporate that into the game world as well. Would learning thenguage be difficult?" - Evan "I''m not too sure. I''ve heard some words when they spoke in elven but I don''t even know where to begin if I were to learn it." - Ian "That''s right, it is kind of unrealistic for us to have to learn thenguage in order to figure out the prophecy. Though there will be hardcore people who are dedicated to this kind of lore stuff. They would love to get their hands on this information." - Sabrina "So, what do we do? Post it on the forum?" - Ian "Most likely. It is the fastest way to get the wholemunity to figure out the prophecy as well as find other parts of the prophecy. Though, I think we only release 1 of them. That way we can still be ahead of the rest. The game rewardsing first in a lot of things so we need to be the first people to figure it out, right?" - Evan "Okay, Evan do you want to post it?" - Ian "Me? Why me?" - Evan "I think you would be able to draw the biggest audience plus your friendly nature online has already given you a good reputation. People are more likely to share information if they know a familiar face." - Ian "I agree with Ian here. You also know a lot of the top yers you can always ask them as well." - Sabrina "Okayyyyyy, fineeeee. Making me do all the hard work sheesh." - Evan "Just do it youzy ass." - Sabrina "The post will be upter today. I''ll give you guys a heads up." - Evan "Okay." - Ian "Byeee." - Sabrina I turn the screen of my phone off and get to my daily cycle and before I knew it most of the day had passed already. It was 1800 when Evan messaged the group that his post had been made as well as telling us to look at some of the other forum posts. I turn on my open and find the page only to be bombarded with massive amounts of posts. If I didn''t have a link to Evan''s post I would have been lost trying to find it but before I look at his I decided to look at some of the other posts briefly. Just looking at the titles was enough for me to understand what the content of the posts was about some including; "BONES RECRUITING" - 4bones4bones "DANGER! Red monster in the North" - LittleCat11 "Where are the animals?" - Herder101 "Let''s make a Map!" - Ezyreal . . . "Tech Tree Map Ancient Era!" - ObserverEYE "Faith and what you can do with it" - Buddha+Jesus There were a lot of interesting forum posts which included information to help new yers. If I wasn''t ahead and I needed some help with the technology tree or the pantheon, these posts would have helped me a lot. After spending a while scrolling through the forum, it was time to look at Evan''s post. Clicking the link that Evan sent to the group chat I was greeted with his post. "Prophecy, prophecy, prophecy" - Elves_or_Nothin HELLLOOOO MY BEAUTIFUL ELF-LOVING PEEPS. Tis I Elves_or_Nothin and today I want to tell you, yes you the smart hard-working people that look into every nook and cranny for the lore. YES, that is right. I. Have. Information. On. The. LORE! THE PROPHECY! Every gamer here saw the system messagest night in the game where it said and I quote " A yer has heard a piece prophecy. The main storyline has progressed. ". Now this line is extremely important to all yers with different interests. yers that are aiming for the end game would need this. yers aiming for small goals and achievements will need this. yers who just want to know more about the world will need this. I call upon every gamer here to band together as we need your help. From a reliable source, I was able to acquire the message that they received that triggered the system message. One day. Both moon and sun will disappear. The darkness will grow. Monster''s eyes will glow scarlet. Seas will run red. Time will slow. Nothing can stop it. The gods will forsake us. The yer has told me that he acquired this from a different race in the game and said race had tranted the text to themon tongue. Meaning that there might be trantion errors or words or phrases that might have lost their meaning because it has been tranted, so do not always take the text in a literal sense. . He also realized that the system had hinted that it was a PIECE of the prophecy. MEANING that there is more. Anyone that acquires more information PLEASE send it my way. I would love to piece together the information and then release it on the forum so that everyone can understand more about this new world. I have tried to interpret the prophecy myself however, other than taking each line literally I could not find anything else. Maybe it is because of my location in the game or maybe I''m just dumb, IDK. Maybe you can find out. What do the moon and sun represent? Is the darkness physical darkness or metaphorical darkness? Are there going to be bloody seas or is it going to change color to red? Who knows? I definitely do not know. Maybe the GODS has forsaken me since I don''t even understand basic English. Maybe it was meant to be this way! BUT! That is all for now! Thank you and STAY TUNED! His post was still full of life and vor, the writing style really draws me in and I guess that''s also why I can have such fun conversations with him. I give him a thumbs-up as a good job response and since the game was still in maintenance we couldn''t y it tonight. Instead, it was the first night in a while that I slept at home and not in the game. There was no moon, no stars, no waterfall, no breeze. Just a dark small room. Never would I have thought I would miss just being in that world. I open a window and lean against the window sill, looking up at the cloudy sky searching for the same moon. A small light hidden behind the shadowy embrace of the cloud lies the moon. I smile to myself and close the window, turning off the light and slipping myself into my bed. It was time to sleep, time to rest my body. 103 Chapter 103 My body rm made me wake up at 0600, the same time as if I had just gotten out of the game. I stretch my joints and get ready for the day. I see a text from Sabrina and Evan that came through to my phone after I had slept, asking for a meet-up in the city. It seemed that Evan had gotten some replies about the prophecy and while he had tob through the many troll replies there was one that stuck with him. A message from SAMurai, the top yer from the previous 2 leaderboards, and rather than discussing over text, SAMurai flew from one of the other states of New Oceania, Haloha, to meet with Evan. Of course, Evan asked SAMurai if Sabrina and I were able toe since we knew about the prophecy in more detail and after hearing about this SAMurai agreed. Luckily for me, I didn''t have work and I could rx a bit after my morning workout before I had to go to the city. I had a light breakfast and watched some funny videos on Youtube until 1000 when I decided it was time to leave the house. I didn''t have much on my mind as I traveled to the city was just wondering what SAMurai would be like. Meeting new people isn''t exactly my strong point after befriending both Evan and Sabrina, I feel like I can do this. We had decided to meet at a cafe near the station and as I leave the station I see Evan and Sabrina talking to each other in front of the Cafe. Evan was wearing a ck bomber with a white shirt underneath and jeans while Sabrina was dressed in a grey singlet and ck shorts with a white puffer jacket hanging by her elbows. I hurry over, waving my hand to greet them once I got closer. "Yo, how was your train ride?" "It was fine, I guess. Did you and Sabrina just get here?" "Pretty much. Maybe 10 or so minutes ago." "Looking real casual in your sweats and shirt there Ian." "You like, Sabrina?" "It''s fine I guess." "When is SAMurai getting here?" "He said he would be here soon, I just got a text from him saying he got to the statin just need to wait until he gets here. Shouldn''t be long." We wait around for a couple more minutes talking about random stuff when a tall bald dark skin muscr man, wearing a tight ck suit and ck sunsses taps on Evan''s shoulder. "Uh, yes? May I help you?" "Are you Elves_or_Nothin?" "Uh, maybe. Who is asking?" The tall man takes off his sunsses and folds them cing one of the arms in the chest pocket. "Sorry if I scared you I was just worried I got the wrong person, my name is SAMurai. Nice to meet you all." "You are SAMurai? DAMN DUDE! You''re huge and I thought I was tall. Nice to meet you, I''m Elves_or_Nothin, and with me are Scarlet Witch Sabrina and Ian. Do you prefer to call you by SAMurai or by another name?" "My normal name is Sam so you can call me that, how about the 3 of you?" "Evan, Sabrina, Ian" Evan points to the three of us starting from himself, then Sabrina and then me. "Let''s go inside first and grab a table and something to eat. You must be starving since you just got off the ne and straightaway went onto the train to meet us." "HAHA, I am pretty hungry, how did you know Evan?" "A big guy like you definitely needs food in his stomach." "Ah touch¨¦." Evan leads the group into the cafe and got us a table near the back. After some small talk about the food we would eat as well as getting to know one another, the more serious talk begins. "I''ll start the talk. Evan, Sabrina and Ian, before the server closed yesterday I was able to acquire something rting to the prophecy. For starters, I''ll tell you about myself in the game and where I am most likely situated as well as the situation around it. Currently, my settlement consists of around 50 NPCs, half of them are demi-humans of the bison tribe while the rest is a mix of humans and demi-humans of the dog, wolf, and cat tribes. I am most likely situated somewhere in the North-East. After the post by Settlement_News_Agent I was able to somewhat verify this but because of where I settled down, I have been in constant exposure to fighting. This was one of the reasons I was able to be at the top of the leaderboard, coupled with other factors. After the message about the prophecy, I asked one of the bison demi-human if they knew anything about it. They informed me that they did have something simr to it but it was lost when their tribe elder died. After a couple of hours, they were able to piece together what little they knew about their ''prophecy''. It goes like this; From green to yellow. From yellow to nothing. From the sky to the ground. From the depths to the ground. That, unfortunately, was all they could figure out. I asked them to think about it and if somethinges back to tell me. Now from what I have figured out from this and their hand movements is that thest two lines were talking about mountains and seas. The peaks are mountains and the depths are the bottom of the sea. I understand if the mountains will crumble and be just anotheryer of the ground but if the seas are bing the ground then it means that the ocean is drying up or there is some sort of tectonic te movement that pushes from the ocean floor upwards. That''s what I have figured out at least, what are your thoughts?" I see Evan thinking deeply about it while Sabrina leansSam, decide to speak my thoughts first while I let them think more. "Sam, I think your theory is right about the mountain and the sea. However, at the same time, it contradicts part of the prophecy that I found. I found my prophecy from the elves and they spoke about the seas bing red." "WAIT, IAN. That''s it." "What Evan?" "I had that same thought in my mind after hearing Sam''s version but technically both versions can work. Seas turning red and the depth bing the ground. I think it might be referring to a volcano eruption, an underwater volcano eruption. The sea bing red is talking aboutva and magma and when it cools in the sea it ends up as ''ground''." "So the prophecy is talking about a volcanic eruption?" "Not just that Sabrina, there is obviously more at y than just a volcano, however, this might be something that will happen. The sun and moon disappearing might be because of the ash being thrown into the sky covering thend in darkness. HOLY I''M A GENIUS. MATPAT WHERE ARE YOU, HIRE ME AT GAME THEORISTS!" "Evan, that is honestly pretty good deduction." "Thank you Sam. Your information definitely helped." "Wait, but then how is this going to rte to the main storyline? We can''t defeat a volcano it just happens but what kind of game makes the main storyline event be a volcano. We are definitely missing something." "Yea, you''re right Ian, and it''s not like we solved all the mysteries in the prophecy that we do know. Sam''s one is iplete and the ones we now involve are more than just a volcano." "The ones you know?" "Oh right, sorry forgot to mention. We have 2 prophecies, not 1. The first being what I posted and the second being; Our god will disappear. Their blessings, lost. Danger at every turn. Elements will rage. Time will stagnate. One is not enough." "Interesting, so you too were holding back on your information from the public." "Of course, Sam. That''s why you chose to meet in person rather than include information on the forum. You too don''t want other people to get ahead." "Then why share it now?" "Because I want to ask you something." "Yes?" "The 3 of us are in an unofficial guild. There is no name for it yet but I want to ask if you want to be part of it?" "Are you deciding to go against the 3 major guilds and eventually conquer the continent?" "Something like that. For now we are just trying to progress through the game." "I like that. I LIKE that. I''ve had some bad experiences working for Lotus and some straight-up terrible experiences when I was working for Bones. If I can make them pay in a game and make them the small dog then I would be d to join." "YES! Ian, Sabrina let us wee SAM our new recruit." "Good to have you on the team." "Wee." "Thank you! However, I''m pretty sure none of us are near each other right?" "I''m the closest." "Oh, Sabrina is? Are we able to establish any sort of trading? And how close do you think we are?" "Not sure, however, I have horses and once I establish a more concrete calvary I will find time to search the ins to find you. You said you are near a river and the ins. So am I." "I am upstream and you are downstream?" "That was my thought as well." "Excellent! Then I will wait for when your horsemen will reach my gates. How about Ian? You being in the middle means you will be able to connect to all of us the easiest right?" "No, unfortunately, Sam I have no means of transport. Sabrina was the first to find horses and the best I can do is pushcarts. But once I do find horses or something of the like I will be expanding my scouting radius. There is a river next to me as well and maybe it connects to the East." "And I will be moving closer to Ian." "Why is that?" "No, no, don''t ask Sam." "Wait why?" "FOR THE ELVES!" "HAHAHAH! OF COURSE!" The rest of lunch was cheerful and full ofughter but eventually, all good things have toe to an end. Sam had to leave since he had another flightter in the evening and both Sabrina and Evan left for home. I went home as well and once I got home Evan had already added Sam to the group chat as well as messaged everyone a very important update. The new patch notes. 104 Chapter 104 [ Server Maintenance Hello everyone, it has been a long couple of months since the start of the game. We did not expect the game to be moving this fast but nheless congrattion to that yer that discovered more about the main storyline. Since the game''sunch, we have seen the rise and the fall of different settlements, as well as yers looking for different forms of gamey. Some have seen a vast improvement to their stats, while others have seen views they never thought they would see in their lifetime, and some taking in a new hobby. This world is vast, and the way to y it is numerous, there is no one way to y Settlement. Now getting into the thick of things, we have some updates to announce. Some slight changes might be good for some and bad for others. Patch Highlights 1.2 Increasing Monster Activities The monsters in the game have seen some action however, from our findings there haven''t been enough. Some monster groups have seemed to collect together and found their own ''encampments'' and have not left. We are going to change that and instead make them more active. They will hunt. They will kill. Day and night, so be prepared. Increasing Monster Stats In conjunction with increased monster activity will be the increase in monster stats. We have purposely made it so that no one can see the stats of the monsters if you have not noticed so, the increase in stats might not even affect yers. However, monsters that you have faced before will be stronger so be careful. Introducing Golden Age This was a concept that was supposed to be introduced in thest patch however, there were some slight bugs with it, nevertheless, it is here, the Golden Age. There will be a quota that the yer has to fulfill. The excess happiness that the yer acquires will be added to the quota for a Golden Age, however, for Travelers, they will acquire points towards the quota by performing good deeds. Good deeds can be determined by either helping other NPCs, saving them, defeating encampments, or some other hidden methods. Now then, what is Golden Age? Golden Age is a time period( will be shown once the Golden Age is acquired) and depending on your y style ( Leader or Traveler ) it will be different. For Leaders, the Golden Age is a time period where your Settlement gets stronger passively. Your NPCs stats will increase by 10%, all special buildings'' production will increase by 10%, Faith will increase by 10% per day, andstly, there is an increased chance to get a little lucky. For Travelers, your own stats will increase by 25%, and any NPCs that do follow you will get a 10% increase in their stats as well. Likewise, there is also an increased chance to get a little lucky. Introducing Dark Age Now, you have heard of Golden Ages but what about Dark Ages? What if your happiness is down in the dumps, well you will get punished. Negative happiness umted until the negative version of the quota, and once it is filled, the yer will enter the Dark Age. For Leader, your NPCs stats will decrease by 10%, the production of your special buildings will decrease by 10%, Faith will lose 10% per day, andstly, you might encounter a bit of misfortune. For Travelers, your stats will decrease by 25%, and any NPCs that do follow you will lose 10% increase and there is a chance you will encounter a bit of misfortune. Introducing Heroic Age Now, you have heard the good and the bad, what about the heroic? As a way for yers that have entered the Dark Age, the incentive to leave the Dark Age and push forward to a better life is the Heroic Age. It is proof that a yer or settlement has pushed through some dark times and came victorious. For Leaders, NPCs stats will increase by 5% and have a higher chance to increase permanently, special builds will increase production by 5% and have a higher chance to give double or maybe something extra. In addition, Faith will increase by 5%, and perhaps the God/Goddess will help you as well. For Travelers, your own stats will increase by 5% and there is a higher chance of increasing your stats, NPC followers'' stat will increase by 5% and there is a higher chance that they will increase their own stats as well. LeaderBoard As of patch 1.2 every patch we will show the top 10 yers of this region. There will be no reward, however, being in the top 10 should already be rewarding. Since thest time we have done this, there have been some slight changes to the top 10. 1. SAMurai 2. Helioc 3. SanShiGo 4. Ian 5. Hide-ha 6. BabyPenPen28 7. MoonPrismPower 8. Nocto_or_Octo 9. BAB 10. Devel We at Lotus would like to that you for ying our game, and we wish you the best of luck in your adventures. All yers will receive a small random gift from us once the servers open again tonight. Thank you and have fun!! ] It was a long announcement, but I eventually finished reading it all, and by that time I could see my phone had blown up from the group messages. "MY TOP 10 SPOT!!!!" - Sabrina "Wee to the club, HAHAHAH!" - Evan "NOOOOOOO!! I CAN''T BE AS BAD THIS IS, IDIOT!" - Sabrina "It''s fine, Sabrina, the top 10 get nothing this time." - Sam "No, no, no. Sam, you don''t understand. I. I. Am on the same level as this idiot. AHHHHBHASBDJASDALSJDA!!" - Sabrina "It''s fine, Sabrina. Now you have the motivation to get better, right?" - Sam "Yea, Sabrina. :) " - Evan "AHRGHHHH!!!!! - Sabrina "We can let her freak out in the corner. What were your thoughts on the patch, Sam?" - Evan "Are we going to wait for Ian or?" - Sam "He is probably still reading the patch notes. SPEAK MR. NO. 1." - Evan "Well, the increased monster stats and activity will make things harder for me however, it does create opportunities. With loot drops, we might be able to strengthen our forces by just constantly fighting monsters and while they will be difficult for us Leaders that don''t have the same stats as our NPCs or Travelers, we will be able to train our NPCs to a higher level." - Sam "My thoughts exactly, this is an opportunity for us to get stronger, and I think the GM''s are doing this in preparation for what is toe after the prophecy is solved. After all, once that is solved, we should get the main storyline''s objective. Oh, looks like Ian has just finished reading. YO!" - Evan "Hey everyone." - Ian "Hello there Ian," - Sam "Hey¡­" - Sabrina "I agree with Sam''s thoughts as well." - Ian "Alright, what about the 3 need additions. Ian, start us off with your thoughts." - Evan "This is to be used to create a more positive gaming environment, right? That''s why they used Golden Age as the terminology." - Ian "Yes. I searched it up on Google, and Golden Agees from time periods where there is a lot of peace and happiness." - Sam "Then, they added Dark Ages for yers who are most likely tomit crimes in the game or doing bad deeds." - Evan "Happiness can dip down into the negatives, even if you are doing your best." - Sabrina "What do you mean?" - Ian "There a point in time when there was no food and our makeshift shelters got blown away. My settlement''s happiness went into the negatives, and I could see the visible disappointment in the NPCs'' faces. I tried my best afterward to procure food and create sturdier homes, which then bought back the positive happiness." - Sabrina "So you can enter the Dark Ages by simply losing food, shelter, and stuff like that?" - Sam "Damn, so if your ce gets destroyed by a monster, and you have to flee your happiness would drop until, eventually, you hit the quota for a Dark Age." - Evan "What if you do lose it, but your people are still happy?" - Ian "How does losing your home make you happy?" - Evan "Not like that, I mean like they knew losing the home would make for a better life. Would the happiness still go down, or would it stay happy?" - Ian "I think it would definitely depend on the situation. Plus, the happiness is a scale of all the NPCs'' feelings. Even if one or two or even a group knows that it''s for the better, if the majority feels otherwise, then it will lead to a negative result and thus eventually a Dark Age." - Sam "Well, there is a way toe back after you enter a Dark Age." - Sabrina "Right, the Heroic Age." - Evan "I think there will be yers that focus on going in between Dark Ages and Heroic Ages." - Ian "Because of the boost in permanent stats?" - Sam "Yes." - Ian "It definitely will add to a different y style, however, can that yer really go through the emotional rollercoaster with his/her NPCs." - Evan "I think it''s more of a solo yer y style." - Sabrina "What about the new yers in the top 10. Does anyone know anyone?" - Evan "There are some familiar ones but also some new additions." - Ian "I know Devel, SanShiGo, Helioc, and Hide-ha are all part of the 3 major guilds. Devel is part of Bones, SanShiGo is part of Lotus and Helioc and Hide-ha are part of Aqua." - Sam "What? How do you know this?" - Evan "When the guilds tried to recruit me, they were there with them." - Sam "I see. So these 4 yers are in the higher-ups of the guilds." - Sabrina "Most likely." - Sam "Then the new yers? Also, part of the guilds?" - Ian p "No idea." - Sam "Can''t dwell too much on them. We won''t be seeing them for a while." - Evan "Well, we should get ready for the game, I still need to have dinner and shower." - Sabrina "True. I''ll talk to everyone tomorrow if there is something I need to mention. Talk to you guyster." - Sam "Okay bye." - Evan "CYA!" - Sabrina "Bye." New content and new ways to y the game. I can only imagine how this will affect me as other yers, but for now, focus on HavenFall''s development. The extra stuff wille naturally, right? 105 Chapter 105 I wake up back in HavenFall next to Gobi''s training field. A system message popped in from of me, the random gift from the GM. [ Sorry for the inconvenience our server maintenance may have caused. In order to reward those that have been patient, we have decided to give everyone a random gift. ] After I finished reading the message I click on the message and with a puff of white smoke a small white box with a golden ribbon tied around it appeared in the air. I grab hold of it quickly in case it was going to fall. [ Random Gift Box Inside contains an item or items of various rarity. Untie the ribbon and open the lid to obtain the item or items ] This is it. Something ofplete RNG. I am ready. My luck stat was made for this. I breathe in deeply. Slowly pulling the golden ribbon away as if it was something precious. My heart races faster than an F1 car and sweat could be seen rolling down the side of my cheek. I have to pull that ultra-rare item no matter what or else I would feel so bad with increasing my luck. The ribbon slowly unties. It falls around the box and is only being held up by my hand. It''s time. Another deep breath. I pull the lid off the box and a golden shine appears. "THIS IS IT. THIS IS IT!" The light slowly fades and I gulp down my saliva. I slowly peek inside and I see a small circr badge. "What¡­" I felt somewhat disappointed. It wasn''t a master sword or like a legendary herb or like a rare monster but a badge. It was mainly brown with a white curved area in the middle and 12 small brown rectangles in the middle over the white area. The 12 rectangles were separated into 2 groups of 6s with a small gap between the two groups. Sighing, I put my hand in the box and pick up the badge so I can see the traits. [ Badge of the Zulus Use in an open space to create an Ikanda. Make sure there are no obstructing objects when using the badge. ] "An Ikanda¡­? What is that?" For the first time, I wished I could search up in Google what the meaning of a word was in the game. I didn''t know of the Zulus or the Ikanda but I''m guessing they were an ancient tribe that roamed the world a long, long time before I was born. I look around to see where I could ce down the badge and I decided to do it close to the training field, next to it to be exact. When I thought about cing the badge down, I got to see a blue square outline on the ground, symbolizing the cement of the building. If I turn to a ce where there is something already there then the blue square turns red. I turn around and move slightly until the blue square lines up with the barracks, making sure there is a small gap between the two buildings. Ready to use the badge, I ce it on the ground but then a pop-up appears. [ Are you sure about the cement? You can NOT change it afterward. ] "Yes" Once I said yes, the badge melts into the ground. A ck line appears around the perimeter and slowly it fills in with ck. Oncepletely filled, it bes gel-like slowly congealing and morphing upwards. I could make out some horn-like structure from the shapes the gel was forming into and after a while the ck gel bursts into ck smokepletely covering the building. I step back while I wait for the smoke to disperse, I can see Gobi and some of the goblinsing closer, curious about the ck smoke. "Leader Ian is this some sort of ck magic?" "No Gobi, nothing of that sort. It''s a building and I''m waiting to see what it is." "Well, it''s starting to clear up." The building looked very intimidating. It looked to be like the size of our y houses with a brown y-like structure and leather-like padding sewn together covering the sides as well as, arge wooden door at the front and right above it was two bull horns protruding outwards,rge enough that it as long as the front wall. "It looks kind of scary, Leader Ian." "It does¡­" I walk towards it and as I was a step away from the door the system message pops up allowing me to see the description of the building. [ Ikanda A building where troops can be trained the ways of the Zulus. It is a unique building belonging to the Zulus. Troops trained in the Ikanda will gain special passive skills. Buffalo Horns: +5 Agility, 25% nk Attack Bonus Damage, 10% Defense against Ranged Attacks Buffalo Chest: 10% Attack Bonus on Open Terrain, 25% nk Attack Bonus Damage, 10% Defense against Ranged Attacks ( Requires Buffalo Horns ) Buffalo Loins: 10% Increase to Current Strength and Vitality, 25% nk Attack Bonus Damage, 10% Defense against Ranged Attacks ( Requires Buffalo Chest) A unit needs to undergo closed-door training in order to obtain the passive skill. It will depend on the unit''s talent and effort and the amount of time taken to achieve results will vary. Once a skill is obtained the unit cannot go back to the Ikanda for 1 month. Current Space 0/1] "This¡­This is INSANE! I DID GET THAT S-TIER DROP. LET''S GO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I finished reading the description. The new building is amazing. Not only does it give t stats but also scaling stats, both offensive and defensive. The only drawback is that the time frame between each unit would vary greatly. In some lucky cases the unit cane out in a day or maybe even less I don''t know but in the worse case, it might take days, weeks, months maybe even years. Since there was no minimum or maximum number in the description then the time frame for each unit will be up to them when ites to learning it. A positive oue is that once the unit is finished the next unit can immediately go next. Now, who goes first? Should I have one of the goblins try it out? Or maybe David or Howard? Even the demi-humans could work. Who would get the most value out of this while also finishing it quickly? I rack my brain for a bit thinking about the different options until I heard Gobi''s voice behind me. I had forgotten that some of the goblins were right behind me curious about the building "Leader Ian, are you okay? Is something wrong?" "Ah, sorry Gobi I was lost in my thoughts. This building allows people to walk in and train themselves however, the time inside depends on the person. It can be short and it can take a long time." "Oh, so it''s a training field but special?" "Yep, exactly. I want to eventually have all our warriors try it ande out victorious, however, I''m not sure who to go first." "Why not let Luke try?" "No, I want him and hispanions to rest and enjoy some peace and quiet." "A goblin?" "Do you think anyone is strong enough toe out quickly? Since you trained all the goblins I want your opinion on it." "If you want my honest opinion then no. Even myself, I do not think we are worthy to try it. We are slow. We are weak. However, we can eliminate that weakness with our numbers. That is what we goblins are good at. If this ce is something that only allows 1 person inside then I suggest one of the humans or demi-humans try it first and thene out with the knowledge of how toplete the challenges inside. In the meantime, I will continue to train everyone on a more one-on-one basis, rather than a team." "If you say so. Who should be the one then?" "Howard, David, Noah, Kingston. There are some strong demi-human individuals however, theyck a lot of the basics which is why they join me in training when they are not constructing." "Maybe I should let Kingston¡­" "That would be a wise choice, Leader Ian. He is strong by himself and is capable of making his own decisions." "Alright, get someone to bring him here." "Of course, Ginini go get Kingston. He is most likely down at the canyon near the kilns." "Yes, Boss Gobi." I watch as Ginini runs away in search of Kingston while Gobi brings the rest of the goblins away to continue training. I see that he is already implementing one-on-one training by making the goblins spar against each other with wooden swords and spears. After a while I see Gininiing back with Kingston right behind him. "Yo, you wanted to see me?" "Yea. Ginini you can go back to training." "Yes, Leader Ian." "Kingston, this building allows a person to train and get a passive skill." "WHAT THAT''S INSANE! A free skill?" "Yep, but there is a catch." "Hit me with it." "The amount of time in there depends on the individual. I also do not know what you will experience inside. I thought I would let you try first out of all the NPCs since we canmunicate outside of the game while you are inside in case you do not finish the training today." "Wait, are you telling me this might take days?" "I don''t know. There is no time limit or duration in the description. Look for yourself." Kingston walks forward a bit until he was a step away from the building and like me, he stands there reading the building description. "Okay, I get what you mean by it might take like an hour or it might take days." "Right? That''s why I thought you should try. At least this way you can have help in case it does take a long time toplete it." "The skills are insane too." "Yep. How are your current stats? Tell me?" "Sure; Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 18/18 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 12 Vitality: 9 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 1" "Oh, you have increased strength and vitality? How did that happen?" "When I was part of Phil''s group we found some ancient ruins. Opening it gave me some stats however, from what you told me about some of the NPC''s stats I am super weak. I was only able to get by because of the armor and weapons you gave me." "That is true. But after youplete the training I think you would get some stats. Maybe even some extra stats, who knows. How are you feeling?" "I''ll do it obviously. I''ll also take the best equips I can get in order to increase my chances." "Yea, I was going to get that for you. Let''s go the Barracks and Armory is right here." Kingston and I went into the Barracks and Armory to find the best equips we could get for Kingston. Equipping on the wooden helmet, stone chest te, wooden arm and leg guards, as well as the golem stone spear and a stone shield. "Are you ready?" "Ready as I will every be dude." "Okay, tell me how it goes if you don''t finish it during today''s time." "Will do but watch mee out in 1 hour." "Good luck!" "Cya bro." Kingston opens the door and I was able to grab a peek inside it before it closes behind him. However, all I saw was a dark empty room. [ Ikanda A building where troops can be trained the ways of the Zulus. It is a unique building belonging to the Zulus. Troops trained in the Ikanda will gain special passive skills. Current Space 1/1 ] 106 Chapter 106 "Good luck!" "Cya bro." The doors close behind me silently and the darkness creeps in. My eyes take a while before they could focus. I gulp down on my saliva and drip the spear and shield tightly ready for anything. As my eyes focus I realize that the whole ce was empty, other than a small wooden pole in the middle. "Okay¡­Empty room. Pole in the middle. Am I going to get jump-scared here? Sigh, why did I say yes to this?" I end up looping around the whole interior of the Ikanda, pressing my back against the wall and looking forward until I got back to the door but in the end, nothing happened. Thus, I slowly moved forward towards the middle and once I got to the wooden pole, I saw an arrow pointing to a small red square button. "Serious? A red button? This screams danger man. Ahhhh, I got no choice. Let''s do this, all or nothing." I reach out hesitantly and pressed the red button, then a system message popped in front of me giving me the scare of my life. My heart raced so fast and a small scream left my mouth. I took a breath before reading the message. [ Wee to the Ikanda. As this is your first time here would you like to read the rules? ] "Yes." [ As a yer, you will undergo a set of challenges. If youplete the challenges you will be rewarded with the passive skill. The next passive skill can be obtained after a 1-month cool-down period. A yer''s unit will undergo a set of challenges as well however their difficulty might vary. ] [ The following are the rules; 1. The yer or unit may not leave the Ikanda until theyplete all the challenges 2. All equipment will be unequipped once the challenges start 3. There is no healing 4. All skills will be blocked for the remainder of the yer''s or unit''s time ] [ Are you ready? If you are, press the red button again to begin the challenge. ] "WHAT! No equips? Why did I go through all that trouble in finding the best equips then?" I hold my head in agony as I read the rules of the Ikanda. With nothing left to do but regret my life, I press the red button again. I felt so tilted as I read the rules, how much worse can this get right? The moment I press the button, the wooden pole slowly descends into the ground and my equips disappear off my body one by one until I had nothing but the clothes on my back. Once the pole merges with the ground, a felt a slight tremor below my feet. The walls seem to extend in all 4 directions and the space expands as far as the eye can see. A blue circle appears below my feet, expanding outwards slowly it disappear from my vision and when I thought it was over blue sparkles start to appear around me. It slowly collects into different groups, merging together into the outline of different weapons. A sword, a spear, a bow and arrow, an ax and a club. All the weapons float around me, slowly moving around in a circle. A system message appears in front of me once all the outlines of the weapons be straight and clear. [ Please pick a weapon ] [ Sword of light, Spear of Light, Bow and Arrow of light, Ax of light, Club of light ] The weapons float in front of me and I look at each one as they float past me. What to pick? What to pick? Since I don''t know what the challenge was I didn''t want to pick a weapon that might disadvantage me. The bow and arrow were immediately out since I wasn''t proficient in archery. I didn''t want the club since I could just use the ax. Then there was the sword, spear and ax left to choose. Normally, I used an ax or a spear so I didn''t think I should choose a sword. I stand there for a couple of minutes just looking at the spear and ax as they float around me. I rack my brain for any advantages I could think of if I chose a certain weapon. After a while, I decided on the spear. The extra range might be helpful since the challenge could be anything. However, the sheer force that can be projected using an ax at close range might have been helpful. Nheless, the spear was my choice of weapon. I reach out and grab the spear from the air and as I do the spear slowly materializes in my hand. A sleek blue spear with a crystal-like head appeared and at the same time, the rest of the weapons burst into blue sparkles. [ First challenge: Run ] "Huh?" Once the system message appeared in front of me, the walls on the left and right zoomed right into me leaving me with only enough space to swing my spear around in a circle but in front of me as a long alley into the abyss. I move forward, jogging slightly with my hands on the spear, I didn''t know what was happening other than I need to run. What am I running from? I look behind me and saw nothing. With a confused face, I turn back to the front where I saw the ground fall. "What?" Each second passed and part of the ground fell into darkness and with each second it got closer. "Oh no." I turn around and start to sprint. My heart race fast and I hold onto the spear with my right hand. I peek around my shoulder and to my dismay, the darkness was approaching. The ground was falling faster than my feet were moving. "Oh, no, no, no." I push off the ground faster, swinging my arms faster running forward not knowing where the finish line was and everything in front of me looked the same. The same ground, surrounded by the same walls on the left and right, with nothing changing and nondmarks. My chest was aching, my sides were hurting my mouth was dry. I pump my legs hard and harder and each time I look behind me the darkness creeps closer. Until. The ground became air. I feel gravity pulling me down. I reach forward, moving my legs in the air hoping for something to happen. But. Nothing. I scream as I fall. The darkness flies around me. I see nothing but space as my screams echo in my ears. Then. The ground appears before me. I face nt onto the ground. I feel as my body merges with the ground, bones cracking and breaking, flesh melting off my bones. My pain was greater than anything I have ever experienced before. Then. [ You have died. ] My vision turns ck for a second and back to where it all started the next. In an alleyway, looking towards the darkness with walls closer than ever. "What¡­?" I look down at my hands. I was still holding onto the spear, my body was okay, no damage. I pat myself around but nothing. I know that pain was real. I felt it. The excruciating pain of my body splitting apart, blood spurting everywhere and bones disintegrating into tiny pieces. Only one word to describe it. Horrific. In the corner of my eye, I see it. The ground falling into the abyss and the darkness creeping towards me. "Shit. Not again." I turn around and run. I run. Faster. Harder. I grit my teeth and push forward. I never want to feel that again. But it''s not enough. The dyed start made it worse. I fall again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. A never-ending cycle of running. I curse and yell. I scream and shout. I feel like my leg should have given out by now but with each death, the fatigue goes away, like I was in a brand new body. And with one final death. I see the game fade away and the ceiling of my room. My breath was ragged. My sheets were wet with sweat. My eyes were unable to focus on anything. I felt like I was still falling even though I was just lying there on my bed. I feel a tear escape my eyes and down the side of my cheek. My arms and legs felt like lead. I could barely move them. My throat felt as dry as a desert. I roll the VR helmet off my head andy on my bed, contemting about life. "Shit man¡­I have to do that again tonight." I felt my phone buzz on the table next to me. With minimal movement I reach out and grab it, unlocking my phone with my 4 digit password. Ian had messaged me. "How was it?" - Ian "Shit." - Kingston 107 Chapter 107 "Oh, no. What happened?" - Ian "Dude. Like. I don''t even know where to start. I''ll just talk to youter in the day. I got this massive headache and I just want to rx." - Kingston "Okay. Get some rest, maybe talkter tonight." - Ian "Yea, sure." - Kingston After replying, I toss my phone back onto the table and close my eyes. The scene from the game yed in my head over and over and the sinking feeling when the ground falls from under your feet haunts me. I don''t even remember how many times I died. My body shivers from the memory. "Hey, Kingston get up, breakfast is ready." "Coming,ing. No need to shout Kevin it''s 0630 in the morning." "Whatever bro, juste eat." I force my body up and grab my phone putting it in my pants pocket before leaving my room. I nce around, looking at my room. There was only a chair next to a study desk with amp on it and a small side table. An empty cheap room with the most expensive thing in it, my VR helmet. I sigh to myself and close the door behind me as I walk out and down the narrow hallway to the living room. Our living room space was as small as my room, with a small table with 5 stic chairs around it. Sitting around it were my parents and my 2 older siblings, Kylie and Kevin. "Sit down already. What are you waiting for?" "Nothing." Breakfast was simple, a bowl of rice with a side of stir-fried beef and Chinese spinach, one of my favorites. I sit down and pick up my chopsticks ready to eat. "How was your game,st night bro? Why you so quiet." "Shit." "What? What happened? Usually, you would be talking up a storm about it." "Just died a whole lot." "Died? Don''t you get disconnected after dying?" "I was in this like different dimension ce because of a unique building. I could die a lot and it doesn''t matter." "Then? What''s wrong?" "Dying. The way I die and the number of times I die. You wouldn''t understand." "Bro, I have died so many times during the past month and a bit." "Yea but not like this." "How is it different? You die. End of story!" "Kingston, Kevin, no arguing on the table." "Yes, mama¡­" "Sorry, mum." "But like, I''ve died as well. It couldn''t have been that bad right?" "Kylie, let me put this in perspective. You''re in a narrow hallway, it is kind of dark, the only sound you hear is your breath, your heartbeat, and your footsteps. Oh, and the ground is constantly falling into an unknown abyss and if you do not outrun it then well you fall too. The best part about it is after you fall you get to experience your body merging with the ground as your blood spurts out everywhere and your bones break into little pieces, only to find yourself 100% okay in the next second and you have to do it all again. Not that bad aye?" "Okay, sorry for talking." "At least you don''t have to follow some smug guy''s orders. That guy from Bones is aplete CUNT!" "Right, and the girl from Lotus is annoying as well. She thinks she is top-notch all the time." Kevin was working under Bones while Kylie was under Lotus. Both of them were trying their best to earn some money to help out with our family situation even if they have to work under some annoying people. "Okay, I''m going to work talk to you guyster." "Me too, bye mum, bye dad, bye guys." "Cya, Kevin. Bye, Kylie. Mum, Dad I''m going out for a bit as well." "Okay, have fun." I finish up my food, making sure to not leave even a single grain of rice. Afterward, I shower and change into a ck hoodie and jeans, leaving the house around 0915. I live in the state of Mk, one of the states of new Oceania, and is the biggest state of New Oceania. The cities are more congested and there is more foot trafficpared to other states. Lots of people but because of that, there were a lot of people without homes, the streets were dirty and there were more chances to get robbed or stabbed than to see someone smiling. I make my way towards the local PC cafe, I wanted to unwind and not think about Settlement but with how big of a game it is, it was going to be hard. At the PC cafe, all the conversations around me were about Settlement. What were you doing yesterday? Did you meet any new monsters? What were the NPCs doing? Did you see that monster? Etc etc. I put on the provided headphones and scrolled through youtube as I wait for a queue in History of Epics. A ssic MOBA that had been yed throughout the esports scene for the past decade. As I was busy waiting, I felt a tap on my shoulder, my best friend Danny hade up to me. "Yo. What''s up?" "Nothing much dude. Just waiting. Want to y together?" "Nah, insteade with me I need your help." "What why?" "Juste. It''s Settlement rted." "Hey man, I just want a small break from that game" "Just this once man." "Okay¡­Where are we going?" "To Bones." "Reporting? Or new info?" "New info." "What is it?" "You will see. Come let''s move, I''ll drive." We walk out of the PC cafe, into the parking lot. Danny''s car was an old Toyota. It had dents and scratches everywhere and some of the car parts looked like it was going to fall off, but it could still drive, maybe. Driving through the city, one can see the change in social status as one drives further into the center of the city. From old apartments and smelly streets to clean high-rise buildings. From beggars wearing torn clothing to businessmen wearing suits that would save a family from poverty. "I always hate going to the city." "Yea, I know Kingston." "It''s just a bunch of stuck-up snobs that throw money at your face." "What can you do though? They have the money. We don''t." The car drive was mostly quiet with some chatter here and there while the radio ys in the background. Talk about the weather and daily news was the norm while music was rarely yed. Slowly we got closer to the Bones building. Arge skyscraper, with close to 100 floors and thousands of employees. Danny parked in the employee parking lot since it was free parking. Despite us being employees of Bones, there was a stark difference in treatment. Maybe it is because of our clothing? Our race? Or maybe it''s because of where we live. Just because we were poor we get treated differently. Walking through therge spinning ss doors and into the air-conditioned reception, and then eventually into the elevators seemed like a walk of shame. Stares from other employees were imminent and I could hear them talk about us. They weren''t even concerned with how loud their voices were. "I hate them." "I know. I know." We go up to the 50th floor and walked down a long hallway until we got to room 510, Settlement Meeting Room 1. Danny opens the door and ushers me in but I signal him to go first with a small jerk of my head. Shrugging his shoulders he walks first, taking a seat closest to the door. It was a white meeting room with 5 rows of 10 ck chairs and a small table in front. There was arge whiteboard at the front and the seats were already half-filled with other young people. I sit down next to Danny sighing quietly. After another 5 minutes the doors opened and a tall blonde man, wearing a beige suit and pants, shing his gold front tooth appears. "Hello, everyone. Sorry for thete notice." With long strides the man walks to the front, squinting his eyes as he looks at all the different people in the room. The already quiet meeting room bes even quieter once the man appears. "Hmm, tough crowd today. Well doesn''t matter. Let me introduce myself in case there is someone new. I am Mr. Sparkles. Or at least that is what my in-game name is but here in the real world I am n. Now you might be wondering, who is this man that is talking to me? Well, that''s a good thought. I am your employer and today I want to discuss with you some information. You see, with the new patch, there has been some activity in the North. People have died more and more. Now, that''s bad. Dying is bad. Why? Well, I am losing money, time, and resources because someone died. So, today I want to share with you some information in the area to avoid. At the same time, I want everyone here to investigate some ces." A projector appears from the ceiling, projecting a rough ck and white sketch of a map. "Here is a rough sketch of what we believe is the map of the North. Using yers'' information from the past couple of months and cross-referencing them with other yers we havee up with a prototype map. Everyone here is part of the yers that are not part of the North. You could be in the South or East. Your job is to document your surroundings. BUT!" n walks up to the nearest yer at the front of the meeting room and punches the person in the face. The yer looked to be 18 years old, very young and with the surprise punch a scream escapes his lips but before he could retaliate, n grabs the boy''s head mming it against the table, knocking the boy unconscious. "BUT! I do NOT want false information." n proceeds to walk to a girl not too far away. Sensing danger approaching her she leaves her seat and bolts for the door, however, no matter how hard she tries to open it, it stays shut. Without even bothering to run n just slowly walks around the meeting room. Tears run down her face and she begs for forgiveness. "You dirty peasants got a job here because we were very generous. We at Bones are very very generous. So, DO. NOT. EVER. THINK. YOU. CAN. LIE. TO. US." With each word, n punches the girl or ms her against the wall. Since it was so close to me and Danny, I could see her eyes full of fear and her trembling body as she leans against the wall after the beating. After venting his anger, a bright smile could be seen on n''s face. "So, that is all. We expect daily reports. Thank you. The door is this way." Everyone in the room rushes out as quickly as they can and once Danny and I got back into the car his first words were. "Short and sweet." "That man is a psychopath." "Maybe, but he is our employer. "Shit. I hate this ce." "Let me drive you home alright?" "Whatever. I''ll just rx at home." "Alright, man." The drive home was even quieter than the drive to Bones. I said goodbye to Danny as he drops me off at the front of my small apartment. At least, I was able to waste most of the day doing something and before long it was past dinner time when Ian messages me again. "How are you doing? Do you want to talk about yesterday?" - Ian "Yeah. Give me a second." - Kingston I went to my room and gotfortable before my talk with Ian. Time to just let out everything so he can understand what I went through. 108 Chapter 108 "So, where do you want to start?" - Ian "From the top. From when I entered the building." - Kingston "Okay." - Ian "So, inside the building, it is very empty, there is only a wooden pole. I looped around the whole ce just in case but there was nothing. On the wooden pole, there is a button, pressing it causes a sequence where you end up selecting a weapon. The point of the weapon is unknown at the moment since I haven''t reached that point." - Kingston "Just out of curiosity, what were the weapons." - Ian "A spear, sword, bow and arrow, ax and club. Pretty basic weapons and nothing special about them. There are also no stats on the weapon as well, just a name." - Kingston "What did you choose?" - Ian "Spear." - Kingston "Pretty good choice, you can fight mid-range and close range." - Ian "Yeah but like that doesn''t matter yet." - Kingston "Right..." - Ian "There are rules in this ce." - Kingston "Rules?" - Ian "Yea, yer can''t leave, all previous equips are unequipped, no healing, skills are blocked. That''s what I remembered at least." - Kingston "Well we already knew you couldn''t leave but the fact that all the equips and skills are blocked makes it harder. At the same time, I can see why they would do it, they want to test the yer''s basic stats rather than have a yer abuse a skill or equip to pass the challenge." - Ian "Yea well, screw that. The challenge is so bad and I''m only on the first one after a whole day''s worth of ying." - Kingston "What was it?" - Ian "It''s running." - Kingston "Running?" - Ian "Yea. Running. You are ced in an alleyway with barely any room around you and you have two directions you can go, forward or backward. The ground quickly falls into the abyss and if you don''t outrun it well, you fall too and I can tell you now falling is not fun. In fact, the most not fun moment is when after falling for a good minute or two you face nt into the ground, ONLY toe to after a second perfectly fine and on your two feet." - Kingston "Wait, what? Let me get this straight. You are running from pretty much a crumbling bridge, and if you fail then you fall and die by falling." - Ian "Yea, exactly that. Except how, how many times do you think I died?" - Kingston "A lot?" - Ian "Yea. A. LOT. Somewhere along the way, I think I just sat down on the ground waiting to die. My mind became numb at some point but the feeling stayed with me. That feeling of falling terrifies me because right after it, the feeling of getting your body crushed by gravity as it merges with the groundes right after falling." - Kingston "Damn, okay. That is¡­Wow." - Ian "Yeah and now I don''t know what to do. Tonight is just going to be the same. You know I didn''t even know how much time passed until I woke up after the game server ended. There is no sense of time in that ce. Just a hallway, the ground, and emptiness. What do I do, Ian? I feel like I might go mental in there." - Kingston "It''s only the first day right. Come into it with a new mindset. The ce is made so that people can conquer it and gain the skill. Do you know the furthest you ran?" - Ian "Of course not, there are nondmarks to look at. The walls are all the same as well, there is nothing for me topare it with." - Kingston "Then tonight, let me suggest you a n. Count the number of steps. Each time you run, count the number of steps you do andpare it each time to see if you have run further thanst time." - Ian "Are you serious? You think that will help?" - Kingston "Yes and no. This is at least help your brain remain focused on a task rather than wondering about thinking about death. At the same time, you will be able to gauge how far you are from a certain point. For example, say you ran your heart out and fell after 99 steps. It might have been 1 more step to finish the challenge, you don''t know. Maybe you ran 999, it might have been that 1000th step to finish the challenge. Do you understand?" - Ian "I get what you are saying, but I don''t know. It is already hard just running away from the copsing ground, now I have to keep count of each step." - Kingston "It will help calm yourself as well as keep you concentrated on the task at hand. Who knows, you might have been super close yesterday but you didn''t know." - Ian "I guess I can try. Is there anything else?" - Kingston "Do you think the challenge will have a trick to it?" - Ian "Like?" - Kingston "Like, what if you were meant to run into the ground at the start and the finish line is somewhere near the beginning?" - Ian "I wouldn''t know." - Kingston "Hmm, does your spear fit horizontally? Like can you stick the spear between both walls and hang from the handle?" - Ian "Nope, no way. It doesn''t fit." - Kingston "Ah, that''s unfortunate. There really isn''t much else to do. You just have to finish the challenge and then we can get more information on the next one. Do you know how many challenges there are?" - Ian "No idea. There isn''t a lot of information that the system provided." - Kingston "Okay, then. Good luck! Talk to me tomorrow about it okay?" - Ian "Sigh, alright." - Kingston I turn off my phone and closed my eyes. My mind was nk and I didn''t want to think anymore. With what little help Ian could give me, I knew that it was going to be hard. I ended up just sitting orying in my bed until midnight when I put on my VR helmet again, somewhat ready to start to challenge again. ...¡­. I open my eyes to see darkness around me. My feet were touching air and I thought I was falling but in reality, I was just floating. [ Are you ready to continue? ] A system message appears before me and there was only one answer. Yes. The familiar walls zoom towards me from the distance and the spear of light forms in my hands. It takes a moment before the walls were in ce and the spear had materialized and once my feetnded on the ground I turned around and sprinted. My mind and body felt fresh, I felt ready and with each step, I started counting. One. Two. Three. Four. . . . Seventy-five. Seventy-six. Seventy-seven. Seventy-eight. Seventy-nine. Eig-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. My first fall. Right before eighty steps. I brace myself for impact waiting for death toe to me. [ You have died. ] Again. The moment I was conscious of my actions I run. I sprint. One. Two. Three. Four. . . . Sixty-one. Sixty-two. sixty-th-AHHHHHH. Another death. Sixty-third step. Again. Seventy-tree. Eighty-one. Fifty-nine. Eighty-nine. Sixty-one. Sixty-nine. Ny-five. Forty. Ny-nine. Again and again. An endless cycle of myself running and counting but knowing that there was no way out. I justmit myself harder and harder. I push myself to the utmost limit each time. What was the result? Death. And so another day passes. With only death, falling and numbers below 100, on my mind, I go about my day like a zombie. Sluggish motions and slow response times made my part-time work difficult and once midnightes around, it starts again. Two days. Three days. Five days. Six days. And finally. [ You havepleted the First Challenge: Run ] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] After 7 days, a week, in the Ikanda, I did it. I finished the challenge. The challenge was to reach 200 steps. "HAHAHA! SEE THAT GAME. I DID IT. I DID IT. YEAHHHHHHHH. 200 STEPS BABY! WHY NOT DO 100 STEPS? WHY 200? SHITTY GAME. HAHAHA!" I scream, curse and yell at the system as the message forpeting in the first challenge hangs in front of me. I didn''t ept my rewards just yet, instead, I copse on the ground. My brain felt overloaded, Iy there for god knows how long. I did it. If Ian could see me right now, he would see the biggest smile on my face. I did it. What a shitty game. I slowly got up and selected to ept the rewards. In the back of my head, I wished that I would get some good rewards since I had struggled tirelessly in this challenge. [ Here is your reward. ] [ +5 Agility Bonus for being the first toplete the challenge: +5 Agility, + 5 Vitality ] "YES! STAT GAINS! OH MY GOD YES!" Tears of joy escape the corner of my eye. Since this was a reward forpleting the challenge, the stats here were permanent and was not included in the passive skill. This meant that I would gain another 5 Agility once I finished everything and with that, I took a lot at my status screen to see my hard-earned stats. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 28/28 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 12 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 "Amazing, these stats look beautiful." [ Are you ready for the next challenge? Yes or No ] "Yes." [ Second Challenge: Survive ] My previous happy grin instantly vanished. "Survive? Oh no. Not like this." 109 Chapter 109 The previously cramped hallway expands outwards until it was the size of a tennis court. At the same time, the walls crumble, and in exchange dirt and rocks piled on top of one another, creating mountains on all 4 sides. The solid ground below me softens, reced by a grainy texture. I step back, and my foot slips, bringing my knee to the ground. Sand sprays everywhere, covering my lower body and parts of my upper body. What made it worse was the little light the game gave me vanished. Darkness enveloped the surrounding space quickly and without any vision, I had to rely on my other senses. What can I hear? What can I smell? What can I touch? I hear it. Sand booming around me echoing off the walls. In conjunction, I could hear a low hissing creeping closer to me. I turn around, shifting and pushing sand around me, hoping to get a reaction from whatever it was around me. But nothing. My eyesight slowly bes clearer, and the outlines of monsters form at the edge of my vision. But at the same time, they looked less like monsters and more like waves. Like waves of sand crashing into each other. Shifting to and fro. Mustering up my courage, I swing my spear around me, aiming for the closest moving thing. However, my spear swings in the air, hitting nothing, but I saw it. It split into two, one part flying upwards while the other merges downwards, just seconds before I hit it. Is it a monster? Or is it just moving sand? Just as my brain was thinking of the possibilities, it starts moving closer. Waves of sand tumble and turn, collecting together and then separating. My heart races faster and faster. I endlessly swing my spear around me, but I hit nothing. Wherever my spear goes, it moves around it. It flows like water, but it sounds like a storm as the sand brush against each other, rumbling and tumbling. I try to move around as the sand storm draws closer but find that my feet have sunk into the ground. The sand reaching my ankles, relentlessly gripping onto them. I try to pull them out, but it feels like I would rip my legs out, leaving only my feet under the sand. With no way to pull my feet out and the sand crawling up my calves, I instead started to focus more on my surrounds. If I''m going to die, then I might as well gather as much information as I can while I''m here. Having been through a long journey of constant running and dying, my mental state had improved and strengthened. Dying once or twice wouldn''t even faze me, but instead I would learn from the mistakes. I felt like the week-long journey had changed me, although I do have a slight fear of heights now and a major fear of falling, but what can I do, right? I nt the butt of my spear into the ground and put my hands on my waist. Not only that, but I closed my eyes and started to listen. Since it was dark, my vision was already impaired. Rather than rely on my vision, I tried to use my hearing to figure out anything about the challenge. However, I couldn''t spot anything out of the ordinary. At the same time, I feel the sand creeping up my legs. Having already covered my calves and knees, it was reaching for my thighs. I could also feel des of sand cutting at my skin, tearing just enough to make me bleed. Cuts slowly appear all around my body, none of them fatal, but together well¡­ I open my eyes and surrounding me is a wall of moving sand. Looking closely, it looked like millions even billions of tiny ants scurrying along the sandy wall, and as it gets closer it starts to pull my blood along with it. The cuts get deeper and the pain intensifies. The only relief was the parts already covered in sand, mummifying my lower half and stomach. I do my best to breathe, but with each breath I feel sand entering my lungs, stabbing me from the inside. I try to concentrate on my surroundings, but the pain was stopping me. Even if I had experienced greater pain, it didn''t mean I was used to it. So, I gave up. I''ll try to learn more the next time. [ You have died. ] Ah yes, such a familiar message. Sometimes a small chuckle escapes my lips when I see it. It''s like the system was taunting me. Yes, I know I have died. You told me that just a while ago. I don''t think it has changed just yet, maybe if I die a few more times I''ll get a new message. Maybe. I open my eyes to the hallway and in the next second the same sequence ys. The walls expand and transform, the ground softens, and the light goes out. This time, I''ll try to learn more about what I am surviving from. Since I knew it was going to be dark, I had closed my eyes the moment the walls started to change, so that now when I open them, they will be used to the darkness. While I might not be able to see everything around me, I could see more than before. I move towards the wall quickly, touching the cold hard surface with my hand. However, in the next second or so, I could feel sand already picking up at my feet, creating small cuts along my skin. Did it start faster? Or is it because I''m at the side that I could already feel the sand moving? Then all of a sudden, a huge lump of sand crashes into me, knocking me back against the wall. Like the bodies of sand before, when I tried to retaliate it would separate and or divide into multiple parts, however this time after pushing me against the wall it starts to press against my whole body. Gripping onto my wrists and preventing me from swinging my spear, it starts to apply pressure against my body. At the same time, the sand storm starts to pick up around me, stabbing into my skin and slicing pieces of flesh off. The sand monster slowly envelops my entire body, applying pressure simr to a hydraulic press. Slowly it presses on my harder. Breathing bes an issue and I could feel my rib cage snapping one by one, stabbing my internal organs one after another until my heart was stabbed. I couldn''t even scream in pain, since all the air was pressed out of me. I died again. Although, it was a different kind of death. Instead of aimlessly standing still and getting cut up bit by bit and getting mummified in sand, the sand came to me after I reached the walls. Not only that, it seems to know to disarm me before I could attack it. Was it just programmed by the game to attack anyone? Or was it because I was near the wall¡­? As I was thinking about why and how, I respawned. Third time, I have to test out the theory. After respawning, I dash towards the wall. With what little vision I had, I look around, seeing if there was anything out of the ordinary. I run my hand along the cold, rough surface, but along my feet I start to feel the sand moving. The sand monster wasing. I ready my spear but keep observing the wall just in case I miss something. The storm picks up and cuts start to appear along my calves and thighs. I press my back against the wall, ready for the monster, and on cue it rushes to me from the side. Knowing that I most likely can not hit it, I start to do big, quick swings of the spear. Separating as much of the sand as possible, making it divide into smaller and smaller clumps of sand. Up. Down. Left. Right. Diagonal. I swing. I stab. I thrust. I back step. Always make sure there is space between you and your opponent, but I guess that doesn''t apply to a sand monster that can dodge all your attacks. The storm is picking up speed and I start feeling the pressure from the winds against my back and the des of sand piercing into my flesh. Unable to handle the pain, I make a run for the eye of the storm, the ce where I died the first time. However, the moment I left the sand storm and stepping into soft sand that was unaffected by the storm, I start to sink and the sand grips onto my leg like a vice grip. With how sudden the attack from the ground was, I fell forward,nding on my knees and hands. The sand did not miss this opportunity, wrapping around my hands like a snake, covering it and climbing higher, but at the same time I notice something. Where was the sand monster that attacked me at the edge of the storm? I could feel the sand storm slowly getting closer, and I could feel the ground wrapping around me, but I could not see or feel the sand monster. While slowly dying, start to pool the knowledge I had gained from these past few attempts. A monster that only guards the walls. A sand storm that rages on, slowly getting closer to the middle. A slow confirmed death in the eye of the storm. Sand that wraps around you while you stand in the middle. A sinking feeling the longer you stand in the middle. Moving sand creatures inside the storm that appears from time to time but never engage in battle. What does this all mean? How do I survive? Kill the monsters? Live long enough while getting cut up over and over again by the sand? Be mummified by the sand? Wait¡­ Being mummified by the sand. That''s it. While I was getting covered in sand, I didn''t take damage from the surrounding storm, and if the sand monsters never attacked me, then I could technically be covered in sand and not be attacked. But for how long? I quickly check my status. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 8/28 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 12 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 My HP is already in the reds. Can I survive this? No, even if I can''t, I can try again in the next life. Seeing the sand only reach my shoulder, I try to push my body down further, letting the sand collect around my chest and stomach. I close my eyes and take many deep breaths through my nose, doing my best to be prepared for theck of air. Then it starts. The sand creeps along my neck. A suffocating feeling. Like someone is straggling you lightly. Next was my chin, my mouth, then my nose. No more airflow, I have to do my best. Cheeks, ear, then over my head. Completely covered. No sound cane in. No air cane in. My lungs start to burn. I can feel my body screaming for air. I want to open my mouth. I want to take a breath, even if all I breathe in is sand. But I can''t. My lips sealed shut. I can feel the seconds pass. My heart slowing down. I can''t feel my hands. My head is spinning even though I am grounded. My life slipping away. Slowly. Slowly. Slowl. Slow. Slo. Sl. S. . . . . . . . I don''t know what happened. My cheek is pressed against the soft sandy ground. My eyes unfocused. Iy there for who knows how long. Just breathing. In and out. Nothing on my mind but breathing. Slowly, I start to see again. My once blurry vision expands and I could make out a blue box in front of me. The system messages. [ You havepleted the Second Challenge: Survive ] 110 Chapter 110 [ You havepleted the Second Challenge: Survive ] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] A dryugh escapes my lips, but I instantly regret trying tough. My lips crack and bleed, while the depths of my throat hurt from theck of moisture. I swallow what little saliva I had in my mouth. Unable to move, I just stare at the blue box. It might not have been as long as the first challenge, but it definitely wasn''t any easier. Who knew how good air felt as it travels down your windpipe and into your lungs, then back out again. What a shitty game. I close my eyes. Iy there. Slowly breathing. I don''t know how long Iid there for, but once I opened up my eyes, I was back in the room world. Funnily enough, I felt like I had a dry throat. I slowly put away the VR helmet, and then head to the kitchen. Grabbing a random cup, I fill it with water before gulping it all down. Repeating it for 5 times before I felt like I had my fill. "Wow, someone was thirsty." My brother had walked in. "Where were you in the morning, dreand? You missed out on breakfast, and you didn''t respond to me when I went to wake you up." "I. I was tired. The game really took a lot out of me." "Oh? What happened?" "Suffocation. Then dehydration." "Well, that exins the water. Are you sure you should be doing this to yourself?" "It''s fine brother. I get rewards out of it and I get stronger." "Sure you get more stats but is it worth all the pain? Each time I see you, it looks like you aged a couple of years. Look at your eyes. They used to be full of life, but when I look at them now, it''s like you lost something." "I''m fine. I finished 2 challenges now. Hopefully there is only 1 more. After that, when I get out of the Ikanda. I am 100% rxing. Ian already told me via text, that once I''m out I can just sit back, eat and enjoy the sun. Plus, he said there are some surprises, so I am keen." "Yea but Kingston. Is it worth it?" "Kevin. I''m ying this game to earn money for our family, just like you. However, with my situation, I can only lie to n. Thankfully, there aren''t any other Bones yers nearby and after cutting ties with Phil I was able to act on my own." "I get it, Kingston. Just remember to take care of yourself first. There is food in the fridge, so help yourself. I''m going out to work." "Thanks brother." "Don''t mention it. Sis made that meal, so thank her once she gets back." "Okay, thank you." I watch my brother leave the house, carrying hisrge worn out duffle bag and dressed in an orange safety vest, yellow helmet, brown pants and leather shoes with a metal tip. Do I really look different? I walk to the mirror and look at my self. All I see is my short, ck spiky hair, dark eye bags and skinny Asian face. Nothing different. Maybe it''s just Kevin thinking too much. I set Ian a text messaging him that I cleared the second challenge and said I would talk to him more when night approaches. I quickly eat the bowl of chicken, broli, and rice that Kylie had prepared for me and then slept. The moment my head hit my pillow, I was gone. Deep sleep. I guess I needed it. ......¡­ I jolt up from my bed to my phone rm. Turning it off and looking at the time, I see that it is 2000. I had slept for a long time and my body felt stiff. I stand up and stretch my joints while I walk to the bathroom. My eye bags have slightly gotten better, and I felt somewhat refreshed after I sshed my face with some water. I have a quick dinner, which were the leftovers from everyone else''s dinner, and proceeded to message Ian. He had already messaged me throughout the day but since I was asleep I didn''t notice. "Congratz." - Ian "How are you feeling?" - Ian "Are you okay?" - Ian "Did something happen?" - Ian "Text me as soon as you see the message." - Ian "Hey, sorry. I feel asleep and only just woke up" - Kingston Within minutes, Ian replies. "Are you okay? What happened?" - Ian "I was just so tired. That second challenge felt waaaaaaaay worse than the first one." - Kingston "Even though it took less time?" - Ian "Yep. I pretty much died to survive. So ironic. Since the challenge was to survive." - Kingston "What happened in it? You haven''t told me anything about it yet." - Ian "I got stuck in a rocky room, filled with sand. From the edges to the center, a sand storm would slowly close in, at the same time, there is this sand monster that guards the edges constantly staying within the storm" - Kingston "Okay, so there must have been something along the wall. Something that triggers the storm to stop?" - Ian "No, nothing like that. I went along the sides and I didn''t find anything. I just felt the cold rock as I rub my fingers along it." - Kingston "Then how did you survive?" - Ian "Well, I''m getting to that. See the ground at the center of the room is soft. So soft that you start to sink into it bi by bit and as you do it start to climb up your leg. The sand, even though it was soft, wouldn''t let go. Once it holds you, well, let''s say you won''t be able to escape." - Kingston "Interesting¡­"- Ian "Yep, so my thought was this sand even though it wraps around me, it ends up like a protective shield. The storm cuts you with the sand, but with another sand barrier blocking it, I didn''t get cut anymore. However, I couldn''t breathe the moment I getpletely covered in sand." - Kingston "Holy shit. You suffocated yourself. Are you sure you are okay?" - Ian "I''m fine. I''m fine. Look, Ian, this whole challenge thing is definitely stressful. Like I know it is a game, but every time I die, it. It. It feels so real. " - Kingston "Like you died in real life?" - Ian "Yea. Exactly that. I woke up and for a second it felt like I couldn''t breathe." - Kingston "You need some rest. The moment you finish thest challenge, rest in the game and out of the game. Just don''t think too much, okay?" - Ian "How am I supposed to not think about this?" - Kingston "I had a simr experience." - Ian "The time when you died to the golem, right?" - Kingston "Yea. I felt terrible, too. I was in a hole. But we have to move on one way or another. My method is to just keep pushing HavenFall as far as I can. This ce is growing, slowly but surely, and I want to see the end of it, even if it is a bad end." "I don''t know. This is all so hard." - Kingston "I know. I''m right here doing the same thing." - Ian "What¡­ What can we do about this?" - Kingston "For now. Nothing. Just have to push ourselves." - Ian "Okay¡­ Well, it is almost midnight. I''ll talkter, okay?" - Kingston "Of course. Talk to me any time." - Ian I turn off my phone andy there. I put on some calming music to y in the background and I stared at the ceiling. What is the next challenge? Is it thest challenge? Will I die over and over again? What is this feeling in my chest? Am I going crazy? What is this? Does feeling numb to dying feel normal? Is it all just a game? Am I just dying in a game? Or is this real? I don''t even know anymore. Why is it so real? I feel like I lost something every time I died. I think for hours. Words and thoughts mix and match in my brain as they float around me. Nothing made sense just at the same time, I feel like I in the back of my head, something just telling me that it is all just a game and that I am overthinking it. It''s just a game, right? And like that, I had to go back into the game. Except, I wasn''t expecting my condition from before I exited the game to remain the same. My mouth was dry, my throat was sore. My lips cracked and bleed. I felt dizzy and nauseous. So unexpected and so cruel this game. I was just fine moments ago before I put on the helmet, yet in the next second I feel like I am dying, and yet I still see the hovering blue system message in front of me, taunting me. [ You havepleted the Second Challenge: Survive ] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] What a shitty game, and yet I trudge along following it like a sheep. "Yes." 111 Chapter 111 [ Here is your reward ] [ +5 Vitality Bonus for being the first toplete the challenge: Skill - Sand Armor (Active) ] Sand Armor (Active) - Cover the skin of the user in a thick sand armor for 15 minutes, creating a stable but flexible defense. +5 defense, additional 10% increase to defense if in a sandy area (Desert, beach or sandy river banks) Cool Down: 30 mins "Wow¡­ What a reward." My first skill. Even if it wasn''t an offensive skill that I could use to beat down my enemies. This skill would allow me to take a beating for a while, and it would even be stronger depending on the environment. I like it. Something that rted to my struggles. I look at my status to see how much MP it uses. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 38/38 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 12 Vitality: 19 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 Skill - Sand Armor (Active) - 2 MP "Wait¡­ I HAVE NO MP! OH MY GOD. I NEED TO INCREASE MY INTELLIGENCE STAT. AHHHHHH! WHAT A SHITTY GAME!" I grip my head and ruffle my hair, screaming at the top of my lungs. What a catastrophe. I got a skill and I can''t even use it because ofck of stats. "Whatever¡­ What can I do?" I just sigh to myself and ept the situation. I look at the system message, nervous but ready. [ Are you ready for the next challenge? Yes or No ] "Yes." [ Third challenge: Defeat 1/1 ] "Just one? This will be fine, right?" Just as I finish myment, the surrounding walls expand upwards. A low rumbling sound could be heard above me and the sand below me hardens until it became stone. It was still dark and since the system message went away I couldn''t see anything around me anymore. I felt something stab into my back lightly, like a small prick against my skin. I turn around only to find a spike jutting out of the wall. A bright white light shines down onto me and I turn upwards, covering the blinding light a bit with my hand. Suddenly, spikes start to appear above me, littering the walls. Spiraling up all the way to the top. I felt like I was trapped in a well with nowhere to go but up. But. The spikes along the wall started to sprout spikes along its surface. Some up, some down. Stabbing in every direction. Covering more and more room until I could barely see the light anymore, and like that I once again enter a room full of darkness. Screeching and scratches. Behind me. In front of me. Above me. And. Even below me. I tense up as the sounds get close. My eyes slowly adjusting as sparks fly left and right. Something small. No, is it, is it crouching as it runs around? It darts around, always just in the edge of my vision. What is it holding? What is making the sparks and the sounds? I swing my spear around me, trying to catch the monster. However, it always seems to be a step faster. Dodging my spear and then retaliating with lightning fast attacks. I get cut on my arm, my leg and my cheeks. A stab here, a stab there. I bleed from different locations, unable to figure out what I am facing and unable to retaliate against it. In a desperate attempt to find out what I am facing, I lunge forward with my spear, attacking in the ce where it was running to. Luckily, my spear strikes the enemy''s weapon and sparks fly between us, giving me a chance to finally see what it was. Grey skin, tightly wrapping around its cheek bone, with an eerie grin. Eyes darker than ck, with no pupil, or maybe the whole eye is the pupil. A jet ck shoulder-length hair covering the sides of its face. Cracked lips were white as snow, right below 2 small slits, resembling that of nostrils. In its small, thin gray hands, held a spear like weapon, with a silvery gray handle and obsidian ck head . As I was still observing the monster, something hit my stomach, pushing me away and crashing into the wall. I cough from the pain. It felt like I got hit by a truck. I check my stats quickly to see the damage. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/38 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 12 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 1 Skill - Sand Armor (Active) - 2 MP I had already taken 18 damage from the small hits and cuts, but from the single attack to my chest I had lost 10 HP and in the next second a blow came from the side cracking into my skull and with it, I died once again. As I wait to be respawned, I thought over my first death for the challenge. The monster looked smaller than me, something simr to a child or even a small teenager. Yet at the same time, it was stronger. Much stronger. Stronger than Balta. Stronger than Howard. In fact, it seemed stronger than the golem we faced with everyone. It was faster than even Luna. It uses a human weapon yet has stats and abilities stronger than monsters that I have faced. How do I even beat that? This just sounds like an impossible challenge. I get respawned and the change in environment starts again. This time, I notice that the monster does note out until it isplete dark. Only when the spikes above me close off all the lighting from above do I hear the screeching and scratching noises as it moves about. Minutester, I finally see the sparks as the obsidian like head scratches against the walls, ceiling and ground. It''s on the move. I try to attack it again, only to miss. I strike. I lunge. I stab. Only to miss and get stabbed instead. Wounds litter my body and blood slowly oozes out from everywhere. I gasp for air. My hands feel heavy. An inhumaneughter echos around me. Sometimes I hear it next to me. Other times, far. Like a ghost. The sparkse close signally that is near me, yet theughteres from afar. "Th-this monster is just ying with me." I can''t trust my ears nor my eyes. My head is a mess and I couldn''t tell left from right, and before I know it. I died again. . . . I feel trapped. Like I am in an endless loop. For hours, for days. All I see is sparks from a weapon as it brushes against the stone-cold walls. All I hear is aughter that echos in my ears. My head just spins in circles. My body numb from the pain. I don''t even feel like doing anything at this point. I just die. Over and over again. To small cuts and stabs From a monster that I can barely see. From the darkness that envelop me. Then, after some time, I guess I snapped. It was a total of 14 days. Trapped in the Ikanda. A fortnight. Of dying. On that 14th day, I went into the game and the moment I spawned. I climb. I reach up, grabbing each spike as it branches out of the wall. Even when a new spike stabs into me, I pull myself out and push myself higher. That light. I want it. The light rains down from the top of the well. Such a bright light. Below me darkness. A monster. But above. Above. Is light. A grin appears on my face. Then. Aughter. Something I hadn''t experienced in the game in so long. I reach for it. My hand so close. Yet. So. So. Far. [ You have died. ] Again. Yet again. Another failure. But this time. This time was different. I feel angry. Not sadness. Not helpless. Just anger. How long will I suffer? How long is this going to go on for? I scream. I shout. I w at my own skin as the room changes, and the moment it goes dark. I let out all my anger. My blood boils. I clench my teeth and lines appear between my eyebrows. I feel the head of a spear stabbing my arm and without even thinking, I grab onto it. With my own weapon, I thrust in the direction of the enemy. I can feel the sensation of my spear entering flesh. Something hot sprays against my cheek and with a grin I let go of the enemy spear in my hands. Instead, I thrust my hand forward, grabbing onto its bony arms. Laughter escapes my lips. I stab harder. Faster. Over and over again. Laughter echoing in the dark room. "How is it? Fun? I am having FUN! I see now why you enjoy stabbing me and then running away. It''s fun. It''s so much FUN! Why didn''t I just do this earlier? I could have grabbed you as you stab into me. It''s so. EASY!" The rhythmic sound of flesh being pounded into a paste echos in the walls. I don''t even know what I killed. [ You have acquired skill - Endless Rage (Active)] [ You havepleted the Third and Final Challenge: Defeat 0/1 ] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] 112 Chapter 112 It''s been a long fortnight without Kingston. I can only hope once hees out, he can rx. Every day, I talk to him, and each day I feel like he was losing a part of himself. I might not have been the closest person to him but still, I consider him a friend and seeing him destroy himself with the Ikanda challenges hurts me as well. During the time he had been gone, HavenFall had gone through a lot as well. I told him it was a surprise since I wanted him to have something to look forward too. "Leader Ian! Leader Ian!" "What is it, Gobi?" "He is out. Sir Kingston is finally out!" "You''re kidding?" "No. Come now!" I was at the bottom of the canyon helping Noah take out some bricks for the road, but hearing this news, I drop everything and sprint upwards. I see a person leaning against the door frame of the Ikanda, a white spear in his hand and tired eyes looking and talking with the surrounding goblins. "Kingston!" I yell at the top of my voice while jogging over with Gobi. He turns his head slowly towards me and a relieved smile appears on his exhausted face. "Are you okay, Kingston?" "Yeah, Yeah. Just tired. Slightly overwhelmed too. I didn''t expect to see so many goblins hanging around as I walked out." "Well, you have been gone for 14 days. So there be 14 more goblins since you werest here." "Very funny. Is there somewhere to just sit and like, do nothing?" "Yea, of course. Come with me. You can tell me what happened while I tell you about some stuff that has happened since you left." "Thanks, Ian. Honestly, I''m kind of just done with things right now. I just want to unwind." "Well, I''m taking you to a nice spot for that." I put my arm around Kingston''s shoulder as I direct him down towards the canyon. In the time he had been gone, HavenFall had changed a little. Small additions to aid in the welfare of the citizens. Originally, there was just one big bonfire and lots of rocks and logs that everyone sat around for dinner or lunch. However, I thought that with the slow increase in poption, that ce would end up overcrowded and messy. I would have liked to create arge house to function as a canteen or restaurant, but the bricks that we were making were being directed to the road. Instead, I instructed Lime to gather a few people to construct a couple ofrge, long wooden tables and lots of chairs. The bonfire stayed, but around it were 4 long tables with chairs on both sides. Everywhere would fit and there would be extra space for people to move their chairs in and out, allowing for a more diversion group conversations. At the same time, construction of houses had finished. While most people still stayed together in the same house, some residents have moved out and started to live either on their own or with another person. With a total of 15 brick houses, 5rge ones and 10 smaller ones, formed our very first street. I had marked out the street with sticks and vines to prepare for the eventual brick road and at the same time, marked out future plots ofnd to be used for residence houses. The training grounds that Gobi used had also expanded. There were a lot more goblins now, and they have gotten better at 1-on-1 as well as team battles. With the increased goblin poption, both Noah and Gobi agreed to send them as well as small teams of humans and demi-humans to expand the scouting radius. Stopping just shy of the river in the forest and just before the mountains where Luke first encountered the Blood Ogre. This area had now been under our control for the past week, and the scouts have bought back different kinds of loot. The enemies they faced were enemy goblins, orc and a new monster, a jackalope. They were fast monsters, the size of a goblin. With fur as white as snow, tworge ck beady eyes and bronze-colored antlersrger than it''s head, it runs as fast as a wolf ramming into their enemies headfirst. At the start there were injuries and unfortunately casualties, but after facing the monster time and time again the scouts were able to devise a n to capture or kill the new monster. Since they always charged headfirst, having a strong individual face them head first with a shield was an option to stop the monster. The other option was dodging at thest second and then ambushing it from all sides after the monster attempts to turn around. These methods worked, and we were able to retrieve new and different loot. From the goblins, the usual knife or club or shield. From the orcs we obtained clubs and shields. From the jackalope we were able to obtain their fur and antlers. Their fur had been transformed into clothing for most residents, shirts, coats and pants have been made from them. Whereas their antlers were useful in constructing weapons. The straightest parts of the antlers were used in the body of arrows, while the rest were used as the head. Rei, a female ck cat demi-human, and Lucina had been carefully crafting the new clothing while Lime and Robin got to work with the arrows. [Jackalope Shirt Defense: 1 Cold resistance: 5% Made by Lucina, Rei] [Jackalope Coat Defense: 2 Cold resistance: 5% Made by Lucina, Rei] [Jackalope Shirt Defense: 1 Cold resistance: 5% Made by Lucina, Rei] [Jackalope Arrow Attack: 5 Made by Lime, Robin] Lucina had expanded her farm as well. After the sess of her first harvest, allowing her to yield nearly three times the amount she nted, she started to get more hands to expand her farm. The first crop toe out were the potato like nts. Compared to the wild ones, her crop looked to be 1.5 timesrger and were always in bundles of 2 or 3 rather than on their own. She nted more seeds and happily cared for them, as she expects the next harvest to be as bountiful as the first. As Kingston walked pasted the new buildings and sees everyone in new clothes, he starts to ask questions. I told him to wait until we get to the bottom and as he reaches the pathway down he sees my little surprise. A small wharf jutting into theke, with a wooden table and 2 chairs. "Are you serious, Ian? That is so unnecessary." "It is, but initially I wanted Owen and Frank to practice bridge making, so I made them build a bridge to connect this side to the other in the event that the stone bridge breaks or crumbles. Then, I thought, why not just make this something different, something fancy. So, I made like a wharf. Owen and a couple of other people have fished here and the stability of the wharf is great. Meaning future projects like the bridges will do fine as well. "Alright, whatever, let''s get down there." Both Kingston and I walked down the path to the canyon and slowly made our way to the chairs, with Kingston taking the left and me taking the right, we gotfortable first before talking. "So, are you feeling okay, Kingston? If I am being honest, you look like you aged 10 years, even though our characters don''t age in the game." "Well, I do feel like I aged 10 years as well. Thatst challenge really got to me. I got a skill you know. Before the reward for thest challenge. Endless Rage." "You could get skills that aren''t from an ancient ruin or like an event?" "Apparently. There wasn''t any information on the forums about this, so either I am the first one or it has happened already and no one had said anything." "Hmm, interesting. So tell me what happened for you to get that skill. It definitely doesn''t sound positive." "I don''t really know. Somewhere along the way, my mind just snapped. I was feeling like shit. Dying every day, countless times, to that monster, and even when I try my hardest, I still die. I felt emptiness at first. Then somewhere along the way, that emptiness got filled with anger and rage. I felt like hitting something. I felt like crushing something. Destroying something until it doesn''t exist anymore, and then when I more or less regained consciousness. I hadpleted the challenge. " "You were unconsciously fighting?" "Somewhat yea. I definitely don''t remember too much about it. I just remember I felt so good. I felt free. Like the weight on my shoulders had been lifted." "Okay. I think what happened is that you let out everything you had felt up until that point. A person can only bottle up so much inside them. Your frustrations, your anger, your sadness, all came out after you felt like you had enough. What is the description of the skill? I can tell it isn''t good." "It is an active, but it can only be unlocked if a certain condition is fulfilled first. If the user has less than 50% HP and is in a state of extreme rage forcefully active, then increase strength, vitality, agility by 50% for 10 mins, will be blinded by rage and attack indiscriminately. However, the user will incur some memory loss, random permanent loss in stats, decrease strength, vitality, agility by 25% for 24 hours. I lost 2 stat points in strength after it activated." "Wait. It activates on its own?" "Yea. Scary right. I''ll never know when it might activate. So i''m doing my best to keep my emotions in check." "Alright, understood about that now what about the other rewards? I see that you have a new spear." "It''s the spear of light I told you about. However, it looks just like a spear coated in white. Nothing special in the description other than attack 20 and does 10% more damage to undead and dark monsters. I also gained some intelligence as well as the passive skill Buffalo Horns." "A lot of gains, then." "But was it worth it?" "You tell me Kingston. Was it worth it?" "I don''t know. I went through so much crap in that hole. I feel sorry for who is going next. Who is going next?" "Luke. I told him to go after you. We will find himter but for now is there anything else you want to tell me? Otherwise, I''ll tell you some good news on my end." "No, I''m all ears." "Okay, well since we increased our scout radius we fought some new enemies and got stronger at the same time, we were able to explore more of the environment. Luckily for me, we were able to uncover some ancient ruins that were hidden almost out of in sight. From them, I was able to acquire some stat points, increasing my strength to 10, vitality to 15 and agility to 10. My luck stat helped me in getting the best rolls for the increase in stats." "Absolute bullshit, but go on." "Think however you want, but that is what happened. Thest thing I found form the ancient ruin was a map." "Map?" "Yep, it has basic signs but from what I can tell it is a map to potentially treasure. So we are currently preparing on setting out for it while the construction of the road and bridges take ce here." "Damn, so we became treasure hunters now?" "If it is from an ancient ruin, then the treasure is going to be good." "Then let''s prepare faster, right?" "Right." 113 Chapter 113 "So, how does the map look like, Ian?" "Well, it is kind of more of what we know so far about our surroundings. The map became integrated with the system after I picked it up. Let me bring it up." I think of the map and a blue screen appears in front of me. A map of the surrounding area appeared, showing the waterfall, river, canyon and forest. At the same time, the map showed past the forest. It was arge stretch of ins before hitting a mountain range and like all treasure maps, there was arge cross in the mountain. "Can you see it?" "What do you mean? What am I meant to see?" "What? I brought up the map. It''s right here in front of me. Can''t you see it?" "Nothing. I see nothing. Are you the only person that can see it?" "Umm, I guess. You are the only other yer near me, so I never got a chance to show anyone else." "I guess, you are the only one that can see it." "Yeah, well. I can describe it to you at least. From the map, I can see our current location. There is no marker however, it shows the waterfall and the river and a space between it and the forest. That gap is HavenFall, and we are in the bottom left of the map. Above is the mountains and to the right is the canyon, however it doesn''t extend too far, mainly because it isn''t the main point. We have the forest and that covers about 25% of the map before we get arge patch of grasnd or ins. That takes up about 60% of the map and unfortunately there are nondmarks, just nk space pretty much. The top right is a mountain range and with it arge cross. X marks the spot, am I right?" "Wait, so after the forest there is justnd? Emptynd?" "We can assume that. However, what we find there might not be just emptynd. I talked to Luke and Ster about ces they have been while they were away from HavenFall, and they did exit the forest. What they saw were goblin encampments, so they didn''t go too far, but they did agree that it is all grasnd, at least to the extent they could see." "Won''t that be good for us? There will be monsters that graze thend, right? Horses, cattle etc." "Yea, and there won''t be any cover as well. We might just get run over by monsters, too. That''s why I am preparing right now for it." "How so?" "Old man Hus is creating more spears from the golem parts, as well as more scutum shields. Gobi is training everyone in the phnx formation, after all, it is one of the ways we can defend against Calvary. Plus, it serves as a good defensive formation against normal monsters as well." "Okay, well. For now, I''m just going to rx. Call me whenever you are ready to leave, Ian." "Sure." Kingston, stays on his seat while I left him in search for Owen and Frank. Knowing them, they are most likely down the river, either digging out the path or making the next bridge. I''ve been very impressed with how fast everything is building. A fortnight ago, only the first small part of the path towards the cave had been built, and I was still teaching Owen and Frank the method I had wanted to use in making the path. About 50% of the path had been built, as well as a wooden fence on the sides. Owen added the fence after he saw that some people identally slipped or fell, then crashing into the river, Owen being one of those people. They had also finished a bridge. It was just a simple straight wooden bridge about two people wide. Utilizing, small wooden nks ced horizontally along two long logs, we were able to create a very simple bridge. Making sure it doesn''t copse into the river, we stabilized the bridge by building a frame around it. We elevated the bridge two small steps off the ground, then fitted a wooden frame withrger wooden logs tied together as well as glued together. Luckily for us, the bridge didn''t need to be very long orrge, just enough to fit a person and a cart and enough to just travel across the river. Travelling down the path and over the bridge, I saw Owen, Frank and a few other people digging the path. "Owen! How is everyone? How are things going?" "Ian! We are fine. Nothing too chaotic over here and no monsters have appeared. Luna and other wolves are further in front, making sure nothinges this way." "That''s good. Anything interesting popped up?" "Another ancient ruin. Here. We found it while we were digging into this spot, it was hidden between the canyon wall." "Nice, I''ll take that for now. How is the construction going?" "Pretty good. We marked out the rest of the pathway, and we are digging it out at the moment while, Noah and the other boys are making more bricks." "Perfect, keep at it, everyone! Some of you will be heading out on a scouting missionter, so be prepared, okay?" I see everyone nod at me after I finished talking to them, so I start to head back. Along the way, I open the ancient ruin. During the past fortnight, I had discovered 8 ancient ruins. Some were hidden in the forest, while others hidden in the canyon. I was lucky that the scouts were able to find it and after finding the first one, I made them memorize what the ancient ruin looks like in case theye across more. I made it a habit of checking with Owen every day, in case they found something and while some days they find nothing other days I get rewarded. [You have found an Ancient Ruin] [Your reward is: Stats +5 Intelligence] First time, for an intelligence upgrade and while I might not have a skill, eventually I will. I look at my stats to see the increase. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 1789/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 250/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 10 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 11 While my stats aren''t up to par with other NPCs, I am d I got an increase. Finding the ancient ruins have helped a lot in making me stronger and after hearing about the addition stat increase in the Ikanda I was keen to get stronger, so I won''t be a burden during a fight. However, I will have to wait until Lukepletes it first. I wanted to know what kind of effect the Ikanda would have on an NPC. I walk back to HavenFall and found Luke talking to Gobi at the training grounds. "Gobi, I think there needs to be more spars between goblins and other races. That is the only way for them to be prepared when fighting other monsters that arerge than them. Most monsters and races arerger than goblins." "I know what you mean, sir Luke, but I just do not think they are ready. Gibing, Gyumi, Gopopo and Gewari are the only goblins that can face a human or demi-human. The restck strength, co-ordination and speed." "I know, I know, but without any practice I feel they aren''t getting better. Some of them have faced against a Jackalope, but even then most of theme back injured, and Lucina needs to see them as soon as possible." "It is frustrating to see them unable to perform after they give so much effort to getting stronger." "Hey Luke, Gobi. What seems to be the problem?" "Hey Ian. Well, Gobi and I were just discussing on how to make the goblin stronger. Some have shown great promise, but the majority are weak." "It is as sir Luke says, Leader Ian. I am disappointed in myself as well as my brethren." "It''s fine Gobi. I think they are doing fine. Have you noticed? The ones thate back from fighting a jackalope or even enemy orcs and goblins have gotten stronger. Albeit slightly, but they have grown. They just need more time and more exposure to battles. Gibing and the others got stronger faster due to them fighting with the golems." "That''s true Ian." "Oh yea, Luke you can go into the Ikanda. Kingston has already exited" "Great. Should I go into it now?" "If you like." "Okay, well then I''m heading in. Tell Sylvia that I''ll be gone for a bit." "Tell her yourself!" "BYE!!" I watch as Luke sprints off into the Ikanda and closes the door behind him. I didn''t tell any of the NPCs what happens inside the Ikanda since I wanted a genuine experience and having my strongest NPC attempt it first will give me a good guideline in how other NPCs would do. "Gobi, maybe arrange for some spars between some stronger goblins and demi-humans. Some demi-humans are strong however, they aren''t co-ordinated in a team environment as much as the goblins. So, I want you to do a team battle. Have 5 goblins versus 5 demi-humans and then afterwards have 10 goblins fight. It will train the goblins in fighting stronger opponents, as well as train the demi-humans in fightingrger groups." "On it Leader Ian." I let Gobi go about with his training and instead wondered about HavenFall observing the different groups. Lucina, Celine and a few other girls were tending to the farm as well as making more fur clothes. Robin as training some goblins, humans and demi-humans in archery. Lime and old man Hus were busy making weapons and shields. Melody and Ash were teaching the Rex, Ken, Kaede about writing while Ster and Sr were listening off to the side. Noah and a few other demi-humans were busy putting new bricks into the kiln and taking them out. Howard and David were making new bricks and so much more. With that, it was time to think about who would go with me on a trip. Who do I want on the journey, and who do I want to stay back and protect HavenFall? After looking around and observing everyone, I know that there are a few people that have to stay back. Lucina, old man Hus, Lime and a couple others have to stay back since their main roles aren''t fighting. I also want some goblin and demi-humans toe along, since they need the fighting experience. Should I also bring along a few wolves? Including the wolves that Luke brought back, there are now 6 adult wolves and 4 cubs. I should take 3 of them along with me and maybe let Luna stay back since she is the strongest wolf. As the goblins, perhaps take 10 of them with a mix of both strong and weak goblins in order to train them up. I should also take along some archers, so possibly some people Robin were training. I would need some hard hitters as well, Noah, Howard, David, Kingston, Frank are options, but I can''t take them all. I require someone to stay back and lead everyone while I am gone. ? Is Howard or Noah a better choice to stay back? Howard''s personality naturally draws attention and since he has a kind heart, he is able to rte and help with everyone. Whereas Noah thinks more along the lines of improvement and constantly changing and adding new things. He is still a hard worker and people do appreciate him, however hecks the charisma that Howard has, but wait. What if the both of them were together? If Howard is at the front helping everyone while Noah is next to him to give him a helping hand would that work out? They both are friendly and on good terms with one another, and the both of them are trusted aides. Alright, let''s have the both of them lead HavenFall while I am gone, and instead I''ll take along David and Frank, leaving Owen to lead the construction of the path and bridges. I am definitely taking along Sr and Ster. Bothdies are more useful than they say they are, with one being able to buff and heal while the other being akin to an assassin. I also want Luke and Sylvia toe along since the both of them are very strong individuals, but with Luke in the Ikanda I will have to leave him out and instead entrust him with protecting HavenFall while most of the stronger NPCs are with me. I guess I more or less decided on who will travel with me, I just need to tell them the good news. 114 Chapter 114 I wait until dinner before discussing and announcing my n. The day goes by smoothly, with the only incident being Sylvia getting upset because Luke didn''t say anything when he left. Eventually, she calmed down after beating up a few demi-humans and goblins in a spar, but at least those NPCs experienced what it is like to verse an angry person. I also saw Sr''s healing abilities in action again and after getting to know her more I was finally able to observe her stats. Name: ??i?lo? (Sr) Race: Elf Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 10 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 17 Luck: 5 Skill: Shield of the Sun (Active) - 2MP, Haste of the Sun (Active) - 3MP, Touch of the Sun (Active) - 5MP, Ball of Light (Active)- 2MP, Blessing of the Sun (Passive) Shield of the Sun (Active) - Upon chanting the elven spell correctly, bless the target with a shield that can either absorb 50 damage or wear off after 10 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. Haste of the Sun (Active) - Upon chanting the elven spell correctly, bless the target, +10 agility. The effect wears off after 10 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. Touch of the Sun (Active) - Upon chanting the elven spell correctly, heal the target by 50% with a maximum of 30 HP. Cooldown 10 minutes. Ball of Light (Active) - Conjure a ball of light to defeat your foes. (5-10) Attack Damage + 5% Intelligence. Increase 10% damage when used against undead or dark monsters. Cooldown 1 minute Blessing of the Sun (Passive) - The sun god has blessed this individual. 10% healing and shielding cast by this individual or used on this individual. 10% additional damage dealt by this individual during the day. SOLAR IS INSANE! What are these skills? Both passive and actives, and she has a total of 5 of them. Damn. Where are my skills? I do notice that her name is spelled both in elven and in English, indicating that she has some stuff still hidden from us, but at the same time, I understand. There is no need for her to use her elven name since we weren''t elves. Looking at her stats, I got curious about the rest of Luke''spanions'' stats. However, I need to get closer to the rest of them before the system allows me to view their stats. Ever since the Loyalty Point system had been taken away, I had wondered if I would be able to view all the NPCs that I could find, but it seems like that is not the case. While the visual system is not there, I still need to bond with the NPC to an extent before the system allows me to view their stats. Having talked to Sr a lot as she is always tending to the scouts'' wounds, I was able to understand more about her character and in turn, I was finally about to view her stats. After viewing Sr''s stats, I went away to help old man Hus and eventually, the sun sets and night falls upon HavenFall. A bright orange me dances in the moonlight, illuminating its surroundings. It gives warmth to those around while providing a beacon to those far away. The burning me signal''s that it is time for dinner and slowly from every corner of HavenFall its residents stroll towards the table and chairs. A fragrant aroma of soup carried by the wind envelopes the surrounding area, drawing everyone in closer. Chatter andughter can be heard from all around the fire. I went to the front and with my back to the fire I shout at the top of my lungs "Everyone, I have an announcement!" The chattering slows until eventually everyone quietens. "HavenFall has been progressing well these past few weeks. Everyone is working hard and everyone is doing their best. However, it is time to go to the next stage. I have found a treasure map in the ancient ruin. It doesn''t show too much, just the general area around us but on the map, there is arge grasnd between the edge of the forest and our next destination, the mountains on the other side." "How far is it from here?" "Good question, Howard. I don''t really know. From what Luke, Ster and Sr have told me. Getting through the forest, if we were to go directly through without any detours, then it would take us 3-4 days. Using that as a guide, it would then take us another 12-15 days to cross the grasnd before we reach the foot of the mountain but too is just one part of the journey. I have no idea how long it will take for us to even find the treasure." "When and who is going, Leader Ian?" "I''m getting to that Gobi. The obvious people who aren''ting with us are Lucina, old man Hus, Lime, Melody, Owen, Sylvia, Rex, Lily, Rose, Spike, Val and Meg. These 11 people will 100% be staying back. Is there anyone that does not want toe?" I slowly turn around, walking around the fire keeping an eye on everyone''s reaction. "Me." "Robin? Why is that?" "I would prefer to stay here and help train anyone that does not go in archery. I also do not think I have what it takes to go on the journey." "Okay. I understand. Is there anyone else? No?" I do one quick look around to see no responses so I move on. "Then, I would like to tell you that I have 2 people in mind to look after HavenFall while I am gone. Howard and Noah. Both of them will be joint leaders. Decisions will be made through both of them and if there is a stalemate then Gobi will decide. " "Wait, Ian. I thought I would go along." "I thought about it Howard but I need someone strong staying back to defend HavenFall from any threats. I don''t know how long I will be gone and if I take only the strong with me then there won''t be a home toe back to." "But." "No buts. I decided and that is what is going to happen." "Alright." "Good. I will now announce who will be partaking in this journey. Ster, Sr, David, Frank, Kingston, Ken, Kaede, Celine, Yor, Gibing, Gyumi, Gopopo and Gewari. Gobi, I want you to choose 6 more goblins, 3 more humans and 3 more demi-humans who are adept with using the phnx formation and the scutum shields. I also want 5 goblin archers as well. A total of 30 of us will be with me as we travel from HavenFall to our destination. Everyone else will be here. There are still a lot of things to do and by the time I get home, I expect a lot of things to be finished. Are there any questions?" 2 small hands perk up from behind David. "Why¡­Kaede¡­I going?" "I know the both of you are young and small however, you are stronger than you think. Gobi has seen your improvements in the training you have done. I want to give you two a chance to grow even more." "But¡­We¡­Not¡­Strong." "Maybe not now but soon you will be, just give it time." "Okay." "Ian, I''m confused about me going as well." "Celine, there is actually a very important reason for youing along. I am also nning to bring along some wolves, so you will be the main trantor. However, along the way, there might be other animals and monsters that you might be able tomunicate with and if you can there be a chance to get them to join us." "Okay, I get it but I''m not that useful in a fight." "I have prepared for that don''t worry. Are there any other questions?" With no one saying anything I confirm everything once again and made sure that everyone that was going to wake up at dawn to prepare. I went to Lucina afterward, asking her to fill 10 baskets with food as well as prepare 10 water sacks made out of the jackalope fur. The water sacks were already made and just needed to be filled. I walk with Celine afterward, going to the wolf den to tell Belle, Dawn and Razor toe along with us tomorrow morning. Razor was named by Celine and was the first wolf that spawned from the wolf den. I was unable to see its stats until it was fully grown and now that I was here I took a quick peek at Belle''s, Dawn''s, and Razor''s stats. Luna, Hugo and Wheat were near the cave tonight so I was unable to see their stats. Name: Belle Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 25 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 12 Agility: 40 Luck: 1 Skill: Moonlight Renewal (Active) - 2 MP, Pounce (Active) - 1 MP Name: Dawn Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 30 Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 20 Luck: 3 Skill: Moonlight Renewal (Active) - 2 MP, Pounce (Active) - 1 MP Name: Razor Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 20 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 20 Luck: 5 Skill: Moonlight Renewal (active) - 2 MP, Pounce (Active) - 1 MP, Double sh (Active) - 4 MP Double sh (Active) - Attack twice in quick session. The second attack will deal 50% increased damage if itnds. There was some slight variance between the 3 wolves which I was surprised about. I assumed they were going to be the same stats and the same skills but just from the stats I could tell that Belle was more agility-focused, Dawn was more strength-focused and Razor was more intelligence-focus After Celine told the wolves about the n she told me they were happy to apany me meaning I only needed to wait until morning, get the equipment for everyone from the barracks and armory and then set out on the journey! 115 Chapter 115 The night passes and morning rises. With the sun peeking over the horizon I open my eyes. A small yawn escapes me but that does not stop me. I can hear the soft chattering outside already. Light footsteps can be heard and the moment I walk outside I can see everyone moving about. The ones who I told yesterday night toe with me are already setting up things we need. We needed food, water, and equipment. Both food and water are being filled at this moment with the help of Lucina, sorting out what food we needed to bring. Most of the food was vegetables and fruit that weremonly found in the forest with some dried fish as well. I could also see some people filling up water sacks as we have no way of knowing if we would have water along the way. After thinking about it overnight, I decided that we might need even more water sacks. The water sacks were made to hold up to 10 Litres of water, of course, it was all approximation since we have no method of correctly measuring weight but prior to the creation process, I had looked at examples in stores and held some that were filled to the brim. Taking that knowledge, I told and experimented with Lucina and Rei until they were able to make a water sack from the fur of the jackalope that could hold approximately 10L. The final product was a white ball of fluff with the top scrunched and tied with thin vines. It might leak if the top is turned upside down but otherwise, it did its job and carried water. I had Lucina and Rei make more of them while I went to old man Hus and figured out the equipment logistics with him. "Lad, how many arrows do you think you will need on this small trip of yours?" "I''m not sure. Normally, the scouts carry 20 arrows per quiver and they bring 2 quivers every time they go out. There are 10 goblins who can use a bow as well as 6 more people that will most likely carry a bow as well. Simple maths tells me 640 arrows but that is an unrealistic number at the moment." "That is very unrealistic. Lad, I can prepare for you 300 before you set out. So rather than carry 2 quivers just make them carry 1." "Done. You already have most of the arrows already don''t you old man Hus?" "Of course. I am constantly replenishing my supply. Missy Robin uses up a lot of arrows while she teaches and most of them break in some way so I need to always be on top of things. Young Lime here is really great at making arrows, very fast too but I usually let the other 2 handle the small tasks. Young Martelo, young Rycka! Come here." "Here, sir." "Something wrong?" "Nothing wrong, young Rycka. I just need you to help out this one with all the weaponry and armor." "Ah yes. Leader Ian, nice to see you so early. Martelo and I will help bring out what you need as well as prepare any more that you might want." "Thank you Rycka." I follow Rycka and Martelo to the barracks and armory. The two were old man Hus''s apprentices that came after Lime. Originally, they were spearmen for Phil however, after staying here they wanted to do more creating rather than fighting. I have seen the pair going into the forest to collect wood for old man Hus as well as making pottery. I did not realize that they were the ones making the arrows since I haven''t seen them make any weapons or shields or armor. I assumed it was Lime and old man Hus. "Leader Ian, do you know what you need?" "I have a rough understanding, Martelo. However, I might revise it depending on what we currently have in stock. I know that everyday old man Hus constantly makes weapons, however, I also know that some of them aren''t his best works." "That''s true. Sir is busy making weapons but sometimes either the material used is of lower quality or he tried to create using different materials or tries a different method and in turn, it ends up a failed product." "Not just that, Martelo. Sir has been trying to figure out the best way to create stronger weapons while using the materials we have on hand. With just sticks and stones what else can we do?" "I know, Rycka." "The both of you seem very close." "Ah, we got closer after we discovered we had an interest in making weapons. Martelo in particr isn''t very fond of fighting however, he enjoys making things." "You too Rycka. I always see you trying to make the spearheads like how Sir does it." "You see that? Damn, I have to find a different spot now. Well, for now here we are leader Ian. What do you want us to bring out first?" I stand in the doorway while looking at all our shields and weapons. They were packed together, with one shield leaning against another along the far side of the wall while spears and clubs were in y pots. In the middle of the room were multiple y pots filled with weapon loot, particrly goblin and orc weapons. "How many shields do we have?" "We have about 20 scutum shields, 25 stone shields, 10 wooden shields, and 5 experimental ones." "What do you mean by experimental, Martelo?" "It''s the ones that Sir tried to do differently. These are the 5 that survived, the rest broke or was cracked so we destroyed them and used them either firewood or ced them in the pile of broken y to be used for the road. " "Bring them out for me, as well as 6 scutum shields, 4 stone shields, and 2 wooden shields." "Yes, leader!" Martelo and Rycka went inside to get out the shields, slowly piling them next to the door frame. After the known shields were brought out, I start to see the newer ones, the experimental shields. Since it was made by old man Hus I could already see the stats. [ Stone and Wood Scutum Defense: 30 A shield created byyering wooden nks on top and behind a stone b. Create for taking a hit however, if the stone breaks the shield will crumble Made by Hus and Lime ] [ Oval Scutum Defense: 20 A smaller and lighter version of the scutum. Using an oval frame can cover the upper body, however,cks protection in the lower body. Made by Hus and Lime ] [ Golem Stone Wall Defense: 40 A shield created byyering 3 golem stones on top of one another. Extremely heavy and bulky. Made by Hus and Lime ] [ Little Scutum (Circle) Defense: 15 A small light circr shield created byyering wooden nks on top of one another. Made by Lime ] [ Little Scutum (Square) Defense: 15 A small light square shield created byyering wooden nks on top of one another. Made by Lime ] "Lime made some of these herself?" "YEAH! Miss Lime has been working hard. Using the same concept for the scutum shield she made smaller versions. However, she said she wasn''t satisfied with them so she didn''t tell anyone other than sir and us." "Well, Martelo I think she did great. The shield is the same size as the wooden shield we have but is more durable. While it is heavier than the wooden shield, it isn''t a major increase in weight and is still manageable. I would love for her to make more but if she says she doesn''t want to make more I won''t force her. I will, however, take both of these shields. The little scutum will be used by Ken and Kaede. Okay, Rycka can you bring out 20 short spears and 16 golem spears. As well as, 5 golem ax and 30 golem knives. Bring out 10 bows as well as all the arrows" "Yes leader, do you want them in pots or justid out?" "Pots. Sort them out as well will you?" "Of course!" [ Golem Stone Short Spear Attack: 13 Using the body of a in general golem to create a stronger spearhead. It has a lower chance to break when struck against other objects. Due to its shorter range, it has a lower attackpared to its longer counterpart. Made by Hus ] [ Golem Stone Ax Attack: 18 Using the body of a in general golem to create a stronger head. It has a lower chance to break when struck against other objects. Made by Hus ] [ Golem Stone Knife Attack: 11 Using the body of a in general golem to create a stronger head. It has a lower chance to break when struck against other objects. Made by Hus ] After old man Hus made the golem spears and seeing the effectiveness of them, he had made different weapons using the same method. It wasn''t too hard to adjust the length of weapons or chip away parts of the stone to fit the type of weapon and within the fortnight he had already created an arsenal of weapons. There were a lot of weaponspared to the number of people that will be going on the journey with me. I know that the weapons that old man Hus has made are amazing and the material used lowers the chance of it breaking, however, it is better to be safe than sorry. Having more weapons as a backup will be vital in some scenarios but I also have to make sure that we are not carrying too much or else we will end up as slow as snails. Frank, Yor and some of the humans and demi-humans will most likely use the spears as weapons with short spears as a backup. David and Kingston being heavy hitters will use the ax, alongside the two wolf demi-humans, Ken and Kaede. Kingston will primarily be using his personal weapon but having an ax will be his backup. Sr is a mage and Ster will also be using knives. The rest of the goblins will be using knives and bows. Since they are faster having them as assassins in the field will be more useful than a frontal assault. Their small bodies will also allow them to hide in spots that enemies will not think to check to allow them to snipe from a more advantageous position. "This everything leader?" "Not yet, Martelo. We need armor as well." "What do you need?" "We should travel light since we are carrying a lot of weapons, food, and water. I want the wooden armor. All of it, helmets, chest tes, arm guards, leg guards, and belts. Enough for all 30 members and have another set for them as a spare. Do you have enough?" "The arm and leg guards we don''t have enough but it shouldn''t take too long to make the all. If Rycka and I work on it as well as Lime then we should get them done today as well as the arrows." "Good, get them all for me." "Yes, leader. Is that all?" "Yea, I don''t think we need anything." After making sure we will have everything prepared, I went to help construct the road. There wasn''t much left to do, I can only wait for the equipment to be prepared. As I was walking down the path Melody stops me. "Ian, is it possible that I cane along as well?" "Howe, Melody? You know you aren''t a fighter." "I know but for some reason the past few nights I have been getting these visions¡­" "Visions?" "Yea¡­I see you and everyone on the trip dying." 116 Chapter 116 "What. What do you mean?" As I question Melody I check her stats. Name: Melody Race: Human Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 8/8 Strength: 7 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 7 Luck: 5 Skill: Dream or Nightmare (Passive) Dream or Nightmare (Passive) - Once the individual sleeps there is a chance they may experience a real dream or a fake nightmare about an event in the near future. The higher the individual''s intelligence the longer the visions and the more clear. "How and when did you start experiencing these visions?" "3 days ago. I was praying at night to Ariel before I went to sleep. That was the first time a vision came to me and I''m not too sure why I am experiencing them. Ian, I''m scared and worried." "Okay, tell me in as much detail as you can, what did you see?" "The first night was you falling into a hole or something. The second night, I saw David and Kingston fighting arge beast with the ground covered in blood. Last night, I saw everyone piled up like a mountain, dead." "Was that all? You didn''t see it in more detail?" "No¡­How can I? It felt like I was right next to them when it happened. It is like a sh of light. Ites and goes before you even know it." "Okay, so along the journey there will be a hole of some sort, arge beast and all of us dead. Can you describe the beast?" "Umm, it had 2 legs, 2 smaller arms, a head as big as a house, scales as skin and along the back it had triangle points all the way from the top of its head down to its tail." "A dinosaur?" "What is a dinosaur, Ian? Do you know what the monster is?" "Umm, maybe. I''m not sure but I think I have an idea." "Can Ie along?" "I still don''t know why you want toe Melody." "I may know the future and I want to stay with you. What if I see more on our way there?" "But-" "I know, Ian. I''m not a fighter but, I won''t be in the way." "Melody¡­I would prefer you to stay here. I don''t want you to get hurt. Why risk yourself?" "I. I just want to help¡­" "You will be helping Melody. Look at how much everyone has learned from your teaching. You are doing great. You are helping here." "R u sure¡­?" "Yea. I''m sure." "Not lying right?" "I''m not." "You won''t die right?" "I won''t." "Okay¡­I''m going to help Lucina with the packing." "Okay. " I watch as Melody walks away slowly, constantly looking over her shoulder with worried eyes. I can''t me her though, what she saw was very different and must have felt very real. The only problem is that what she saw might be real or might be fake. The description for the skill speaks of either a dream or a nightmare. Of the 3 dreams, there are chances that 1 or 2 or even all 3 of them were nightmares. Do I take the visions with a grain of salt? Or¡­? Are they legit? Even if I die or Kingston dies, we are yers we woulde back. But. If the others were to die then¡­ I''m so confused. A hole, a dinosaur, and a mountain of corpses. This does not bode well for our trip. I toss my head around, racking my brain for any possible hints in Melody''s words and the skill description but nothing out of the ordinary pops into my mind. It doesn''t matter if what is going to happen is real or fake I should investigate the map regardless. I sigh to myself and look around as I walk to the bottom of the canyon where I spot Kingston sitting by the table on the wharf. I walk over and talk to him after cing my hand on his shoulder. "Kingston, what are you doing there?" "Nothing. Just sitting." "For how long?" "From when I woke up." "Just here? Looking at the waterfall?" "Yeah." "Are you okay? Did something happen in real life?" "No." "Then? Why are you just sitting here?" "I just want to sit here. My mind has been a mess recently." "Want to talk to me about it?" "I don''t know if it would help me to talk about it." "Try me." I take a seat next to Kingston waiting for him to speak first. Seconds went by, then minutes, until finally, Kingston opens his mouth, speaking with a quiet shaky tone. "I¡­ I feel like killing someone." "WOW. Wow. Wow. What? Kingston, mate. Are you okay? What happened?" "Ian¡­ I don''t know. My hands¡­ They¡­ They itch constantly. The feeling of beating something downpletely hasn''t left me." "Was it in the Ikanda? You never told me much about the final challenge." "That ce is a hell hole! What happens in there¡­Needs to stay in there." "Not when you are acting like this. Tell me. What changed you in there?" "Everything." "Everything? "Everything. From the darkness, to the constantughter. You know. I woke up today hearing it in my ear. The sameughter echoing in that dark hole, next to my ear but the thing is nothing was near me. Noone was near me. BUT. I can hear it. The waterfall drowns it out." "Kingston¡­" "No. I don''t. I don''t want to hear it." "But-" "STOP!" Kingston pushes his chair back, getting up aggressively and grabs my throat, lifting me off my chair. His bloodshot eyes res at mine. I see him clenching his teeth hard as he grips on my throat harder. I struggle at his hold, desperately gasping for air. My hands il about hitting his wrist and forearm. His face blurs slightly and dizzines sets in. I open my status only to see my HP dropping and right before it hits zero, Kingston drops me. His face full of shock as he sees me coughing and wheezing for air. "Ian! Ian! I''m so sorry. I¡­I¡­" I raise my hand up, cing it on his shoulder while giving him a weak smile. "It''s¡­*cough* *cough* fine. Are you¡­okay?" "Yeah, yeah I''m fine. I''m so sorry Ian." I shake my head and flop down, taking deep breathes. "Kingston. Want to tell me a little about what happened?" "The skill activated. Endless Rage." "The one you told me about before. I thought it only happens when you are below 50% HP." "That''s the thing. It should only activate when I''m before 50%. I don''t know why it activated." "A bug?" "No¡­ Honestly, I felt it rising, my anger. Maybe there is a hidden condition to the skill which isn''t disyed. I''m sorry, Ian." "No, don''t be sorry. The skill is a curse as much as it is gift. Did you lose any stat points because it activated?" "Checking¡­No, I didn''t. It''s like a split personality or a disorder." "The skill might be affecting how you go about in the game just make sure you know the difference." "What do you mean?" "This is a game and the skill is in the game. If you get upset in real life remember that is because of your own actions. You can''t me the skill or the game like how you can when you are here." "You think, I might be more proned to aggressive behaviour¡­?" "I don''t know but¡­ Better to be safe than sorry. I see that the waterfall is having a healing effect on you. Listening to it calms you down, so maybe have waterfall noise in the background when you are out of the game and find methods to calm anger. While it won''t have an immediate effect or anything it will definitely help." "Maybe¡­ Maybe. I''ll try it once the game shuts down for the night." "Yeah. Your real life affects your gamey as well." "Yeah¡­ Thanks Ian. For now I''m just going to be here. I''ll have to fish out our chairs but other than that, I''ll be here. Tell me when we are setting out okay?" "We set out tomorrow morning. Everything should be prepared by then okay?" "Okay¡­" I walk away from Kingston slowly. I still find it hard to breath properly. I decide to just rx for the rest of my time, watching Gobi train anyone in the training field. The activity rxes me and the incident in the morning is ced in the back of my head. The game ends for the night and I wake up in my room. I try swallowing my saliva but I found it hard to do, like something was stopping it. Forcing it down with a cup of water was the only way. My cracked lips sting as the water touches it and afterwards I take a shower. I look in the mirror and to my surprise there were slight red marks simr to that of a hand grasping my throat. "What the-" I blink once and it disappears. I touch my neck to be sure but nothing. The red mark disappears or maybe it wasn''t even there. 117 Chapter 117 I could feel sweat dripping down the side of my cheeks and a shiver running down my spine. What was that? Was it my imagination? I blink several times, checking myself from different angles but¡­ I look normal. Was it really just my imagination? Ignore it? Maybe¡­ I shakily walk away from my mirror and exit the house. I feel afraid of being alone at this moment, the thought of something happening to me while I was home alone scared me. I unconsciously touch my throat and headed towards my workce. Even if I had no work today at least there would be someone there. On my way to my workce, I text the group chat to see if anyone was avable to meet up. "Who is free today?" - Ian "ME!" - Evan "Sorry, have something to do." - Sabrina "Can''t fly over at the moment." - Sam "What''s up?" - Evan "Need some help and advice." - Ian "OKAY! Meet up where?" - Evan "City?" - Ian "Done. Cafe near the station?" - Evan "Yea, I don''t mind." - Ian "OK! Meet you there at 12." - Evan "Okay." - Ian 12¡­ It is only 0630 so there was still a long time before the meet-up. I needed some help with the visions Melody had as well as what I experienced this morning. My throat feels dry every single second since then and even if I had arge ss of water, that feeling doesn''t go away. I got to my workce at 0645. A quiet morning with one of my co-workers ying on her phone while sitting on a stool behind the counter. Dressed in the store uniform with her long blonde hair reaching her waist was Reba and with her long fake fingernails constantly tapping on her phone she looks up with an uninterested face, noticing that someone hade in the sore. Herrge blue eyes peer through her blonde hair as her bangs drape over the left side of her face. "What are you doing here? You don''t work today." "Hungry. How is work so far?" "It''s fine." With the short awkward conversation over she goes back to tapping on her phone. I sigh to myself. Reba had never even tried to talk to me, even when I had to train her for work. I walk around the store trying to see what I would like to eat for breakfast. A sandwich? A pie? Maybe just instant noodles? As I crouch down to pick up a packet of instant noodles, someone grabs my right shoulder. Reacting instantly, I push my feet off the ground and lunge to the left, flinging my arm up and around, forcing whoever was touching me to release their grip. "What the- IAN! THAT HURT!" "Reba? What? What are you doing?" "You. WHATEVER! I was just going to ask you about something." "Sorry, I. I didn''t mean to hurt." "Whatever." I watch as Reba walks around rubbing her wrist softly with an angered expression. I pick up the packet of instant noodles and follow behind her. "I''m sorry, I thought it was something else that touched me. I got scared and reacted poorly." "It''s fine." "Well, what do you want to ask me about? Maybe I can help?" "It''s about¡­ No wait, get your breakfast sorted first and then we can talk. I boiled some water and left it in the kettle so just turn it on and it should be done in a minute or two." "Sure." I leave Reba at the counter and walk into the breakroom. Seeing the kettle ced on the table next to an instant noodle''s wrapping, I pick it up and pressed the button to open the lid. Seeing that there was sufficient water left, I ced I turn on the power and left it until it boiled. I took out a small bowl from the cupboard and ced the contents of the instant noodle packet into the bowl. Once I heard the whistling from the kettle, I knew it was finished so I poured the water into the bowl. cing a te over the bowl to cover it was thest step and now, I just need to wait a couple more minutes before I could eat. I took the bowl outside to the store and went behind the counter. There was a small desk and chair that the manager uses when he wants to sit down and watch something on his phone while still being in the front of the store. I ce my bowl of instant noodles on the desk making sure to not tip the te over. Reba watches me with uninterested eyes, waiting for me to finish setting up before talking. "So, I just started ying Settlement." "Oh. That''s good." "Yea, well I need help." "Umm, Reba. You know there is no way for me to help you unless I am close to you in the game." "Right. So tell me where you are and I will see if I am close." "What? Why do you need help anyways?" "Umm¡­ Don''t worry about why just help me." "What? That doesn''t make sense." I take off the te on top of my bowl and mixed the contents with some disposable chopsticks. "What''s the problem, Reba? Just tell me." "Don''t want to. t''s embarrassing." I think that was the first time, I saw Reba disying any form of emotion that wasn''t anger. Her eyes dart around and her fingers are constantly tapping the side of the counter like she was worried that something would pop out of a corner. "I have a skill." "Okay." "It is a weird skill." "Okay." "It''s called Danger." "Okay. Reba, you need to speak in a smoother way. You keep pausing after saying something small." "Yea, I get it, Ian. You don''t need to tell me that. I AM SCARED OKAY!" "Why?" "This¡­ This¡­ This skill makes me feel all sorts of dangerous things. I can feel when someone has a dangerous thought and then. And then I feel it. I feel who that person is projecting it to and I feel why and I feel how and I feel-" I see Reba start to hyperventte. Her breathing quickens and her emotions start to go haywire. She grips the side of her head and her eyes bulge out. I quickly get up and shake her shoulders looking into her eyes. "REBECCA STOP! Calm down. Take some deep breathes." "I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Feel it¡­ Even out of the game¡­" "What¡­?" Her breathing slows but her body shakes uncontrobly. Reba was covered in sweat as if she had just run a marathon in the desert. "Talk to me slowly. What do you mean by you feel dangerous things?" Her voice cracks and despite opening her mouth a few times, no soundes out. I let go of Reba''s shoulders and thought that it might be good if she drank some water. About to got to the fridge to get a bottle, I was stopped by Reba holding my shirt from behind. I turn around and look at her trembling body. "W-wait. I can talk." "I was going to get you a bottle of water." "I don''t need it." "Are you sure?" "Yea¡­" "So, where do you want to start? Maybe about the skill and what it does?" "Okay¡­ The skill is called Danger. It allows the user to perceive when someone around them as a dangerous thought, whether it is towards the user or to another individual." "Okay, so it lets you know when someone whats to attack you or another person." "Yes, but not just that. It¡­It¡­" Reba closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. "It also makes me experience that dangerous feeling but from the victim''s point of view." "What the-" "If someone wants to punch another person, I feel the punch happen. If they want to stab someone in the stomach, I feel it. If someone wants to rape someone, I-" "Okay, I get it. Does it happen a lot?" "Can you imagine what it is like for the NPCs around to just be constantly thinking about how it kills even a goblin only to experience it over and over again?" "You even feel the monster''s point of view¡­?" "Yea¡­ It''s scary¡­ The different ways a human can kill a monster. It¡­ It''s scary." "But if that is a skill in the game how can you feel it in real life?" "I don''t know¡­ today it just happened¡­" "Today¡­?" "Yea¡­ On the way here, I could feel random people''s urge to just¡­just¡­ They look at me and all other women as just objects." "Ah¡­ I see." "I''m so scared¡­ I''m was scared to go back into the game and now I''m scared about just being around people now." "Reba¡­ Is there a reason why you are talking to me about this? We barely talked beforehand." "Because you didn''t have any dangerous thoughts when you saw me." p "Maybe you don''t y the game for a while¡­" "I guess so¡­" "When do you finish work, Reba?" "11 why?" "Come with me. I''m meeting a friend that also ys Settlement. If you are close to either of us it would be great. We can help you." "Okay¡­" "For now, just rx. I''ll just hang around here until you finish okay?" "Okay¡­" I go off to the side towards the fridge picking out a bottle of water for Reba and myself. So many thoughts run through my mind. The red handprint on my neck and Reba''s skill. Her skill is worrying but with her unstable mind, I can''t be sure if it is actually happening or if it is her imagination running wild. Although, I do believe her and it worries me that something might happen. I feel my own body shake at the thought. I walk back to Reba to give her the water bottle doing my best to reassure her that it is going to be okay. Replying with a weak smile was the best Reba could do and before long she was back to tapping on her phone with an indifferent look. I sit behind her sipping on water touching my neck every so often. I can''t even begin to imagine what it was like for Reba as she had to fight monsters in the game only to experience their deaths over and over again with the pain inflicted on her own body. Even if nothing is really happening, her mind would be taking a beating knowing about it and experiencing it. I think to myself over and over about what has happened recently until I heard a scream next to me. "REBECCA!" 118 Chapter 118 Standing in front of the shivering Reba was none other than our store manager. He was dressed in a long brown coat and navy blue pants, with our store uniform underneath. He wore a curious and worried expression as Reba wobbles back ducking down behind the counter with her hands gripping her head. Her whole body shakes uncontrobly, sweating dripping onto the floor. "Manager? What''s wrong Reba?" "He-He-He." "Ian, what is wrong with Reba? I just walked in and she screamed." "Umm, I''m not sure, manager. I think maybe she isn''t feeling that well. I''ll take her home if that is okay?" "Yes! Yes, take her home. Text me when she gets home and tell me how she is feeling okay?" The manager rushes to the other side of the counter to try and help only to be greeted with a scream from Reba. Confused he backs off and I take Reba outside, letting her lean on my shoulder while I wrap my arm around her''s to keep her upright. We walk further away from the store and after turning the corner I confirm with Reba her condition. "Are you alright, Reba?" She shakes her head violently, leaning against me and slowly dropping down to the ground. "He is disgusting." "Our manager?" "Disgusting." "Did you see something?" "A glimpse. Shorter than normal but it was disgusting. I''m never walking back into that store. I''m leaving. I''m quitting." "Okay, okay, let''s head for the city. I still need to meet up with my friend. Do you want to talk about anything or should I let you just calm down?" "We can talk moreter. Just for now, just let me be, okay?" I give Reba a reassuring smile and help her to her feet. We walk in silence to the train station and got on the train to the city. I didn''t think that there would be another person that might as ufortable as I did when I left the game today. What makes it worse is that I know the person. Is there more of this happening elsewhere or is it just something in our mind ying tricks on us? There is no evidence that I had that handprint around my neck and even Reba''s ''thoughts'' might just be her imagination, projected so vividly it seems real. I look at her as she sits across me looking out of the window. Her arms were crossed and her hands were tightly gripping onto her work shirt. Afraid? Worried? Bit of both? Maybe that was how I looked like when I first walked into the store earlier this morning. I text Evan that we were getting there early and luckily for us, he was alsoing earlier as well. We got to the city and walked towards the cafe and standing in front of the cafe was Evan, dressed in a white polo and beige pants. "Yo, Ian and Ian''s friend." "Hey, Evan. This is Reba, my co-worker. " "Hi." "Hmm, not much of a talker aye. Well, let''s go in, I have a lot to talk about as well." Reba and I follow Evan inside the cafe and sat in the back corner, ordering some drinks before talking. "So, Ian, Reba, who wants to share their problems first? Come, counselor Evan will advise you." "Is your friend always like this?" "Sometimes, don''t worry too much about it Reba. I''ll start first. In the game,st night, one of my NPCs had visions about possible future events, andter on, Kingston, another yer attacked me unwillingly almost causing my death. I woke up with a red handprint on my neck but it disappeared after I started to notice it. I felt very confused and afraid about-" "Wow, wow, wow, stop right there. Let''s back up. I see that there is a lot troubling you, so let''s start at the top. The visions. Tell me about them." "Well, first of all, the visions have a chance of happening. ording to the game description of the skill, the vision can be real or it can be false." Reba turns towards me with a confused face. "So what is seen may not happen at all?" "That''s right but the thing is the NPC had 3 separate visions on different days. The first was me falling into a hole or something of that sort. The second was an NPC and Kingston fighting a dinosaur with the ground covered in blood and thest is all my NPCs plus me dead on a mound." "Well, that is pretty umm, unfortunate¡­?" "Evan, I thought you were going to help me through this?" "Right, right, sorry, there is a lot to process and we haven''t even gotten to the next part of your situation. Well, in my opinion, even if those visions are real, I think you should continue doing what you have been doing." Fully engaging in the conversation, Reba leans forward slightly frowning a bit, confused about Evan''s advice. "Why? Shouldn''t Ian be doing things to avoid it?" "Look here, Reba what if the visions happen because he decides to avoid it? Sure there is a chance it happens because he decides to move about but there is also the chance that it will happen if he sits still. We have no way of knowing which action will cause the ''vision'' toe true and then there is also the chance that the ''vision'' is fake. Therefore, the best solution is to not think of a solution and move on." "I understand Evan but what about the lives of my NPCs? They are more at risk than my life or Kingston''s life since we are yers." "Be prepared. That''s all you can do. Prepare more weapons. Prepare more resources. Never be alone at any point in time. Go slowly. Watch your back. Look before you step. Just be careful. That is all you can do." "Ian could stay still and do all of that as well though." "Yes, he could but he won''t be making progress by staying in one spot. Moving around is vital in securing resources and more NPCs to build your settlement. That''s the point of the game is it not?" "Okay, I get it, Evan." Evan ps his hands together with a big smile on his face. "Now, onto the more intriguing part of the problem. What was this about a handprint?" "For context, Kingston and I had a small fight where he ends up grabbing my neck with one hand and squeezing it. Before I hit 0 HP he stopped and not longter the game stopped and I woke up with an ufortable feeling around my throat. Kind of like the feeling of a dry throat only it hurts more. I drank water and went to the bathroom only to catch a glimpse of a red handprint around my neck in the same ce where Kingston gripped but the moment I notice it and I blinked, it disappeared." "Interesting. Very, very interesting." "I too, have a simr experience." "Oh? You too, Reba? Go on. Tell counselor Evan." Rolling her eyes up, Reba slouches in her chair, hugging herself. "In the game, I acquire a skill which allows me to sense danger, expect the danger I feel is the any and all malice towards other people. If someone wanted to stab me in the stomach, a scene would y in my head of it happening. Likewise, if someone wanted to tab another person I would see that as well. It¡­Also started to happen after I went out of the game today and I had some frightening experiences but after that one in the store nothing happened again. Like it disappeared." "Really? Are you sure you are okay Reba?" I feel surprised. No more incidences since seeing the manager. So the whole train ride and then in the cafe nothing happened. Then again, she didn''t disy any difort despite being around so many people in the train station or on the train. How did I not notice that? "I''m fine for now Ian. I''m worried that it wille back." "So the both of you have experienced game-like things in real life. That is so interesting! I have no advice for this by the way. Ian might have felt something simr to that experiment in the past. A man was shown a knife and then was blindfolded and strapped to a chair. The person touches the man''s wrists with the back of the knife saying that he is cutting the man''s hand while at the same time pouring warm water over the wound, expressing the amount of blood that was escaping the trapped man''s body. Obviously, nothing was happening to the man but his body reacted in a way where even though there was no cut, a scar was formed in the part where there should have been a cut." "So you are saying by body or mind felt so strongly about Kingston''s attack on me that it formed the handprint even though I was in the game?" "Maybe. I don''t know but that is a usible option." "Then what about me? Why do I see visions of people doing horrible things to others or to myself." "That, I have no idea. Maybe a very active imagination." Reba ms her hand on the table, ring at Evan. "I AM NOT IMAGINING IT!" "Reba, calm down. Evan doesn''t know. He is only suggesting things." "Fine." "Sorry, Ian and Reba. I didn''t know that this is what was troubling you two." "It''s fine. It happened onlyst night. Even now I don''t know how to feel about it." "Well, at least for something like this, just keep ying, and if it gets worse stop ying and get checked by a doctor." "Yea. What about you? What was your predicament?" "Ah, well it is definitely not as exciting as you two''s but I am kind of stuck where I am and I wanted some advice on how to get out." "What''s wrong?" "I have more or less figured out where I am on the continent and surprising I am kind of close to the center, so near you Ian." "Oh, how did you do it?" "I had some of my old gaming friends tell me about the map that Aqua was making. All the guilds are making a map of some sort using pieces of information from their guild members. The only problem with is method was the inuracy. Too many members with different information have made map build hard. What''s more, is that there are spies from other guilds giving false information and all that other jazz. From what I have found out from my friends is that there is a prototype map and looking at the map I am not too far away from the center. There is, unfortunately, no guide as to how far away I am but between you and me there is arge mountain range with I don''t know grasnd? ins? Empty space? There is something between the mountain range which I am unsure of but after that is a forest which I believe is where you are located." "Well, I am heading towards a mountain of some sort¡­" "REALLY?" "Yea, that''s why I wanted advice. I was going to go on a journey that mightst for weeks since I don''t know how far away I will be gone." "Damn, weeks? I thought it was going to just be days¡­" "It''s just what I have nned, I''m still in the preparation phase. Where about are you located, Reba?" "I think the South. I have fought with a lot of skeletons and undead. I hate them." "The South¡­ That means we have a person in every part of the continent. Ian in the center, Sabrina in the East, Sam in the North, Reba in the South, and me in the West." "What are you talking about?" "Oh, were you not going to invite her to our guild?" "We haven''t even confirmed a name or anything for that yet, Evan." "Well, does it matter though? Reba, how would you like to join a guild. It is small but with only top yers." "Top yers? Please, do you expect me to believe Ian and you are top yers? Wait¡­ Ian, are you the Ian in the top 10? I thought it was just a coincidence but¡­" "Uhh, yea that is me." "Oh my god. Are you dumb? Why would you use your real name in the game?" "I don''t know¡­" "Okay, Evan, I''ll join but I''m still afraid of being in the game. That skill has no off switch and currently, my body is still shaking from previous incidents. I don''t know what I can do for the guild." "No, no. That is great. Just joining is great and try to do as little fighting as possible in the game, until you are more used to your skill." "Okay." "Good, I guess we are all on the same page, let me add you to the group chat and Ian add Kingston too." "Okay." "GREAT! WELCOME TO THE GUILD, REBECCA!" 119 Chapter 119 After a bit more time chatting away with Evan we eventually had to split. Evan needed to go home and help out his family which left Reba and me to our own devices. During the whole conversation, I got to learn more about Reba. Usually, I would just see her on her phone at the counter whenever we worked together and we would barely talk to each other, just the bare minimum to get through the day. Now, I found out she lives with just her dad and she ys a lot of different games. She may be quiet but when she gets into a heated discussion she actively participates. She also likes sweet drinks and deserts and dislikes slimy foods and now she is following me home. Why? WHY? Why is she following me home? "So¡­Whereabouts do you live? Or are you just going to keep walking in a straight line from the station?" "Umm, Reba? Why are you following me anyway?" "Because¡­ " "Because? " "I don''t want to be alone when I wake up¡­" "What? But you don''t even have VR helmet?" "Don''t worry this is coincidentally on the way home for me as well." "Really? You live around this area?" "Yeah, just down the road to the next intersection and turn right." "Oh, me too¡­" Coincidentally, Reba lived on the street next to me. "Wow, who would have thought." "Right? Didn''t expect you to live by yourself here Ian." "What did you think I lived somewhere else?" "No, just surprised we lived so close but never saw each other." "Maybe because we both y games a lot and don''t interact with people." "I interact with people. It''s just you Ian." "Okay¡­ Are you really staying here?" "Yes. I''m already here, now open the door." "Fine." I let Reba into my house and before I know it, she has already gottenfortable, opening my cupboard to find a packet of chips and then snacking away at my table. I could see her looking around my house with eyes of curiosity. "What are you looking at?" "Nothing. Just your house." "Different from what you expected?" "Not really. nd with barely any furniture but the essentials. At least you have snacks." "Sorry for being nd." "Don''t worry, that''s just how you are so I didn''t expect much." "Well, that hurts." "What do you want to do until midnight?" "I''m not sure. I obviously didn''t expect you to be here." "I''m here now so entertain me while I snack." "Have you seen the forum for the game?" "Only at the start. Is there even anything important on it?" "Sometimes there is useful information on it. Here, let me turn on theputer and we can at least both look at it." I went to myputer and turn it on. Snacking on some chips as well when Reba moved from the table towards me. I open up the forum and look at the hottest threads and immediately I see a post that piques my interest. "Supernatural Phenomenons. THIS GAME IS REAL?!?!?!" - TheIsekaiMan Guys! I think this game is real. What we do in the game affects our real life. Now, guys, you might think this is fake news but I am being LEGIT. Last night in the game, I had an incident with one of the merfolk. I am situated in the west and near a river. It attacked me and my fellow NPCs with a water gun like attack just like in CapsuleAnimals and for some reason, it also inflicted a poison debuff. This poison HURT! It HURT SOOOOO MUCH! Imagine a swarm of bees stinging you from every angle and then the feeling of losing air, your muscle contracting, and finally you ckout. Now I died, obviously, to this merfolk but I died as the server closed and as I woke up I had the worse experience any person could experience. I open my eyes to the familiar ceiling of my room but it was different. I couldn''t breathe, I had trouble gasping for air and I couldn''t move a single muscle in my body. I felt like an elephant was on top of me squeezing the air out of my lungs while keeping me immobilized. This went on for seconds which felt like hours until suddenly I could breathe again. I could move again. To think I could have died twice in one night, man was I scared. After that disturbing way to wake up, I slowly got out of bed and went to the hospital. I exined that I had trouble breathing the moment I woke up and I couldn''t move my body. After hours of testing, the doctor concluded that it was most likely sleep paralysis. Now, I know it was not that. It was real, too real. It happened moments ago in the game and mere seconds intoing back from the game I experience it again. NO. I do not believe it when they say it was just sleep paralysis. I KNOW. THIS GAME IS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A GAME! "Ian¡­ Isn''t this what happened to us?" "Yea, simr but¡­" "But what?" "What he said and what the doctor said are both viable things happening. It could be just a coincidence. I know this morning I was shaken up about it too but after listening to Evan talk about it, it just seems too unreal. After all, it''s just a game, right? It can''t affect reality." "But he-he had the same experience in the game and outside the game." "No, if you look carefully at what he says there is a slight difference. He says the pain is like bee stings all around the body however when he woke up there was only the case of suffocation and paralysis. It is missing part of the effect." "Do you agree with the doctor then?" "I don''t know. I''m just looking at what the user TheIsekaiMan wrote down. I''m not too sure myself." "What is happening¡­?" "I think we follow Evan''s advice for now and just ignore it. There are more logical reasons to why some of this happened and it might have just been a coincidence or our brains just overclocking." "If you say so¡­" "Why don''t we just rest up and watch some TV until dinner and then wait for midnight?" "Sounds like a n. I don''t really want to think too much right now." The both of us gotfortable and started to watch some TV. Random shows were ying but I doubt either of us was really paying attention. Reba''s indifferent expression had returned and she wasying down on the couch resting her head on the right armrest. I can''t tell what is going on in her mind and what she is thinking about but I can guess it was to do with what happened this morning and all the different opinions about it. I was in the same boat. Do I brush this off as a coincidence? There are logical reasons as to why some of these might have happened or is this the game affecting reality? The game affecting reality is too farfetched. I mean, how can that even happen? It''s not like increasing my stats n the game has increased my strength or agility in real life. So howe all the negative things that happen in the game get reflected in real life? Is it just what Evan said? Our brains overworked themselves in high-intensity situations and in turn replicated the effects on us once the game was over. Maybe¡­ It seems usible. Studies on brains are constantly making new discoveries and this is just the tip of the iceberg. For all I know, that might just be the cause and I am overthinking things about it. I should just ept everything and just move on. Yeah, that''s what I should do. There is no way a game can affect reality. It is just a game. After deciding to myself that it is just a game my mind feels as clear as the sky. I start to enjoy the random sis and look forward to ying again. "What do you want for dinner, Reba? Reba?" I look over at Reba only to find that she fell asleep. Her chest rose up and down slowly and a cute expression was on her face. I slowly sit up and move towards my room, getting a nket and cing it over Reba, making sure to not wake her up. Since she was asleep I had to decide on dinner. In the fridge were some tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, minced beef meat, and beef stock. I look in my pantry and I also had spaghetti noodles and a spaghetti sauce. Time to get to work in making dinner, spaghetti bolognese. I start to boil water in a kettle while bringing out 2rge pots, filling one of them with boiling water and the noodles. I properly salt the water before cing a lid on top. Getting out a chopping board and a knife, I start to prepare the vegetables, dicing the onions and cutting the carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes into bite sizes pieces. After I was done, I start to heat up the other pot cing some oil in the bottom to prevent anything from sticking to the pot and cing in the onions. The sound of the sizzling onions fills the room as they slowly turn from pale yellow into a nice caramel color and at this point I put the meat in. Adding salt and pepper to the meat as I start to separate the mincemeat into small parts. Once the meat was done I removed it and ced it onto a separate bowl. I put in the beef broth as well as the other vegetables and waited for them to cook. After a while the noodles were ready and I poured them out into a strainer, instantly cooling them with cold water to prevent them from sticking to one another. The broth was boiling and the vegetables were soft so, I added in the spaghetti sauce, the meat and the onions. I also added some butter to thicken the sauce up some more and let it simmer for a while longer. Thebination of tomatoes, meat and beef broth enveloped the whole kitchen and living room was a nice smell arousing Reba from her sleep. "Food¡­?" Her drowsy expression was unlike her character and after taking a moment to realize she was not at her own home she quickly assumed her indifferent character. "Hungry?" "No. Okay, yes I am." "Help me set up the table and let''s eat." Dinner was served and the both of us enjoyed our dinner, with Reba washing the dishes as a thank you. We rested some more afterward and eventually, midnight came. I had already prepared another mattress for Reba as well as a pillow and nket. Since she was still afraid of what might happen to her in the game she wanted to sleep in the same room, right next to me. Initially, she wanted to sleep in the same bed but I was able to dodge that bullet and suggested the second mattress. While I was tempted to sleep next to a pretty girl like Reba I was worried something might happen and one of us might identally hit one another as we woke up. "Are you ready, Reba?" "Ready as I will ever be." "Okay. Just try to do as little fighting as you can in the game focus on building and exploring." "Yea. I''ll do my best. See you here at 6." "See you." I close my eyes as the clock turned midnight. Back into Settlement I go. 120 Chapter 120 I open my eyes to see Gobi training but quickly got up to find Kingston, old man Hus, Howard and Noah. With 2 yers as well as 3 of the more knowledgeable NPCs I formed a small council. Originally, the n was to follow my word and the method in how I wanted to go about it to travel towards the mountain however, experiencing today changed my thought. I can''t do everyone alone and I need help. I got everyone and sat around a wooden table near old man Hus''s workshop. I could tell everyone was slightly confused about the situation since I didn''t exin to them why I needed them toe together but once everyone was seated andfortable I started to speak my mind. "Everyone, this trip might be more dangerous than I originally thought. I asked everyone here toe together because I wanted a discussion. Melody, one of our teachers, had acquired a skill that allowed her to dream of future events. This dream has a chance of bing real and a chance of not being real. I am here to talk to everyone about it because I am worried about everyone''s safety." - Ian "Shouldn''t we bring Melody here to say what she knows about it?" - Noah "Yes, I have her waiting not too far away but I wanted to tell everyone here about the situation first before jumping into the problem. Are there any concerns?" - Ian "Is it just affecting what happens outside of HavenFall?" - Howard "So far, from what I heard from Melody, yes. However, you will get the full story once shees over." - Ian "Lad, bring the missy here. Let her talk." - Hus "Okay. Melody, can youe out?" - Ian Hiding behind old man Hus''s workshop was Melody. Her worried expression told a hundred tales, but she gulped down her anxiety and walked over, standing behind me and greeting everyone. "Hello everyone." - Melody "Is it alright if you tell them what happened in your dreams?" - Ian "Of course. There are 3 sets of dreams, each from the past 3 nights, that have happened. The first night was Ian falling into a hole. The second night, I saw David and Kingston fighting arge beast with the ground covered in blood. Last night, I saw everyone piled up like a mountain, dead." - Melody "Interesting¡­" - Kingston "Is this the most detail you can be about the dreams?" - Noah "Yes, since at the start I thought it was just a nightmare. I didn''t really try to remember it but I do remember clearly Ian falling into something. As well as David and Kingston fighting arge beast, Ian called it a dinosaur but he said it might not be something like that. As for the most recent one, it was also the shortest. shes of a pile of corpses and I could see everyone on it, dead." - Melody "Has it happened to you during the day?" - Noah "No. Only when I sleep." - Melody "Melody, are you feeling okay?" - Howard "I am fine Howard. Thank you for asking. After the second incident, I have been sleeping in thepany of Celine and Lime so I feel less afraid." - Melody "That is good. Take care of your health as much as you can. Maybe find Lucina and ask her for any herbs that can soothe your sleep." - Howard "Oh, okay. I will do that. Thank you, Howard." - Melody "Melody, you can go for now. Thank you for speaking." - Ian Melody nods her head and walks away towards Lucina''s farm. "What are everyone''s thoughts?" - Ian "I think out of the 3, 2 will happen." - Kingston "It is highly likely that at least 1 will happen and 2 of the vision might happen." - Noah "Why do you say that? I would prefer if none of them happened. To me it is signals death." - Howard "Right, that is my thought as well." - Ian "If I were to exin and I think Kingston has the same idea as me as well. Of the 3 there are 2 likely scenarios. Ian falling into a hole has a high chance of happening. Why? Because of carelessness. Sometimes, people will not see that there is a hole in front of them or if there is a pitfall trap. Other times, there might be a fight and you jump into the hole might save you or we all have to jump into the hole to progress in our journey." "Okay, I understand that but to have a vision of the future on something mundane as that seems pretty dull." - Howard "It doesn''t matter. That was her first vision. It might have been something small, something to ease her into it." - Kingston "But then-" Howard "I''m not done yet, Howard. " -Noah "Sorry, go on." - Howard "Thank you. The second likely vision to happen is the fight between David, Kingston and therge beast, the dinosaur. The reason why I think this is likely to happen is that we don''t even know what kind of monsters are lurking outside of the forest. There could be anything ranging from small rabbits torge monsters like the dinosaur. Unfortunately, I do not know what a dinosaur is but Ian might be able to enlighten us." - Noah "I''m not sure it is a dinosaur as well but from her description of it I thought it might be a dinosaur. She describes it as having 2 legs, 2 smaller arms, a head as big as a house, scales as skin and along the back it had triangle points all the way from the top of its head down to its tail. This is a simr characteristic to arge reptile which I and Kingston know as a dinosaur." - Ian "Big and scary monster?" - Howard "Bigger than the golem we fought with everyone as well as being an apex predator which is designed to kill and eat." - Ian "I think we should take her visions seriously. We should either postpone the n to travel to ater date or we head out but be more prepared and go at a slower pace." - Noah "It would be fun to fight something that was extinct, right Ian?" - Kingston "I don''t know if fun is the right word but I am curious about it." - Ian "Lad, I would suggest waiting a bit for me to finish on my small project." - Hus "What do you mean old man Hus?" - Ian "I had a thought,d. Why was defeating that golem so hard for us? It is because of our weapons." - Hus "That''s why we used the golem body parts as the weapons right now though right?" - Ian "It is not enough,d. Seeing youe back with barely any weapons after defeating golems in the cave told me that the golem body is not a strong enough weapon." - Hus "What are you making then?" - Ian "I am making something to do with the golem core,d. I am getting help from the elf Ster. Please wait a day or two. During that time, I will have Lime, Martelo and Rycka create more customized armor for everyone as well as tuning the weapons as much as we can." - Hus "Okay, I believe in you old man Hus." - Ian "In that case, I will be in the forest for a bit. I will be honing my battling against rogue goblins, orcs and jackalopes." - Kingston "I suggest bringing David along. The two of you will be fighting arge beast and while we do not know if it will be just the two of you alone it is better to learn the battle habits of one another. David and I fought together for a bit and each fight became easier as we got to know each other''s style ofbat." - Howard "Will do." - Kingston "Will you be okay though Kingston?" - Ian "Maybe. I''m not too sure." - Kingston "Ask David first and make sure you be careful." - Ian "I will notify Gobi to train the people and goblins that will be traveling with you harder. Make them remember formations as well as make them go out and fight as a team in order to learn more about each other as well." - Noah "Good idea. In that case, both groups should go in different directions in the forest but never wander too far. Come back before sunset and take a wolf with you just in case." - Ian "Okay." - Kingston, Noah "I will see if there is any way to hasten the work toward the mine then." - Howard "Try but I doubt we can create copper weapons any time soon." - Ian "Better than doing nothing. I am also worried about the defense as well while you are gone. Noah let''s have a chat after this to prepare anything for when Ian and the others leave." - Howard "Of course. I have been meaning to ask as well but with how busy it was making the road I left that thought untilter." - Noah ? "Good, then everyone knows what to do. Inform me if there are any problems along the way." - Ian With a nod from everyone, we pack away the table and chairs and went on our own separate ways. I saw old man Hus ask Lime to find Ster while he gets some golem cores and ces them into a pot before carrying them into his workshop. At the same time, I could see Kingston finding David and making him agree to go out fighting. With David carrying a golem stone ax, the both of them got armored up before leaving. Howard and Noah were discussing about the defense of HavenFall the moment they walked away from the table. I am hopeful in the direction that they will take. I, however, didn''t have much to do so I joined Gobi''s training. While I am not too big of a fighter, I still need to know how to fight. I had gotten this far with some brainless swings and luck but eventually, I will need the skill to back myself up. I end up learning the basics of using a spear from Gobi as well as fighting some of the goblins in a spar before retiring when the sun had set. Gobi sent 2 groups of 5 out to find enemies to kill and all they came back uninjured. With only having to fight 5 times with small groups of goblins they were able tomunicate in battle and learned much from the experience. They couldn''t stop talking about it once they came home. Kingston and David however had some small cuts and bruises on their bodies when they came home. Apparently, there was a bigger version of a jackalope that caused their injuries before it ultimately escaped. It was a tough battle with little to show but at least now they know where their skill level is at. Dinner was another bowl of warm soup, vegetables and jackalope meat. Warming my stomach as well as the stomach of others. Small chatter under the night sky with the orange me lighting us up. Another day in Settlement. 121 Chapter 121 A couple of days passed in the real world as well as in the game world. I was worried the first day that Reba was staying in my house but after waking up from the game and talking to her immediately, we both noticed that nothing much happened. In the game, she still have a tough time but as it happened over and over again she got used to the small acts of malice. Only when there was something extremely disturbing or grotesque would she be affected and sometimes copse. However, the moment she was in the real world that didn''t happen to her again. We even experimented by going on my daily jog around the block, making sure to pass by as many people as possible to activate Reba''s skill but nothing happened. Confused at first and somewhat relieved Reba decided to stay with me for a while longer, keeping mepany through my days. Sabrina discovered more animals that she could tame near her vige. Evan was making more progress in his efforts to move towards my elven NPCs as he tells me about the various different monsters he had to face as well as the terrain being denser the deeper he went into the forest. His NPCs have gotten stronger and by defeating new foes he had acquired some impressive armor and weaponry. The only problem was at night when they needed to rest. Some nights were difficult with half of his NPCs having to be awake through the whole night and since he was constantly moving without finding any encampments he was stuck with his small elite team. Sam was having a hard time as well since he was in the North. Bones have started expanding their operations and while they were incurring a lot of losses against The Horde they were able to plunder a lot of yers in their area. Sam happened to be within a day''s travel of another yer and there have been some small skirmishes but his NPCs, the bison demi-humans, have been steadily growing stronger with each fight allowing him to acquire a lot of loot from the enemy yer''s NPCs. Kingston had told me there were times when he went on a rampage almost hurting David in the process. He called the big jackalope the alpha jackalope and apparently after tanking an attack from its antlers, he started to go berserk driving the alpha away and attacking everything around him. After he had calmed down, the both of them went home early to tend to their wounds. The experienced hurt him in a different way from his outburst towards me since David was trying his best to take care of Kingston even though Kingston attacked him. Kingston apologized to David and the both of them became closer than before, allowing for smoother and more coordinated fights. I spent most of my time practicing with Gobi and the other warriors, gaining more knowledge and experience in my spearmanship. It was hard work, constantly building up my body to be used to the movements as well as bing more spatially aware of my surroundings and knowing the length and size of my weapon. I even practiced outside of the game using a broom and swinging it around while Reba watched me with an uninterested face. I could also see the slow collection of more food and water umting near our preparation site. I had told Lucina to prepare more resources since I knew we would be proceeding more slowly than nned to avoid as much risk as possible. Lime had produced 300 more arrows during this time with the help of some other workers while Martelo and Rycka refined our armor and weapons. Since there wasn''t a lot of time they decided to only customize a few of the armors and weapons, choosing the main damage dealers and tanks to be the ones to receive the upgrade. [ Double Layer Golem Stone Chest te Defense: 25 Agility: - 5 Utilizing knowledge from creating ayered shield, a heavy-duty chest te is madeyering two thick bs of stone together. In exchange for the high defense, there is a reduction in agility however, it was designed to allow free movement in the arms. Made by Martelo and Rycka ] [ Sharpened Golem Stone Ax Attack: 22 Constantly sharpening the de of the ax until perfection. The whole body of the ax is sharp enough to cut through a log without any effort. Made by Martelo and Rycka ] [ Stone Golem Polearm Attack: 20 Adopting a different approach to making a spear by creating two more ded edges at the bottom of the spearhead to create a cross-like spearhead. Made by Martelo and Rycka ] David wore the new chest te and even though it was heavy and he was slower he was still able to maneuver around and fight. Furthermore, the new stone ax was his as well making him be a tank with extremely high damage. I took a polearm for myself, giving Frank and Yor the other 2 remaining polearms. Martelo told me they had made a second chest te but I told him since no one else can wear it and to give it to Howard. As I was busy sweating under Gobi''s direction, Lime came rushing over with a huge smile on her face. "IAN! IAN! WE DID IT!!!!" - Lime "What? What did you do?" - Ian "WE DID IT! COME! COME!" - Lime "Where am I going Lime?" - Ian "COMEEEEE!" - Lime Lime grabs my hand and pulls me away making me drop my wooden spear. Her hurried steps pull me along until we arrive at old man Hus''s workshop. Inside amidst the various different designs of weapons, armor, shields, material and tools was old man Hus, Ster and Sr crowded around a table. On the table are various golem cores but they were smaller than what I remembered. They had also changed from the translucent blue into a yellowish-white color. Looking at the core, it could see small shes of golden words fading in and out on the surface. "What is going on?" - Ian "Lad, this is my secret project." - Hus "You modified the golem core? What does it do?" - Ian "A small explosive." - Ster "What? WHAT? A BOMB?" - Ian "Technically a mana device which has Ball of Light inscribed in it." - Sr "Can someone exin to me what it is and what it does and how you did it? I''m slightly confused" - Ian "Lad, do you remember when I asked for more time. I was making something to help you with your travels." - Hus "Yes, I remember." - Ian "Lad, you brought to me many golem cores, however, I didn''t know what to do with them. I asked the elves already if they were able to create golems using the core however, they could not. Apparently, one needs to know the correct verses and runes to engrave into the core in order to create a golem, butd, that''s when I thought of something. Instead of engraving golem runes, why not engrave runes that they already know? Both of them are magic users so I asked for their advice. It could be done. There were some failures that young Ster had to use far away in order to not disturb anyone but now, we have done it. We only have 3 useable bombs but now that we know we can do it we will be making more. However, should I be using up all our golem cores in making bombs?" - Hus "Wow, I didn''t even think of something like that. Good job old man Hus and good job to the two of you too, Ster and Sr. How many golem cores do we even have?" - Ian "We have about 50 more cores that are useable for the bombs and an additional 20 that are cracked or damaged. I don''t suggest using them to make the bombs." - Sr "However, they can be repaired with a magic cksmith or a core engraver. They should know the method to restore a core of any type." - Ster "A magic cksmith? A core engraver? What are they?" - Ian "Well, for the elves we have a core engraver but I have heard of dwarves being magic cksmiths. Core engravers are magic users who specialize in engraving cores, objects and even buildings with runes which would either have a positive effect or a negative effect. Usually, elves would bring a ring or a ne or a bracelet to be engraved with protections spells or teleport spells. Magic cksmiths are simr except they deal more with weaponry and armor, engraving a sword or a piece of armor with spells to either enhance protection or destruction." - Ster "We had a core engraver in our viges which helped engrave objects with spells to help daily life. Our engraver wasn''t the best and was still learning so the best we ever saw was a Ball of Light spell engraved on a ring." - Sr "However, Sr''s engraver created the spell using the ring as a medium to cast Ball of Light. We don''t know how to do that so instead, we made the golem core into an object which holds the spell instead. Once you inject mana into the ball, it will start to glow and within the next 5 seconds it will break, casting Ball of Light." - Ster "That''s why it is a bomb." - Ian "Yes. However,d, this is dangerous." - Hus "Very dangerous. One misstep and you could blow your hand or wherever you are holding the core." - Ster "We suggest that only a few are made. We have 3 at the moment so maybe a maximum of 5. We thought maybe 10 but even then it is a lot. There are not enough proficient users of magic to ensure the safety of everyone." - Sr "Make 6. 3 for Ster and 3 for you Sr. No one else will handle the core unless in a dangerous situation where they have no choice but to. The 2 of you are definitely more capable of using the core. I trust that you will use it wisely." - Ian "Are you sured?" - Hus "Yes. I would like if you made a couple for emergencies however I want them stored safely. These weapons are dangerous and could cause a lot of damage if identally used. I want to avoid any idents as much as possible." - Ian "Understoodd. I''ll make the rest and then make a pouch for the girls to wear." - Hus "Thank you old man Hus." - Ian I walk over to the core to pick it up since I wanted to know the stats and the description making sure to be as careful as I can be. [ Golem Core ( Ball of Light Engraving ) Cost: 5MP A golem core engraved with the runes for Ball of Light. It has shrunk in size to contain the mana and requires more mana than a normal Ball of Light. Made by Sr and Hus ] "How did you make the engravings anyway? From what I heard from Luke, you cast Ball of Light instantaneously." - Ian "All spells have a verse. However, you can skip using the verse once you are proficient enough in the spell or when you want to cast it fast. Using the verse will allow beginners time to visualize the attack or to enhance the damage or protection of the skill. Engraving is cing the verse into the object using mana however, a small error can result in a failed product." - Sr "I see and since Ster doesn''t know the verse she can''t do the engraving on this core?" - Ian "Yes, however, I still know the procedure and I was here to help move the two away as soon as possible if anything was to go wrong." - Ster "Good and I''m d there were no problems. Once you finish with the core, tell me. I believe we are ready to depart soon." - Ian "Of course,d." - Hus I walk out of old man Hus''s workshop more determined and excited about the journey. However, in the back of my mind, I know that I need to be careful. I am responsible for a lot of lives and I do not want any of them to die. Preparation is key and it takes time to be prepared. At least we have a lot of time but everyone seems ready. Maybe we will be departing tomorrow morning. 122 Chapter 122 Throughout the rest of the day, everyone had things to do. Some were training, others busy building, and some making sure we have enough food and water for the journey. Since we had more time, we prepared extra food and water, all together we have 20 baskets of food and 20 bags of water. Most of the NPCs heading out will be carrying a basket of food and water each with some of the more agile and nimble NPCs being scouts. We also had more arrows that were packed into quivers as well as all the extra weapons, shields and armor ced together. Everything was ready, everyone felt ready and I too felt like it was time to move out of HavenFall for a while and get to know more about this world. After dinner people started to go back to their houses, resting up for the night. I told everyone that will be participating on our journey to make sure they get proper rest. Ster had informed me that the cores were ready and old man Hus had fabricated a small pouch that sits on the right side of the waist. However, during the night I couldn''t sleep. Was it the excitement of moving around and discovering the world? Or was it because I was worried about what will happen? Maybe a bit of both¡­. I know I feel excited, I mean who wouldn''t be? I stayed around the vicinity of HavenFall for months making sure things progressed, aiding to the small tasks that need attention, fighting groups that attack us but never have I really traveled far away. It is going to be a long journey taking up weeks of travel time maybe even resulting in a month-round trip. I will be seeing new monsters and either interacting with them or fighting them. Maybe even new biomes and definitely new dangers. Which makes me worried. I can only prepare so much for everyone and I can only see so much happening in front of me. I''m not a fighter so the best I can do is be the strategist or a general, or amander for our group. I need to lead them on the safest path. I need to- "Ian? Are you awake?" Amidst my thoughts, a soft voice is heard outside my house. I get up and walk towards the door to see Kingston, with a worried face. "What''s wrong?" - Ian "Can we talk? It''s about our journey towards the point on the map." - Kingston "Sure. What do you want to talk about?" - Ian "Well, it''s about me. I know I have gone berserk twice now. Once with you and another with David. I''m worried that I might identally kill someone." - Kingston "Kingston-" - Ian "I know, I know. You are going to tell me that it is alright and that it won''t happen, but I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel something inside of me. Ready to burst out at any point in time. I can feel it." - Kingston "Kingston. Let me ask you. What are your thoughts on when you go berserk and what are your thoughts on how to deal with you?" - Ian "My thoughts? It''s bad. I can feel that it is bad. I''m hurting people. It happened in the real world as well. I went berserk. I lost control of my anger." - Kingston "Right but you also told me that things were stressing you out at home. Money problems and the Bones breathing down your neck about information. You told me that the information you are giving them is very vague notes on the center. A forest with dangerous animals and a canyon housing golems. You never mention us and I thank you for that, but if it gets too much you will go berserk again. There are times when you need to look after yourself, calm down, rx and look at the bigger picture." - Ian ''What do you mean?" - Kingston "So what if they know we are here? If that is what is making you stressed, tell them that a yer has settled here. What can they do about it?" - Ian "But¡­" - Kingston "We will deal with it when ites. Don''t worry about it." - Ian "Then what happens if I go berserk in the middle of the group?" - Kingston "We will subdue you." - Ian "What if that is not enough?" - Kingston "Then¡­" - Ian "Kill me." - Kingston "No, we won''t need to." - Ian "No. kill me. I''m a yer. Killing me won''t set me back but if the NPCs die because of me. I don''t know what I would do. I have been with them for a while now and they are like another family. Hurting David was already too much so just kill me if I be too much to handle." - Kingston "Kingston, we can subdue you it will be okay." - Ian "Then, promise me. IF I be too much to handle, kill me." - Kingston "Kingston we-" - Ian "Promise me." - Kingston "But-" - Ian "IAN! Promise me¡­You will kill me okay?" - Kingston "...Okay. I promise." - Ian "Good." - Kingston Kingston shows a relieved smile as starts to turn away to walk back to his own abode. "Wait, Kingston." - Ian "Yea?" - Kingston "Promise me, that you will do as much as you can to stay sane. Do your best to never go berserk unless there is no other option." - Ian "I promise." - Kingston With a nod, Kingston walks away. I let out a deep sigh. I knew Kingston had thoughts about his berserk state but I never knew how conscious it was to him. I feel like he let out a weak side of himself and he needed someone to throw him a safety. With me reassuring him that I will handle the matter, it must have taken a load off his chest. I go back to bed and sleep through the rest of the night, waking up at the crack of dawn. I get out of my house and I can already see the hustling and bustling. Goblins running back and forth between the pile of weapons, armor, shields, food and water bringing in more and more. At the same time, the ones getting ready to go out were slowly putting on their equipment, getting help from other people to put on the armor correctly, or getting help to ce the brackets on their backs. "IAN,e and get ready as well." - Howard I see Howard helping out, Yor with putting on his armor. He yells me over and I quickly jog towards him. "Where is my equipment?" - Ian "Over here." - Noah I turn to the side and see Noah holding onto my chest te with the rest of my armor and weapons on the side. I allow him to help me put everything on as we talk about our future thoughts on HavenFall and on the journey. "Ian, I have a question about how you want to progress on the mining?" - Noah "Go on." - Ian "The construction of the road is nearing 75%pletion, however, we haven''t made any ns for mining just yet. I''m slightly confused with how you want to go about it since you will not be here at the time of operation." - Noah "Before the road isplete, I want you to ask old man Hus to construct more wheelbarrows. Ask him to use stone for the wheel and for the frame while using wood for the rest. It needs to be light but sturdy since all the weight is going to be from the copper. After that, some of the goblins left behind have experience with mining, ask them for advice and make sure to take them down to the spot. Pushing the wheelbarrow up and out of the cave will require some muscle, so let the strongest people do that. Make sure there are guards at the front of the cave as well as scouts positioned further out in case we have any uninvited guests. How does that sound?" - Ian "Perfect. I will modify it depending on the situation however, using that as a base will be enough. I will also start on increasing the defenses of HavenFall." - Noah "What are your ns for that?" - Ian "Well, the original wall can be improved. I know it is a mud wall with mud bricks, however, I think it can be reced with a mixture of y and golem stone. A lot of the stones that were broken into small pieces can be mixed into the y during the brick-making stage in order to enhance the defense of the wall. I also think behind the wall needs to be more archer towers. At the moment there is only 1, I''m thinking of making 3 more." - Noah "Sounds good to me. It will also allow us to see further into the distance and maybe even over the canopy of the forest." - Ian "I also think, I should create a pathway in Havenfall. The main area looks kind of bare and since we have a lot of time, I was thinking of redecorating." - Noah "You want to make HavenFall look nicer?" - Ian "Of course." - Noah "Then go ahead. I will be excited to see the result when Ie back." - Ian "Who should go into the Ikanda after Lukees out?" - Noah "He hasn''t been gone for too long but I estimate a couple more days before he finishes. I think the next person to go in would be Gobi." - Ian "Not Howard?" - Noah "No. I need both you and Howard to look after this ce while I am gone. Ask Gobi to find a suitable goblin to take over his role before he goes into the Ikanda, okay?" - Ian "Understood." - Noah I finish putting on all the pieces of equipment as well as the basket of food on my back and the water bag strapped to my waist. I fasten the little scutum shield to my arm and held onto my polearm. I walk to the gate and look back behind me. Everyone had just finished getting ready as well and was standing in rows looking at me. Goblins on the left, then demi-humans, then humans and then people closest to me with the wolvesying on their stomachs on the right side. I take a deep breath and lick my lips. "Everyone. It is time. You have spent thest couple of days preparing for this moment. You knew we were going. You trained and you prepared yourself mentally for what is toe. I will not lie to you. Some of you might perish on this journey. HOWEVER, I will do my best to make sure everyone here makes it home. I want everyone here toe back to our home. Our home, HAVENFALL." - Ian I raise my polearm up towards the sign above the gate. I start to shout at the top of my lungs so everyone can hear. "TODAY WE LEAVE HAVENFALL AND ONCE WE GET BACK WE WILL SEE THAT SIGN ONCE AGAIN WELCOMING US BACK. WE WILL VENTURE OUT AND RETURN HOME, TO HAVENFALL!. The moment I finish my speech an uproar urs. Yelling from everyone, screaming from the goblins, and cheers from the ones that are staying. It is time to move. I turn my back on everyone and pushed the gates aside, taking the first step towards our new adventure. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 3127/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 475/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 10 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 11 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Stone Golem Polearm, 2 x Golem Stone Knife, Stone Chest te, Wooden Helmet, Wooden Arm Guards, Wooden Leg Guards, Little Scutum ( Circle ), 123 Chapter 123 After moving into the forest, we rearranged the formation in order to perform at the best of our abilities. I had a team of 3 humans and 3 demi-humans holding onto the Scutum shields in the front as the first line of defense. In the middle were Ster, Sr, Celine, Yor and myself with David, Frank, Kingston and a team of 5 goblins archers behind us. Spread out in front, to the sides and behind us was Gibing, Gyumi, Gopopo, Gewari as well as the 6 other goblins and the wolves, Belle, Razor, Dawn. The goblins were in teams of 2 circling around us and were on the lookout for any movement, with Gibing and Gyumi next to me in case they need to ry any messages to the other goblins. The wolves were in a triangle formation with Belle at the front and Razor, Dawn near the back and to the sides. I thought of this formation since the forest had a lot of hidden dangers, even if everyone is confident in their skills. I would rather be safe than sorry. It was silent and calm inside the forest like time was stopped. The only sound that can be heard was our footsteps, the crunching sound of dead leaves below us and the soft light-hearted chatter. I''m d that everyone seems to be in a good mood. I was worried that they would feel stressed with each step and it would eventually hurt their mental strength but I guess that was the least of my worries. I had only been deep inside the forest a few times and each time I didn''t have much time to appreciate the environment around me. Around me were emerald green leaves dangling off the deep bronze branches with the white sunlight peeking through the dense canopy. Looking down and a new world invites you. Feuille morte leaves protect the earth underneath apanied by the foliage which litters the ground. Yet, in all this greenery, there were minimal forms of life. It is different from Earth, where every book or film, the forest or jungle is bustling with life. This forest, however, is the exact opposite. Other than the asional rouge goblin or orc I barely saw any life. Not even a jackalope which I, frankly, was kind of excited to see. I turn towards Kingston and David. "Did you guys kill all the jackalopes or something? I haven''t seen any yet and we are reaching the river that''s near the middle of the forest." - Ian "No idea, Ian. We fought some but after we fought that alpha I haven''t seen any." - Kingston "Yea. Maybe Kingston scared it." - David "What is this? David making a joke?! Kingston you have to step up your game." - Ian "What!" - Kingston "Oh, no Ian I was telling the truth. I think Kingston scared it away. His berserk form did some serious damage to the alpha jackalope. He cut off one of its antlers." - David "Oh. Well-" - Ian Midsentence a piercing howl could be heard from up front. Belle had seen or heard something¡­ In response, 2 more howls could be heard from behind and both Razor and Dawn zoom past the main group, dashing towards Belle''s position. "Ian. I think you might have wished for something too soon." - Celine "Celine, what is Belle saying?" - Ian "Danger up ahead. Help. That would be the basic premise of what she said to Razor and Dawn. The both of them replied and ran up as fast as they could to help out." - Celine "We should do the same. Everyone! I need everyone to keep the formation and speed up. We need to catch up to the wolves as fast as possible to help them out. Gibing go to the east and inform the other goblins to keep a lookout for any ambushes and to speed up as well. Gyumi take to the west and do the same thing." - Ian "Got it, leader Ian." - Gibing, Gyumi p The two goblins dash away the moment themand finishes. At the same time, I could feel everyone speed up from a walk to a jog. I keep up with the pace and in the distance, I could hear the sound of water moving. The stream that cuts through the forest is near and that must be where the wolves are as well. Each step gets us closer and soon the forest clears and in front of us were the 3 growling wolves on our side of the river. On the other side of the river was the alpha jackalope. It stood on its hind legs looking down on the wolves and rightfully so, it was the same size as Aur, the alpha wolf. Its snow-white fur glistens in the sun, with small clear water droplets dripping off the tips of its jet ck ws. Unlike the other smaller jackalopes it had 2 amber antlers however its right antler was broken off only leaving an antler half its size. However, even though it was only half the size of the other antler it was looked bigger than my torso. Its scarlet eyes gaze across us as its small ck snout twitches. Small squeals could be heard below, next to the giant hind legs. Normal size jackalopes, each looking as menacing as they can next to their leader. "You two were fighting that thing?" - Ster "I swear it was smaller. Did it get a growth spurt? Or am I just remembering wrong? David? How big was it?" - Kingston "Umm¡­ Smaller. It-it-it got at least twice its size in thest day or two. H-h-h-how?" - David "No idea¡­ However, right now it is in front of us and it looks like Belle and the others don''t think that the alpha jackalope is friendly." - Ian "Thoughts?" - Kingston "It hasn''t moved yet even though we are right in front of it. Shields up first, archers get ready to fire the moment it moves. Everyone else stands on guard and be ready to react to anything." Ian In moments, the humans and demi-humans set up the front line pressing up as closely as they can to ensure there are no gaps. The goblin archers position themselves on top of trees, holding the bowstring taut, ready for any movement. By this time, Gibing and Gyumi had informed the rest of the goblins about the situation and the rest of the goblins were in sprinting distance, keeping an eye out on the situation around the alpha. "Strange, I have never seen a jackalope grow this big." - Sr "First time for everything right?" - Ster "But still. What made it grow twice its size within a matter of days? It also looks more intelligent than a normal monster." - Sr "How can you tell?" - Ian "A normal monster would either attack or run when confronted with other monsters, especially when the wolves are aggressively growling." - Sr "Not just that. The wolves are trying to talk to the jackalopes. Belle is saying for the jackalopes to move or else there will be bloodshed." - Celine "However, no response am I right?" - Ian "Right. In fact, it''s the smaller jackalopes that are responding." - Celine "You can understand them as well?" - Ian "Vaguely, I think I am slowly understanding them. Since I have never heard a jackalope until right now I am not sure what they are saying but they do seem to be protesting as well as asking the alpha on what they should do." - Celine "Attack first. Thinkter." - Kingston "Wait Kingston-" - Ian Without waiting for me Kingston dashes out of the formation and at the same time, the dirt on the ground wraps around his feet slowly covering his legs and then torso until his whole body is covered in dirt. Kingston''s spear shines in the sun as he dashes through the river and stabs forward at the unmoving giant. However, at thest second, the alpha jackalope jumps up, leaping into the air and above the canopy,nding down aiming for Kingston. Due to itsrge size, its descent was faster than expected and Kingston had to roll away in order to dodge the attack. "Shit, you are too hasty. Goblins fire your arrows now! Fire at will. Ster and Sr, attack using magic. Everyone else be ready to defend." - Ian Ster vanishes into thin air as she turns to the side while Sr conjures a Ball of Light sending it to the alpha jackalope''s face. At the same time, a rain of arrowses from the goblin archers, each arrow missing its target as the jackalope jumps further upstream. Unfortunately, Sr''s Ball of Light also misses. After jumping away to gain distance, it crouches down positioning its antlers in the front and pointing it at our wall. "If it rams into the wall, there will catastrophic damage, Ian." - Yor "I know! Frank, lead the human group to the side. Yor take the demi-humans and cross over the river and into the fore-" Ian Before I even had a chance to reposition everyone the jackalope dashes forward leaping at us but, it must have overestimated the jump as it leaps over us. Its underside was so close I could have stabbed it with a knife. "MOVE NOW!" - Ian I shouted at everyone to get into the forest on both sides. I knew from the fight between Aur and the blood ogre, that the environment helps a lot, especially when the monster likes to attack in a straight line. "KINGSTON GO WITH YOR!" - Ian Before he could refute mymands I had shouted at him first. Reluctantly, I saw him move in the forest, attacking the smaller jackalopes as they tried to pounce on Yor and his men. A cry from the beast could be heard as Ster''s figure rematerializes at the face of the monster. Ster carves out one of its scarlet red eyes before jumping off the monster and disappearing into the darkness once again. Angered by the attack as well as its own frustration from not being able toplete the task, the alpha jackalope screams loudly. The high pitch cry was the beast looking for revenge. Its pure white snow slowly gets dyed in a deep marron red as blood pours out of its wound but it doesn''t matter. The beast cries at us and tries another leap. This time we were prepared, we had knives ready to attack and once the alpha jumps over our heads we stab upwards, piercing the weaker side of monsters and drawing more blood. The blood pours out like a fountain and at this point, any normal monster would quit but not this one. As more blood pours out its fur changes slowly from a nice clear white to a deep red. Until. All its fur became red. It stops crying at us and instead looks at us but the weird thing was, its antler was growing. The broken antler grewrger andrger, bigger than the one on the other side, and at the same time, I could see the alpha exhibiting more violent behavior. It starts to thrash left and right hitting rocks and trees and knocking them over one by one. "Can we defeat it?" - Yor "Of course, we can." - Kingston "We will defeat it. So everyone will get stronger." - Ian 124 Chapter 124 "What''s the n then?" - Kingston "Don''t rush in is the first step." - Ian "Done." - Kingston "Looking at what is happening, I think it has a berserk state much like Kingston''s. It''s not even jumping around and attacking us. Instead, it is just attacking whatever is near. We should attack from a distance and only confront it head-on if necessary. Archers attack from various angles and immediately run after firing an arrow. Everyone else set up position on both sides of the river. If it ever stands still in between we rush out. Got it?" "Got it!" - Kingston, Yor, David Belle pounces towards me,nding in front of me and next to Celine. She growls slightly, signaling with her head to move back. "Ian, Belle is saying for us to retreat." - Celine "Why? Did she notice something we didn''t?" - Ian "Yes, from what she is saying, jackalopes aren''t meant to be aggressive by nature. They are usually prey to other monsters. This jackalope is also toorge to be normal as well. She thinks that it will be too dangerous to stay here." - Celine "Okay, revising the n. Go upstream but never take your eyes off the alpha jackalope. Kingston, lead Yor and the others on that side upstream as well. Goblin archers keep attacking the alpha jackalope but keep your distance." - Ian "Alright! Yor, let''s move. Keep shields up and be careful about your surroundings. The small jackalopes might attack us as we move upwards." - Kingston "Let''s do the same, David lead the way upstream while the shieldbearers walk backward. Celine stay close. Sr attack only if necessary and where did Ster go after she attacked the alpha?" - Ian Appearing out of thin air behind me and tapping my shoulder was Ster. "I''m here and I saw something." - Ster "WAH! STELLAR! Don''t just pop out of nowhere." - Ian "Sorry. I didn''t mean to scare you, Ian." - Ster "Tell me as we move upstream, what did you see?" - Ian "Kronos''s mark behind the alpha jackalope''s ear. There was a patch of fur that was shaved off behind the ear and with a quick nce, I saw the ck hourss mark." - Ster "Kronos¡­" - Sr "Kronos is the one that controls the golems right? The one that likes to experiment on monsters?" - Ian "Yes. Kronos or one of his minions must have done something to the alpha jackalope for it to increase in size and aggression." - Ster "This is getting more dangerous and we haven''t even gotten that far from HavenFall. Anyone of our scouts could have stumbled upon this monster had it appeared earlier." - Ian "Yes, and it also signals that Kronos or someone under him is nearby or within a day''s travel." - Ster I think silently as we move through the shrubbery along the riverside, keeping an eye on the shieldbearers'' condition. Sweat could be seen rolling down their cheeks. There hadn''t been any attacks yet but with how tense the situation was I can''t me them for feeling a little tired, especially with how heavy the Scutum shields are. "4 jackalopes ahead!" - David I instantly snap my head away from the backline to the front. 4 jackalopes stood in front of our path with their heads pointing towards us. The sharp brown antlers were ready to pierce into our flesh. "David stand at the front. Frank be ready to support. Shieldbearers keep an eye behind us. Celine stand with the shieldbearers. Sr can you cast shield on David, Frank, and I. Ster you do your thing." - Ian "O-Okay Ian." - David "Got it." - Frank, Celine "Don''t die." - Ster "On it. !blo?????T .???i? ?i?? ni m??? ????o?q bn? ?bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! " - Sr Once the Sr''s chant finished the three of us, David, Frank and myself, became enveloped in a whitish-yellow glow. [ Spell: Shield of the Sun has been activated on you. Disappears after 10 mins or after taking 55 Damage ] A small icon that looked like a bubble appeared in the corner of my eyes and after focusing on it, I was able to read the description of the spell that got cast on me. Since I have never experienced buffing magic before I was pleasantly surprised by the minor detail, however, I had more concerning thoughts that need to be addressed first. The moment the spell finished casting the jackalopes started to hop towards us. Using itsrge back legs to push off the ground it hops towards us at a fast rate but having faced them before David stands his ground and dashes forward meeting two jackalopes mid hop. The other two jackalopes hop around him leaping onto me and Frank. Both Frank and I block the straightforward attack with our shields. Frank pushes the jackalope off his shield and immediately follows up with a thrust of his spear. I follow along, pushing the jackalope off and knocking it against a tree before attacking myself. Unfortunately for me, it recovered faster than my attack allowing it to escape my spear. I stand with my feet apart and my shield in front of me gripping onto my spear behind me waiting for the jackalope to make its move. I tank another straightforward pounce but it was a mistake since it left it open for an attack from Ster who had appeared behind the jackalope. Her knife stabs into the neck of the jackalope and slices through sttering blood on the ground. I had seen her helping David off to the side before moving towards me, while Sr helped defeat the jackalope that Frank was fighting. "Good job and thanks for helping." - Ian "It was nothing." - Ster "We should keep moving Ian." - Celine "Got it. David, lead the way." - Ian With a nod, David moves forward. I pick up the loot drops which were just 2 pieces of jackalope fur and flung them into my basket before following David. In the distance, I could still hear the sound of trees falling and ear-piercing squeals from the alpha jackalope apanied by thundering howls from Belle, Dawn and Razor. "Oh no, it''sing." - Celine "What do you mean?" - Ian "Thest howl from Belle was her telling us that the alpha jackalope broke through and is leaping up towards us." - Celine I look back but I could only hear the sound of trees falling. I gulp down my saliva nervously. "SHIELDS READY! DAVID GET OVER HERE! FRANK LOOK BEHIND US. SOLAR I NEED YOU TOO CAST SHIELD ON THE SHIELDBEARERS AND HASTE ON STELLAR NOW!" - Ian "On it! !blo?????T .???i? ?i?? ni m??? ????o?q bn? ?bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! ???d ?i? ??ni??? wold ?bniw ??? ??l bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Haste!" - Sr I can hear it. It''s getting closer. Thundering sound and the creaking of trees as they tumbled onto the ground. A bolt of scarlet lightning appears in front of us. The amber antlers push into the shieldbearers forcing them back and shattering the shield buff. Dirt and dush are kicked up all around us creating a dirt cloud but luckily for us, the initial force and damage were tanked by the spell, stopping the alpha jackalope in its tracks. However, before we could even attack it, it leaps out of the way, towards the river. Realizing the monster''s intent Frank shouts as loud as he can. "KINGSTON! YOR! IT''S COMING!" - Frank The alpha jackalope knew, it must have. It knew that we were separated and choose to attack the smaller group. It was looking at us for a while before Kingston attacked, was it remembering us? Remembering the numbers? Our scent maybe? Either way, its attack on us and then instantly changing targets was definitely abnormal. Whatever Kronos did to the jackalope, it must have increased its intelligence as well. "EVERYONE CHASE THE JACKALOPE!" - Ian The monster sted through the forestnding in the middle of the river but before it could take off, I see Ster on the other side casting a spell. ".??¦Ãd? ??? o?ni m??? ???b ?wob??? ??? ????l?? nooM ,?O .bn?? ¦Ãm o?ni ?wob??? ??? ?ni?d bn? ??woq ?m ?n??? nooM ??? ¦Ã?M SHADOW BIND!" - Ster Below the alpha jackalope, a dark shadow appears. 10 long arms with small child-like hands wriggle out from the shadow, gripping onto the monster''s body and pulling it down slowly. The monster starts to sink but at the same time, it starts to rage. Forcefully shaking the hands-off. "I CAN''T KEEP THIS UP FOR LONG!" - STELLAR "ATTACK NOW!" - Kingston Kingston appears from inside the forest with his group, spears pointed at the monster and rushes toward it. "ATTACK!" - Ian Likewise, I charge in with my own group, yelling at the top of my lungs. But. Before any of us could reach the monster, it broke out of the spell, leaping up and away,nding downstream. The wolves caught up and were growling behind the jackalope and not too far behind were the various goblin archers hopping from branch to branch positioning on the trees that haven''t fallen down yet. We reposition ourselves in the water, ready for another round. "Ster, do you think you can cast that spell again?" - Ian "I can but I need it to stay still." - Ster "David and I will rush in and keep it upied." - Kingston "No, let the wolves tank it. Kingston, David and Frank will support the wolves. Everyone else will slowly surround the monster. Sr, how many more times can you cast shield?" - Ian "10 more times." - Sr "Cast it on all the shieldbearers, Kingston, David, Frank and myself. After that retreat upstream with Celine." - Ian "Okay. !blo?n?? .???i? ?i?? ni m??? ????o?q bn? ?bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! Stay safe. Please." - Sr "We will do our best. Alright, round two. Let''s do it." - Ian 125 Chapter 125 Sr and Celine retreat upstream, since Sr was out of mana and Celine was not much of a fighter. Them being close to the battle was more dangerous for all of us. From thest skirmish with the monster, we had found out that it can break the shield spell that sr cast on us easily, meaning the damage it can cause is above 55. Only the wolves can tank a hit like that if the attack hits them directly. Furthermore, its speed surpasses ours so the only advantage we have against this monster is our numbers and strategy. "Archers, fire at will the moment it moves. Everyone else, slowly surround the monster. Keep the shields up. It will be dangerous to take 2 hits from the monster. David and Kingston will be the main damage dealers however, only move after the wolves have moved." - Ian "Okay." - David "Ian, if I take too much damage I don''t know what will happen." - Kingston "Then don''t. Dodge as much as possible and use the shield buff to protect yourself from an attack you can''t dodge." - Ian "Fine." - Kingston The alpha jackalope starts to attack again, swinging its huge antlers at Belle and Razor who nimbly jump backward to dodge the attack. Taking the opportunity, Dawn pounces on the back of the monster biting into its flesh before jumping off. Infuriated from the attack it immediately turns towards Dawn but gets attacked by the archers. Each arrow aims for its eyes or nose. Noticing the danger it blocks the arrows with its paw however, the arrows still prate through the skin stabbing the monster''s paw. "Move in." - Ian Seeing the wolves attack and retreat swiftly as well as the goblins'' annoying attacks from different directions I decide to push forward, slowly encircling the monster. However, it notices that we were on the move and the alpha jackalope does the unexpected. It tries to run. "No. STOP IT! BELLE!" - Ian The alpha jackalope does a small hop over the wolves but the moment itnds, Belle dashes in front of the jackalope, pouncing on its face and scratching its left eye. It stops the monster temporarily as it goes on its back legs and squeals loudly, screaming in agony. The attack might not have done a lot of damage to its HP but it was able to blind the monster in one eye. Following up on the attack was Razor who double shes the left-back foot and Kingston who broke out of formation to attack the unmoving monster. His spear stabs the monster''s right back foot two times before the monster ils around itself. "MOVE UP! FASTER!" - Ian Imand the rest to rush in and finally we were able to surround the monster. "STELLAR!" - Ian "NOT YET! GIVE ME 5 MORE MINUTES!" - Ster Was it her cooldown? Damn, I should have asked that before. Nheless, we should be able to keep the monster here. "SHIELDS UP AND ATTACK! FALL BACK IF THE MONSTER IS ABOUT TO ATTACK AND CALL OUT ANY UNUSUAL MOVEMENTS!" - Ian With our shields in front of us, we start to swing our axes or stab with our spears. David stood at the front of the jackalope hitting the antlers every time the monster swings its head, blocking the attack from hitting the other sides. Likewise, Kingston was behind the monster ready to counterattack if the monster turns around. I stood on the left side, its blindspot, and attack with my spear, stabbing deep into the flesh of the monster. Its blood spurts out covering my shield and my arms with its blood but I do not stop. "IAN! MOVE BACK!" - Kingston Hearing Kingston''s warning, I push my feet off the ground andunch myself back,nding on my back. At the same time, I see the tip of the antler stabbing into the ground where I once stood, only seconds after I leaped out of the way. "Don''t let up! Keep piling on the damage." - Ian I quickly got up, off the ground and leap back into action. The alpha jackalope had turned its attention to the other side with Yor at the forefront. I can hear him grunt heavily after taking a direct hit from the antlers, luckily for him, the shield buff was able to prevent any damage. "Yor! Switch with someone else." - Kingston "On it!" - Yor "Ster! How much longer?" - Ian "2 minutes." - Ster "KEEP IT UP, EVERYONE! ALMOST THERE!" - Ian I dash in again stabbing the alpha as much as possible while paying attention to its movements. Sometimes, a paw woulde sweeping my way but with a quick jump back to dodge it, I was back at it again attacking the monster. David was having a hard time being at the front but he was able to block most of the attacks with his ax and Frank supported him by blocking any attacks that David wasn''t ready for. The two of them defended one of the escape routes the monster had while Kingston was busy dealing with the other side. I would yell to him to dodge an attack sometimes and he would do the same. Everyone else did their best to attack or to tank a hit when needed, making sure to not create a gap in the circle and before long she was ready. "KEEP IT DISTRACTED! I''M GOING TO START CASTING!" - Ster. The monster had arrows stuck in various parts of its body but that didn''t stop its rampage. Blood oozed out from stab wounds from spears, cuts from axes but still, it raged on. "DAVID! KINGSTON! FRANK! YOR! COME WITH ME AND ATTACK ITS PAWS! BELLE, DAWN, RAZOR ATTACK ITS LEGS!" - Ian All at once the 5 of us dash forward. The alpha jackalope unable to determine who was the threat momentarily hesitated, giving an opportunity to the wolves. Belle bit into the left leg, tearing off a chunk of flesh while Dawn and Razor created deep scratch marks in its right foot. The 5 of us attacked the paws with David creating a deep gash along the underside while Frank stabbed the paw with Yor following up. Kingston and I attacked the other paw with the both of us stabbing into it and through it, pinning the paw to its body. "NOW! STELLAR!" - Ian ".??¦Ãd? ??? o?ni m??? ???b ?wob??? ??? ????l?? nooM ,?O .bn?? ¦Ãm o?ni ?wob??? ??? ?ni?d bn? ??woq ?m ?n??? nooM ??? ¦Ã?M SHADOW BIND!" - Ster The 10 child-like hands appear from a dark shadow from the ground, grabbing onto the body of the alpha jackalope. Despite the amount of damage we have done, the alpha was still highly aggressive, it still shook its body around trying its best to throw of us. "IAN! IT''S NOT GOING DOWN! WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING!" - Kingston "I KNOW! BELLE, DAWN, RAZOR ATTACK ITS HEAD!" - Ian The three wolves moved at mymand, dashing towards the alpha jackalope''s head. Seeing the threat, the monster starts to shake its head violently. "DAVID! HOLD ONTO ONTO THE LONGER ANTLER! YOR, HELP HIM! FRANK, KINGSTON WE NEED TO HOLD ONTO THE OTHER ANTLER!" - Ian "GOT IT!" - Frank, Yor, Kingston "Okay!" - David David dodges the antlers as they violently move around, grabbing onto them the moment it gets close. Yor dashes after David grabbing onto the antler once David secured it. Once David held onto one side, it became easier for Kingston, Frank, and I to hold onto the other side, allowing the wolves an easier time to reach to head. With the path free and the body of the monster being held down by Ster, the wolves precede to hunt. Belle pounces on the top of the head biting down on the neck while Razor precedes to double sh the throat and Dawn scratches the other eye, blinding the monster. Belle bites down as hard as she can and rips off the flesh from the back of the neck at the same time, Razor was able to cut open the neck leading to a fountain of blood bursting out. The monster''s body grows limp and copses to the ground creating a big ssh. The once aquamarine river dyes red, making it look like the blood river of the Zulus. Everyone was quietly taking in the battle. Their breaths were slow and heavy, looking at the corpse of the alpha monster. A monster whose size was 3, no maybe even 4 times our size. Then a small voice escapes one of the demi-human shieldbearers. "We did it¡­" And with that, smiles appear on the rest of us and cheers fill the air. "WE DID IT!" - Frank Frank shouts out to the sky with arge grin on his face, and it wasn''t just him. The rest of the shieldbearers yelled and hugged each other. David stood there dumbfounded while Frank and Yor were next to himughing. I stood still near the body of the corpse waiting for it to burst into purple smoke so I could loot it, while Kingston and Ster approaches me. "Ster, can you go get Sr and Celine? I told them to go somewhere safe." - Ian "Okay, I''ll be back." - Ster "Ian, howe the corpse isn''t disappearing? Shouldn''t we get the loot by now?" - Kingston "I''m not sure too¡­Are we sure the alpha died?" - Ian "Stab it again?" - Kingston "Can''t hurt right?" - Ian "Alright, let''s go." - Kingston Kingston approaches the head of the alpha jackalope, carefully peering at the head in case it shows any movement but nothing. It stays still, bleeding from the injury from the fight. He looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders before stabbing his spear deep into the monster''s eye, spurting blood all over his arm. However, nothing happens¡­ The lifeless corpse stays well, lifeless. "Is the whole body the loot then?" - Ian "That wouldn''t make sense. Even goblins killed by David and the others burst into purple smoke after a bit, leaving the loot behind." - Kingston Kingston takes his spear out of the monster and walks back towards me but it was then I notice something in the corner of my eye. The monster''s back seems to have bloated up like a small hill. "Kingston, there''s¡­ Shit. EVERYONE! SHIELDS!" - Ian Confused at my sudden order, everyone hesitated for a second, even Kingston but noticing my distress and frantic behavior he turns around and readied his shield in the direction I was looking. It looked like something was ready to burst out of the monster''s body and whatever it was, we weren''t ready for it yet. 126 Chapter 126 "HURRY UP! SHIELDS UP!" - Ian I yell again at everyone desperately. Not knowing what was going toe out tied a knot around my heart. Negative thoughts and emotions flood my brain. What is it? Is it going to just annihte everyone here? Strong? Weak? How is everyone going to cope with a new enemy? Ster is going to be bringing back Sr and Celine as well, will they notice the danger? What was everyone else thinking in this situation? I gulp down my saliva and stare at the bulging skin as it slowly tears revealing the red flesh underneath. "We are so screwed aren''t we?" - Kingston "Hopefully, not¡­" - Ian Within the next couple of seconds, only the sound of the wolves growling softly could be heard. Everyone tenses up, shields in their hands nervously looking at what might appear from the monster''s corpse. Like a balloon it pops loudly, bursting blood, flesh and bones in all directions while a dark figure zooms upwards to the sky. In seconds the figure flies towards me stopping right in front of me blowing me back with the sheer force produced by its speed. I finally get a look at our new enemy and it was ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! Its fly-like head was twitching in front of me while the long jet-ck antennae wiggle about above it. Its proboscis moves like a snake as it coils around my shield. I can see my terrified expression in its ruby eyes, the thousands and thousands of me, terrified of the monstrosity in front of me. I try to step back however, the strength it has in its tongue immobilizes my arm as it coils down the shield, wrapping around the arm guard. The hairs on the back of my neck stand and my spine shivers. Itsrge ck thorax presses up against my shield and with one of its brown forelegs or arms grabs my polearm. I can see the three pairs of crystalline wings, with blue veins reaching from the back of its thorax to the tip of the wing as well as a chestnut-colored scorpion tail with a jet ck stinger dancing towards Kingston. The threat of the unknown makes Kingston hesitant about his action. The monster brings its head closer to mine and I can smell the stench of rotting meat off its mandibles. I hold my breath and slowly move my head back when I hear a voice in my head. "Buzz-Hu-Buzz-man-Buzz-An-Buzz-ger-Buzz-Lord-Buzz-Kronos-Buzz-Hu-Buzz-man-Buzz-Pay-Buzz." There wasn''t a sounding from the insect but I could hear its voice. An annoying buzzing sound in between the humannguage. Its words were a jumbled mess but I could tell it saw us as a threat. However, it was stronger and faster and it was right in front of me. I see its antennae stand tall while its tail focuses back on me. The stinger oozing out a thick purple liquid as it points towards me. I''m scared. I can''t even talk. I''m going to die. These words run through my head until. "DON''T DIE FROM THIS!" Ster''s shout pierces through my thoughts and at the same time as if it was slow motion, I see a small red ball fly and hit the monster in the head. A sh of light explodes in front of me and a wave of heat sts into my face but I could feel the monster''s grip on my arm and spear loosen allowing me to run backward. My hair, eyebrows, and eyshes felt singed and my face feels like it was on fire but I grit my teeth and prepare myself for the battle. ".???q ¦Ãm ???nim¦Ôlli ???? ???il ?nini?? ??? ?m???d ,?bn?? ¦Ãm ni m?o? n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Ball of Light!" - Sr Sr''s attack came right after the smoke had started to fade around the monster''s head, another sh of light and explosion. This time, slightly bigger than the prepared item that old man Hus had created with the girls. "ATTACK!" - Ian I yell at the top of my lungs as I lunge forward with my polearm aiming for itsrge thorax however, the 2 fleas-like legs bent forward and the monster jumps upwards in the sky. Its jump alone allows it to tower above us, reaching the same height as the forest''s canopy and within seconds a high pitch buzz of its 3 pairs of wings fills the atmosphere. The wings move so fast that it looks like they had disappeared. Kingston had tried to attack the monster as well from behind however ultimately missed and was standing next to me in disbelief. David, Frank and Yor brought the rest of the team near me, forming a defensive line. I could see the goblin archers firing their arrows up, towards the monster, however, their efforts were in vain as the monster nimbly dodges each arrow. It was our first time against a flying monster and we made zero preparations for it. With no reliable method to deal damage to the flying monster, we had to wait for it toe after us. "Ian, I''m sorry for thest spell took all my mana that I had recovered. I won''t be able to cast any spells." - Sr "It''s fine, both you and Ster''s timely attack broke me out of my state of fear." - Ian "Sorry, I wasn''t much help either despite me being the closest to you." - Kingston "Don''t worry about it. It was looking at you as well since its tail was ready to pierce you at a moment''s notice." - Ian "Still. I froze up." - Kingston "Doesn''t matter. We should focus on the problem at hand. That monster, I think it talked to me." - Ian "What do you mean? I heard nothing." - Kingston "I heard buzzing sounds mixed with words. I think it has some sort of telepathy however, it is at a basic level. It''s part of Kronos''s army since it mentioned that I had angered Kornos." - Ian "I have never seen a monster like that. Usually, it''s golems that are part of Kronos''s army. Never an insect-like that." -Ster "A new addition then?" - Kingston "Whatever it is. It is stronger than us and faster than us AND it can fly. EVERYONE! KEEP YOUR SHIELDS UP AND BE READY TO BLOCK ANY SORT OF WEIRD ATTACK!" - Ian None of us knew what kind of attacks it was capable of and none of us could even begin to pretend we could predict its movements. Its erratic movement resembles that of a fly, every time an arrow would fly near, t would dodge and move into different airspace. "Come closer. Make the shields press against each other and have shields above us as well. The only gaps that I permit are the ones where your spear can go through nothing else." - Ian Imanded everyone to create a turtle formation. While we don''t know the new monster''s capabilities, I believe and trust in the durability of our shields. The big scutum shields covered the sides while the smaller shields covered our tops creating our strongest defensive formation and with the wolves in the middle ready to attack I felt more confident. I peer through the gaps to see where the monster was, however, I couldn''t find it through my gap. As I was able to ask if anyone has vision of the monster the area where David was defending got hit. David grunts loudly as he buckles under the sheer force but he stands his ground. One of the demi-humans next to him took the opportunity to stab the monster with his spear but the tip of the spear just bounced off the exoskeleton creating only a white scratch mark. After getting hit the monster retreats back and flies towards the other side where Yor happened to be defending. Yor''s stats were lower than David and once the monster came crashing to Yor''s shield it broke through our defenses sending Yor back a few steps and into everyone else, falling into Celine and another human shieldbearer. However, with the monster in the middle of our formation, we took the opportunity to attack it all at once. My polearm aimed for the head, David''s ax came crashing down on its eye, Kingston took the liberty to attack its wings, Ster stabs towards the throat, Belle, Dawn, Razor each attacked whatever was close to them be it the thorax or an arm while other various spears and axes attacked the arms, legs, and thorax. A green bloody mess urred as we were able tond our attacks on the more vulnerable ces but with a high pitch buzz that caused everyone to hold their ears the monster got free from the encirclement. However, it didn''te out without any damage. One of its ruby eyes had been smashed by David''s ax while one of its arms was severed and lying next to Yor. Furthermore, one of the wings was broken and half of it was hanging downwards unable to move to make the monster awkwardly fly around. The attacks to the thorax and the necks only produced white scratches meaning that the exoskeleton of the monster was more durable than any material we have so far however, it has a lot of other vulnerable spots. "Buzz-Hu-Buzz-man-Buzz-I-Buzz-Be-Buzz-Back-Buzz." From the state of the monster, it decided to flee, and even if one of the wings was broken it still flew faster than any of us running. At the same time, the alpha jackalope''s body burst into a big cloud of purple smoke. I breathe out a long sigh as I watch the ck figure fly away. Gibing and the rest of the goblins came running down from the trees and met up with everyone asking about any injuries that might have suffered. Yor who took the biggest hit seemed to have broken an arm. His elbow was purple and his forearm had already swollen up. Celine and Gibing help take off the arm guard and the shield while getting some of the jackalope furs that was acquired during the battle and creating a sling, while Gyumi and Gewari found a stable stick and some vines to create a splint. Yor was barely smiling through the pain,ughing it off as if he just wasn''t strong enough to handle something like that yet, but behind his simile, I could see him wince from the pain every so often. David took Yor''s basket and slung it over his shield while saying for Yor to rest up and get better fast. The rest of the shieldbearers were doing their best to boost Yor''s confidence as they all notice his shaky voice. I look over towards the ce where the corpse once was and walked towards the area. The smoke had dispersed and Kingston noticed it as well, following behind me as we both went to see what the loot for this tiresome battle was. At the bottom of the riverbed were two objects, a book and one of the antlers that belonged to the alpha jackalope. I fish out both items to have a better look at them. [ Skill Book: Enhanced Agility ( Active ) - 3MP +5 Agility for 10 minutes Cooldown 30 minutes This skill book will allow the user to obtain the skill Enhanced Agility. Enhanced Agility will allow the user to acquire a burst in speed. Open the book and say the skill name in order to learn it.] [ Mutated King Jackalope Antler Arger-than-average amber antler from a King Jackalope. The beast had been mutated with a serum that elerated the potential growth creating a denser and sharper antler. ] "Kingston, I''m going to use the skill book on myself. Any objections?" - Ian "None. You don''t have a skill yet so, I don''t mind. You don''t want one of your NPC''s to have it?" - Kingston "I thought about it a while ago and I realized that I too need to get stronger. I can''t hide behind everyone." - Ian "Got you. Then you will want to do the Ikanda training, even if you go mental like me." - Kingston "I know. I didn''t want to go into it before since we needed to progress more in HavenFall. With this long period without me, it will allow someone reliable to step up and take leadership while I am away." - Ian "And once that happens you can focus on yourself? Smart move." - Kingston "Yet. Once I get back I will be going into the Ikanda. Noah and Howard will have acquired the trust of the other NPCs and it will make it easier for me to leave them in control." - Ian "Alright." - Kingston I give Kingston the antler and open the book. "Enhanced Agility." - Ian The book shines white for a few seconds as it disintegrates into small balls of light, slowly moving into my head. Once thest ball of light floating into my head I hear the system message. [ You have acquired skill - Enhanced Agility ] Not the best skill and it is definitely not a Kamehameha but it is still a skill. My first skill. 127 Chapter 127 "Kingston." - Ian "Yea?" - Kingston "How did you feel about those two fights we just had?" - Ian "Uhh, they were hard?" - Kingston "Not just that. I know both of us are yers with our own thoughts but, please listen to me. I don''t want you to get hurt either." - Ian "Ah¡­ Yea sorry. I didn''t mean to rush out. I don''t know what I was thinking back then." - Kingston I ce my hand on Kingston''s shoulder as I see him shyly scratching his head. "It''s fine. Just be careful. I don''t want to act on your promise so soon." - Ian "Thanks." - Kingston. Kingston handed back the antler to me and we both walk back towards everyone else. Yor had been treated and moved to the river bed with everyone else checking their equipment. Some of the spears had been chipped so they needed to be resharpened. David was helping Celine make a fire so she could make hot soup for everyone to feel recharged. I could tell that everyone was visibly tired from the fight, despite their cheering attitude. I walk closer to Ster and Sr, who were under the shade, resting beside a tree. The two were sipping on some water with Ken and Kaede. I only now remember that I had told them to be with Gibing throughout the whole battle. I forgot about the two of them but I guess they didn''t forget about my orders to stay with Gibing. "How are the two of you? Are you feeling okay?" - Ian "Yep! Gibing took care of us." - Kaede "He told us to follow him closely. We didn''t do much during any of the fights." - Ken "That is okay. I''m d the two of you didn''t join in with any of the fights. It would have been scary." - Ian "No, I think it was okay. Maybe when that insect thing came out but otherwise it wasn''t that scary." - Kaede "Ian, the both of them are very brave wolf children." - Sr "What do you mean by that?" - Ian "It is in their blood to fight and while they might not have participated in the fight, they learn while watching as well." - Sr "That''s right. I think uncle David did a great job when the insect attacked him but I also think he could have attacked back. His ax should have been able to cut the insect''s arm off at that moment." - Ken "Wait what-" - Ian "And uncle Kingston could have attacked the tail earlier too. His spear could have at least knocked the tail giving you a chance to fight back." - Kaede "And, and, Aunty Ster could-" - Ken "SISTER STELLAR! SISTER!" - Ster Ken received a small wack on the head from Ster as she ''corrects'' him. "Sister Ster could have attacked the insect with more of the red balls she has in her pouch." - Ken "No. She can''t. Ken while that would have worked, the red balls are for emergencies only. The first one was okay since I was in trouble however if she used more it would have been wasted. The damage from the core wasn''t enough to even damage the monster''s eye, let alone the hard exoskeleton. Although, I am surprised with the way both of you analyzed the battle." - Ian "Is it weird¡­?" - Kaede Pouting to the side, Kaede holds onto my arm and looks at me with a slightly worried expression. "No, it''s not weird Kaede. In fact, I want both of you to keep watching. Learn from what we have been doing and do your best to understand it." - Ian "Okay!" - Ken, Kaede "Now, Ster and Sr. Would either of you care to shed any light on that insect we just faced?" - Ian "Like I said before it is not a normal monster in Kronos''s army. However, there is a possibility that Kronos added more monsters to his arsenal." - Ster "What do you mean?" - Ian "Ian, Kronos is known for his experiments. Ster and I were held hostage and were almost made to be fed to a monster of sorts until Luke and Sylvia came and saved us. I believe that monster is another experiment." - Sr "The monster had a face simr to an ant and a fly while also having dragonfly wings, a scorpion tail and flea-like legs." - Kingston Kingston, who I had thought went to the bigger group answered behind me. "Did you see anything else, Kingston?" - Ian "No. Well at least from what I saw those were the insects that I saw on that monster''s body. That monster was like-" -Kingston "Frankenstein." - Ian "Exactly." - Kingston "Is Kronos known forbining monsters?" - Ian "I am not sure what this Frankenstein is but Kronos is known for experimenting with monsters. It wouldn''t be farfetched if we found out he wasbining them as well." -Ster "Then we can assume this is abination of monsters, fitted into one body. However, that monster couldmunicate with him." - Ian "It knew telepathy?" - Sr "Yes. Or well something like that. There was an annoying buzzing sound constantly in between its words. I can only guess it is because it can''t talk normally." - Ian "A monster with intellect is scary. Especially if that monster happened to be inside another monster. Why and how?" - Kingston "I think it was a parasite. I think that jackalope was a host for the monster." - Ian "Do you know what you are saying?" - Ster "Yes. If that monster can go inside another monster and in turn mutate the monster into a stronger form then Kronos''s army will always be double the number. Each monster houses two monsters. Itself and the parasite." - Ian "Knowing that makes it scarier." - Ster "I think that monster is the first of its kind." - Sr "What makes you say that?" - Ian "Why would it be by itself? So far away from Kronos''s territory." - Sr "You''re right. Ian, Kronos''s territory is towards the east, however, aren''t we heading towards the west?" - Kingston "Yea, we are¡­" - Ian "Then maybe, the monster being here is an experiment in itself. Kronos might have been testing its survivability in a ce far away from his reach. If the monster caused havoc which hurt other people it can only be positive." - Kingston "Hopefully, that monster won''te back." - Ian "We need to be prepared for these unexpected things." - Ster "I know, but how can we? Every time, we defeat one enemy do we just expect that another wille out of it?" - Ian "I don''t know." - Ster "We should tread carefully is all. Ian, maybe we stop here for a good while before moving on. I would say after the sun has reached its peak and the sun''s rays have cooled down do we keep moving." - Sr "I don''t want to be in the middle of the forest during the night. I would prefer to have exited the forest before the sun sets." - Ian "I think it is better to be in the forest. We don''t know anything beyond the forest just yet." - Ster "Hmm, okay then. For now, we should eat something and rest up for a while." - Ian "Agreed." - Ster "Ken, Kaede let''s go down to Celine and have some soup." - Sr "Okay~" - Ken, Kaede I watch as Sr leads the two demi-humans away with Ster following behind closely. Kingston nods his head towards me and follows after them, looking eager for a meal. I smile to myself as I follow after them as well. The heart-warming scene of everyone sitting on a rock, leaning against a tree, or just rxing on the ground with their basket on their back and their weapons next to them, eating some fruits and slurping on some soup made me feel happy. I get a bowl from Celine and after serving me she asks to talk to me off to the side. I nod my head and the both of us moved a little away from the main group. David took over the role of giving food to other people while Celine was away. "What is wrong?" - Ian "The wolves are worried about the trip." - Celine "Why? What have they noticed" - Ian "Belle told me that the enemy that they just faced made her feel terrified. She said that that has never happened before." - Celine "Are you serious? That is bad¡­ What about Dawn and Razor?" - Ian "They feel the same. They also feel ashamed that they were unable to react to the monster attacking us." - Celine "Tell them it is okay to feel scared, it is normal. However, the fact that they are worried that more monsters of the same caliber will appear worries me. That monster wasn''t normal, in fact not even the King Jackalope was normal." - Ian "Right and they think it is better to go back home." - Celine "Really? They are that worried? That''s pretty bad then¡­" - Ian "I think they are overreacting though¡­" - Celine "Huh? What makes you say that?" - Ian "I believe because they are feeling scared of the unknown they want to be back in the safe area that they know. The three of them are not used to these monsters and have not experienced such danger after all Belle used to be part of the old wolf pack that ruled this area." - Celine "Right, Aur ruled here so most of the stronger monsters was defeated by Aur or avoided the pack." - Ian "Right. So, I think they are just scared and need some time to adjust." - Celine "That''s fine then. We won''t be moving for a while so that care of them and try your best to remove any anxiety that they may have." - Ian "Of course. May I ask what is the next course of action?" - Celine "Let''s go back to everyone and I''ll exin that." - Ian "Sure!" - Celine I drink all the soup on my way back to the main group while I collect my thoughts. The new monster. p Kronos. The wolf''s anxiety. Our condition. Everything that might rte to what is going to happen in the next week or so. Once I got to the group I took a deep breath before talking. "Everyone. I''m d I can see everyone. I know Yor has a bad injury but at least he is not dead and I am grateful for that. This new monster is part of Kronos''s army. We know nothing. Nothing about the creature and barely anything about Kronos himself. However, we fought it and we won. Which means we can do it again. It will be hard but we knew that didn''t we? We knew it was going to be hard. We knew this journey was going to take a lot out of us. We have only made it halfway through the forest. Some of the scouts have made it here and yet look at the dangers already. It is going to be more of this. Each day might be ourst BUT together we can do it. FOR HAVENFALL!" - Ian "FOR HAVENFALL!" - Kington "FOR HAVENFALL!!!" - All The moment I finished my small speech Kington helped raise the morale by cheering first. Everyone else followed right afterward creating a loud cheer that could have been heard all the way in HavenFall. "Okay, for our next course of action. Rest. We need it. Those two battles took a lot out of some of us and resting is a priority. However, before sunset, we should move into the forest and find a clearing big enough for all of us to get a good night''s sleep. Rest up, repair your equipment and stay sharp. I want 4 people on watch at all times with a rotation. Kingston helped set that up. Those on the watch make sure to listen to every sound and make sure to take in all things you see. If there is anything unusualmunicate with someone and be on your guard. You will be the first line of defense if anything happens, so be on alert." "Yes, Leader Ian." - All I nod and smile before asking Celine for a second helping of soup. The warm soup fills my stomach as I sit on a smooth rock rxing my body and mind. Eventually though, the game ends and I go back out into the real world. 128 Chapter 128 I spend most of the day apanying Reba, doing morning exercise, eating lunch, and even shopping for dinner. Life felt peaceful and Reba seems to be more cheerful especially since her skill hasn''t activated once in the real world. I guess it must have just been so traumatic the first time it happened that her brain thought it was real. I was the same, I expected something to happen after the fight with King Jackalope, however,ing out of the game, I didn''t feel anything that was out of the ordinary. We spent the rest of the evening preparing curry for dinner while talking about our ns for the game. Hours went by and eventually it was time to go back into the game. I open my eyes to the bright world and the chatter of the NPCs next to me. I observe our surroundings and notice that the blood river has finally been reced by the clear blue water again. I spent the next few minutes just looking around until David approached me. "Ian?" - David "Yes, David?" - Ian "I think we should get going." - David "Hmm? I thought I told everyone to rest up for a while longer?" - Ian "Yes, but talking with everyone I think we can start moving soon." - David "I see, then can you get everyone to start putting on their armor and making sure the baskets of food are secured properly? We can start making our way through the forest once everyone is ready." - Ian "Yes!" - David I watch as David walks back to the main group with a smile, happily helping others put on their armor before they eventually help him with his. I was surprised, David was taking initiative. Surprised yet happy. Seeing him taking a leading role even if it is for something small means he is growing. Despite hisrge build, he has always been a timid person but I guess after the constant fighting and seeing everyone stand together with him, must have given him some confidence. Although he is still scared at times during battle whether he shows it or not, I can tell. Once everyone was ready we start moving again, this time, I had Ken and Kaede stay with the main group while only the goblins and wolves were scouts. The siblings have been chatting nonstop about various scenarios about the battle and even tried reenacting certain parts. It was like watching two kids y pretend but they were learning more aboutbat from them. Their eyes shone with curiosity wheneverbat was involved. We cross the clear water, refilling our water sacks on the other side before venturing into the forest with the intent of going as far as we can. The forest on this side of the river was denser. Shrubbery and small trees created a wall in front of us, forcing us to cut through. David took the lead, using his ax to cut down most of the small trees in front of us, paving a small path. Noticing that we started to diverge into a single file, I made 3 demi-humans go to the front as well, to cut down the path with a stone ax. Their spears were given to the other human shieldbearers to hold onto until they need to be switched. We kept the formation we had at the start with some minor changes and kept an ear out in case something slips past the goblin and wolf scouts. Still, it was quiet. Other than the sound we made by stepping on the leaves or cutting down a tree the forest was quiet. I turn towards Ster and ask her a question since she and Sr had ventured here before with Luke. "Is the whole forest quiet as this?" - Ian "Yes. With the asional monster attacking another monster, most of the time it is silent. Goblin encampments are usually in clearing or at the edge of the forest rather than inside it because of potential predators." - Ster "What do you expect to see here then?" - Ian "We might face a predator that views us as an enemy or a monster who is simply guarding its territory. Smaller monsters are more active during the night or they prefer to stay hidden and quiet during the day eating on vegetation or leaves. The jackalope is one of these monsters." - Ster "But it is still unusual that it is this quiet. A monster should have been curious about us by now." - Sr "What do you mean?" - Ian "We are walking through a forest that they live in with arge number. They might feel threatened by the force and seek to obverse us from a distance by not even the wolves have noticed anything." - Sr "Right. By now if there was a monster watching us Belle, Dawn or Razor would have noticed. Their superior sense of smell should have picked up the scent of an unknown monster and warned us about the dangers but nothing has happened yet." - Ian "There is also the possibility that the King Jackalope fought the monsters and killed them all." - Ster "It is possible. The personality of the monster changed after being experimented on by Kronos." - Sr "Or it could have changed when the insect monster took its body." - Ian "Yes, and knowing how aggressive it was then it might have searched for opponents to fight and prey on." - Ster "All of that in one day though? It looked like it wasn''t even hurt from a fight." - Ian "It is just a guess. I''m not too sure as well." - Ster We continued onwards until we found a small clearing in the middle of the forest. It wasn''t much, just an area where therge trees didn''t grow. Peering through the small gaps in the branches to find the sun, I estimated that we would only have 2-3 hours left before the sun sets and the forest will be dark. Taking this opportunity I signal for everyone to stop and set up camp. Setting up for camp in the middle of the forest needed time since we don''t have a tent or a sleeping bag. I had the shieldbearers clear the ground first while the goblins went to collect sticks and small logs. The ground needed to be as clear as possible to remove the chance of a fire and luckily for us with how quiet the forest is, there were no bugs. An insanely great perk for being a silent forest. NO INSECTS! David collected somerge rocks and sticks to set up a fire. I told him that we should set up multiple fires in case one of them were to go out unexpectedly. David nods his head and sets up 3 separate campfires, making a triangle with the 3. Once the goblins came back we started the construction of small stick shelters. The shelter was very simple to make and didn''t require a lot of effort, just a lot of resources that were found right around us. Sticks, branches, leaves, rocks, and vines. A total of 10 stick shelters were made before sunset however, it was enough. I wanted to have 10 people on watch at all times, and the shelters could fit two people. David didn''t mind resting against a tree so his sleeping quarters had been sorted. Using a pile of dead leaves as bedding was the best could do. Food was more vegetable soup however, the hot soup helped a lot in the temperature drop that happened once night fell. I didn''t notice while in HavenFall since I had somewhat of a proper bed but once night fell in this area, it got cold. In the orange light made from the fire, I could see a small cloud escaping my mouth each time I exhale. Belle, Dawn, and Razor wrapped their bodies around Ken, Kaede, and Celine as they slept near each other. The wolves have been very important so far and will continue to be a vitalponent in the grand scheme of things. I didn''t make them go on watch and instead asked Celine to tell them to rest up for the night. I had the goblins take the first shift for the night but before that, I needed to talk to Gibing. "Gibing!" - Ian "Yes, Leader Ian?" - Gibing "Tonight, while you and the other goblins are on watch, make a note of all the potential paths that enemies mighte from as well as retreat routes. Since you and the other goblins can see in the dark it should be easier for you to find these pathways. Once your shift is over, tell the next group about these routes." - Ian "Yes, Leader Ian. If I may?" - Gibing "What''s wrong?" - Ian "Gyumi and I feel something. Within our bodies." - Gibing "Bad or good feeling?" - Ian "I am not sure. I have not felt this before." - Gibing "Where is Gyumi?" - Ian "She is on watch looking towards the East." - Gibing "Bring me there, we should find out what is happening to the both of you in case it is something that might cause harm to you or others." - Ian "Of course, Leader Ian." - Gibing Gibing lead the way, weaving through the forest like it was his backyard, stopping every so often for me to catch up. After running for some time, Gibing climbs a tree, bringing Gyumi down with him. Her position was on top of a tree which could overlook the clearing as well whatever is in the east of the forest. "Gyumi, I want you to tell me what is your condition right?" - Ian "I have told Gibing, that I feel something in my body. Like my heart is pumping faster and the blood within my body flowing faster. I can feel it move throughout my body." - Gyumi "Much like how I feel as well, Leader Ian." - Gibing "When did this happen? When did it start?" - Ian "After the battle with the King Jackalope." - Gibing, Gyumi "After the battle¡­ I see¡­" - Ian I take a look at the both of their stats to see if I can get any information from the stats. Name: Gibing Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 18 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 19 Luck: 1 Name: Gyumi Race: Gobin Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 12 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 25 Luck: 3 Skill: Backstep (Active) - 2MP Backstep (Active) - The user consumes mana to quickly dodge backward. "I''m not 100% sure but I can tell you what I think is the cause of this feeling." - Ian "What is it, Leader Ian? Are we ill?" - Gyumi "No, no, I think the both of you are in the process of evolving. Gobi evolved from a goblin into a hobgoblin. I think both of you are on the verge of it as well. However, I never asked him the process so I am not too sure about what to do or how to help." - Ian "Evolving?" - Gibing "I have heard from Boss Gobi about that. He told a story to some of the other goblins and I happened to be nearby to hear it as well." - Gyumi "What was it?" - Gibing "Evolving is the next step to getting stronger. Goblins are weak so we must work hard to evolve into our stronger counterparts, hobgoblins." - Gyumi "Yes, HavenFall has faced a couple of Hobgoblins before and they are stronger than your average goblin by a lot. With how hard everyone has been training I think, if you and Gibing evolves into hobgoblins you will be stronger than maybe even David and Kingston." - Ian "How do we evolve then?" - Gibing "Not sure, however, it will happen. Patience is key so keep doing what you have been doing and it will happen soon." - Ian "Thank you for giving us your advice, Leader Ian. I will do whatever I can to the best of my capabilities." - Gyumi "As will I, Leader Ian." - Gibing "It''s fine, work hard and-" - Ian As I was finishing up my conversation with Gibing and Gyumi we heard something move in the bushes away behind Gibing. All three of us tensed up and slowly drew our weapons. I had taken along 2 knives and still had the shield attached to my arm, while Gibing and Gyumi had their bows and a knife each. . . . Silence. No movements. Were we just paranoid? 129 Chapter 129 "I don''t see¡­ Any-ARGH!" -Gibing "GIBING!" - Ian I turn towards Gibing''sst known location but he was gone. The sound of his body being rubbing against the forest floor echoes in the silent night. "Leader Ian, we need to get back to the group!" - Gyumi "What about Gibing?" - Ian "He will be okay, I think. I caught a glimpse of how he was taken. A string or a thread wrapped around his legs pulling him away." - Gyumi "Spiders!" - Ian "I don''t know what a spider is but we need to-AHHH!" - Gyumi Right in front of my eyes, Gyumi gets pulled away. Her face ms towards the ground and her body is dragged into the darkness. I''m all alone now. Unable to do anything, I turn around and activate my new skill. "Enhanced Agility!" - Ian My heart pounds against my chest as my body bes lighter and my legs move quicker. The darkness surrounds me and even with my increased agility, I can feel something lurking in the shadows. My heart stops each time a branch appears in front of me, thinking it''s the monster lurking nearby. As I run around arge tree I see the lighting from the clearing. My mouth opens to scream for help but the moment I do I get hit from my right side crashing me into another tree. Due to the darkness, I couldn''t see my enemy I put up my shield in front of me tried screaming for help once more. "ENEMY! SOMEONE HEL-"- Ian A sticky thread-like substance wraps around my mouth preventing me from speaking but it was enough. An ear-piercing howl could be heard from the camp followed by two others, Belle, Dawn, and Razor heard my cry for help. Relief washes through me but now I need to stay alive until they get to me, but even that might be a tall task because the monster lurking in the shadows finally shows itself to me. The moonlight peeks through the gaps between the leaves, shining down on the forest floor illuminating the space in front of me. I can see a white thread dangling down from the treetops, connecting to the thread that is wrapped around my mouth. My eyes follow the thread up and cold shivers run down my spine as I see the thread connect to a spinneret. 8 jet-ck legs as big as my whole body attached to an ink-ck abdomen and cephalothorax. A spider asrge as a golem hangs upside down arge branch. Its 8 ruby eyes glitter in the moonlight as it watches me but what I saw next terrified me more. Like a red disco, more and more spider eyes open behind the first spider, their bodies hidden in the leaves but their eyes shine with a murderous glint. My heart sinks. How can there be so many monsters here and we didn''t notice any of them while we were scouting? Were they always here and we just happened to walk into their territory? Or did theye here noticing we had settled down? I can''t just stay like this. I need to move. I watch the spiders intently as I slowly move the knife in my hand towards the thread, hoping to be able to cut the thread and escape but the moment my knife touches the thread they start moving. Not one, not two but all of them. The hundreds of eyes scatter in front of me moving in all directions but all slowly converging towards me. Panic sets in and I use all my strength to cut the thread, leaving the part which covers my mouth. I run as hard as I can towards the camp as the sound of scuttering legs gets closer behind me. Then I notice something¡­ Where were the wolves? They must have moved towards me after hearing my voice. They even responded so then¡­ Where are they? Time seemed to move slowly as the thought entered my brain. Belle, Dawn, and Razor are my strongest troops so if they haven''t reached me already then something must be happening at the camp. I slide the knife between my cheeks and the thread sessfully cutting through the mouth gag and finally calling out to everyone again. "BE CAREFUL! SPIDERS!" - Ian Although, maybe I shouldn''t have said anything. The moment I finish my sentence, tens of crimson red eyes sh towards me. They were in front of me too¡­ "IAN! BE CAREFUL!" - Kingston A littlete there Kingston. I forcefully push my right foot forward, turning my body to the left at the same time and bolting in that direction, away from the spiders but doing so slowed me down. On my left, I could already see a couple of spiders had caught up. Their body isrger than my own and with the orange light from the fire illuminating a little of the surroundings, I can visibly see the purple liquid dripping off its fangs. Poison. One drop of that near me and I could pass out for all I know. "GET TO THE OTHER SIDE!" - Ster I turn to the right and see Ster waving her hand towards the other side of the camp. There were 3 additional campfires as well as a bonfire which kept away the spiders. In the darkness, I could see their glowing eyes but they were afraid of going near anything that was fire. However, getting there was going to be difficult. I had a cluster of spiders behind me catching up with each step and I have a spider right next to me eyeing me down with its fangs dripping in poison. Furthermore, there was another group of spiders in between myself and the clearing following me. I didn''t have long left with my skill and with each second I feel like I''m slowing down. The spider on my left attempts to attack me, jutting out one of its forelegs. I notice the attack just in time, blocking it with my shield but a sharp bone-chilling sound is produced as the leg scrapes along the shield. The force from the attack made me stumble slightly, reducing my speed and with it, I can feel the presence of the spiders behind me, baring their fangs on their prey. ".???q ¦Ãm ???nim¦Ôlli ???? ???il ?nini?? ??? ?m???d ,?bn?? ¦Ãm ni m?o? n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Ball of Light!" - Sr In the nick of time, Sr''s attack flies through the gaps between trees and ms the spider right behind me. I notice that there were fewer spiders on my right, with some of them facing the human shieldbearers that were defending Sr from the attack. Knowing that I can''t outrun the spiders anyways I run towards Sr''s position stabbing a spider on the side and dragging my knife along its abdomen, splitting the side open. Green blood pours out from the wound and the other spiders became distracted from my attack casuing them to move their heads back. This allowed the shieldbearers to attack the spiders, stabbing them with spears and cutting one or two of the forelegs on the spiders. I jump on the abdomen of a spider and leap over the shield wall, safelynding next to Sr. "What''s the situation?" - Ian "Spiders attacked from every part of the forest. Howe you were outside?" - Sr "I went out with Gibing and met up with Gyumi." - Ian "Ian! Howe none of the scouts warned us of this? We were only able to be awake in time due to the wolves howling." - Ster "Sorry Ster but I don''t know either. These spiders are masters of stealth. They dragged both Gibing and Gyumi away so fast they weren''t able to make a sound. Maybe that''s how they got the scouts." - Ian "So they died?" - Ster "Not yet. Maybe soon, I don''t know. How is everything here? Report to me." - Ian "Kingston is taking care of the northern end with a couple of demi-humans while David is taking care of the east with Frank and the wolves. Ster and I were taking care of this area. Once we noticed that you were gone we had already nned for the worst. A spider that can infiltrate into the clearing must be around so we burned all the shelters and created a big fire on the opposite side of the clearing to protect our back while we focus on the front." - Ster "Why not just create another fire in the front?" - Ian "And die due to the heat and smoke?" - Ster "Ah, I forgot. However, there are too many spiders and they are all toorge." - Ian "Yes, we are having difficulty on this side and since you brought more towards us the shieldbearers here might have to fight an uphill battle. - Sr "Sr can you grant them shield?" - Ian "I already have. It''s been broken by some hazardous attacks." - Sr "Damn, so we don''t have much against the cluster of spiders." - Ian "Just brute force, like how Kingston and David are doing." - Ster I turn towards the forest and all of a sudden tens of eyes glowed red. "Get ready." - Ster "Cast shield on me and attack using Ball of Light." - Ian ".???i? ?i?? ni m??? ????o?q bn? ?bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M ? Shield! When should I be attacking?" - Sr "If a spider slips past us is when you should use your magic. Ster, attack from above or attack their abdomen. I found that the knife can easily cut through its skin and dig into its flesh. However, the legs and the thread that it can cast are its strongest points. Avoid them to the best of your ability" - Ian "Got it." - Ster "Okay, let the spider hunt begin." - Ian 130 Chapter 130 "I want the 3 of you to stand your ground. Mainly defend and only use your spears to attack the spiders that try to climb over. Use your short spears! Ster, stay on the right side, you won''t be able to fight how you normally do so, stay behind the defensive line and attack anything that passes. I''ll be on the left side. Sr support us however you see fit. Celine, ry the same tactic to the other 2 groups." - Ian "Yes, Leader Ian!" - Shieldbearers "On it, Ian. Be careful of the poison." - Ster "I''ll do my best." - Sr "Okay. Belle is currently with Kingston while Dawn and Razor are with David. Should I bring one of them other here?" - Celine "Yes, bring either Dawn or Razor." Ian "Okay, got it." - Celine Celine runs towards Kingston''s group telling them the tactic to help defend against the spiders. It might sound basic but the premise is to reduce any chance for the spiders to outnumber a person. Having everyone close to each other allows others to help in times of need quicker. Especially, when there is a swarm of monsters attacking from the darkness. The scarlet eyes move closer and closer eventually reaching the flicking light that dances along the edge of the clearing. Their eyes glitter with an orange hue as the mes from the bonfire reflect off their crystal-like eyes. Seeing them in light makes them look a little less scary as I find out that the spiders weren''t all the same size as the first massive spider I saw and the second spider which almost killed me. There were tens of spiders the size of my hand scurrying in between the many towering legs. My polearm stabs as many of them as I can before they get too close drenching the tip in green spider blood and guts. Attacking the main line of defense were therge spiders however there were only 4 of these monsters. Each attacking a shieldbearer with their long forelegs, stabbing into the shields and creating white marks, with thest spider fighting with Ster. Wielding dual knives she parries leg after leg without a chance to take a breath at the same time, aware enough of her surroundings to dodge the random spiderling jumping at her legs or torso. She weaves her knives masterfully, dancing around the spider blocking each attack and counter-attacking whenever there is an opening, however, she couldn''t deliver the final blow to the monster. Small cuts litter the spider''s body oozing green blood but no cut was ever deep enough to cause damage. "STELLAR BEHIND!" - Kingston Dashing from his side of the clearing, Kingston lunges forward, spear in hand as Ster jumps up, forward somersaulting and baring her knives at the spider''s head. The spider distracted by the unexpected attacks from two fronts hesitates but before Ster''s knife or Kingston''s spear could prate the spider''s skin, it was saved by another spider. The white spider thread wraps around one of the spider''s back legs and pulls the spider backward causing the pair''s unexpected coordinated attack to miss. Seeing Kingston leave his position, I take initiative and move over to his original position filling in the spot while Razor runs past me to help defend the left side of the wall. The north end of the clearing was swarming with spiderlings. The only saving grace was the small fires being close to one side of the wall, funneling the spiders towards the right side. The demi-humans here were busy killing the spiderlings attacking with every opportunity. I follow up and help, thrusting my spear forward and to the side sweeping the spiderlings and pushing them back. My appearance boosted the morale of the shieldbearers as they cheer me on as I attack the spiderlings. Theck of a damage dealer was solved once I started to attack this side since Belle was busy dealing with spiderlings that run past the defensive line, but that didn''t mean I wasn''t watching the other fronts. Knowing that my original position should be fine now I start to pay more attention to David''s position. David was with Frank and one other human defending that side however, from the looks of things they were starting to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of spiderlings. Dawn was doing her best as well but there was only so much 1 wolf can do when there are so many spiders. Celine had just fled from that side and came over to me with a distressed look. "David and Frank don''t look so good. They are bleeding from a lot of different ces." - Celine "Damn, there are too many of them. Where are our baskets?" - Ian "Close to the fire." - Celine "Okay, I got a n. We might need to use that." - Ian "That? OH! That!" - Celine "Yep, if this a battle of attrition then we should be able to fight back however, we need to start retreating away from the forest edge and closer to the bags. Celine, rush over to David''s side and tell him to start retreating. Have Dawn escort you towards Kingston and Ster''s side of the clearing and tell them to start retreating. That side has all the big spiders so be careful. " - Ian "On it!" - Celine ? Celine runs towards David as fast as she can, her role so far has been the messenger between the different fronts. I signal the group to slowly retreat, matching the speed of the other groups after they start moving. One group can''t go too fast or too slow or else there would end up being a gap between the groups. I see everyoneing closer bit by bit but at the same time, the once orange ground became a dense field of spiders. Their ruby eyes reflect the light and as they move back and forth all we could see was a sea of red eyes. Being closer, however, brought advantages as well. The hard fight at Kingston''s side became easier as the shieldbearers swapped with David and Frank, eliminating spiderlings along the way. David''s presence and tanking ability allowed him to block two of the big spiders while Frank''s nimbleness allowed him to stab the spider''s underbelly multiple times with his polearm. Enraged at their brethren''s pain the spiders became more aggressive but more predictable. I block an attack aimed at David''s temple with my shield as I leave my post to Belle. I shrug off the attack and jump off David''s backnding on the top of a big spider. Distracted by mynding the spider forgot about the rest of my NPCs and Kingston swapped targets, thrusting forward and stabbing the spider in the eye. The spider reels back in pain as a fountain of green blood pours out of the spider''s eye and onto David''s left shoulder. I stab into its abdomen as I start to be unbnced but quickly pull out as I see one of the other spiders aim a thread at me. I narrowly dodge the trap by tumbling off the side of the spider, crashing into a pile of spiderlings. I sweep the floor around me with my polearm as Ster appears in thin air by my side attacking the spiderlings that leaped at my back. Groups of spiderlings get sted around me as Sr casts Ball of Light 3 times, providing a clear path back to the group. By this time, we have made a semi-circle defense with our backs up against the bonfire but next to us were our baskets of food and water. Celine rummages through each basket, fishing out a small water bag the size of a fist. She hands a bag to everyone once one of their hands were free or after they have a chance to breathe. "DRINK FROM THE BAG THE MOMENT YOU CAN!" - Ian I shove the top of the water bag into my mouth and cold, liquid enters my throat. A mixture of herbs and vegetables could be tasted and after drinking it all, I smile to myself as I see the small status effect that I had just acquired. [ Diluted Healing Soup - Heal 20% HP over 5 minutes. Cooldown 30 mins ] That''s right, Lucina''s healing potion hade to life. Celine and Lucina prepared 3 small water bags with healing soup for each person. Originally, it was going to be the full healing effect however, there weren''t enough ingredients yet to create enough soup for everyone. Instead, I asked them to add more water to the point that it would be enough for everyone to hold a few water bags that could heal them. The oue was a worse version of the potion but it would still be enough in dire situations, much like this one. "Ian, I think I''m in love with Lucina. This pot is amazing!" - Kingston "Sorry, Kingston but I think Lucina likes Howard." - David "David it was a joke! Focus on defending the spider''s attack not makingments like that." - Kingston "No, no, he is right. I do believe Lucina likes Howard." - Frank "Frank!" - Kingston "Kingston, just give up." - Ian "IAN! YOU TRAITOR!" - Kingston "Kingston. Going after a taken woman is disgusting." - Ster "Please let the sun god wash over this man''s sins. He is merely mistaken." - Sr "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I DON''T NEED THIS!" - Kingston Despite the worrying situation, everyone was still able to make jokes. I could see, Howard smile through the pain as a spider leg prates his foot, but he uses his ax to cut it off from the main body, leaving it stuck in his foot as he turns to block an attacking from his side. The healing potion is helping but it wasn''t helping enough, we couldn''t kill everything around us and our breaths were getting heavy. Each time, I swing my polearm or thrust it forward aiming for a spider, I feel it bing heavier and heavier. "ARCHERS! FIRE AT WILL!" A loud, hoarse voice could be heard behind us as a volley of arrows rains down in front of us, damaging spiderling and spiders alike. Mixed in the volley of arrows were me arrows, setting the spiders alight and causing them to panic and move erratically. I turn behind me and on top of a tree towering over the clearing were two green human-like figures. Next to them was a team of goblin archers, all releasing arrow after arrow at the army of spiders. "Gibing? Gyumi? Is that you¡­?" - Ian A quiet voice escapes my mouth as I look dumbfounded at the change. They were twice asrge as a goblin with therger of the two reaching the size of an average human. Its body was toned and two sharp fangs pointing upwards came out of its mouth. Above it was two yellow eyes with ck vertical slit-like pupils and a bald head. Next to it was the smaller of the two green human-like figures. Its body was petite, with long arms and legs, but there was a deep sense of danger as sparks fly above its head. Long wavy brown hair drapes over its shoulders and covers its ample bosom. Small white horns can be seen peeking over the hair as blue sparks fly between them. The moment I look at them and focus on them, I could see their stats confirming their identity. Name: Gibing Race: Hobgoblin ( Warrior ) Health Points (HP): 69/80 Mana Points (MP): 8/8 Strength: 25 Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 20 Luck: 1 Skill: Charge (Active) - 2 MP, Heighten Reflexes (Active) - 5 MP, Warrior''s Sense (Passive) Charge (Active) - Dashes towards a target. Cooldown 1 min. Heighten Reflexes (Active) - Enhance Strength, Vitality and Agility by 10% for 5 mins. Cooldown 30 mins. Warrior''s Sense (Passive) - The user can gauge the strength of an opponent. Increase Strength towards weaker foes by 10%. Increase Vitality towards stronger foes by 10%. Name: Gyumi Race: Variant Hobgoblin (Electric) Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 20 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 30 Luck: 5 Skill: Backstep (Active) - 2MP, Discharge (Active) - 5MP, Electrical Pulse (Active) - 10 MP, Electric Field (Passive) Discharge (Active) - Releases a spark of electricity towards a target, dealing 10 damage ( + 5% Intelligence). Cooldown 5 min Electrical Pulse (Active) - A ring of electricity is ejected from the user, attacking surrounding enemies in a 2m radius. Cooldown 30 mins. Electric Field (Passive) - Electricity will constantly gather at the user''s horns. The longer it has been since thest ''Electic'' skill was used the stronger it will be. Each hour increases the damage of the next ''Electric'' skill by 5% Intelligence until a maximum increase of 20% Intelligence in the next ''Electric'' skill. Gibing and Gyumi, had both evolved into hobgoblins¡­ 131 Chapter 131 Gibing and Gyumi jump down from the treending next to me. They both were as tall as me with Gyumi being half a head shorter and Gibing being the same height. "Leader Ian, I''m d you are okay. I was worried after I got taken away that you would have gotten injured." - Gibing "The attack was unexpected. I am sorry for failing to protect you." - Gyumi "No, no, it''s okay. I''m fine. What happened? How did you evolve? Where were the goblins before? Are Gewari and Gopopo okay as well?" - Ian "Gewari and Gopopo are safe in the treetops. They are directing the goblin archers but too many questions Leader Ian. We can answer it allter. Right now, there is something more important." - Gibing "Right, with the both of you here and the rest of the goblins helping out we should be able to fend off the spiders." - Ian "Yes, however, this is only a small part of the spiders. There are more out there and they areing here." - Gyumi "Defending against them is suicidal. Ian, if these are only a small part then we need to retreat." - Kingston "Retreat to where though? At least this ce we can see theming. The moment we walk into the forest then they will have the advantage. We can''t see them without light and with the forest being a natural obstacle course, how do you expect us to fight them?" - Ian "I don''t know. I just know we aren''t looking too good. We might need to use the second potion soon." - Kingston "Don''t worry, we should be fine handling this amount of spiders. If they stay then we should be worried." - Gibing "What do you mean?" - Ian "Watch." - Gibing Gibing takes a spear from our extra pile of weapons and runs towards the side with the bigger spiders. He takes a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs. I see his feet dig into the ground slightly as the veins in his arms and legs pop out. The air around him shimmers from his scream. His grip tightens around the spear and for a split second everything around him stops. Blink once and you see him screaming with the air moving. Blink again and it is as if time stood still. Blink once more time and you see him dash forward, kicking up the dirt, stones, and leaves behind him. "CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRGE!" - Gibing With his spear pointed at the closestrge spider he makes a beeline towards it, zooming past Kingston who had been busy distracting it with his attacks and tanking hits while in his sand armor. Seeing that Gibing was making his move, Ster moves away from her current opponent and leaps into the air, bouncing off Kingston''s shoulder, flying towards the same spider Gibing was targeting. Noticing the danger it was in, the spider attempts to run away, shooting a thread towards a tree behind it. However, it was Gyumi''s time to shine. Electricity gathers above her head and a small blue spark bounces between her horns. Her eyes shine blue and she clenches her mouth. The sparks get brighter and brighter and the moment the spider thread wraps around the tree, a blue lightning bolt zaps the thread halfway, lighting up the thread on both sides. "Discharge!" - Gyumi Unable to escape and with the timely attack from Gyumi, the spider was unable to defend itself in time. Gibing''s spear snakes under the spider''s head, prating the flesh that connects the head to the abdomen, while Sternds on the spider''s head, stabbing her knives in the opening that Gibing had created. With all her strength she slices the head off with both her knives, pulling them outwards and creating arge enough hole that separates the spider''s body. Green blood erupts from the spider''s body as it slumps over on the ground never to be able to see the light of day ever again. Seeing the sess of the other battlefield, I team up with Belle, Razor, and David to fight a spider that was harassing the main defensive line. With superior speed the wolves dance around to the back of the spider, attacking the back legs. David would tank an attack with his shield or his body and since he had been buffed with ''Shield'' by Sr he took no damage. I would sneak around David''srge body the moment the spider is unable to move after attacking David. Stabbing the spider in the abdomen or attacking its eye. A sessful hit or two from me allowed for Ster to jump into this battlefield. The spider couldn''t see out of 3 of its eyes and with Ster moving like a ghost she was able to take out another 2 eyes. Luckily for us, the spiderlings was unable to disturb us as the goblin archers shot each one and as the fire from the me arrows spread slowly across the clearing, less and less spiderlings dared to venture forth. Isting the bigger spiders from the main force. With 1 down and 1 extremely hurt the other spiders start to work together. The 2 healthier spiders stood in front of the hurt spider baring their fangs at us but between them and us stood Gyumi. "Gyumi what are-" - Ian Before I could finish my sentence she dashes forward and with her high agility reaches the space in the middle of all 3 spiders. The electricity above her head started to create sparks that zap the ground around her. Her white horns shine bright and a small blue ring of lightning manifests. The spiders turn towards her and move their long legs to attack Gyumi but the moment her eyes shine white I could tell the spiders'' felt a sense of regret in attacking. "ELECTRIC PULSE" - Gyumi The small blue ring expands around her quickly reaching big enough that she could fit her whole body inside it. With the wave of her hands outwards the ring expands further, melting the spider legs as it touches the ring of death. Losing all their legs surprised the spiders and they fell t onto the ground. "FINISH THEM!" - Ian I cry out as I dash towards the closest spider as well. Beside me were the rest of the group shouting out as he attack the unmoving monsters killing them as quickly as we can. We were able to repel the monsters but now there was another problem the fire that we created to kill the spiders had spread across most of the clearing. "We can''t use water for this since we don''t have enough. Use dirt and rocks, smother the fire before it bes any bigger!" - Ian Even though everyone had just gone through an exhausting battle there was no time to rest up. The fire was a massive danger not just to us but also HavenFall and the rest of the forest. The moment the bes out of control, it will spread faster than rumors on the inte. I instruct the goblins to carry piles of dirt, tossing them on the edges of the fire, while the human and demi-human shieldbearers used their shields to stop the fire from spreading to the forest. David used his shield to press down on the fire, slowly extinguishing them. Rocks were gathered and used to be a barrier so that the mes don''t travel too far and after a while, the fire died down with the collective efforts of everyone in the group. With that, the heavy atmosphere lifts as we start to cheer for our victory against the spiders but that was when I remembered Gibing saying it wasn''t the end. "STOP! Gibing, exin to us what do you mean, that this was just a small segment of the spider army." - Ian I turn to Gibing as I see him pick up his spear and turn his back towards us. His eyes focused on the forest ahead of us with Gyumi nocking an arrow into her bow. "Phnx formation. NOW!" - Ian The shieldbearers while gasping for breath picks up their shields and stood in front of us. Pressing the shields together and showed a determined look as they ready their short spears and peek through the small gaps. "Leader Ian, that was but a scouting team for the spiders. All the goblins got captured by the spiders one by one which took out our eyes. However, they didn''t kill us straight away, instead they captured us and wrapped us in the white thread." - Gibing "I escaped from my bindings with a small sharp golem rock I had hidden in my mouth. Cutting through the thread took time but since they weren''t going to kill us yet I had enough time to cut through." - Gyumi "Once Gyumi got out, she got me out. We were trapped in some cave and I was lucky that I happened to be ced next to Gyumi but the moment the both of us came out, the spiders attacked us." - Gibing "The spiderlings were numerous and quick making them tough opponents especially since we were just using stones found on the ground, but after killing a small swarm of them we were able to discover a small pile of things wrapped in white thread. Cutting through the thread we were able to reunite with all the goblins." - Gyumi "But it was then that arge spider appeared." - Gibing "We were scared since we had no weapons but we were eventually able to kill it by running out of the cave and miraculously finding some of our weapons." - Gyumi "Although it was just a couple of spears we were able to use our nimbleness and agility to dodge its attack and with Boss Gobi''s excellent teachings about teamwork we were able to kill the spider. Resulting in me and Gyumi''s evolution." - Gibing "We then set out to find our weapons as well as everyone else. That cave may have only housed onerge spider at that time but we both could tell that was more than just that. Maybe we were lucky that we happened to be trapped near an exit because if we took even a single incorrect path then every goblin here would have been killed." - Gyumi "Well, I''m d the both of you are okay. I''m d everyone here is okay but are theying right now?" - Ian "The spiderlings have retreated to the forest but I still see their red eyes watching us from the shadows." - Gibing "Yes. We are still watching." - ??? A sharp feminine voice sounded in my head. "What was that?" - Kington "You could hear that?" - Ian "Yea?" - Kingston "I think everyone here can hear it." - Ster "It is telepathy but I can''t see who is using it." - Sr I desperately nce around but I couldn''t see anything. The bonfire burns brightly, lighting up the clearing but even then it wasn''t enough. "You mish-mash of a group have in my BEAUTIFUL children. MY CHILDREN. Oh, how it hurts by heart." - ??? "Your children?" - Ian The wolves start to growl around us and I see Belle looking around before she turns up at the moon. Her growling bes more aggressive after she looks up and I follow her gaze. Suspending in midair as a woman with white hair that glitters in the moonlight. Her pure white slender body is apanied by tworge mounds and a small waist, but as my eyes look slightly towards the lower half of her body fear reces all my previous thoughts. Why? Well, a jet-ck spider''s abdomen reces her legs. "Naughty kids here have entered my yground and they deserve to be punished." - ??? She turns her body seductively towards us, bending over and letting the moonlight hit her face revealing her blood red eyes and sinister grin. The sharp white canines that litter her mouth had a hint of purple liquid drooling out. She holds her breasts up with an arm and leans back slightly. Her eyes look down on us as her cheeks be slightly tinted with rose pink. She bites down on her index finger as her grin bes even wider. Her purple tonguees out of her mouth, licking her lips. Her next few words sent shivers down my spine as she smiles and squints her eyes slightly while looking directly at me. "You. You are mine." - ??? 132 Chapter 132 Half-human, half spider¡­ An Arachne. The mother spider? Queen spider? "We are so screwed. Sorry, Ian looks like people are dying today." - Kingston "Don''t jinx it Kingston." - Ian "That thing is definitely stronger than anything we fought before. What do you want us to do about it? Give it a love tap?" - Kingston "I don''t know." - Ian I look away from the Arachne, turning to Kingston and everyone else but the moment I do, I feel an ufortable feeling behind me. Even though there is a fire behind me melting my back, I feel a chill. Like icicles are being stabbed into my back. I know I shouldn''t turn around. I know, but¡­ I gulp down my saliva and rigidly turn my head however before I could even turn it enough so that I could look behind me¡­ "Don''t move." - ??? Everyone including myself froze up. Our muscles tense and our breathing stops. Just 2 words and we were rendered helpless. I feel cold breath on my neck. Not daring to look I stare at a hole in the ground. My heart races faster and faster. It gets amplified when I feel a cold touch on the back of my neck. Just a finger but it sent waves throughout my whole body. "What is your name?" - ??? "I-Ian." - Ian "Mmm. A nice short name. Very, very nice~" - ??? Her voice sounds sweeter and more mellow than before. Despite that, my fear levels were rising. I feel the Arachne move closer to my back, wrapping her arms over my shoulders and cing her hands on my chest. The moment she touched me I became stiff, I couldn''t move any of my limbs. Stuck in a position where my guard was up the monster felt my whole body. Slowly taking off my armor one by one. "Why did you kill my children, Ian? Be honest." - ??? "They attacked us. We retaliated. If we didn''t kill them then we would have died." - Ian "Ian-" - Kingston "SILENCE! DID I ASK YOU BOY? NO! I was talking to Ian deary here." - ??? Her voice boomed in our ears as she silences Kingston and for a split second, I saw her face change from a human''s face to a monster''s. "Now then, Ian dear~" - ??? The monster got even closer, wrapping her arms around my waist tightly. I could feel something soft and bouncy on my back as well as her breath quicken next to my ear. She brings her face closer, resting it on my right shoulder. I could smell the scent of deathing from her but at the same time, it smelt sweet. "You can look you know. I allow it~" - ??? Listening to hermand I turn my head towards her until I locked eyes with her. Initially, I had thought she had only 2 eyes, like a normal human however, I was mistaken. There were 2 main eyes and above it was 6 smaller ones. Their blood-red color shines brightly as the moonlight nkets over her face. Her smile, was menacing but rxed like she was calming deciding whether to kill us all or not. "Ian~" - ??? "Yes?" - Ian She brings her face closer to mine, brushing my nose with hers as she moves slightly past it. She proceeds to whisper in my ear but it was a different voicepared to the one she was using telepathically. "My name is Selino. Queen of spiders." - Selino Her sweet voice was like honey and despite how cold her breath was against my skin, it felt warm. Selino''s cheeks turn rose pink as she leans away from me but I guess it was all in my imagination. I feel a burning sensation under my ear on my neck. It felt like someone took a molten iron rod and pressed it against my skin. I was about to scream my lungs out when Selino grabs my mouth and lifts me up off the ground as if I was just a branch in her path. I stare daggers into her face as I see her face light up. She is enjoying this. Arge grin appears on her face as she blushes. She swings me side to side gripping me by the mouth and yet the pain on my neck intensifies. My screams turn into muffled sounds. I nce around at everyone else only to see them all one step away from death. Thin threads trap them from moving. Thin cuts can be seen on David''s and Kingston''s necks, they can''t move. Selino starts tough, quietly at first. Herughter sends chills down your spine. It wasn''t loud yet it was the only thing I could hear. I couldn''t even hear my own screams as herughter fills my ears. All of a sudden she ms me to the ground. Her long thin spider legs walk over me as she positions herself on top of me. Sitting on top of me andughing her head off was this spider monster. "Ian. Do you know what I did to you?" - Selino I couldn''t bear to answer. My body shaking in pain whale she looks at me with eyes of enjoyment. "I gave you a gift. Or maybe it was a curse. After all, you did kill my precious children" - Selino The pain starts to subside and at the same time, a system message appears before my eyes. [ You have been cursed by the Queen of Spiders Selino. ] "Let it be known to all you humans. Never mess with a spider and if you ever want to find me Ian~. Well¡­" - Selino Bringing her face close to mine, she whispers in front of me with her sweet words. "I serve The Horde himself." - Selino She leans back and with a twist of her wrists knocks everyone out. Their lifeless body slumps to the ground but they were only unconscious not dead. She looks at me with a gentle smile, covering my eyes with her hand before mming my head into the ground. Darkness creeps in and I fall into slumber. . . . I feel my body shake and my eyes slowly open. The harsh sunlight res at me and I turn my head to the side to avoid it. "IAN! He is awake! Everyone!" - Frank "Frank¡­?" - Ian My body feels weak and I could barely move my arms or legs. "Don''t move." - Ster "What¡­What''s happening?" - Ian I feel my head spin as the world around me moves faster than my eyes couldprehend. "KEEP HIM STILL FRANK!" - Ster "On it!" - Frank "Sr! Hurry!" - Ster I feel a warm liquid fill my mouth but my body reacts poorly to it. I start to cough and my body violently shakes. "Move his head to the side, blood is pooling in his mouth." - Kingston "Ready! .ni?q ?i? ???oo? bn? ???¦Ô?ni ?i? l??? ?i ??l ,¦Ãbod ?i? ???n? ???il ??? ??l ,bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Heal!" - Sr My body gets enveloped in a warm yellow light. It feels like being wrapped in nkets on a cold winter day. My head stops spinning and I could start to focus on my surroundings. I didn''t realize it at first but everyone was around me in a circle. Their faces were full of worry but now relief spread across them. I try my best to recollect the events that just happened and remember that Selino had cursed me. In the top right of my vision, where buffs were seen I see another icon. A ck spider in a purple background. [ Live on then, Yet Hang: Increase all stats by 20, however, once the time runs out the user will be an Arachne. As time runs out, the user will experience different phases of metamorphosis. Time left - 4373:49:23 ] I immediately look at my stats to confirm the changes. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 3423/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 515/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Health Points (HP): 35/50 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 30 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 35 Luck: 31 Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne Skill: Enhanced Agility (Active) - 3MP Who would have thought, my stats look very decent. Iugh to myself internally, after all, I wonder what happens to me when I get turned into a spider. "Ian, how are you feeling?" - Sr "I-I''m fine. Thank you, Sr for the healing." - Ian "It''s fine. Do you remember what happened to you before you passed out?" - Sr "I got swung around by a half-human half-spider monster who ims she is a spider queen and that she works for The Horde and then I got cursed by her. Sound about right?" - Ian "Pretty much." - Ster "You are still hurt Ian. Please, for now, rest up." - Sr "No, we should leave here." - Ian "It''s fine. The Queen of Spiders left this part of the forest." - Ster "How do you know?" - Ian "Look." - Ster I follow Ster''s finger as she points towards arge tree. Carved out in the trunk were the words. "See you soon, Ian" Followed by a heart. "That does look like something Selino would say¡­" - Ian "Right? So, Ian are you gonna talk to us about how you seduced an Arachne, or are we just gonna pass on that?" - Kingston "What are you on about? I was about to die?" - Ian "Right. BUT did you see how much love she was giving you? She was hugging you and touching you and like she gave you a big hickey under your right ear." - Kingston "Ian, it is okay. We believe in your judgment"- David "WHAT?" - Ian "See, even David knows." - Kingston "I guess, Ian is just that amazing to even get another being to like him." - Frank "That is true, I thought he was going to acquire the love of Sr or Ster first but he outdid my predictions." - Yor "Yor? Frank? Is that what you think of me?" - Ian "I thought Gyumi was going to be Leader Ian''s bride to be." - Gibing "GIBING! Come here." - Gyumi The sound ofughtering from the rest of the group sounded out in the clearing. After a sleepless night, everyone was mentally and physically tired. With a rotation of scouts throughout the morning, we were safe for the time being. Everyone got to rest up as much as they can and Kingston and I went back into the real world. ......¡­ "Ian, can we talk about thest few days?" - Kingston "What''s wrong?" - Ian "I''m being to have doubts about us moving along." - Kingston "Is it because of the dangers we have been facing?" - Ian "Partial because of that but remember how you told me about Melody''s prediction of the future?" - Kingston "Yea. I asked for your advice on it." - Ian "We have been through 2 major battles which could have ended our journey but maybe because we were lucky or something, we came out of it with just Yor getting injured and you getting a curse." - Kingston "What are you saying?" - Ian "None of the dreams havee true yet." - Kingston "Right, because there is a chance for it toe true. It wasn''t confirmed." - Ian "No, what I''m saying is that if none of them havee true and we have experienced all of this already, I feel like all 3 dreams are going to happen. " - Kingston "Did you find out something?" - Ian "Yea, a member of Bones apparent got killed by a dinosaur-like monster and another fell into a hole where it was pitch ck. The member got eaten alive without knowing what was killing him." - Kingston "Are you serious?" - Ian "Both members were the only members that were close to a mountain range. I can only assume it is the same one we are heading to, but there is no way to confirm it." - Kingston "It will be fine. Hopefully¡­" - Ian 133 Chapter 133 "Ian¡­?" - Reba "Hmm?" - Ian Reba peers at me curiously above her magazine as she sits by the table, wearing a pink top with blue denim short shorts. "Are you alright?" - Reba "Yea. I''m alright." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Alright. You just kind of look off." - Reba "Really? I''m just thinking of something." - Ian Reba puts down her magazine and leans over the table slightly. The valley between her chest reveals itself as she stretches her back, letting out a soft moan. "Tell me about it. You listened to me before, I''ll listen to you now." - Reba "How long are 6 months?" - Ian "What?" - Reba "Well, I got cursed by a monster and in 6 months I will be turned into a half-human, half spider." - Ian "Okay¡­ Context?" - Reba "Umm, there is a monster that serves The Horde. One of the 4 Kings. This monster calls herself, Queen of Spiders Selino. She attacked our group in the forest and ced a curse on me. From what I can tell about the curse, it says I will be a spider after a certain about of time, which turns out to be 6 months." - Ian "So, howe you are worried about the time? You have half a year to settle it don''t you?" - Reba "I guess but why 6 months? Why is it so long or is it really just short and I''m just thinking it is long?" - Ian "I don''t even understand what you are saying BUT, I think you shouldn''t worry too much about it yet. The curse was only applied yesterday right? Then you have a lot of time to focus on what is important right now and at least it hasn''t appeared in real life or anything¡­ OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR NECK?" - Reba "WHAT? WHAT?" - Ian I stand up desperately trying to look at what was on my neck. I go into a panic as I try to find a mirror to look at myself. I rush to the bathroom and stare at the mirror. "I was just kidding. You don''t have to be so panicky." - Reba "Oh my god. You scared me, please don''t do that again." - Ian "Hmm, no promises." - Reba ............¡­.. The day goes by smoothly and eventually, it was time to go back into the game. I had told Evan, Sabrina, and Sam about my curse and got their opinion on it, which was the same as Reba''s. Since I had just gotten the curse, then I shouldn''t worry too much about it just yet. There was still time and maybe there will be a way to dispel itter. I open my eyes to the clearing. We had rested long enough already and it was time to start moving. Following the map as well as the sun to guide us in the correct direction we ventured off, deeper into the forest. After thest two incidents, none of us had enough time to fully rest up, however, we couldn''t afford to stop. While Selino left a message saying she had left I was still afraid of the possibility that she would change her mind ande back to ughter us. The many spiderlings that were under hermand terrify me, after all, Gibing and Gyumi said that what we faced wasn''t even the tip of the iceberg. Despite all the setbacks we faced some positives came out of it, namely the evolution of Gibing and Gyumi. I finally had a chance to question both of them about everything as they walk besides Ken and Kaede. "Ken and Kaede were the both of you alright?" - Ian "Yep! We killed some spiderlings in the clearing before Celine took us to the side when everyone grouped up." - Ken "We did our best to not disturb everyone that was fighting." - Kaede "That''s okay. Maybe when there are fewer monsters the both of you can fight them." - Ian "OKAY!" - Ken, Kaede "Now, then Gibing and Gyumi. I have some questions I want to ask you. I''m very interested in what happened to the both of you especially when you evolved." - Ian "Well, what happened was we were trapped in that cave, and we had no choice but to fight our way through. Every time I killed a spiderling, I felt something in my chest pound harder. Like my heart was beating faster and harder each time I killed a monster. It was only when Gyumi and I killed therge spider did I feel like my heart exploded." - Gibing "I had a simr feeling. My heart was racing faster than ever before and I feel like the world around me was changing. Sparks flew around me the moment my knife entered therge spider''s body." - Gyumi "I felt a rush of power when I stabbed the monster as if I had gained newfound strength." - Gibing "Interesting and this ys into your evolution as well. Gibing became a hobgoblin warrior after feeling like he gained new strength and Gyumi, you became a valiant hobgoblin with electric or lightning powers." - Ian "Right and I feel like this is only the start. I feel like I can get stronger." - Gibing "My powers are hard to wield at the moment but I am slowly adjusting to them. I will do better than before, Leader Ian." - Gyumi "How about the other goblins? Do any of them feel the same way as you?" - Ian "I have asked, however, at this moment none have the same heart beating feeling." - Gibing "I believe it is only a matter of time before they too will experience evolving." - Gyumi "Will they be normal hobgoblins or do you think they will acquire a special skill and be a variant much like you, Gyumi." - Ian "I cannot say. I don''t even know what triggered this evolution other than us killing spiders in the cave and at the moment where I was about to evolve I saw sparks." - Gyumi "There is a lot to learn about this topic isn''t there." - Ian "There is much indeed." - Gyumi "Well, can''t stress too much about it. I''m going to head to the front and check on our surroundings." - Gibing "I will do the same." - Gyumi Both of the dash forward chasing after the scouts in the front. At the same time, Ster and Sr fell back towards me with worried faces. "What''s wrong?" - Ian "Are you sure about continuing?" - Ster "There have been too many close moments." - Sr "I am thinking about it¡­ However, we have only been gone for a day. This is our second day away from HavenFall." - Ian "Yes but, we have been so close to death. We could have died when the spider queen attacked. We were lucky enough that she spared us." - Ster "I feel ufortable knowing that she can be near us and we wouldn''t even know." - Sr "How about this. Since we don''t know what is beyond the forest, we should at least have a look. We need more information about our surroundings and venturing out on a journey is one way to find out. If there is nothing out there between the forest and the mountains we are seeking then we will go home and evaluate the situation." - Ian "Agreed. If there is something we can use that is nearby the forest we should take it and thene back at ater date but if there is nothing then we would most likely die the next time a strong monster attacks us." - Ster "I also want to at least have a look at the environment past the forest. This so far is the further I have ever gone away from HavenFall." - Ian "I would have liked to show you around my home, Ian. I feel like you would have liked therge trees, the chirping birds, and the floating fireflies that apany you wherever you go." - Sr "Maybe someday Sr. When we can travel wherever we please." - Ian "I look forward to that day." - Sr Moving through the forest was still an ordeal. The thick vegetation on the forest floor made traveling hard, however, it wasn''t long until Gibing came back to me, saying that they have reached the exit of the forest up ahead. He dashes past me, telling the rest of the scouts to move up as well and together we push past thest few steps, out of the forest. The moment I walk out of the forest a cool breeze hits me, blowing some dirt into my eyes. Unable to open them, I close my eyes for a second as I rub out the dirt, and the moment I open them again, I see a sea of tall emerald grass, as they dance and wave in the wind as the sun blesses them with an orange hue. I step forward towards the green ocean only to almost lose my footing. The forest ends on a slope and I almost fell down the slope. A burst of shortughter escapes me as I sit on the ground and look out into the distance. Initially, I thought it was going to be arge grasnd with an endless t area filled with grass and wildlife. However,rge green dunes litter my sight with the asional trees sprouting out of the ground. Different from the forest where there were minimal traces of fauna, I could already see monsters resembling deers, bison, and zebras. Looking up into the sky, I could see birds of various sizes soaring through the air. Fluffy white clouds drift along the blue sky. I turn my head back towards everyone behind me. Ster and Sr were mesmerized by the view while next to them, Yor was leaning against David as they look at the sky. Frank and Kingston were standing side by side looking left and right, following the monsters. Ken and Kaede had their mouths open as they stare at the green ocean. Gibing, Gyumi and the other goblins were pointing and whispering amongst themselves while the human and demi-human shieldbearers were gazing in silence. "So¡­ Are we going forward or going backward?" - Ian "Forward." - Ster "Where else are we going to go?" - Frank "There is only one option."- Yor "I will follow wherever you want to go, Ian." - David "May the sun bless us on our journey." - Sr "Let''s GO!" - Ken, Kaede "We''re here for an adventure, right? And to kill some dinos." - Kingston "Wherever Leader Ian goes, we go." - Gibing, Gyumi, Gopopo, Gewari and all other goblins "We follow Leader Ian!" - human and demi-human shieldbearers "Okay then, let''s march together. Into the unknown." - Ian 134 Chapter 134 Walking down the initial slope proved to be slightly difficult. The grass was wet and thick, clinging onto our boots and legs. Our shields were also unexpectedly getting in the way as we go further down. Initially, the grass was only at our ankles but slowly they became taller, reaching our knees and now reaching the bottom of the first slope, below the forest, the grass was as tall as our hip. "This is denser than going through the forest." - Frank "At least the grass doesn''t sometimes, reach your face, uncle Frank." - Ken "Sorry, I forgot the both of you are small. Walk closer to us so the grass doesn''t hit your face." - Frank "Is uncle David cutting down the grass in the front?" - Kaede "Yes, but there is only so much he can cut down." - Frank "Frank, maybe you should also cut down some grass on your side. We should make the path wider so we can see any monsters that might hide in the grass." - Ian "Understood." - Frank "Gibing, how are the scouts ahead and around us?" - Ian "Thest time I checked on them they said that there were no enemies yet. However, it is hard to discover anything since the grass is so dense. The scouting sphere around us is very small. If Leader Ian wanted to then he could find Gopopo at the front by running forward a couple of steps. He is not that far away from the main force." - Gibing "I see. It is a lot harder for the goblins to watch over everything since there are no trees. The grass hides monsters as well so they could easily slip past the scouts." - Ian "Yes, and since this area has a lot of hills there are chances that at the bottom of one, there will be monsters waiting for us." - Gibing It was true. Moving through the grass without cutting down our path would have been like wading through a thick swamp. Although, I remember seeing the monsters sprint through the grass when I was looking at the top of the hill. Is it just less dense and shorter the further ind? I had Belle, Dawn, and Razor apany Celine rather than scout the front. After all, having the rest of the goblins scouting around was enough. It would also provide a chance for them to grow and evolve into hobgoblins. Gibing and Gyumi yed a big role in the fight in the cave as well as scouting increasing their experience and in turn pushing them closer to evolution. Now, it was the rest of the goblin''s turn to grow stronger. Knowing how difficult the battles have been so far, I need them to grow stronger as soon as possible. I also needed David, Frank, Yor, Ster, Ken, and Kaede to grow stronger as well. However, training them to be stronger was different from the goblins and I have no idea how to properly do that just yet. Training and battle do help increase their stats but it was not like they were able to evolve. The only real way they grow stronger is to receive a blessing, like Sr, or upgrade their weaponry. I sigh to myself thinking about the possibilities but increasing our overall strength was going to be hard. This journey will hopefully increase everyone''s strengths and make them strong enough to fight against new enemies and prevail. The sun was slowlying down and the sky was turning a slight shade of pink. We were on our way up a steep slope as we had just traversed through our first small valley. "We need to look for a ce to sleep and rest up." - Ster "I know. However, we can''t stay at the bottom of a valley at night. Cold air sinks and that ce in the dead of night will be freezing." - Ian "I remember there being arge tree not far away, over this slope and then just forward a little more." - Kingston "Then we head towards there and make camp. We need to rest properly. Gibing, have the scouts ahead of us climb the slope first and look for the path to the closest tree." - Ian "Yes Leader Ian." - Gibing Gibing runs forward, passing David who was busy cutting a path forward and not before long Gibinge back with some news. "Good news Leader Ian. Gopopo and Gewari have found arge tree with a dirt clearing below is not too far away from the top of this slope." - Gibing "That''s good. We will head toward it at once." - Ian "There is also bad news." - Gibing "Go on." - Ian "It seems to be home to a monster. From what they saw as well as what I could observe from my nce of the monster. It seems to be a beast of some sort with golden fur or hair around its head. Its main body is ck with orange stripes and it has tworge fangs pointing downwards." - Gibing "How many of these monsters are there?" - Ian "A lot of 10, Leader Ian and they seem to have to have noticed us as well as one of them stood on all 4 of its legs looking at us." - Gibing "Did they disy any aggressive behavior? Or were they just looking?" - Ian "Just looking at them they didn''t seem like they were going to attack us. However, if we step too far into their territory I believe they will retaliate with full force." - Gibing "Do you think we can confront them? No, whether or not we can, I think we should." - Ian "Are you sure?" - Ster "Yea. We need to get stronger and more fighting will help us grow." - Ian "Alright. How do you want to do this?" - Kingston "Let''s get to the top first so I can see how everything looks." - Ian With the goblins at the top waiting, we slowly climbed the slope, zigzagging up the slope due to how steep it was. The sun was just touching the horizon, meaning there wasn''t a lot of light left, and knowing how dark the forest got once night fell we needed to hurry and secure a ce to sleep. The clearing under the tree was like how Gopopo described. A singr luscious tree stood waving in the wind. Its leaves rustle as they brush against each other. Underneath, hidden in the shade were 10 monsters. An obsidian ck body with a gorgeous golden mane and orange stripes topped off with two pearl canines that grow out of the monster''s mouth. A lion? A tiger? A sabertooth tiger? A monster that screams, apex predator. Around the clearing was the ocean of grass, dancing in the breeze. We stood on top of the hill, watching over the clearing. In my head, I was thinking about the method to attack them, while keeping the risks to a minimum. However, we don''t know their skills or their stats. They could be faster than our fastest person or stronger than our strongest person. The threat of the unknown was pulling on my subconscious. I didn''t want to attack them at night, something inside me thought that it would just lead to death and since the night was approaching fast I needed to think of something soon. I took a glimpse at everyone''s stats and see that Belle had the highest agility. I walk up to Celine and Belle and tell them my n first. "Celine, can you tell Belle that I need her to act as bait?" - Ian "Huh? What do you mean?" - Celine "I''m nning to have her lure the monsters closer to us before we fight them. Fighting them when we are on the top of the slope will be a lot easier since the grass is the thinnest and shortest here. The closer we get to them the taller the grass meaning we might get ambushed easily." - Ian "Okay, I''ll tell her." - Celine "Thank you." - Ian I walk towards the shieldbearers and David. "I need everyone here to be ready. There will not be a lot of light and the monsters will most likely be fast. However, I trust that everyone here will be able to defend the rest of us when times get tough." - Ian "Ian, the monster''s this time. Is it going to be hard?" - David "I''m not sure David. These monsters are new and we have no knowledge about them." - Ian "So just hold the shield and attack whateveres near?" - David "Yep. Exactly that." - Ian I pat David on the back before moving towards the goblins. Every single one of the goblins had rtively high agility with some reaching close to mine. They all use knives and bows and work well as a team, so I y to their strengths. In the previous battles, they were mainly archers, attacking from a distance. In this battle, I wanted to separate them so I had squad of assassins as well as a squad of archers. "Gibing, I want you to lead 5 other goblins out as a strike squad. Have Gopopo join you as well. Your role will be to loop around the right side after the monsters are lured in by Belle. You need to be swift and silent as you move but the moment you have an opportunity to attack them, go all out. We will be right there with you at the front." - Ian "Understood. Gopopo and you 4e with me. We need to check our equipment before we go off to battle." - Gibing "Gyumi, you will be leading the rest of the goblins with Gewari. You will be behind us as archers, firing volleys down on the monsters. Only use your Discharge when we are in a bind. The attack might trigger a fire and with how much grass there is here, the fire would spread extremely quickly." - Ian "Got it. Let''s go, everyone." - Gyumi I see the two goblin groups part, each preparing for the fight. Kingston, Frank, Yor, Ster, Sr, Ken and Kaede came up to me. They saw how I was getting things ready for the fight and came over to ask about their positions. "Frank, you will be defending Yor. With Yor''s condition, it will be difficult to fight at this moment, however, that doesn''t mean you will be useless. Yor you are very intelligent and while you will not be able to fight you can still see the battle. Watch, learn, and then inform us of the changes. There will be things that I miss and I need you to point it out as fast as you can to help everyone." - Ian "Yes, Leader Ian. While I cannot fight I want to still be of use." - Yor "I''ll make sure no harm gets to him." - Frank "Good. Kingston, Ken, Kaede, Ster, and I will be the main damage force. We will start off with light attacks, using spears but the moment Gibinges in from the right side, I want us to attack from the left. We need to pincer the monsters from 3 sides just to make sure they do not escape to the side. If they run backward then there isn''t much we can do about it but we can still do a little damage." - Ian "What about me?" - Sr "Sr. You are the most important. The light will be vital to my strategy especially since night ising fast. Your attack with Ball of Light will momentary blind the monsters as well as deal damage. That attack will be vital, however, the timing is something I''m not sure of just yet. If I see an opportunity for you to cast the spell, I ask that you do it as fast as possible. Otherwise, keep up the shield buff and the healing if needed." - Ian "Understood, Ian" - Sr "Are you sure you don''t want me with Gibing?" - Ster "I''m sure. I eventually want the goblins to be both assassins and archers and this will prove to me how strong they can be in a surprise attack. They won''t be true assassins like how you are, Ster but will be be reapers on the battlefield. I know they will."- Ian "Alright." - Ster "How about the kids? Are you sure about that one?" - Kingston "Why don''t we ask them? Ken, Kaede how do you feel about your first true battle?" - Ian "READY!" - Ken, Kaede "See?" - Ian "Whatever. Don''t me me if they get hurt." - Kingston "You will be surprised. They have grown quite a bit." - Ian I smile while I look at the twin''s stats, patting their heads as I look at the monsters. It''s almost time. Name: Ken Race: Demi-Human (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 32/32 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 19 Vitality: 16 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 12 Agility: 16 Luck: 3 Skill: Beastman Senses ( Passive ), Follow the Pack ( Passive ), Ferocity ( Active ) - 5MP Name: Kaede Race: Demi-Human (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 35/50 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 17 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 15 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 21 p Luck: 1 Skill: Beastman Senses ( Passive ), Follow the Pack ( Passive ), Ferocity ( Active ) - 5MP Beastman Senses (Passive) - With the blood of a wolf, the user is capable of absorbing battle experiences easier. Participating in battles will strengthen the user, however, observing battles will also heighten their battle sense. Follow the Pack (Passive) - When the user is following a leader they be stronger under the leader''smand. Increase 10% Strength, Agility when fighting within a 10m radius of registered leader. Registered Leader - Ian Ferocity (Active) - Unleash the power of the wolf. +10 Strength, Agility, and Vitality for 1 minute. After 1 minute, -10 Strength, Agility and Vitality. The lowest HP the user can be after the skill is finished is 1HP. Cooldown 1 hour 135 Chapter 135 "Is everyone ready?" - Ian "Ready." - Everyone The slither of light left, paints the sky in an orangey-purple hue. The night approaches from one direction swallowing the light as the sun retreats below the horizon. I signal to Celine to get Belle ready to bait the monsters. Our front line was ready, shield in arms and spears in hand, with the archers positioned at the crest of the hill. David is at the center with the rest of the shieldbearers to his left and right, with Kingston, Ster, Sr, Ken, Kaede and myself directly behind him. Yor and Frank were with the archers watching over the battlefield. Gibing had already traversed down the hill making a detour to go to a position closer to the side of the hill, away from the monsters. To my left, I see Belle rubbing her head against Razor and Dawn before giving a determined growl to the both of them as she turns to the bottom of the hill. She starts running down the slope, gaining speed with each step. It was like watching a bolt of lightning zigzag down a path and with an abrupt stop Belle reaches the bottom of the hill and enters the clearing. She howls at the monsters as they got up on all fours, growling in return. They bare their fangs and aggressively chomp the air threatening and intimidating Belle, but she responds with a quick snap of her teeth, biting the space in front of the closest monster. All of a sudden, all the monster''s mane and stripes start to glow. The bright light is blinding at night and I had to squint to see what was happening. Fortunately, with the light, we were able to clearly see the movements of all the monsters, and with her golden fur reflecting the light, Belle shines brightly in the dark. Each monster starts to move slowly, wandering towards Belle, with the 2 closer monsters attempting the attack Belle. They pounce towards Belle from two different directions. Swiping theirrge ck ws at the air as Belle nimbly jumps backward out of their range but it wasn''t over just yet. The 2 monsters leap off the ground faster than their initial pounce, baring their fangs at Belle. Belle dodges to the right and retaliates, mming her body at the closest monster''s side but unexpectedly she gets electrocuted. The moment her body touches the monster she howls in pain as her body gets electrified. Her movements be sluggish as she attempts to leap backward only to be attacked by another monster, receiving another electric shock. "She is getting too hurt. We need to help her, Ian." - Celine "If we send Dawn and Razor who is even slower than Belle then they would just get attacked over and over again by those monsters." - Ian "But-" Celine "Just watch Celine. The monsters aren''t all attacking Belle, it''s just those 2." - Ian Belle had recovered from the initial shock and started to avoid the attacks more and more frequently, dodging left and right while luring the 2 monsters slowly up the slope. I can see that the monsters were starting to be irritated at Belle. They started to spend up their attacks as well act more violently, to the point that they scratched each other when they missed an attack. Belle notices the change in behavior and attempts to taunt the monsters, even more, growling and biting at the air. Her attempts prove sessful as the monsters activate a new skill. Their bodies glow brighter and their mane stiffens bing something like a shield. With a loud roar, both monsters'' mane shoots out a ring of orange light towards Belle. The attack was faster than she had anticipated and Belle was hit on one of her lower legs by the attack. Once the attack had finished the light on the monsters'' mane and stripes dim and their movement slows. However, that doesn''t stop their attack. While slower than before, they run up the slope towards Belle. Belle turns her head upwards and decides to retreat for real, knowing that if she is caught by the monsters then she might die, but with her leg injured she couldn''t run properly. Instead, she has to limp up the slope, pushing off the ground with her front paws while stabilizing with her other back leg. Seeing their friend in danger, Dawn and Razor rush out from behind the shield wall, mming their bodies into the 2 monsters that had just reached Belle''s position. The sheer force of both wolves catapulting their bodies down the slope knocks the monsters all the way down towards the clearing where the rest of the pack was located. Razor bites into Belle''s back pulling her upwards while Dawn stands at the front howling to the moon. In response, the monsters howl back and start their ascent. 8 different rays of light travel upwards towards the wolves. Their speed created small afterimages in the night and before long they reached us, as Razor had sessfully taken Belle towards Sr who was casting a healing spell on her injured leg. "SHIELDS!" - Ian With the monsters lit up like a carnival, reacting to them was easy and defending against the first wave of the attack proved to be easier than we had thought. Only for us to be mistaken greatly. The electrocution affected the front line, yells could be heard from every with a shield. David however, decides to strike back even after getting shocked. His axes down like a guillotine, mming into the back of one of the monsters that had tried to retreat after mming into the shields. The de draws blood and the monsters retreat away growling at David. The monster''s light wanes as it proceeds to attack David again, in which it was only a normal strike with its ws. Taking advantage of David''s tanking was Kingston. His spear slides right beside David''s face, finding its mark in the middle of the monster''s paw, spilling blood all over David''s body. "Attack now, while we can''t be electrocuted." - Ian A volley of arrows rain over our shields piercing the bodies of the monsters and making them howl in pain. Stermits to the attack as well, stabbing and cutting another monster that was harassing the left side of the defensive wall. She would asionally dodge an attack from that monster and turn her attention to another monster, distracting two separate monsters by herself. I appear below Ster as she leaps upwards dodging a w swipe, narrowly dodging the attack myself. I could feel the increase in agility ying so many roles in my movement as I swiftly dodge attacks. At the same time, my strength had increased, and my damage towards monsters had improved. My polearm pierces the monster''s body deeply, ripping out its intestines as I pull my polearm out. Compared to before, it was like night and day. I no longer was a person that worked solely behind the scenes but I was also someone who can stand up and fight effectively when necessary. "CHARRRRRRRRRRGEEEEEEEEE" - Gibing Gibing''s shout rings in the battlefield as his groundes and attacks from the right, ambushing the monsters on that side and causing their light to dim. "The more their light dims, the less powerful they are. KEEP ATTACKING THEM." - Ian As I finish my sentence I jump backward avoiding a monster pouncing on me. The moment itnds though, it gets attacked by Ken and Kaede. Ken wields an ax while Kaede wields a spear and the both of them together inflicted serious damage to the monster. With Ken blocking an attack from the mosnter, while Kaede jumps out and around Ken to pierce the monster''s side created opportunities for me to attack the other side of the monster. Ken dodges an attack and slices the monster''s legs with his ax, cutting them clean off the bone and making the monster copse onto the ground. In which, Kaede leaps high into the air and positions the point of the spear tond on the head of the monster. Using gravity she propels herself downwards piercing the monster''s head and killing it in the process. "Good job you two." - Ian With a quick acknowledgment of their teamwork, we proceed to attack any of the monsters that came near until they repositioned themselves slightly further away. Much like their attack against Belle, their mane and stripes light up brightly. Without further ado, theyunch a simultaneous attack on our shields with the ring of light. In the nick of time, Sr casts shield on everyone in the front, depleting her MP but saving everyone in the process. With the monsters'' sluggish movements after releasing a powerful attack, we start to aggressively attack them. "ATTACK THEM WHILE THEY ARE WEAK!" - Ian The archers moved forwards, spreading out to the sides before attacking the monsters with more arrows. Some prate the monster''s eye and others prate through their skin and causing the monster to bleed. With victory in our sights, we made one final push, killing the rest of the monsters. The battle was over before we knew it and it was one of the easier battles, considering we had just faced 3 boss-like monsters. We gather the loot and saw that there was a range of loot. The loot we had acquired from this battle was 10 slices of meat, 4 sharp ws, 2 fangs, and 1 skill book. The skill book was dropped by the monster that I had killed while the fangs were dropped from monsters that I had damaged. Looking at the evidence, it seems like my luck stat is ying into this quite well. Higher luck brings higher-tier loot. I pick up all the items in order to have a look at the system message describing them. [ Tenderloin of the Crinzanna A tender, juicy cut of a Crinzanna. ] [ Crinzanna ws A jet ck w, capable of prating rocks. ] [ Crinzanna Fang A fang of the Crinzanna. Its pearl white color remains unsullied even though the Crinzanna rips prey to pieces with its sharp fangs. ] [ Skill Book: Light Steps (Passive) +5 Agility and the user''s footsteps be quieter. ] ? "MEAT! YES!" - Kingston "Looks like we are having meat tonight! Celine, David, prepare the fire at the clearing. Everyone else, time to set up camp!" - Ian 136 Chapter 136 Learning from experience we decide to set up multiple fires as well as station night watch closer to the clearing with 2 goblins at the top of the tree to overlook the whole situation. At the same time, we created a bigger fire in the middle to light up our surroundings as much as possible. As for food, Celine skewered the meat and ced them close to the fire. Not directly over the heat as it would burn the outside and not properly cook the inside of the meat. She also prepared some vegetable skewers using some of the root vegetables and wrapping them in herbs to give them a slight change in vor. I walk towards Ster who was under the tree, sharpening her knives using rocks. At the same time, I look at her status, confirming that she didn''t have what I wanted to talk to her about. Name: ??i?ll??? (Ster) Race: Night Elf Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 12/12 Strength: 23 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 24 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 33 Luck: 5 Skill: Stealth (Active) - 2MP, Shadow Bind (Active) - 5MP, Blessing of the Moon (Passive), Child of the Night (Passive) Stealth (Active) - The user can be invisible for 10min. Cooldown 30min Shadow Bind (Active) - Calling upon the shadows to pull the target into the abyss. If the target is swallowed by the shadow, the target dies, otherwise, it will CC the target for 1min or until it breaks. Cooldown 15min requires chanting. Blessing of the Moon (Passive) - The moon god has blessed this individual. 10% Strength and Agility increase at night. If it is a full moon, the individual gains an extra 10% Strength and Agility. Child of the Night (Passive) - Skills that rte to the dark element, will have 10% increased damage at night. Skills that CC or gives a positive effect or inflict a negative effect willst twice as long as normal while at night. "Ster. How is everything?" - Ian "Fine." - Ster "Well, I have something for you." - Ian I give Ster the skill book that had dropped from the monster I had in. Ster, however, return my gift with a confused expression. "What am I supposed to do with a book?" - Ster "Oh, no this is a skill book. You can learn the skill by opening and reading it." - Ian "Sounds too good to be true. How can a person learn a skill just by reading?" - Ster "Give it a go at least." - Ian Ster reaches out and grabs ahold of the book, opening up the first page, in which the pages start to glow white. Eventually, the whole book glows brightly as the book disintegrates into small glowing particles as they enter Ster''s forehead. With her eyes closed and her hands ced on herp, she focuses on the information that was currently being transported into her mind. Once the book disappears, Ster opens her eyes with newfound respect as she looks up at me. "I never knew I could learn so much from a book. It gave me an opportunity to improve my skills and it also taught me more about how to move around ces to reduce as much sound as possible. I think I would be more capable of sneaking up to monsters now because of this." - Ster I confirm with her stats, that the skill did get added to her status screen. "How do you feel?" - Ian "Honestly, great. There was more in that book than just the technique to move quietly which I still need to digest." - Ster "I see, welle and join the group I think Celine is almost done with the cooking." - Ian "I have a question before we go." - Ster "What is it?" - Ian "Why didn''t you use this on yourself? Surely, you must have considered the benefits of moving quietly." - Ster "I did look into the benefits but it wasn''t just my own. I looked at everyone''s strengths, weaknesses, and role in battle. Most of us are frontline warriors or archers with Sr as an expectation due to her magical ability. However, you are both a frontline warrior as well as an assassin." - Ian "But I don''t do assassinations." - Ster "You might not, however, your skills are tailored towards it whether you like it or not. Having stealth as a skill already makes you less of a warrior and more of someone that attacks an enemy unsuspectedly. Adding to that trait will be the skill, Light Steps. It will make you faster as well as quieter making it easier to attack someone who has left their guard down." - Ian "I guess but what about yourself?" - Ster "I have no use for the skill. Before I got cursed, I wasn''t strong. I was protected by you, Sr, Kingston etc. However, with newfound powers, I grew stronger but that doesn''t mean I forgot my roots. You have helped me before, now it was my turn to help and that is by giving the best who would use the skill to the best of their ability." - Ian "Okay. I understand. I will do my best to live up to your expectations." - Ster I nod my head and the both of us headed towards the bonfire. I could smell the meat being barbequed and the aroma made my stomach growl. I pick up a meat skewer only to see the fat dripping onto the ground. My stomach yearns for food and as I look at it more and more I finally snapped out of it and took my first bite. The soft yet slightly chewy texture fills my mouth. A true delicacy as I have not haven meat in the game before. The best we had were fish but I didn''t count. I wanted it to be more likend animals as my first meat and was I d to be having a piece. "THIS IS AMAZING!" - Kingston I could hear Kingston indulging himself on the other side of the bonfire as she devours skewer after skewer. I can''t me him though, since both of us eat meat on a daily. Having just vegetables and fish has been going on for too long and it was time to eat meat in the game. Then I noticed it wasn''t just him making a scene. Anyone who had eaten a skewer looked like they were in heaven, including Celine herself. Each b of meat was cut into smaller cubes andbined with vegetables to make a skewer and with every bite, I fell in love even more. Dinner eventually finished with the goblinsing back to eat while the shieldbearers went on night watch. Gibing and Gyumi were to the two hobgoblins on top of the tree looking into the distance and close by in order to see any potential monsters. While eating dinner with them, I asked them to report to me about their findings. "Our immediate location is still far away from here but in between here and the mountains, there seemed to be packs of monsters in various sizes." - Gibing "From what I could see, there were 3 more groups of the monster we had just killed before dinner. As well as, 15 other groups of different monsters." - Gyumi "There is currently nothing around us that would attack us unexpectedly. So resting tonight should be our main priority. We have enough supplies for a 2-week journey and some monsters drop meat which makes it easier for us to resupply." - Gibing ''"I also noticed that our fight with the monsters just then was extremely easier than the other two battles." - Gyumi "I noticed that too Gyumi. I believe it has to do with how stronger our previous opponents werepared to the monsters we are fighting at the moment. The monsters near us might be strong in their own regard but when facing a monster like Selino all other monsters look weak. I also think we all grew stronger as we face the 10 monsters cleanly and swiftly, helping each other out wherever we were in a bind." - Ian "Understood, Leader Ian." - Gibing, Gyumi After conversing with the goblins and making sure they were all okay, I start to pack away the rest of our loot. The ws and fangs can be made into higher quality knives and since they already have the shape of a knife we don''t need to add extra materials into the forging process. With not much left to do, I told the night watch schedule and made myselffortable using the Jackalope shirts as a nket and my basket as a pillow. I saw some of the other people doing the same as they try their best to keep the warmth in as long as possible. The temperature dropped quickly after the sun falls. However, with therge fires, I couldn''t help but feel slightly hot. I close my eyes, praying that we don''t fight anything at night again. I guess I must have prayed to the right god as the goddess of luck shows me a clear blue sky as I open my eyes. Nothing happened at night and I smile to myself. 2nd day, clear! 137 Chapter 137 The day starts very rxingly. Putting out the fires and getting into formation before venturing off over the hills. From what Gibing gatheredst night there were different groups of monsters roaming around in our path. While most people would want to avoid doing battle in an unknown territory, I think our group needs the battles. For one thing, everyone grows stronger after a battle. Even if it is just a little bit, we get stronger each time. What''s more the loot we can acquire from killing the monsters will be better than anything since I have increased Luck. So, time to find some monsters to kill. "Are you sure you want to keep fighting different groups of monsters?" - Kingston "Yeah. Better loot and everyone gets more experience in fighting as well. Ken and Kaede especially." - Ian "I just feel like by finding groups of monsters we are exposing ourselves to unnecessary danger." - Kingston "We are. I''m not denying that we are walking into danger, however, if we don''t take risks we won''t grow." - Ian "Alright. I get you. I also want to get better at using my skills and fighting is the only way." - Kingston "Exactly and I also need to get used to my new stats. I''m not sure how much strength to put into my polearm and I''m not used to how fast I move sometimes." - Ian "So I take it you will be at the front in our next few fights?" - Kingston "I''ll be right next to you and David, fighting for my life while Ken and Kaede sweep up anything I miss." - Ian "Sounds good hahaha." - Kingston "Do you think I''m going to regret¡­ This decision?" - Ian "If someone dies definitely but if this goes well then instead of regret you will be loving your decision." - Kingston "You think so?" - Ian "Of course. We get stronger. The NPCs get stronger. That''s all it is." - Kingston "Right." - Ian I look into the distance, gazing at the towering mountain range. Its peak is covered by the clouds and it ranges further than the eye can see. Below it was the hilly grasnds covering the ground as far as I could see. Gibing and the other goblins spread out, climbing the hills and scouting out any potential groups. Our next target was zebra-looking monsters. A group of 6 white horses with ck lightning bolt stripes were galloping across a t area. They had 2 small horns next to their small ck ears as well as a white lightning bolt tail. "Looks like Gyumi but a horse." - Gibing "Gibing,e here. It looks like you want to get hit." - Gyumi "May Gibing rest in peace." - Kingston "Gibing is still right though. The monsters here look like they use the same skills as Gyumi or at least something simr." - Ster "We should be able to defeat them though since there are only 6 of them." - Frank "What do you think we should do Yor? I want to know how you think about this." - Ian "Well, considering our superior numbers we should surround them. We have almost 5 times their numbers and most of us are fast making it easier for them to detour around to the back to cut off the escape. The only problem with surrounding the monsters is that we don''t know strong they are and if we can defend against one of their attacks." - Yor "I agree. Surrounding them would be the best way to deal with them. If they get up to speed then I am afraid we won''t even be fast enough to catch them so if we close off their escape route we should be able to defeat them rtively smoothly" - Ian "I also think Gibing and Gyumi should lead the charge on the monsters initially." - Yor "Oh? Why is that?" - Ian "Because it would look like a monster is trying to aggressively fight another monster and inherently goblins are weak monsters. It would getcent and have less incentive to escape from a group of goblins. In turn, we use that change in attitude to sneak around the other side with Ster using stealth anding up close to the monsters ready to ponce on any of them if needed." - Yor "Alright, we will go with your n. Gibing and Gyumi get 5 goblins each and detour around the monsters ande up from behind. Make it quick. They may be grazing on some grass right now but we won''t know when they will leave." - Ian "On it." - Gibing, Gyumi "Ian, I also think the wolves shoulde into the encirclementst." - Yor "Okay. Celine get it done. Have them protect you." - Ian "What about us?" - Ken, Kaede "You will be up at the front with David, Frank, Yor, me, and all the shieldbearers. If possible, y a more decisive role when engaging in fights. Don''t juste into it and swing your ax or spear. You need to be careful when you are fighting and be mindful of your surroundings." - Ian "Okay. We will do our best." - Ken, Kaede The rest of the goblins were behind the front line, with their arrows nocked into their bows. In the distance, I can see Gibing, Gyumi and their group of goblins. They march towards the zebras shouting and screaming, attracting the eyes and ears of the zebras. They lift their heads ncing at the intruders, only to continue chewing on the grass. ,m Gibing decides to move closer to aggravate the monsters, tossing his small knife at the closes monster, however, the knife bounces off a blue shield that appears suddenly on the zebra. Immediately, Gibing tenses up and puts up his guard ring at the monsters in front of us. Next to him was Gyumi and the other goblins, pressing their shields together forming a small phnx formation. One of the zebra stops chewing on the grass and looks down on Gibing. Its small ck pupil, eyeing Gibing as Gibing hides behind his shield. A blue spark starts to form above the monsters'' head. Slowly, that singr blue spark grows until it is a continuous stream of electricity. The zebra starts to paw the ground with its right front foot and at the same time, the spark grows brighter. The white lighting tail on its back stands up and the monster lowers its head. Slowly it starts to trot towards us, the electricity growing with each step. "We move in now!" - Ian The moment the monster starts to move forward I decided it was time to counterattack. Most of the monsters'' attention was on Gibing as well as the zebra who had wanted to fight Gibing. The moment we reveal ourselves the monsters caught wind of us, neighing loudly at us as we got closer. However, after the neighing was the lightninging between its horns. The first monster was galloping towards Gibing and the others, its eyes determined. The monster releases a stream of electricity as it gathered from the static electricity in the room and the world. Knowing what wasing, Gyumi decided to take the hit first, blocking the attack with her hand, to find out the strength of the monster. Since Gyumi had the lightning element the attack barely did any damage to her but instead powered her up. The edges of her pupils had thin blue snakes sparking in and out as the electricity gathers above her head. With a shout, the archers on Gibing and Gyumi''s side releases their arrows but were blocked by the invisible barrier. Seeing the barrier block the archer''s attempts, Gibing rushes forward with a spear, smashing the head of the spear into the right side of the monster. The barrier can be seen again and the monster did take any damage, however, felt the recoil. We reach the group of zebra and ready as I was, I dash forward mming my polearm into the closest zebra which also happens to be the stronger. However, another barrier. Seeing my unsessful attempt of breaking through the barrier, Kingston runs past me hitting the monster with the tip of his spear, prating through the protective barrier. Followed up by Frank''s stab into the side of the monster. Enraged by taking damage, its tail starts to glow bright white. Within seconds of me noticing the tail was different, it couldn''t hold back the urge anymore. It flicks its tail at the closest person which happened to be David. Several white stars hit David''s body only for him to feel nothing since Sr had cast Shield on David. I smile at the result. While the monsters can use lightning-rted skills and buff, their overall damage wasckluster. However, I might have just been lucky. The monsters are more suited to be bred into support characters. With buffs, it can be a vital member in most teams, except it was a monster. The shield bearers ran past off us positioning them around the monsters. Pressing their shields together we created a reverse phnx formation and now it was time to attack the monsters. 138 Chapter 138 Surrounded by the shieldbearers all 6 monsters start to glow white, with blue sparks zapping up and down their bodies. Their tails emit the most light and their eyes glow a shade of sky blue. "SOLAR CAST SHIELD ON EVERYONE! STELLAR SHADOW BIND!" - Ian Sr stands still as she looks at all the shieldbearers surrounding the monsters. Speaking in her mothernguage she begins casting shield while next to her Ster does the same casting shadow bind. Below the glowing zebras, a ck shadow envelopes them, spreading out until it covers all the zebras. As the shieldbearers glow yellowish-white, small child-like hands stretch from the abyss grasping onto the zebra''s neck and legs. Noticing the danger all the zebras'' tails flung white stars in random directions. Hitting the frontline as well as damaging the small ck hands that hold onto its brethren. Ster''s skill gets canceled but it did make the monsters cast their spell earlier than normal as the number of stars emitted was less than before. Noticing that the attack has stopped, the shieldbearers push forward, enclosing the circle more while the goblin archer shoots arrows at the monsters. Kingston runs towards the group as the dirt below him slowly travels up his leg, enclosing his body in dirt armor. Ster and I follow closely behind as push through a gap made by the shieldbearers, entering the encirclement. Ster disappears the moment shees inside while Kingston shouts aggressively, garnering the attention of the monsters and making them kick their hide legs towards us. The both of us dodge the attacks while stabbing at the monsters, weaving through the monsters until we reached the other side. By polearm did not prate through the barrier however, the once transparent barrier had be more visible and small thin cracks could be seen. Not letting a second go to waste, Gibing jumps over the shields and brings down his ax on the closest monster cracking the barrier even further and with their small bodies, Ken and Kaede tag team the same monster. Their weapons damage the barrier and with a stab of my polearm, we broke through that monster''s defenses. "DODGE IAN!" - Kingston Hearing Kingston''s cry I leap backward as a lightning bolt shes in front of me, hitting a shieldbearer on my left, leaving his shield with a ck burn mark. I nce to my right to see, Kingston attacking two different monsters while Ster appears above them mming her knives into the barrier, breaking a monster''s defenses, and letting Kingston stab the monster in the neck before taking a back kick from another zebra. I grit my teeth and focus on the monster in front of me. Ken had cut off one of its legs while Kaede pushes him out of the way from another monster''s lightning bolt attack. Gibing switches target and pushes towards that monster attacking the barrier aggressively until it gets pinned between Gibing and the shield wall. With David on the other side brutally bringing his ax down on the trapped monster its barrier breaks, revealing the exposed body. I grip onto my polearm and attack the initial monster, stabbing towards its body and prating its flesh. It violently reacts and tries to attack me with its tail only to be attacked by Kaede as she stabs her spear into the monster''s neck. Finishing the monster, I stab it in the eye, piercing through the back of its head. Its body loses all strength and it falls onto the ground. One down. I nce around at the battlefield and see that Kingston and Ster were having a hard time. Since most of the weapons couldn''t break through the barrier, the goblins and shieldbearers were either tanking a hit for Kingston or distracting the monster for Ster. Kingston''s dirt armor had worn off and he was attacking less aggressively while Ster was focused on dodging the white stars and lightning bolts. With the two of them handling 3 of the monsters it was to be expected, however, with me joining the battle their burdens were lessened. "Ster stealth. Find an opportunity to break the barrier. Kingston support me. The rest attack the moment the barrier breaks down." - Ian Ster nods towards me, dodging a kick from a monster before disappearing into thin air. Kingston parries a kick with his spear while I run up behind him, jumping into the air and stabbing downwards at the monster''s back. The tip of my polearm sends cracks into the monster''s barrier and with one fluid motion, I somersault forward, swinging my polearm around me shing at all three barriers at once. Right behind me were Ken and Kaede who followed up on my attack on the monster that targeted Kingston. Ken''s ax hits the belly of the monster breaking its barrier while Kaede stabs into its body with her spear, enraging the other 2 zebra monsters. Noticing the behavior change, Kingston grabs Ken and Kaede, flinging them behind him as the other monsters pounce onto Kingston. In the nick of time, a yellowish-white glow envelopes Kingston as he uses his spear and shield to defend against the attack. With the monsters distracted by Kingston Ster appears above them once again, stabbing both of them with her knives breaking their barriers before backflipping off them. I active Enhanced Agility and dash forward in between the 2 monsters attacking Kingston, piercing one of the monsters through the neck. I let go of my polearm and grab the two knives around my waist and jump up, stabbing the other monster in the eyes. Both monsters copse on the ground and Ster finishes thest monster after it had be an echidna from the many arrows the goblins had fired at it. On the other side, I see Gibing, Gyumi, David, Frank, and Sr finishing off thest 2 monsters as well, and with that another sessful fight. With a cheer and someughs, I pick up the loot and regroup with everyone. During the week, we search for monsters while taking a route that was more or less in a straight line towards the cross on the map. Along the way, we encountered lots of monsters. Including bigger packs of Crinzanna, Zivotinja the zebra monsters, Ombidia the bison monsters, Ijagu the jaguar monsters, Xabaril the boar monsters and the biggest threat we faced was a Roc. It happened as we were getting closer to the mountain range. Ken noticed that there was arge shadow approaching us fast so in preparation for it we went into the phnx formation but therge shadow passed us and nothing happened. That was when I thought about looking up and to my surprise, a giant bird was soaring the skies above us. Large brown feathers fluttered in the wind as it circled us with a pure white belly and bright yellow beak. In a second it dived down towards us breaking our formation and separating everyone. With a loud screech, it started to attack the closest person which was me. Itsrge beak punctures the ground as it aims for me but within thest week I had gotten stronger and I had acquired some helpful skill books from the monsters. I used Enhanced Agility and Quickstep to dodge to the sides circling the monster then shing at the monster''s left leg with Cleave. I acquired Quickstep from the Ijagu and Cleave from the Xabaril. Quickstep (Active) - 1MP - The user quickly dodges in a direction without breaking momentum. Cooldown 30 seconds. Cleave (Active) - 2MP - The user shes horizontally. ( 15 dmg + 10% Strength ) Cooldown 1 min. Once I had dodged out of the way, everyone had recovered from the initial impact and started to hunt the monster. I gave Kingston Cleave as well as Charge allowing him to retaliate the fastest. Right behind him was Gibing who also charged at the monster from a different direction. The Roc responded by pping its wings causing strong gusts of wings to blow at Kingston. David who had retreated in the same direction as Kingston initially, braved the winds and pushed forward with his shield. Behind him, Gyumi was gathering electricity and Sr was chanting, waiting for the moment the monster stopped its attack. On the other side, Gibing had climbed on top of the monster charging up his attack at the neck. I gave him, David and Frank a skill book as well called, Concentrated Blow which we gained from the Ombidia. Concentrated Blow (Active) - 5MP - The user charges up their attack for 5 seconds before releasing all of their strength in the next attack. The user can cancel the charge before 5 seconds but the damage would be reduced. ( 20 dmg + 10 dmg/s + 10% Strength ) Cooldown 10mins Right next to Gibing was Ster who had teleported to Gibing''s shadow using Shadow Step, a skill dropped from the Ijagu and also the most annoying skill when facing them. Shadow Step (Active) - 5MP - The user teleports to a shadow within 100m. Cooldown 10mins She wielded her knives and ran up towards the Roc''s head. Ster jumped and flipped around, stabbing the monster in the eyes. She fell safely into David''s arms as the monster stopped its gust attack and at the same time received a Ball of Light and Discharge from Sr and Gyumi. The goblin archers also provided some damage as they aim for the injured eye with their arrows causing the monster to bleed rivers of blood. The monster tried to run away but with a timely attack by Gibing who had charged his attack to full, ms his ax on the monster''s neck. He prated through the skill and damaged the monster greatly however, it wasn''t enough to kill the monster as the monster used a skill simr to Kingston''s Sand Armor. Large lumps of dirt surrounded the monster creating ayer of dirt around its body. With its heavy body, it couldn''t fly and insteadunched blocks of dirt at us which hurt quite a bit if we got hit. After a long strenuous battle with the Roc we were eventually able to defeat it but only because it gave up its flight to fight us on the ground. From it, we obtained a Roc Talon, a skill book, and 2 of the goblins had evolved into hobgoblins. [ Roc Talon - A ck talon with yellow streaks embedded into the talon. It is asrge as a man''s arm and can pierce flesh as if it were butter. ] [ Eye of the Roc ( Passive ) - The user can focus their sight in a line, seeing things far away. The vision can see through weather conditions such as fog, heavy rain, hail but cannot see in the dark. ] Name: Gopopo Race: Hobgoblin ( Archer ) Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 20 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 30 Luck: 10 Skill: Backstep (Active) - 2MP, Pinpoint (Active) - 2MP, Enhanced Sight (Passive), Weak spot (Passive) Pinpoint (Active) - The user concentrates on the target allowing them to hit the target with the next attack. Can only be used when there is vision of the target. ( x1.5 dmg to the next attack ) Enhanced Sight (Passive) - The user can see further into the distance and can see slightly better in bad weather conditions. Weak spot (Passive) - The user can identify the enemy''s weak spot. New enemies'' weak spot takes longer to find. Name: Gewari Race: Hobgoblin ( Assassin ) Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 22 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 20 ,m Dexterity: 40 Agility: 40 Luck: 5 Skill: Stealth (Active) - 2MP, Eviscerate (Active) - 8MP, Focused Mind (Active) - 5MP, Backstab ( Passive) Eviscerate (Active) - The user stabs 4 times at the target with each subsequent attack after the first increasing in damage. ( First attack 10 dmg + 10% Dexterity + 5% Strength. Second attack 15 dmg + 10% Dexterity + 5% Strength. Third attack 20 dmg + 10% Dexterity + 5% Strength. Fourth attack 30 dmg + 10% Dexterity + 5% Strength. ) Focused Mind (Active) - The user''s mind calms, allowing them to gather strength for the next attack. ( x1.5 dmg to the next attack ) Backstab (Passive) - Whenever the user attacks an enemy in the back they will do increased damage. ( x2 dmg) With the evolution of Gopopo and Gewari, we need have 4 hobgoblins in our ranks, further increasing our groups'' strength. Their new skills also portray different styles which add to the variety of attacks we can do as a team. As excited as I was to fight we need to recuperate our strength first. Resting inside a small cave at the foot of the mountain, we wait until tomorrow before exploring this new territory. 139 Chapter 139 I wake up in the morning as the sunlight slowly creeps into the cave. Ster and Kingston were already outside bathing in the sunlight as they converse quietly, making sure to not wake the rest up. "The Roc we faced yesterday was surprisingly easy." - Kingston "Only because we kept fighting since we left the forest. We had be stronger." - Ster "True. I am still worried about the dangers we are going to face in this mountain range." - Kingston "The dinosaur?" - Ian I walk out and stand next to the two of them. Kingston turns towards me with an aloof expression while Ster looks into the distance nonchntly. "Exactly. Can we even defeat this thing?" - Kingston "Who knows, but that''s why we tried our best to gain more experience fighting as a team and fighting alone." - Ian "What if I go berserk?" - Kingston "Have you gone berserk in thest week? No. I think it should be fine." - Ian "Sr will heal you before you go berserk." - Ster "Alright, alright. Just trying to give a heads-up." - Kingston "Well, considering that the 3 of us are most likely the strongest individuals in this group, how do you feel about any of the others? I just want to know your opinion of them, good or bad." - Ian "Feedback on them? David has been doing a great job as a tank, and recently he has been less scared. He has started to be the first person to rush into battle and protect the ones behind him. Plus, he alsomands most of the front line by himself." - Kingston "I feel like David is doing a good job as well. Frank and Yor has been supporting him as well. Frank tends to be behind David and covers for him if an attack goes over David''s shield. Whereas Yor, after he healed, has yed an active role inmanding the front line when the battle gets intense." - Ster "Right, I feel Yor has be more of a tactician, supporting David''s initialmands with information he perceives during the battles. How about the goblins and the hobgoblins?" - Ian "Gibing is charging into the battle without thinking most of the time and while it has worked out for now, I''m not sure what would happenter on. However, he is improving at a fast rate and can handle multiple enemies." - Kingston "Gyumi is attacking from the distance a lot and tends to use her skills to support everyone else. While she isn''t as active, she mainly helps by using her bow and arrow." - Ster "Those two had the most experience as a hobgoblin and now that Gopopo and Gewari have evolved it will provide us with moreplex strategies. I''m thinking of letting Gopopomand 5 goblin archers while Gewari follows you, Ster." - Ian "I understand having Gopopo who is our main archermand a group of goblins, but why is Gewari following me?" - Ster "I want you to be less in the front lines and more attacking from their back line or nks. Originally, you were at the front since we didn''t have enough strong people to defend the rest of us, but after the many battles, even the normal shield bearers have grown in strength as well. Your role now is to bean assassin. Someone who lurks in the shadows and eliminates the biggest threat, and Gewari is the only other person that is simr to your strengths." - Ian "I prefer to be alone." - Ster "I know that, but teaching another person what you know will help solidify your knowledge as well. Maybe she will be able to teach you something about assassinations as well." - Ian "Alright, I''ll do my best." - Ster "What about Ken and Kaede? I''m still slightly worried about the two of them." - Ian "They are amazing. Too good in my opinion. Despite how small they are and how little experience in fighting they have, they are very strong. What''s more, they are still growing." - Kingston "I agree. The two of them have yed, and major roles in some recent battles, and they are slowly getting faster and stronger with each monster we fight." - Ster "Yea, it must be in their blood as wolf demi-humans. They are strong and they are growing stronger." - Ian I continue to chat with the two of them about some recent fights, reflecting on some things that went slightly wrong and ways we could improve on it. I took some advice from Sam and Evan and told both Ster and Kingston about it. Slowly, more and more people woke up and by the time everyone was awake the sun was high in the sky. We decide to venture into the mountain range in search of the treasure as well as new monsters to battle. With a new environment we had to be more careful since there were new threats. Going out of the cave and turning left, there was a small crevice that split a tall mountain in two. It was the only path that we could see in our immediately surroundings but it only fit a person at a time. I venture first, holding onto the basket with my left and turning my body sideways as I slowly move through. Jagged rocks hit my back as I move across. The dirt blows into my face slowly painting it red but eventually Ie out the other side. I let out a quiet whistle as I take in the scenery. I had emerged in the valley of two mountains. Boulders litter the ground and the slopes gradually be steeper the higher you look up. From what I could see, the red dirt slowly transitions into brown and then into white as the tops of the mountain had snow. I signal for the rest of the group toe through, with David being the hardest to squeeze through. The wolves had an easy time as they just walked through at the end. Even though the sun was high up in the sky, I feel slightly cold. My breath makes a white cloud every time I exhale, and I can feel the tips of my fingers losing feeling the longer I stood still. "Everyone, put on your warmer clothes, it seems like this area is a lot colder than the ins outside." - Ian I inform everyone about the temperature change and pull out the jackalope clothing, wearing them over my armor. During the week, we had also encountered droves of jackalopes. The small monsters hid in the thickest ces in the ins, charging out and giving us a lot of scares. However, we had defeated a lot of them and were able to kill them quickly, obtaining a lot of fur which Celine made into clothing for everyone. Everyone took out their set of warm clothes and put them on. Due to everyone wearing the same clothes it looked like we were wearing a uniform. Once everyone had their new clothes on, we start to continue our journey. I look around as we walk forward, taking the new environment in and looking out for any monsters. I had the scouts not too far away from the main group, just in case there was something unexpected happening. We slowly move forward until, we hit a dead end, a cliff. Looking down into the cliff, I can only see darkness. Even with the sun above us, it ran so deep that the sunlight cannot even touch the bottom. On the other side, I can see that there is a cave. Interestingly, though, the cave had green lines creeping out of it, as if it were green spider webs. It crawls out of the cave as well surrounding the entrance, creeping along the mountain side. "That just screams danger." - Kingston Kingston walks up to me and ces a hand on my shoulder. I was standing a little away from the edge, looking at the cave. "It also screams opportunity, right? There is something there, whether it is good or bad we just don''t know yet." - Ian "So you think a random cave in the middle of a mountain that has green linesing out of it, is a good thing?" - Kingston "Hey, I''m just saying we should check it out if we find a way to cross this canyon." - Ian "THIS CANYON LOOKS DANGEROUS! We can''t even see the bottom." - Kingston "Well, I think our answer lies in either we take a right or a left. The map doesn''t zoom in so I can''t tell exactly where the treasure is, however we are definitely in the right area." - Ian "Gibing is currently looking at the left while Gewari ran to the right. We should be able to get an answer soon as to which we need to go." - Kingston ,m "Good, for now, let''s rest up while we wait for them." - Ian The both of us turn around as we begin to walk to the main group. We ha set up camp a little further away, just so nothing unexpected would happen to us near the edge of the cliff. Using two boulders as cover from the cold winds, we had arge fire to warm us up. However, the moment me and Kingston walked away from the cliff we both heard a sound. A low growl and it wasn''t the wolves. It echoes behind us, down in the canyon. I swallow my saliva and look at Kingston"RUN!" - Ian The moment I scream run, my legs pushed off the ground as hard as I can. I activate Enhanced Agility and bolt towards the main group, but in between us the ground starts to crack. The crack justrger andrger and as I approach it, it bursts open revealing a tower of stone rising upwards. I quickly change directions, moving to the right while Kingston moves to the left, but I guess I should have turned to the left as another stone tower rises in front of me, forcing me to run through the small gap between the two towers. I jump over the cracks but as if I wasn''t unlucky enough a third tower appears and the ground in between the three of them copse inwards. I scream, I see the ground move further and further away from my feet as if it was escaping from me. Unable to find any footing, I il my arms and legs forward, desperately trying to grab onto the other side of the hole. My hand luckily grabs onto a protruding rock but with how heavy I was, it cracks and breaks, and I continue my fall, deeper into the darkness. 140 Chapter 140 "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh........" From behind me, I hear a scream. Running forward, I turn my head to the side trying to find out the source of the scream. "Ian¡­?" - Kingston Ian, who had taken the other direction, was gone. Where did he go? Wait¡­ Is that a hole? No way. He fell into a hole. Shit. Shit. Shit. The vision Melody had over a week ago had finally happened. I dodge to the side and run towards the group. I see them set up formation but looking at the situation I feel like it was better to leave. A total of 6 rock snakes had appeared from the ground. Its boulder consisted of arge boulder as a head with smaller boulders connected to it until the tip of the tail was a rock the size of a fist. The whole body spun like a top as it appeared from the ground, only stopping once they had exited. It has no eyes or mouth, just a long snake-like body of rocks. "RETREAT!" - Kingston "What about Ian?" - Frank "He fell into a hole. I''m not sure how to save him but if we die we won''t have a chance to do anything." - Kingston "Kingston is right. These monsters will be difficult to face in an open area and with our current weapons." - Ster "Celine, Yor, run as hard as you can. Have the wolves escort you to that crevice we went through to get to this area. The rest of us SPREAD OUT! We need to draw the attention of the monsters while we slowly go through the crevice." - Kingston Celine and Yor nod their heads, grabbing David''s and Frank''s basket as well as theirs before running. The goblins spread out with most of them trying to attract the attention of the rock snakes with their arrows. While the shieldbearers precede to defend any attacks the monsters attempt on the goblins. "Sr! Take Ken and Kaede with you and run as well. Ster, David, Frank, Gibing, Gyumi, Gopopo, and Gewari, stay with me. Let''s try to defeat them one by one." - Kingston The closest snake is still partially in the ground, slowly curling its body upwards. I activate Charge and rush at the monster, stabbing the monster in the area that connects two rocks. My spear prates through, separating part of the monster. A small smile spreads across my face and I quickly step out of the way, regrouping with the ones I made to stay back. However, that smile fades as quickly as it came. The rocks that I had severed from the main body slowly started to move back to the ce I had cut. Its main body spins faster and it snakes along the ground, picking up dirt and pebbles and flinging them in all directions. The moment the two separated parts connect, it slows the spinning and starts to move towards us at a frighteningly quick pace. "David, take the first hit. Ster see if you can stop its movement. Gyumi, Gopopo, and Gewari distract the other monsters that areing close. Frank, Gibing you are with me. We are going to charge into the monster the moment David tanks the hit." - Kingston David readies his shield as he stands firm in front of us, his eyes full of confidence. Unlike when we first set off on this journey he was no longer as afraid. The 3 hobgoblins run towards other rock snakes attacking them with some skills or weapons to draw them away from us. The rock snake targeting us ms into David''s shield head first. Its whole body gradually spins faster as it pushes David backward. His feet make long trails in the dirt as he gets dragged away. However, it allows the rest of us to retaliate. Ster jumps to the right as she prepares the chant while, Frank, Gibing, and I charge in. Frank and Gibing had gone to the left side while I went to the right. Activating charge again, I blitz towards the rock snake targeting the gap between boulders, however,pared to thest attempt, the boulders are at least twice the size. My spear couldn''t prate through and instead chipped off a bit of the boulder before bouncing off. On the other side, I see Gibing jump upwards, mming his ax down hard on the boulder creatingrge cracks on the surface. Gibing leaps off the monster while Frank follows up with Gibing''s previous attack with his own. Frank pierces the crack that Gibing had just made with his spear introducing more cracks and as the monster''s body slowly spins the boulder cracks further eventually breaking into small rocks. The body of the monster that had attacked David slowed to a stop however starts to spin faster and faster. A screeching noise could be heard as the head scraped against David''s shield. David tries to push the monster back, mming his stone ax on the spinning rock but is unable to do any damage, instead David''s shield shows signs of breaking. Small cracks appear on the surface. The rest of the monster''s body starts to slowly move towards the spinning head but Ster spelles just in time. ".??¦Ãd? ??? o?ni m??? ???b ?wob??? ??? ????l?? nooM ,?O .bn?? ¦Ãm o?ni ?wob??? ??? ?ni?d bn? ??woq ?m ?n??? nooM ??? ¦Ã?M SHADOW BIND!" - Ster Small ck hands grip onto the monster''s body pulling it slowly into the shadows until it all disappears. Gibing and Frank turn towards David, rushing to help him out before it bes toote. I rush over to do the same and the moment I reach the monster, Gibing and I both activate Cleave. Sparks flew from the monster as our weapons attack the spinning rock. Cracks form in the rock and Frank finishes off the monster with a thrust into the gap where it was cracked. The momentum of the rock proceeds to crack it further until it shatterspletely, spraying rubble in all directions. I shield my face with my arm, only removing it once I confirm it was safe. A singr grey orb was left on the ground but I didn''t have time to pick it up to see what it was as I see Gyumi narrowly dodge a tail swipe. "Good job everyone now on to the next-" - Kingston As I was able to finish my sentence the grey orb shes briefly before levitating before us. Immediately, we back off and prepare our shields. The grey orb shes quicker and quicker and starts to spin in the air. Small rocks and pebbles on the ground slowly get float up, sucked towards the orb. As the orb spins faster and faster, more and more rocks get dragged into the center. Colliding with each other and merging, until it forms a singrrge boulder. "Damn it. We need to destroy the orb if we want to kill that monster." - Kingston The boulder starts to spin. Slowly at first but them it quickens its pace as itnds on the ground. The boulder immediately turns towards David, spinning towards him. Once again David blocks the boulder with his shield but from the previous battle, his shield was already cracked, resulting his David''s shield shattering the moment the boulder hits him. David ends up taking the hit with his body, holding the boulder back with his arm guards but even then, it wouldn''tst long. Without wasting any more time, I stab the boulder multiple times with my spear, each thrust creating small holes in the boulder, only to be filled up slowly with rocks on the ground. Frank follows my example, stabbing the boulder in the hope it will slow down, while Gibing charges up a Concentrated Blow. The amount of friction from the boulder and David''d wooden arm guards sets it alight, leaving David no choice but to dodge out of the way, swinging his ax in an attempt to do damage to the monster. The moment he dodges away the boulder bursts into smaller rocks. The shattered rocks revolve around the grey orb, like Saturn''s rings. It sends rocks out towards us at high speeds, cutting up Frank''s skin as he barely dodges the rocks. With its defense down, Ster appears behind the monster and stabs forward with her knife. However, its a trap. The rocks around the monster stop revolving and converge towards the orb trapping Ster''s arm in the monster. She screams in pain but not for long as Gibing strikes forward with his Concentrated Blow, breaking past the rocks but missing the orb. "Ster, it doesn''t have eyes but it can see us. It must be using some other method to detect movement around itself. I don''t think you can sneak up on it." - Kingston "I''m well aware.'' - Ster "This monster isn''t easy. I think we should retreat. We tried to defeat it however it''s too strong for us right now." - Frank "Agreed. Everyone lets move. GYUMI, GOPOPO, GEWARI! RETREAT!" - Kingston I shout at the top of my lungs to get their attention and luckily I did. The moment my sentence finishes, they retreat towards the crevice. Following them closer was us, and looking at the 3 hobgoblins they didn''t have a good time. They had many scrapes on their bodies and some of the shields that the shieldbearers were carrying ended up broken as well. The goblins looked the best but that was mainly because they were archers and couldn''t do much but run against this monster. None of them could break the monster''s defense and even see that the core of the monster is the grey orb. However, looking back at the monster. The grey orb is like a nucleus much like a golem which brings up the question, is it Kronos''s army? I look towards Ster and tell her my inquiry as we run away. "I''m not sure if that was a golem or now. I have seen lots of golems before but none that huge. The head is already bigger than David and that goes on for a couple of boulders before it only starts to decrease in size." - Ster "I know. I only had a thought after seeing the grey orb. The golems we fought before had blue orbs so I thought maybe they are rted." - Kingston "It''s possible but we can''t confirm it." - Ster "It''s also very strong and if only we knew that we should have crushed the orb the moment it came out of the monster, we would be facing one less monster." - Kingston "We didn''t know since it was a new monster." - Frank "I know and it will only get more difficult since we lost so many resources." - Ster "For now, let us regroup with everyone at the crevice. The monsters may be following us but once they have a big body they be slow. Wait¡­ What is that in front of us towering over the crevice? No¡­ It can''t be. The dinosaur¡­" - Kingston 141 Chapter 141 The main group was still a while away from the ones that left first and in the distance, we were able to see the towering dinosaur. It lets out a roar towards the crevice and even though it wasn''t directed at us, the wind created from its roar sts against us, lifting some of the smaller goblins off their feet for a bit. Comparing it to a building, the dinosaur was as tall as a 4 story apartment with arge scaly body. The scales were mainly brown with a hint of red and its tail drags along the ground picking up dirt as it moves back and forth. Its back legs were as thick as a tree with sharp yellowish-white toes. The monster paces around the crevice, bashing its head against the mountainside and wing with its small arms. Looking hopeless, David silently speaks his mind. "What is that monster?" - David "If I''m right and I know I''m right, that is a tyrannosaurus rex or T-rex. An apex predator. Arge reptile. A KILLING machine." - Kingston "So, don''t fight." - Frank "Do not fight." - Kingston "Sr and the others are most likely in the crevice. There is no reason for the monster to be continuously attacking a wall other than the fact that prey is in that direction." - Ster "Yes and the moment we get close to it, we will be prey. Look at us Ster, rock snakes areing from behind us and we are a rtively big group. That dinosaur will immediately attack us the moment we get close." - Kingston Ster walks over to me and grabs my armor, picking me up and ring directly into my eyes. "Then what do you suggest? I am NOT gonna leave Sr, Celine, Yor, the kids, and the wolves to fend for their lives against a monster that is the size of a hill." - Ster "I''m not thinking about leaving them. I''m thinking about how to save ourselves. They are safe so long the mountain doesn''t break. The crevice might copse but at least that way the only thing we lose is an escape route. We would be separated but the monster cannot go and attack them." - Kingston Gibing ces a hand on Ster''s shoulder, holding her back slightly. "Ster, Kingston is right. Usually, Ian would have a n but from what happened early we need to figure this out ourselves. The big monster isn''t a threat to us right now. The rock snakes are a threat." - Gibing "Their core is their weakness and it seems as they spin faster the fewer rocks attached to them." - Frank I brush Ster''s hand off me and look back into her eyes. "We will save them, don''t worry. For now, let''s focus on one side of the battle first. How is that?" - Kingston "Fine." - Ster "Good. Looking at what we can do, the only ones capable of smashing the biggest boulders are David and Gibing. Frank, Ster and I can do follow-up attacks to further break it. Which leaves everyone else. Attack the tails of the monster. Remove the small rocks and any medium-sized boulder if possible. Use knives to pry them open, use spears and shove them in the gaps. There are 6 of them so do your best to distract the others that the main team isn''t attacking." - Kingston "I''m going to attack the one on the far right. It''s the closest to us and it''s also the one we attack before." - Gibing. "Alright, David, Frank, Ster follow Gibing. The rest spread out and do your best!" - Kingston Gibing charges towards the rightmost rock snake, brandishing his ax and then letting the handle rest on his shoulder. As he reaches the monster, he leaps into the air, lifting his ax high. However,pared to thest time he attempted this, the monster had seen the attack before. As Gibing jumps, the monster ms its tail on the ground, creating momentum for the head to fling itself upwards at the same time. The defenseless Gibing gets hit midair and is sent flying towards us. David rushes in front, grabbing onto Gibing, breaking his fall by falling backward slowly. Leaving the two to recover, I run forward with Frank on my left and Ster on my right. As the head of the monster falls I activate Sand Armor. The red dirt below me creeps up surrounding my armor in a redyer and before the monsternds on the ground, I thrust my spear towards it. I use gravity as well as the force behind the spear to prate the already cracked surface shattering the boulder into small rocks. Almost immediately, the small rocks start to levitate and rotate around the now exposed grey orb. Frank dashes from behind me, stabbing forward before the rotating rocks gain momentum. The tip of his spear passes theyer of rocks hitting the orb but just barely. It scrapes the side creating a thin white line. I see Frank curse underneath his breath as he dodges to the side as the rotating rings of rockse closer to him. However, his attack wasn''t in vain. Steres from the other side with her knives, stabbing past the rings and attacking the grey orb. Likewise, her attack is thwarted by the rotating rings of rocks. The damage she caused was akin to Frank but I saw the light. I know how to attack the grey orb while defending against the rings. "STELLAR, FRANK! ATTACK THE GREY ORB ON MY SIGNAL!" - Kingston "Got it!" - Ster, Frank I get my spear and run towards the floating grey orb. In response, it attacks with the rings, sending rocks of various sizes and shapes towards me. I block using my spear or my arm guards and if I could I would dodge the rocks. As Ie closer, I notice out of the corner of my eye, another rock snake charging towards me. Near it, were 3 goblins and 2 shieldbearers that were just knocked to the side. The monster was charging towards me now, but I couldn''t turn away from the grey orb as I was just too close. I take another step forward, reaching rings and gritting my teeth. Do I dodge backward and lose all my ground? Do I just have to tank the attack on my side? Frank and Ster were both on my left, running close to me watching my movements and my decision. "KINGSTON! Don''t worry. We got this." - David "Focus on the enemy in front of you!" - Gibing mming into the rock snake that was charging into me was David and right behind him, crashing into the monster was Gibing. I smile at the two''s decision and decide tomit to my choice. I bring my shield up close to my body as I jump into the rotating rocks. Rocks m into my shield, my body armor, and into the ces that weren''t protected. Blunt objects and sharp objects together start smashing into my body like I was a punching bag. "NOW!" - Kingston Without a second thought, Frank and Ster run-up passing me and attacking the grey orb with their respective weapons. I was blocking the rocks with my body, creating a gap where the two were able to blitz past. The continuous strikes eventually shatter the grey orb and the levitating rocks lost their momentum, falling into the ground. The whole left side of my body was numb and I could see parts of it turning purple while other parts were bleeding. However, that was just the first one. I check my status as I straighten my back. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 5/28 Mana Points (MP): 1/5 Strength: 12 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 20 Luck: 1 Skill: Sand Armor (Active), Endless Rage (Active), Cleave (Active), Charge (Active), Buffalo Horns (Passive) Equipment: Spear of Light (Unactivated), Golem Stone Knife, Stone Chest te, Wooden Helmet, Wooden Arm Guards, Wooden Leg Guards, Little Scutum ( Square ) I took out from the basket on my back, another small water bag. The second of the three potions I had with me. I down the cold soup and let it do its magic, healing me. Despite using Sand Armor and protecting my body as much as I could with my armor, I still took a lot of damage. "Are you okay, Kingston?" - Ster I took in a deep breath before replying. "I''m fine. I needed to use one of Lucina''s potions but other than that, I''m fine. We need to help out David and Gibing. They are-" - Kingston "There is no need. I think they were able to defeat one." - Frank "Huh?" - Kingston I look over towards the monster that David and Gibing were fighting. The head of the monster had already been smashed and the grey orb hade out. The revolving rock rings get defeated by the same technique I had used and with one swift, powerful strike from Gibing the grey orb is shattered. "David is just¡­ Better I guess¡­?" - Kingston "Don''t worry. You tried." - Ster Having defeated 2 of the 6 monsters with the same strategy, we continue to do the same with the rest. Having the goblins, the shieldbearers, and even Gopopo or Gewari to lure the monsters towards David or Gibing, who breaks the rocks in seconds and proceeds to tank the shrapnel. Frank, Ster, and I finish off the grey orb while the rest keeps the other monsters clear before repeating the same steps on the next monster. Before long we defeated all the rock snakes and I acquired the loot. [ Roche Serpent Golem Core A small grey core is used to create Roche Serpents Golems. Roche Serpents were ancient monsters consisting of pure rocks. They fed on rocks and slowly be bigger and longer the more rocks they consume. Combine this core with a magic circle to create a small Roche Serpent Golem. ] "It is a golem. Kronos is involved, be careful everyone. We don''t know what else is out there." - Kingston 142 Chapter 142 "Let''s go back, we need to figure out what the monster near the crevice is and what we can do to stop it." - Kingston After defeating all the Roche Serpents, we turn back towards the dinosaur. Fortunately for us, it was still preupied with the wall and was still ramming its body against it. Small rocks could be seen breaking off the side of the wall and falling onto the dinosaur''s body, rolling off its scales and smashing into the ground. We stood on top of a small hill, looking over at the dinosaur. I look around observing the environment. To the right of the dinosaur is more tnd before eventually sloping up the mountain whereas the left side of the dinosaur is rockier and steeper. "What do we¡­ do?" - David "Gopopo can you see if Sr and the others are okay?" - Kingston "Even with Enhanced Sight, the monster is kicking up too much dirt to be able to see clearly through it. If Ian was here, he should be able to see with the Eye of the Roc." - Gopopo "So we need to get closer to confirm if they are okay or not?" - Ster "It''s too dangerous. That monster will tten us in seconds and we can assume they are at least alive since the monster is still attacking that direction. If they were already killed and eaten then the monster would have moved away." - Frank "I think that monster is only one of our problems. Near the cliff, I heard a low growling before Ian and I got separated." - Kingston "So there is another monster below us?" - Gibing "Maybe." - Kingston "Focus! We need to make sure the rest are okay." - Ster "Okay, well the most obvious of things to do would be to distract the monster." - Kingston "I''ll do it. I''m fast, I should be okay." - Gewari "Me too. If it is only 1 person attacking it, I don''t think it will be distracted." - Gibing "Gibing, you aren''t that fast." - Gyumi "Then what do you suggest? I don''t want to sit around waiting." - Gibing "No, I know what we need to do. We are going to split up. Ster, Gyumi, Gewari and Gopopo as well as some of the faster goblins will be one team. Everyone else will be on the other team. Ster''s team will run towards the monster first, attacking from a distance before running away. When you do run away run towards the right side. Everyone in my group we are going to run towards the left. We are going to use the rocks as cover as we traverse along that mountainside and thening down the mountain towards the crevice." - Kingston Ster looks at me with a confused look. "Are you sure about this n?" - Ster I look around only to see the doubting faces of everyone. I know deep down the n wasn''t concrete and there were a lot of variables. I know that there is a chance that the NPCs here won''t listen to me because they are loyal to Ian. However, there isn''t much I can do in this situation. "If I''m being honest, then I''m not sure about the n but I can''t think of anything else right now. Every second we waste here we potentially risk losing some of our friends. The n may not be easy, I never said it was going to be but at least we are going to try something." - Kingston I look at everyone with a determined face. Making my hand into a fist and punch it outwards towards the group. "We can do this! It''s just one big scary lizard. That monster is nothingpared to that spider queen we faced before." - Kingston A short speech, unlike Ian''s however, carrying the same energy. I see their worried faces lift one by one and even a smile appearing on some of them. While they too know that it will be dangerous tomit to this fight, there wasn''t much choice. Every grips their weapons tightly and looks towards me, ready to fight. "Alright, let''s go! Ster''s group forward! Everyone else, follow me!" - Kingston I shout mymands and start running towards the left. The whole group split into two, one smaller and more agile group running towards the dinosaur and anotherrger group running towards the rocky terrain. Running on uneven surfaces slows us down, however, therge rocks scattered in this area also served as a hiding spot and an observation spot. Every step upwards and around a rock, I look down watching Ster and the rest approach the dinosaur. p The group behind me tries their best to catch up, however, all of us were wearing the woven baskets on our backs, weighing us down. When one falls, another helps them up and the time it takes for us to get up the mountain until we reach a tter area to run across increases. By the time we reach a small teau covered in red dirt and sand, Ster''s group had reached the dinosaur. I run across the teau, focused on the action near the dinosaur''s feet. Gyumi''s horns shine blue as electricity gathers above her head. Releasing them towards the body of the dinosaur as she nimbly dodges the dinosaur''s tail. Following her attack was a small volley of arrows from the goblins, however, the tough scales on the dinosaur make both Gyumi''s and the goblin''s attack feel like a mosquito attack. Without even turning to see the new enemies near it, it continues to ram its head into the crevice, forcing itself inside it a bit with each attack. I run towards the end of the teau, overlooking the battle directly from the left as the rest of the people and goblins in my group slowly reach me. While I was waiting I kept looking at the battle at the crevice. Ster and Gewari both climb on top of the dinosaur''s tail, running on top of the scales until they reach the back. As they run up halfway, the dinosaur finally notices them. It turns itsrge head around and its yellow eyes re at Ster and Gewari. It shakes its whole body attempting to toss the pair off but instead they both jump up and turn invisible, reappearing closer to the dinosaur''s head. Ster''s knives aim for the left eye, while Gewari attacks the right eye. Both, unfortunately, fail as the dinosaur closes its eyes. The scales on its eyelids protect it from the stone knives and the girls fall towards the ground, safelynding by rolling as they touch the ground. Despite doing no damage to the dinosaur, they were able to draw its attention. A loud roar echoes from the dinosaur''s mouth as its nostrils re, producing a small cloud of smoke. The girls run towards the left with Gewari and the goblins running parallel to them. The dinosaur''srge body slowly turns towards the group, its feet creating indents in the ground. Ster''s group dashes away from the monster as quickly as they can and the moment I see the dinosaur leave the crevice I call out to everyone around me. "LET''S GO!" - Kingston Running down the slope at top speed, dodging random rocks jutting out of the ground, and sliding a little on the slippery sand. We make our way down the mountainside as quickly as possible as the monster picks up speed as it charges at Ster''s group. Reaching the bottom of the mountainside as quickly as possible and running towards the crevice, I look around to see no one here. Rocks were covering the ground, forming small hills and the sides of the crevice were destroyed. Were we wrong? Did the monster already kill everyone here? "SOLAR! KEN! KAEDE! ANYONE!" - Kingston Being the first of the group to arrive, I call out loudly hoping for a response. However, nothing. Panic rises inside me as David, Frank, Yor, and Gibing join in, calling out to see if anyone is there. In moments of me panicking about the disappearance of the group, we hear a howl in the distance and a golden head popping up over a rocky hill. "BELLE! Where are the others?" - Kingston Responding to us with a howl, she turns her body around, jumping off the hill. I look at the others and wave with my hand for them to follow after Belle. David and I were thest to go as I take another peek at Ster''s group. I see the dinosaur in the distance ramming its head against the other mountainside. I can only assume, Ster''s group found a small pathway where they could avoid the dinosaur. With Yor jumping over the hill it was only David and me left on this side of the crevice. David walks in front of me and I am about to follow him closely behind but the moment I am about to take the first step, the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. I grab David and pull him to the side, jumping and pulling the confused man to the ground. Right after I perform the act, the ce where we were both standing gets hit by a barrage of small rocks. The rocks were steaming and glowing red, and just to the left of me, a loud sound could be heard as the ground shakes violently. Something hadnded next to us. I gulp my saliva down and stand up, turning towards it. With wings asrge as cars and a body asrge as a 6 story apartment block was another monster. Its body resembles that of a T-Rex, in fact, it looks almost the same as the T-Rex that we had just seen, with the only addition being the wings. Large brown scaly wings p behind its back as the monster res at us, emitting a low growl. "Is that the monster you heard when you were near the cliff?" - David David stands up next to me, clutching his ax tightly in one hand. "I wish it wasn''t that but I think it is¡­ Why couldn''t it just choose between a dragon and a dinosaur?" - Kingston "It''s big." - David "Yea and we are small. Very small." - Kingston "Are we going to fight it?" - David "Do you think we have much choice?" - Kingston "No¡­ I just hope no onees back for us. Only we need to die, they don''t." - David I grip my spear tightly as I look at the monster. Small mes lick the sides of its mouth as its yellow eyes stare daggers into our bodies. It opens its mouth wide and another barrage of small ming rocks is sent towards us. I dodge to the left while David dodges to the right, bringing out his shield and ax and positioning himself for any sort of action. I look at him and see a determined face, so unlike how he was before. I smile to myself, thinking back at the memories. I twirl my spear around my hand, gripping it tightly as I let out a breath. "David! Stay alive! No matter what happens!" - Kingston "You too!" - David 143 Chapter 143 "DAVID! Run towards the right and attack the legs, I''ll take the left side!" - Kingston Looking at the new monster, I see that despite it attacking us with a skill, it takes time before it can perform another action. I signal David to attack the other side while I dash towards the left as fast as I can. I make sure to keep an eye on the head of the monster as well as the wings, assuming that the head and the wings were going to be the biggest threat. I reach the monster''s right leg quickly and looking at the monster''s feet close up, my heart sinks. The scales cover every part of the body, with no gaps in between. I clench my teeth and try my best, pouring in as much power as I could into my attack. I thrust my spear at the feet, however, the tip of my spear creates sparks against the scales, not even leaving a mark on the dinosaur''s armor. At the same time, I heard a loud bang as David smashes his ax into the dinosaur''s left leg. The dinosaur slowly lifts its right foot, bringing it down on me. Seeing the slow movement, I run backward, getting out of the attack range, however, I didn''t expect the force of it just stepping to cause the ground to shake so much. I lose my bnce and fall onto the ground,nding on my back. Dirt, sand, and small pebbles get blown in all directions, covering the air around me, making it hard to see but I notice the monster''s head turning towards me before I lost vision. I roll along the ground towards the right anticipating an attack from the monster and I was right. I roll out of the small dust cloud and see the monster attack the space with the barrage of ming hot rocks. In the distance, I see David, attempting another attack on the monster''s leg, mming his ax against the scales but to his and my dismay, the ax breaks. The shards of stone scatter around the monster''s leg and David''d expression sinks. "DAVID! GET OUT OF THERE!" - Kingston Snapping back to reality, he starts to run towards the mountainside behind him. The monster ignores me and turns towards the fleeing David. It lets out a deafening roar towards David, the wind created from its roar sts against David''s backunching him forward but because of the sudden push, David loses his bnce, falling on his face. I run back towards the monster''s foot, stabbing and swiping at the monster''s feet to distract it. With myck of MP, I could only use one more attacking skill before I run out but seeing David falling and the monster being interesting in him, I activate my skill. "CLEAVE!" - Kingston I swing my spear as hard as I can aiming for the space where two different scales connect but it ends up the same as before, creating sparks as the two materials scrape against each other. I did no damage against the monster yet again but was it enough to distract the monster? No¡­ It wasn''t. The dinosaur ignores me and starts to move itsrge boy towards David. Each step creates shockwaves along the ground and my heart beats faster as I see it approach David. My brain went into overdrive, thinking of a way to stop the monster. "DAVID! GET UP! YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING!" - Kingston I don''t even know if he can hear me over the booming steps but I see him slowly getting himself up. He takes out the twost healing water sacks and tosses the rest of the basket. Looking behind him, he sees the monster''s foot covering the sun above him. Dodging towards the left he narrowly escapes being stepped on however, the monster had different ns. Itunches another barrage of ming rocks at David. David rips open a water sack and ces it in his mouth while he crouches down and lifts his shield above him. While the shield wasn''t his original doubleyered stone shield, he still had a scutum shield he took off one of the shieldbearers. The attack hits David''s shield and the area around him, picking up dust and dirt, creating a cloud of dust around David. I clench my teeth, looking at the scene but choosing to believe in David''s ability to protect himself. I look around and see that the dinosaur''s tail was near me. Copying Ster and Gewari, I run towards the tail, climbing on top and using the small scales that follow along the dinosaur''s spine and tail to stabilize myself as I run along the dinosaur''s back. I didn''t notice how difficult it was running up a monster''s back and felt quite impressed with the way Ster and Gewari moved on the other dinosaur''s back. Wait¡­ What''s going on with the other dinosaur? I look behind me and what do you know, I see a dinosaur charging towards us. Its mouth was wide open with its big head swinging side to side. I thought the booming sounds of footsteps wereing from the dinosaur I was standing on, but no it was from both. I grit my teeth and run faster up the dinosaur, reaching its neck. I peer down to see David, gulping down thest water sack, as he tosses the broken shield away. I rummage through the basket to find myst water sack, grabbing it and yelling out to David. "DAVID! CATCH!" - Kingston I toss the sack in front of him while tossing the basket in a different direction. I see him catch the water sack while still running away from the dinosaur''s footsteps but as it was about to step on David, the first dinosaur rams into the back. Its teeth sink into the winged dinosaur behind. The attack knocks the winged dinosaur onto its side. A failed attempt of flying away caused it to identally, blow David to the side. Desperately, I hold onto a protruding scale on the nape of the winged dinosaur. The two dinosaurs copse on one anothernding heavily on the ground. I pick myself up and run towards the head of the winged dinosaur but before I could even take a step the two dinosaurs attack each other with their own skill. The winged dinosaur turns its head and fires a barrage of ming rocks, while the other dinosaur sends out a booming shockwave as it roars. The rocks explode in midair and the shockwave travels towards the winged dinosaur and me. Seeing the both of them attack each other, my first instinct was to find a ce to protect myself from the attack, and what better ce than using the winged dinosaur''s body. I jump off the dinosaur, just in time as the two attacks collide with each other. A deafening booming sound could be heard behind me and unfortunately, I didn''t escape the damage. Even though I wasn''t directly in front of the shockwave, the soundwaves bounce off the scales ricocheting onto me. I feel my eardrums burst and the liquids inside my body vigorously shake. The moment my feetnd on the ground, I vomit up everything in my stomach. My ears rang from the damage. I can''t hear anything. Not even the sound of myself vomiting. I feel something running down the side of my face. I wipe the saliva off my mouth and touch the area with my other hand. Bringing my hand away from that area and back to a ce I could see, I notice it is blood. A deep maroon color. My vision gets blurry the longer I stare at the blood on my hands. I close my eyes and rub them with the back of my hand, only to open them and see the world in red. A bright scarlet red world, with my spear floating in front of me. It shines brightly, with the color of rubies. I gulp down and reach out to grab the spear. [ Endless Rage Activated ] [ Spear of Light Activated ] KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. Blood red words appear all around me, filling up everything I could see with the word ''KILL''. I smile as I turn around. Looking up at the towering dinosaurs as they engage in a fight against each other. My heart pounds against my chest rapidly the longer I look at them. Scales tore off with each hit of their tails. Flesh and blood stter the ground with each bite. Even flying doesn''t give it any advantages as the other dinosaur shoots it down a roar. My feet slowly walk towards the closest monster. The words around me collectively move, surrounding the monster''s body, giving it a blood-red armor of words. I look closer at the words to see, one of them shine bright. The same ruby color as my spear. I start moving faster and faster. My grin grew wider and wider. Each step brought me closer and closer to the ruby-colored words ''Kill''. My mouth moves but I can no longer hear it. My body speeds up faster and I thrust forward with my spear. The two shining lights connect with each other with the words bursting into pieces. I see my spear entering the monster''s flesh digging deep into it. I feel like I amughing, yet no sound enters my ear. My mouth moves up and down, as I continuously stab into the monster''s leg. Each stab dug flesh out more and more, blood covering my body and the ground around me. Reacting to my attacks for the first time, the winged dinosaur rapidly steps around but lets it guard down against the other dinosaur, allowing it to be bitten on the neck. The ''Kill'' armor shatters and I jump away. The winged dinosaur''s body starts to glow ck. It knocks the dinosaur away with its wing and uses the opportunity to fly upwards. Its body glows a deeper ck as it flies above the ground. My eyes now focus on the dinosaur that couldn''t move and the dinosaur''s body slowly gets covered in words. I charge at the monster faster and faster. I feel my body be light and as I reach the dinosaur, I jump up, stabbing its body with my spear, shattering the shining word, '' Kill''. I see another up higher. I jump off the body, forcing myself upwards towards the next ''Kill'', climbing up higher and higher until I reach the dinosaur''s back. I feel the dinosaur shaking and rocking its body but my feet stays nted on its back. I run along the back, stabbing wherever I see a bright ''Kill'' shining. I can feel my heart racing faster and faster. My smile reaching closer and closer to my ears. This. Is. Fun. 144 Chapter 144 I stand next to the goblins, directing them on how to use a spear. After I left the Ikanda and Gobi went inside, I have been taking care of the training. 2 goblins havee out of the Gobin Hut as well so it was my duty to make sure they can perform the scouting tasks to make we are safe. The training inside the Ikanda was long and hard, namely thest trial. I struggled inside on that part for most of my time,pleting the first 2 trials after only a few attempts. ording to Howard, it has been 3 days since Ian and the rest have left and most of my time I have been rxing with the asional yell or shout from Sylvia. I miss Ian, Ster, Sr, and the rest but I don''t mind this peace too. "LUKE! LUKE!" - Melody And just like that my rxing, peaceful time ends¡­ I look to the side to see Melody running towards me. It was still early in the morning and the training routine had just started, yet it looked like Melody had done 10ps around the perimeter of HavenFall. "What''s wrong? It''s still so early in the morning." - Luke "You need to go RIGHT NOW!" - Melody "Go? Go, where?" - Luke "Ian and the rest. They¡­ They need your help!" - Melody "Melody, calm down. Tell me everything you know." - Luke "I''m sure Howard has already told you about my skill right?" - Melody "Yea, the one where you sometimes see things in your dreams" - Luke "Right,st night I had another dream. The first one since they left. It was¡­ It was so vivid. I''m so worried and scared." - Melody "Melody, it will be fine, just tell me." - Luke "Kingston, he-he-he kills David." - Melody "What¡­?" - Luke "I see him attacking David and stabbing him multiple times. His eyes were blood red and he wasughing and David was below him, covered in blood." - Melody "Don''t worry, I''m going to go and make sure nothing happens." - Luke "But¡­ I don''t even know if you will be able to catch up. They have been gone for so long." - Melody "Don''t worry, no matter what I''ll make it on time." - Luke "Okay¡­ Please, please make it on time." - Melody "I''m going to old man Hus, find Sylvia and Luna for me. Everyone else here, go andplete your duties. Make sure there are enough people on patrol." - Luke "Okay, I''ll tell them to meet you at the barracks and armory okay?" - Melody "Yep, thank you." - Luke I run towards old man Hus''s workshop, delegating nearby goblins their roles. I see Lime, Martelo, and Rycka at the front constructing a wheelbarrow. The three of them wereughing as they put together the final pieces. "You guys! Where is old man Hus?" - Luke "Inside. What''s wrong?" - Lime "I need to go to where Ian and the others are right now." - Luke The three''s expression change instantly into a serious expression the moment I mention I needed to go to Ian. Martelo and Rycka move the wheelbarrow to the side while Lime dusts the dirt off herself while signaling for me toe inside. "Come." - Lime I follow her inside and see old man Hus in the back, with only a small torch lighting up his surroundings. "Old man Hus, I-" - Luke "I know, young Luke. If you are here there must be only one reason. Little missy Melody has seen something that affects the group that has departed a couple of days ago." - Hus "Then you know. I need to go now. How are my weapons and armor? Are they ready?" - Luke "I just finished, young Luke. Take a look, I used the stone golem armor as a base as well as the knowledge I learned from creating the scutum and the explosive orbs. I name the armor set Sk and the weapon Vomva Trident." - Hus "Sk and Vomva Trident?" - Luke Old man Hus moves to the side allowing me to look at his workstation. Helmet, chest te, arm guards, leg guards, and the spear, allid out next to each other. The helmet was simr to the wooden helmet, however, the difference between the two was that the stone helmet was crafted to have two thinyers of stone. The arm guards and leg guards were simr in this aspect as well and when I lift them up none of them were heavy. In fact, it felt as light as the wooden armor. The chest te was different from the previous chest tes, having two separate parts. One part looked the same as before with the addition of small spikes on the shoulder area and torso. The other part was a simr shape however, it looked like small stone strings wereyered on top of one another, crisscrossing and ovepping each other to form the shape of a chest te. Finally, the spear. It had a long wooden body with the spearhead separating into 3. It looked like a fork that Ian made from y. What''s more, on the part that connects the sharp stone and the wooden body was a singr red orb, embedded into the stone. It shines a bright scarlet as the mes from the torch illuminate it. "Wear the stone mail before cing the chest te over it. Then equip the arm guards and leg guards and finally the helmet. The Vomva Trident is unique. I implemented the same red orb which can cast an explosive attack and reinforced the stone spearhead in order for it to withstand the explosion. The explosion itself isn''t big however, it will still inflict a lot of damage. Be careful young Luke." - Hus "This¡­ This is amazing." - Luke "I worked on it to give to Ian once he came back and this is the prototype which I was going to give to you to test out. Unfortunately, young Luke I''m not sure how it will perform in battle." - Hus "It will be fine. Your weapons and armor haven''t failed us yet." - Luke "Thank you, young Luke. Now, go!" - Hus I put on the armor and grab the trident, nodding my head towards old man Hus before I leave. Looking towards the gate, I see Sylvia in wooden armor as well as carrying a basket o her back, standing next to Luna. I wave towards her and run over. "Sylvia!" - Luke "You are so SLOW!" - Sylvia "Sorry, sorry. Old man Hus gave me new equipment and I was kind of speechless." - Luke "Well, you do look better. Are you ready?" - Sylvia "Ready. Luna, I need you to lead the way. I''m not sure if you can track them since it has been a couple of days, however, do your best." - Luke With a short howl from Luna, she starts to run off into the forest. I look at Sylvia and nod, following after Luna at top speed. ...................... "LUKE! Over there, I just saw part of the mountain fall down-" - Sylvia "ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR" "And I just heard a monster roar in that same direction." - Sylvia "Yes, I heard it too. No need to point out the obvious" - Luke "Then MOVE YOUR ASS!" - Sylvia It has been 4 days since we left HavenFall and we have made it past the hilly grasnd. During our trip in the hilly grasnd, Luna caught the scent of Belle and the other wolves which made our progress a lot faster, and now we have caught up with the rest. I run up the rocky slope following behind Sylvia as she sprints up. As we go higher I start to see arge crack in the mountainside and some voices in the distance. Luna stops short and lets out a long howl to the skies and within seconds 3 simr howls are heard. "Sylvia! Belle and the other wolves said they are just a little bit further ahead." - Luke "Okay, hurry up!" - Sylvia Just a little bit more and I see a small crowd of people standing in front of a tall pile of rocks. "HEY!" - Luke I wave my hand and shout out to the people standing in front. I see Sr turn around and look at me. A smile spreads across her face as she waves back towards me. As I get closer, I notice that there was a hobgoblin mixed in the crowd. I instantly bring up my guard and point my trident towards the hobgoblin. "WAIT! WAIT!" - Sr A surprised Sr runs in front of me, waving her arms to stop me from attacking. "It''s Gibing! Not an enemy." - Sr "What?" - Luke "Sir Luke! It''s me Gibing." - Gibing "Why are you different?" - Luke "I evolved, sir." - Gibing "Looking good there Gibing!" - Sylvia "Okay¡­ Sr what''s the situation. I came here because Melody asked me toe. 4 days ago, she saw a vision where Kingston kills David, I need to know where the both of them are right now." - Luke "Well¡­ They are both on the other side." - Sr "Alright, cast shield on me and Sylvia. The both of us are going over and finding out what is happening." - Luke "Luke on the other side are two monsters that are bigger than anything you have seen before. Please just wait for them toe back." - Sr "Sr, I can''t. I''m here to help and don''t worry I know what I''m doing. I got stronger since thest time you saw me." - Luke "Don''t worry Sr! I''ll protect Luke." - Sylvia "Alright¡­ .???i? ?i? ni mi? ????o?q bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Shield! ???d ?i? ??ni??? wold ?bniw ??? ??l bn? bn?i?? ¦Ãm ???ld n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?M Haste! Pleasee back safe." - Sr "Don''t worry we will." - Luke After feeling the effects of Sr''s magic on me, I start to climb the crumbling hill of rocks. Sylvia is a more athletic person, climbs with more ease but stops suddenly at the top. Not far behind, I climb up and finally see the situation. "Luke, I think we have a problem." - Sylvia "Yea¡­ Kingston..." - Luke I feel my heart sink a little. The man I had met before they left for the journey was no longer there. Instead, it was a monster, waving a spear coated in blood. It shines a deep ruby-like color and glows, even more, each time it feeds on blood and flesh. The manughs maniacally as he runs from one monster to another, smiling like that red ogre as he kills his prey. "What do we do¡­?" - Sylvia I grip my weapon tightly and let out a short sigh. "We fight. That''s all we can do." - Luke 145 Chapter 145 "Wait. Luke, look there is one monster up in the sky, and another which Kingston is attacking. I also don''t see David anywhere." - Sylvia "I know. Luna, search for David. Sylvia, you and me will deal with Kingston and the monster that is on the ground." - Luke "What about the one that is flying?" - Sylvia I look up into the sky. A flying monster, bigger than anything that I have seen before. It glows ck as it is curled up in the sky, like a giant glowing ck egg. Its huge head tucked into its chest, while its tail coils around its lower body. The legs press up against its belly and the wings surround its whole body. It floats in the sky, glowing ck, and radiates an ominous energy. "Nothing. We can''t reach it, and for now it doesn''t look like it is going to do anything." - Luke "Ignore it?" - Sylvia "Ignore it. Focus on the monster on the ground and Kingston. I think that monster attacks mainly with its head, feet and tail. Be careful of any attacks from its mouth, I''m not sure what kind of skills it might have." - Luke "Got it. Sr, take my basket." - Sylvia Taking out 4 small water sacks from her basket, Sylvia then tosses her basket down the hill and into Sr''s arms. "BE CAREFUL!" - Sr "WE WILL!" - Sylvia "Alright, Luna, look for David. Sylvia, on me." - Luke Luna howls in response and leaps down the hill nimbly before running off to the right side. Sylvia and I climb down the hill, making sure to keep checking on the situation above and in front. I was genuinely surprised with Kingston''s ability. From what I could see, he was dealing significant damage to the monster, as there were many stab wounds on the monster''s leg and belly. However, not enough damage has been done, as the monster is continuously move about, sweeping the ground with its tail and biting at Kingston asionally. It''srge mouth houses rows of sharp teeth, but no matter how much it tries, Kingston narrowly dodges each time, retaliating withughter and blood. His attitude scares me as I see himugh while stabbing the monster. What makes it worse, is the damage to his armor and body. I see parts of the arm guard and leg guard, hanging onto his body for dear life, while his helmet is missing and the chest te cracked and falling apart. Blood flows from various cuts across his body, and yet it is as if he doesn''t feel it at all. He dances around the monster, attacking vulnerable spots over and over again without stopping, like a switch has been turned on in his head. "How are we going to join this fight?" - Sylvia "It would definitely be dangerous to be near Kingston when we get closer, but at the same time, I don''t think you can handle that big monster by yourself." - Luke "You don''t believe in me? I can handle 2 of those, no sweat." - Sylvia "Sylvia, don''t get ahead of yourself. We can''t separate the two, and we can''t go near Kingston, so we are going to loop around and attack the monster from the back." - Luke "Umm, stupid Luke, I don''t think you have noticed, but that monster turns around a lot. Like a LOT. Kingston is constantly changing his position, how do you think we can attack ''from the back''." - Sylvia "We head to the left first, making sure to avoid Kingston, but the moment the monster''s back is turned towards us, we rush in. Looking at the damage Kingston has already done to the monster, its left leg is the most vulnerable ce, as well as in the middle of its belly." - Luke "It is more bloody, near the left leg." - Sylvia "Attack its wound. I''m not sure if the stone spear will be able to prate the scales on the monster." - Luke "On it. Let''s move." - Sylvia I nod to Sylvia, ready my trident, and start moving to the left. Climbing down the hill was easy, but moving along the ground felt difficult. I can feel a stare from the massive body above me, yet every time I look up, I just see a glowing ck ball. It covers the sun with its body, blocking the rays of light and casting a huge shadow on the ground. The darkness makes my spine run cold. I see the monster use its skill on Kingston, opening its mouth wide and roaring at the top of its lungs. The sound sts along the ground, cracking it and kicking up a dirt storm, but miraculously, Kingston had moved out of the attack range. With a big smile on his face, he charges at the monster, leaping up high and stabbing its nose. "Now!" - Luke With the monster upied with Kingston, it starts to toss it''s head left and right, trying its best with its small arms to toss Kingston aside. Using this opportunity, Sylvia and I approach from behind, leaping over the iing tail and running towards the wounded left leg. I make sure to check around me, just in case, and see Sylvia with a carefree expression as she runs slightly behind me. She waves to me and points forward towards the leg. I look to the front and ready my trident, jumping up and thrusting my trident into the back of the leg. Below me, Sylvia aims for a long cut wound and proceeds to stab her spear into it, prating deep as I do the same above. Our spears enter the monster''s flesh cleanly, stabbing in further and before and with a twist of my wrist, I pull out my trident, along with a fountain of blood. I jump towards the side with Sylvia after she creates another series of holes next to her first stab, digging into the flesh of the monster. Reacting to the pain, the monster lifts its head upwards and roars loudly. I hear the loud cackling as Kingston slides down the monster''s back and cuts near the tail with his spear. I grab Sylvia''s arm and pull her more to the left, towards the front of the monster, as Kingstones closer. His focus still on the monster, however, I felt like he was getting dangerously close, but since he was so close I could hear him say a word as he stabs the monster''s tail. "Kill." - Kingston He repeats the word with each stab and in betweenughter. Compared to seeing himughing, the moment the sound enters my ears, the hairs along the back of my neck stands tall. However, running from Kingston made use loser to the monster and seeing new prey, it starts to attack us while swinging its tail left and right. The giant head reaches down, and its mouth opens wide. The smell of rotten meat emits from its gaping mouth, and bones of monsters are seen stuck between its teeth. With a burst of speed, I pull Sylvia and myself to safety, narrowly dodging the attack, but wasn''t the end of it. The moves forward, opening its mouth again and trying to bite us. Sylvia knocks my hand away and backflips onto the monster''s head, stabbing her spear into its left eye, however it cleverly defends by closing its eyelids. The stone spear is unable to prate through and Sylvia is flung to the side. I turn back after seeing Sylvia attempt her attack and did an attack of my own. With it closing its eye and tossing its head to the side to fling Sylvia, it left itself wide open to an attack. I jump up and aim my trident at the chin, but as I was about to hit the monster, another spear collides with mine. A deep red spear. "Kill." - Kingston Kingston''s spear collided with mine as we both attack the same ce, however, Kingston''s strength was greater than my own, knocking me away. Ind safely on my own two feet while Kingston''s spear prates through the chin and into the mouth. The monster screeches and rampages on the spot, but Kingston pulls out his spear and falls to the ground,nding on two feet. I back away a couple of steps as I see Kingston be more agitated. His body emitting a faint red glow and his spear glowing brighter than ever. As if he was chanting a spell, he stands there continuously speaking the same word, gradually getting faster and louder. "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill.. Kill.. Kill.. Kill.. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KKKKKKIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" - Kingston The red glow surrounding his body intensifies, and the ground below him cracks as heunches himself at the monster. Injured from so many ces, the monster pours all of its strength into one final roar. The loudest roar I have ever heard, so loud and so vigorous, that some rocks along the mountain shattered. I feel the st hit me even though I have moved to the side and out of the way. However, it was cut short. In the corner of my eye, I see Kingston''s spear prate through the top of the monster''s head, creating a hole the size of a human. Its body copse to the ground, the eyes fall out of its sockets and its legs go ck. Standing on top of the monster, covered in blood, was Kingston. A sigh of relief escapes my mouth, but it was too soon. I notice Kingston looking in my direction. Staring at me like the monster stared at us earlier. He steps forward slowly and I instinctively step backwards. One step forward. One step back. Until, Kingston charges at me. His spear at his side and mine in front of me. I try to think of a way out, but it was already toote, he is right next to me. His spear stabs towards me stomach, but I block it with the body of my trident, rolling the head of Kingston''s spear off and then attacking is side with the butt of my trident. "Kill." - Kingston "KINGSTON! IT''S ME, LUKE!" - Luke Without even replying to me, he stabs forward, aiming for my right shoulder. I dodge it but the skin of my teeth and leap backwards out of his range. "I DON''T WANT TO FIGHT YOU!" - Luke "KILL.KILL.KILL." - Kingston Lunge. Dodge. Stab. Dodge. Swipe. Block. I do my best to keep up with Kingston''s attacks, however with each attack he speeds up. At first, I was dodging and blocking perfectly, but as time went on, I start to miss time a dodge or a block leading to a pile of small scratches along my armor. I retreat with each dodge, walking backwards or circling to the right and to the left. I focus all my energy on Kingston''s spear as he continuously emits murderous energy, but all of a sudden he stops attacking me and runs to the right side. I follow his path to see Sylvia standing up, a little dazed. Blooding down over her eye, making her unable to see Kingston charging at her. "No¡­" - Luke I step down hard and grit my teeth. My hair glows golden, and I feel my strength and agility rise. I feel my blood races throughout my body. Yellow sparks zap around my body. I appear in front of Sylvia and knock Kingston''s spear to the ground, creating cracks on the ground and kicking up dirt. "Kingston. I''m going to ask you one time. Stop." - Luke "Kill!" - Kingston 146 Chapter 146 "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" - Ian The wind blows against my back as the sky bes further and further away. Rocks surround me and my shoulder brushes against the sharp edges, chipping away at my armor until finally, I crash to the ground. The basket on my back cushion the fall, but I know my HP is low after that fall. My whole back stings from the fall, it hurts¡­ I force myself to roll over and move my arms rigidly around, feeling for the water sack. The darkness creeps in, surrounding me. I feel different things on the ground, rocks, fur, pieces of monster parts, and finally the water sack. Luckily, the water sack wasn''t broken, Lucina hadn''t filled the whole water sack to the brim, allowing it some room when it gets squished. I grab the top with my mouth and drink all the liquid inside the water sack, and the moment I finish, I feel my body slowly healing. The pain faded away slowly, and my breathing stabilized. Iy on the ground, closing my eyes and letting the potion do its work. Unfortunately, the potion didn''t fully heal me, but at least I''m at half my health points. I pick myself up off the ground, my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, but it was still hard to see things. With no other option, I go back to crawling around on the ground, feeling my way through the many objects on the ground. I find my spear or at least just the top half, the butt of the spear had been broken off leaving just the head and a bit of the body. I found what was left of my second water sack, meaning I have no other method of healing while I''m stuck down here. The rest, well there wasn''t much else left. I slowly get up, using the wall near me to steady myself. I move forward slowly, having my left hand touch the wall. While I may not know the way forward, if I am constantly touching at least one side of the wall, I will always move forward. I heard that in a maze, while it will be longer to clear the maze if you just touch one side and follow it all the way you will eventually exit the maze. I use that method of thinking while I''m down here in this dark tunnel. In fact, I don''t even know if it was a tunnel or not, it was just so dark. I can''t see anything in front of me. I just feel the small vibrations emitting from the walls. It feels like a heart softly beating against the wall and as I progress forward, it gets softer and softer. I can feel the incline with my feet. It''s gradual, but I can feel that I was walking downwards. I also feel a slight chill, like the temperature had dropped a few degrees. I don''t even know how long I have been walking, following the darkness. Not only that, but I start to wonder as I walk deeper, what is happening above me? What happened after I fell down? What were those stone-like towers that appeared from the ground? How is everyone? Are they okay? I can only wonder to myself about these things. I worry about the situation above me as I keep walking downwards. Furthermore, I''m going further and further away with each step, but I guess it might be toote to turn back now. Where am I going? Where is this darkness leading me? I feel the sides of the wall start to curve and with a couple more steps, I turn to see a small light in the distance. I don''t immediately run towards the light, instead, I grip my spear tighter. I look, I stare. What is it? Why is there light so deep down? I move my feet forward. Slowly. I shuffle along the sides trying to figure out the source of the light, but as I get closer I find out there was no danger and the source of the light was the sun itself. It feels weird. Like this is an illusion. The walls start to converge to an exit and with the small amount of light seeping into the tunnel, I could see around me. However, it wasn''t around me that piqued my curiosity, not it was in front of me. This dark tunnel leads me to a room. From where I am, just outside the room, I can see that light hade in through a small hole in the ceiling. However, I still find it hard to believe that light could travel so far down. I look around more carefully. In the middle of the room was a golden chest, simr to the ancient ruins that I had found before, but behind it was a statue of a man. A dull gray statue, with its eyes and mouth closed. It wore a stone cloak, over a knight''s armor, with a sword in its hands. The sword simrly was made out of stone, and the statue''s hand sps the handle as the sword prates into the ground. There was little detail in the armor and the cloak, yet the sword felt like it was alive. It was dull and gray much like the rest of the statue yet, the air surrounding it felt like it would cut me the moment I get close. Moving away from the statue in the center of the room, I look to the left and to the right. On the left, there was a small statue of a lion cub roaring into the sky, and on the right was an adult lion majestically looking upwards. Both look like they were made out of stone, yet they feel as real as the sword. My heart starts to pound against my chest as I look at them. I feel the danger yet why does it excite me at the same time. I grab my chest with my free hand, feeling my heartbeat through my fingertips. I gulp down my saliva and took the first step forward into the room. Immediately, I feel the air around me standstill. The temperature drops and the light above the statue disappears. Darkness envelopes the room, and I tense up, holding onto my spear and ncing around desperately. I wait and wait, and for what feels like hours, I continue to wait, yet nothing happens. My eyes slowly adjust to the darkness and in front of me, I can see the faint glow of the golden box. My brain is telling me it''s a trap yet at the same time, I feel my body drawn to the box. It''s enticing. It looks wondrous. Golden, shiny, and within my reach. I take another step forward. Red eyes appear on the two lions. They glow brighter than the sun, and I flinch at the sudden light. They, however, do not move. Their eyes stare at me like they are throwing daggers into my body. Sweat starts to form under my armpits and on my forehead. Nothing is happening, yet, but I know the moment I take another step they will move. I''m not how much they will move, but something will happen. I need to be prepared. I look at both of the statues and make a decision, moving closer to the lion cub. The statue was smaller, so I had to take my chances with a smaller monster, also why to wait for them to attack me when I can attack them first. I crouch down and face the lion cub and with a leap using all my strength, I jump towards the lion cub, holding onto my spear high above me. If they trigger some effect with each time I move forward, then it should be better to close the distance and attack the moment the effect urs. That was what was rolling through my mind, but what a mistake. A loud ng could be heard from the middle of the room, but I choose to ignore it and instead focus on the task at hand. However, in the next second, I feel my body yanked from all directions, and in front of me, the adult lion appears. A moment of hesitation as I try to understand the situation, but the lion didn''t give me a chance. With me so close to it, its eyes sh scarlet and the stone body moves forward, pouncing, meeting me midair with its paws swiping down on my defenseless left side. Catching me off guard, I take the full brunt of the attack and I get flung towards the ce where I had juste in, hitting my back on the edge of the tunnel entrance. I instinctively, pull my spear in front of me, ready to block the next attack, but it never came. I look around me and the adult lion was back where it belonged, looking majestically up into the ceiling, with its scarlet red eyes fading away. Simrly, the lion cub''s eyes fade away as well. I pick myself up off the ground and check the side where I got attacked. No major injuries and my status disy me with my HP sticking away. I had taken a big hit, reducing my HP to a quarter, but at least I was able to learn something from that encounter. Something switched after I heard that sound. Was it me or was it the statues? I look at the statue in the middle of the room. I can barely see the outline of the statue, but I immediately notice the difference. The stone-cold face was smiling. Arge white grin. Its teeth were sharper than my spear as it shines brightly in the darkroom. I breathe out slowly as I notice the small yellow glint in its eyes. It''s looking at me. It''s enjoying it. *CLANG* 147 Chapter 147 My body pulls towards the right, the air around me distorts and the adult lion''s eyes sh red, jumping towards me. With the sudden attack, the best I can do is bring my spear in front of me, blocking the lion''s paw with the body of the polearm. I shove the lion away and prepare to stab its head before another *CLANG*. My spear stabs into the ground as the lion disappears in front of me. The moment I hear the sound, I prepare myself for the next attack. I nce to my left and in the corner of my eye, I see the cub jumping upwards to my head. I force my body forward, awkwardly falling to the side of my polearm and dodging the cub''s attack barely. I kick at the cub with my right foot, grabbing and pulling the polearm off the ground at the same time. My foot ms into the monster''s side but I wince at the pain of my foot hitting a stone monster. Regrettably, the cub barely flinches at my attempt to damage it, and instead, it tries to w at my foot. I do my best to roll to the side but I still get scratched on my calves. It was hard to judge how far the cub was away from me as the only light source was its eyes. *CLANG* The cub disappears and immediately, I jump forward, turning my body around to see the lion statue''s jaws biting down where I just stood. I calm myself down, as my breathing elerates. The knight statue in the middle of the room produces weird nging sounds, either teleporting the statues or teleporting myself around the room. The lion charges toward me, baring its sharp teeth. I stand my ground and thrust my polearm forward, aiming for the space between the lion''s eyes. The red eyes shine a deeper crimson as my polearm approaches its face but before itnds another *CLANG* and the lion disappears. Reappearing on my left side and biting onto my arm. Its sharp teeth stab into my flesh and a yelp in pain. I grit my teeth and use my polearm to stab into the lion''s eyes shattering the ruby-like crystal and smashing part of its face. The shattered remain''s fall to the ground, making raindrop sounds echo in the room. However, it wasn''t enough to stop the monster. It didn''t feel pain and instead increased the pressure on my arm. I feel like it was going to rip my arm off my shoulder. Tears well up in the corner of my eyes and I muster all my strength, stabbing the monster again and again with the tip of my spear until it let go. My whole left arm burns with pain. Blood drips to the floor and tears roll down my face. The feeling in my arm slowly drifts away. I look at my status to confirm how much HP I had left, knowing there shouldn''t be much. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 3512/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 745/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Health Points (HP): 10/50 Mana Points (MP): 10/15 Strength: 30 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 35 Luck: 31 Skill: Enhanced Agility (Active), Quickstep (Active), Cleave (Active), Eye of the Roc (Passive) Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Stone Golem Polearm. I calm myself, ignoring the pain in my arm. Still holding onto my polearm, I touch the pouch on the side of my waist. The small explosive was still there but I had refrained from using them since I was in a small enclosed space looking at how badly I''m hurt I guess I have no choice but to use everything I have. I might have been able to dodge the attack more effectively if I had used Enhanced Agility, but I kept it saved in case I needed to retreat, now I need to use it offensively. I activate Enhanced Agility and stuff my hand into the pouch pulling the small core out and grasping it tightly while still holding onto my polearm. The lion in front of me had half its face destroyed from my repeated attempts while the cub on the other side of the room watches me. *CLANG* The scenery in front of me changes again, this time I''m facing the lion cub as it runs towards me. The small monster is more agile than its older counterpart and reaches me in mere seconds. The small paws swipe towards my stomach but I Quickstep to the side, and thrust my spear into the lion cub, stabbing into its side and creating a hole. I nce towards the middle of the room where the knight statue is creepily watching the fight unfold. Its smile reaches its ear as the head is turned a full 90 degrees to watch me. Shivers run down my spine as I see it looking at me but I grit my teeth and dash toward the statue. The moment I had that decision I see its smile instantly flip. My heart skips a beat as I feel the air turn cold and time slows. *CLANG* In front of the knight, both lions appear as I am still in mid-run. Their mouths were open and ready to bite down on my face. "QUICKSTEP" - Ian I shout out in desperation, narrowly escaping death by quickstepping to the right side and positioning myself behind the knight. Its head follows me, turning 180 degrees, and watches me with a frown. I had noticed that the monster could not do sessive teleports and since it just used its skill to protect itself, in theory, I should be able to attack. Since I couldn''t insert mana into the item like the NPCs I had always wondered about the method yers would use to activate these weapons, but I guess it was even easier than I had thought. Just by thinking about activating the core, I see a small blue pop-up. [ Activate Golem Core? Yes/No ] Obviously, my thoughts were ''Yes'' the moment I saw the message and once I had confirmed the activation of the core I drop my polearm and throw the core towards the statue. The small red orb flies through the air dying the room in a bright sh of light. I turn around and jump towards the ground as the core explodes behind me. I feel the whole room shake violently and after a few seconds I turn around to confirm if the attack had worked. The attack copsed the ceiling a little revealing the hole that once illuminated the room. With actual light filling the room, I was able to see the damage. The knight statue''s head and top of its chest had been shattered, leaving only the torso, the arms, and the bottom half. Both lions stood motionless in a jumping position, their eyes no longer glowing red. Did I win? I let the dust clear a bit before limping forward. Enhanced Agility had worn off and I feel my legs bing like jelly as approached the golden box that was in front of the knight. However, as I got closer, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. I back off hurriedly but trip over something on the ground in the process. The knight statue starts to move. Its hands grasp the sword and lift it high into the air. I fell to the groundnding on my butt, seeing the sword in the air and the fatigue from the fight washing over me, I feel like that was it. I had let down my guard at thest moment. The cold stone de swings down over my head, I close my eyes in anticipation, waiting for the sword to prate into my skull and for the system to tell me I had died. *CLANG* Instead, I feel nothing. I slowly open my right eye but the knight statue had disappeared. Where did it go? Why did I hear another nging sound? I turn around, looking left and right to find a clue but nothing. Only a thin ray of light from the ceiling falling onto the golden box remain. The stone lions had disappeared as well as all the small rumbles from the broken pieces of the monsters. I blink a few times, picking myself up. I had lost all feeling in my left arm and even though moments ago it felt like I was in immense pain, right now I felt more dumbfounded than anything. I shake my head and decide to ignore what just happened. I tear off my clothing wrapping my left arm and putting it into a sling before walking to the golden box. I reach out with my right hand, grabbing the top and slowly lifting it up, revealing the treasure that was inside. A jet ck half mask, reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera. It covers the right side of the face, half of the forehead, and then part of the mouth and cheek. It differs from the Phantom of the Opera''s mask by having a small white crescent moon on the cheek of the mask. I look at the mask and feel myself being drawn in, grabbing the mask with my right hand I see the name as well the stats. [ The Moon''s Ghost Intelligence +10 Agility +10 Dexterity +10 Skill: Aura of Silence (Active) A jet ck mask once belonged to a magician who silently loves a woman. His voice is no longer able to reach her but his heart stays. The silent songs he sings allow those around him to disappear, either to help escape or to kill those who harm the one he loves.] 148 Chapter 148 A sharp spear, dancing in front of me, piercing the air and prating the wind. Bloodshot eyes curved into half-moons with a grin reaching the edges of the eyes. Hair flowing in the wind as a red glow pulse out of his body. He is enjoying every second of it. I grit my teeth as I narrowly dodge each thrust and strike. At the start of the fight, I had the upper hand, pressuring Kingston with each of my attacks and drawing blood where I could, but each time I dealt damage to him, he got stronger. I cut him, he gets faster. I m the body of my trident into him, he gets faster. Not only that, each time his attacksnd on me, it''s like he gets a burst of power. A brief moment of increased speed and strength. Using that moment, his attacks be relentless. I thought being in such a chaotic state, he wouldn''t be able to fight effectively. At most, random attacks but looking at how it is now, it looks like he is in total control. Each strike aimed for my head or my heart, and I was helpless in front of him. My trident shes with his spear. The sound of stones scraping against each other echoes in my ears. With each exchange, I step back bit by bit, forced to be on the defensive. Sylvia had already run further away, leaving just me and Kingston fighting below the giant pulsating ck egg. The dinosaur that was originally floating above us slowly turned into a watery ck egg. I couldn''t see inside it, and it looked like it absorbs all the surrounding light. I''m worried about what was inside it as much as I was worried about Kingston in front of me. "How FUN! I LOVE IT!" - Kingston Kingston stops his barrage of attacks and ces a hand over his left eye. Tilting his head up andughing hysterically. It was the first words he said that weren''t ''Kill''. "Can you understand me, Kingston?" - Luke "AH, HOW I LOVE THIS! BLOOD, FIGHTING, IT''S AMAZING! AHAHAHA!" - Kingston The glowing red aura pulsates outwards faster and faster, as it slowly condenses around Kingston''s body like armor. "KINGSTON! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" - Luke "Ahhhhhh, I want to KILL everything. I want the blood to rain all over me." - Kingston I call out to him, but it seems like he is lost in his own world. The red aura solidifies around Kingston, forming a ruby skull-like face with two burgundy twisting horns on top of his head. His body gets wrapped in scarlet skin and his spear extends to twice its size, dyed in blood-red. "BLOOD AND DEATH!" - Kingston A deep, booming voice escapes his mouth. So different from his voice before, as if he became a different person. A red glint shines in his eyes as he swings his spear to the side, getting into a running position. I didn''t have any confidence in fighting Kingston. He emanates the same feeling as the Blood Ogre and the Dragon I saw when Oscar died. My heart feels like it is slowly being crushed by the pressure. My breathing quickens, and the sweat on my hands makes my weapon slip, making me grip it tighter. Cracks on the red ground below him start to form as he applies more pressure to his feet. Even an idiot can tell that he was about tounch himself at me, but maybe only an idiot can escape from this pressure. The pressure that makes one''s feet standstill and one''s body run cold. "CHARGE! CLEAVE!" - Kingston Kingston disappears from his location, reappearing as a red bolt on my right as he swings his spear faster than my eyes could follow. Instinctively, I let the butt of my trident fall back, hitting Kingston''s spear but it wasn''t enough to stop it, only divert the brunt of the attack. Despite that, I still getunched far. My body flies through the air, scraping the ground as Ind. The armor that old man Hus prepared for me, broken on the side by Kingston''s attack, only the inteced inside part remains on my right side. Without letting me have time to breathe, Kingston reappears in front of me pointing the spear at my body and stabbing forward. The cold red eyes look at me as if I was just prey, ready to be killed at a moment''s notice. The straightforward attack was easily dodged in the nick of time, and I had a chance to retaliate as Kingston''s spear prates the ground too easily. I insert my mana into my trident, following old man Hus''s instructions, and see the small red orb near the point of my trident glow brightly. p Still, on the ground, I push my trident forward close to Kingston''s body but with how slow my attack was he grabs it mid-thrust. I smile to myself as the red orb glows brighter. "Take this!" - Luke A small explosion sets off right in the middle of Kingston''s body. Warm red blood sshes all over me as Kingston screeches at the pain. The bright sh of light made me close my eyes and I roll out of the situation grabbing my trident as I do. I open my eyes and let them slowly adjust to the light. Kingston was crouched over, holding his spear with his right hand. Knowing that the attack might not be enough to kill Kingston, I insert my mana into my trident again, making the orb glow brighter. Gripping my trident tightly, I thrust at Kingston''s head. Another explosion and this time a direct hit to his head. I backed off after the attack but it wasn''t enough. The red armor around Kingston''s body was broken and I had destroyed a horn however, it didn''t mean I had killed Kingston. He picks himself up, revealing the hole in his armor at the front slowly repairing itself as a red aura envelopes the area. The half-shattered helmet and horn slowly repair itself as well as his cold dead red eyes stare at me. That''s when I knew, I couldn''t kill him. My heart sinks. My confidence drops. I thought I had gotten stronger since I had finished the ikanda training but I guess it was all in my head. "Kill." - Kingston A low deep voice as the armor repairs over his face and chest. Returning back to the demon-like appearance. As Kingston steps forward to finish me off, a loud crack is heard above us. Ignoring me, Kingston looks up and puts up his guard. His body trembling as he looks at the giant ck egg floating in the sky. What kind of danger is inside that thing to make even Kingston tremble? Or is he trembling from excitement? I take this opportunity to walk backward in the direction Sylvia had escaped. I quickly nce over, checking to see if Sylvia was still okay, and I see her head peek over arge rock. She waves her hand above her head and a smile forms on my face. I''m d she is fine. Cracks starts to appear more and move around the egg and my chance to escape was slowly disappearing. Risking it all, I decided to just run towards Sylvia. I take onest look at Kingston''s demonic appearance and run off but before I could even get halfway towards Sylvia the egg bursts open, sending a wave of energy in all directions. It sends me flying forward and the moment I could move my limbs, I turn around and look upwards to see a small humanoid figure floating in the sky. Large brown scaly wings wrap around its body and with a single roar, it spreads its wings out creating a wind so great, I fly into the rock Sylvia was hiding behind. I also notice Kingston creating two trails of dirt in the ground as he endures the roar. With the wings spread out, I can finally look at the floating monster. Its body is simr to a male human''s but instead of skin, its body is covered in brownish-red scales. A pair of yellow eyes look down upon us as mes softly escape its mouth. Its ws were sharper than my trident, and it had a long tail swinging behind it. "It seems Kronos wasn''t wrong about my evolution, although I am not satisfied with my appearance." - ??? Despite its mouth barely moving, I could clearly hear the wordsing from the monster. I gulp down my saliva as I stare at the monster. Not too far from me, Kingston screams out, leaping up into the air and thrusting his spear at the flying monster. "Pathetic impersonation of a demon." - ??? The monster knocks the spear away with its hand and turns slightly to the side, allowing his tail to m into Kingston''s bodyunching him to the ground. "Yes, and might I say pathetic impersonation of a dragon." - ??? Appearing behind the monster was a floating man in tight ck pants and a white button-up shirt, pushing up his ck-rimmed sses. His ck wings softly p behind him as the ck horns on his head slightly shine ck. "Who are you?" - ??? The monster attacks the flying person with its tail. "Serving under Lord Horde, a true dragon, Casper. You are nothing but an experiment for the mad scientist." - Casper "Hrmp, it matters not. I am a chimera that evolved into a dragon. Kronos will be pleased" - ??? "That is assuming you make it back." - Casper ck lightning shoots out from Casper''s horns striking the monster square in the chest and forcing him to crash into the mountainside. Casper looks down at the ground as if he was looking for something. "I thought I saw a few humans there?" - Casper After making a smallment he flies off towards the monster''s location but did he not see me or Sylvia? "Good thing I got here in time. I guess even a dragon can''t see through this skill." - Ian Standing next to me with his arm in a sling and not a bit of armor on him the man I look up to. "Ian¡­" - Luke "Yo Luke, I see that you somehow made it here." - Ian 149 Chapter 149 "Ian! Where is Sylvia? Is she okay? Wasn''t she meant to be behind me?" - Luke "Stop shouting Luke. I''m fine." - Sylvia Sylvia appears from behind me, looking a little worse for wear. The armor she was wearing was cracked in various ces, and she was clutching the side of her head. With her other hand on her hip, she looks at Luke with a tired expression. "Are you alright, Luke? Sorry I probably got in your way." - Sylvia "It''s fine. So long you are safe, but howe Casper didn''t attack us? Is it to do with the mask?" - Luke "Spot on. I got this mask after I got separated from the main group. The skill lets an area around me be invisible. No soundes out of the area as well." - Ian Aura of Silence (Active) - 10 MP - For 15 minutes, in a 5-meter radius around the user, the area bes invisible, and no sound can be heard outside the area. Cooldown 1 hour. "I escaped from underground after taking the mask and winded up not too far away from here. I saw your battle with Kingston as well as the floating ck egg. Slowly, I make my way towards you, finding an opportunity to cast this spell and bring you to safety. I didn''t expect Casper to show up, though. Not only are Kronos''s people here, but also the Horde''s." - Ian "At least, they aren''t in any sort of alliance with each other. In fact, it seems like Casper despises the new monster." - Luke "Pride. It''s his pride as a true dragon that is causing Casper tosh out at the monster. Originally it was a chimera created by Kronos, but it evolved into a humanoid dragon-like monster. Casper must have felt offended when it called itself a dragon." - Sylvia I look at Sylvia and nod my head. Her thoughts coalign with my own, which surprised me since I had always thought of Sylvia using her muscles before her brain. Never would I have thought that she would analyze the situation so clearly and calmly. I turn away from both of them to see a small cloud of dust floating up into the sky. It was also the ce where Kingston gotnded after taking a hit from the monster. I couldn''t keep my promise to Kingston, and his situation escted to a new high. The berserk form, he had acquired, had evolved into a demonic state. One that craves blood and violence yet doesn''t seek it actively. Instead, he takes a calctive approach, attacking weak points while yearning for more. "Luke, Sylvia, I need to move towards Kingston. Since the area isn''t that big, I need the two of you to follow me. I''m not sure if the two monsters wille back, but it would be better for all of us to stick together." - Ian "Get up Luke, stop being on the ground like a wolf." - Sylvia "Right,ing,ing." - Luke Luke wobbly gets himself up. Sylvia, noticing his struggle drops a knee to help Luke stabilize, putting his arm around the back of her neck and holding him under his armpit. Ie around the other side and prop his other arm around my neck as well. Together we slowly approach Kingston''s crash site, however, his body was missing. Instead, a pile of crimson blood pooled in the middle. His spear stuck in the middle of the pool but instead of the blood-red color, it was back to its shimmering white. I step cautiously down the hole, grabbing the spear and pulling it out of the blood pool. Knowing that Kingston most likely died and is back in the real world, I took his weapon with the intent of returning to him when I see him next. While I couldn''t kill him myself while he was going berserk, he ended up still dead. Was it a good thing? Or a bad thing? "Where is Kingston?" - Luke "Up with goddess Ariel. I''m sure he will be back in HavenFall tomorrow, but we won''t be able to see him untilter." - Ian "That monster is stronger than anything we have faced." - Sylvia "Both of you weren''t here, but we faced 2 simr enemies on our way here. Lucky for us, we were safe and no one died. Where is everyone, by the way? I''ve only seen you two and Kingston." - Ian "A lot of people were on the other side of the crevice, including Sr, Gibing, and more. They told us that Kingston and David were on the other side. Also, Melody sent us here." - Luke I snap my head towards Luke with a worried expression. "What did Melody see?" - Ian "Kingston killing David. However, with me being here, I doubt what she saw will be reality since Kingston isn''t here anymore." - Luke "Although, it could have been you dying to Kingston. You looked like you were losing that even though you activated Golden Ascension." - Sylvia "He got stronger the more I damage him and each time he damaged me, he got stronger too. I had to kill him in one strike, but by the time I realized that, it was already toote." - Luke "It''s not your fault. I told him I would kill him if he went berserk, but I wasn''t even there." - Ian I grip the spear of light tightly and was able to walk away with Luke and Sylvia when a brownish-red bodye crashing into the ground near us. "The skill doesn''t have much time left, we need to get to a safe location before we get revealed." - Ian Luke and Sylvia nod toward me, as we stick together, moving away from the cloud of dust behind us. "I wouldn''t move if I was you." - Casper The moment he spoke, we stood still. The human-dragon monster floated above us looking around the ground. "While I can''t see you. I know you are there. Reveal yourself." - Casper While I knew that sound would stay inside the area and if I reply to Casper, he wouldn''t hear it anyway, I kept my lips sealed. My feet were nted on the ground and my arms were stiff as a tree. "Hmm¡­" - Casper Casper''s silence went on for seconds, then minutes. Time on the skill tick away slowly. "*Cough**Cough* You¡­ Kro-Kronos will not forgive you." - ??? Casper floats to the ground and I signal for the three of us to back away slowly. The dust clears in front of us, and I see the monster''s beaten body. Its wing was torn, and it had lost an arm. Blood poured out of its mouth, nose, and ears. "Do you honestly think I would be afraid?" - Casper "No." - ??? "Then why mention such a pointless thing?" - Casper "Because he is here right now." - ??? The monster points upward shakily. We had gotten behind a rock and followed the pointing finger, only to see clouds above the sky. The sun had gotten closer to the horizon and an orange dye paints the blue sky. However, it all changes in seconds. The clouds part as a peak of a mountain breaches through. No, it wasn''t a peak of a mountain but the underside of arge pointy mountain-sized boulder. It covers the sky and covers the ground in darkness. Stopping not long after piercing through the clouds. "The mad scientist''s fortress, Himmel Festung. Didn''t think I would see it all the way here." - Casper "HAHAHA! Are you afraid?" - ??? "No. Just curious, why is he here? It can''t be to pick up you?" - Casper "Maybe it is." - ??? From the sides of the mountain,rge rock-like objects drop, creating massive craters in the ground as theynd. Once the dust disappears, I notice they were all golems,rger than the ones that we have faced and of different appearances. Some looked like giant ogres with clubs bigger than their bodies, while others looked like nagas ormia. There were also some wolves, angel-like beings, and dragons. All with a simr white stone body, with the only difference from the small counterparts, is the maze of blue veins covering the body. The golems had blue veins which connect all over the body, and from my conjecture, it is the mana that powers the golems and makes them stronger than other golems. A total of 20 different golems hadnded and stood behind the injured monster. The angel-like monster ces its hand on top of the injured monster and a green aura envelops the monster. "Lord Kronos has given you a name. Deino, you are to serve him to your death." - Angel Golem "Of course. Anything for Lord Kronos. Now, dragon, do you still think you can kill us?" - Deino Taking off his sses, Casper sighs. "Do I think I can kill you? I know I can kill you." - Casper A blue light envelops Casper and instead of a humanoid dragon, he shows his true form. Glistening jet-ck scales, with a pearl white belly and two thick ck horns on his head. Casper roars into the sky ejecting hot mes towards Kronos''s fortress, Himmel Festung. Before the mes even hit the fortress, it is blocked by a white translucent shield that covered the whole of the fortress. "Did you think that your mes could damage the Himmel Festung?" - Deino "No, it was a signal. For your impending doom. Now, die for me." - Casper 150 Chapter 150 The moment Casper finished his sentence, he opens hisrge mouth, revealing a sharp row of teeth. Orange mes flew out of his mouth, enveloping the golems in a fiery mess. However, Kronos''s golems weren''t going down without a fight. The 2 giant golems jump over theirpanions, forcing their palms out towards the breath attack. A blue circle appears in the air in front of their palms. Symbols and shapes start to form on the outer edges, as smaller circles appear in the middle. A singr 9 point star is drawn in the center, and it starts to rotate slowly as the circle shines brighter and brighter. The moment Casper''s attack touches the blue circle, a giant blue hemisphere appears around all the golems. The mes circle around the hemisphere, burning the ground ck. The heat waves emitted from the attack st into us, and I feel the hairs on my arms singe off. "We need to move. We can''t stay here." - Ian "The crevice where we can escape to is on the other side of the fight." - Luke "How much longer on your skill?" - Sylvia "A minute left." - Ian "That''s not enough time." - Sylvia "We can climb upwards, at least get as far away as we can. Everything there will kill us." - Luke "Agreed, we just need to not be caught for an hour and I can use the skill again to get us through. Luke, how are you feeling? Can you run?" - Ian "Yea¡­ I''ll be fine." - Luke I nod at Luke and start to lead the way towards the mountainside. The battle going behind us erupts in a frenzy as Casper''s breath attack fails to do any damage. The golem dragon takes to the skies as a magic circle appears in its open mouth. Several wolves dart out of the formation, running along the sides, approaching Casper''s legs, while the angel-like figures create a magic circle on the ground. Lamias and nagas create magic circles in front of their hands as they point them towards Casper''srge body. Sensing the danger, Casper attempts to fly up, onto to be held to the ground by the breath attack from the golem dragon. Compared to the fiery hell that Casper created, the attack from the golem dragon was akin to a sound wave. It sts into Casper''s head, forcing it close to the ground, where the golem wolves find the opportunity to scratch and bite at his face. Casper''s wings start to p loudly, picking up dust and dirt from the ground, but the magic circle from the angel-like beings finished forming. A giant golden hand bell, with a bronze handle, appears above their heads. Seeing the bell, Casper starts to panic, he ps his wings harder, and pushes against the ground with hisrge limbs, cracking the ground. The air vibrates when he roars, and he breaks free from the golem dragon''s attack, flying upwards and grabbing the golem dragon by the neck with his right hand. He opens his mouth and lets the red mes rush toward the golem dragon''s head, melting it, before crushing the neck with his hand and letting the pile of rocks fall to the ground. He looks towards the bell and zooms towards it, but he was toote. The bell had rung. The moment I heard that sound, my body copsed to the ground. My heart beating erratically and my breathing bing difficult. The world spins around me and simrly to me, Luke and Sylvia crash to the ground. Gasping for breath as it seemed like no air woulde into my lung. I force myself to my back, catching a glimpse of Casper falling to the ground as well. My vision fades and I feel light-headed, but in the next second, the bell rings again. Air rushes back into my lungs and my heartbeat stabilizes. I cough and grip my chest, looking at the other two, only to see them do the same. Saliva drools out of my mouth as I struggle to control my breathing. I grab onto the nearby rocks and pull myself around one. The skill had worn off, and we were merely at the base of the mountain, but with that attack affecting us so greatly, we couldn''t move a single step. "Are¡­ You¡­ Okay¡­?" - Ian My cracked lips and dry throat tries their best to form words. Luke nods his head slowly as he slumps to the ground, lying face first and breathing on his side. Sylvia''s deadpan eyes look at me as she tries to nod as well. Noting that they were okay, I look towards the battle. Casper was on the ground getting surrounded by the giants, the wolves, the nagas, and themias. The giants were punching Casper''s neck and body, while the wolves attack his face. The nagas andmias were creating magic circle after magic circle in the air, as each one sent out an icicle the size of me. However, no matter what attack hits Casper, his scales were too hard and not even a scratch could be seen. He uses his tail like a whip, swinging it around the right side of his body and mming it into the golems. Some nagas andmias that were unfortunately on that side were destroyed in a single hit and using the opportunity, he ps his wings, lifting his body up once more. Another breath attackes out of Casper''s mouth, eliminating the smaller golems before the giant golems could bring up the shield again. Ignoring them, he turns toward the bell. His body glows a light gray, while his eyes shine white. His body shimmers, disappearing on the spot and reappearing above the bell. Once more, Casper breathes down fire on the bell, causing it to melt and disappear away. "THIS CAN''T BE REAL!" - Deino Deino''s twisted expression shows his distress. He clenches his fists as he roars at the top of his lungs. Small rocks around him collect together, merging and fusing into one giant mass. A small me is ignited, covering the massive rock in ayer of orange mes. "DIE DRAGON!" - Deino Deinounches the molten rock at the flying Casper. As he just finished destroying the bell, his mes were covering Deino''s skill. Unaware, he scoffs at Deino''sment and starts to gather fire in his mouth once more. Once the rock passes the mes and shows itself, Casper''s eyes widen. The rock was flying at him too fast for him to dodge, instead, he releases his breath to attack the rock, sting it with a me hotter than the orange fire that covers the rock. His breath turns from red to blue as the mes get hotter and hotter. I grab Luke and Sylvia and pull them up higher. I know the moment the rock shatters, the attack would not end and instead continue down to the ground. Seeing Casper''s strength, I feel the attack will destroy more than just the ground. Sensing the danger from the attack and the desperation in my eyes, Luke and Sylvia scramble up higher, grabbing every jutting rock and pulling themselves up higher. The temperature rises, despite us, climbing up higher. I look back, and a wavy haze could see above the ground. Steam slowly climbed up higher into the atmosphere, and the rock that was flying towards Casper glowed red-hot as the top slowly melts and the bottom cracked. I look ahead of me and saw that there was a small overhang. Signally to Luke and Sylvia to follow me, we head towards the overhang and to our luck, it was also a small cave. As we enter the cave, I hear a familiar sound. One I had gotten ustomed to recently, except this time it was louder than ever. *CLANG* I look over towards the fight, the rock melts and cracks, separating into small rocks that disintegrate in the heat. Casper''s attack doesn''t stop there, and instead ms the ground, melting it and burning the surrounding area. Heatwaves burst outwards, melting rocks andpletely obliterating any fauna that happened to grow in this area. I pull the two with me as far back as we can, pressing our backs against the cold rock behind us, but not longter, a wave of heat brushes past us. I leap forward, spreading my body out as much as I can to cover the entrance. I take off my mask and toss it towards Luke as he looks at me with a confused face. I give him a smile as I nod to Sylvia. I know I woulde back, but both of them do not, so there isn''t much I can do other than smile and nod. The heat rides up my back and I can feel my back gradually burning. The clothes on burning off and the hair on the back of my head burn in the heat. My HP depleted fast until, zero. "I''ll be back, take care of the mask for me, Luke." - Ian The moment my HP goes to zero, the world around me bes ck, and a blue screen appears in front of me. [ You have died. ] I let out a small sigh. In my heart, I hope I was able to defend the attack long enough that the two would still be alive afterward. I close my eyes and once I open them again, I see the ceiling of my room. I feel my bed only to notice that it was soaked with sweat dripping down my skin. My throat dry like a desert and my body was heavier than a building. My phone vibrates near me, but I ignore it. I feel tired. I feel so tired. 151 Chapter 151 "WAIT IAN! IANNNNNNN!" - Luke With a small smile, Ian disappears in front of me, and the remaining bursts past him, bombarding Sylvia and me. I grab her and push her below me, clenching my teeth as I feel my skin burn from the heat. "LUKE!" - Sylvia Momentster, I could only feel the residue heat that was on my back and legs. It seems the heatwave that came from Casper''s attack has finally washed past us. However, the heat was still there, my skin was still burning, and I let out a small groan as I tried to move off Sylvia. "Sorry Sylvia, just give me a second. I''ll get off you." - Luke "STAY! I''ll move." - Sylvia Sylvia''s eyes dart around as she looks for a way to get out from under me. Moving her arms above her head, grabbed onto the cave wall and pulled herself towards them, whilst trying her best to not touch me. Sweat rolls down the side of my cheek as my back feels like it is on fire, and after a little more maneuvering, Sylvia pushes her body up and around, falling to my right side. "This might hurt, just stay still, okay?" - Sylvia "What are you- AH!" - Luke I feel a blunt object hit my back, forcing my arms to copse in, and my face crashing to the ground. The armor on my back had been broken off and the small shards scatter on the ground as Sylvia gently brushes off the remaining shards from my back. "Why¡­ Why did you hit me so hard?" - Luke "I don''t know how hard I was meant to hit you. Sorry¡­" - Sylvia "It''s fine¡­ Where is the mask?" - Luke "Here. You dropped it when you got on top of me." - Sylvia Sylvia picks up the half-face mask, cing it in my hand. I decide to wear the mask since it would be easier to carry around, but the mask itself feels so heavy. "Ian he¡­" - Luke "It will be fine. He said he wille back. For now, we should escape and find a way back to the main group that is outside." - Sylvia "But¡­ No, you are right. Let''s go." - Luke I peer through the cave entrance with Sylvia to my left, looking at the destruction Casper had caused. The area where the fighting had urred was burnt ck with a crater in the middle. From where we were located, I couldn''t even see the bottom of the crater. Looking up, the giant upside mountain that pierced through the clouds had disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the sky. Floating in the sky in his humanoid form was Casper. I couldn''t tell what he was looking at or what he was doing since he was so far away, but as I was looking at him, he vanished. One second he was there and in the next gone. "So, it was you two that were spying on me." - Casper His monotonous voice from behind makes my heart skip a beat and my blood runs cold. "Two humans, no, I think there were three. I guess one didn''t make it." - Casper I gulp down my saliva and move my eyes toward Sylvia. Her whole body trembled in his presence. I ce my hand on her clenched fists and give her a small smile. "We didn''t mean to disturb you." - Luke "Oh, I know. I know you were there before I got there. However, I couldn''t pinpoint your location at one point, which made me curious. Especially you young man. Someone who can harness the power of a golden wolf while still being in a human body fascinates me." - Casper "It''s nothing special." - Luke Casper''s hand grabs my shoulder and with a burst of speed, he holds onto me and pushes Sylvia away as he flies into the air, floating outside the cave. "Oh, but it is. You are simr to a true dragon. Inside you are two hearts, a human heart, and a magic heart. Unlike a dragon, your magic heart belonged to a wolf. A golden Fenrir. So interesting¡­" - Casper His grip on my shoulder is so stronger, I feel like my arm would be ripped off. I can see his eyes sparkle as he looks at me like I was a toy. "I saw you activate the magic heart, but it was iplete." - Casper "What are you saying?" - Luke "Your transformation should have let you turn into the full beast. However, you only tapped into the smallest area. Much like how I transform between humanoid and dragon, you should have be a Fenrir or a wolf at minimum. Your humanoid side should have been tossed away." - Casper "What¡­" - Luke "GIVE LUKE BACK!" - Sylvia My attention snaps back to Sylvia, who was still in the cave. She had an angry expression on her as she res at Casper. Despite her courageous look, I could tell she was still trembling. Casper looks at Sylvia as if she was an ant. Insignificant, no, maybe even lower. "Casper, tell me what do you want?" - Luke I try to turn his attention back toward me, but his brows crinkle and his eyes narrow as he looks at Sylvia closely. "You¡­ Who are you?" - Casper "CASPER! What do you want?" - Luke "Silence. Girl, who are you?" - Casper "I¡­ I¡­ Forgive me, Luke." - Sylvia Letting out a sigh, Sylvia looks at me with a sad smile. Her ck hair, with blue highlights, magically changes color, turning auburn red. Her sapphire eyes be two ruby jewels, shining as bright as the sun, and on her forehead was a fiery symbol that looked like a circle with an arrow pointed to the top right of her head. "My name is Rhea Sylvia. Return him to me, lizard." - Sylvia "An apostle of the gods. I see¡­" - Casper "Sylvia¡­" - Luke "LET HIM GO!" - Sylvia Sylvia''s body res up, as a ming, hot aura appears around her. Her eyes shine with killing intent. "I have always wondered what it would be like to fight an apostle of the gods, but unfortunately I will not be your opponent. Rautt,e." - Casper "Ahh¡­ Finally, it''s my turn? That took a while, Casper. Here I thought you might have needed help with Kronos''s golems. " - Rautt That familiar deep booming voice echoes in my ears. Crashing into the mountainside next to Sylvia was the rampaging monster, the Blood Ogre., Rautt. His ck tattoos glow on his scarlet skin, as he punches the top of the cave with his bare hands. Sylvia jumps out,nding on a rock, and grits her teeth. I stare at the monster as its grin widens. Here I am, being held up by a dragon helpless while the monster which I wanted to kill and defeat happily rampages in front of me. "Now then, while Rautt hands the apostle. Let me ask you a question. Do you want to be stronger?" - Casper Hisst few words pique my interest. Stronger, yes. Of course, I want to be stronger. I have been beaten to the point where I could have been killed easily so many times, and yet each time I think I have grown stronger. I find out that I am still weak. "Yes, I do, but why would it matter to you?" - Luke "I can help." - Casper Suspicion rises inside me as Casper ''offers'' his help. "Help? How?" - Luke "DON''T LISTEN TO HIM, LUKE" - Sylvia "Silence her Rautt." - Casper "With pleasure." - Rautt Rautt''s fist emits a ck haze as his tattoos rise brighter. Sylvia''s body glows brighter as red energy gathers in her palms. "WAIT! Don''t hurt her." - Luke "Rautt stop. Speak." - Casper "Wait, LUKE!" - Sylvia "NO! Sylvia, stop. Casper, promise me you won''t hurt her." - Luke "Hmm¡­ Depends on your answer." - Casper Casper pulls me towards him, close enough that our faces were just barely apart. "I want to be stronger." - Luke "Good. From today onwards, you serve Lord Horde." - Casper "No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! LUKEEEE!" - Sylvia Rautt grin grows wider than before, as he smashes the mountainside with his fist, causing andslide. In turn, it forces Sylvia to take evasive action as she runs down the mountain. Her distressed face with tears rolling down her cheeks was thest moment I saw of her before Casper''s fistnded on my face and stomach. The mask falls off my face and my vision darkens. "Sylvia¡­" - Luke 152 Chapter 152 "Ian¡­ Wake up¡­ How long do you n on sleeping?" - Reba "What¡­?" - Ian "Are you okay? You don''t look so good. Your face is pale and your eyes aren''t focused." - Reba My head hurts, and my eyes couldn''t focus as I try to open them. I hear Reba''s voice, but the world is spinning around me. I grip my head with my left hand as a sharp pain pierces through my brain, like I was struck by lightning. Wincing in pain, I close my eyes tightly as I wait for it to fade away. I feel Reba cing her hand on the right side of my cheek. Her soft palm brushing against my rough skin. I open my eyes and her face was right next to mine. Her eyes were closed as she brought her forehead closer to mine. In panic, I softly push her shoulders back. "I''m fine now. Sorry." - Ian She opens her eyes as I unexpectedly push her away. She was wearing a pink shirt with a small white flower in the middle, with ck leggings. I feel my face flush as I quickly turn my head to the side, looking at my phone. "You know, it''s almost midday." - Reba "WHAT?" - Ian "Yea, I left the game when the servers stopped running and went to wash up. Usually you would be up getting ready to go on a run, but I didn''t see you, so I thought you were still sleeping. After a while, I came in to check, and you were just sleeping there. I let you be thinking you had a tough gamest night, but it''s almost midday and I got worried, so I went to wake you up." - Reba I pick up my phone to see missed calls and unread texts, as well as the time disying 1152. "I can''t believe I slept for so long." - Ian "What do you mean? It was only for almost 6 hours." - Reba "No, it was longer. I got killed in the game, so I left it much earlier. From what I remember, it wasn''t even night yet, and I had died. I probably got out of the game somewhere around 0200st night." - Ian "Hmm, well, I think you might want to call Kingston. He tried to reach you but I told him you were sleeping. I''m going out to eat some lunch, do you want me to bring you back anything?" - Reba "Umm, just a sandwich would be fine." - Ian "Got it." - Reba Reba leaves the room while smiling at me. After a wave goodbye, she leaves to get lunch. I unlock my phone and look through the unread messages. Most of them were from Kingston, as he exited the game sooner than I did and have been waiting for my reply since. While some of them were also from Sabrina, and Evan. It seems there is some new intel on the forums, but Kingstones first. I dial his number and let out a small sigh, preparing myself for the conversation. "Ian! What took you so long?!" - Kingston "Sorry, I pretty much copsed after getting back from the game and only just woke up now." - Ian "Goddammit!" - Kingston "Are you okay? What happened after we got separated?" - Ian "Am I okay? AM I OKAY? HELL NO, I''M NOT! I WENT BERSERK, MAN. I DON''T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AFTER I WENT CRAZY!" - Kingston " So nothinges to mind? What was thest thing you remember?" - Ian "Umm, I remember jumping off the dinosaur and dodging some attacks. I remember getting attack from behind by its sound attack thingy, and then the next thing I remember was a lot of words around me. " - Kingston "Words?" - Ian "It''s very vague and hazy, but I know I was surrounded by red text. Everywhere I look, it was just red text. Some of it were shiny, though." - Kingston "Anything else you remember?" - Ian "No¡­ The next thing I remember was that I woke up in my bed. My whole body was aching all over and I had a head splitting headache. I woke up my parents from their slumber with my scream, but they couldn''t see anything wrong with my body. In the end, they rubbed some ointment on my body and massaged me until I eventually fell asleep." - Kingston "I see. Well, I can tell you a bit about what happened afterwards but I didn''t get to see the whole picture." - Ian "You were there while I was berserk? WHY DIDN''T YOU KILL ME IMMEDIATELY?" - Kingston "Kingston! I couldn''t. I didn''t get there while you were in a berserk state. I arrived near the end after you entered a new state." - Ian "What¡­? What are you talking about? My only skills were the ones you gave me, sand armor and endless rage. I don''t have anything other skill." - Kingston "That''s where you are wrong. I think you might have acquired it during your berserk state, that''s why you don''t know about it. Luke arrived before me and he was fighting you. Only he knows specifically what happened to you. When I saw you, you were covered in a bloody red armor with ck horns and a red skull as your face. Your spear had be twice its length and was a deep crimson color from what I remember." - Ian "A transformation? Like how Luke has the golden ascension?" - Kingston "Simr, but more sinister. You looked like a demon. Someone born and raised in hell but funnily enough you gotpletely destroyed by the monsters that came afterwards." - Ian "Monsters? What the hell happened while I was pretty much gone?" - Kingston "Firstly, a humanoid dragon chimera hatched from a floating egg. That monster defeated you. Then Casper appeared and started to beat him. Then a giant upside down mountain pierced through the sky and golems came falling down from it. Casper turns to dragon form and beats them. Fires off a super hotser kinda thing and I die. That''s the shortest recap I can think of for what happened." - Ian "What the f-" - Kingston "Yea, it''s a lot to take in. However, from what I saw, we are so weakpared to everything else in that game world. I know that we have seen stronger monsters like the spider queen, but Casper and the army of golems is on another level. We have literally no chance of winning against them unless we gain something that will boost our overall strength." - Ian "I''m still dumbfounded about what happened. I became a demon-like thing and I still get destroyed. Man, aren''t I supposed to be unbeatable in that state?" - Kingston "Maybe against other yers and some monsters, but monsters on the same caliber as Casper or even the dragon chimera Deino, you were nothing but a fly." - Ian "So, what are your suggestions? Can we even be stronger?" - Kingston "More hunting, more fighting, and let''s not forget the copper that we are digging up. We should head back to HavenFall and find out the situation on that." - Ian "Right¡­ Hey Ian." - Kingston "Yea? What''s wrong?" - Ian "I don''t know what is wrong with me anymore. I feel rage and anger inside me at random moments in the day, but in mere seconds, I return to normal." - Kingston "Is it like the time when you came out of the Ikanda?" - Ian "Simr, but that was mainly the feeling I had in the game. This is in real life. In realty. I shouldn''t be feeling this, right?" - Kingston ? "I told you before about Reba, how her skill in the game felt like it was happening in real life, but it ended up being nothing much. I think what you are feeling is the residue anger from your berserk state, and your brain is still feeling the effects of it because it was so prominent. Do your best to stay as calm as possible in any situations, and maybe avoid people. Rx by yourself until you go back in the game." - Ian "...Alright. I''ll do my best." - Kingston "Text me if you need anything, okay?" - Ian "Got it. Talk to youter." - Kingston I end the call and let out a sigh of relief. My body was tense throughout the whole phone call. Kingston''s situation wasn''t that great in the game since he ended up versing some dangerous foes and eventually fighting Luke, who was the strongest NPC in HavenFall. While he did get stronger by the new demon state, it also looks like he is starting to lose himself. I can only hope nothing bad will happen. Looking at the rest of my unread texts, were the ones from the group chat. Evan was mainly telling us about the new information in the forum and telling us to look it up, while Sabrina and Sam were discussing it with Evan. Since I had finished my talk with Kingston, I decide to look up the new information on the forum. I don''t look at the forum too much, mainly relying on Evan to tell me any news, but if he is telling us to look at the forum then it is something big or long that he doesn''t want to summarize. I boot up myputer and load the forum and immediately, I see why Evan told us to look on the forum. [Information About Some ''Generals'' in the King''s Army ( Notplete ) - X_MarksThe_Spot] 153 Chapter 153 [Information About Some ''Generals'' in the King''s Army ( Notplete ) - X_MarksThe_Spot So we all know there are 4 different territories on this continent, but what we don''t know are the enemies we are facing. I took some time and information from various sources whom I will not name, and I''m here to make a smallption of them. This information is for the public to help them avoid these ''Generals'' since they will kill you. Like seriously, they are, so god-damn stronger it ain''t funny. Firstly will be from my own experience, I''m currently situated in the South and have been lucky enough to meet some Traveler friends while I was a Leader of a vige. During our gamey, we fought a lot of undead and dark beings, however, we also happened to witness a fight between golems and the undead. Commanding the golems was a chimera individual which looked to be abination of a lion, a goat, and a snake. Looking up documents in history, I found that this is one of the most basic forms of a chimera and originated in the ancient country of Greece. Of course, this is a game and while we can take information from the inte and hypothesize what the creature would do and can do, there is no real information that can be taken from these online resources. The chimeramanded an army of golems ranging from stand human-giant like golems to animals such as wolves, lions, snakes, and even birds. Facing this army of golems was an army of undead. Zombies of various humans and monsters were seen with some skeletons of various sizes as well with the biggest threat being a skeleton dragon. Sitting on the head of the skeleton dragon was themander and ''General'' of the Southern region. There is no name for such ''General'' since we weren''t able to interact with her, however, from our observations we can conclude it is some sort of female human or humanoid. Please remember these observations are from our eyes as well as other witnesses'' memory, therefore there might be some slight differences from the real deal when someone sees the humanoid, but we are doing our best to gather more information. The female humanoid had long pink hair that reached the waist, simr to the color of sakura trees, with blunt bangs as well as a deeper shade of pink eyes. On the top of her head was a small ck-colored tiara. Her outfit consists of a skin-tight ck dress with a thigh-high slit, lined with golden trim and essories like buttons and bangles, as well as a golden rib cage and a blood-red underside. There is also a ck cape with tattered ends, as well a transparent veil that covers the back of her head. This female wields a ck scythe, where the de is about as long as her whole body. We were unable to see her fight during the battle as the undead were the main army, and the skeleton dragon was more of a seat than a monster, however, other witnesses have seen her summon imps, skeletons, and zombies. There have been other sightings of potential ''General'' ss monsters in the South, and they are generally associated with necromancers or dark magicians. The female individual is the first monster that looks different, so we ssify her as a ''General''. Moving on, to the West, where we have Kronos''s army. We have seen the lion chimera in action, however, there have been reports of other chimera-like monsters. The one that has currently seen the most action is a chimera by the name of Owl. Going off the name, the chimera-based monster is an owl however, it stands as tall as an average human and boasts wings that are as huge as a dragon. It hasrge red eyes and a ck beak with white feathers covering its wings, and stands on top of deer-like legs. Its torso is primarily covered by the wings whenever it stands still, but once it starts to fly, witnesses have seen multiple small red eyes along the rib cage. What it is currently unknown, however, there are reports of people dying the moment they see the monster. It hunts in swarms of birds and bats bothrge and small and can be seen as a ck cloud flying across the sky. In the North, we have the Blood Ogre. A menacing beast that kills for pleasure. Usually half-covered in silver armor, but sometimes seen only with striped animal skin covering its lower body. Its scarlet red body is covered in ck tattoos that glow whenever the monster uses a skill, and so far we have only seen it use fist-rted skills. It has two yellow eyes and fangs that reach from the bottom of its mouth to its eyes. The monster is fast and likes to wreak havoc wherever it goes, and has currently caused the Bones Guild a lot of trouble. There have also been sightings of a ck dragon flying above the Blood Ogre, however, we haven''t confirmed anything In the East, there have been sightings of a ''General'' like monster near the ocean. Most yers are in marsnd-like environments or near the ocean and for those near the ocean, they have seen a singr humanoid female killing yers and monsters alike with water spells. The female is simr to a child in size, with shoulder-length white hair with red tips. Her innocent eyes and face is revealed to be a mask hiding a row of sharp teeth like a shark and ruby eyes that shine where it sees blood. Two ruby gems hold her hair in small side ponytails, while her outfit is simr to ancient Romans. Clothed in a white dress with one strap off her shoulder and tied together with a brown rope at her waist. It transitions to a light blue color simr to the color of the ocean, finishing with a golden rim. She wears sandals that use long straps to crisscross around her ankles and calves, as well as golden bracelets on both her small arms. Wielding a turquoise blue trident with golden letters and lines along with the handle, she kills yers with a skill that creates a water shark that travels along the ground. The shark jumps up from the ground, surrounding the yer in a water bubble before bursting from the inside. Other skills that have been seen are water spears and geysers that appear from the ground, however, her most frightening skill is controlling water itself. Capable of moving water around herself as a shield or using it to grab yers or pierce yers. At this moment these are the biggest threats that we have seen and while we know there are more, we haven''t had a chance to talk to anything that has the information about said monsters. Currently, every yer is too weak to fight against these monsters and even with their NPC army might be destroyed by these monsters at full power however, the game has only just started, and more yers are joining. I hope to enlighten everyone with this information as well as promote our guild. We are the information-gathering guild that wants to help everyone understand more about the game as well as the monsters within it. We are Espion. ] "Wow¡­ That''s a lot of information." - Ian It took me a while to read and digest the information, especially about the monsters that were in the other territories. I have seen ''Generals'' from Horde and Kronos''s army, however, this was the first time hearing about the ''Generals'' of the other territories. I text the group chat, hoping to be able to discuss my thoughts. "I just read the post on the forum." - Ian "Thoughts?" - Evan "Blood Ogre is a monster who I have met already. His name is Rautt, and he is scary. The dragon is also another ''General'' going by the name Casper, and he can turn into a human with dragon wings. The owl and lion chimera are ones which I haven''t seen before but I have seen an insect and a dragon chimera." - Ian " What the hell? You have been exposed to so many of them." - Evan "Not by choice. I also saw the Queen of Spiders, which is also another general under The Horde, and I''ve been cursed by her too." - Ian "Interesting. Any thoughts on the ones you haven''t seen before?" - Evan "The female from the South is very intriguing. Shemands the army, which is different from the other ''Generals'' who have mainly been by themselves. The one in the East looks like she uses a lot of magic, but there isn''t really a lot of information on these ''Generals''. Do you happen to know more?" - Ian "I''ve encountered a giant crocodile during my journey towards the middle. We didn''t engage in a fight, but we saw it kill some golems that were trying to cut down some trees. Not sure if it was a ''General'' but the thing was a lot stronger than anything I have seen." - Evan "Hey, guys! I''ve seen the Blood Ogre as well." - Sam "AYE! SAM, how are you doing?" - Evan "Hey, Sam!" - Ian "Going good, thanks. As I said, I have seen the Blood Ogre as well. It was during one of the expeditions out of my vige with some demi-humans. We were searching for more resources when I heard a loud roar in the distance. We were situated on a hill over arge yellow grasnd and on the far side, we saw the Blood Ogre fighting a giant golem. The golem was twice the size of the Blood Ogre, and we both know that monster is already pretty huge." - Sam "Was it struggling? Or was it winning? Because from what I know of the Blood Ogre, I don''t think he would lose against a golem." - Ian "Well, you would be right, but on top of the golem was a smaller creature. It was too far away for me to make out the creature, but I saw it wave a wand or staff-like object above its head, and the Blood Ogre retreated the moment it saw that." - Sam "What?" - Ian "I wasn''t sure the reason because after that we got spotted and had to run away. Luckily, they didn''t run after us." - Sam "Strange, from what I''ve heard from Ian and the forums, the Blood Ogre should be very aggressive. Why retreat?" - Evan "Magic is still a very new subject. I recently saw a golem using magic circles to cast spells, which is different from the way the elves have cast magic. Elves use a chant to cast their spell. The only reason why I would suspect that the Blood Ogre retreated was because he knew what the magic was going to be and knew the dangers of it." - Ian "Speaking of magic, Sabrina found a book that allowed her to cast a spell. Where is she anyway?" - Evan "HERE! I AM HERE!" - Sabrina "Hey, Sabrina." - Ian "Yo. " - Sam "Tell them your loot, Sabrina." - Evan "Well, it was justst night. I killed a red slime king near my vige, and it dropped a skill book called Fireball." - Sabrina "That means you just need to find more of those slime kings to get more skill books." - Ian "If only it was that simple." - Sabrina "Surely, fighting it wasn''t that hard?" - Sam "It''s finding it, right?" - Evan "Yea. I''ve only found 2 slime kings before, and the first one was during one of the events." - Sabrina "It will be fine. No rush. Take your time and slowly expand your strengths. I think it will be good if you keep fighting, even if it is just against slimes. Your NPCs will grow stronger, and you might have a chance of finding new people to join your vige." - Ian "Yep! Doing that already!" - Sabrina "Whereabouts are you, Evan?" - Ian "Hmm? I''m at home, why?" - Evan "I meant in the game¡­ You said you were traveling towards me?" - Ian "OHHH RIGHT! I''m in some sort of dirtnd or wastnd ce. I''m trying to find a mesa or mountain range or a canyon because that is what you said I should be looking out for." - Evan "Hmm, I can''t say for sure that you are close or not, but keep going!" - Ian "Well, I have to get back to some work. Talk to you guys whenever somethinges up." - Sam "Same, doing something for my parents." - Evan "Going out as well. Seeya." - Sabrina "Byeee." - Ian I turn off my phone and rx on the couch as I wait for Reba toe back. Things have to change in HavenFall if I want to be stronger, but what more can I do other than wait? 154 Chapter 154 Reba came back after an hour, and we had some sandwiches from the local convenience store. Sitting on the couch, I tell her about the information on the ''Generals'' and told her to be careful about the pink-haired female since she was situated in the South. "Will I even see her? I have barely seen any undead. I''m usually fighting against beast-type monsters or goblins and orcs." - Reba "Not sure, but I want you to still be careful. It looks like she usuallymands the army of undead, which means you would see theming and have time to escape, but at the same time, it will be hard to escape from the undead." - Ian "Why? Don''t I just leave?" - Reba "Undead doesn''t need to rest, but humans and demi-humans do. Eventually, you will tire and once that happens they will catch up to you." - Ian "Hmm, I see. By the way, have you been sleeping alright?" - Reba Reba leans closer to me, looking at me with her clear blue eyes. She ces her hand on my forehead and looks at me with a worrying expression. "I-I''m fine. Why do you ask?" - Ian I gently pull away from her as she approached me. "This morning what happened? You still haven''t told me anything about that." - Reba "Oh, umm, I guess I was just tired?" - Ian "Don''t. Bullshit me, there was obviously something wrong." - Reba I try to calm my rapid heartbeat and slowly take a deep breath. "I died in the game protecting my NPCs from a heatwave. I felt my back burn and then my skin melting before I died. When I woke up, I had a splitting headache and my bed was drenched in sweat. Then I fell asleep again until you woke me up." - Ian "Was that it?" - Reba "Yea. Nothing else." - Ian "Hmm, maybe you should rest up during the day and sleep more. The both of us aren''t working at the convenience store anymore, so you can use that time to rx." - Reba "I can for a bit, but eventually I''ll need to find a job and get back to work. I need money for food, rent, and bills too." - Ian "I can help with money for a bit. After all, I am staying here." - Reba "Right, howe you are staying here? I understood for a while after your incident but why are you still here?" - Ian "Do you not like me here? Isn''t it fun having a beautiful girl like me living under your roof?" - Reba Reba smiles, leaning forward again and climbing on top of me slowly. Her oversized white shirt hung low enough that I could see her ckce bra. I back off slightly, as she gets on top of me, and ces her hand on my cheek. "I-I-It''s not like, I don''t like you here. I just didn''t know why." - Ian She leans forward and whispers in my ear before getting off me and sitting back on the couch, normally. "Just because~" - Reba. Smiling at my flushed face, she giggles and continues on her reason. "And because I don''t like home. Don''t worry, I have savings as well, so we won''t be broke." - Reba "Alright¡­" - Ian "By the way, what''s for dinner?" - Reba "You just had lunch, and you are already thinking about dinner?" - Ian "A girl can get hungry, you know." - Reba "Well, what do you want?" - Ian "Spaghetti?" - Reba "Sure. We can make some spaghetti." - Ian .........¡­ "Reba, do you want to sleep together tonight?" - Ian "WHAT?" - Reba Dropping her fork on the table and spilling some spaghetti sauce everywhere, Reba surprisingly jumps up from her chair. Her face is red as a tomato as she looks at me. "Wow, wow, wow, waitttttt. I don''t mean it like that." - Ian Noticing the way I spoke, I blush as well, pping my forehead at the way I approached the situation. "I mean, sleeping in the same room when we go into the game. In case something happens, we can at least be there for the other person as soon as possible." - Ian "Oh, umm, yeah, okay." - Reba Reba slowly sits back down on her chair, holding her cheeks in embarrassment. I avoid eye contact with her as I finish up my food and go wash up the te. Reba finishes her food soon after, cleaning up her mess and retreating to the bathroom. I hear the shower water running and attempt to clear my mind by looking at the game forum page. The previous post about the ''Generals'' is still the top post, with subsequent smaller posts about potential ''Generals'' popping up right under it. The big 3 guilds were still advertising on the forum, but I could see smaller guilds trying their best to advertise as well, since there are a lot of gamingpanies out there. The only problem is that the game doesn''t have a mary system yet, so there is no way for guilds to earn money from the game. Thinking about it now, why hasn''t there been some sort of gold system? What do the guilds get out of hiring yers and making them work for them? Other VR games always used a gold system, where trading real money for in-game cash was always the method guilds used in hiring yers. However, this game doesn''t do that. yer interaction is still rtively new, with only small groups of yers finding each other. Posts of yers saying they are just a team of 3 or 4 are the biggest I have seen, and even some Leaders only have seen one other yer while they have been building their vige. Travelers in the forum have stated that it was hard finding methods to get stronger with the increase of monsters, but others have said the opposite. More monsters meant more chances to grow stronger from the loot, but stats were stagnated since the game doesn''t have a level system. Instead, Travelers have found items that increased their stats in the game. Some foods have also been found that increase stats as well, but those were rare, and it was moremon to find an item with gives an increase in stats. Ancient ruins were also rare, but the yers that have found them were always cheering. Big stats increases or rare weapons or armor have been found and for Leaders the asional special building has been found, increasing the vige''s strength. As I was scrolling through the forum, Reba finishes her shower,ing out with a towel wrapped around her head, holding her hair up. The steam emitting off her slightly wet body as well as the slightly transparent white shirt made me look away. "Shower is free, Ian." - Reba "I know, I can tell." - Ian "What are you looking at?" - Reba "Just random stuff on the forum." - Ian "Hmm¡­" - Reba Reba walks over towards me, holding up her hair. She bends down beside me to get a better view of the screen, and I could smell the faintvender shampoo that she just used. "What''s that post about?" - Reba "Huh? Which one?" - Ian Following her finger, I see a post that has been buried in between a pile of guild advertisements. [ Anyone else experienced extreme heat and earthquakes in the game? - ArchWizardo Just posting here to see if anyone else has experienced something simr. Last night in the game, I was roaming around with a fellow NPC as I am a Traveler, and we experienced a major heatwave as well as multiple earthquakes. We are currently near a mountainous area with green grasnd beside it. Not sure which territory it is in. The monsters we faced were goblins, orcs, and electric zebras. My NPC has been injured from falling on the mountain, luckily she is okay with about 30% of her HP left. However, we have no way of healing, and I''m not sure what will happen while we are trapped on the mountain. The shaking has stopped a little before sunset, but we haven''t been able to move around and are currently stuck in a small cave that outlooks the grasnd. If there are any yers nearby, please message me on this forum and I will request a chatroom to discuss the details. Thank you, ArchWizardo ] "Isn''t that near where you are?" - Reba "It''s not just near it, it is exactly at the same ce. The problem is I don''t know whereabouts she is since the mountain range is extremely long. I also don''t know how much the battle affected the surroundings." - Ian "At least message them and see what you can do. Maybe she will join your vige." - Reba "Of course, maybe they can help me as well." - Ian [ Hello there, ArchWizardo, I am currently situated near the area you have described as I also experienced the same phenomena as you have. Please suggest a chatroom to discuss further details, as it would be more private. ] - Ian "Okay, just need to wait for-. Oh, they just made a chatroom." - Ian [ArchWizardo invites you to a private chatroom. ept/Decline] [ept] [Ian Enters] [ Hello, Ian. I am ArchWizardo, I didn''t expect someone in the top 10 to see my post as well as to be in the same area as I am. ] - ArchWizardo [ As you know, I am in a cave that is overlooking the green grasnd. How far away do you think you are? ] - ArchWizardo [ Well, it would depend a lot on where you are. I was at the epicenter of the earthquake¡­ I also witness what caused the heatwave and kind of died to it hahaha. ] - Ian [ Huh? Wait, WHAT? ] - ArchWizardo [ Yeah, umm not much to it, just some big monsters fighting each other, and I happen to be nearby. ] - Ian [ Well, I don''t think I was too far away? How do I know if I''m close?] - ArchWizardo "Hmm, do I reveal information about the Himmel Festung?" - Ian "The floating fortress?" - Reba "Yeah. That would be the easiest way to find out how far away they is." - Ian [ I did see something in the sky and if you say that you were near the ce where there was a lot ofmotion, I''m assuming you were near the floating mountain?] - ArchWizardo "Well, there is your answer." - Reba [ Yes, I was at the location of the floating mountain. How far away do you think you are from there?] - Ian [ The mountain appeared slightly away from me, but I don''t think it was too far. I can move in that direction with my NPC friend.] - ArchWizardo [ Is the grasnd on your right or left? When you go in the direction of the floating mountain?] - Ian [ The grasnd would be on my left. ] - ArchWizardo [ Okay, once I''m in the game and I make sure all my NPCs are okay, I''ll move in your direction, but keeping the grasnd on my right. We should meet up eventually. Although, I advise you to not move too much since you said that your NPC is hurt.] - Ian [ If I don''t move, how would you find me? ] - ArchWizardo [ Stay in the cave and once you notice peopleing close,e out. It will be me and my NPCs. ] - Ian [ Alright. Thank you so much, Ian!. ] - ArchWizardo [ No worries. I can assume you will be helping me out for a while as well, since you are a Traveler.] - Ian [ Of course. I''ve been wondering about trying to find a ce to help my NPC friend settle down. I don''t think she is capable of doing long journeys. ] - ArchWizardo [ I see, I ask that you will tell me more about what has happened to you previously when we meet up instead of over the chatroom. Is that okay?] - Ian [ Yes, I''ll see you soon then. ] - ArchWizardo [ArchWizardo Exits] [Ian Exits] I let out a short breath as I turned toward Reba. She had long since straightened her back and was leaning on my chair as she watched me talk to ArchWizardo. "Well, now you are going to meet a new yer." - Reba "Yeah, hopefully, they can stay with me and help my vige grow into a city." - Ian "It will be a long time before I can even reach you. Where I am in the South is probably too far away from you." - Reba "It''s fine, Evan has been walking towards me for a month now I think, and he is still nowhere near, or at least that is what we think. Since we don''t have a map in the game, we can only go offndmarks and biomes." - Ian "It would be good to y with other people rather than by myself." - Reba I smile at Reba as I look at her pouting face. "Eventually, we will be together in the game world as well." - Ian "Yeah, it''s just a matter of time." - Reba Reba walks away, pulling the towel off and rxing on the couch. We both wait and rx, talking to each other as we wait for midnight. Once it was, I let Reba set up her VR helmet in my bed while I got a separate mattress and set it up next to the bed. I said goodnight to her and have fun before putting on the helmet and diving into the game world. 155 Chapter 155 I open my eyes to a dusty dark cave. I cough out some dirt that went into my mouth when I breathed in but almost immediately I hear a guttery scream next to me. "AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Kingston "Kingston? KINGSTON! WHAT''S WRONG?" - Ian I turn around to see Kingston spasming on the ground, a bloody red aura seeping out of him and enveloping the surroundings. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Kingston I rush towards him, only to be met with a crimson red forcefield surrounding him. His eyes shoot open revealing blood-red eyes as well as a river of bloody tears. I bang on the forcefield with my hands, putting all my strength into each hit but to no avail. Slowly, a ruby jaw forms around his chin, creeping upwards covering his eyes and then forehead. 2 ck horns form above his head as a ruby skull forms around Kingston''s face. His screams were never-ending, in fact, I feel they got louder. "KINGSTON!!!" - Ian "STOP! STOP! I DON''T WANT IT! I DONT''T WANT IT" - Kingston "KINGSTON!!!" - Ian "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" - Kingston Kingston''s hands w at the skull. I see his fingernails break and crack. Blood covers his fingers as he struggles on the ground. "FIGHT IT KINGSTON! FIGHT IT!" - Ian "STOP-P-P-P! JUST STOPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Kingston His bloody red aura bursts out, shattering the forcefield around him and knocking me back. Ind on my back but immediately get up, rushing towards Kingston. Dust and dirt cloud my vision, I wave my hand in front of me to clear it up before I saw Kingston hugging his legs on the ground. His quiet weeping felt louder than his screams. A shattered ruby skull and ck horns lie next to him as I see small clear tears drop to the ground. His face was full of small cuts and his hair was messy with his eyes unfocused. I kneel down next to him, cing a hand on his shoulder but he immediately shivers and tries to shake my hand away. He brings his hands up covering his ears and his body shakes uncontrobly as his eyes widen. "Kingston¡­" - Ian "S-S-S-S-Stop. P-P-P-P-Please." - Kingston I swallow the saliva that had pooled in my mouth and reposition my legs so I satfortably. I have no idea what just happened, especially since the both of us just got into the game. I know Kingston wasn''t feeling the best already but at least in reality he wasn''t like this. Whatever happened, it has to do with the demonification that he experienced during his berserk state. Instead of pestering him for answers, I chose to sit quietly while I wait for him to calm down. I watch over him as the seconds and the minutes tick away. Wind blowing into the cave was the only sound I could hear, next to my heartbeat and breathing. Kingston''s breathing slowly became more consistent and he let his arms drop down to his sides as he turns his body so that he was lying on his back. He looks at the ceiling of the cave and tried to find his words. "I-I-I''m sorry, for that." - Kingston "No, don''t worry about it. I don''t know what happened and you don''t need to tell me now. Just tell me are you okay to keep ying or should I kill you so you go back to real life?" - Ian "I-I-I can keep going. Just slowly¡­" - Kingston "Are you sure?" - Ian "Yes." - Kingston Kingston picks himself up, wobbling as he tries to stand straight. He wipes the blood off his face with his shirt and hands. However, his tired and worn-down expression tells me a different tale. "Come on Ian. We need to find everyone else." - Kingston "They will be somewhere not too far away. From what I remember this is the cave we slept in before we went into the crevice. " - Ian "Okay¡­" - Kingston Kingston leans against the side of the cave as he slowly limps forward. I get up quickly and ce my arm around him, helping him walk. "Don''t push yourself. Just take your time, Kingston." - Ian "I will¡­" - Kingston As we got out of the cave we get greeted by our friendly golden wolves, Belle, Dawn, Razor, and Luna. The 4 wolves happily howl as they found us and not longter the rest of our groupes running down the mountainside. I hold onto Kingston as we wait for them to reach us. Noticing Kingston''s condition, Sr attempts to heal him with her skill but nothing happened. "Howe my healing skill isn''t working?" - Sr "My HP is full. I''m under a severe debuff." - Kingston ,m "How long until it goes away?" - Ian "Tomorrow." - Kingston "What happened?" - David I shake my head, signaling for them to not speak about the matter. Instead, I asked for a report on the situation as I noticed that Luke was missing yet everyone else was together. Even Kingston said, that Ster and a couple of goblins that separated from the main group are back together as well. "After the fight between the dragon and the golems, we were hit with a big heatwave, forcing us to retreat. A lot of us got injured during that time and we spent the night recuperating and healing." - Sr "My group was underground at that time and instead of heatwaves we were experiencing an earthquake. The shaking didn''t stop for a while and we felt like we were going to be trapped underground. Luckily the cave we were in didn''t copse and we made it out alive. After a while, we traversed back to the crevice and met up with everyone." - Ster "That''s good and everyone is okay?" - Ian "Yes sir!" - Everyone "Ian¡­" - Sylvia Shyly speaking near me was Sylvia. Her face was full of regret and guilt. Instantly, I knew something was wrong since Sylvia wasst with Luke before I died. In her hand was The Moon''s Ghost, and she shakily tried to give it to me. Tears were slowly streaming down her face. "Sylvia¡­ No matter what happened, I won''t get upset. Please tell me." - Ian "Luke he-he-he got taken away. Casper and Rautt took him back to the Horde saying that they wanted to make him stronger." - Sylvia Through her tears, Sylvia tried to exin what happened after I died. We stood there quietly listening to her story. I could feel everyone tense up as they realize the difference in power between us and the Horde''s ''Generals''. My heart ached a bit knowing that Luke who was one of the strongest NPCs I had with me, was taken away and overpowered just like that. I knew there was no way that Sylvia or any of us would be able to do anything in that situation. Knowing that information felt like I was hit by a truck. I was weak. We are weak. Too weak. "I know you might hate me for saying this Sylvia but we can''t go after him¡­" - Ian "WHY? WHY NOT?" - Sylvia Grabbing my shirt and pulling me towards her, Sylvia screams at my face. Tears stream down her face as she looks at me with her sapphire blue eyes. However, I can only return her sadden expression with a look of guilt. "We are too weak. I know you know this too. If we were to venture off to find Luke, we would be killed by anyone that is under the Horde. Not only that we wouldn''t know where we are searching. Casper is a dragon. We can''t catch up even if we tried." - Ian "But¡­But¡­" - Sylvia "Ian is right, we can''t afford to go after Luke right now." - Sr "Sad as it will be, we need to trust that Luke will survive whatever hell awaits him. One day when we are stronger we will search for him or he will search for us." - Ster "That''s right, Sylvia. We need to grow stronger before we can rescue Luke properly." - Ian Sylvia''s hand slowly slips away from my shirt as she wipes her tears away with her hand. "I know¡­ I know¡­ But¡­ I-I-I let him go¡­ I couldn''t even try to stop it from happening. They¡­ They were too strong and I''m¡­ So weak¡­" - Sylvia Sylvia breaks down crying, and a dark atmosphere surrounds the group. I see David and Gibing grip their weapons tighter in anger. Knowing their frustration is due to their own weakness. Sr and some goblins, shed a tear with Sylvia while Ster looked away. The wolves howl to the sky as Celine brushes their fur, while the demi-humans look up as well. I let them have their moment of sadness before I tell him our next step. "We are going to help a couple of people. They have told me they were stuck not too far away from here. We will move towards them before going home. They need our help and while we can''t help someone we know at least we can lend a helping hand to those near us." - Ian Everyone nodded slowly, picking up their baskets and weapons before heading in the direction towards the ArchWizardo. 156 [Bonus Chapter]Chapter 156 We walked onwards for a while, keeping the grasnd on our right as we headed toward ArchWizardo. I made the goblin scouts roam the grasnd, keeping an eye out for any monsters that mighte close, while having the wolves at the front. I also positioned the goblin archers at the back, along with the demi-human and human shield bearers. Everyone else was in the middle, with David and Gibing leading the way and Ster and Gewari taking up the rear. "Ster, I was going to give you this earlier, but it didn''t feel like the right timing." - Ian I turn around and give Ster The Moon''s Ghost. While I could have kept it, I believe the mask would be used more effectively in Ster''s hands, after all, she was an assassin by nature. Pairing it with stealth, she would be able to be invisible for a long period, making it perfect for her role. "Thank you, Ian. As we are on this note, I also have something to give to you." - Ster Reaching into the basket on her back, she takes out 2 golden boxes. "Ancient ruins!" - Ian I signal David and Gibing to take over the role of helping Kingston as I receive the ancient ruins for Ster. "We found the 2 of them buried underground after the earthquakes. Knowing that you collect them, we made sure to keep them safe until we could deliver them to you." - Gyumi "Thank you, these might end up helping us." - Ian I open the two boxes and, with a golden shine, they reveal two small tokens. The first token looked like a golden brown pir, while the second looked like a wooden house with two pointy roofs. [ Pir Monument Token - Use this token to create a Pir Monument. A Pir Monument will generate Culture for the user. Make sure there is enough space for the Pir Monument, both on the ground and in height. ] [ Badge of the Russians - Use in an open space to create a Krepost. Make sure there are no obstructing objects when using the badge. Hint; use the badge away from the main base or vige. ] "What is this¡­?" - Ian I didn''t understand what a Pir Monument was, but I did see the word Culture being used before on the forums. It was a brief post, but it said the unlocking Culture will in turn unlock the Social Policy Tree. The Social Policy Tree is further divided into 9 separate trees of the names Tradition, Liberty, Honor, Piety, Patronage, Commerce, Aesthetics, Rationalism, and Exploration. Unlocking the nodes within these trees will give various kinds of benefits but, they were unable to be shown ording to the user that unlocked it first. However, the person was able to tell the forum about the benefits of choosing a tree. Tradition focuses on building one major city with a few smaller cities. It''s enhancing the effects of buildings that belong to the yer when the yer has a few viges or cities. Liberty is the opposite, where it focuses on yers who prefer to create a lot of viges or cities. Expanding one''s power by taking lots of space for their territory. Honor is a tree benefiting Travelers that stay in a city or vige. Travelers that pledge to stay within that city, gain a chance to increase their stats each time they kill monsters, as well as increase the culture count with each kill. Their stat gain and the chance of stat gain are dependent on the monster, and have a higher chance the stronger the monster. Piety focuses on the faith gained by a city. Helping to increase the amount of faith that is gained as well as spreading religion once the civilization has a religion. I can only assume that religions will y a role in the grander scheme of things, but for now, I don''t need to focus on that detail too much. Patronage is said to increase the chances of NPCs preferring your vige or city over another yer. Going down, this tree will make NPCs believe that being under your leadership will bring them happiness and strength, increasing the chances of a golden age as well as NPCs staying in the vige or city. Commerce corrtes to the resources gained by the vige or city. It will increase the chances of finding nearby resources as well as increase the amount gained from resources. Furthermore, trading bes easier and more profitable for your NPC traders, while other yers'' traders will find that they will need to pay more to sell their goods. However, the benefit is that other yers'' traders will be more friendly in your vige or city, making them more likely to stay even if they need to pay more. Aesthetics increase the cultural gain of a vige or city, as well as promote happiness to a higher degree. 50% of happiness will be incorporated into the Culture gain and vice versa. Golden ages will alsost longer and will have an increased effect. Rationalism creates an environment where learning takes priority. NPCs will pick up on things faster, as well as innovate things themselves without needing help from the yer. Furthering technological advancements and allowing themselves to be better people as time goes on. Exploration rtes to Travelers under the wing of a vige or city. Travelers will have an increase in stats when away from the vige or city, as well as a higher chance to find treasure. This information bes avable to any yer once they have unlocked Culture and is the basic premise of the different Social Policy Trees. However, what each node does, specifically, is unknown until a yer unlocks it. Moving on, the second item that came out of the ancient ruin was the Badge of the Russians. Russia was an old name for Rossiya and is now just a state of EuroNation. I don''t know much about their history, but I have heard of the Krepost. It was originally a fortress in the snowy mountains of Russia and was a way for the Russians to house their army, protecting them from the cold, snow, and ice. Understanding that, I believe when I do use the badge, I want to use it in a ce where I would like to house troops. I should ce it at either a choke point where it will be a defensive building or I could ce it at a location as a rest point for my troops. While using it as a defensive building would be good, there isn''t a ce I would like it at other than down the canyon more or towards the cave where I first started, but I don''t have enough troops to properly use the building. On the other hand, I could ce it near the exit of the forest overlooking the grasnd as a ce for my troops to rest as they gain experience training in the grasnd. Thinking about it more, that does sound like a good decision, since training my troops will make them stronger and allow my goblins to evolve into hobgoblins. A smile spreads across my face as that idea forms in my head. I mentally pat myself on the back as we keep walking onwards. After some time, the sun starts to set and a golden glow covers the sky. At the same time, the wolves howl into the sky. Celine trantes the howl for us, and it brings good news. "Ian, it seems like the wolves have found the person you were looking for, and they seem to be safe from what they can tell. No monsters are near, as well, so this is perfect." - Celine "Thank you, Celine. Everyone! Let''s pick up the pace." - Ian "On it!" - Everyone We pick up the pace as quickly as we can while taking into ount Kingston''s speed, and within a couple more minutes see two people in the distance with my Eye of the Roc. Waving her hand in the air aggressively with an enormous smile while holding up a person was ArchWizardo. ArchWizardo was wearing a gray, tattered robe with a ck undershirt and pants. She had a fiery red book with a 9 point star on the cover and golden writing along the edges slung around her shoulder. Her ruby red eyes shine in the golden rays of the setting sun. Her friend, however, wasn''t in the best condition. I could see her weakly smiling as sweat drips down her rose-colored cheeks. Simr to ArchWizardo, she wore a gray tattered robe with a ck undershirt and pants, but instead of a fiery red book, it was an aquamarine blue book. Her gray robe had a dark red spot, and she was gripping the area with her bloody hand. "Sr, quickly go over to them and cast a healing spell. I can see that one of them is injured." - Ian "Alright. On it." - Sr "I''ll apany her." - Ster "Everyone else, make haste." - Ian Just from looking at both of them, I have a slight suspicion that they may be mages, which makes them even more interesting, after all, magic is still a very new subject. We quickly grouped up with the goblins standing guard in the grasnd, making sure no enemies would bother us. Everyone else started to make camp before the sun truly sets. I walk over to ArchWizardo and her friend as they sit, resting their backs against a rock. Sr is kneeling next to the NPC healing her while Ster stands with her arms crossed. "Thank you so much, Ian." - ArchWizardo "It''s fine. Is your friend feeling better?" - Ian "Yes, her HP is rising, and herplexion is getting better as well." - ArchWizardo "That''s good. I don''t want to be rude, but is there a name you prefer to be called? Or is ArchWizardo the name you prefer?" - Ian "Oh, umm, ArchWizardo is just a gaming name that I have used through the years. You can call me by my real name since I assume Ian is your real name as well?" - ArchWizardo "Yep, Ian is my real name. I didn''t change when I had the chance." - Ian "Cool, it''s nice to meet you, Ian. My name is Nina." - Nina 157 Chapter 157 "It''s nice to meet you as well, Nina. Let me do a brief introduction to everyone here. The one healing your friend is Sr, next to her is Ster. Over there is David, Kingston and Gibing. Kingston is another yer and yes, Gibing is a hobgoblin. They are allies. Other hobgoblins include Gyumi, Gewari, and Gopopo. There are so some goblin scouts and archers. Moving on, that is Celine, Sylvia, Yor, and the other shield bearers. There is a mix of humans and demi-humans as well as wolves, which you have already met." - Ian I take my time, pointing out each different individual as I introduce them to Nina. "It''s nice to meet everyone, as you know, my name is Nina and my friend''s name is Lynn." - Nina "It''s nice to meet you, too. I''m sorry for the inconvenience, Ian and Sr. " - Lynn "Are you feeling better?" - Sr "Yes I am, thank you, Sr." - Lynn I turn toward Nina after introducing everyone. "If you don''t mind me asking. What happened prior to when you posted on the forum?" - Ian "I don''t mind talking, about it. I was originally in a party of Travelers and NPCs. There were a total of 5 Travelers and 5 NPCs, with each Traveler having an NPC that was loyal to them. We were roaming around the mountain range further down, fighting monsters as a team and gaining loot and ancient ruins together. We were getting along very well, until one night we got into a fight with spiders. It started off okay, with us pushing the spiders back, but then Lynn got kidnapped by a spider. I obviously wanted to go save her which I did, however, everyone else was against it. They were saying, oh it''s just an NPC you can let her die, or it''s too hard to go into an unknown cave to save her we should wait awhile before going in. They constantly made excuses to not go into the cave to save Lynn, and I couldn''t take it. I ventured in myself to save her. It was hard, but I got lucky. Lynn had fought against the monsters around her and was trying to escape. We met up in the cave, but she was already injured at that point. I didn''t want to go back to those selfish people, and Lynn didn''t feelfortable being around them either, so we went deeper into the cave. There were many forks in the cave, and luckily we were able to make it out. Doing our best to get away from the spiders, we kept moving even though Lynn was injured. Eventually, we head down the mountain towards the grasnd here and kept walking along. We found a cave to rest up, and then all that stuff that happened yesterday happened. I felt insecure and tried to reach out to people in case there was someone nearby. That person just happened to be you, Ian. Thank you again for agreeing toe and help my friend." - Nina "It''s fine, I''m sure you would have done the same if I was in that situation. I have to ask, though, did you or Lynn see the leader of the spiders?" - Ian Nina closes her eyes and her brow furrowed in confusion. She opens her eyes and looks at Lynn, who has been listening in on the conversation, and sees her shake her head. "No, I didn''t see anything. Lynn also agrees that she didn''t see any leader type spider." - Nina "Hmm, that''s okay. What is your n now?" - Ian "Huh? n? Umm, what do you mean?" - Nina "Like, what are you going to do after Lynn is healed?" - Ian "Umm, I haven''t thought about it. Is it okay if we keep following you and your group? We don''t really have anywhere else to go, and monsters are only going to get harder since we are just 2 people." - Nina I give Nina a smile and ce my hand on her shoulder. "Of course, you cane with us. We were about to head back to the main vige since the reason we traveled here to was to find a treasure. That mask that Ster is wearing was what we found, and now we are on the way back to rest." - Ian "That''s great! Don''t worry, both Lynn and I aren''t dead weights. I''m sure you have noticed, but we have these 2 books. They are items that allow us to cast magic." - Nina "I have been curious about them. Am I allowed to hold yours to see the information?" - Ian "Sure! Go ahead." - Nina Nina pulls the strap over her head and passes me her red book. [ Beginner Fire Mage Book (Bound - Nina) (Upgradeable) This book is bound to the user who touched it first and allows for simple fire spells to be cast. Fire Bolt (Active) 1MP - Cast a small ball of fire that flies towards a stated direction. ( Dmg: 5 + 10% INT) Cast time 1 second. Cooldown 10 seconds. Ignite (Active) 3MP - Create a spark on a target, igniting them and causing damage over time for 30 seconds. ( Dmg: 15 + 10%INT) Cast Time is instantaneous. Cooldown 1 minute. ??? ??? ??? ] "This is AMAZING! An item which gives you 5 spells altogether." - Ian "YEP! Lynn has a simr item, and while we haven''t fully unlocked all the spells, it''s better than nothing." - Nina "What do you mean better than nothing? You can instantly set something on fire as well as cast a Fire Bolt at an enemy. So long the creature you are dealing with is susceptible to fire, then you would be able to deal big damage to it just by setting it alight." - Ian Nina''s face beams with excitement as shees closer to me. "I KNOW RIGHT! I''M ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH THIS ITEM!" - Nina "How did you get it?" - Ian "Ancient ruins. In fact, it was 2 ancient ruins that were next to each other in a cave. They gave me the Beginner Fire Mage Book and the Beginner Ice Mage Book. Afterward, any ancient ruin I found I pray for an increase in Intelligence, so I do more damage." - Nina "Isn''t increasing stats hard in this game? How have you been doing it so far?" - Ian "Well, we have been doing alright so far because of these items. We have fought against a couple of kobold magicians with the party and since the drop was Intelligence focused, we were able to hold onto them." - Nina "Were there a lot of kobold magicians?" - Ian "No, I think they were an outlier since they were the only ones we saw. The rest of the monsters we fought were primarily goblins and orcs, which drop things we don''t use." - Nina "So the robe was the item you both acquired?" - Ian "Yep. It gives us +5 Intelligence and +2 Defense. Not the best armor but since we want more Intelligence it was all we could use." - Nina "What are your stats? If you don''t mind sharing." - Ian "It''s fine. I don''t mind. Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 5 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 25 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 10 Luck: 5 Equipment: Tattered Robe, Beginner Fire Mage Book, Woven Shirt, Woven Pants Lynn has 30 Intelligence, while the rest of the stats are the same as mine. I''m not sure about other people, but it is definitely hard getting stats in this game since there is no level system. I can cast Fire Bolt 10 times before running out of MP, and lucky for me spiders are afraid of fire." - Nina "This is fine. Don''t worry, you will eventually raise your stats one way or another. Plus, the fact that both of you are mages, which are already in a territory that people are just starting to discover. For now, we should rest up, Sr is finished healing Lynn. Tomorrow morning we will be beginning our move towards HavenFall, our home." - Ian "Got it! Thank you again, Ian." - Nina "Don''t worry about it." - Ian I stand up and walk toward Gibing and Gyumi, making sure that they have set up a schedule for the night watch. After confirming everything was okay, I walked toward Sylvia, who had just gone off to the side after talking with Celine. She had told Celine she was going to sleep but when I approached her, I see that she was huddled up in a corner, holding her knees close to her chest. "Sylvia¡­ Tell me what is wrong." - Ian "Ian. I told you before, losing Luke is my fault." - Sylvia "It''s not. You couldn''t have defeated Casper and Rautt. They are just too strong." - Ian "I know, even with the power of the gods, I can''t do it." - Sylvia "Power of the gods? What¡­ Tell me what happened after I disappeared in that cave. I never got the full story and tell me about yourself, I don''t think we have had this talk yet." - Ian "I''m¡­ I''m an apostle. I serve the god of war, Ares." - Sylvia Sylvia looks up at me as she finally tells me about herself. At the same time, I was able to finally see her stats. She was thest NPC in HavenFall to open up herself to me and allow me to look at her stats. I had always been curious about the girl that helped Luke from the start of his adventures outside HavenFall. Curious about why she helped him and at the same time curious about her knowledge since it seemed like sometimes she had more knowledge than even Ster or Sr. Name: Rhea Sylvia (Apostle of Ares) Race: Human Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 20 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 25 Luck: 5 Skill: Minor Awakening, Mystic Palm Minor Awakening (Active) 50% HP + 50% MP - Awaken the sleeping power of Ares within you. Doubling your stats as well as gaining enhanced reflexes. Cooldown 1 day Mystic Palm (Active) 2 MP - Can only be used in an Awakened state. Gather the fiery power of Ares within your palm, covering your hand in mes. Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes 158 Chapter 158 "What is an apostle? I don''t know anything about it so if it is okay, can you tell me about it?" - Ian I sit down next to Sylvia and look into the distance as I wait for her answer. "I am connected to the god of war, Ares, spiritually. Part of my strength depends on how much Ares wants to share with me. Apostles, like me, are sent by our respective gods or chosen by our gods toplete a mission. Each god or goddess has a different mission toplete in order to progress the world. My mission was connected with Luke, although he doesn''t know it. Aur, the golden Fenrir, was originally one of Ares''s apostles whose mission was to protect the forest from monsters that want to im thisnd as theirs. I was going to join Aur on his mission, but he passed away. When that happened, Ares, bestowed upon me a new mission which was to protect and help grow Aur''s sessor, Luke. However, that was only part of the mission. Ares told me that there was something evil about to happen. He couldn''t see into the future, but he felt something was going to happen. Knowing this, he told me to find a force that could potentially fight against theing enemies. I¡­ I already failed my mission¡­ Luke has been kidnapped by Casper and Rautt, and while I''m not certain, I feel like they are the evil that will happen soon." - Sylvia Sylvia grabs her head with her hands, ruffling her hair in frustration. "I''m sorry for not helping Luke." - Sylvia "Sylvia, while I am saddened with the fact that Luke is no longer here with us, it doesn''t mean he is dead. You know Luke, you know that he will try his best to survive. You also know that if you were tomit to anything when Luke was getting taken away, you might have died. Do you think Luke would have wanted that?" - Ian "No¡­" - Sylvia "Exactly. Luke cares for you, I''m not sure exactly what was going through Luke''s mind at that moment, but I''m sure he tried to pick a path that would at least make sure you were safe." - Ian "But¡­ But¡­" - Sylvia "No buts. Instead, think about ways to get stronger. You say something ising and we need to prepare for that. Luke will be doing his best, from what you told me, he didn''t get kidnapped as a hostage. Instead, they most likely have ns for Luke." - Ian "Right¡­ Casper was talking about making Luke stronger. Something to do with Luke''s power." - Sylvia "Hmm, then they wouldn''t kill Luke any time soon. We have time to get stronger. No, we have to get stronger no matter what." - Ian "Yeah¡­ YEAH! We can do it. THANK YOU, IAN." - Sylvia Sylvia leans over and hugs me tightly, releasing all the pent-up stress and anxiety she had inside her with that hug. "It will be fine, okay. Don''t worry too much. Now, I want to know more about the apostles and how you became one. I never knew a god or a goddess could bestow power like this." - Ian Releasing me from her hug, Sylvia leans back and looks up into the sky. "For a year or so, I was enved by orcs and goblins, unable to resist. In fact, no one could resist. I am an orphan, and I was struggling in an encampment. I had pale skin that was tightly wrapped around my bones. My lips were always chapped, and my hair was always messy with dirt and mud stuck in between. My wrists and ankles were red and constantly bleeding from the ropes that bind me. I don''t even remember the feeling of pain at that point. We didn''t have food. We didn''t have water. We didn''t have any strength. We were just tools to move things however we were asked. One day, 6 months ago, it changed. There was a burst of light in the sky as the sun rose over our heads. It pulsed and resonated over and over before a single ray of light shone down on me. I was confused, but so were the goblins. The ray of light burned away the ropes that bind me, healed my wounds, and cleaned my clothes. I didn''t understand what was happening, but then I heard a voice. Little one, I have looked into your soul. I have determined that you are suitable to go on my mission. However, you are weak and small. I need you to be stronger. I require you to go beyond your limits. Cast shade upon your weakness and rise higher. Little one, I ask you. Will you ept? I was confused. I didn''t know what was happening. My mind was nk. I thought that the booming voice was something everyone could hear, but as I nce around, I could only see their dumbfounded expressions as they look at me surrounded by a ray of light. I told the voice I would ept, not knowing what it truly meant. Then the voice introduced itself. Good, little one. I will help you grow. Heed me and worship me. I am Ares, God of War. Little one, I bestow upon you the strength and power to kill those that stand in the way of your mission. ept my power and make it your own. I could feel a burning sensation inside me once Ares had finished talking. I try to harness it, ept it, and once I did. A burst of power surged through me. My hair turned auburn red and my eyes became two shining rubies, and the mark of Ares appeared on my forehead. Feeling the power surging through me and seeing the goblins and orcs scared with my transformation. I felt something change within me, I walked to the nearest goblin. It tried to stab me with its knife, but it looked like it was moving so slowly. That was when I knew I gained power. Previously, whether it was a knife or a whip, I would get stabbed and hit over and over again without being able to even react to the attacking toward me. However, the moment I epted Ares''s power, the attacks slowed down, and I could dodge them. I retaliated for the first time. I punched the goblin, sending it flying into its friends. I couldn''t even believe my power, and neither could the other ves. I must have looked like a god in their eyes as I went around punching goblins and orcs until they died. The rest of the fight was a blur, I didn''t even realize it was finished until I had killed thest monster. That''s when Ares spoke to me again. Well done, little one. From now on you are my apostle. You will heed my orders and worship me. Grow stronger and stronger. Be the sword that slices through my enemies. I shall inform you of your mission at ater date. For now, grow. Be stronger. Once he finished talking to me, the ray of light disappeared and my transformation ceased. The other ves that were with me, were happy that they were free and following what Ares had said, I went off in search of monsters and encampments, taking the equipment that the goblins had stored as mine." - Sylvia Sylvia had a sad yet proud expression as she talked about her past. However, from what I deduced, this happened before yers started the game. Simr to how Lucina and Howard were saved by ''me'' before I even started the game. Is this just backstory? "What about the apostles? Your power and if you know of others?" - Ian "As I said before, I channel the power of Ares that is inside me. I haven''t been able to do much else other than my Mystic Palms. I''m not even sure if there is any way to improve from where I am. Likewise, I also do not know of other apostles since Ares has told us to not use his power unless it is necessary as he wants us to grow with our own strength." - Sylvia "Hmm, interesting. I would have let you keep using your power because that is one of the ways you get better at it, by constantly using it. Nothing more to it than practice." - Ian "I will be using it more now, though. It seems like the monsters are getting stronger and stronger the further away from HavenFall, and I don''t think we can survive if we just take it easy." - Sylvia "Right. We need to get stronger." - Ian "Yeah¡­ Are you going to sleep now?" - Sylvia "Yeah, I was about to say it after I talked to you. Is something wrong?" - Ian "No, nothing. Thank you for talking to me, Ian." - Sylvia "It''s fine. Don''t worry too much about it. Rest up okay, there is a lot to do tomorrow onward." - Ian "I will." - Sylvia I leave Sylvia with a smile as I head back to the main group. The moon is high up in the sky and the stars twinkle in the darkness. People were sleeping against rocks, huddled up close to each other, as the goblins were busy watching any movement in the night. I lean against a rock and close my eyes, reviewing what I had just learned from Sylvia. I didn''t know gods could give power to people, and I wonder if that has happened already to other yers. They would be stronger than your average yer instantly, and their growth would depend on their god or goddess. However, the biggest concern on my mind was the evil that wasing. In all honesty, I don''t think the 4 Kings are the evil that Ares was talking about. I think there is something deeper lurking in the shadows, but at the same time, I feel like an event might be taking ce. Thest event was during the 1-month anniversary and since then, there haven''t been any server-wide events. There is also the prophecy that I heard from the elves and from Sam''s bison demi-humans. It may also be rted to the prophecy. I feel like there wasn''t enough information, no matter how hard I try to remember things that were happening. The kings have their own agenda, and they are constantly attacking each other and taking from one another. yers are too weak to affect anything they are doing. There must be an event that is about to happen. Something that impacts everyone and requires people to band together and fight it off. I hope I have enough time to prepare for it¡­ 159 Chapter 159 I wake up the next day as the sun rises over the horizon. Everyone else had woken up and was preparing their equipment, checking and making sure their equipment is still of good quality. "What''s our n?" - Ster Ster walks over to me after sending Gyumi to the grasnds to bring the night watch back to us, so they get to hear about the next step in our n. "I''ll tell everyone. Gather round, it''s time we move on from here." - Ian I give everyone a moment toe close, as well as wait for the night watch toe back. Once everyone has gathered in front of me, it was time to tell them my n. "We have been gone from HavenFall for a week and a half. We have fought various enemies, both weak and strong. We have won and we have lost. I''m sure everyone here knows, that we are still weak. We can''t fight against those big monsters that we saw not too long again, and we can''t fight against the Queen of Spider. We are weak. Because we were weak, Luke has been taken from us. While he isn''t dead, what can we do to save him? Nothing, we are weak. Too weak to save someone we care about. We need to get stronger, but before that, we need to recuperate. By now, I''m sure old man Hus, Howard, and Noah have found the new resource and have excavated it from the ground. We are going back, with the materials we have gathered from the monsters in this ce, and we are going tobine them with what they have found. Why? To be stronger. Didn''t you notice? Our weapons and our armor don''t work on some monsters. They break. So how do we fix that? Simply make them stronger, and what happens when our weapons and our armor are stronger? We be stronger. It''s time to head home, but along the way, we need to still do things. The boar monsters, Xabarils, we are going to capture and breed them at HavenFall as a source of meat. They were difficult to hold down, so capturing them might be difficult as well, but hopefully, we can do it. Furthermore, I also want to capture and breed the Zivotinjas. I''m unsure if they are able to carry our weight and be mounts, but on the off chance they can, we will be able to use them to traverse greater distances in less time. I noticed during this journey that we were very slow in moving and while everyone tried their best, I feel like we need a faster mode of transportation. Any objections or anyone that has any suggestions?" - Ian "Umm¡­ Ian?" - Celine Celine puts up her hand in the middle of the group, waving it in the air to get attention. "Yes, Celine?" - Ian "If we find a way to trap the monsters or a way to immobilize them, I can try to speak to them." - Celine "Can you borate?" - Ian "Well, during our time fighting the monsters, I picked up on some conversations between the monsters. If your objective is to tame them, then I can at least try to convince them through words." - Celine Name: Celine Race: Human Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 6/6 Strength: 6 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 12 Dexterity: 6 Agility: 8 Luck: 3 Skill: Animal Lover ( Passive ), Monster Tamer (Passive) Monster Tamer (Passive) - Has the ability to tame a monster via speech, food, or dominance. A tamed monster will listen to themands of the tamer and may gain stats or skills depending on the interactions between the monster and the tamer. Tamed monsters are also able to breed and create offspring. Offspring will gain stat boosts and skills from parent monsters. I didn''t know Celine had gained a new skill, and what a perfect skill for her, since Animal Lover makes animals of all kinds be more passive around her. However, the skill doesn''t exin the chances or the duration Celine needs to interact with the monster in order to tame them. "Have you tried to tame something before?" - Ian "Not yet. I haven''t had a chance since I was using the time to understand thenguage between the monsters. However, I feel like I can try to do it now. I know each monster is different even if they are of the same type, which means each method of taming is different. I will try speech first and try to find amon ground before maybe offering the monster food and telling it, that it will never need to go hungry again. Something like that?" - Celine "Alright, we can give it a shot. Does anyone else want to speak up?" - Ian I look around and only see the determined faces on everyone. I nod to them and pick up two daggers, twirling them in my hands as I let out a breath. "Alright then. Goblin scouts spread out, taking into ount every monster group as we travel back towards the forest. Our goal is to go back to the ce that overlooks the grasnd first before entering the forest. When there is a group of Zivotinjas or Xabarilse back, and we will determine the method of taming them. Shield bearers will be in the front, with the goblin archers in the back. Ster, and Gewari, use the mask to scout further ahead. Everyone else is in the center." - Ian "YES IAN!" - Everyone Everyone springs into action, leaving Nina and Lynn a little dumbfounded as they see even Ken and Kaede move with purpose. "Nina, Lynn, the two of you will be in the center with us." - Ian "Yes, Ian!" - Nina and Lynn "No need to be so stiff. For now, the both of you just need to get used to us. You can disy your magic at ater date, since we are only going to fight against a few monsters this time." - Ian "Got it." - Nina We start our journey back to the forest. It will take another week to get back, since we are thinking of taming monsters as well. The first time we were moving through here, we were killing them, but now we want to tame them. The more tamed monsters the better and since Celine has acquired a new skill I want them even more. I had thought about acquiring the monsters before, but since the objective was to find the treasure and then move back, I wanted to leave the taming to the return journey. When fighting the Zivotinjas, I notice that some of them were taller than even David, making them taller than 2 meters. With their somewhat bulky builds, they looked to be able to handle an adult wearing armor, but only time will tell. I had researched online about the usible aspects of riding zebras, but due to their smaller frame, they weren''t used as mounts. However, this zebra is as big as some horses, which makes me positive about the aspects of using them as a mount. Plus they have a barrier skill, which makes me want them more since Sr can only cast Shield so many times before she runs out of MP. Taming the Xabarils will be good for HavenFall as well, after all, when we killed them, the loot that was dropped was an abundance of cut meat. The meat will be a staple food in HavenFall after we start to breed the Xabarils and with the strongest ones, they can end up bing mounts for the goblins. I had thought that the wolves would end up being mounts for the goblins, but that will have to be in the foreseeable future since they spawn after 5 days and take a while before they grow up to be adults. If the goblins can get mounts then I can have a small cavalry force and while they won''t be as strong as actual cavalry, they will be able to attack from different fronts in arger battle. This still all depends on the sess of Celine''s taming. Since we are still unsure of the conditions needed to tame a monster, we have to be careful with our approach. Xabarils are aggressive and tend to charge toward us the moment we enter their sights. While, the Zivotinjas are smart enough to think about running away if they encounter an unfavorable situation. I was deep in my thoughts, walking through the grasnd with everyone, when one of the goblin scouts came back from the front along with Ster and Gewari. "We have a group of Xabarils roaming in front of us, in the valley between two hills. There are 4 of them and they are currently eating the grass and moving around." - Ster "Great job and we haven''t been wondering for too long either. Have the shield bearers ready to tank the Xabarils'' charge while Celine, tell the wolves to run to the sides and back. Surround the Xabarils but do not engage in the fight we need them to charge towards us." - Ian "On it." - Celine "Afterward, have the goblin scouts spread out in a circle to keep watch of any other approaching monsters. Everyone else is on standby. Be ready to attack the monsters if they are going to harm anyone. Sr cast shield on Celine. Celine, I don''t know how you are going to tame them, but be careful. If anything happens that might look like you are going to be in danger, we will attack, okay?" - Ian "Alright, just wait before attacking, okay?" - Celine "Got it, everyone, get into position. Let''s do this." - Ian 160 Chapter 160 A week has passed since we left the mountain range, and it has been a very rewarding week, although, it was a struggle at the start. Taming the monsters turned out to be very difficult at the start, with Celine failing to tame anything for the first 2 days. We had encountered a lot of Zivotinjas and Xabarils since the goblin scouts, as well as Ster and Gewari were luring them towards us. The only problem was they were too aggressive toward Celine. Refusing conversations and attacking her when she got close was just the start. Even if we had pinned down the monster, they would rather continue iling about in an attempt to escape. Instead, we had to kill them and take the loot, searching for new monsters as we make our return. Kingston, Gibing, David, Ken, and 3 other shield bearers went off on a separate journey to train themselves. Knowing they would be okay, I allowed it and said to meet up in a couple of days near the forest. On the third day, Celine thought about luring the monsters with food and creating a pitfall trap. During the past two days, we were able to observe the diet of the monsters, and they mainly had grass or a type of wheat that grew in the valleys of hills. I originally didn''t notice them because they were green, but aftering back, I start to see hints of yellow in the once emerald green ocean. I also discovered that once I pluck the wheat from the ground, I get a system message. [ Unripe tan Wheat The tan Wheat is a crop found in the Zumrut Grasnd. They start off as green stalks before turning a golden color as they ripen. Once it is golden brown, they are ready for harvest. Has a very low chance to increase Vitality by 1 when consumed after processing. ] When I read the system message, I realize this was the method of gaining stats through food. There are other food items in the world that will give stat increases, and this wheat is just one of them. While it does say it has a very low chance, it doesn''t have a limit, which means so long as I or my NPCs keep consuming the food, we will eventually earn lots of Vitality points. However, the crop is still in an unripe form, and I''m not sure of the current method to harvest the seeds from them. Most likely, I would have to wait for these wheat nts to ripen and then harvest the tops of the nt before I can acquire the seeds, which will take god knows how long since monsters eat them unripe. Nevertheless, we still take a good handful along with us, using them as bait for the monsters. During the third and fourth days, we baited and trapped monsters in pitfalls. During this time, Celine constantly talked to the monsters and fed them a lot of unripe wheat and grass. Before long, Celine did it, she tamed a Xabaril. With the sess of taming her first monster, she went along and asked the Xabaril for help in convincing its fellow brethren to increase her tame count. Zivotinjas were eventually starting to get tamed as well, and we started to use the traps less. I earned the Trapping Technology when we made the pitfalls and sessfully trapped a monster, which felt strange since I was sure the goblins had made traps for the jackalopes before. However, I didn''t think much of it and kept helping the taming efforts. I look at the monsters that Celine had tamed to see their stats. Name: Xabaril Race: Beast (Boar) Health Points (HP): 100/100 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 30 Vitality: 50 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 25 Luck: 5 Skill: Charge, Bulk Up Bulk Up (Active) 5MP - Activating the skill allows the user to gain 10% Vitality and 25% Strength, but loses 50% Agility. Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. The Xabaril wererger boars than in the real world, with tusks asrge as its face and pink stout. Their ckish-brown fur coat wraps around their whole body, keeping them warm and feeling very smooth to touch. Name: Zivotinja Race: Beast (Zebra) Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 25/25 Strength: 25 Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 50 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 35 Luck: 5 Skill: Prismatic Barrier, Discharge, Shooting Stars, Energize Prismatic Barrier (Active) 10MP - Create a blue translucent barrier around a target that can absorb damage equal to 50 (+ 100% INT). Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 1 hour. Shooting Stars (Active) 5MP - Channel lightning energy to a point, releasing them in 1-10 small stars. Each star will do damage equal to 5 (+ 20%INT). The longer the channel time, the more stars that are produced. Channel 10 - 100 seconds. Cooldown 1 minute Energize (Active) 2MP - Charge lightning energy and store it. Can use stored lightning energy to cast spells at a faster rate. Maximum stored energy is 5 minutes worth of channeled lightning energy. If the energy is not used within 30 minutes, the energy is lost. Cooldown 1 hour. I always knew the Zivotinja were strong monsters, since breaking through the barrier took a long time each battle, but to think that it was this powerful makes me really wonder what the stats on some monsters that we encountered were. However, with Celine slowly taming them, we will amass an army of these beasts as well. During the course of a whole week, Celine was able to tame a total of 10 Xabaril and 5 Zivotinja before we reached the forest. There were a lot of missed opportunities since some monsters refused to be tamed. No amount of food or convincing from the other monsters seemed to make them want to go with us, resulting in their deaths. However, they weren''tpletely useless, since the loot from their bodies strengthened us further. We gained 2 Charge skill books, 1 Light Steps skill book, 1 Stealth skill book as well as meat, 5 small Zivotinja horns, 3 Xabaril tusks, 7 Crinzanna ws, 5 Crinzanna fangs, 10 batches of Ombidia leather, and 10 Ijagu fangs. I gave the light steps to Gewari while taking Stealth and Charge for myself. I n to give the other Charge to Ken once that groupes back. I had messaged Kingston offline, and he told me they will arrive at our location tomorrow. While waiting for them toe, I took out the Badge of Russians. Since the hint was to use it away from the main base, I have decided to use it here. I had already searched online about the Krepost and found out it was an ancient fortress used to protect troops or government officials. Using this knowledge, I safely deduce that using this item will create a small building or fortress that might have a defensive feature. Holding the Badge, I can see a small blue square on the ground, symbolizing the location of the building once I ce it down. I find a wide-open space that was not too far away from the slope and ordered everyone to move away while I use the badge. I ce the badge on the ground and a pop-up message appears. [ Are you sure about the cement? You can NOT change it afterward ] "Yes" - Ian Once I said yes, the badge melts into the ground. A ck line appears around the perimeter, and slowly a ck gel fills the area. It slowly congeals, morphing into a shape of a building upward. A 2-story wooden building with dark brown wooden nks and 2 ck cone-like roofs bursts out of the ck gel, covered in ck smoke. I wait for the smoke to clear and see that it has a wooden door at the front with two circles cut out from the sides as windows on the front. Compared to the Ikanda, this building looks more homey andfortable. Walking around to the other side, I see another 2 windows on the second story, each below the cone roofs. I walk back to the front, to see the surprised faces of the NPCs. I calm them down, saying this was just a building, while Nina walks up to me. "Is this an item you got from an ancient ruin? It''s amazing¡­" - Nina "Yep, I got a simr item before, so I wasn''t too surprised seeing it form." - Ian "What does it do?" - Nina "About to find out." - Ian I walk to the front of the house and ce my hand on the door. As expected, a message is disyed telling me about the new building. [ Krepost A defensive building used by the Russians when they expanded. It is a unique building belonging to the Russians. Troops inside the building will recover their HP and MP faster. Troops within a 50-meter radius will gain a 10% increase in all their stats. The building provides a defensive attack every 10 seconds if there are monsters or enemies and does 100 damage. Toggle for Closest, Furthest, Weakest, Strongest target. ] "I see, that''s why the hint was to make it further from the main base because this can be the first line of defense." - Ian "Let me see too¡­ Oh, like a defense tower but with buffs." - Nina "Yeah. Celine! Come here." - Ian "Hmm? Coming!" - Celine Celine stops petting the Zivotinja and jogs over to me. "What''s wrong?" - Celine "This ce is going to be your new home. I will be leaving people here as well, but I want you to stay here and continue taming and breeding the monsters." - Ian "Huh? What? WHAT?" - Celine "Is something wrong?" - Ian "Wait¡­ This¡­ I don''t deserve such a vital role. I barely did anything other than help make the monsters more friendly towards us." - Celine " But that is your role. Without you, I don''t even know if we could tame one of these monsters. Plus, I feel like you enjoy being with them. This ce feels like home to you, doesn''t it?" - Ian "I can''t deny that¡­ Ever since we started roaming the grasnd, I felt like I was home. I don''t know where I was before I was a ve or who my parents are, but maybe they resided in grasnds. You are right about being with the monsters. I do like it, but I don''t know." - Celine "Don''t worry. I know you will do a good job and I will be visiting from time to time from HavenFall." - Ian "Alright. If you think I will do a good job, I will stay here." - Celine "Good. The building will help defend against monsters, but do not rely on it. Anyone injured should stay inside the building and rest up until they are fully healed. You will need to start off by furnishing the building. It is currently empty. After that, you will need to build some buildings for the monsters. I know they can live in the wild, but making a building with a roof over their heads will make them more at home, or at least that is what I think. Make a wall as well, just to give you more protection against any monsters. I''ll be leaving all the shield-bearers here, as well as Yor to direct the construction. Belle and Razor will also stay to help in the protection. I will bring all the material back to HavenFall. I will visit you again in a while after I sort out everything in HavenFall. During that time, focus on construction, taming, and breeding if possible." - Ian "Got it! I''ll do my best!" - Celine Celine heads off to inform the shield-bearers of their new duty, and Nina approaches me after I finish instructing Celine. "You seem to have everything thought out. What are Lynn and my role?" - Nina "To be honest, your role will be like Kingston''s. Fight and never stop since we are yers. However, I will give Lynn an opportunity to not fight. You did say she preferred not to fight, but I wasn''t sure if that was because she was injured or if she just doesn''t want to fight." - Ian "I see. Thank you for considering Lynn. I will ask her what she wants, as for me, you are right. We are yers, and we need to fight eventually." - Nina Nina wanders away, going to Lynn. I take another look at the Krepost and close the door, walking back to the main group as they prepare for dinner. In the distance, I see Kingston''s group walking toward us. Almost time to go home. 161 Chapter 161 "Hey, Ian! Is that the new building?" - Kingston Waving his hand as he walked to me was Kingston. Ever since leaving the mountain, he had been a bit under the weather. However, seeing him now with a little more energy meant he sorted things out as he was traveling with the others. "This is a Krepost. Healing is increased inside, and it has an automatic defense system, plus you get an increase in stats just being near it. You should see the buff on the top right of your vision." - Ian "Oh, you are right, I didn''t see it before. A small house icon with a plus next to it, simple enough, but the buff is very good. Increasing stats by 10% can be very vital in defensive battles." - Kingston "Right, especially since there might be a new eventing soon." - Ian "You told us about that, but it''s not confirmed yet." - Kingston "It''s not confirmed, but it does make sense. Most yers have been building their forces and their vige or training themselves to be stronger. So it makes sense to finally put an event where it will test the limits of current yers." - Ian "What''s more is the Kings are bing more active. During the week, Evan told me that more interactions between the yers and monsters are part of the King''s army. A lot of fighting and a lot of dying. Finally using the group chat, sorry I wasn''t active a lot before, was trying to get used to things¡­" - Kingston "It''s okay, don''t worry about it." - Ian "So, what''s the n?" - Kingston "Tomorrow morning we head back to HavenFall. At the moment, I am having the goblins collect vines to create a rope so that we can mark the way home. This way we can create a path suitable for foot traffic as well as wagons and caravans, which is the next step in improving our transportation." - Ian "Making a road from HavenFall to this ce?" - Kingston "Yep. This ce is an abundant source of materials as well as food. It also overlooks the grasnd and provides a starting point to when we need to go towards the mountain again if we need to go that way." - Ian "Alright sounds good. Do you mind if I stay here?" - Kingston "Sure, what''s on your mind?" - Ian "I''m just so weak. There is nothing else to it. My base stats are weak. The only thing that is keeping me going is my Spear of Light and the fact that when Endless Rage activates, I''m insanely strong. However, I don''t want to go into that state unless I can control myself. I hate it¡­" - Kingston "So, you are going to stay here and keep fighting monsters?" - Ian "Yeah. Not just me, David, Gibing, and Ken agreed to stay with me in trying to grow stronger. David felt useless when we had to fight the dinosaur, Gibing and Ken couldn''t do anything. We just felt so smallpared to everything around us. So, we agreed to grow stronger together." - Kingston "Alright. I''ll allow the 4 of you to stay and roam about, however, I want you to go out during the day ande back here at night. Find a route that maximizes monster encounters while ending at the Krepost. Heal during the night and rx before doing the same thing the next day." - Ian "Alright, I''ll also keep you update on the progress here. I''m assuming you want to build some walls or buildings centered around the Krepost." - Kingston "Yeah, some sort of stables or barn building for the monsters, as well as a wall to help defend against wild monsters that want to attack the Krepost. You will be alerted of any attacks by the defensive system, but always keep a day and night watch. Yor and the shield-bearers will be here doing construction, so you just need to go out and hunt. Any materials, just store it here while I find time to construct a road and then a wagon to bring it back to old man Hus." - Ian "Got it. Now let''s have some food!" - Kingston Kingston pats my back as he lightly pushes me toward the main group. Dinner is skewered meat and vegetables, and the aroma of the meat as it cooks fills the air. Chatter andughter fill the air as everyone eats and rxes in the chill night breeze. Once we finish, the night watch starts and everyone goes to sleep. The night went by fast, and before I knew it, morning had arrived. "Leader Ian, we have collected vines to the point that everyone needs to carry them." - Gopopo "Good job Gopopo, were you doing this at night as well?" - Ian ,m "Yes." - Gopopo "Alright, bring everyone together. Time to go home." - Ian "Yes, leader Ian!" - Gopopo The ones going back to HavenFall were the 6 goblin scouts, the 5 goblin archers, Ster, Sr, Kaede, Nina, Lynn, Sylvia, Luna, Dawn, Frank, Gyumi, Gopopo, and Gewari. Each of us wore a basket on our backs containing the materials we got from the monsters, as well as a bundle of vines. Instead of scouting out like how we have normally gone about when moving through monster territory, I decided to keep a tight circle. We make a path by wrapping the vines around the trees as we make our way toward HavenFall, taking into ount slopes and terrain features. Since this vine path will eventually be the road between HavenFall and the Krepost I want to make sure that the path is smooth with as few twists and turns as possible. I also don''t want the path to be too sloped, since the caravans that will eventually be traversing the road will contain a lot of material that might weigh it down. Unfortunately, with my requirements, the path ends up taking a curved detour before crossing the river and making a straight line towards HavenFall. As we draw closer to HavenFall I notice the goblin scouts approaching us. Some goblin scouts were new, while some I have interacted with before. However, after a little more walking, we arrived back at HavenFall. The first thing I notice was that the walls have been reced, or should I say improved. Instead of the brown mud-brick wall, it was a mix of wooden pirs and frames, with y bricks in between. 4 wooden towers loom behind the wall, 2 at the gate and 2 at the sides, each with 3 goblins on the top ready to shoot anyone with their bow and arrows. There was also a smaller wall about the size of a goblin in front of the moat, with wooden spikes pointed away from HavenFall. Recing the old wooden boards as a bridge were more stable wooden nks with a wooden handrail on both sides. The gate also was reced with a wooden door, big enough to fit 3 people side by side, while being tall enough to fit an ogre. The doors open outwards and a smiling Howard appears with his arms wide open. "WELCOME HOME!" - Howard Right behind him Lime, Lucina, Noah, and Gobi ran out as well. "We are home." - Ian "Goblinse help out our brethren." - Gobi "Yes, boss!" - Goblins Gobi''s goblin troops rush out of the gates, taking off our baskets and helping us inside. Once I was inside, was when I saw the improvements that Noah and Howard had made. All the buildings were improved to have wooden frames with brick walls and wooden roofs. Some even had windows carved out of the walls. The Barracks and the Armory had a second section attached to the side of the building. I could spot 10 wheelbarrows lined up on the side, with some of them filled with dirt and broken y pots. Not just that, from the gate to the other side of HavenFall where the two statues are ced, is one straight footpath made up of y bricks. It branches to the left side where the Barracks and the Armory, as well as the right towards the resident houses. "How does everything look?" - Noah "We did good, right?" - Howard "Amazing. You both did incredibly well. I didn''t think you could achieve this much renovation in the time we were gone." - Ian "This is just the start. Let me walk you through the improvements. Howard make sure everyone is rested up while I show Ian what the both of us have done." - Noah "Of course. Make sure you take him to that ce." - Howard Howard tells everyone else to follow him as he shows the houses where they will stay. Nina and Lynn both look at me in confusion, but I nod and tell them to just enjoy the tour. After knowing that it will be okay, they decide to follow Howard as he tells everyone with a booming voice about the new and improved houses. "Alright, Ian. Are you ready?" - Noah "Ready for?" - Ian "Something that Howard, old man Hus, Gobi and I worked on while you were gone." - Noah "Alright, but before we go, let me do something first." - Ian I walk towards the statues and to the left of Ariel I take out the Pir Monument Token. Making sure that there was enough space between the highlighted area and the statues before I ce the token on the ground. Immediately, a golden light surrounds the perimeter, filling the area with a golden gel. Slowly, the golden gel morphs higher and higher until it reached a height of about 10 meters. The golden gel bursts into glitter and golden symbols resonate a golden hue, pulsating upwards to a pointed top. I ce my hand on the monument and a system message pops up. [ Pir Monument of the Ancient Gods A monument once constructed for the gods by the original denizens of this world. It blesses thend in its golden shine. A monument generates culture every day at a constant rate. Culture +10/day ] I look at my stats to see a new Culture stat, before turning to Noah, only to see his surprised expression. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 4231/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 885/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 0 / 500 ( Reach 500 to chose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 30 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 35 Luck: 31 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge,Stealth, Eye of the Roc (Passive) "So, lead the way, Noah." - Ian 162 Chapter 162 "Well, there are a couple of ces I want to show you. Let''s start up here first and get you up to speed with the improvements in the main area." - Noah Noah directs me towards Lucina''s garden. The original garden was just a budding field with various different crops nted into the soil and a small building housing the different crops harvested from the forest. However, during the time I was away, it seemed to have grown and expanded. The old small building had been reced with a sturdy brick building with 3 circr windows carved out. There was one big window in the back and two smaller windows at the front, as well as various pots filled to the brim with seeds or vegetables inside the building. The farm had also expanded to 4 plots ofnd, each with its own unique crop. I see Lucina and Melody exit the building, each with a small basket containing herbs. "Oh, wee back, Ian! I didn''t get to see you at the front since I was sorting out some harvested herbs." - Melody "Melody! Have you been okay? No more visions?" - Ian "Ah¡­ I have had some." - Melody "She saw that we were going to be attacked by a horde of jackalopes a week ago. Due to her vision, we were able to prepare in time and defend against the attack. In return, we were able to obtain enough fur that everyone had a set of warm clothes." - Noah "Oh, I see. Good job, Melody. You also helped a lot in the first few visions. Two of them dide true, but the other 2 were able to be prevented one way or another." - Ian "Hehe, I''m d to be of use." Melody Melody''s beaming simile would melt even the coldest of hearts. "So what are the herbs you both are carrying and what is with the farm?" - Ian "The ones we are holding onto right now are herbs that have a cooling effect when ced on someone''s body. It helps a lot with the people who are carrying things from the mine back here, since they are constantly pushing their bodies to the limit. The herb heals their muscle pains and relieves any pain when I crush it and mix it into a paste. As for the farm, I''m currently making two plots ofnd for the healing herb, one for the cooling herb, and a poison relieving herb." - Lucina "Poison relieving? An antidote? What is near us that is poisonous?" - Ian "A new monster was sighted in the direction that Lucina, old man Hus, Howard and you havee from originally. A snake with brown scales and bright yellow eyes with a green poison that drips from its fangs." - Noah "Yep, and after searching around that area, we were able to procure some herbs that were growing in between cracks in the rocks and walls. We were able to determine that it countered the poison after a goblin, unfortunately, got bitten by the monster as they were scouting the area. The healing herb was only able to relieve the pain for a short amount of time before the poison came back into effect. It was only after I gave a crushed liquid version with the poison relieving herb that he was able to be cured. " - Lucina I pick up the herb that Lucina was holding onto as well as went to the garden to hold onto the herb that worked as an antidote. [ Cooling Purne A herb with small green heart-shaped leaves and a light brown stem. It reduces swelling and absorbs excess heat when crushed into a paste and applied to the wounded area. It also increases cold resistance when consumed, which can be increased when making a potion. Cold Resistance +5% ] [ Paveso A herb with jagged light green leaves with yellow spots and a dark brown stem. Amon nt used to treat poison. It grows between rocks and is found almost everywhere. While it can cure poison, it will only slow down the process if the poison is too powerful. ] "I see. These will be vital for us in the future. Keep producing and making potions from them." - Ian "Of course." - Lucina "I see that there is less farming to do with food and this had been turned into a medical farm. Are you going to stop farming crops?" - Ian "At the moment I have stopped, but it was also because of the number of vegetables produced in thest harvest. Even though it was only one seed that came from the original vegetable, it was able to produce 10 times the amount of food. The building right now is overflowing with vegetables, so I turned to make it into a medical farm while we go through the excess food." - Lucina "Hmm, do a rotation. After this harvest of medicinal herbs, nt the vegetables again, and then once those are harvested, nt the medicinal herbs. Keep rotating them. " - Ian "Got it. Ian... Where is Luke? I didn''t see him when you got back." - Lucina I feel my heart tighten, I knew this question wasing but even so I wasn''t prepared for it. "Luke was taken somewhere by some bad people. However, he is alive, and they aren''t going to harm Luke. I''m sorry for not going to save him, but trust me when I say we will save him. Just not now." - Ian "So, what I saw a week ago was right¡­" - Melody "Melody? You saw it happen?" - Ian "The night after Luke left, I saw him being taken away by a ck dragon. I told Lucina and Howard, and they told me it was going to be okay. No matter what happened, Luke was going to be okay Since you were there with him. I''m sorry for saying anything¡­" - Melody "No, Melody, it isn''t your fault. Ian, what happened and are you sure he is okay?" Lucina "Casper and Rautt came and attacked us. While they are ruthless monsters, they have their own morals and Casper said that he wanted to make Luke stronger. While I don''t know what is going to happen, I''m sure Casper won''t just kill Luke, not with how interested he was in the potential power that is sleeping inside of Luke." - Ian "I see¡­" - Lucina "I will tell Howardter. I''m sorry, Lucina for being too weak to stop it from happening." - Ian "It''s okay. I''m sure goddess Ariel is looking over him. He will be fine." - Lucina Lucina walks away in a slight daze, with Melody following after her. A worried expression spreads across Melody''s face, but she smiles at me and tells me it will be okay. "Alright, let''s head toward old man Hus." - Noah Finishing the talk with Lucina and Melody and learning about the new nts, Noah directed me to old man Hus''s workshop. It had been upgraded to a workshop twice the size, and it even had a kiln in the middle. There were pieces of wood all over the ground, with different tools scattered about. I could hear a hammer hitting something and as I moved closer, I see Lime, Martelo, and Rycka sweating profusely as they stand around old man Hus as he wields his hammer against something on the bench. They were constantly wiping his forehead and adding wood into the kiln, making the fire burn brighter and brighter, but all of a sudden the hammer breaks, causing old man Hus to angrily yell. "What seems to be the matter?" - Ian I walk closer and peek over old man Hus''s shoulder to see a bronze mold warped into a shape of a shield. It had small dents everywhere and was obviously notplete. "Lad, you are back already?" - Hus "IAN!" - Lime "Hello, leader Ian." - Martelo, Rycka "Yeah, I''m back. I see that you have mined out copper. Was this what you wanted to show me, Noah?" - Ian "One of the things, yes, but Howard and I weren''t thinking about this." - Noah "I have been unsessful,d. I''m not sure of the method and thought maybe if I hit the metal enough times I would be able to shape it. It was working until it didn''t." - Hus "Were you mixing copper and tin?" - Ian "No. I was trying them separately, but I have only used copper." - Hus "Then try this, make a mold of whatever you want to make in y first. Then melt both copper and tin together. Pour them into a y pot and mix them, heat them up again and then pour it into the mold. Wait for it to cool and should be done. You can sharpen it afterward. " - Ian "That''s it? THAT''S IT?" - Hus "Well, that is what I would assume it would be." - Ian "MARTELO, GET A CLAY MOLD OF A STRAIGHT LINE NOW. RYCKA, FIND ME MORE METAL AND LIME, GET ME A CLAY POT THAT IS THICK ENOUGH AND BIG ENOUGH THAT IT CAN CONTAIN ALL THE METAL. FIND ME A STUDY POLE TO HOLD THE CLAY POT AS WELL. " - Hus "YES, BOSS!" - Lime, Martelo, Rycka "Lad, thank you for the advice. I''ll be working now. Is there anything you want to know since you haven''t been here for a while?" - Hus "I''m fine, you seem to be busy right now. Noah can tell me the changes." - Ian "Okay, talk to youter then,d." - Hus I walk out with Noah and start to ask him about the changes that happened with old man Hus''s workshop, as well as the new equipment he had made in the meantime. "Knowing that his old workshop was going to be too small, we constructed a new one that was bigger as well as included a kiln. This way anything they make that was rting to y can be made in their workshop without taking up room in the kilns near the river. As for things that old man Hus had made in the time you were away. He was mainly experimenting with your armor and weapon, which you might have seen Luke carry. A trident and chain mail are the keyponents. I do believe he will make it out of bronze once he has the chance, but the stone variations are in the Barracks and Armory. There are also inventions made by his apprentices, with Lime''s spiked stone club being the most practical." - Noah "Cool, I''ll look at themter. Where to next?" - Ian "Down to the river. Follow me." - Noah 163 Chapter 163 "Wait! Ian!" - Gobi I turn around to see Gobi running towards me. "What''s wrong?" - Ian "I want to ask you something. Can I leave my post and head towards the grasnd?" - Gobi Gobi straightens his back and looks at me with a determined face. "Is something wrong?" - Ian "Nothing is wrong, however, after seeing Gewari, Gopopo, and Gyumiing back evolved I want to train as well and improve myself. While they still respect me as their Boss, I cannot help but feel that I too need to evolve in order to lead them properly. As I have evolved before, I can feel that I am close ever since I left the Ikanda. I just need a bit more." - Gobi "I see. Then I will allow you to go, however, it will be with more goblins. I want you to take 5 goblins who you think are close to evolving as well. Ask them, and only if they are willing to venture out will I allow them to apany you. Equip yourself properly with the weapons and armor in the Barracks and Armory, respectively, and ask Lucina about food and water. After you have prepared yourself, follow the vine path we have created on our way back. Eliminate any monsters that are near it and deliver the materials from them to the Krepost. The Krepost will be a big building, and you will find Celine there. She will take the materials off you, and then you can explore the grasnd." - Ian "Understood, Ian." - Gobi "Is there anyone here that will take your post?" - Ian "Yes. A goblin by the name of Geni. He had taken my role while I was in the Ikanda and has performed extremely well. While he iscking in his own strength and agility, he makes it up for his strict teaching and constant efforts to increase everyone else''s strength. He also stays upte after everyone else has finished their training to train himself because he knows he is weak. Geni will take over the role of training the goblins while I am away." - Gobi "Alright then, be careful while you are gone." - Ian "Will do. Next time you see me, I''ll be with 5 other hobgoblins." - Gobi "I''ll be waiting." - Ian Gobi runs off towards the training grounds and Noah resumes the tour. There were 2 watchtowers on this side of HavenFall as well, both at the ends and against the mountainside. We walk down the sloped path which now has handrails, with wooden shields secured on the other side to protect against any projectiles. Noah told me it was Howard''s idea as a small precaution against any enemies that might attack with arrows or stones from below us. Further down, were 3 wolf cubs next to Luna and Dawn rxing in front of the cave, next to the waterfall. The two wolves had bolted through the gates and reunited with the cubs and were ying with them. Looking to the left, I see that there is a pond carved out beside the smallke created by the waterfall. "What''s the pond for?" - Ian "Oh, Owen made that with Rex and Meg. We found that we were fishing a lot of small fish, so they decided to build a home and feed them until they were bigger. It connects to theke at the top and then exits down a bit, making the water constantly flow in and out." - Noah "I see and where are they?" - Ian "Rex is most likely helping Owen in the mines, along with some other people. The girls are probably outside the mine. While they aren''t the best fighters, they are definitely one of the better archers. Robin is most likely with them as well. Ever since the death of her son and the new kidsing in, she has been like a mum to them, which fills the void in both their hearts." - Noah "I''m d Robin is feeling better. I see that the path towards the mine is looking good." - Ian "Yep, 4 kilns making bricks every day, and eventually we were able to fill the road. We added handrails on the side and the bridges are made out of wooden nks like the one near the gate. The path is as smooth as we can make it, since we filled in any cracks with dirt and mud." - Noah "Good job. Let''s move down." - Ian Moving down the path, I notice some carved-out holes in the mountainside. They were high up on the mountainside with smaller holes below it reaching to the ground. Each small hole was enough for a hand to fit in it, reminding me ofdders. "Noah, what is this?" - Ian "An idea by Geni. The smaller grooves are for hands and feet, and at the top is a carved out hole with a quiver of arrows already prepared. It is made for archers to climb up and position themselves above the enemy before raining arrows down on them." - Noah "A sniper nest¡­ I like this idea. The only problem with it is how do they escape?" - Ian "Uhh¡­ I don''t think any of us thought about that yet." - Noah "Put a shield in there as well, so they can protect themselves from any projectiles. As for an escape route, we would have to dig into the mountain but without proper equipment, it will be dangerous." - Ian "Understood. I''ll tell someone to put shields in the ''sniper nest''." - Noah I continue to make small talk with Noah and found out that even Spike, Val, and Meg who were the youngest are now about to read and write, albeit a little slow. They were also able to do simple addition and subtraction as well. Lily, Rose, and Daisy had started to record daily events in a y tablet, storing it in a building, making HavenFall''s first unofficial library. Lucina and Melody are also recording details about their medicinal findings in y tablets, with Ash drawing the herbs onto a separate y tablet. They get stored next to each other so that anyone that wants to know about the details behind the herb, can easily look at the drawing and then read the text on the tablet next to it. We near the mine and as we cross the river, I see the girls in the front practicing their archery on a wooden dummy. Robin was looking from the side, making sure the girls'' form was correct before they release the string, letting the arrow fly through the air and m into the center of the wooden dummy. "Robin!" - Noah Robin turns her head around after hearing Noah call out to her. The girls also stop their movements as they nce toward me. "Noah! Ian! How are we?" - Robin "Ian!" - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg "Doing alright Robin. I heard you have been doing a good job training the girls." - Ian "Yep, the 4 of them are able to hit a moving target from the top of the watchtower 5 out of 10 times, which is pretty impressive since they have only been training for a little over 2 weeks. Especially Meg here, the smallest out of all of them. She was to kill a couple of jackalopes with just her bow and arrow, during the small raid." - Robin "Wow! Good job Meg!" - Ian "Hehe." - Meg "I''m doing good too! Tell him Robin." - Lily "Yes, yes, Lily. Lily is one of the fastest out of the girls and even saved Gobi one time during the jackalope raid. She ran in front of him with a shield when a jackalope pounced out from the side, protecting him from the attack." - Robin "That''s right! Boss Gobi is in debt to me." - Lily "Tell him about me too!" - Rose, Daisy "Alright girls, one second. They have been very hyper ever since they started to see improvement in their archery. Rose has exceptional eyesight and Daisy is able to tell the direction and speed of the wind, which helps in the uracy of her shots." - Robin "I see. I can tell they are doing their best and are improving bit by bit." - Ian Name: Meg Race: Human Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 3 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 13 Agility: 8 Luck: 1 Name: Lily Race: Human Health Points (HP): 22/22 Mana Points (MP): 0/0 Strength: 5 Vitality: 11 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 13 Agility: 20 Luck: 1 Skill: Quickstep Name: Rose Race: Human Health Points (HP): 16/16 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 9 Vitality: 8 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 11 Agility: 13 Luck: 1 Skill: Enhanced Sight Name: Daisy Race: Human Health Points (HP): 30/30 Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Strength: 6 Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 8 Agility: 10 Luck: 5 Skill: Wind''s Grace (Passive) Wind''s Grace (Passive) - The user is able to detect changes in the wind as well as read the flow of the wind. The girls'' stats weren''t the greatest, however, they had skills to back up their ability. Having Robin as their teacher has helped them a lot in improving their fighting capabilities and since they were archers, they don''t need to be as physically capable. They are able to help from a distance and if their arrows can attack a weak spot then it doesn''t matter if they don''t have high stats. "Keep improving under Robin''s leadership. The 4 of you will do wonderster on, so just be careful to not injure yourself." - Ian "Yes, leader Ian!" - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg "Thank you, Robin, and take care of yourself as well. I''m d you are looking better." - Ian "No, I should be thanking you, Ian. Thank you so much for what you have done, I''m only doing my best to repay the favor." - Robin "Ian, I think it''s time to go down into the mine." - Noah "Got it, Noah. Girls, stay up here, if there is anything that happens,e down and find us. I''ll be there as soon as possible." - Ian "Yes, leader Ian." - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg "Take care." - Robin I smile at them and turn towards the cave entrance. 164 Chapter 164 The cave was once a dark hole that traversed deep into the abyss, but now that dark hole is illuminated. There were torches on the sides, each casting light on its surroundings. The orange mes flicker as I walk down. "Do you rece the torches every time they burn out?" - Ian "Unfortunately yes. We are using the glue that you made before since itsts longer than wood, but even that will eventually burn out. We haven''t found a way to make a me thatsts longer, nor have we found any resource that burns longer than the glue. Lime had attempted a couple of variations using the glue as a base, however, nothing has worked so far. Instead, we have to produce a lot of the glue and keep recing the torches in order to light up the tunnel. Since the tunnel runs deeper down, we have a total of 30 torches burning at a time. In order to preserve as much of the glue as possible, we only burn them on the way down and blow them out as wee up. This way it only burns during the time someone is down in the mine. Of course, it isn''t only one person down there. There is a team of 3 goblins, Owen and Rex, that are our current miners. At the start, we pushed it, so we could mine as much as possible, however, the cement of the copper was too small, so we had a small team at the start to extract it. Instead, we sent the bigger group to mine the tin that is further down the canyon. We transport the tin using baskets before distributing it onto wheelbarrows that are stationed at the mine''s entrance. Any copper we find is also done the same way because of the tunnel''s slope. It became too taxing on our people when they tried to push the wheelbarrow up the tunnel, so transporting it by basket was our safer option." - Noah "That''s good. I prefer it that way, instead of someone injuring themselves because they attempted to push a wheelbarrow full of stone and copper ore. It would be slower, but it is safer. So right now, there should be 3 goblins as well as Owen and Rex at the bottom?" - Ian "Yes. They should be there. They mentioned that they were going to just check out some things instead of mine today, which is why I didn''t see any wheelbarrows at the front of the mine." - Noah "Let''s head down a little faster then." - Ian Compared to thest time I was here, the tunnel had be a lot cleaner. There was almost no sign of the battle that happened here. All the golem stones had been transported back to HavenFall ording to Noah, as well as the powder which was crushed golem stones. The powder was used in the creation of the wall, mixing it with the y to create a stronger brick, while therger stones were used to construct parts of the more important buildings. As we neared the bottom, I started to hear some voices and as I walk out of the tunnel and into the cavern, I see a small group crowded around a hole. "What seems to be wrong, you guys?" - Ian "Ian? You''re back!" - Owen Seeing me wave my hand up, to get their attention, Owen rushes over and hugs me. "I''m d you are back. There is something I want to show you. We were discussing what to do with this thest time we came down here, and today we were going to decide on our n after a little more digging." - Owen "We found it after digging around the ce where we have found copper. At first, we thought it was a new mineral, but after digging around it and excavating it, we found it was a door made out of white stone." - Rex "What the? A door buried in the ground?"- Ian "Show us." - Noah The goblins moved to the side, carrying the pickaxes and shovels with them, while Owen picked up a torch and signaled to follow him. Rex followed him closely as we walked toward the current mining site. A section of the ground had been dug out with wooden poles tied together to give it a frame. Looking down, I see that this section of the mine has been reinforced with more wooden poles, with a woodendder lowered to the ''floor''. "I''ll go first, then Rex. Ian and Noahe after us. Use thedder to go down but be careful to not slip. Gamimi, Gariri, and Gabibi stay at the top and shine some light down for Ian and Noah." - Owen "On it, boss." - Gamimi, Gariri, Gabibi Owen sits on the ground before turning around and descending thedder. He holds onto the torch with his teeth, and nods to Rex who follows after. "Please be careful Ian, Noah." - Rex "Will do." - Ian I follow their example, making sure to feel with my feet first before stepping on anything. My feet eventually find each step and I slowly descend. It wasn''t a long way down, but the darkness made the small journey feel longer. I could feel my heart racing faster as I delve into the unknown. "Are you okay, Ian?" - Owen "I''m fine. It is a little scary though since I don''t know what to expect." - Ian "HAHAHA! That''s okay. Rex was so scared he couldn''t go back for a day after we started mining." - Owen "HEY! I said, don''t tell anyone!" - Rex "Don''t worry, my boy. It is normal." - Owen "Have you dug out a lot in this area?" - Ian "Not a lot of copper, we have been mainly digging in the direction of copper but recently we slowed and when we were able to change direction, we found the door." - Owen "Alright, lead the way." - Ian The tunnel that was made is reinforced by wooden poles to prevent any cave-ins but the tunnel itself was small and constricted. Just enough to swing a pickaxe and nothing more, which needs to be changed. I made a mental note to tell Owen and Rexter, but for now, it seems we have arrived at the door. A white stone arcing door frame simr to marble, with ck symbols, etched into the frame. The door itself was made from a ck rock with scratches randomly embedded into the surface. It only seems to fit a person at a time, like it was made for humans or smaller. I can tell just standing in front of it that someone as big as Rautt wouldn''t be able to fit, so does that mean this door is made for at least humans? I ce my hand on the door, hoping to see a message from the system, and I''m d I could see the familiar blue box. [ This is currently unavable at this moment. ] "What? Are you serious?" - Ian "What''s wrong, Ian?" - Noah "Ahh¡­ Nothing. It seems the door is locked. I push against it, but nothing is moving. I''m not too sure what to do." - Ian "Right, that''s what happened when Rex and I tried to push open the door. We think something was on the other side of the door, blocking it from being open." - Owen "We also tried hitting the door, but we couldn''t even scratch it. I don''t know what kind of monster would be able to damage that door." - Rex "Well, not much we can do now." - Ian "Huh? Wait, so you are just going to leave this here?" - Noah "Yeah. What else can we do about it?" - Ian "I mean, I guess you are right. It just feels weird." - Noah "Owen and Rex, keep digging around and finding another copper vein. I''m sure you will find more and at the same time dig around the door." - Ian ? "Got it."- Owen, Rex "What are you going to do now?" - Noah "I''m going to go into the Ikanda." - Ian "It''s finally your turn." - Noah "Yep. Let''s head up first." - Ian Noah and I left the mine, to go back to HavenFall. I asked Noah to bring over Howard since I needed to tell them about the journey. I updated them about everything that has happened, making sure to not leave out any details. "And that''s everything that has happened outside HavenFall." - Ian "Wow¡­ That''s a lot." - Noah "Are you sure, Luke is going to be okay?" - Howard "I believe that Luke will be okay. You also have to remember he isn''t just a kid anymore. He has grown up, and we need to believe in him too." - Ian "¡­ Alright." - Howard "What do you want us to do while you are inside the Ikanda?" - Noah "The most important things I can think of are the production of copper weapons and armor, as well as the construction of a water wheel." - Ian "Water wheel? Like having the wheel from a wheelbarrow in water?" - Noah "Simr, but not really. The objective of the water wheel is going to be to grind the wheat which we will eventually harvest from the grasnd. It will be a big project and will take weeks, especially since we have to wait for the wheat to ripen. I also want to save some seeds to nt near the Krepost. Eventually, I want to create a field just for the wheat, which we can constantly farm. The grains we receive from the wheat will be used to produce flour and then eventually bread. Bread will be a vital food resource for us in the future and with the meat, we can obtain in the grasnd and the vegetables in the forest we will be able to have a very bnced diet." - Ian "???" - Howard "You lost me at wheat produce flour." - Noah "Don''t worry about it. Just focus on the water wheel. While you went to get Howard, I told old man Hus about the details of the water wheel, and he said he can do it. It will be made of part bronze and part wood." - Ian "Understood. How long will you be gone?" - Noah "No idea. Who elsepleted it while I was gone?" - Ian "Luke, Gobi, Howard in that order. Luke took about 4 days, Gobi about a week, and Howard a little over a week." - Noah "Then somewhere between a week and a week and a half. I''ll be back." - Ian "Good luck in there. It is harder than it looks." - Howard "I got this, don''t worry. Tell Nina and Lynn to rx and enjoy the ce." - Ian "Got it. Good luck." - Noah I walk towards the Ikanda. It has been over a month since I assembled it, but this is the first time I''m stepping inside. Kingston had already told me about the different tasks and I was ready for them. I ease open and walk inside the dark room. 165 Chapter 165 The door closes behind me and the darkness creeps in. Kingston had told me that there was a pole in the middle of the room, so I wait patiently for my eyes to focus. I move towards the pole once I could make out its silhouette, pressing the red button. [ Wee to the Ikanda. As this is your first time here, would you like to read the rules? ] "No." - Ian [ Are you ready? If you are, press the red button again. ] The moment I press the button the wooden pole descends to the ground just like Kingston had told me, however, the moment it disappeared I feel a searing pain on the side of my neck. I copse to my knees and scream in agony, my eyes half-closed due to the pain. It was the cursed mark from Selino, the Queen of Spiders. I ce my hand over the mark only to feel a burning sensation on my hand. A red circle appears below me as the room copse into a white space. I see my HP dropping with every second until it stabilized at 25 HP, 50%. However, I might not be losing HP, but the pain was still there. My eyes couldn''t focus, and my breathing became ragged. Once the red circle became filled with a blood-red color, the pain subsided. [ You who have been cursed by the Queen of Spiders will take a different challenge. One filled with blood and suffering. The rules have changed. Will you look at them? ] "Y-y-yes." - Ian [ The following are the rules; The yer or unit will not leave the Ikanda until all challenges arepleted. All equipment will be unequipped once the challenges start There is no healing You are permitted to use your skills For every death, the curse will elerate by 1 day ( 24 hours ) ] ? "Are you serious!" - Ian [ Please pick a weapon ] [ Rusted Sword, Broken Knife, Cracked Ax, Rotten Wooden Club ] "What are these choices?!" - Ian [ You have 30 seconds to choose your weapon or else you will forfeit the right to choose any weapon ] With only 30 seconds to choose a weapon, my brain went into overload. I try my best to disregard the pain in my neck and think objectively about the weapons presented in front of me. The club and the ax will break the moment I hit something, which means they are out of the picture. A broken knife just means the de is shorter than normal, and a rusted sword might be so badly rusted that it will break due to the rust eating at the iron. Does that leave just the knife, since it is a weapon just with a short range? The weapons float around me as the blue message box floats in front of me, dictating the countdown. I grit my teeth and grab onto the broken knife. I feel the leather handle and see a shiny, cold sheen on the finger-length de. Luckily for me, it had been broken in a way where the tip is still sharp. [ Broken Knife Attack: 10 A well-made iron knife, broken to half its length. It has lost its previous glory and deadliness and is now reduced to nothing more than a sharp piece of metal. ] [ First Challenge: Run ] The scenery around me changes in seconds. The white walls constrict around me, turning into cold hard rocks as a tunnel forms around me. A path forward lights up with glowing blue stones on the ground, showing me an endless path, while behind me, I see darkness. I look towards the path with the lights, but even with the Eye of the Roc passive, I couldn''t see the end. Kingston had told me to instantly run forward, as danger lurking behind will catch up, and I would fall into the abyss below, dying over and over. However, the challenge has changed, my HP halved, but the rest of my stats stay the same. I take a glimpse at the buff screen, where I see the curse. [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3938:45:12 ] The rules say that I will lose 24 hours for each death in the challenges, and Kingston told me he lost count of the number of times he died. I have about 164 days left before the curse activates, and I''m not exactly keen to test the limits. Suddenly, I hear a soft scurrying sound behind me in the darkness. I take no chances, activating Enhanced Agility and following the path in front of me. I push my legs off the ground as hard as I can, but the scurrying sound draws closer. I nce over my shoulder to see spiders covering the ground, walls, and ceiling. Not a single gap could be seen as each spider was pressed against the other. I could feel goosebumps from all over my body as the hundreds of tiny red eyes re at me. I grit my teeth harder and push my body to the limits, rushing forward, but in the distance I see something drop onto the ground, covering some glowing blue stones. It covered most of the space in front of me and looked kind of furry, but then I realize what it was. 8 ruby red eyes open in front of me, making my heart leap in fright. Another spider, but this time big enough to fill the tunnel. I stood in my path and behind me was an army of small spiders. I didn''t stop running towards it though, instead, I activate Charge speeding myself up towards the monster. Using my superior vision, I see the monster preparing to attack me. It opens its mouth and sprays the space in front of me with purple acid. I cancel Charge and Quickstep to the side, grabbing onto the walls and pushing my body against them to dodge the attack. The spiders behind me were unfortunately attacked, melting them the instant the acid touched them. However, they were now very close. I push off the wall and Cleave at the monster with my tiny broken knife. The knife enters the monster''s body and cuts through its flesh, but the wound was shallow. I sh at the monster again in quick session, only to find that my damage to the monster was akin to hitting a dragon with a stick. The big spider pushes its body forward, forcing me to step back, but the smaller spiders have caught up. I kick around and sh the surrounding space to ward them off, activating Quickstep to reposition myself, but it was useless. I feel the multiple bite wounds all over my legs as the spiders assault me. They climb on each and ponce onto me. I scream and stab, but it was useless. My HP reaches 0 as the body sumbs to paralysis before being devoured by the spiders. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3914:39:49 ] I see darkness around me. My body still tingling from the previous death, then I see the tunnel again. The same blue stones start to glow, leading me down a path. A path where a giant spider lies waiting. Behind me, was the darkness and an army of smaller spiders. My breathing quickens and my heart races. I gulp down my saliva and activate Enhanced Agility. I need to run. Run faster. The moment my brain couldprehend that I had restarted the level, I start to run in the direction of the light. The same spider drops in front of me, but this time I cannot hear the spiders approaching me from behind yet, which means I have time. I don''t know how much time, but I have time to attempt to kill the monster in front of me. The monster leads off with an acid spray again, but I was prepared this time and activated Quickstep into Charge. I aim for the closest eye with my knife, piercing it before activating Cleave and destroying 2 other eyes in the process. The monster wriggles around in pain, mming the sides of the tunnel with its body before the rest of its eyes shine blood-red. It starts to spray acid at me at a higher rate, forcing me to retreat outside its range. I can hear the spiders catching up, but I couldn''t proceed forward with the acid in front of me. The ground melts into a sticky goo as the acidnds on it. I look around searching for a way forward but couldn''t see anywhere the acid hadn''t touched. Then something clicked in my brain. I smile at the idea and turn around towards the small spiders. I quickly attack the closest ones, cutting their legs and stabbing one in the chest, tossing the injured spiders towards the acidic goo on the ground. I do my best to umte as many spiders as I can before they start to surround me, and when I thought I couldn''t handle it anymore. I turn back. The monster had stopped spraying acid, however, most of the ground had been covered in the acid and I could smell the disgusting scent of melting spiders. I use the corpses of spiders that were mostly intact as a bridge to cross towards the monster, activating Quickstep to right next to the spider and stabbing it over and over in the already injured eyes. The monster screeches loudly, but I don''t stop till the monster bursts into purple smoke. I push past the monster just as the spiders behind me reached me. I feel them biting on my ankles, but I push myself forward at all costs. "You''re shitting me¡­" - Ian However, it seems my desperate attempts were futile. In front of me, another giant spider drops, covering the path with an acid spray. All my skills were on cooldown, so I couldn''t dodge it. The acidnds on my skin and I feel it burn. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" - Ian The smell of my own flesh melting permeates my nose. My hands melt off, flopping onto the ground like a fish out of the water before the rest of my body melts, resulting in another death. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3889:30:21 ] It''s going to be a long road of suffering¡­ 166 Chapter 166 [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3696:12:39 ] I kept trying toplete the challenge over and over again. Luckily for me, the monster repeats the same set of attacks. By using the curse as a timer, I was able to time approximately when I would reach the spider to when the small spiders would catch up to me. I cleared 2 big spiders only to find a third spider hiding behind and after dying the third spider I came out of the game. I feel my whole body shake, taking the VR helmet off aggressively and running to the bathroom. I m the shower door open and turn it on, letting the cold shower drench my body. My entire body was burning, I could feel the skin peel away and turn to dust. I copse to my knees as my dinner fromst night came out the way it came in. "IAN!" - Reba I nce to the side to see Reba rushing toward me, she was still in her pink pajamas. "What happened? What''s wrong?" - Reba I couldn''t speak. My chest felt tight and under my right ear, I feel a searing pain. I let out a guttural scream, gripping my neck in agony. "Your neck? Is it your neck? Let me see¡­ What is this?" - Reba I feel my entire body shake violently. The world spins around me and I ck out. ..... "I don''t know what is happening." - Rebeca "Are you nearby?" - Reba "Can youe over?" - Reba "Great! The address is¡­" - Reba "How long until youe over?" - Reba "1 hour? Great. I''ll see you soon." - Reba I hear Reba''s voice, but my eyes are still groggy. My body feels heavy, and my head is pulsating in pain. "Hmm? Ian! You are awake. How are you feeling?" - Reba I turn my head toward her voice and try to speak, but nothinges out. "Okay, don''t talk. Just close your eyes." - Reba I slowly nod my head, closing my eyes as she said, and slowly I drift away. ...¡­. I open my eyester and feel that the splitting headache was gone, but my body still felt heavy. I see Reba pacing back and forth in my room, wearing an oversized ck jumper and shorts. "Re¡­Ba." - Ian My voice sounded so weak and frail. Like I was an elderly person trying to speak to their grandchild. Reba turns to me and I see her worried expression and reddish eyes. "Ian!" - Reba She quicklyes close to me, kneeling down on the ground next to my bed. She grabs onto my left hand and presses her forehead onto mine. "Okay, you don''t have a fever anymore. Don''t worry, I called Evan and Sabrina toe over, and I asked my family doctor for advice already. She said that so long as you are kept in bed, warm, go toilet a lot, and have congee you will recover. She thinks it just happened to be a bad fever and stomach ache." - Reba I hear the doorbell ring after Reba exined to me what her family doctor had told her. "Give me a second. I think that is Evan and Sabrina." - Reba p I nod my head and Reba smiles at me before letting go of my hand and rushing to the front door. I hear some voices before Reba returns with Evan and Sabrina. They bought some chairs to sit on as they came in as well. Evan was wearing a simple navy blue polo shirt and brown chinos, while Sabrina was in a leather jacket, cktop, and denim jeans. "Ian! What happened?" - Evan "Are you alright? Did something happen when you woke up?" - Sabrina I sit up with the help of Reba and clutch my head as a slight headache came back to me. I take a sip of water, which Reba had already prepared, and took a breath to calm down before talking. "I don''t know what happened. I felt my whole body was on fire and it felt like the skin on my body was melting off." - Ian "What the¡­" - Evan "Didn''t this happen to you before?" - Reba "Simr, but this time the pain was worse." - Ian "What to recount what happened?" - Sabrina "I waspleting a challenge in the Ikanda however the curse mark which I got from the Queen of spiders activated, changing the challenges. The challenge was originally just outrun the falling road, and you would have passed, ording to Kingston, who already finished the challenges. Instead, I was thrown into a tunnel with an army of small spiders behind me andrge spiders which took up the whole tunnel space in front of me. To make matters worse, each time I die, the curse elerates by 24 hours. Each death I felt excruciating pain, from being eaten by the spiders, paralysis, acid that melts my body, and parts of my body being ripped apart. When I woke up, I felt my body was on fire like it was melting just like in the game. I couldn''t think of anything other than to cool my body, so I ran to the shower. I then felt a pain where the cursed mark should be before copsing." - Ian "Ian, I know this might sound crazy, but after you cked out, I saw the cursed mark on your neck. A singr ck spider with a ck ring around it. The thing was, the spider started to move on your body, wriggling around in the ring before smaller spiders came out of the ck ring. The smaller spiders stoppeding out, stopping just as they escaped from the ring. Momentster, it all disappeared, fading into your skin." - Reba "What is this Orochimaru''s curse? This is insane." - Evan "It does sound unreal. Did you ever see the mark before this, Reba?" - Sabrina "No. I did prank him when he got it in the game, but I never saw it myself. Did you know what it looked like, Ian?" - Reba "I had Kingston look at it at one point, and he told me it was just a small spider-like tattoo under my right ear." - Ian "It''s evolving. The timer for it goes down naturally, but it gets elerated when you die. This means that as the timer goes down, the curse mark evolves. At the moment we have seen 2 changes. The ring and then the smaller spidersing out of the ring." - Evan "The strange thing is nothing like this is happening to other yers." - Sabrina "Technically, I experienced something simr." - Reba "Oh." - Sabrina "Even so, none of us knows why it happens." - Ian "So, what? Are you going to stop ying?" - Evan "No. I''m just going to not die as much in the game." - Ian "Easier said than done." - Sabrina "I''ll be here to help if anything happens." - Reba "I''m on my way towards you in-game. I don''t know how far away, but I''ll get there." - Evan "So why did we even need toe here?" - Sabrina "Uh¡­ I was worried. I didn''t know what to do." - Reba "Thank you foring, though." - Ian Evan''s phone rings in his pocket. After taking out his phone and reading it, he smiles. "Well then, on a less serious note. The game''s homepage has made an announcement. Look." - Evan [ Settlement 3rd Eventing on the 6th month anniversary. More details wille when it is 1 week away from the event. ] "Ohhhhhhh! A new event. It''s been so long." - Sabrina "How long has the game even been out for?" - Reba "I would say 4 months, maybe even 5?" - Ian "Which means the event ising soon." - Evan "I can''t believe Sylvia had some sort of knowledge that an event was going. She was right¡­" - Ian "What do you mean?" - Evan "Let me get you to speed first. My NPC, Sylvia, is an apostle of the god of war, Ares. She was notified by Ares that evil was brewing in the continent and something was about to happen. Ares also said that Sylvia needed to find an army to fight against evil. This event is most likely what Ares was warning Sylvia. However, before hearing about Sylvia''s past, I didn''t expect there to be gods which interact with NPCs already or anything like that." - Ian "Wait. There are apostles? Have there been any yer apostles yet?" - Evan "No idea." - Ian "No one would say anything if they were. Why give their advantage?" - Sabrina "Makes sense why we don''t know about them. Then we can assume other people have knowledge about the uing event as well." - Reba "Not a lot of information, though. Just that we need a big force." - Ian "They would have prepared for it. Training their NPCs, building their defenses, etc. However, we can do the same now." - Evan "Right, so we start making sure we have some sort of army to defend against whatever it is that is going to happen." - Sabrina "I also found something that might be rted to the new event. I have a mine and in that mine, there is a ck door with a white frame. There were scratches on the door, but my NPCs couldn''t make a dent when they attacked it. When I ced my hand on the door, it said it wasn''t avable yet, which can only mean it will activate in the next event." - Ian "I think¡­ A dungeon maybe?" - Evan "Or a hole where monsters spawn out of?" - Sabrina "Or a ce with treasure?" - Reba "I didn''t think dungeon woulde into y, though? Wait¡­ This is just a theory, but what if one of the Kings is associated with the door? I found a small room in the middle of the mountains which is rted to Kronos. I''m near certain that I am not in his territory, which means there is a chance that another King is going to be active during the event. There will definitely be more doors popping up during this time and when the event starts, and I''m sure it will affect how the event will progress." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I see, you are thinking one of the Kings will invade the continent via these doors?" - Evan "The Reaper or The Horde has the highest chance if that is the case." - Reba "True, both of those should haverge armies." - Sabrina "We can only wait and see. There isn''t enough information." - Ian "Well, I''m hungry, shall we go get breakfast and hang out in the city? Ian pays?" - Evan "Done. Smart decision Evan. One of the few you will ever have in your life." - Sabrina "HEY! I am smart, thank you." - Evan "I''m hungry too, shall we go?" - Reba "Of course, prettydy. Shall we go leave this ruffian behind." - Evan "YOU! Imma hit you right now." Sabrina "Sorry there darling but I''m taken, how about another time? I''ll make it worth your while." - Reba "OHHHHHHHH!" - Evan "Let me get changed, and then we can go and stop teasing him, Reba." - Ian 167 Chapter 167 We spent the day eating in the city, going bowling, some pool, and just rxing in the park. The whole day was fun, and it distracted me from the events in the game, but in the back of my head, the concerns were still there. How do I beat the first challenge? Is there something I haven''t tried yet? Do I need to switch up my strategy? Thoughts and questions pop up throughout the day, but I do my best to push them down, after all, today was a rare day of rxation, but once I got home with Reba I had to face her worried expression. "Ian, talk to me. What''s wrong? Is it about the game?" - Reba "Well yeah. I don''t know how to beat the first challenge, and if I can''t then who knows what will happen to me." - Ian "What have you tried?" - Reba "Killing the big spider in front of me and then proceeding to the next one. After I kill the second spider, there is a third waiting behind it. I don''t know anything after that. Behind me are hundreds if not thousands of small spiders the size of my hand scurrying towards me. There is a blue line that points me in the direction of the big spiders. That''s all the information I know." - Ian "What if you run towards the small spiders?" - Reba "I never did that, but why should I? The objective is to run, so shouldn''t I be running away from the spiders?" - Ian "Right, the objective is to run, but it didn''t say you should be running away from the spiders. Try it tonight and see if there is anything in that direction. Otherwise, the only thing you can do is to keep trying to fight the big spiders and remember their attacks and find their weakness." - Reba "Alright, I''ll give it a go." - Ian "Good. How''s Nina doing?" - Reba "Not sure. I didn''t speak to her today, why?" - Ian "She is the only yer in your vige at the moment. Aren''t you curious about what she is doing, since Kingston is off in the grasnd trying to get stronger?" - Reba "No, I trust her. From the time we met to when she got to HavenFall I made sure to talk to her as much as I can to understand her personality and what she wants to do in the game. Turns out, she is a big magician fan. Anything rted to magic she finds attractive and in all other games she yed like a magician, so she was already excited when she acquired the magic book. She told me she wants to figure out the magic book and see what secrets it has and after hearing that the elves can use magic, I''m sure she is learning more about it during the game. Her objective for Settlement isn''t to make a civilization, but to discover the secrets of magic." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Okay." - Reba "What about you? How''s the passive skill?" - Ian "I decided to move the vige because of the skill. Recently I''ve been attacked by skeletons and zombies and their thoughts are all just about killing and eating, which has greatly affected me in the game. I told my NPCs about it, and they agreed to move the vige elsewhere. Right now I''m in the middle of preparing for it, and I''m thinking of moving closer to you. If I go off in the direction of the sun, you see the sunrise in the direction where you started and the sun setting in the forest. So, I''ll start by heading in the direction that I can only presume is North, keeping the sunrise on my left. I don''t know how far I have to go and what dangers I will meet, but I think at least if I go in that direction I will eventually find you. Might take months, though, since Evan has been moving in a westerly direction for a month and a bit now, and he still hasn''t reached you." - Reba "Oh, you want to move closer to me? Not only are you here in real life now I have to see you in-game?" - Ian "You should take that as a privilege. You get to see the great me." - Reba "Right¡­ The continent is big, so be careful. Monsters might be stronger if youe closer, so I''m not too sure what will happen." - Ian "Don''t worry, I got this. Just focus on getting out within the month, so you can properly prepare for the event." - Reba "I will do my best. I''m going to rest up before going into the game." - Ian "Okay~" - Reba I leave Reba in the living room, where she turned on the TV to watch some movies. Instead, I went to my own room andy on the floor. I close my eyes and tried to sleep a bit before midnight. As midnight drew close, Reba woke me up, handing me my VR helmet and saying goodnight before cing hers on andying on my bed. I took a deep breath before cing my VR helmet on and diving into the world of Settlement. .... I am in a ck space, holding onto the broken knife. Floating there in the abyss before the blue message appears in front of me. [Are you ready to continue?] I took another deep breath and focused on my n. Run towards the small spiders and see if there is anything in that direction. Run towards the small spiders and see if there is anything in that direction. Run towards the small spiders and see if there is anything in that direction. I pound it into my head, repeating it over and over before I felt ready, after all, there is only one answer. "Okay! Just do it. YES!" - Ian The familiar tunnel appears around me, and before I knew it, I turn around, facing my back to the blue glowing stones on the ground and facing towards the dark tunnel instead. I gulp down my saliva and run forward, activating Enhanced Agility. I run as quickly as I can, readying my knife for the spiders that will appear. The endless darkness creeps in all around me. I couldn''t see the walls. I couldn''t see the ceiling, and I definitely couldn''t see where I was going. The only thing keeping me sane was my own footsteps. The echoing sound of my feet pushing off the rocky surface fills my ears, but it also felt strange. Where was the scurrying sound of spiders? I check the curse timer to see that only a minute has passed. Remembering from my experiences, the spiders should reach where I started after 2 minutes. This means in the next minute I should see them. I prepare myself mentally as it will be a long, tiring battle. I keep running and running, then I heard it. The sound of the spiders running along the ground and walls, but I didn''t hear it in front of me. I close my eyes and hone into my ears as I stood still. Where was iting from? ABOVE! I activate Quickstep before leaping forward and rolling on the ground. The sound of spiders scurrying everywhere became louder and louder, as more spiders wereing from above. Was there a hole where theye out of? I could hear the spiders dropping onto the ground while I hear others climbing the ceiling and the walls approaching me. I get up and run. Reba was somewhat right. There is still space in front of me, space where I can keep running. My eyes have slowly adjusted to theck of light and while I can''t see too far ahead, I could still see the hundreds of red eyes behind me. I run, and I run, my heart pounding in my chest and my breathing slowly bing more and more frequent, until I m into a wall in front of me. Since I was running at full speed, I was unable to stop in time instead the moment I noticed the wall was in front of me, I turned my body to the right. My left shoulder cushioned the hit, but the pain was sent throughout my whole body. My head felt a little light, but I quickly snap back to reality as I see the tsunami of spidersing close. I look forward and to my surprise, I see light down the tunnel. I grit my teeth and push my body forward. However, my left side felt heavy, I couldn''t run properly and instead limped my way forward, but I was too slow, and the spiders caught me, biting down on my ankles and climbing up my legs. I get swallowed in the sea of spiders, dying once again. This time, though, I have seen a way out. I just need to push myself harder to achieve it. I can finish this challenge. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3672:04:14 ] I respawn at the same ce, but this time I knew where to go. Without stopping, I run into the darkness. Without stopping, I run when I hear the spiders scurrying above me, and without stopping I crash into the same wall. However, knowing it wasing, I was able to slow my steps down to reduce the impact, and since I had more time the spiders weren''t as close. I run towards the light and as I drew closer I started to make out what was in the light using the Eye of the Roc. It looked like an alleyway, exactly like how Kingston described it before. Since it was the same, I treated the alleyway the same as how Kingston treated it. I ran. He said it was 200 steps and with my increased steps, it would be a breeze, is what I thought. The moment I step into the alleyway, the tunnel behind me disappeared, and instead when I nced over my shoulder. I see the ground falling, however, it was falling faster than I was running. "You have got to be shitting me." - Ian I pump my arms up and down, pushing my legs harder and harder. I sprint faster than I ever thought I could sprint in my life, and before I knew it, I passed the challenge and ran into an invisible wall in the ck space. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it echoing in my ears. I couldn''t catch my breath and justy there looking into the darkness. My eyes were wide open looking at the blue system message in front of me as I try to calm my body down. [ You havepleted the First Challenge: Run ] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] "Y-yes." - Ian 168 Chapter 168 [ Here is your reward. ] [ + 10 Agility Bonus forpleting a cursed challenge: +5 Strength, + 5 Vitality ] Kingston did say that he got stats for the first challenge too, but I didn''t expect that I would gain more than him. However, cursed challenged? Even the name had been changed to suit. Name: Ian Race: Human Faith: 4256/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 905/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 10 / 500 ( Reach 500 to choose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 30/60 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 35 Vitality: 30 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 45 Luck: 31 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Eye of the Roc (Passive) Ipare my stats to the monsters that I have fought and realize that I was getting closer to them. My Agility had surpassed the monsters, while my Strength and Vitality were catching up. [ Are you ready for the next Challenge? Yes/No ] I pick myself up and took some deep breaths, calming my nerves and focusing my mind. Once my breathing became more stable, I answered. "Yes." - Ian [ Second Challenge: Survive ] I ready my knife and crouch down, remembering what Kingston had told me, however, I knew it was going to be different. The ck space around me lights up, blinding me and forcing me to close my eyes, but even without my eyes, I could hear the surrounding space changing. I hear sand blowing and some of it even brushing against my skin. The rough coarse sand stings each time I feel the wind blow against me and as I open my eyes I start to see the new environment that Inded in. A saturated reddish-yellow sea spanning as far as the eye could see. I could feel the stabbing heat piercing into my skin from above me. I have only been here for seconds, but my lips are already chapped, and I can feel my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. I grip my knife as it burns the palm of my hand. No matter how much it hurts, I can''t let it go, it''s my only weapon. I carefully look around, brushing my feet along the sand as I turn and look behind me. The sand below my feet starts to rumble and vibrate softly. I could see the individual grains of the sand shift back and forth. Whatever ising, ising in fast. I let out a breath and wait patiently for whatever it is toe. I nce around, taking in any movement, but I could only see the sand vibrating faster and harder. A low rumbling starts to echo in my ears and the vibrations start to affect my body. I could hear my teeth chattering, and my arms and legs felt like I had pins and needles. I start to realize that the air in front of me was slowly bing hazy as the sand starts to pick up with the wind. I feel thousands and thousands of tiny knives digging into my exposed skin. My eyes sting the longer I have them open, and I resort to squinting to protect my eyes. With each breath, I feel my lungs getting stabbed, and I start to cough, although it was my mistake. With each cough, I breathe in more sand and I copse to my knees in order to breathe properly. A sandstorm? In the corner of my eye, the surrounding space starts to blur. More sand gets picked up, and I start to feel the pressure of the wind around me as the sand gets thicker and thicker to the point I couldn''t see my hand when I stretch it out. I cover my mouth with my shirt and shield my eyes with my hand as I crouch up. I couldn''t hear anything but the howling of the winds and the roaring of the sand. My HP was slowly chipping away the longer I was in the sandstorm. To make matters worse, a sand spike appears below me, piercing through my right foot. I fall to the side as I try to take it out, only to find that the sand was as solid as a rock. I lift my knife up, hitting the sand spike with the handle, breaking the spike into smaller pieces, but my efforts were in vain. Sand spikes appear from the ground, stabbing into my thighs and calves, slowly approaching my stomach. I grit my teeth with each spike piercing through my body and with thest spike puncturing through my stomach, my HP went to 0. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3657:47:45 ] I open my eyes again to the scorching sands, but instinctively ce my hand on my stomach. The pain went by so fast that I remember it so vividly. I gulp down what little saliva I had left and try to think of a solution to this challenge. I couldn''t see any enemies, but they could see me. They attacked via the sand, but that might have been a skill or magic since the sand harden after stabbing through me, or it hardened and then stabbed into me. My vision was blocked even though I had the Eye of the Roc, which meant that the sand was thick enough that it didn''t allow me to see through it. The description said I would be able to see through fog, heavy rain, and hail, so I assumed I could see through a sandstorm as well, but contrary to my assumption I could not. What am I surviving from? From Kingston''s experience, he survived by waiting. Is it the same thing? But my HP slowly drops due to the sandstorm¡­ My thoughts run wild trying to think of a solution, but the sandstorm was brewing. The ground vibrates and the sand starts to get kicked up with the wind. I try to not stay still in this attempt and start running forward. It didn''t matter if this worked or not, but I need to try different things in order to figure out the solution to this challenge. I run forward as the sandstorm slowly bes thicker and faster. My HP slowly depletes, and I take into ount the time, knowing the spikes will appear any second now. I start dodging side to side, zigzagging forward trying to predict the spikes, and to my surprise after doing that a couple of times, the spikes start to attack me and I could see the way it forms. As I ran around, I keep my eyes shielded with one hand and kept a close eye on the ground. The sand in the area where I was about to step started to move hastily in a spiral, and like an explosion it formed the rest of the spike, stabbing the air before solidifying. I awkwardly dodge the first spike by twisting my body in midair and immediately activate Enhanced Agility and Quickstep to dodge the next spike as it aimed for my other foot. I never stop moving as spikes form from the ground one after the other, aiming for where I would step. It took a lot of physical strength to dodge each spike, since I have to focus onto everything on the ground to pick up the minute detail of the sand. At the same time, I have to make sure my eyes are protected because the moment I take my eyes off the ground, I get punctured in the feet, like a whale being harpooned. I couldn''t move the moment I got attacked and the momentum I had built up recoils on me, making me fall and thus bing prey for the spikes. I die and I die. Over and over. If my blood could be seen from previous runs, I would have covered the whole desert with it. I could feel my body slowing down after the 5th death. My body reacted slower than I would have wanted even though my mind is active, my body is starting to refuse to move. ? I took a break on my 6th attempt, instead of moving around, I sat down and close my eyes. I know I would be sacrificing the curse timer, but I felt if I didn''t take a break for a bit, my body would just break down. I took deep breaths and calmed my mind. I let my mind escape from the howling winds and roaring sands. Looking up at the burning sun as it slowly gets covered in reddish yellow clouds, then I saw it. I didn''t know if what I saw was real or if it was my mind ying tricks on me since I had been so out of it in this attempt. Hiding in the front of the sr rays was something small, brown, with 8 legs. A spider floating in the air, but was it real? The sandstorm had covered my vision before I could even confirm if what I saw was real. I let myself die without any resistance, thinking only about that small figure that I saw in the sky. The moment I came back, I look up, searching for it, and lo and behold it was there. Floating in the sky is a small brown spider with furry legs and 8 emerald eyes. I couldn''t believe my eyes. I blink and pinch myself, but it was real. "That''s it, isn''t it?" - Ian But then how do I get there? That thought crept into my mind as I stare at the spider as it waves its front legs around. The wind slowly picks up the more the spider moved its front legs. That small monster ismanding the winds and the spikes and yet even though I know this fact I couldn''t do anything. It''s up there and I''m down here. My heart sinks as the helplessness sinks in. I could only stare at the monster as it continues to produce a raging storm. My head wobbles around and my legs copse. I sit on the ground, staring at the monster as it prepares the symphony of my death. I close my eyes andy on the ground, epting it. What else can I do? I die once again. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3500:21:10 ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang Activates. ] 169 Chapter 169 "What? What is ha-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" - Ian I woke up in the desert once again, but this time, I saw an extra line on the system message. My back burns and I scream. I feel the flesh on my back ripping and tearing. I drop to the ground, clutching my sides with my hands. I feel my nails dig into my skin and my eyes shake violently as I screech in pain. The pain never stopped, but my body would refuse to copse. Each time I felt my mind go nk from the pain, something stops me and the pain intensifies. I w at my face and reach behind me, only to feel two small bumps on my back. All at once, I feel the pain escte 100 times as much as before as I feel somethinge out of my back like someone grabbed a bone in my bone and ripped it out without caring. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3476:19:01 ] I open my eyes and my body shakes at the experience. It was so fast, so quick, and so violent. That death was worse than anything I had faced before. I would much rather die to the acid spray from the monster spiders in the previous challenge than experience that pain again. [ You have be part spider and are now recognized as an Arachne. ] "W-w-what? W-w-what do y-y-you mean?" - Ian [ Your race is now changed to Arachne. ] [ As the first yer to be an Arachne, you will receive a reward. ] [ Skill: Predator Instinct ] Predator Instinct (Passive) - The user bes more aware of their surroundings. They are able to track those they have determined as prey, as well as gain heightened senses when the prey is cornered ( +10% Strength, +10% Agility). Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 4275/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 20 ( Happy ) 905/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 10 / 500 ( Reach 500 to choose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 30/60 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 35 Vitality: 30 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 45 Luck: 31 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive) Limb Regrowth (Passive) - If the user loses a limb (leg, arm) then after some time the user will regrow that limb. The time it takes depends on the severity. Skill associated with the Arachne Race "I-I." - Ian I shakily reach over my shoulder without turning my head with my arm. I gulp down my saliva as I reach a little more to feel a cold, hard, curved surface. I turn my head to the right and I see a jet ck spider leg arched over my shoulder. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" - Ian I turn my body aggressively to the side, but see the spider leg escape away from my sight in the same direction. Of course, it does, it is attached to my body. "What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" - Ian I couldn''t believe my eyes. I couldn''t believe what was even happening. My body had be a part spider. I had be an Arachne. My head was a mess and I had 2 of these spider legs attached to my back. I didn''t even notice the sandstorm around me and the spikes that were stabbing into me. I die again and I half expected the pain toe back, but no pain this time. I still feel shaken up about the spider stuff that just happened, but it''s not like I can remove them. I try to understand them instead. It''s just so weird¡­ I can control the spider legs as if they were my arms. I stretch it out to measure the reach, and the tip of the legs could stretch further than my own hands. It was like looking at a scythe stretching out, since the leg was always bent at the joint. I could bring them close to my face and stretch them to the sides, but I couldn''t turn them around to touch the ground. Goosebumps spread across my whole body every time I try to move them, and I could feel my stomach churning at the experience. I spent the next couple of attempts learning about the spider legs and how to control them, almost vomiting a couple of times in the process. My body felt cold the longer I got used to my new body. Learning to move all 8 parts of the legs was exhausting and strange in so many ways. There was a small joint attached to my back that connects to a joint that allows movement for the first big section of the spider. This section looked to be thergest section of the leg and probably acted like the thigh because after that was something simr to a knee. It allows the next 4 sections freedom of movement in almost 360 degrees. The tip of the leg was split into 2 in the middle, with a smaller tip and a longer tip. It resembled a spear or a w, which I didn''t expect. I thought spider''s legs were like knives with just a singr point, however, looking at my spider leg I can clearly see a w-like resemnce. The legs are able to extend and contract at fast speeds, but the more I pushed myself to use it, the more nauseous I felt. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3378:42:58 ] After dying one more time, I exited the game as morning came. I took off my shirt the moment I woke up and asked Reba to check my back and neck. "Nothing is there. What happened?" - Reba "NOTHING IS THERE?! Check again, please!" - Ian "There is nothing, Ian. Tell me what happened?" - Reba "My race became Arachne. The curse activated and I-I have 2 spider legs on my back." - Ian "I thought the curse wasn''t until 6 months? How many times did you die?" - Reba "Enough times¡­ The curse is still counting down, it''s not like its gone." - Ian "Then it''s like a transformation curse?" - Reba "Yep, and I guess stage 1 is done. I''m going to be a spider by the time the curse finishes. I''m so screwed. AHHHHHHHH!" - Ian "Calm down, Ian. It will be okay. Get up let''s have some breakfast first okay? I''ll make you some toast." - Reba "Okay¡­ Okay¡­" - Ian I tell the group chat about what happened, and I got a lot of worried replies. "Ian, do you want me to go back to HavenFall?" - Kingston "No, there shouldn''t be much to do there. I think." - Ian "If you want me toe back, tell me, okay?" - Kingston "Got it¡­" - Ian "Ian, what happened in the game is just a game, okay? Just think you got a buff for now and try to figure out how to get rid of the curseter." - Evan "It has only given you a new way to fight, right?" - Sam "I guess¡­" - Ian "Just take it as it is for now." - Evan "He is telling us because he is worried, we shouldn''t push him, right?" - Sabrina "The curse affects his skills and stats. While it is somewhat concerning because of what happened yesterday, we still don''t know anything about it." - Reba "Then we just need to wait." - Sam "Waiting is what I''ve been doing for a while now¡­"- Ian "I told you before when I went berserk, it influenced me in real life. I got angry. Like a lot. However, it went away. So this weird feeling will go away too. It''s just in the game, you will have additional limbs." - Kingston "Right, it will influence the way you y in the game." - Evan "Anything that happens, we are here, so just talk to us." - Sabrina "I''lle as soon as possible on a ne if you need anything." - Sam "Thanks, everyone." - Ian I turn off my phone and went out to see Reba preparing breakfast. Vegemite, butter and toast, and a cup of tea as well. Reba sat down opposite me, putting her hair into a ponytail before taking a bite out of her toast. "So, what are you going to do today?" - Reba "I don''t know. Learn more about spiders? Like what they do with their front 2 legs, maybe something like that." - Ian "Yea, that sounds like a good idea. I''m going to go outter, so just rx at home, okay?" - Reba "Yea I will. Do you think everything will be okay?" - Ian "Why are you so hesitant? What happened to the Ian that had a lot of confidence?" - Reba "This situation is so scuffed. I don''t know what to make of it. Don''t worry, I''ll figure it out." - Ian "Okay." - Reba After breakfast, Reba left the house, and I was left alone. I researched spiders and found that spiders spread their front legs out to make them look bigger. The bigger they are, the less likely they will be attacked because they look stronger. The ws on the spiders are made for spinning as well as detecting vibrations, sound, scent and air currents. I wonder what else my 2 spider legs can do, since I only got movement down during thest couple of attempts. Hopefully, it will help me in some way for the second challenge. 170 Chapter 170 I open my eyes in the game once again, feeling the spider legs move at mymand. The sensation is still weird to me since it felt like I was moving my shoulder des, but in reality, I''m moving the spider legs around. I do my best to convince myself that it is just part of me now, and I got to live with it. I look around as the zing sun burns my skin, seeing the brown spider floating in the air. Knowing that I have new skills, I try to follow the description of Predator Instinct. I focus my vision solely on the brown spider. The Eye of the Rocpliments the Predator Instinct, and I feel like I could see each and every individual strand of hair on the spider. In the midst of the hair, I see a strand of translucent blue hair. In the middle of the spider''s abdomen, I see the translucent blue hair floating upwards. I raise an eyebrow at the strange sight and focus my senses on the hair. Little by little I see the hair be longer and longer, branching off the spider and into the sky, floating and fluttering in the wind. I realized at this point that it wasn''t a hair. Confused as I was, I continue to follow the blue line. Even as the sand storm starts to brew, I concentrate on the blue line as it arches down from the sky towards the ground. The sand roars around me and I start to dodge the spikes that appear from the ground, but at the same time, I follow the blue line deeper into the storm. As I proceed deeper, my vision bes smaller, and I feel the spikes have be more aggressive, forcing me to move backward and further away from the blue line. The blue line is key. I can just tell. The sandstorm has never felt more alive than when I started to move towards the blue line. It intimidates me with the howling winds and the piercing sand, cutting away at my HP with the spikes as a wall and a spear. I grit my teeth and push off the ground, running forward towards the blue line with all my strength. I activate Enhanced Agility and Quickstep to dodge a spike, missing another by the skin of my teeth but for the first time, 3 spikes came out of the ground piercing into my chest and killing me. However, right before I die, I see a glimpse of something connected to the blue line. It moved out of my vision just as I died, but I know something was there. [ You have died. ] [ Live on then, Yet Hang: 3354:27:15 ] The moment I open my eyes in this attempt, I focus on the blue line instantly. Looking at the sky and following it down towards the ground, I use Enhanced Agility and sprint. Compared tost time, it was much easier to follow the blue line as the sand storm hadn''t started yet and as the blue line nears the ground, I finally see what it was connected to. A simr no, an exact copy of the brown spider that is floating in the sky. The moment I see the spider, I notice a buff on my screen activate. [ Predator Instinct - While the prey is within sight, +10% Strength, +10% Agility ] Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 4302/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 25 ( Happy ) 930/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 15 / 500 ( Reach 500 to choose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 30/60 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 38 Vitality: 30 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 54 Luck: 31 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive) My agility broke past 50 and I feel my feet be lighter. I activate Stealth and Charge toward the spider, but it noticed me approaching, and spikes started to appear from the ground targeting me. Each and every spike forming faster than thest, with 2 sometimes appearing at the same time, but with the increased Agility from the Predator Instinct buff, I was able to dodge them before they could even touch me. It seems with me disturbing the spider, it couldn''t keep casting the sandstorm skill, instead in my peripheral vision I see the floating brown spidering downward. The one on the ground scurries away while making more spikes in between me and itself, but with a hop, skip, jump, I leap over the spikes with Quickstep and fly over the spidernding in front of it. I instantly attack with my own spider legs, piercing the ground as the spider scurries side to side. I cast Cleave as I kick off the ground, lunging towards the spider, using my spider legs to cut off the spider''s movement. I feel my knife dig into the spider''s flesh, noticing how defenseless the monster was, I push forward, even more, attempting a second sh. However, it''s emerald green eyes shine in front of me and I could feel my body slow down with each passing second. On the other hand, the spider zips away and I''m left with an empty feeling as it goes outside my vision. [ Emerald Gaze - Affected user is slowed for 2 minutes. -90% Agility 00:01:50 ] 2 minutes passed, and the spider was long gone, and the sand storm had started to pick up. My body goes back to normal and I try to focus on finding the blue line. I guess it was some sort of tether between the 2 spiders, but maybe one of them is real and one of them is fake? The sandstorm affected my ability to see as well as my ability to focus on anything around me and before long, the spikes started to attack me once again. I run into the storm searching for the spider, only to slowly die to the sandstorm, chipping away at my HP. I repeat the same strategy over and over again, finding the spider and engaging inbat. Attacking it and damaging it, but just missing the kill. At times, it would slow me, running away for the rest of the attempt, and other times it would cast triple spikes in between us, blocking my attack. After the 5th attempt of the night, I notice the monster spawns in the same general location, making it easier for me to target it. I remember the route and dash in that direction the moment I spawn, and along the way, I focus on the blue line to correct my movement. I reach the spider faster with each attempt, and by the 10th attempt, I was able to reach it before it noticed me with stealth. With a surprise attack, I Cleave two of its eyes. Green blood spurts out, sttering all over me. In response, it attempts to slow me with Emerald Gaze, but I Quickstep to the side, dodging the emerald shine. With the spider looking forward, I sh at the legs, cutting through 2 legs like butter. I notice the sand near the ground spiraling and rolling to the side as spikes start to appear. I cut at the back legs, but the spider dodges forward. However, it awkwardly tumbles to the side as itnds. Its legs wave in the air as it hurriedly tries to stand up. The second brown spidernds in front of the first, waving its front two legs in an attempt to intimidate me. I smirk and slice through the monster, only to feel no resistance. The spider fades away and behind it, I see the original spider preparing another Emerald Gaze. Unable to dodge it this time, I toss my knife at the monster and move my spider legs to stab into its body. My legs pierce into its flesh while the knife ruptures another eye as I fall under the effects of Emerald Gaze. It wiggles and screeches, but is unable to escape my legs. Once it realizes that I was slowed, it starts to cast its spike skill. However, I don''t know if it ran out of MP or the fact that I had 2 spider legs puncture wounds, but the skill was unable to form any spikes. At most, it was swirling the sand at its legs and once the debuff timer was over, I gave it a few more holes, killing it. [ You have killed an Emerald Eyed Desert Spider. Activating hidden trait Rule Over Spiders. ] Rule Over Spiders - As a member of the Arachne race, when the individual kills a unique spider, the essence of the spider is drawn into the individual. The individual gain a skill that the spider once had. Trait associated with the Arachne Race A golden-brown haze escapes from the spider corpse floating in the air for a second before condensing into an orb and flying into my chest. [ You have gained Skill: Emerald Gaze. ] Emerald Gaze (Active) 10 MP - When the user casts Emerald Gaze, all enemies that the light shines upon are slowed. -50% Agility Duration 1min. Cooldown 1 hour. "Why is it less¡­?" - Ian As I read the skill, I notice the debuff is less than what I had to deal with and while I found it weird, I also understood the reasoning. If I could use the skill as often as the spider could, I would be too overpowered. I let out a sigh and the desert slowly falls into darkness as the environment gets reced by the ck space. A system message pops in front of my face and I immediately answer. [ You havepleted the Second Challenge: Survive] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] "Yes." - Ian [ Here is your reward. ] [ Skill: Earth Spike Bonus forpleting a cursed challenge: +5 Intelligence, + 5 Vitality Bonus forpleting the challenge unconventionally: +5 Agility, +5 Dexterity, +5 Luck ] Earth Spike (Active) 5MP - Conjures an earth spike out of the materials on the ground, solidifying the spike once it reaches 1 meter tall. Duration 10seconds. Cooldown 5min I take another look at my stats, since I had acquired such a bountiful reward, smiling to myself. "I''m getting stronger, bit by bit." - Ian Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 4312/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 25 ( Happy ) 930/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 15 / 500 ( Reach 500 to choose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 33/70 Mana Points (MP): 17/17 Strength: 35 Vitality: 35 Intelligence: 35 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 50 Luck: 36 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive) 171 Chapter 171 [ Are you ready for the next Challenge? Yes/No ] "Yes." - Ian [ Third Challenge: Defeat 1/1 ] [ Your HP will be restored to full. ] The moment the system messages disappear, a sh of emerald light blinds me. I close my eyes and shield my face, but I notice a debuff was applied on me. [[ Emerald Gaze - Affected user is slowed for 1 minute. -50% Agility 00:00:59 ] "What? AHHH!" - Ian A feel something sharp stab the right side of my chest. I grab it with my left hand and feel a cold, hard scythe-like object. I pull it out while thrusting my spider legs forward, but I only hit the air. The cold object slips away from my grasp, and I see something dash to the side, out of my vision. My eyes start to get used to the darkness and I activate Enhanced Agility while focusing on the moving target. However, the target moves faster than my eyes, getting behind me. I Quickstep forward but was too slow. My back gets stabbed in 3 different ces and the force from the attack pushes me forward, knocking me off my feet. A hand presses my face down to the ground as my back gets repeatedly stabbed, killing me before I had a chance to retaliate. The whole fight was so fast and one-sided, but at least I was able to determine the enemy. It was myself. The third challenge was to defeat me. I thought it was another Emerald Eyed Desert Spider after the Emerald Gaze was cast, however, the cold scythe-like object and the knife that stabbed into me were clear indicators that it was a clone or a mirror of myself. Now, that begs the question. How do I kill myself? Especially since I couldn''t see anything, while it seemed like the clone could see everything. Its movement and uracy were too on point for it to be guessing where I am. The moment I spawn, I immediately Quickstep to the side, expecting the clone to cast Emerald Gaze, however, I couldn''t be more wrong. Instead of Emerald Gaze, I was met with a Earth Spike piercing my thigh and immobilizing me. I hit the spike with the handle of my knife, breaking it, but it was toote, a sh of emerald light engulfs me. I retaliate with my own Emerald Gaze, but I see the clone Quickstep to the side, dodging it and using Cleave on my left spider leg. With my Agility halving, I couldn''t keep up with the clone''s attack. Instead, I do my best to stall for time, learning more about my clone''s attack pattern before dying. I was able to see the clone''s expert use of my spider legs. With each stab or thrust of the knife, the legs would pierce the air to the left or right, forcing me to always decide if I want to be stabbed by the leg or by the knife. Furthermore, it weaved Cleave and Quickstep aggressively into its attack. Quickstep close to my body and stab my sides with the legs before using Cleave on my unprotected stomach. Even with a broken knife, an attack on a defenseless body will do considerable damage. With each attempt, the clone used different strategies to kill me, as if it knew what I was nning. If I thought I was going to dash to the side, it would immobilize me with either Earth Spike or its spider legs. If I cast Emerald Gaze, it would dodge to the side, casting Emerald Gaze in response. I even tried activating Charge the moment I spawn, but it met me with its own Charge. However, with each attempt I do, Ist longer and longer. I exchange blows with the clone more and more often. My knife would sh against his and my spider legs would block his. A dance in the dark,pleted by both the real and the fake. Days passed with me dying over and over again, but by the 4th day of trying to kill my clone, I was able to match the clone for hours back to back. I had died over 25 times with the bulk of the deaths in the first two days, however thetter two days I was able to keep contending with the clone, only dying 4 times. My knife drew closer and closer to victory, just missing by a bit each time. My proficiency with the spider legs had grown immensely during the time I was fighting the clone. I took in its attacks, copying and utilizing them for my own. My spider legs became more nimble and urate, narrowly missing the vital spots of the clone. I became more knowledgeable about my other skills as well. I had thought Quickstep could only be used horizontally, moving along the ground and quickly dodging. However, I saw the clone use Quickstep to step up my legs as I pierce the ground. It leaned its body to the side as it got closer to my head, slicing my throat without any hesitation and sliding off my back, finishing me with its spider legs. It also used Cleave to attack twice in quick session. The first attack was a slice at my face, which I leaned my head back to dodge, but it activated Cleave slicing diagonally across my body. I had known that weaving Cleave into attacks would maximize the damage, but to immediately cast Cleave the moment it attacked missed, forcing your hand to move in the opposite direction, was something I didn''t about. The clone also taught me about Charge. I had canceled the skill using Quickstep before, however, I didn''t know that casting Cleave would also cancel the skill. What more is that using Earth Spike or Emerald Gaze wouldn''t cancel Charge. The clone blocked my retreat with an Earth Spike and baited my Quickstep with Emerald Gaze, forcing me to take the brunt of the damage from Charge. Followed up by a Cleave to my stomach and spider legs piercing my head. It also escaped Predator Instinct''s passive by weaving into my blind spots, making me constantly need to adjust my attacks since I lost the stats gained by Predator Instinct once it left my sight. To counter this from happening, I had to try to keep my distance, while only approaching in bursts, using Charge or Quickstep to close the gap as quickly as possible. On the 30th attempt, it finally ended. I was able to kill the clone by letting myself take a hit. I let myself get stabbed by an Earth Spike, making it approach me and use Emerald Gaze. I activate Charge as I break the spike, dashing towards the clone as the emerald light engulfs me. I cast an Earth Spike behind the clone, using its own strategy against it, and as it attempts to Quickstep back it is stopped by the spike. Reaching the clone, I tackle its body, grabbing onto its arms while the spider legs wrestle together. With our bodies being so close to each other, it was unable to use its Agility against me. I cast Emerald Gaze at point-nk with my remaining MP, slowing the clone down. I push the clone to the ground, mounting it and as the debuff wears off, I let loose a flurry of attacks. Knives and spider legs sh against one another, creating sparks in the dark space, but I had the advantage for the first time in all my 27 attempts. Mounting the clone reduced the potential of the spider legs. Evan had suggested this strategy since the legse out from my back. Having it pressed on the ground makes it unable to move freely, with only the knee joint moving the legs it was unable to produce the same about of strength. Ultimately, the clone died, and I received system messages associated with it. [ You havepleted the Third and Final Challenge: Defeat 0/1] [ Congrattions ] [ Would you like to see your rewards? ] "Yes." - Ian [ Here is your reward, Araneae Ring Skill: Buffalo Horns Bonus forpleting a cursed challenge: +10 Strength, +10 Vitality, +5 Intelligence, +5 Agility ] [Araneae Ring Intelligence +5 Skill: Summon Spider A jet ck ring with a small red hourss on the outside. It stores the spirit of a spider, which manifests at the user''s call. ] p Summon Spider (Active) - Summon a small venomous spider, the size of a hand. It has no MP cost however, if the spider were to die, it would take 1 week before the skill can be used again. Duration 24 hours. Cooldown 24 hours if the spider is alive. [ You may now exit the Ikanda. ] The space around me warps. The darkness escapes as light breaks through a gap, blinding me. I shield my eyes and the moment the light fades away, I see that I am back in the Ikanda room that I had entered a week ago. I let out a sigh of relief and walked toward the exit. I ce my hand on the door and check my stats onest time before I exit. Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 4534/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 25 ( Happy ) 1000/1000 ( Reach 1000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 35 / 500 ( Reach 500 to choose the first Social Policy ) Health Points (HP): 90/90 Mana Points (MP): 22/22 Strength: 45 Vitality: 45 Intelligence: 45 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 36 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive), Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring I push open the door and see the busy citizens of HavenFall rushing around. Right next to the door, as if waiting for me toe out, was Melody. "IAN! You finally came out!" - Melody Melody jumps up from her spot, hugging me the moment I exit the Ikanda. Her scream alerted everyone and within moments the whole ce was erupting in cheers. Gently escaping Melody''s hug, I raise my arms out wide and with a booming voice, I alert everyone of my presence. "I''m back everyone!" - Ian 172 Chapter 172 [ Congrattions on reaching 1000 Happiness. Golden Age will begin the next time you log into Settlement.] I push away the notification, since the Golden Age hasn''t begun yet. Looking at the position of the sun, I would say I only have a couple of hours left before the game finishes for the night. "Wait¡­ Ian! W-W-What''s that on your back¡­?" - Melody I look over my shoulder and remember, I have 2 spider legs on my back. I had been so used to their presence after fighting inside the Ikanda for so long that I pretty much forgot about it. "It''s spider legs. I kind of became an Arachne during my time in the Ikanda¡­" - Ian "THAT''S AMAZING, IAN!" - Gobi I turn to my right to see a tall, muscr hobgoblin, with 2 small fangs popping up from its mouth, as well as short ck hair. Looking at the hobgoblin''s stats, I realize it was Gobi. Name: Gobi Race: Hobgoblin ( Chieftain ) Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 25 Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 15 Luck: 5 Skill: Charge, Aura of Battle, Leadership (Passive) Aura of Battle (Active) 10MP - Activating this skill will create a yellow ring on the ground, with a diameter of 10 meters around the user. Allies within the ring will receive +5% to all stats while enemies will receive -5% to all stats. Duration 30 minutes. Cooldown 2 hours. "Gobi! You evolved!" - Ian "Yes, I did, and it seems like you evolved too?" - Gobi "Umm¡­ Something like that¡­ Howe everyone isn''t as shocked as I thought they would be?" - Ian "Most people here ept you as you are, no matter what changes. You are still Ian." - Gobi "I got shocked because I hugged you and didn''t notice them until after you let go." - Melody "Right, thank you for being here, Melody. Gobi, what has been happening here in thest week?" - Ian "Quite a lot actually, however, I only came back yesterday, so even I am still trying to get up-to-date. Melody, why not go around and show Ian what has been happening?" - Gobi "On it! Ian,e let me show you where you be staying from now on. We made improvements to you house while you were gone." - Melody Melody links her right arm with my left arm, pulling me along. I had already noticed that the brick path had been updated, with branches going towards the training grounds, Ikanda, Barracks, and Armory. Melody points in front of me, showing me the houses that were made for residents of HavenFall. Almost all the houses were made from y bricks with nted wooden roofs and a window or 2 carved out of the front wall next to the curtain of leaves used as a door. I see that there were new people in HavenFall, and they greet me excitedly, telling me how much they appreciate me for letting them stay in HavenFall. "Where are all these people from?" - Ian "During the time you were gone, Howard led a small expedition with Ster, Kaede, Gyumi, Gopopo, and a few other humans, demi-humans, and goblins. Ster had found goblin, orc, and kobold encampments further out and after a small decision with Howard and Noah they decided to raid the encampments. During their raids, they brought back a lot of ves that were captured by those monsters. Girls, women, children, and some demi-humans were saved from the encampments. After making the necessary arrangements, Noah was able to bring them in and provide houses to them. They are still getting used to things in HavenFall but are slowly helping with construction, farming, or foraging." - Melody "I see, how many people are living here now?" - Ian "Hmm, I haven''t done any counting but over 50 people for sure, maybe 70? 80? Getting close to 100? I don''t know." - Melody "That''s alright. I have lost track of how many people are in HavenFall as well." - Ian "Oh! We are here. Wee to HavenFall''s chief residence!" - Melody Melody points at a 2-story building made of y bricks with windows on the front and second level. I had seen the building from the Ikanda and had thought it was a building that was used for storage, little did I know it was my house. "Frank, Owen, Rex, Spike and a few other people decided to make your building bigger than the rest. They also asked Lime to make some furniture, and Lucina and I helped decorate the inside." - Melody "Decorate?" - Ian "Come,e." - Melody Melody pulls me into the house, pushing the curtain door to the side for me. The interior was spotless, with a small circr table on the left side and 4 chairs apanying it. On the right were shelves made out of wood with small y pots of flowers on top of them. On the walls were unlit torches with a flint ced next to them on a small shelf. In the front were stairs to the second level. Melody nudges me forward and I slowly step into the ce. [ Construction Technology Completed ] [ You have entered an unimed house. Would you like to register this house as your home? Yes/No Note: If you were to die, you will always respawn here. Only fully constructed safe buildings are ssified as a home.] "Yes." - Ian [ This is now your home. No one else can im this house as your home. Should it be destroyed by any event, it will be unregistered as your home. Sleeping in your home will recover your HP and MP. Idling in your home will increase HP and MP regeneration by 50%.] "Small and cozy, with not too many things going on. I like it." - Ian "I knew you would! You never seemed to be the person to be particr about design, so I thought you would like a simple look more, with a few nts to brighten up the interior." - Melody "Do these flowers do anything?" - Ian "Lucina said they have a calming effect, from what I could remember." - Melody I walk over toward the flowers, holding onto the stem to see the description. Each pot had a different flower, with 5 different flowers in total, one of each color in the description. [ Forest Daisy A flower that blooms all year round. Its petals aremonly red, orange, yellow, white and pink. The aromaing from these flowers tends to calm monsters, allowing them to flourish in monster-infested territories. ] "Let''s go upstairs." - Melody "Alright, lead the way." - Ian I follow Melody up the brick stairs that were opposite the door. It had wooden handrails on the side to prevent anyone from falling, with steps two bricks high. Melody stands at the top of the stairs looking down at me with a gentle smile. She pushes her hair behind her ear as I reach her. Noticing that I was still looking at her, she blushes and turns away. I turn to look at the second floor and was immediately taken back. Leaning next to a wooden bed with a jackalope fur nket was a trident as well as a set of armor. "Old man Hus made the weapon and armor for you. Luke had a prototype version, but after Ster and Sr came back, he was able toplete the weapon and armor to the best of his abilities." - Melody I walk over towards the gift, touching both the weapon and the armor to see the description. [ Vomva Bronze Trident Requirements to wield - 40 Strength, 25 Dexterity Attack: 40 (+20 when the red orb activates ) Fire Resistance +5% A cold white stone body, with a sharp bronze trident head. The three-pronged head is made of bronze, with a red orb ced at the center of each head. With enough force, the user is able to create small explosions when the trident strikes its target, and no longer requires MP to activate. Made by Hus ] [ Sk Mail Defense: 25 A light, white, stone mail, made by crisscrossing golem stones, connecting them with a thin copper line. Made by Hus. ] [ Copper Chest te Defense: 30 A full copper chest te. It is thicker around the top and thins out as it reaches the torso. Made by Hus. ] [ Copper Arm Guard Defense: 20 A full copper arm guard, which is separated into 3 parts, forearm, elbow and upper arm. Made by Hus. ] [ Copper Leg Guard Defense: 20 A full copper leg guard, which is separated into 3 parts, shin, knee, and thigh. Made by Hus. ] [ Bronze Working Technology Completed ] "This is amazing¡­ Old man Hus was able to create copper armor." - Ian [ Technology Tree ] [ Completed ( Touch the era to expand the list ) Ancient Era ssical Era] [ Partial Completed Philosophy Drama and Poetry Horseback Riding ] [ Iplete Sailing (Ancient Era)] The Technology Tree showed that I had partiallypleted a few technologies. Just a bit more and I wouldplete them too. "Ian, there is something I want to talk to you about." - Melody "What''s wrong, Melody?" - Ian "I was able to see you the moment you came out of the Ikanda because I saw a vision of youing outst night. However, the night before, I had another vision. Pirs of light erupted out of the ground throughout the whole continent. An army will rise and fight anything and everything that stands within its path. HavenFall is near one of those pirs of light." - Melody 173 Chapter 173 "I wanted to inform you as soon as I had the opportunity." - Melody "I''m still shocked that you have such a powerful skill, Melody. However, don''t worry each passing day, HavenFall grows stronger. That pir of light you saw won''t happen any time soon. We have time to prepare for it." - Ian "How can you be so sure?" - Melody "Because Sylvia had told me that we need to prepare for arge-scale fight. Piecing together the vision you saw and the information Sylvia told me, then I''m sure the pirs of light are associated with it." - Ian I ce the equips down and start to walk closer to Melody. Once I was close enough, I ce a hand on her head, ruffling her hair a bit. "You are stressing too much. I like the Melody who is cheerful and carefree. Rx and let me protect this ce." - Ian "I-I-I¡­I know! You don''t have to treat me like a child." - Melody Melody''s face turns bright red, and she pushes my hand away, pouting out her cheek as she crosses her arms. "Right, right. Thank you, Melody, for worrying about me." - Ian "Of course. You worry about everyone, so you need someone to worry about you. Hurry up down." - Melody Turning away from me, she walks down the stairs. I follow after her and she leads me around HavenFall. She shows me the slow construction of the water wheel, with old man Hus at the forefront. Lime had taken over the role of forging bronze equipment, with Martelo and Rycka as her assistants. Martelo and Rycka also started making equipment from the monster parts, trying their best without any help to impress old man Hus and to show what they have learned. Noah and Howard informed me about the encampments, repeating most of what Melody has told me. Robin had created an archer-only corp with the girls as the leaders and the goblin, human and demi-human archers under theirmand. They were busy practicing across the river, aiming for wooden dummies. Following the formation of archers, Ster and Gewari created a small group of assassins. With the help of The Moon''s Ghost mask, they were able to scout further away from HavenFall while still remaining hidden. Their main task during the week was to find encampments as well as any resources that could be used by HavenFall and ancient ruins. At the moment, they have found encampments that Howard raided and the ancient ruins which they found were opened by Nina. I gave the ancient ruins to her in the hopes that she would increase her stats, which miraculously did. She gained a total of 15 Intelligence and 5 Agility as well as obtained a star hairpin which increases Intelligence by 2. Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 20/20 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 5 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 40 (+2) Dexterity: 5 Agility: 15 Luck: 5 Equipment: Little Star Pin Nina had been talking to Sr and Ster, doing her best to learn the elvennguage as well knowledge of magic. Lynn has be Nina''s assistant, and both of them are constantly learning more about magic with each passing day, as theypare elven magic and the magic in the book. They found out that the method of magic using the book was that it took their MP and constructed the magic using the words in the book. However, other people could not see the text in the book, only the ones bound to the book can see it. Sr had instructed them to create a copy to the best of their ability on y, and told them thenguage in the book was a forgottennguage called Lost. Elven magic uses words as a medium to cast magic, whereas their book uses the Lostnguage as a medium to cast magic, taking the MP of the user. After this discovery, Nina frantically researched the book to figure out thenguage and is still in the process. Lucina and her own group of helpers now with the increase of poption. Expanding her farm and growing more medicinal nts. The library had expanded as well, with a section primarily used for recording medicinal nts and their effects. The training grounds had also expanded. More residents were going there to train and learn aboutbat, with a sparring session every day showcasing 1v1, 2v2 as well as group battles. Gobi brought back 5 other hobgoblins with him when we returned, boosting the overall power of HavenFall. 4 of the hobgoblins were warriors much like Gibing with thest hobgoblin was another archer like Gopopo. The new hobgoblin joined Gopopo as archers directly under Robin. They learned more about the trade from her, and in turn, helped instruct the new archers. "And that''s about everything." - Melody "Thanks for showing me around, Melody." - Ian "Any time, plus I had fun. I know you had fun too, with you sneaking nces at me." - Melody "WHAT? I didn''t-" - Ian "I don''t mind, you know." - Melody With a wink, Melody runs off toward Lucina who had just exited the medicinal storage house. I was left with an open mouth as the game shuts down for the night, waking up with Rebaying next to me on the floor. She had her VR helmet off and was wearing a loose white singlet and pink shorts. I notice her eyelids slowly flutter open, and she rubs her eyes softly with her hand. With a yawn, she greets me as I turn away. "Morning Ian." - Reba "Oh, yeah. Morning. Why are youying next to me and not on the bed?" - Ian "I got attacked in the game and died. After waking up, I tried to go back to sleep but couldn''t, so Iy next to you, and before I knew it I fell asleep. Something wrong? Did you see anything you shouldn''t be seeing?" - Rebeca "WHAT? No, I just got up." - Ian "I know, I was just kidding but you know I don''t mind." - Reba "Just-Just get up. I''ll make breakfast today." - Ian I walk out of the room and into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face before heading to the kitchen. I fry some eggs and made some toast, finishing as Rebae out. "I finished the Ikanda training today." - Ian "Oh! That''s good. What''s the time on the curse?" - Reba "From what I remember, around 2700 hours left." - Ian "Wow¡­ You lost a lot of time." - Reba "Yea,pared to the first time I went into the Ikanda I think I lost like almost 2 months of time." - Ian "Are you feeling okay?" - Reba "Yea, I''m feeling better. No more trouble with the spider legs or the curse, and I''m more or less used to the spider legs being there. So, tell me what happened to you?" - Ian "I died to a monster army from an encampment. We were moving through ins and in the distance, one of my NPCs saw a cloud of dust. Not sure what it was, we turned our backs to it and kept following the direction which should lead me to you. However, as the dust cloud came closer, we realize it was an army of monsters. Goblins, orcs, kobolds, wolves, giant rats, snakes, gnolls, and lizardmen, you name it. It was arge army, easily 10 times the size of me and my NPCs. We fought as hard as we could be, ultimately we all died. I saw my NPCs die trying to save me and even with Danger Sense I wasn''t able to do anything." - Reba "An army of monsters¡­" - Ian "I read up online and after Leaders die, they have a choice to be Travelers and are respawned in the same location, provided that the location is safe. If it isn''t then I am moved a little further away." - Reba "Are you going to keep moving towards HavenFall?" - Ian "YEP! There isn''t much else to do, plus why not. It sounds like fun over there, and I know you would protect me." - Reba "Yea, of course. With youing and eventually Evan, we can n and manage the ce more effectively. Since you are deciding to be a Traveler, then I would probably let you manage an area in HavenFall. How does that sound?" - Ian "Sounds good! I just need to get there and then be acquainted with the people. I wonder how long it would take me to get there¡­" - Reba "Evan has been traveling towards me for a long time and still hasn''t reached me, but the monsters you are fighting against are simr to some that my NPCs are fighting against. Maybe we will meet soon?" - Ian "Oh really? I do notice on the forums that people are finding each other by findingmon enemies. However, isn''t those enemies you are fightingmon everywhere?" - Reba "Uhh, maybe. I haven''t seen giant rats, gnolls or lizardmen yet, but I have seen pythons near HavenFall, so I''m not 100% sure." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I''ll ask Evan since he probably has seen the most monsters out of the both of us because he has been traveling for so long." - Reba "Yep. Other than that, just rest up. I''m going to sleep after breakfast." - Ian "Need me to hug you to sleep?" - Rebeca "No! I''m fine." - Ian "I was just kidding¡­" - Reba 174 Chapter 174 During the day, I rested up, sleeping, eating, andzying about. Reba talked to Evan about the monsters that were in his area and found that themon monsters he fought were giant rats and snakes. His original area had kobolds and wolves and as he moved Eastwardly, he had to fight against giant bats, alligators, goblins, and orcs. Evan told Reba that he was also in a ins-like biome, but didn''t see an army of monsters yet. The both of them agreed to try to meet if the situation allows them. Other than that, Sabrina had been scouting further and further out, meeting new yers and sometimes getting into fights with them. However, the speed of her mounts allowed her to run away if it got too dangerous. Being situated on the East, her resources were limited and attacking other yers was just one of the ways to gain resources. Sam has been struggling in the North, with both Bones and The Horde''s army constantly harassing his scouts. Bones had greatly expanded their territory in game, using multiple Leaders to create viges that were with in half a day''s journey away. Travelers would constantly transport resources from one vige to another, with Devel''s vige being the center. Eventually, the day draws to a close and midnight approaches. I put on the VR helmet and open my eyes to a new day in Settlement. [ Congrattions on reaching 1000 Happiness. Golden Age will now begin.] [ Your vige has now been recognized. What will the name of this vige be? ] "So the game recognizes this ce as an official vige? The name of this vige will be HavenFall." - Ian [ The name of this vige is now recognized as HavenFall.] [ As the first yer to have their vige named, you will receive a Random Gift Box ] [ The Golden Age has begun in HavenFall. HavenFall''s residents will receive bonuses until the Golden Age is over. All NPC +10% to stats. All special buildings'' production +10% (Golden Wolf Core) Faith +10% per day (Ariel Statue, Fortuna Statue, Praying) Culture +10% per day (Monument) All Travelers associated with HavenFall +25% to stats ] [The Golden Age willst for 1 month. ] Once all the notifications finish, I see a ray of golden light envelop HavenFall, with a branch heading towards the far end of the forest, seemingly going towards the Krepost. The NPCs''s body sh a golden hue before the light fades away. In front of me, a puff of white smoke appears and a white box with a golden ribbon floats in the air. It was the Random Gift Box, but I wasn''t going to open it just yet. I walk towards Fortuna''s statue and bowed towards it. I thought about this since she was the goddess of luck and even with my high luck stat, it wouldn''t hurt to try something that might increase my luck, right? After bowing 3 times, I p my hands together and wish for good luck in the unboxing. I slowly untie the golden ribbon and open the box. A white light appears from the box, but sudden a system message pops up. [ The Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, blesses you. ] The white light, shines golden and a big grin appears on my face. I was right, or maybe I was just lucky. The light fades away, and I peer inside, seeing a gray piece of stone the length of my finger. I blink a couple of times, dumbfounded by what I am seeing, but I know it was a good item. I pick it up and the description of the item is disyed. [ Code of Hammurabi (Artifact) Skill: Eye for an Eye The Code of Hammurabi is an artifact dating back to the Babylonians. It is a stone b with text from an ancient civilization. ] Eye for an Eye (Active) - If the user is attacked then, redirect the attack. Cooldown 30 minutes "A counter ability? THAT''S INSANE!" - Ian Since the description is ambiguous, I can only assume that it meant any attack that is directed at me, I can counter it and redirect it back to where it came from. It was like an ultimate shield and the ultimate weapon. If I had this when Casper used his dragon breath, I could have potentially killed him. "Ian?" - Ster I was so immersed in the new artifact that I jumped when Ster patted my back. "AH! Oh, Ster. What seems to be the problem?" - Ian "I was wondering who is going into the Ikanda and if no one else is volunteering, I would like to go in." - Ster "I haven''t assigned anyone to go in, so you can go. Will Gewari be taking over your role as the leader of the Assassins group?" - Ian "Most likely. They won''t be going too far out. Mostly scouting out the surrounding area. Should I leave the mask with you or Gewari?" - Ster "Give it to Gewari. Make the mask the symbol of the Assassin Group and whoever wears it the leader." - Ian "Understood. Nina is looking for you, by the way. She told me to ask you to go to her." - Ster "Sure, where is she?" - Ian "Down the path, towards the cave. I believe she is in the front of the cave with Lynn and Sylvia." - Ster "Okay. I''ll head over there now." - Ian Ster nods to me before walking towards Gewari and the other Assassins. The whole group were training in at the training grounds, working on their movement together. I turn away and start to head towards the cave, wondering what Nina had to say to me. I greet the NPCs along the way, making small talk with them and learning about their opinions of HavenFall. Some new female NPCs were frightened at first when they saw a person with spider legs on their back, but after talking to them, they start to open up. They told me about the encampments they were stuck in and the torture they had to face, and told me how lucky they were to be rescued. Their time in HavenFall has been short, but they have been actively participating in any activities, with some taking up a weapon in the training grounds. Since, I didn''t discriminate between any race or gender or age, they thought that they too can learn a weapon. Archery and spears were currently the favorite choice with the new NPCs, since they were able to pull the bowstring. Spears were also used because it required the least amount of skill to stab and thrust and while none of them were masters of the weapon, they enjoyed the time learning. Having the goblins teach them also allowed for them to be closer to the different races, breaking the previous misconception of the goblins being rude, dirty, uncivilized monsters. As I walk further down the path, I see Nina and Lynn fighting with Sylvia. The 2 mages were casting spells at Sylvia as she dodges them in her Awaken form. Her fiery hair dances around as she dodges, fire bolt and rushes towards Nina and Lynn. Her palms be coated in a red aura, but before she could attack either of them, Lynn casts a spell creating a bubble around them. Sylvia''s fists hit the bubble, shattering it, and pushes Sylvia away. "Sparring?" - Ian I approach Nina from behind, cing a hand on her shoulder as I talk to her. Sylvia''s awakening fades and shees closer. "Just a bit. I was testing the increased in stats." - Nina "What do you mean? Are you talking about the Golden Age?" - Ian "Yep, I registered myself as a Traveler for HavenFall and gained the bonus stats. Although, Sylvia is still too strong." - Nina "I think you two are strong as well, just in a different regard. The spells you use are both offensive and defensive, making the both of you a perfect team." - Sylvia "Right, Nina has offensive spells and Lynn has defensive skills." - Ian "There is still the fact that we need to wait in between our spells. Nina, we need to practice using them more." - Lynn "Of course! My aim is to be the greatest mage. One that can use elven magic as well!" - Nina "So, why did you want to see me?" - Ian "Oh right, I want to ask what do you want to do until the event?" - Nina "The one that is happening for the 6th month anniversary?" - Ian "Yep, going off the information Sylvia has told me. Then, that door in the mine is 100% something to do with the event." - Nina "Yea, I thought that too but there isn''t much we can do right? We need to wait until a week before for any information." - Ian "That''s where you are wrong. The forums have been very active ever since they announced the event. People are finding lots of things potentially rted to it and the many doors in just an example." - Nina "What do you suggest then?" - Ian "Prepare weapons at the door. Fight whatever it is on the other side the moment the event starts, would be my n." - Nina "The cave is only so big, though. I guess we can dig around it, however we need a better light source. The torches we have isn''t enough to produce enough light in the cave, plus there is a hole in the ceiling of the cavern. I don''t want to be ambushed inside the cavern if something were to happen." - Ian "Hmm, we can figure that out during the month. I wanted to just talk to you about that briefly, and I have a favor to ask." - Nina "What is it?" - Ian "Protect Lynn. I''m going with Sylvia on a small journey. The God of War, Ares, asked for me." - Nina "What!? Sylvia, is this true?" - Ian "Yep! He wants Nina to go on a journey to be stronger. He says she is too weak at the moment to be made into an Apostle." - Sylvia "I wish I could travel with Lynn as well but Ares said she wasn''t allowed. SO! I want you to take care of her while I''m gone." - Nina "Of course, I will. Lynn will be fine, right?" - Ian "I will be fine. HavenFall is such a nice and protected ce, I don''t think I will experience any danger here." - Lynn "Okay, then I''ll be going." - Nina "Take care." - Ian "Ian, I''ll see if there is any clues on Luke as I''m away." - Sylvia "Sure, but don''t go out of your way and always be careful." - Ian "Bye, Nina! I''ll miss you~" - Lynn Lynn hugs Nina goodbye, while I wave them off. The two continue down the river while Lynn and I walk back to HavenFall. Lynn had an interest in medicine and told me she would be helping Lucina during her stay while practicing Magic with Sr whenever she can. 175 Chapter 175 Days pass and I experience the second phase of the curse, when the timer reached, 2628 hours. My scream created panic and chaos throughout the whole of HavenFall as I copse at the training grounds. My whole body shakes violently and my lower back burns, a feeling I''m all too familiar with. Once the shaking stops, I back out, only to wake up in my house with Melody and Sr looking over. "IAN! You are awake!" - Melody "Sorry¡­ To cause a panic back there¡­" - Ian "Stay still. Your body is still recovering from what just happened." - Sr "It''s fine. I experienced this before. It-it wasn''t that bad." - Ian "Don''t lie! You know it is the next day already? You were in bed throughout the afternoon and night. You were constantly sweating and shaking while you were asleep." - Melody "I was?" - Ian "She is right. I have never seen anything like this before. The curse mark on your shoulder has also escted. Thest time I saw it, it was just a small spider mark with a ring around it, but it was only after I took off your top andid you on your stomach did I see the change. It starts at the ce where you got cursed by the Queen of Spiders. There, a trail of spiders the size of fingernails, can be seen wriggling towards the center of your back where a ck tattoo of a spider resides. The front legs of the spider touches the ce where your spider legs grows out of, as if the tattoo is connected to the legs itself. Likewise, the back two legs are connected to the new spider legs on your lower back. " - Sr "So you are saying that on my back is a tattoo of a spider and where the legs are, is where the spider legs that have grown out of my body, starts?" - Ian "Yes. Not only that, the hairs on your body arm and chest move as if they are alive. They sway to the rhythm of your breathing." - Sr "What is happening to me¡­?" - Ian "Don''t worry, Ian. I''ll be here to help!" - Melody "Thanks Melody. How is the situation outside?" - Ian "Everyone is worried about you and Gewari a goblin to bring back Kingston because of the incident." - Sr "Kingston? Why?" - Ian "The person that is closest to you is Kingston. We have heard the both of you talking about topics that we have no idea about, so, we assumed the both of you are close." - Sr "I see. Is he here yet?" - Ian "He is downstairs. Let me go get him. Melody,e with me." - Sr Sr leaves with Melody down the stairs, and in a short while Kingston walks up. "Yo! How are you feeling?" - Kingston "Shitty. How do I look?" - Ian "Shitty, but the next 2 spider legs are cool though." - Kingston "Funny." - Ian "Found anything rted to the curse?" - Kingston "Nothing. I''ve been here trying to help build the water wheel and more houses, since we are rescuing more NPCs from encampments. How about you? Anything in the grasnds?" - Ian "Nothing much either. Rycka is working on a saddle and stirrups for the Zivotinja. We tried riding them, but it was too ufortable. Celine has seeding on breeding some Xabarils as well as tamed more monsters. However, most of the monsters are killed because of my group. Gibing, David and Ken have been growing a lot during the fights and I have found a few ancient ruins which gave me some stats." - Kingston "Nothing rted to the curse, huh?" - Ian "Nothing. We started to branch deeper into the grasnd towards the direction Nina came from since she was fighting against spiders, however, we haven''t found a trace of them. Once I do, I''ll tell you. Until the next event, I''ll be with them fighting. I can tell my skills have improved even if I''m not gaining stats. I''ll also be bringing Kaede along. She wants to be stronger as well, and after hunting with Gobi she has be faster than even me." - Kingston "Alright. I approve." - Ian "Now, I think youe out and greet everyone, when I got here, everyone was worried about you. There are only a couple of hours left until the game ends for today, so talk to them for a bit." - Kingston "Okay. I''ll head out with you." - Ian I step off the bed and carefully observe the new spider legs. Much like the ones that arch over my shoulder, these two arch around the side of my waist. I try to move them around bit by bit, but they too felt ufortable to work with. I decide to leave them be and learn more about them at ater date. I walk down the stairs, following Kingston. Melody and Sr were sitting at the table with a cup of water in their hands. Once I step down, Melody rushes over and hugs me with a worried expression. "Are you sure you should be up?" - Melody "I''m fine. Feeling better already, plus, I need to make sure everyone knows I''m okay." - Ian I walk outside with Melody, Sr and Kingston following behind me. I went around the whole vige making sure I show my best side to calm their nerves. Lucina gave me a whole wooden crate filled with potions, telling me I should take them to get better. While, Owen and Robin told me I should rest up and not push myself too hard, letting everyone else do their jobs. I acknowledge their help and proceed to rest for the next couple of days. Kingston went back to the Krepost and Ster finishes the Ikanda training, letting Gewari go inside. Construction continues in HavenFall for the next 2 weeks, building more houses, weaponry, armor and the water wheel had finished being constructed. However, without any wheat, the water wheel was currently not doing anything. Instead, the construction of a granary had started. Then, one week before the 6-month anniversary, details about the event had finally been released on the game''s home page. [ Settlement 3rd Event Hello everyone, are we excited about the 3rd event? We know we are. Now you must be wondering what is it going to be and why we have decided to tell you information about it before the event even starts. Well, let''s start with why we are giving you information. This event will be continent wide. Each continent will experience their own event rting to their own storyline. Each continent as different monsters and different leaders of their respective monsters, meaning each continent has their own story. The 3rd event will be part of the story of your continent and will affect other leaders as well as yers alike. Now, what is it? Well, it is going to be an event that spans for a total of 1 month or if a yer or yers figure out the secret behind the event. You are able to end the event early and the earlier it finishes, the better the rewards. Rewards will be determined by contribution. What is contribution, you might ask? Well, we aren''t going to tell you. That would give too much away. However, the top 10 of this event will gain a gift from us, so make sure you are in the top 10. Any tips and tricks for the yers? Be ready and be strong. Sometimes being alone isn''t the y and being in a group might be detrimental. Find a bnce and search for clues. Each continent as a solution to the event. You will get a notification of the event starting on the day. Be careful and as always HAVE FUN! ] I read the post with Reba and the moment I finish, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. "THERE IS BARELY ANY INFORMATION GIVEN TO US! Are THE GAME PRODUCERS JUST TEASING US????" - Evan "PEOPLE ALREADY FIGURED THIS OUT ON THE FORUMS. IT''S LIKE THEY JUST COPY AND PASTE THAT ONTO THEIR HOME PAGE!!" - Evan "Well, they can''t give too much away, right?" - Sam "More like, they aren''t giving anything away other than the fact that the top 10 get rewards , and it will be based on contribution." - Ian "Stupid Evan, why are you even upset?" - Sabrina "It is interesting though¡­ I think this is rting to the world main storyline that appeared almost after a month of ying." - Sam "Oh, yea, Ian was the one that made that happen." - Evan "WHAT?!" - Sam "It was a long time ago, no need to bring it up." - Ian "Damn, Ian is a menace. Not only did he find the prophecies first, he was also the one who unlocked the main storyline first as well. Next thing you know, he will be the first toplete this event. " - Kingston "If each continent as their own storyline, then does the world main storyline branch into different continents?" - Reba "I think we will find out once the event starts. Evan, how are you faring?" - Ian "Uhh, my whole group looks like refugees moving through the country. I picked up a lot of different NPCs by attacking encampments along the way, and now we are a big group. Food is a bit hard to find, but we are doing our best. We ain''t starving yet, and in the distance I see arge rock formation." - Evan "Oh, I see arge rock formation as well. Maybe we are close?" - Reba "OH! Maybe." - Evan "What about you, Sam? Sabrina?" - Ian "Still doing the same. Lot of fighting, mainly with Bones. Those guys are just fighting addicts, but the attacks from monsters have stopped giving me time to build my defenses." - Sam "I''m doing fine as well, haven''t had a chance to do too much." - Sabrina "I''m doing okay where I am, too. Tomorrow I chose the social policy, I got lucky and got a lot of culture from an ancient ruin, and then 1 more week of prep. Everyone, make sure you are ready." - Ian "Don''t worry about me, just walking 24/7." - Evan "I''m A-okay." - Reba "I''m good." - Sam "Will be fine, hopefully." - Sabrina "I''ll be back in HavenFall before the week ends." - Kingston 176 Chapter 176 [ Congrattions on reaching 500 Culture. You may now pick a Social Policy.] [ Adopting Tradition will give the yer the title "Lord" if they are male or "Lady" if they are female. Tradition is best suited for Civilizations that desire a small empire. Adopting Tradition will give the yer +3 Culture Permanently. Adopting Tradition will give the yer a 5% Discount when acquiring the next policy. Unlocks the ability to construct the "Hanging Gardens" Wonder. Needs Mathematics technologypleted. Must be built on a river with a hill/mountain next to it. Completing the Tradition Social Policy Tree will give the yer: 4x aqueducts from a body of water towards a specified location. (Can be all connected) All NPCs will gain stats such that all stats are minimum of 20 ( NOT including Luck ) ] [ Adopting Liberty will give the yer the title of "Consul". Liberty is best for Civilizations that desire expansion. Adopting Liberty will give the yer +1 Culture Permanently. +1 more for each Vige or City under the yer''s Rule. (Vige is only established once a Golden Age has happened in said Vige. A yer can rule another yer''s Vige if the original Leader allows it.) Unlocks the ability to construct the "Pyramid" Wonder. Needs Masonry technologypleted. Must be built on desert or desert floodins. Completing the Liberty Social Policy Tree will give the yer: 1x choice of a Great Person All Travelers associated with the yer''s Vige or City will gain 20 free stats. Can be ced anywhere, including Luck. ] [ Adopting Honor will give the yer the title "The Great". Honor is best suited for Civilizations that are more offensive-focused, improving one''s army in a variety of ways. Adopting Honor will give +10% stat bonus when attacking an encampment. Adopting Honor will allow the yer to be notified as encampments are created near Viges or Cities that the yer controls. Adopting Honor will allow the yer to gain +10 culture every time an encampment is destroyed. Unlocks the ability to construct the "Statue of Zeus" Wonder. Needs Bronze Working technologypleted. Must be built on tnd adjacent to military-rted buildings. Completing the Honor Social Policy Tree will give the yer: +1 Culture for every ENEMY killed by the yer. (Note, does not count if an NPC or another yer kills the monster. Enemy is ssified as both monster and other yers.) The yer will gain 20 free stats. Can be yed anywhere. ] [ Adopting Piety will give the yer the title "The Pious" Piety is best for Civilizations that want to acquire Culture and Faith. Adopting Piety will give buildings that acquire Culture and Faith an additional 10% Unlocks the ability to construct the "Great Mosque of Djenne". Needs Theology technologypleted. Must be built on floodins Completing the Piety Social Policy Tree will give the yer: 10% reduction on all future Social Policies 10% increase for all buildings that acquire Culture and Faith 1x Great Prophet ] [Adopting Patronage will give the yer the title "The Enlightened" Patronage is best for Civilizations that want to enhance their friendship with other races. Adopting Patronage allows the yer to speak with a member of another race on an equal level. Adopting Patronage allows the yer to influence other races better. ( Skewing rtionships towards the yer easier ) Unlocks the ability to construct the "Forbidden Pce" Wonder. Needs Banking technology to bepleted. Needs to be constructed on tnd and within the ''Capital'' City. (Cannot be in a vige). Completing the Patronage Social Policy Tree will give the yer: A higher chance other races will be friendly towards the yer. A higher chance other races will be influenced by the yer. Other races will view the yer as higher status. yer has a chance of acquiring Great People from other races. ] [Adopting Commerce will give the yer the title of "Doge". Commerce is best for Civilizations that are naval-focused, as well as rich resources. Adopting Commerce will give the yer advantages when trading and negotiating with NPCs and other races. Adopting Commerce will allow the yer to always gain +10% in trades with NPCs and other races. Unlocks the ability to construct the "Big Ben" Wonder. Needs Industrialization technologypleted. Must be built next to a river and adjacent to a bank. Completing the Commerce Social Policy Tree will give the yer: Additional +10% in trades with NPCs and other races. Doubles trade when Great Merchants are trading. ] [Adopting Aesthetics will give the yer the title "Master" if they are male and "Mistress" if they are female. Aesthetics is best for Civilizations that want to generate Culture and Great Works of Art, Music, Literature. Adopting Aesthetics will give the yer +10 Culture. Adopting Aesthetics will allow NPCs to understand art, music, and writing to a higher degree. Adopting Aesthetics will allow NPCs to learn any new knowledge faster. ( Scientific, musical, Combat etc) Unlocks the ability to construct the "Uffizi" Wonder. Needs Architecture technologypleted. Must be built on tnd and within a City. Completing the Aesthetic Social Policy Tree will give the yer: Doubles gains from Great Works. 1x Great Writer or Artist or Musician Chance of Great Writer or Artist or Musician appearing from another race increased. ] [Adopting Rationalism will give the yer the title "The Wise" Rationalism is best for Civilizations that want to improve scientifically,pleting the Technology Tree faster. Adopting Rationalism allows NPCs to understand new technology faster. Adopting Rationalism allows NPCs to innovate more frequently. Adopting Rationalism allows the yer to see 1 Technology in a future Era''s each time the yer enters a new Era. Unlocks the ability to construct the "Porcin Tower" Wonder. Needs the Architecture technologypleted. Must be built next to a river and in a City. Completing the Rationalism Social Policy Tree will give the yer: 2 free technology unlocks on the Technology Tree 1x Great Scientist ] [Adopting Exploration will give the yer the title "Captain" Exploration is for Civilizations specializing in Naval warfare and travel. Adopting Exploration allows the yer greater control of their ships in the ocean Adopting Exploration allows the yer increased chances of finding Treasure whilst traveling in the ocean. Adopting Exploration allows the yer and NPCs associated with the yer 10% stats when fighting over the ocean Unlocks the ability to construct the "Louvre" Wonder. Needs Archeology technologypleted. Must be built in the ''Capital'' City and on tnd. Completing the Exploration Social Policy Tree will give the yer: Ability to see Hidden Antiquity Sites 1x Great Admiral 10% increase to stats to the yer and NPCs associated with the yer ] I sit down on a chair, reading through all the information on each social policy. The forum didn''t go into this much detail, so I had to digest the information first. While I did have a general thought of which social policy I wanted to pick, the new information made me think longer and harder, since I didn''t want to regret my decision. I had already ruled out Exploration, Rationalism, Aesthetics, Commerce, Patronage and Piety since these social policies didn''t match my current situation. However, the three left remaining made it hard to choose, especially after seeing the full details of Tradition, Liberty, and Honor. Honor enhances my personal stats greatly, increasing mybat abilities as well as giving a bonus for each time an encampment is defeated. Thepletion bonus also looked very interesting, since killing yers and monsters alike will give me culture, andpleting the social policy tree will take a long time. The longer the time, the more yers that might end up an enemy and therger the monster armies will be. However, the big downside is that I need to be the one killing them. My NPCs won''t contribute to the additional culture points and I need to constantly be on the front lines, making my position more precarious. I wouldn''t be able to bemanding my troops if they were in a different ce, fighting a different battle, and if I die on the front lines then the morale of my troops will drop. Is it worth fighting on the front lines for this social policy? Then there is Liberty. While adopting liberty doesn''t give a lot straight away, it scales higher and higher the more cities and viges I have under my rule. I assume cities are on a bigger scale than a vige, which HavenFall just officially became. It also increases Travelers'' stats greatly which would help outter when more yers join me, however, at the moment it would only help Kingston and Nina which doesn''t seem as valuable right now. Finally, the social policy which I thought about acquiring, Tradition. Since HavenFall doesn''t look like it will be expanding anytime soon, I had already thought about Tradition. It doesn''t give a lot immediately, but over time the 5% discount will make acquiring more Social Policies easier. Also, having free aqueducts allows the Krepost and other future viges to have a source of water. Water can be used for irrigation for farms, as well as, provide resources for troops if battles are happening in that area. Increasing the stats of all NPCs is also very valuable and while it isn''t a big increase, it allows all NPCs to work harder, faster, and potentially allow them to grow stronger faster since their starting point is higher. I think about it for a while longer before deciding on my first option, Tradition. [ You have selected the Tradition Social Policy Tree. Do you want to confirm? Yes/No ] "Yes." - Ian [Congrattions on adopting Tradition. You will now be known as Lord Ian to your NPCs. You will gain +3 Culture permanently You will have a 5% discount on the next Social Policy] Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 6123/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 30 ( Happy ) GOLDEN AGE ( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 0 / 950 ( Reach 950 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 90/90 Mana Points (MP): 22/22 Strength: 45 Vitality: 45 Intelligence: 45 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 36 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive), Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring 177 Chapter 177 There were quite a lot of things that needed to be prepped for the event, mainly weaponry, armor, and potions. With the Golden Age finishing soon, I asked a goblin scout to gather people at HavenFall to formally discuss the event and our solution to it. Howard, Noah, Kingston, Robin, Ster, Gibing, Gobi, and David were gathered and discussed in a house that was constructed for the purpose of meetings. Howard and Noah made this house during the time I was away, to meet up with each other with Gobi and old man Hus to discuss recent events. Originally, I would have liked to have Nina or Sylvia here as well, but the two of them haven''te back yet. I had started messaging Nina in real life, but even she doesn''t know how long it will be until she makes it back to HavenFall. The trials set up by Ares are long and arduous, but both of them are gaining strength the longer they participate in them. "Alright now that everyone is here, I need to tell you that something major will happen in a week. " - Ian "The event right?" - Kingston "Yes, the event. Something that Sylvia had informed me was going to happen soon." - Ian "I heard about this from Melody. Are you sure it is going to happen in a week?" - Noah "Positive. This is why I have gathered everyone here today specifically to discuss this. " - Ian "Alright, hit us up. What''s the n?" - Howard "We have three ces where we need to more or less defend. The main base, HavenFall, the Krepost and the connecting road between the two. Owen, Rex and Spike as well as some other people have done a good job in clearing the route between the two ces and have already started to construct a brick road. However, that doesn''t mean the area is safe. There are still monsters in the forest and with the eventing this area might be in danger. If this area is taken away from us, support from both sides will note. We wouldn''t be able to contact and get reinforcements from either HavenFall or the Krepost. So, we are dividing the army into 3 sections. HavenFall defense team, Road defense team and Krepost defense team. The Road defense team will consist of our highest agility troops, namely the demi-humans who specialize in speed, the goblins as well as the wolves. I have already talked to Noah and Gobi and found an approximate number for this team. 10 demi-humans half cat and half dog, 10 goblins, and 6 wolves. Ster and Gewari will lead this team alongside Luna, who will lead the wolves." - Ian "But Gewari isn''t out of the Ikanda yet." - Ster "Right, but if she does finish before the event happens, then she is moved to your team. The objective of your team is to spread out, covering the whole of the forest. Everyone in the team is fast and strong in a 1 v 1 situation, making it easy for others toe in and help if needed. You are to constantly move up and down, looking out for any enemies that might appear in between HavenFall and Krepost. Furthermore, you are the first to reinforce one side if anything goes wrong. Send 5 troops to the side that isn''t being attacked, and the rest wille to the side that is being attacked. Once the defense ispleted, then you go back to the forest and repeat. How does that sound?" - Ian "It will be tough, and we will be constantly moving everyone, making it very physically taxing." - Ster "What about getting the Zivotinja?" - Kingston "The saddles are still in a prototyping stage and the stirrups don''t exist yet. What''s more, is that the road isn''t finished, so moving around in the forest might be more detrimental than helpful." - Ian "However, they can help in the forest near the Krepost. Celine has allowed them to wander into the forest to see how they would react to the new environment, and they were about to gallop along the tter areas." - Gobi "Alright, Kingston, notify Celine about allowing them to defend the forest behind the Krepost while the rest of Ster''s group can defend the other areas." - Ian "Got it." - Kingston "Moving on to the Krepost, I will be stationing Kingston, Gibing, and David at that location. Frank, Gopopo, Yor, Celine, Ken, and Kaede will also be there. You will be taking along with you 20 demi-human shield bearers, some of which are wolves, bison and dogs, 10 human shield bearers, 5 demi-human archers which are cats, and 5 human archers. Kingston will be appointed the main leader of the Krepost with Gibing and David supporting him and Gopopo leading the archers. Any questions so far?" - Ian "Aren''t I taking a lot of melee troops? What about here?'' - Kingston "Don''t worry, it should be fine here. You also have Celine''s tamed monsters to help out in the fight. She will be managing that." - Ian "Alright. If you need more people, tell me." - Kingston "Don''t worry, I will. Now for the people in HavenFall. Howard, Noah and Gobi will bemanding the front line consisting of 10 demi-human shield bearers, 6 human shield-bearers, and the 4 hobgoblins. Robin willmand the archers, consisting of the 15 female corps, 10 goblin archers, and the hobgoblin archer. Belle will be busymanding the 7 wolves that are left, while the wolf cubs will be inside. Owen, Spike, Meg and Val, and 3 more people will help transport arrows, while Lucina and her group of 4 will help take care of any wounded. Questions?" - Ian "Are you sure about this setup? There doesn''t seem to be a lot of people in the front line." - Noah "Right. While we can hold out, we don''t have the manpower tounch an offensive strategy against an enemy army." - Howard "That''s because I want HavenFall to focus on defense. The amount of archers is just one part of the strategy. We have 4 archer towers at the front of HavenFall, 2 at the back, and 1 more down at the bottom of the canyon right next to the gap next to the waterfall where I originally came from to make HavenFall. Howard has already blocked off that route, making the only path out being via the archer tower itself. Our wall at the front is also high with spikes in front of it and a moat behind it. Having only one entry point makes it hard for any enemy toe into HavenFall and by that time, they would be attacked by our archers. Down in the canyon, there are only two ces where they cane from, the wall next to the archer tower and from the direction of the wave. The cave is where we believe the event will happen. I''m sure everyone here already knows, but Owen discovered a locked door as he was mining for copper. While there is still a copper vein in the cave, he and his team of miners have dug around the door, making it a rtively open space, that connects to the cavern above it. The HavenFall team will be positioned in HavenFall and then set out to the cave once we confirm that something is happening there. I had the option of preparing right next to the door, but I am afraid of what mighte out. I don''t want to put anyone in needless danger, so we will depart once we are certain nothing will happen to HavenFall while we are gone. Any questions?" - Ian "What about equipment for everyone?" - Howard "I was about to get to that." - Ian "Old man Hus, Lime, Martelo, Rycka and a few others have been busy working as hard as they can forging armor and stocking up to make sure we are all equipped. Once we are done here, Kingston, Gobi and Ster follow me to the Barracks and Armory where I will show you the equipment for your group." - Ian "Got it." - Kingston "Yes my Lord." - Gobi "On it." - Ster "Good. Everyone else, I want you to gather your group and make sure they are prepared. The Krepost defense group will depart tomorrow morning with any supplies they need, while the Roads defense group will prepare in the training grounds. HavenFall defense group will prepare in the main za. Alright, everyone, let''s move." - Ian I walk out of the meeting house, followed by Kingston, Gobi and Ster. I walk with the three toward the Barracks first to show them the weapons which old man Hus had made, before taking them to the Armory next door. "Old man Hus has made bronze spears, knives, and shields in the time he had working. Kingston and Gobi you will be taking the spears and shields as primary weapons for the shield bearers and a stone goblin knife as a secondary weapon. Martelo and Rycka have made Crizanna Knives from the fangs and ws, as well as Ijagu and Zivotinja knives. These knives do less damage, but take them in case your main weapon breaks. Ster, your group will be using the bronze knives as well as the light wooden shields. The wooden shields won''t provide a lot of defense, but it is light and can help defend against arrows and other projectiles and since it is small, they can be fitted onto your forearm. As for armor, the stone armor will be used for all melee troops, while wooden armor and Ombidia Leather armor are used for archers and scouts. Ster take the Jackalope clothing as well since the forest will get cold in the night." - Ian "Alright." - Ster "I''ll prepare arge trolley to bring this back to the Krepost." - Kingston "There is one near old man Hus''s workshop. I''ll show you." - Gobi "Thank you, Gobi." - Kingston "The three of you will be vital in the uing event. Be careful and stay strong." - Ian After assigning everyone with armor and weapons, I went to acquire Lucina''s potions, handing them out in baskets for the groups. These potions are going to be a lifeline for us and since Lucina has been working non-stop in producing the nts, the potions have started to collect dust with how many of them there were. However, with this event, there was no need to be stingy. I empty her whole storage into baskets and crates to give out to everyone, making sure they were prepped. A week passes quickly and on the day of the event, at night as I was calming my nerves for the event, a bright white pir of light erupts in the direction of the cave. It zooms upward into the sky and one by one, I start to see more of them erupting out of the ground far and wide. [ Hello everyone! Are you ready? Well, regardless of whether you are, it is time to begin the third event! ] 178 Chapter 178 [ Third Event - Attack of the Reaper''s Army Objective - Survive the attacks or Find a way to stop the attacks Reward - Unknown, Top 10 per Continent receives a bonus ] "Reaper''s army? The undead? Gobi! Send 3 scouts towards the cave." - Ian "Yes my Lord! Giniti, Guboti and Gemama go!" - Gobi "Okay, Boss Gobi!" - Giniti, Guboti, Gemama The pirs of light still shine brightly in the sky, and I could see a few in the direction of the Krepost as well as around the mountain and toward the area where I first spawned into the game. There was a lot that I had anticipated, but the cave was still the closest pir of light. "Boss Gobi! Lord Ian, there are skeletonsing out of the cave and already approaching us!" - Giniti "Already!?" - Ian "Yes, my lord! I estimate they will reach here in 10 minutes." - Giniti "Alright, archers use the heavy arrows, shield bearers at the front. Move up to the bend and defend both the left and right banks. Use the bridge as a foothold. Goblins in the sniper nests fire the me arrows at the torches, we are going to need some light." - Ian "Yes, my Lord." - Everyone. [Heavy Arrow Attack: 10 The arrow is created by attaching a golem stone at the top. Instead of a sharp point for the arrowhead, it is more blunt and heavy, perfect for smashing through something. Made by Lime ] Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 7256/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 30 ( Happy ) 240/5000( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 56 / 950 ( Reach 900 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 90/90 Mana Points (MP): 22/22 Strength: 45 Vitality: 45 Intelligence: 45 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 36 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive), Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring, Vomva Bronze Trident, Sk Mail, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Code of Hammurabi I push forward along with the shield bearers, checking my stats as I move. Gobi and Howard are right next to me, with Gobi using the Hobgoblin''s Club and Howard using a Stone Mace. The two of them position themselves on each side of the riverbank, while I stood in the middle of the bridge. The shield bearers position their shield close to one another, allowing only 3 on each river bank and 2 on the bridge. I had anotheryer of shield-bearers holding the shield above everyone''s head, protecting them from any projectiles. Then, the rest were behind, readying their spears. The archers were positioned above in the sniper nests as well as further behind. We made simple elevated floors out of mud prior to the event to allow archers an easier time attacking over our shields. Archers were also in the towers, looking over the situation, with Robin being in the tower that overlooks the canyon. The gate at the front of HavenFall is closed, with a small group of goblins and shield-bearers keeping watch. Old man Hus and the rest of his cksmiths were still making weapons. Frantically making more arrows and stone clubs, anything that was quick to make. While we still had a lot of arrows and weapons in the Barracks, there can never be too many weapons. With everyone ready in seconds, we patiently wait for the army of bones to arrive at our doorstep. The canyon was lit up as it bends around the corner, torches ze along the canyon walls as if it was a ming caterpir scurrying away from our domineering appearance. Setting off one torch lights the one after it all the way to the cave and as the skeletonse closer, their shadows loom along the canyon wall. A dancing shadow, bobbing up and down in a chaotic rhythm, but then they show themselves. A tsunami of yellowish-white bones, some in the shape of humans, others simr to goblins, kobolds, orcs, and even beast-like monsters like giant rats and snakes. Each and every one of them with a small blue me lit in their eye sockets. They move as if they are one, taking a step forward one at a time, matching each other''s stride. Closer and closer theye. I had heard of undead on the forums and skeletons were amon urrence but the description of skeletons had always been on the more meek side. Brittle bones that break with one swing of a club. Nothing fascinating and nothing special about them. Yet these skeletons seem to have a life of their own. Less of a bag of bones and more like a squadron listening to theirmander. "Archers at the sniper''s nest, hold off attacking until they are closer to you! Aim for anything that might seem to be a leader ormander of the skeletons and aim for the head. Archers behind, wait for mymand to fire the heavy arrow! Everyone else be ready! The skeletons don''t have weapons other than their arms, legs, and teeth. There are human skeletons and monster skeletons mixed in the army so each attack will be different be prepared and be ready to defeat against all kinds of attacks!" - Ian A quickmand gets sent to everyone as I look at the approaching army of bones. I feel strangely calm while I look at the skeletons. My heart is still racing faster than ever yet my mind is as tranquil as a pond. I can feel the vibrations in the earth as the skeletons walk closer and with each step that vibration bes stronger. My hands grip the trident tighter and I flex the spider legs up and down. My mind sharpens with the approaching monsters as Predator Instincts activate. "SNIPER NESTS FIRE! BACKLINE FIRE!" - Ian With a booming voice echoing in the night I let loose the onemand everyone was waiting for. The start of the battle. The goblins in the top send loose arrows into the middle of the crowd, picking off skeletons one by one while a rain of arrows flies over our headsnding on the enemy front lines. Each arrow smashes into the heads or bodies of the skeletons, cracking and smashing through. Bone fragments splinter away like a mini-explosion and the blue mes in the skeleton''s eye sockets extinguish. "SHIELDS READY! SPEARS READY! BACKLINE FIRE!" - Ian Imand the second wave of arrows as the monsters draw closer, eliminating yet another group of monsters but the endless wave persists. Like an ocean of bones, it swarms towards us. "SHIELDS¡­. SPEARS¡­ ATTACK!!!!!!!!" - Ian "HHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" - Everyone I thrust my trident forward, attacking the nearest skeleton, an orc skeleton. The moment the trident touches the monster a small explosion appears damaging the skeletons right next to the strike zone. I eliminate the first skeleton and immediately swing up whilemanding my front two spider legs to attack the ones next to my target. Each attack eliminates a skeleton immediately, extinguishing the me in its eyes. I attack with my spider legs as I look to the right and leg observing the first sh of the army of undead and HavenFall''s troops. The skeletons could only bash on the shields not even able to create a dent in them while spears shot out of the gaps between the shields breaking limbs and skulls alike. "ROBIN! ATTACK AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!" - Ian "YOU HEARD HIM! FIRE!" - Robin "GOBI! HOWARD! ATTACK HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT!" - Ian "YES MY LORD!" - Howard, Gobi "AURA OF BATTLE!" - Gobi With Gobi using his skill, a yellow ring appears around his feet, shooting outward and covering 65% of the frontline, including myself. I keep attacking whatever moves in front of me and after confirming that the skeletons prove almost no threat, it was time to make my move. "Enhanced Agility." - Ian The lower two spider legs, push down on the bridge while I lift my legs up, jumping over the handrails andnding in the river using the lower spider legs as support to keep me above the water. Most of the skeletons that approach the bridge were tall enough that at most only their lower bodies were in the water while their upper body was above the water. I stabilize myself using my lower spider legs to move forward, swinging my trident in front of me. Explosions litter my surroundings each blowing up a skeleton and heavily injuring the next. My front two spider legs attacked in angles that I couldn''t reach as well as defending myself from the sides. It was only the start of the event and only the start of the endless wave of monsters. The night will be long but regardless we will prevail. I can only hope that everyone else is doing fine. The scale of this attack is significantly higher than what was predicted in both our group as well as the forum. Evan who is currently without a solid base would have the most trouble during this event and even Ster''s group who is scattered in the forest will have to reach either HavenFall or the Krepost if they encounter an army this big. 179 Chapter 179 "Kingston." - David I look up from the ground to see David, already equipped in his copper armor and holding onto his new copper shield. I was sitting on a chair, resting my elbows on my knees as I feel the sunlight slowly drift away. I had The Spear of Light leaning against the Krepost wall behind me and was twirling a goblin knife in my hands. "What''s wrong, David?" - Kingston "I think we should get ready. The sun is setting and everyone has already put on their armor. We are waiting on you now." - David "Right. Right." - Kingston I tap my knees with my hands, standing up. The copper armor rattles against each other as I grab my spear and my helmet. I ce the helmet on and walk around to the front of the Krepost. A lot had happened here since we created the Krepost with the most notable, the wall. Cutting down trees in the nearby forest and using the transported bricks, we made a wall that covers a significant rectangr area, cutting it just as the hill slopes down into the grasnd. Inside the wall, at the center is the Krepost, and next to it were simple wooden houses made out of long sticks, vines, and dead leaves. Instead of focusing on amodation, we focused on the defenses first, using the Krepost as a temporary hospital. On the far left side of the Krepost is the open space where Celine has been taming the monsters, with a line of open sheds where they sleep. The monster piglets and foals are kept in a small shed where they sleep at night, other times of the day they are wandering around with their parents. With the event happening soon, Celine ordered the 10 Zivotinjas to roam the forest,ing back only if it gets dangerous, while the 15 Xabarils stay near the gate with 5 Crizanna that Celine recently tamed. We had simple mud stairs next to the gate as well as at the corners of the base where our archers are located as well as simple elevated mud stands, keeping watch over the surroundings. All our equipment had been provided by Ian, made by old man Hus, and I look at everyone here. Most of us were in stone golem armor, with some in wooden and leather armor and a few in copper armor. Our shields were held close to our chests and our weapons to the side. Breathing in slowly, I look towards everyone stationed at the Krepost with me. ? "Alright, it''s almost time for the event. We have no idea what will happen, other than a lot of lights will appear and monsters will roam the ground. The walls arepleted, and we have steps behind them, so we can look over them. I want everyone on watch, with David and Gibing at the gate. The Xabarils and Crizanna outside will be first contact against any monsters that approach the gate however, the moment it looks dangerous for them, we bring them inside. The Zivotinjas are in the forest and will retreat towards us the moment they get into any trouble. I want everyone''s eyes peeled to see any movement and to report it the moment you see it. Frank will take the South, with Gopopo handling the archers there. Ken will handle the East and Kaede will handle the West. Yor, anything you want to add?" - Kingston Moving to the side, I let Yor take the lead. Since he has been with the troops preparing for battle. I had instead been outside, fighting monsters and gathering resources. "Everyone needs to stay within the walls. Never go outside unless we absolutely require it. Anyone injured, retreat to the Krepost. We have enough people here to have 2 lines of defense, so the first line will stay on the wall while the second will be on the ground waiting. If the first line of defense needs to retreat, the second must go up as soon as possible to fill the gap. There is not much left to say other than, do not be afraid. Everyone here has your back." - Yor Turning away from Yor and walking forward, I bang the butt of my spear on the ground and shout. "GET IN POSITIONS!" - Kingston "YES, SIR!" - Everyone As quick as lightning, everyone bolts away to their positions. Celine approaches me from behind right as I was about to leave as well. "Kingston." - Celine "Yes? What''s wrong Celine." - Kingston "Umm, nothing. Just be careful." - Celine "Of course. Don''t worry, it will be fine." - Kingston "I hope so." - Celine Looking away from me, Celine walks towards the shed housing the baby monsters. Walking towards the gate, I look around and see everyone ready and in position, waiting for something, anything to happen, and as if on cue the event starts. A pir of light erupts from behind me, illuminating the forest in front. I turn away to see not one, not two but 3 pirs of light erupting in the grasnd and even more on the horizon. [ Hello everyone! Are you ready? Well, regardless of whether you are, it is time to begin the third event! ] [ Third Event - Attack of the Reaper''s Army Objective - Survive the attacks or Find a way to stop the attacks Reward - Unknown, Top 10 per Continent receives a bonus ] "EVERYONE! GET READY AND BE ON THE LOOKOUT!" - Kingston Instead of going towards the gate, I went towards the slope where Frank and Gopopo were positioned. I see their bewildered faces as they watch the pir of light appear all around. "Kingston¡­ What am I seeing?" - Frank "That''s what was predicted by Sylvia, but I didn''t expect it to be so huge." - Kingston "There are pirs of light everywhere in front of us. Look to the left there are a few in the distance and look to the right another couple of pirs. Behind us in the forest, there isn''t any but looking in the direction, there is a pir of light on the mountain next to the forest." - Gopopo "Let''s worry about what is in front of us for now. Gopopo do you see anything?" - Kingston "At the moment nothing. Even if I can see in the dark and I can see further, it doesn''t mean I can see everyth- Oh wait, I see something in the distance." - Gopopo "You do?! What is it?" - Kingston "Kingston¡­ I don''t know if we will survive." - Gopopo "Why? What do you see? " - Kingston "It''s more of what I don''t see¡­ The once green grass is being overrun by skeletons. They are so close to each other that they are the only things I see." - Gopopo "How far away are they? Are they onlying from the grasnds?" - Kingston "So far, I can only see theming from the grasnds. As for how far¡­ Maybe 10 minutes? Although I do see some Zivotinja skeleton-like monsters in the midst, so it might be quicker." - Gopopo "Alright. Once they are in range, the Krepost will attack first." - Kingston "EVERYONE! THE MONSTERS ARE TOWARDS THE GRASSLAND! BUT THAT DOESN''T MEAN THEY CAN''T COME FROM OTHER SIDES. I WANT 2 PEOPLE FROM THE FRONT TO COME HERE AND 1 FROM THE SIDES!" - Kingston Bringing in more people will reduce the power from those sides, however, with howrge the army of monsters seems to be ording to Gopopo I felt like I needed to reinforce this side more. Seconds passed and then minutes until, finally, the ridge of the roof disconnects, projecting upwards. I have seen this multiple times, but I still get fascinated seeing it. It moves upwards for a bit before stopping, bing a spear that is attached to the Krepost. The spearhead turns and points towards the grasnd before ejecting itself into the darkness, making a whistling sound as it flies. Usually, I would go towards the direction of the attack and find loot dropped on the ground, but not this time. Going out there would be suicide. "The Krepost has begun its attack¡­ They are close. " - Kingston The Krepost attacks every 10 seconds, but the army of skeletons has arrived. Their chattering teeth block out any sound, and the eerie blue me that bobs up and down in their eye sockets sends chills down my spine. Luckily for us, it was an uphill battle for the skeletons, and the moment they go in range¡­ "ARCHERS! FIRE!" - Gopopo A volley of arrows rains down on the skeletons at the bottom of the hill. With the torches ced on the outskirts of the Krepost wall, I was able to see the sess of the archers, but the endless sea of bones tell me otherwise. "Aim for the head, the moment theye close, attack them. Don''t let them climb up the wall." - Kingston The Krepost''s attacks pierce through tens of skeletons in the distance because the wall is in the way, it isn''t able to attack the front line, leaving it to us. Gripping my spear, I bring it up above my head, thrusting it downward on the first skeleton that enters my range, shattering its skull and leaving a small pile of bones. With that, it begins. 180 Chapter 180 "THERE ARE TOO MANY ON THE LEFT SIDE!" - Frank "LOTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE AS WELL! HEY, YOU! SWITCH WITH THE SECOND LINE, GET TO THE KREPOST TO HEAL" - Gopopo "USE YOUR SHIELD!" - Frank "DON''T LET UP! KEEP ATTACKING!" - Gopopo "THRUST, STAB, SWING, ANYTHING, JUST KEEP ATTACKING!" - Frank "ARCHERS, KEEP FIRING! DON''T STOP! IF THEY COME CLOSE USE YOUR KNIFE!" - Gopopo I hear Frank and Gopopo constantly giving feedback andmanding the surrounding troops, while I take care of the center. Each attack I do, each skeleton I y, another appears in seconds and slowly. Ever so slowly, they creep closer. ncing to the left and right, I see that the skeletons were already pilling onto each other, closer to Frank''s and Gopopo''s area, whereas the skeletons near me still had a small gap before they reach the wall. "KINGSTON! THEY ARE ATTACKING THE LEFT SIDE NOW!" - Kaede "THEY HAVE STARTED TO COME AROUND TO THE RIGHT SIDE AS WELL" - Ken While I couldn''t see the whole situation, with everyone shouting out the information I was able to get a clear image of the situation. However, the brunt of the attack is still on this side of the wall, and I wasn''t sure how much longer Frank and Gopopo will be able to handle this. I have to make a decision and fast. "GIBING, DAVID, I NEED THE BOTH OF YOU ON THIS SIDE! KEN, KAEDE, HOLD OUT! ONLY SOME SKELETONS ARE COMING YOUR WAY!" - Kingston My booming voice reaches both Gibing and David and in response, they charge over. "I''ll help Frank. Gibing, go to Gopopo." - David "On it." - Gibing With the two of them joining in the fight, I was able to see how breathless everyone else was on the wall. The fighting didn''t evenst for that long, but it was intense and without any breaks. Daviding to help Frank, allowed the rest of the troops to calm down and their attacks became more precise. Their attacks hit the skulls more often, killing the skeletons in one blow rather than missing and attacking the body a few times. David, with his copper ax, shes a couple of skeletons at once, destroying more than anyone with a single swing. Turning away from David''s side, I observe Gibing as he helps out Gopopo''s side. Gibing had be an aggressive individual in fights, attacking and rushing into battle but, it doesn''t mean he was doing it recklessly. He attacks aggressively the moment he finds a weakness and does his best to exploit the weakness to defeat his foes. Right now, he was unable to exploit anything. A small crease is formed between his eyebrows, as he uses his copper ax to kill the skeletons. "Gibing! Are you okay?" - Kingston As I stab a skeleton, I shoot him a question. "Not sure if okay is the correct word. These things break so easily, but there are too many of them." - Gibing "I''m having the same feeling as well. My ax cuts through 3 or 4 of them, yet it feels like there is no resistance. They are just moving towards us like water flowing down a river. Like they have no purpose other than to die." - David "Regardless there are a lot of them, and they have started to pool around the sides as they climb up the slope." - Kingston "There is no end to them. We can''t just keep doing this, our stamina will deplete before we kill them all." - Gibing "I agree, either we do something drastic now or slowly wear them away." - David "It has only just begun, stopining. I know there are a lot but it is not like everyone here is weak. Take turns, rotate, we just need tost longer than them. Maybe the situation changes as time goes on." - Kingston "KINGSTON!" - Yor In the middle of my train of thought, Yor''s voice pierces through. I snap my head back to see him rushing towards me. "What''s wrong?" - Kingston "Ster''s group has arrived along with the Zivotinjas, which means the forest is lost. Right now, she is defending inside the forest helping others escape towards us. I have opened the gates, letting in the Xabarils as well as the Zivotinjas that have arrived and Ster''s team." - Yor "WHAT! The event just started what made her retreat?" - Kingston "ording to the goblin assassin that has made it back, it was the pir of light that erupted out of the ground near the mountain on the other side of the forest. Ster had been stationed in that area, and once the pir of light appeared, the ground burst open and a skeleton dragon appeared. However, I believe it is a wyvern since the wings are attached to the arms, but nheless. She called for Gewari to go to HavenFall with 5 other assassins while the rest is retreating here since the pir of light is closer to the Krepost. She is currently engaged in battle with the skeleton wyvern with Luna and the other wolves, however, doesn''t know what the oue of the battle will be. Smaller lizardmen skeletons were also sighted however, they ignored Ster and the wolves, and are currently approaching us from the forest. The Zivotinjas are holding them off while retreating, but they will approach us very soon." - Yor "God damn are you SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!? Alright, I''ll go to the gate and defend it myself, I want the Xabarils and the Zivotinjas to support me. Yor, tell everyone that''s on that side of the wall toe to this side with 2 people going to help Ken and Kaede." - Kingston "Wait. Are you sure?" - Yor "What other choice do I have?" - Kingston "Leave this side to us." - Frank "I know we might struggle, but don''t worry too much." - Gopopo "Yea, with us 4 here it will be easy." - Gibing "If anything happens, we can always retreat, and use the buildings as a secondyer of defense." - David "Kingston, I''ll be fine on this side. I learned a lot from you!" - Ken "Same here. Don''t worry we can take care of ourselves" - Kaede "You heard them, Yor. Get everything moving." - Kingston Stabbing thest skeleton, I turn around and rush towards the gate, nodding my head towards the people recing me. Celine was already at the front gate, ushering the Xabarils inside. "Celine, get back. It''s going to be dangerous." - Kingston "No! You are going to be here by yourself. The monsters can only obey simplemands from someone else. I''ll issue moreplexmands to help you." - Celine "But still-" - Kingston "Kingston. Let me help."- Celine Celine holds my shoulders and stares into my eyes, even though I could easily break out of her grasp I was unable to. Looking into her worrying eyes, the words couldn''te out of my mouth. Every time I came back from hunting in the grasnd, I would be greeted with Celine''s peaceful smile. As the sun sets, and the only light was from the torches, conversations with Celine kept me going. Soothing that raging feeling I have deep inside me. I never went berserk ever since that day. She was kind yet determined with every step she took. No matter how dangerous it might have seemed to tame each monster she kept trying. "Kingston! Do you hear me? Hello?" - Celine I snap out of my daydream, shaking my head as I do. "Helllloooo?" - Celine "Celine, I hear you. Just stay behind me okay?" - Kingston "Of course, I will. I won''t go to the front, no matter what." - Celine "Yea, and have at least 3, no, 5 Xabarils next to you at all times." - Kingston "Got it." - Celine "And cast Prismatic Barrier on you too. Get one of the Zivotinja-" - Kingston "Kingston. I understand. Don''t worry okay?" - Celine "Listen, when a girl says don''t worry, a guy is always going to worry." - Kingston "Then worry?" - Celine "I''m going to worry then." - Kingston "Yep. Look the Zivotinjas areing back!" - Celine. Bursting out of the forest was a herd of Zivotinjas. Not one of them was missing, but the blue shield around them was missing. "The monsters are strong enough to destroy the Prismatic Barrier." - Kingston "It will be fine, let me gather them here first." - Celine A high pitch whistlees from behind me. Looking back, I see Celine''s thumb and index finger in her mouth, with her eyes focused on the scene in front of her. The Zivotinjas'' ears perk up, and their gaze turns towards Celine. Rushing towards her, they arrive safely within the confines of the walls and not too far behind them, bursting out of the forest was an army of lizardmen skeletons. Compared to the skeletons on the other side of the Krepost, these were equipped with weapons, shields, and armor. Wielding stone axes and stone spears, as well as wooden shields and simple leather armor, they approach me quickly and recklessly. Blue me zing out of their eye sockets and their yellowish-white bones rattle as they run. A blue shield envelops me, and I breathe out slowly, gripping my spear tightly. I smile as I look at the approaching army. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" - Kingston 181 Chapter 181 "GET UP! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN REST?!" - ??? "I THOUGHT YOU WANT TO BECOME STRONGER?" - ??? "I guess you were wrong." - ??? "NO! He has it in him." - ??? A thick warm liquid fills my mouth. Coughing, clutching my stomach, I roll to the side, letting it droll out of my mouth. I feel the ground rocking side to side. My bones scrape against each other as I try to move them, the rattling sound echoes in my head. I try to lift my body up, pushing off the ground with my hand, but I feel weaker than a goblin. Flopping back down onto my chest with dirt entering my mouth, I violently cough sending waves of pain throughout my body. My head hurts. My chest hurts. It hurts everywhere. The world around me shes past my hazy eyes as I feel the butt of a spear prate my side, lifting me up and sending me crashing into a boulder. Rolling out of the wreckage, I see a clear blue sky above me. So bright and blue. White clouds drift along the sky wandering the world and watching over everything. However, within seconds, it all turns ck. "Why did you hit him?" - ??? "Bored. Don''t worry, he will get up." - ??? "Hrmp, useless." - ??? .......... Slowly I open my eyes to a dark cylindrical room, with a single rectangr window high above, casting a ray of orange light into the middle of the room. On one side there was a brown wooden door and on the other a small bucket and stool. Wincing at the pain as I lift my upper body, I nce around. My lips were chapped, and my throat hurts as I breathe. I''m back here again¡­ A soft bed made up of animal skins and this white cloud-like material. I pull my legs over the bedside slowly, taking care to not hurt my body any more than it already is. I do my best to stand only for my legs to not move. Falling back down to the bed like a stone dropping into a river. Reaching out to the wall, I grab onto the protruding cold stone bricks. Gritting my teeth, I hold onto the bricks, pulling myself towards them, slowly lifting my body up and leaning against the wall. My body shivers from the cold touch of the bricks. I pull myself across the room, following the curve until I get to the other side. My breathing bes ragged, and I copse on a wooden stool, ced in front of a bucket of water. Resting my head against the wall, I roll it slowly to the side, catching a glimpse of my reflection in the wall. Cuts, scratches, and bruises litter my face. It wasn''t only there though, my arms, my legs, and my whole body, were riddled with cuts and bruises. I cup some water with my right hand and watch the clear water be murky with blood, but nheless, I bring that same water closer to my mouth. I let it drip in, licking at the droplets on the side of my palm before repeating the same steps again. How many times have I done this? How long have I been here? All sense of time escapes me. Days and nights blend together. Only fighting and battles exist. Feeling some strength recovered, I grab the side of the bucket, lifting it and dunking it over my head. The bloody water washes over me. Dropping the bucket, I lean against the wall once again, slowly pushing and pulling myself towards the bed. However, before I could even make it halfway, someone aggressively pushes open the door. It shatters against the stone wall as it flings all the way around, bing a pile of wooden nks and splinters. "The master wants you. Get up." - ??? I look at the guest who burst through my door and into my cozy room. A cat demi-human taller than myself by 2 or 3 heads with yellow fur and ck spots all around him. Sporting a dirty shiny metal vest, with leather pants and two small daggers at his waist. Looking at me with disgust, it spits at the ground in front of me before turning around and leaving. My eyes naturally follow the spit as itnds in the only spot that nurtured light in this room. Knowing that I would only get beat up more if I waste, I try to hurry. My left leg doesn''t seem to want to move no matter how much I try to move it, instead, I drag it along the ground, pushing forward with my right leg in tow. I scrape my left foot against the cold hard surface but do notin about the pain. I grab onto the door frame, pulling myself forward and out of that room. Looking left and right, I only see darkness. "Hurry up, or the master will be upset." - ??? Turning my head towards the voice, I proceed to the right. Pulling myself along the wall and creating a small trail of blood as my right arm and sides scrape against the protruding stone bricks. I follow the corridor until I reach some steps downwards, where I sit on the ground and lift my left leg on top of my right. Pushing off the ground with my hands, I was slowly moving down, I traverse the stairs until I reach the bottom. The demi-human''s cold red eyes illuminate in the darkness ahead. "How many times do I have to say it? HURRY UP!" - ??? My voice couldn''t even escape my mouth. I only nod and silently push my body faster, skipping on my right leg to move quicker. Each skip sends waves of pain throughout my body, but I don''tin. I can''t. Not now, not ever. I know the consequences. With my skipping forward, I reach arger corridor in no time. Pirs stabilize the roof, with gargoyles sitting at the top. Their yellow eyes re at me the moment I enter the corridor. Looking to the left, I see arge blood-red door with a golden frame. The demi-human kneels before the door and I quickly limp my body towards him, kneeling down behind. "Master." - ??? "Open the door and leave." - ??? "Yes, master." - ??? The demi-human stands up promptly, pushing the door forward so that there was just enough space for someone to enter. "Go inside. Do not let the master wait any longer." - ??? Leaving as quickly as he came, the demi-human disappears without a trace. I get up as quickly as I can, doing my best to not limp or show any signs of weakness. My heart pounds against my chest faster than ever before. I''ve seen the master twice before and each time was more terrifying than thest. Walking past the doors, I keep my head hung low, not daring to look up. The door closes behind me with a loud bang and blue mes light up the interior. The familiar sound of crunching bones echoes in the room but all I do is stare at the blood-red stones on the ground. "It seems you have not grown that much stronger since thest time I saw you." - ??? "I-I-I-" - ??? "SILENCE! I am speaking." - ??? I quickly close my mouth and eyes, praying that this conversation will pass by quickly. "It seems being beaten down over and over again isn''t the best way to make you grow. In fact, it seems like you have grown weaker. So, I have a new n for you. Something is about to happen tonight. I can feel it. You will go North. There you will kill EVERYTHING you see." - ??? "Master shall I go with him?" - ??? "Yes, you need to make sure hees back alive. The moment he taps into his true potential will be the moment I can savor his power the best." - ??? "Understood master." - ??? ? If the second person didn''t speak, I wouldn''t have even noticed him. My body is non-stop trembling with each time the mater speaks. "Now, GO! BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT!" - ??? Without being able to say anything, I feel my whole body being picked up. The wind brushes through my hair but stabs into every cut on my body. I clench my fists and bite down on my lips at the pain. Lasting no more than a couple of minutes, I feel my body drop. Opening my eyes, I see the world upside down, right before Ind on the ground. Dirt enters my mouth and I cough it out, doing my best to breathe in the fresh air. I do my best to get my bearings, looking left and right but only to see grass, trees and rocks. The sun had set and night had fallen across thend. "W-W-Where-" - ??? "Do not talk. Wait. Listen. Watch. It''s about to happen." - ??? I gulp down what little saliva I had left in my mouth as I gaze into the horizon. The moment when the sun ispletely below the horizon, it begins. Pirs of light bursting through the ground and shooting into the sky start appearing one by one. I fall onto the ground on my butt as I witness the rising pirs of light. "Looks like it is your turn. What are you waiting for?" - ??? I slowly get up, putting all my weight on my right leg. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. The wind gets knocked out of me the moment I rxed. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS A PICNIC? HURRY UP!" - ??? I feel tears roll down the side of my cheek and without opening my eyes, I stand up and breathed in deeply. "Golden Ascension." - ??? 182 Chapter 182 Explosion after explosion, like fireworks lighting up the night sky. My trident dancing to the tune of death. Whether it was in the river or on the riverbank, my lower spider legs carefully dodge anything and everything, as if they as a mind of their own. With each thrust of my trident, I destroy another skeleton, and with each swing, I create a ring of explosions. ncing around, I see Howard was having a great time supporting the shield bearers. Casting away his shield, he used his Stone Mace to bash the skulls of skeletons into oblivion, with a couple of demi-humans next to him supporting him by thrusting their spears at any skeletons that Howard missed. With such a big grin on his face, anyone would have misunderstood the situation, thinking that he liked the endless wave of bones. On the other side, Gobi''s troops were fired up. The Aura of Battle skill had increased his own stats as well as the people around him, making the battle seem less difficult than it seems. I saw him break formation a few times, activating a skill that was just added to his arsenal, Tornado Spin. Tornado Spin (Active) 5MP - The user dashes forward, spinning at high speed to attack multiple enemies in a straight line. The user can activate the skill again to dash in a different direction. ( 20 + Weapon Attack + 10% Strength ) Cooldown 10 minutes. My front two spider legs have helped me during this attack as well. Since I was the only one in the middle of the skeleton army, I had to be careful but sometimes, I would over extend my attack leaving me open. Thankfully, the two spider legs were able to react faster than my own body, prating the skulls of any skeleton that got close to me. Their attacks were faster than my own as Imand them to attack any skeleton that got close to me. "IAN! COME BACK! GEWARI CAME BACK FROM THE FOREST!" - Howard Perking my ears to Howard''s sudden announcement, I activate Cleave in front of me, clearing a path, and using my lower spider legs, I jump over the heads of the shield bearersnding on my own feet near the archers. Turning towards Howard, I rush over to me anxious about what happened with Gewari. "What happened?" - Ian "Gewari is at the top near the gate. She sent an archer down to inform you but since you were in the middle of the skeleton army, the archer informed me instead. Afterward, they ran back up, saying for you toe up as soon as possible. I think skeletons areing towards us from the forest as well." - Howard "How about here do you think you can manage?" - Ian "It should be fine. The majority of enemies are here and worsees to worst, we can back off a bit and fight before the kiln." - Howard "Alright, I''ll leave you and Noah in charge." - Ian "How is Noah right now?" - Howard "He is positioned at the wall near where we first came to HavenFall, Belle is also there with her wolf pack. There are skeletonsing through there but not as many. He is able to handle it with the archers already positioned nearby." - Ian "Alright, I''ll send someone over there as soon as I can." - Howard I rush up the path towards HavenFall''s main za, passing Sr and Lucina''s group. As I was passing them, I turn around and call out to Sr. "Sr,e with me. I might need your help." - Ian Passing the basket of herbs in her hands to Lucina, she follows me as I rush towards the gate. "What''s wrong? Why are you rushing this way?" - Sr "Ster''s group happened to run into something and Gewari is at the front gates defending against monsters. I don''t know the details but right now, I left everyone else down in the canyon to fight off that horde of enemies. They should be fine, but I don''t know how Gewari is holding up, so I''m heading there first. I wanted you toe with me in case anyone was injured as well as your magic. They should be more effective against the skeletons. " - Ian "Oh no, Ster¡­" - Sr "Don''t worry, Ster will be fine." - Ian Arriving at the gate, I climb up the steps positioned next to the wall to see over it. Gewari as well as 5 other goblins were surrounded by lizardmen skeletons, each equipped with weapons, shields, and armor. The archers on the towers were desperately shooting arrows at the skeletons with some hitting their mark, but there were just too many. "SOLAR CAST SHIELD ON THEM NOW!" - Ian Sr had just climbed halfway up the tower, but it was enough to see over the wall. She starts to chant the spell while I use my lower spider legs tounch myself over the moat, wooden spikesnding on the ground not too far away from the skeletons. They wield stone weapons and wooden shields with leather armor, but their numbers were staggering, and they were increasing as time went on. "SHIELD!" - Sr "EVERYONE! PUSH TOWARDS ME! GEWARI TAKE UP THE REAR!" - Ian Diving into the crowd of skeletons, my trident sets forth a chain of explosions utterly destroying some skeletons, but some noticed my movements. Their blue mes re brighter and their teeth chatter against their bony jaws. Raising their shields and pointing their spears and axes towards me, they charge recklessly into the face of death. "My Lord! THESE MONSTERS KNOW HOW TO USE THEIR WEAPONS AND SHIELDS!" - Gewari "I NOTICED THAT! COME TOWARDS ME REGARDLESS, I''LL TRY TO BREAK OPEN A PATH!" - Ian Proceeding to eliminate each lizard man took some effort, especially since there were so many of them. Compared to before when each time I swung or thrust my trident I would kill skeletons, this time each attack had to have pinpoint uracy. Shields would appear to block hits and the skeletons worked like bees swarming me with constant threats. They would work together as if they were one body. I was attacking a skeleton, aiming for their skull, but another would bring their shield towards my trident setting off an explosion and pushing them away. My spider legs were having trouble as well, defending against the many stone axes and counterattacking only to prate through the armor and attack air. "BALL OF LIGHT!" - Sr Sr sends a Ball of Light in front of me, eliminating a group of skeletons. Seeing a path towards Gewari and the rest, I activate Charge and then Cleave clearing up the remaining skeletons that separated us. "COME!" - Ian There was no time, this was only temporary relief. Within seconds the skeletons swarm us again but this time we were together. Surrounded but together. The shields on the goblins were waning, and their conditions didn''t look too good either. I quickly check their stats, only to see they had a quarter of their HP left, while Gewari, had half. "BALL OF LIGHT!" - Sr Sr sends another Ball of Light in front of us, leading towards the gate. Quickly I activate Earth Spike, knocking away the approaching swarm from our left, and Quickstep to the right where I quickly stabbed 3 times activating the explosion 3 times on different skeletons. "RUN!" - Gewari Noticing that I was keeping the path as clear as possible, Gewari lead the goblins forward mming her body against a nearby skeleton that was about to attack me. The goblins rush towards the gate, with two of the archers opening the gate and letting them in. I stab the skeletons near Gewari and grab her wrist, pulling her close to my chest. Using my lower spider legs I try to jump over the skeletons like how I jumped over the shield bearers earlier, however, one of their spears nicked the tip of my spider leg causing me to be unbnced mid-jump. Ind on the ground on my side with Gewari in my arms. Quickly getting up, I block a spear attack aiming for Gewari''s head with my arm. The spear bounces off the Copper Arm Guard but barely misses Gewari. Surrounded once again. "My lord! What do we do?" - Gewari "Nothing much we can do. We need to get out of this situation as fast as we can. Staying surrounded will kill us, especially with how many skeletons are here. "HASTE! TOUCH OF THE SUN!" - Sr I nce over at the tower and see Sr out of breath after casting 2 of her spells on me and Gewari. A heal, and an Agility boost. While it would have been nice if I could have received a shield as well, the skill had a 30-minute cooldown after she casts it, and she had already cast it once on 6 people. "AAAAAOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLLL" - Razor ncing on top of the wall, I see Razor as well as 2 other wolves, leaping down from the top of the wall and growling at the crowd of skeletons that were surrounding Gewari and me. I smile, it seems like Howard suggested to Noah to allow a couple of wolves toe to me to help. I feel d that both of them could think quickly on the spot. "Gewari, follow my lead. We are going to push toward the wolves. Use the extra Agility to dodge and focus on only attacking when you can kill them. I''ll handle keeping them off us with my spider legs. " - Ian "Got it, my lord.'' - Gewari 183 Chapter 183 With a n set in stone, it was time to execute it. I thrust my trident in front of me aiming for shields and chest armor, using the explosion to push the skeletons back while my front 2 spider legs quickly prate their skulls. I use my lower 2 spider legs as a way to boost my range of attacks or to block an attacking from my sides. Stabbing one into the ground and lifting my body up until I was parallel to the ground and twirling in the air to attack the opposite defending against attacks for Gewari all around. Gewari wasn''t just standing still being protected either. When I knock away a skeleton and don''t have the time to kill it, she would dash forward stabbing its skull with her knife. Before quickly spinning on the spot to dodge an iing stab or swing from a nearby skeleton. It was like watching a ballet dancer, spin, and twirl around as she fluidly dodges attacks and counters immediately. Razor and the other two wolves weren''t standing still either. They charge into the thick of things, attacking with their paws or teeth. Their swipes would knock down a skeleton easily and the moment the skull gets in between their teeth it is crushed instantly. Although, they did get hurt and injured more than Gewari or I did since their style of attack wasn''t meant to engage arge horde of monsters. Wolves hunt in packs, usually chasing their prey down before eliminating them. Even in a defensive battle, they would race around finding opportunities to nk or charge at the enemy but in this situation, they were unable to show their strengths. After getting hit in the face, one of the wolves had to back off, activating Moonlight Renewal. To defend that wolf from being attacked during the healing process, Razor and the other wolf had to back off as well. However, their presence was already helping the uphill battle Gewari, and I was facing. I grab onto Gewari once again, pulling her towards me and activating Cleave before rushing into the space freed up. The chain of explosions created more room than I expected and with another 2 swings, I broke through the encirclement and stood in front of the wolves. "IAN! Get inside!" - Sr "No, this is the best ce to fight them. I don''t see any more skeletons exiting the forest which means the skeletons here are all that is left. Gewari, go back inside with Razor and the other wolves. Get Lucina to give you a potion and heal up beforeing back. I''ll stand at the gate and defend HavenFall." - Ian "My lord! I can still fight." - Gewari "Don''t worry, you''re still going to fight, but I need you to heal up first." - Ian "But-" - Gewari "I can''t have you dying. Get healed ande back with a bow and arrow. Same with the group of assassins that came with you. Attack from the wall." - Ian "Alright. Got it. I''ll be back my Lord." - Gewari "Razor, you did well. Come back." - Ian Gazing into my eyes, Razor turns towards the other two wolves and howled an order, beforeing back and standing next to me. The other two wolves dash back into HavenFall, leaving behind Razor. He growls and lowers his head to the ground staring daggers into the approaching army of bones. "Alright then, just remember it was your choice to stay behind. Sr, how long until you can cast any supporting spells?" - Ian "5 minutes for Touch of the Sun and then another 5 for Shield of the Sun. Do you want me to cast Ball of Light?" - Sr "Depends, how''s your mana pool?" - Ian "I can cast Ball of Light 1 more time before I''m out but if I don''t do anything I should recover by the time my other spellse back." - Sr "Then don''t cast anything. Go back to Lucina as well and grab a couple of potions. I might need them." - Ian "Got it. I''ll be right back." - Sr "Now, then. Round two, defend the gate from an army of lizard man skeletons. Shouldn''t be too bad right? I wonder how it is going for everyone else?" - Ian Gripping my trident tightly, I exhale and gather my strength as the skeletons approach closer. I stand confidently as Razor bares his fangs, pouncing on the skeleton that finally got within range, starting the fight once again. Releasing the grip on my left hand, I thrust the trident forward with my right, prating through a skeleton''s armor and exploding its upper body. Following my attack, I step forward and lunge at the skeleton right behind aiming for its skull, eliminating it within seconds. My front spider leg at the skeleton on my left while I proceed to stab the one on my right. Razor dodges under my strike and leaps at the skeletons on my left helping my spider leg eliminate two more skeletons. Arrows rain down from the towers, eliminating skeletons one by one. I swing my trident to the side creating a semicircle of explosions while my right spider legs blocked a downward swing from a skeleton. Using the butt of my trident, I m it into the skeleton''s chest pushing it against its bonypanions behind it and refocusing my attention on the skeletons attacking Razor. I activate Cleave off cooldown eliminating the skeletons that were attacking Razor and lunge forward as he leaps behind me. ncing back, I see him biting on the skull of a skeleton whose spear was just centimeters away from the back of my neck. My lunge meets with a skeleton''s skull shattering it to pieces in the explosion. However, the skeletons wereing closer, and I was losing space to swing my trident. Leaping back towards the gate, I reposition my grip and let out a long breath, followed by Razor jumping next to me. Without leaving me much time to breathe the army of bones swarms the narrow space but with them being concentrated on a tiny area, I was able to easily attack them. Quick stabs over and over again. Some hit shields, others hitting chest tes, leg armor and sometimes killing them with an urate attack to the head. Explosion after explosion rings throughout HavenFall as I keep the army of bones at bay with my thrusts, however, I can feel the fatigue setting in with each attack. I had been fighting intensely for a while now without any proper break and the constant fighting is definitely taking a tow. It wasn''t before long when I miss an attack allowing a skeleton to breach my attack, but I still had my spider legs and Razor to back me up, quickly eradicating the problem. However, that was only the start. Bit by bit I let more and more skeletons past my strikes with some of them disrupting the flow by knocking my trident downwards. I quickly recover but this time it was toote, it got close enough that my spider legs can''t react in time and Razor was already attacking another enemy. "Ball of Light!" - Sr Flying past my ear, and exploding right on the skull of the skeleton was Sr''s attack. It reached just in time. "Ian, catch!" - Gewari I nce towards the small water bag that was thrown into the air. I gather all my strength and do a big sweep at monsters before reaching out and grabbing the bag. [ Minor Healing and Stamina Potion - Heal 10% HP instantly as well as give a boost of energy to the user. Cooldown 5 mins ] Lucina had revised her potion-making and instead of adding the herbs with food, she instead used the extract and collected it slowly into small bags. She used two different herbs in the making of this potion, and while it heals less than the Diluted Healing Soup, it heals instantly as well as gives a burst of energy. It was like a shot of coffee, with a healing effect and only a 5-min cool down before I can use the effects again. I didn''t get hit that much during the time Sr and Gewari had been gone, but my energy had been drained fighting so many skeletons all at once. However, Gewari hade back with her small group of assassins, each holding onto a bow with 2 quivers strapped around their shoulders. "There isn''t much left. ARCHERS ON THE TOWERS ATTACK!'' - Ian "Get on top of the wall and fire at the skeletons. NOW!" - Gewari "I''ll help as well." - Sr With my newfound energy, I plunge headfirst into the group of skeletons stabbing them the moment they get close. My spider legs go into overdrive, shing, stabbing at anything that moves around me. Explosions happen all around me, nonstop with arrows raining down on the unsuspecting skeletons. Sr''s spells eliminate them one by one while Razor defeats any skeletons that escape my grasp. Not longter thest skeleton is defeated, and my chest heaves up and down heavily. Littered on the ground were shards of bones, piling up to my ankles. I pick one up to find out the description. [ Bone Fragment A shattered piece of bone from a skeleton raised from the dead. It has little to no use on its own to many people, but to a necromancer, it serves many uses. ] Dropping the bone fragment and turning towards Sr and Gewari who were both on top of the wall, I wave to them toe down. Sr passes me another potion while also casting Touch of the Sun on me, recovering my HP to full. "So, Gewari I never got a chance to ask. What happened in the forest for you toe back to me?" - Ian 184 Chapter 184 "I was going to tell you as soon as I could my lord, but the situation was out of hand." - Gewari "It''s okay. Just tell me what happened?" - Ian "Once the pirs of light appeared from the ground everyone in the Assassin group was ready. Ster was positioned near the mountain off to the side of the Forest while I was positioned closer to HavenFall and Luna was closer to the Krepost. However, not longter a pir of light appeared near Ster. Ster sent a scout both to me and to Luna to tell us about the situation, however, even she didn''t understand the scale of the skeleton''s attack. Coming out of the ground was a bone dragon as well as an army of lizardmen skeletons. The scout told us that a portion of the skeletons were headed towards HavenFall while the rest went towards the Krepost. The scout that went towards Luna was asking for reinforcements and instead, some of Ster''s group went to reinforce the Krepost. The switch made it, so the bone dragon was engaging in a fight between Ster and Luna''s pack. I think Ster needs our help, which was why I wanted to eliminate the skeletons here as soon as possible to bring you there, my lord." - Gewari "Ster is fighting a bone dragon right now? Even with Luna and the other wolves, I''m not too sure about their chances." - Ian "Right, so we need to go now." - Sr "Then who defends here? The canyon has thousands of skeletons, way more than what we just experienced, and they are being attacked from two different sides. If another army of skeletonses this way who will defend HavenFall?" - Ian "I will." - Gewari "Are you sure? You aren''t a fighter. You are an assassin." - Ian "It will be fine. Trust me. I still have everyone here with me." - Gewari "She is right, now take this pouch. Inside it is 2 more potions. It should be enough for Ster and yourself. I don''t know how bad the situation there is but retreat back here if it looks like it is too dangerous." - Sr "I know. Thank you for the pouch. I''ll be back soon, with Ster and Luna." - Ian "Stay safe!" - Sr "Take care, my lord." - Gewari Nodding towards them, I run off into the forest. Going off Gewari''s information Ster should be towards the left side of the Forest and towards the pir of light in that direction. Luckily for me, I just need to follow that blinding light to reach Ster''s position. I keep running towards the pir and eventually, I see clouds of dust and the sound of trees falling. Turning to the left, I run out of the forest, following the mountain until I reach my destination. [ Rinne has died. ] [ Aragorn has died. ] [ Freeia has died. ] The sudden notification surprises me and gritting my teeth, I rush toward the scene. Looking forward, I see a figure leaping outside a cloud of dust,nding on the ground and rolling for a bit before struggling to get up. The white mask on the figure''s face revealed to me that it was Ster, but before she could get up another 3 smaller figures fly out of the dust cloud. It was Luna and the remaining wolves. "STELLAR! USE THE MASK''S SKILL!" - Ian Even while she was dazed she still heard my voice and within a second she and the wolves disappear from my vision. Blowing the wind away with its wings, a monster emerges from the forest. Contrary to Gewari''s thought, the monster wasn''t a bone dragon but a bone wyvern. The difference between the two creatures is that wyverns have only 2 legs while dragons have 4 or 2 legs and 2 arms. What is mistaken for arms is that wyvern''s wings, which sprout out in a way that looks like the arm and the wing are one and the same. This bone wyvern was as tall as the surrounding trees, sporting pure white bones and a ck miasma forming the general shape of the wyvern with zing blue mes at its eyes. Looking around to find its previous prey, the monster carefully edges forward, but I stop it in its tracks. I activate Enhanced Agility and Charge dashing towards the bone wyvern. It looks at me as if it was looking at an insect and tried to brush me off with its left-wing, however, I knew it was going to underestimate me. Timing the moment the wing almost hits me, I Quickstep forward, canceling Charge and activating Earth Spike on its left foot. The spike prates through the miasma narrowly hitting the bones in its feet and using this opportunity I close in and thrust my trident at its ankles, along with a couple of stabs from my spider legs. An explosion urs which cracks the bone, but the wyvern had enough time to finally react to my attack. Breaking free from the Earth Spike, it lunges its whole body towards me with its gaping mouth open. I dodge to the side and cast Stealth, running to the back of the monster and using my lower spider legs to leap into the air. I reach the nape of the monster and cast Cleave, followed up with a series of stabs from my trident as well as my 4 spider legs, beforending on the ground. I know I didn''t defeat the monster, but that was all I could do at that moment. Looking around, I open the pouch and toss the potion onto the ground near the ce where Ster wasst seen. "Drink the potion and get up Ster. I need your help to defeat this monster. I know you and the wolves are feeling tired and beaten up so bide your time until the Aura of Silence wears off before joining me. I''ll be fine for now." - Ian The cloud of dust kicked up by the explosion clears and the blue me flickers angrily. The wyvern opens its mouth and a spark of blue me could be seen inside. A breath attack. I click my tongue and dash toward the wyvern. I couldn''t just stand in an open field waiting for the breath attack, especially since I don''t have a shield. Instead, the next best option would be to approach the wyvern itself to prevent it from using it. Furthermore, the wyvern hasn''t attempted flight yet and while it doesn''t mean it can''t fly, it has chosen to not fly even though it is charging up its breath attack. My MP is low and a lot of my skills were on cooldown but even so I can''t stop, but then an idea popped into my head. I open the pouch that was already strapped to my body, pulled out the stone stick, and stood still smiling at the monster. The blue me burns brighter and brighter in the wyvern''s mouth, swirling inside but with each moment my grin grows wider until the monster closes its mouth and rears its head back. Throwing its head towards me as it opens its mouth wide, a stream of zing hot blue fire tunnels towards me. I grip the stone stick and call out the skill. "Code of Hammurabi, Eye for an Eye!" - Ian The stone stick glows white disappearing from my hand and appearing before me, it is all its glory. A solid b of stone taller than me, with a carved out figure of two people, one sitting down holding a knife while the other stands in front, appears before me. It stands in between the zing fire and me and glows white as it absorbs the attack. The moment it finishes the bone wyvern bes immobile for a couple of seconds allowing the Code of Hammurabi''s skill to activate. With another sh of white, the Code of Hammurabi transforms into aplete replica of the bone wyvern and casts the breath attack without any dy. The fire ms into the monster''s head knocking it down to the ground and burning the surroundings. I grip my trident and dash towards the bone wyvern, thinking that the counterattack from the Code of Hammurabi might not be enough to defeat it. The moment the skill finishes, the replica bone wyvern disappears, and the small stone stickes back into my hand. I reach the scorched earth and see a ck skeleton''s head however, the monster''s body hasn''t disappeared just yet meaning it wasn''t dead. I use thest of my MP to cast Cleave following it up with attacks from both my trident and my spider legs until the bone wyvern''s skull shatters into pieces. Its body disappears in the process andying in the middle of the burnt earth was a skill book as well as a giant bone fragment. [ Skill Book: Miasma Protection (Passive) + 10% Dark Resistance + 10% Poison Resistance This skill book will allow the user to obtain the skill Miasma Protection. Miasma Protection will give the user resistance to Dark magic attacks as well as Poison attacks. Open the book and say the skill name in order to learn it. ] [ Bone Wyvern Fragment A shattered piece of bone from a Bone Wyvern raised from the dead. It has little to no use on its own to many people, but to a necromancer, it serves many uses. ] Opening the book straight away, I learn a new skill. "Miasma Protection." - Ian [ You have acquired skill - Miasma Protection ] "Ster, told you I was going to be okay." - Ian Appearing right in front of me and making my heart leap out of my mouth, were Ster and the remaining wolves. "You got lucky. Very lucky. That monster was too strong for any of us to beat normally." - Ster "I know, but luck is just part of who I am. For now, let''s head back to HavenFall and treat your wounds." - Ian "Thank you foring, Ian. No, I should probably address you formally." - Ster Bending down on one knee and cing her hand over her heart, Ster speaks to me. Right next to her, I see Luna and the other two wolves bowing their heads to the ground following Ster''s example. "Thank you, my lord, for saving me." - Ster 185 Chapter 185 "KINGSTON! BEHIND YOU!" - Celine Hearing Celine''s call, I swing my spear behind me, shing with another skeleton lizard man. Its sword shatters on impact and I retaliate with a quick thrust to its skull. Blood was pumping throughout my body and my heart was beating against my chest, and yet I was still having so much fun. Lightning bolts and white stars fly around me, exploding the numerous skeletons surrounding me while I dance around their swords and spears, striking at their legs or head. From fighting so much in the grasnd, I began to formte my own style of attack. Strike a weak point to kill or strike the limbs to immobilize. Sure, it might seem obvious to others, but it was from the constant fighting that I realize the importance of nning my attacks. If I can''t kill them straight away, then attack their limbs, immobilize them, and eliminate the threats beforeing back and killing the immobilized enemies. That at least was my n, but I didn''t take into ount the sheer overwhelming numbers. I attack and attack, but there seems to be no end to them. "I''M MOVING BACK! CELINE COVER ME!" - Kingston Initially, I wanted to be in front of the gate, being the first to initiate the attack as well as draw aggro from the skeletons, however, it was starting to be too much for me. The space I had to swing my spear was reduced, and I wasn''t about to do any real damage, since I was focusing on hitting them away from me. I was basically the tank while the Zivotinjas were using their skills. Swinging my spear around me and activating Cleave, I clear a path towards the gate. The Zivotinjas cast Discharge, creating a chain lightning attack behind me, slightly charring the bones of the skeletons but unfortunately unable to kill them. Dashing through the gate I swing around and ready my spear. "Celine, get the Xabarils to form a semicircle with me. We are going to attack anything that passes the gate and try to contain them there. Have the Zivotinjas continue to use their skills but be ready to attack as well as the Crizannas." - Kingston "Got it." - Celine Whistling amand, the Xabarils move to establish the semicircle with the tworgest Xabarils right next to the gate. I stood opposite the gate with my spear ready to attack as the skeletons charged toward us. Their bones rattle and creak as they charge straight through the gate. Thrusting my spear forward, I prate the skull of the first skeleton that crossed the gate, but it was just the first of many. They rush through, eyes zing bright, meeting my spear or the tusks of the Xabarils. I do my best attacking as I see the Zivotinjas eyes glow brighter than the sun, alongside them the Crizannas'' manes stiffen as their bodies shine as bright as the Zivotinjas. "KINGSTON GET DOWN!" - Celine Blocking a downward strike, I kick the skeleton closest to me before jumping onto the ground,ying t. Secondster, a storm of white stars flew over my head, as I cover my face with my hands. I could feel the electricity pull my hair upwards before small explosions echoed in my ears. Shards of bones rain down upon me and through the gaps of my fingers, I see skeleton after skeleton fall to the ground shattering as their skulls explode. Following the stars, were rings of light emitted by the Crizannas. One after the other exploding at the gate. I had noticed that the skeletons weren''ting out of the forest anymore but there was still arge number of them pooling at the gate. Pushing myself off the ground, I quickly get up and survey the battlefield. "Celine, how long until the Zivotinjas and Crizannas can do that big attack again or something simr?" - Kingston I stab at an approaching skeleton as I question Celine but I didn''t hear a reply. Confused, I nce behind me, only to see her on the ground next to the corpse of 5 Xabarils. Blood was pooling around her stomach as her head is pressed to the ground by a small shadowy figure. Its body was darker than the darkest night, only visible because of the flickering mes from the torches near the Krepost. Its slim, slender frame stood on top of Celine with its thin fingers grasping Celine''s hair as it presses her face into the dirt. "CELINE!" - Kingston Turning my whole body and activating Charge, I dash towards the monster on top of Celine. The shadowy figure''s head turns towards me, 2 pure white ovals stare at me as a creepy gin spread across its face, showcasing the thin sharp needle-like teeth. My heart stops as the monster looks at me, but the skill is still active, drawing me towards the monster. With my spear in hand, I grit my teeth and lunge forth but all I hit is air. It disappears. One second staring into my soul. The next vanished as if it was never there. Disregarding the event, I open the small pouch on my waist that Lucina gave me before leaving HavenFall. Taking out the potion and kneeling down, I gently move Celine''s body and head so that she was on her back. I couldn''t see her stats like Ian so I don''t even know if she was dead or not since she wasn''t responding. Pouring the potion into her mouth, I pray that she is fine. ncing back, I see that the Xabarils, the Zivotinjas and the Crizannas were dealing with the remaining skeletons and while I wasn''t there they were able to keep the skeletons from pushing through. I scoop up Celine into my arms and run towards the Krepost, intending to leave her inside the building to heal up. Before I could take my first step, the spearhead on top of the Krepost narrowly misses my cheeknding behind me. My eyes naturally follow the spearhead, looking behind me to see the shadowy monster''s thin foot pinned to the ground because of the Krepost''s attack. Its oval eyes wriggled side to side as its previous grin became a frown. A red liquid drips down the side of its mouth as it stares at me. Turning away, I push off the ground as fast as I could, making a break for the Krepost''s door and sting through. I turn back the moment I enter the Krepost but the monster had already disappeared. Laying Celine on the ground I venture out, closing the door behind me, and immediately turn to my left as Kaede screams. "KAEDE!" - Ken Her scream catches the attention of her brother on the other side of the battlefield and I hear him howl loudly, as his skill Ferocity activates. Both Ken and Kaede have used this skill before when they were training against monsters and both turn into blood-thirsty monsters. I see Ken run past me, his eyes blood-red as he charges toward the direction of his sister''s scream. Following right behind me, both of us reach Kaede''s position quickly, seeing the shadowy figure''s thin hands pierce right through Kaede''s stomach. "KAEDE!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Ken Losing all reason, Ken activates Charge gripping a golem stone ax and attacking the monster but just like before the monster disappears and Ken''s attack strikes the air. Kaede drops to her knees and Ken catches her in his arms. "KEN! USE THE POTION ON HER RIGHT NOW AND MOVE HER TO THE KREPOST! WE DON''T KNOW WHAT THAT MONSTER IS AND-" - Kingston Before I could finish my sentence, I sense something behind me and quickly twist my body around, holding my spear vertically and blocking the monster''s attack. Its grin returns to its face and with it so close to me I could make out some of its features. It had a ck skeletal frame covered in a sharp ck miasma that makes up its body. The sharp thin hands were the miasma wrapping around the ck bones and shaping itself into thin ws. "What are you¡­?" - Kingston I bounce the monster away, and quickly stab at its torso but it nimbly dodges to the left, pouncing toward me. Twisting my body awkwardly to block the attack, I manage to deflect the blow drawing its attention toward me as I see Ken moving Kaede. Blood drips down his mouth as he bites down on his lip, staring daggers into the monster. The moment he ces Kaede inside the Krepost he dashes at the monster, yelling at the top of his lungs. Ken''s aggressive attacks cause the monster to go on the defensive and with my spear limiting its movement it was unable to attack until it disappears. Ken''s Ferocity skills end and his bloodshot eyes return to normal. "Kingston¡­ What do we do? I couldn''t even touch the monster. It just jumped away and now it''s gone." - Ken "It''s not gone. It''s waiting and watching. I don''t know why but I can feel its presence as it watches me. It''s targeting me." - Kingston "Then why did it attack Kaede?" - Ken "I went into the Krepost momentarily to let Celine heal. She was attacked by the monster, I think it changed its target then." - Kingston "But now it''s back on you?" - Ken "Because I haven''t died from its attacks yet. Neither of us has. I think it wants to kill us because we are still alive." - Kingston "How do you propose we fight it?" - Ken "I think you stay out of this one, Ken." - Kingston "What? I can''t. It hurt Kade." - Ken "But you are too weak. Your Ferocity has ended. You are in a weak state right now, I can see it." - Kingston "But-" - Ken "No buts plus I want to put my training to the test." - Kingston "Are you going to¡­" - Ken "Yea. I''m going to go Berserk." - Kingston 186 Chapter 186 "No! Kingston, you still haven''t managed topletely control that skill yet." - Ken "I know, but without it, I don''t have the strength to fight this mon-" -Kingston Without giving me time to even talk to Ken, the monster shes at me with its ws. Luckily, I was able to block the attack as well as pull Ken closer to me, to protect him. I knock the monster away, and it disappears into the darkness, but I still feel its presence. "Look there isn''t much time and neither of us can face it." - Kingston "I can call over Gibing and David. They can help. I''ll ask Gopopo and Frank as well." - Ken "No, the skeletons on that side of the wall are stilling over. Even without going over to that side I can still hear the sound of metal hitting stones and bones breaking. Bringing them over here to deal with one monster will weaken that side of the wall too much, especially since both you and Kaede can''t help." - Kingston "Still, if you go Berserk and can''t control it, you will die. I don''t even know if we can hold you down. Thest time this happened we were lucky that we just finished fighting a pack of Crizannas. David and Gibing were able to restrain you, but that was because you only just went into that state. The longer you are in that state the stronger and more unstable you be. " - Ken "Yeah, I understand, but there was that time I was able to control it." - Kingston "Against a Jackalope! That monster was practically harmless once you activated Berserk, plus you were only in that state for a couple of seconds. Do you honestly think you can kill this monster in a couple of seconds?" - Ken "Better to try it out rather than dying here thinking right?" - Kingston "Alright. Just don''t lose control." - Ken "Can''t guarantee that¡­" - Kingston Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 30/50 Mana Points (MP): 7/9 Strength: 20 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 18 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 25 Luck: 1 Skill: Sand Armor, Endless Rage, Cleave, Charge, Demonification, Buffalo Horns (Passive) Equipment: Spear of Light (Unactivated), Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Goblin Knife, Wooden Helmet Ever since going to the mountain, the skill Demonification has worried me. I know I acquired it during that time, however, I have no knowledge of what happened and the only person I know that saw me during that time was Luke, Sylvia, and Ian at the end. However, Ian didn''t know much about the process and Sylvia was only able to tell me that I was extremely unstable. Not only that, I felt the demonic energy appear around my body every so often. Like a ck wisp licking against my skin, sending chills down my spine each time. I don''t want to go back into that state, but I don''t know what else I can do to defeat this monster. "Ken, make sure you run toward the Krepost the moment I activate Endless Rage, okay? I''m going Berserk soon." - Kingston "Alright. Ready when you are." - Ken I stay as calm as possible, breathing in slowly as I wait for the monster to engage me again. Suddenly, my blood runs cold. Turning around, I grab onto Ken and push him as hard as I could to the side, as I feel something sharp w at my chest breaking through my Copper Chest te and tearing my flesh. Smiling, I grab onto the monster''s thin wrist. "Endless Rage." - Kingston [ Endless Rage Activated ] [ Spear of Light Activated ] Just like before, the world around me bes dyed in scarlet red, as my spear emits a bright ruby color. I feel the rage building inside me as images of Celine''s head on the ground covered in blood and Kaede''s bleeding stomach shes through my head. Gripping onto the monster''s wrist tighter as I clench my teeth. It starts to resist. Scratching and wing at my arm. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. Blood-red words appear around me as they fly towards the shadowy monster covering it from head to toe. NO! STOP! Letting go of the monster''s wrist, I stab forth only for the monster to dodge to the side and disappear. The bloody words disappear along with it except, for one glowing ''KILL''. My eyes follow the moving word and a smile spreads across my face. Dirt crawls up my legs, covering the copper armor in ayer of dirt until itpletely covers my whole body. STOP! Dashing forward, I aim my spear at the glowing word, narrowly missing as it moves to the side unnaturally. The monster blurs into existence with a confused look on its face. Its frown widens as I continue to stab towards the monster, chasing it down around the Krepost. Laughter escapes my mouth as I finallynd a hit on the monster shing its side. In retaliation, it uses a new skill. Launching a condensed ball of darkness at me, as it leaps into the air. Countering, I activate Cleave shing at the ball only for it to explode in my face and blind me. STOP! Nevertheless, I keep my calm and wait for the moment it strikes. shing at my back and breaking through the Sand Armor, I quickly swing my spear around knocking the monster to the side. Leaping off the ground, I stab the spear downward, prating the glowing word and hearing the monster screech. Like music to my ears, I stab it over and over again, bringing out my Goblin Knife to further induce pain. STOP! STOP! "STOP!" - Kingston My body freezes. What am I stabbing at? This isn''t the monster. A Xabaril? As my thoughts are still a mess, I feel 3 sharp ws enter my back, prating through anding out of the front. The shadowy monster takes its w out and shes me twice on my back. Letting out a scream, I roll forward, turning around to face the monster. A red aura forms around me, as blood runs down the side of my mouth. How did it get behind me? Why was I attacking a Xabaril? Looking at the top right of my vision, I see that Endless Rage was still in effect. Am I conscious while the skill is active? Was I not conscious before? What was happening? I don''t remember. The monster screeches at me, charging at me with its arms spread out, ws scraping on the ground. Blocking the attack with my spear, I push the monster away and push forward immediately to retaliate. I strike the monster quickly, without allowing the monster to counterattack. Stab at its torso, sweep at its legs, and strike at its head. However, after a series of attacks, it creates a burst of darkness around it, and a sphere of dark energy surrounds the monster. The red aura around me glows stronger, and I hear a voice¡­ "What are you waiting for¡­?" - ??? As if I knew the answer to that question, my hand moves toward my face, covering it as a word escapes my mouth. "Demonification." - Kingston The red aura around me rushes to my hand condensing around my face. The wooden helmet burns away, and I feel the red aura clinging to my skin. Without even seeing what appeared on my face, I felt like I already knew. A ruby skull and two twisting horns appeared around my head and yet the rest of my body wasn''t covered in blood-red armor. With the skull mask, I see the shadowy monster clearly, as if it was in the middle of the day, and with one thrust at a glowing word on its forehead, the monster disappears. It didn''t disappear like how it was evading my strikes before, it disappeared after I stabbed it. A book appears in its ce as it drops to the ground, but I stood still. The whole world around me slows as a voice echoes in my ear. "How was it?" - ??? "The taste of victory?" - ??? "Wasn''t it sweet?" - ??? "It was easy, wasn''t it?" - ??? "It could be like that forever." - ??? "Nothing would be what again." - ??? "Protecting someone would be easy." - ??? "No one would be a challenge to you." - ??? "KINGSTON!" - Ken Breaking me out of my own mind, I hear Ken''s voice, but before I could react, my skin starts to burn. The mask drips away, burning my face along with it. My scream echoes throughout the Krepost and in the distance, I hear David and Gibing''s confused voices. "KINGSTON! Don''t worry, I got you!" - Ken Ken grabs under my armpits, dragging my body towards the Krepost as I scream in agony. A cold liquid drips into my open mouth as I enter the Krepost doors and I finally quieten down. "Are you okay¡­?" - Ken "N-N-Never better¡­" - Kingston 187 Chapter 187 "Ian! Ster!" - Sr "Wee back my lord." - Gewari "We are back." - Ian Walking through the dark forest with Ster, Luna, and her wolves, we eventually reach back at HavenFall. Greeted by Sr and Gewari as well as the team of archers and assassin positioned at the front wall, we proceed on in, to get treated by Lucina. I didn''t sustain any injuries during that fight with the Bone Wyvern, however, the rest were still beaten up from the fight. Losing 3 wolves during the fight was a little disheartening, but I''m d Ster and Luna were still alive. "Ster, let''s move you and the wolves to Lucina. She will help heal any wounds." - Sr "Alright, Sr. Thank you." - Ster "What has happened here since I was gone?" - Ian "Howard, Gobi and Noah are still fighting on different fronts. Lynn also went to the front lines to help when skeletons broke through the first wall. We had to retreat towards the kilns and the watermill. Lynn is currently attacking with water magic and using Bubble to save some shield bearers. Razor and the other wolves went over to help out as well since Noah was about to hold his side rtively well with just the archers." - Sr "Is it still an endless wave of skeletons?" - Ian "Yes¡­ There seems to be no end to them and while no one is showing it, they all seem to be disheartened." - Sr "Don''t worry, I''ming now. Ster, get packed up, and join me once you are healed up. Gewari, bring your team with me, we are going down to help out. " - Ian Running from the gate, we move towards Lucina''s hospital. The building next to the farm had been converted into a hospital, in case anyone gets injured during the event. Looking inside, there were more casualties than I had thought. However, most injuries were fixable with some healing potions and healing salve. Luckily for us, there weren''t any major injuries just yet. "Ian! You''re back. I need you to join them down in the canyon as soon as possible. More people areing back bruised and cut up." - Lucina "I know. I''m going down now. Help Ster and Luna and get them back on their feet as soon as possible. The rest of us, let''s go." - Ian "Yes, my Lord." "Wait! Take this pouch, it has 4 potions in it. Give one to Howard and Gobi when you get down there." - Lucina "Got it." - Ian Heading out of the hospital, I rush down to the canyon following the yells of my units as they battle against the ocean of bones. Robin and her team of archers were constantly shooting arrows, sending volley after volley. Rushing past me was Rex, as he deposits bundles of quivers next to the archers before running back up. He gives me a quick nod as he leaves, his eyes full of determination. "Ian! Get to the front, Gobi is having trouble." - Robin Looking away from Robin, I look at the situation on the front line. Compared to when I wasst here, the situation looks much worse. Howard had scratches all over his face and parts of his chest te were dented or cracked. Others were in a simr position with shields that were either cracked or dented. Gobi had it worse though, with blood dripping down the side of his face. Gripping his club tightly he swings like a mad man, defending against attacks on his sides, protecting his fellow shield bearers. "Gewari, head towards Howard, support his side. I''m going to Gobi to help him right now!" - Ian "Yes my lord. The rest of you follow me! CHARGE!" - Gewari Activating Charge and Enhanced Agility, I dash toward Gobi''s side immediately, activating Cleave as I reach him, eliminating the surrounding skeletons. "Gobi! Get back!" - Ian "My lord, it is okay. I can still fight!" - Gobi "Then take this, but go back the moment you feel danger." - Ian Passing him a potion, I leap into the ocean of bones, stabbing skulls with my spider legs and creating explosions with each attack of my trident. I slowly move toward Howard, as I see them pushing the skeleton wave backward after Gewari joins in the fight. Gyumi starts to create lightning bolts, zapping through lines of skeletons, with Lynn helping her attack with water balls. Thebination of water magic and lightning spells sends a wave of destruction through the skeletons on Howard''s side, allowing me time to rush over and give him a potion as well. Returning to Gobi''s side, I help clear a portion of the skeletons, allowing him and the troops around him time to recover. Looking around me, a never-ending sea of blue mes and skulls but still, I fight and fight. Howls, screams, explosions, and yelling echoed in the canyon over and over as the night went on until finally the sun kisses the horizon and a gentle orange nket spread across the sky. ck smoke seeps out of the remaining skeletons and I see the ones in the back were retreating, while the ones in the front slowly fade into dust as the sun''s rays of light be brighter. A night-long battle ends in our victory with the skeletons running with their tails between their legs, but it was only the beginning. I stood in the middle of the river, watching the skeletons fade into dust around me. Bone fragments litter the ground and the river, covering the red canyon ground in yellowish-white snow. Each step felt like stepping on a bag of chips as I walk back to everyone else. Their exhausted expressions told a million tales. Gobi slumps down against the wall, closing his eyes immediately as Howard copses to the ground. Gewari, Gyumi and Lynn rest their hands against one another while I see the rest lying on the ground, using their arms as pillows. Sr, who had helped out with some attacks, walks over to me with Ster and Lucina. "We have to do that again tomorrow night, don''t we?" - Ster "I''m afraid so." - Ian "This is too much on us. Looking at everyone here, we are all injured in some sort of way. Healing everyone will take some time, even with the potions and we don''t know if this is going to happen only at night." - Lucina "Lucina is right, while it may have started at night the pirs of light are still active even though the sun has risen. Which might mean that there will be a different sort of attacking during the day." - Sr "If your theory is correct, Sr, then we need to prepare for battles every second of the day and night." - Ian "Anything can happen since we don''t know what the pirs of light are or mean." - Ster "Any suggestions then?" - Ian "I think we dismiss the idea of something happening in the daytime for now since we just went through a big battle and focus on recovering." - Lucina "I suggest we head towards the cave before the sun set. We know that they areing from that direction, and we can set up a barrier right at the cave entrance." - Ster "I agree with both suggestions. No one right now is capable of fighting, long term for another night." - Sr "Alright, we will do what both of you have proposed. Have Luna and some other wolves head towards the cave to keep watch. Noah and his team didn''t sustain as much damage or mental toll so have them clean up the area. All the bone fragments are to be stored in pots near old man Hus''s workshop. Also, get someone to check on them. Tell them to take a break, as the fighting is finally over." - Ian "How about the loot that isn''t bone fragments?" - Ster "Bring them to me. I''ll sort them out. For now, I''m going to head back to my house and rest up as well. Wake up everyone if they haven''t woken up by midday." - Ian "Yes, my lord." - Ster "Do you need any healing potions, Ian?" - Lucina "No, I''m fine. Thank you, Lucina. Rest up as well, all of you." - Ian "Yes, of course." - Sr I wander back to my house, using my trident as a walking stick. The whole night was long and hard, with constant fighting on too many fronts. Starting with fighting at the canyon to running to save Ster, only toe back and help fight again at the canyon. It was too much, and I was only one person. Which meant, it was worse for everyone else. Kingston and the Krepost would have had it worse than us. Judging by the pirs of light there were at least 3 that would have spawned monsters that went towards the Krepost. Evan and Reba were both wandering around without a base, judging by the sheer number of skeletons, I don''t even know how they would have survived. It would have been hard, a path full of thorns. I can only wait until I get out of the game to talk to them about it. 188 Chapter 188 Getting back to my house, I take off the armor and drop it on the floor, before sitting on the chair by the table. I lean my head back and look at the ceiling, thinking aboutst night. It was a long arduous night, full of back and forth movement and this is the first time I had some proper quiet time, free from anyone else''s calls and free from the monsters. Stretching my limbs as I slouch in the chair, I begin to think seriously about the event. The title of the event already gives so much away, and the appearance of the skeletons only further cemented the idea. The Reaper, who was the King of the South, had somehow created portals through those doors everywhere in the continent. Each door became a pir of light allowing the Reaper''s forces to exit and invade. Knowing that all the Kings were at odds with each other, this attack is not only directed at the yers but also at the other Kings. The Reaper wants to invade other territories while expanding his territory but then, that makes me think. How big are the Reaper''s forces to be able to invade everywhere on the continent? And if there were more monsters as strong as the Bone Wyvern, how many yers would have died, and how many would have survived? What about us? What about HavenFall? How are we going to fit into this puzzle? Our forces are split into two main camps, HavenFall and the Krepost but was that the right choice? Justst night, the fight was already difficult, but maybe it was because we were just under-prepared. No matter how much I prepared, I didn''t know about the event beforest night and I didn''t know how to approach it. Then, it might be better to set up a simple barrier at the cave entrance and set up torches near the top of the cave, so we have sight of the enemies. The cave entrance is small so, it would be easier to defend, and it would allow more rotations in troops. Defending the canyon floor, was too difficult as the front line''s strength was too split. Howard and Gobi were strong and with the help of Gewari and Lynn as well as the wolves they could defeat a lot of skeletons. However, the individual troops were too weak. Demi-human, human, hobgoblin, and goblin alike were unable to handle the overflowing skeletons, and they slowly got pushed back making Howard and Gobi handle more skeletons. Unfortunately, I don''t have a magical way to make them stronger other than the Ikanda, but even that is a slow process. With only 1 person going in at a time and taking a week to a fortnight to finish, it wasn''t a quick way to make mymon troops faster. It would help any of the leaders like Howard or Gobi and make them as strong as 10 or even 100mon troops. Old man Hus wasn''t able to make a breakthrough in any new armor or weapons yet either, maybe I should search up ideas for defensive siege weapons like catapults or trebuchets or even ballistae. I ruffle my head in frustration as my thoughts run wild before identally falling to the side. Luckily my spider legs caught me and at the same time, Ster and Melody opened the door. "Ian! I''m here to help." - Melody "My lord, I''m here with the loot." - Ster "Come in, what do we have?" - Ian Ster and Melodyes in with a small wooden crate each, cing them down next to the table after I sat back down. Ster also moves a shield inside before telling me that these were the only loot that was different. 2 skills books, an orb, a knife, and a shield. "A very interestingbination of loot, isn''t it?" - Ster "I don''t know if we are lucky or unlucky to acquire this much after all the skeletons that were killedst night. The amount of bone fragments is staggering. Every time someone moves a big pot to old man Hus''s workshop andes back it is like they didn''t make a dent at all." - Melody "The sad thing is that we can''t use the bone fragments at all but for now, let''s look at what we have here." - Ian Grabbing each individual item, I look at the descriptions and be speechless. Was this event meant to increase every surviving yer''s strength to be closer to the Kings? [ Skill Book: Bone Wall (Active) 10 MP Create a 10 x 1 x 0.5 meter wall made out of sharp bones that erupt from the ground. It will block a total of 100 damage orst for 1 hour. Cooldown 6 hours ] [ Skill Book: Bone Armor (Active) 5MP Defense +5 Envelop the user in white bone armor, covering head to toe. It will also block a total of 50 damage orst for 15 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. ] [ Orb of Darkness An orb filled with condensed dark element magic. If a person were to absorb the orb they will be able to gain a dark-element-rted skill. However, there will be consequences. ] [ Knife of the Dead Attack: 25 Agility: 10 Vitality: - 10 A cold ck metallic knife with a skeleton''s neck and skull as the handle. It emits a dark aura that weakens the wielder however allows them to move faster and hit harder. Made by ??? ] [ Bone Shield Defense: 35 Agility: -5 Skill: Bone Spike Arge tower shield made up of skeleton arms and legs as the frame with rib cages crisscrossing around a singr skull head in the middle. Despite its bony materials it ends up being quite heavy. ] Bone Spike (Active) - When the skull on this shield is struck, a bone spike will eject out of the shield dealing 20 damage as well as inducing a bleeding status effect. Cooldown 30 seconds. This loot is game-changing, especially the shield and the Bone Wall skill. It helps greatly in the uing battles as well, making the defense stronger. Maybe fighting for so long had its perks since I was able to obtain this loot. As I was reading the descriptions, I was already forming a n on whom to take the loot. Bone Wall should be on someone with high enough Intelligence that they can cast the skill while also using other skills in conjunction. This led me to think of Lynn since she was a natural mage, and itplimented her other skills, allowing a barrier to block attacks while the cooldown on her skills slowly reset. Bone Armor had to be on the front line, and I was leaning towards the Gobi since he looked like he was struggling more duringst night''s battle. His current skills allowed him to boost allies'' stats, however, his skills didn''t allow him to grow stronger in the middle of battle. While he has offensive skills, he didn''t have any defensive skills, and using the Hobgoblin''s Club he would receive extra strength, but leaving himself open to attacks, making Bone Armor a perfect skill for him. The Knife of the Dead fit either Gewari or Ster since they would be able to use the extra Agility well. Their Vitality wouldn''t matter as much if they were faster than their opponent and the Attack on the knife wasn''t that much lower than the Copper Knives. In the end, I gave it to Ster since she was here already and with the Moon''s Ghost, it would allow her to deal damage silently and efficiently. Since Gobi took the Bone Armor, I think it was only fair that Howard would take the Bone Shield. The shield would fit perfectly with Howard and since he was in the front line the skill attached to the shield would activate constantly providing another source of damage. After telling Ster and Melody about who would receive the rest of the loot, I let them give them to their respective owners. While they went to give out the loot, I went upstairs andy in bed. Melody had notified me that the sun was already high up in the sky, so it was only a matter of time before I go back to the real world. I didn''t realize that I had spent so much time thinking about the current situation before Ster and Melody arrived with the loot. Not before long the ceiling of my house gets reced with the ceiling of my real home. I get up from bed, putting away the VR helmet and as I was able to question where Reba was, my phone was already vibrating and buzzing on the table. I look at it and see that there were dozens of messages from everyone in the group chat. It seems like a lot going onst night. I walk out of the room to see Reba walking out of the toilet. "Lots of stuff happenedst night. I think you need to read it asap." - Reba 189 Chapter 189 I flop on the couch as I unlock my phone while Reba starts making breakfast. Her hair was tied in a bun while she wore a tight blue shirt and ck leggings. The smell of cooked eggs and sausages fills the room as I open the messenger app. "I died¡­" - Reba "I barely survived." - Evan "I''m still in some sort of trial dimension ce." - Nina "It was tough, but we were able to defend against the various zombies that came at us." - Sam ? "Zombies? I was fighting against skeletons." - Evan "Me too. There was arge army of skeletons roaming near me." - Reba "I was fighting against spirits or ghosts-like monsters." - Sabrina "Wait, we were all fighting against different monsters?" - Sam "I guess so¡­" - Evan "The monsters that were near me were simr to specters, ghosts, or spirits. They were impervious to physical attacks and had to be defeated via magic. There weren''t many of them, but because they could only be defeated by magic it was a tough battle. They attacked using magic as well and defending against them was hard." - Sabrina "Interesting, the zombies I faced were made up of demi-humans, humans, and beasts with the most difficult zombie being the beasts. They moved quite fast and if any of my troops got bitten then they would turn into zombies after 10 minutes. Fighting against them was hard, but at least we were able to be fully clothed in leather armor. Their attacks were relentless, and they kepting at us until the sun rose." - Sam "The zombies are simr to skeletons in that remark, however, the skeletons were easy to kill. One blow on their skull and they disintegrate. The only problem was their number, it was like an ocean of skeletons wandering the earth." - Evan "Right! I saw them from a high point and watched theme out of the ground where the pir of light was, and it was like watching a machine churn out skeletons." - Reba "I was fighting against skeletons too." - Kingston "Kingston! What happened to you and Ian?" - Evan "Not sure about Ian''s side since we split into two separate parties but near the Krepost we were invaded from two different sides. One side had the endless army of skeletons while the other was an army of skeleton lizardmen." - Kingston "Was there a difference between the two?" - Sabrina "The lizardmen had weapons and armor and seemed to be able to know how to use them, whereas the normal skeletons just pushed forward aimlessly. I also had to fight against a monster called Monster in the Darkness. A small skeleton-like monster covered in a ck miasma that transforms into sharp ws and could disappear." - Kingston "Kingston, so you also faced against a skeleton that was stronger than the rest." - Ian "Ian! Rise and shine, yea, I did. Did you end up taking care of the Bone Dragon or Wyvern or whatever it was?" - Kingston "Yea, luckily for me, I had the Code of Hammurabi which reflected its breath attack, pretty much killing it." - Ian "Wait, wait, wait. You killed a Bone Dragon?" - Evan "Bone Wyvern to be exact and yea." - Ian "This just makes my struggle worthless. HAHAHAHA!" - Sam "So when are you going to carry me? I think I need some help over here." - Sabrina "Wow¡­ I missed that?" - Nina "Unbelievable¡­ Well, so that you know, the Krepost was able to be defended during the night and the skeletons turned to dust in the morning." - Kingston "Was it difficult though?" - Ian "Of course, luckily for us the Krepost can heal our injuries so long we stay within the confines." - Kingston "This event is crazy. Not only are there different monsters depending on where we are, but there are singr monsters which are obviously a ss stronger. " - Evan "But, the loot is good." - Sam "You got loot? All I got were bone fragments." - Evan "I got loot too though." - Ian "Same." - Kingston "I died so¡­" - Reba "Lol! Evan got nothing out of his struggle." - Sabrina "What!?" - Evan "I got a skill book and a sword after the whole ordeal." - Sam "I got a skill book and a cloak." - Sabrina "2 Bone Spears, a skill book, and a ne called Shadow Rose." - Kingston "I acquired 2 skill books, an orb, a knife, and a tower shield." - Ian "What is this difference in items?! Kingston and Ian both got so many items." - Evan "Just lucky." - Ian "Did anyone find out more about the event?" - Sam "Nothing. However, I do have theories." - Ian "Same!" - Evan "I did see that the pirs of lighte out of the ground, and the monsters crawl their way out of the ground toe out." - Reba "In my case, the monsters phased through the ground. However, I had a scout go toward the pir of light after the sun rose, and they told me that there was a barrier around the pir of light making them unable to move forward." - Sabrina "I think that is to protect the pir of light from invaders during the day. My theory is that each pir of light leads toward the Reaper''s territory or at least somewhere near. It acts as a portal, and that portal is constantly churning out monsters to invade other ces." - Evan "I had a simr thought since I found the door in the cave. However, I didn''t expect there to be such arge armying out of the door." - Ian "Well, if we give it some time, I''m sure there will be more information, especially with how much is being posted right now on the forum." - Evan "Tell us when there is an in-depth post?" - Sam "Will do Sam!" - Evan "Alright then, Imma get breakfast. Cya~" - Sabrina "Same, Reba has already prepared it." - Ian "Living with a beautiful girl, how lucky¡­" - Kingston "The guy is luck in and out of the game." - Evan "HAHAHAHA! Maybe I should buy a house and get all of you to move in." - Sam "YES PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" - Kingston "Oh! Daddy Sam, help me pleeeease!" - Evan "It would be fun." - Ian "I''ll look into it. Bye guys." - Sam "Ciao!" - Evan "Bye!" - Kingston "Talk soon." - Ian Closing my phone, I eat the breakfast that was prepared by Reba. The both of us chat for a while before going on a morning jog,ing back before midday. After a quick change of clothes, Reba took me shopping as the weather was getting colder. As it was my first time shopping with a girl I didn''t know what to expect. I wore a simple white t-shirt with a ck jacket and jeans, but when Reba steps outside, I saw a clear difference in fashion. Tying her hair in a low ponytail with a sky blue ribbon, she wore a white blouse with long sleeves and a low cut tucked inside a ck high-rise pleated mini skirt. Leaning against the door, she puts on ck knee-high boots with a gold zipper and a small gold cross at the ankles. "How do I look?" - Reba "Uh¡­" - Ian "What? Cat got your tongue? So cute. I saw you taking out a white shirt and ck jacket so I thought about matching them. " - Reba "You look great¡­" - Ian "Thank you." - Reba Like an angel, she smiles at me making me turn away in embarrassment. "Now, then. Let''s go shopping!" - Reba Linking her arm with me, Reba pulls me along to the train station where we got on a train toward the city. Throughout the rest of the day, she pulls me around, shop after shop dressing up in different dresses, skirts, blouses, and shoes while also forcing different clothing on me. Despite my objection, I had no choice but to wear what she selected, entertaining her for the day until we got back home. Sitting on the couch stretching her arms up, Reba leans her head back looking at me as I walk close to her. "That was fun, Ian." - Reba "Yeah, thank you for getting me this new jacket. I quite like it." - Ian "Trust you to get something so in though. It''s just a simple gray jacket with a hoodie, nothing like the leather jacket or the denim one which I thought looked good on you." - Reba "Right, but still I like it. Although I have a question for you." - Ian "Sure? What is it?" - Reba "Why did you want to go out in the first ce? From the time I knew you, you were never the type to go out of your way to shop. You always got it delivered here." - Ian "Can''t I indulge in a little outdoor shopping spree?" - Reba "I just want to know what is wrong, if there is something wrong." - Ian "Everything is fine. I just wanted to go out with you." - Reba "Then, you won''t mind me asking you one more thing?" - Ian "I don''t mind." - Reba "I like spending time with you, so if it is okay with you¡­ Will, you officially be my girlfriend¡­?" - Ian "You know. I was waiting for those words for a long time." - Reba "Really?" - Ian "Why else would I stay with you for so long?" - Reba Grabbing my hand she pulls me down gently before cing her hands behind my neck. I bend down, gradually getting closer to her until her soft lips meet mine. A slight cherry vor enters my mouth as I rest my hand against her cheek. Closing my eyes, I kiss her back passionately before our lips part. "So, our first kiss was upside down?" - Reba "Then, let''s make our second the right way up." - Ian 190 Chapter 190 "Babe, Evan said there is a post on the forum we should look at." - Reba "Babe? Is that what you are calling me now?" - Ian Looking at Reba as she walks into my room, or is it our room now? She smiles gently as she climbs into bed and under the covers, wrapping her arms around my chest. "Do you not like it? Is someone shy about it?" - Reba "No, it''s fine. Then should I call you babe?" - Ian "You can call me whatever you like." - Reba "Alright then, babe. Uhh¡­ Let me open up the forum on my phone." - Ian "Sure." - Reba With a small giggle, Reba pecks my cheek before settling down in bed as I open up the browser. The forum had been on fire during the whole day with yers talking about their tragic experiences on the first day of the event. However, at the top of the forum was a post highlighted red. [ Third Event - Settlement_News_Agent Hello everyone, my name is Settlement_News_Agent, and I am with X_MarksThe_Spot the founder and leader of Information-Gathering Guild Espion. I have formally joined the guild as well and together X_MarksThe_Spot and I will be delivering to you, the public, news that will benefit all of you. All information gathered is from our team, however, things can change explosively depending on who is interacting with it, so do not take our information at face value, but reference them instead. Now with that said let''s get down to the most important part, the Third Event. What do we know already? It is a continent-wide event, different for each continent, with its own monsters and storylines. That was it. That''s all the information the producers gave us prior to the event but now that it is started what else do we know? Well, as everyone else would have seen the notification, the main objective of the event is to either survive the attacks of the Reaper''s army or find a way to stop it. You might be wondering, how can I survive? What do I do to even start? Well, that''s what I''m here for. I might not be able to give you a step-by-step guide, but I can at least inform you about what is currently happening in other parts of the continent. Currently, each territory is faced with different monsters spawning from the pirs of light that litter the continent. The North faces zombies, the East facing ghosts or spirits, the South facing demonic beings, the West facing creatures from the depths, and the Center facing skeletons. Now you might be thinking but wait the Center is just facing skeletons but me being in the South am versus against demons with magic or demons that are twice my size. While it might seem unfair, the game has somewhat bnced it. A source that is situated in the Center has expressed to us that it is like seeing a tsunami of skeletons crossing the Earth, whereas the South is only facing a few demonic beings. The difference in numbers bnces the difference in strengths as skeletons will die with a single blow to their skulls, but demonic beings are tankier and have more variety in their attacks. BUT that begs the question. What are the stronger monsters in this event? Every event so far has had some sort of boss or mid-boss or something that resembled a stronger monster of the same race. Well, there are also those roaming around, exiting the pirs of light. In the West, there are multiple sightings of Krakens with some evening ashore and wreaking havoc on yers that are based near the shore. The East has seen sightings of a Duhan, roaming the empty ins with a cavalry squadron. The North houses a zombie dragon that has already decimated parts of Bones''s territory. In the South, there are reports of multiple Cerberus eating yers. In the Center an army of skeletons surrounding a Lich or a Lich king, by the way let''s just assume they are mid-bosses. This is just the start of the event, and we are already gued with such strong monsters, but how do we fight against them? We don''t. Surprisingly we do not do anything. It has been confirmed by Bones, Lotus, and Aqua that the loot dropped by the monsters is all valuable and helps increase the overall strength of the army. Whether it is a weapon, a piece of armor, or a skill book, the loot drop rates are rtively higherpared to thest 6 months of y. This, in turn, encourages yers to fight harder, in hopes of better drops, and yes it is risky and dangerous, but it is without a doubt worth the time and effort. So, then why is there an option of stopping the attacks early? Isn''t it better to just farm the monsters and grind weapons, armor, and skill books? The answer to that question is still up in the air. While the game producers have stated the top 10 yers will get a reward, it is based on contribution, and we have little to no way of measuring that number yet. Obviously, if someone stops the attacks they will gain a high contribution but what if someone is focusing only on defeating monsters? Will they also get a high contribution for killing monsters that are stronger than normal? All we can gather from the information given to us is that it is better to farm the pirs of light for more loot to be stronger before finding a way to conquer it. Gain more weapons, gain more armor and gain more skills, whether it is for yourself or for your NPCs, get stronger and stronger since the monsters are also getting stronger. This brings us to a situation that happenedst night in the Bones territory. It isn''t surprising that the Kings are retaliating against the invading Reaper''s army, but up in the North, the Horde, is especially adamant about killing the monsters to the extent of sending some of his own generals. One of which is a human boy that looked to be somewhere between 14 and 18 years old. It is hard to gauge the age ording to our sources as the human boy was further away and moving at fast speeds. However, this human boy is definitely not a yer but a human NPC in the game. He fights with his bare fists and zooms across the ground, beating up zombies faster than any yer could kill them. His golden hair flutters in the wind as sweat glisten off his muscles, but he isn''t big, no he is quite thin. This human had also killed yers but each yer that I interviewed expressed that the human always seemed sad and killed with a hollow expression. Blood stters across his face, but he shows no response. No matter how loud a yer is screaming the human boy looks with pity and despair before dealing the final blow. The only identifying feature is his golden hair. I''m sure other Kings are sending out their troops as well or are going to since the Reaper''s army has only just invaded. Thus, yers might have the opportunity to ally with other Kings , or it might be the opposite and there will be a three-way tug-of-war between the other Kings, the Reapers army and the yers. There is still much more to be explored as this is only the first day. We will be sure to update in the forum whenever we find more detail but for now, we do strongly advise finding a way to farm the monsters. This is Settlement_News_Agent, representing Espion, in delivering news to you. ] After reading the forum post, I became speechless. A quiet sentence full of disbelief escapes my lips. "I can''t believe it¡­" - Ian "What''s wrong?" - Reba "It''s Luke. He is up in the North." - Ian "The NPC that got kidnapped? Is he the human NPC with golden hair?" - Reba "Yea¡­ It''s him. I can''t believe it." - Ian "Well isn''t it good babe? Now you know where he is." - Reba "It is good, but how do I even reach him? All I know is that he is definitely somewhere in the North, killing yers and monsters alike. I have no way of actually reaching him." - Ian "You will find a way, don''t worry too much, although the rest of the post is very interesting. The monsters in other areas all seem to be very strong but both you and Kingston have already defeated one of the mid-bosses. Doesn''t that mean the both of you are already stronger than the other yers?" - Reba "No, because the information guild can''t get all the information in the world. Like how they didn''t know about a Bone Wyvern or the Monster in the Darkness, I''m sure there are mid-bosses that other yers have already defeated. I think they also ssify Luke as a mid-boss too since he is obviously stronger than the current monsters." - Ian "So, what now? They don''t really say what to do for the event. The post kind of just tells us about the monsters that people would see but that doesn''t really affect you." - Reba "I''ll just do what I had originally nned to do. Build a wall at the cave and defend the wall. Have a second line of defense between the cave and HavenFall and have a third line of defense at HavenFall." - Ian "And the Krepost?" - Reba "I left that for Kingston, giving him free rein to do whatever is necessary to stay safe." - Ian "Oh~ Babe is so cool." - Reba "Stop¡­" - Ian "Hahahaha, so cute. I''ll hopefully see you in game soon. I might see Evan first though." - Reba "That''s fine. I''ll see you in the game soon babe." - Ian With a kiss goodnight, the both of us prepare to go back into the game and as I open my eyes, I ready myself for the defensive n immediately. 191 Chapter 191 Walking downstairs, I see Melody hunched over the table, her head resting in her arms. Her ck hair, drapes down to the side as she turns her head and wriggles in the spot. A quiet murmur escapes her pink lips, but it was so quiet I couldn''t hear it. Walking over, I softly ce my hand on her shoulder, waking her up from her slumber. Her eyes flutter awake as she does her best to focus. "I¡­an?" - Melody "Hey." - Ian Leaning back and stretching upwards, she lets out a soft moan as her chest puffs out. I could clearly see her exposed midriff as well as the tops of the two mounds. Looking away quickly, I clear my throat to get her attention. "Sorry. I was quite tired from yesterday''s ordeal. I didn''t get as much sleep as I would have liked." - Melody "It''s fine. Uh¡­ Melody, think you can help me gather Howard, Noah, Gobi, Robin, Ster, Gewari and Sr?" - Ian "Sure! What''s the problem, and where do you want to meet with everyone?" - Melody "It''s for what we are going to do for tonight and future nights. As for the meeting ce, bring them to the meeting house. I''ll wait for you there, okay?" - Ian "Got it. See you soon." - Melody A smiling Melody leaves the house, rushing to find everyone, while I leisurely walk over to the meeting house as I collect my thoughts. Within minutes, everyone slowly walks in, guided by Melody. "Everyone, yesterday was very difficult for all of us. I know it was hard, but for tonight we can do something to make it easier for us. We know monsterse from the cave, and we know monsterse from the small entrance by the waterfall. Noah was able to defend that side with some archers and a couple of wolves, which means the monsters are easily manageable, so long their number is smaller." - Ian "Right, while we didn''t kill as many skeletons as the main battle, we were able to constantly fight throughout the night and even have time to help out at the main battle." - Noah "Exactly, it was because the monsters were in a tighter space and with less room for them to attack. I was thinking, rather than wait for them toe to us, we go to them. If we defend the cave entrance, we should be able to hold the skeletons back. Furthermore, we will be able to do a rotation for the fight. That way, no one burns out, and we will be able to continue doing this for a long period of time." - Ian "I like that idea. Yesterday, both Gobi and I were too burnt out. There were too many enemies, and we were slowly losing ground as other people got injured." - Howard "That''s good and all, but how would the rotation work? And the archers will have a more difficult time since the area where they can attack is small. The cave will also be very dark since it is night outside." - Robin "We can set up torches inside the cave, along the ceiling and near the tops." - Gobi "But that won''tst for the whole night." - Ster "I think we don''t need to. The skeletons have blue mes in their eyes, which are pretty bright already. In the dark cave, it would look like floating blue mes. If we have torches at the front of the cave, we should be able to manage." - Gewari "I can set up a small area where I can perform first aid with Lucina and her group of nurses. I can alsoe in and fight with everyone if needed." - Sr "Great, we have a n." - Ian "How about the rotation of troops?" - Howard "I have an idea about that, but Noah, do you want to share any thoughts first?" - Ian "Hmm¡­ Considering that we have already done a battle in the cave, I remember the most we were able to fit were 3 or 4 people at the front, right? The cave entrance is slightly bigger, so the number of troops fighting at one time will be either 5 or 6. We can construct a basic wooden wall or use a wall of older shields and prop them up with stones, and then use mid-range weapons to fight the skeletons. Rotation can start with either Howard or Gobi, and we can rotate every hour. We have more than enough troops if we are limiting it to 5 or 6 people per fight, then we should be able to get through the night and be ready for anything the next day. Weapons and armor are already being repaired by old man Hus and his team, however, they have been working tirelessly throughout the whole night and today. I suggest they take a break, and we work with what we have tonight, using older weapons. The golem spears and the stone spears will do the job if it is just the skeletons. Worsees to worst we will use the goblin knives." - Noah "That''s a pretty good n. I had the same thought about controlling the number of people at the cave entrance and blockading it, so we can easily fight. We can build a very basic wall and if that falls, Lynn will use Bone Wall to create a temporary wall while we get the shields ready. The rest of my n aligns with Noah. However, I want Gobi to lead the first wave with the aura active the moment we engage inbat." - Ian ? "Yes my lord. I''ll get someone to notify Lynn about the n then." - Gobi "Do you still want Gewari and me in the forest?" - Ster "Yes, we still don''t know what wille out of the pir of the light that is near the forest. So, I''ll need you to monitor it. Keep a scout ready toe back to HavenFall and ready to go to the Krepost to notify Kingston if there are anyplications." - Ian "Yes my lord." - Ster "I''ll make sure to do my best, my lord." - Gewari "Sr, ask Lucina if there are any more potions and have a scout deliver them to Kingston as soon as possible. I''m sure they will need it." - Ian "Alright, I''ll make sure to do it." - Sr "Are there any other questions or suggestions?" - Ian Looking around, I see everyone with determined faces, and with a quick nod, I p my hands together. "Then, let''s do this. For HavenFall!" - Ian "FOR HAVENFALL!" - Everyone Everyone starts to move in their own directions to prepare for the uing battle. Noah and Howard made a beeline to find Owen and Rex to build the wall, while Gobi sent a scout to look for Lynn and Sr went to find Lucina. Ster and Gewari prepared for tonight and went off into the forest while Robin made sure there were more than enough arrows for tonight. "Ian." - Melody Turning around, I see Melody behind me, holding onto a pouch. "What''s up, Melody? What''s in the pouch?" - Ian "It''s potions. Lucina had them on the side for you, but I said I would give them to you." - Melody "Oh! Thanks, Melody. Are you going to be okay tonight?" - Ian "Yeah, I think so. Last night, I was mainly helping Lucina with the injured. I think I''ll do the same tonight as well since I''m not really a fighter." - Melody "Did you want to go and fight? Or is doing this okay?" - Ian "I want to fight, but I''m not good at it. I had Howard and Gobi try teaching me, but I couldn''t do too much¡­" - Melody Patting her head, I speak to her softly. "You are doing great even if you don''t fight, plus, I''ll protect you. Don''t worry about a thing okay?" - Ian "Really? Will, you really protect me?" - Melody Coming closer, Melody looks into my eyes, pulling on the corner of my shirt. "Of course." - Ian "Will you make sure nothing will happen to me?" - Melody "Of course." - Ian "Will you rescue me if anything happens?" - Melody "Of course, Melody are you okay? Did something happen?" - Ian "Ian¡­ I''m just scared." - Melody "Why? Melody you can talk to me." - Ian "There is somethinging. I don''t know what it is, before you woke me up I had a vision. It was really short but¡­ It sent chills down my spine." - Melody "Melody, I''m here to protect you and everyone here. Tell me, so I know what is going to happen." - Ian "I¡­ I saw the world go dark. The sun was above the clouds, but there was no light. It was like night even though it was the day and while it was dark there were more monsters. Everywhere." - Melody "So you are saying, that there will be no sun or daytime?" - Ian "Yes¡­ I think so." - Melody "I see¡­ Don''t worry Melody. I''ll figure something out okay?" - Ian "Really?" - Melody "Yeah, of course. Trust me, okay." - Ian "I''ll be with Lucina okay¡­ Talk to youter." - Melody Melody rushes off leaving me with my thoughts. The world going dark meant that the Reaper must have done something to be able to cover the whole continent in darkness. I can''t even begin to think about what it could be, however, it is going to be a problem. An endless wave of enemies 24/7 would be hell on earth. There would be nothing capable of stopping the Reaper''s forces if this turns out to be real. With my thoughts racing, I get my armor and trident, heading off towards the cave. 192 Chapter 192 Helping out with the construction team, with Owen leading, we construct a wall out of stones, wood, and old shields that were inside the Barracks. Breaking apart part of the canyon wall and transporting it towards the cave was just one part of the whole process, we alsopacted mud in between the gaps, supporting the whole structure with wooden nks. Shields were fitted at the front, wrapped in vines to keep them in ce. Torches were already prepared, ced into a small hole above the cave and around it, creating a ring of fire. Spare weapons are ced in y pots nearby with a variety of spears, axes, clubs, and knives, with extra shields leaning against the canyon wall. We also built a small tform for the archers by piling up mud and using wooden nks to give the archers solid ground. Robin was on the tform instructing her team of archers, making sure they are ready for the uing battle. I happened to overhear her speaking to them as I transported a y pot filled with spears. "Everyone, we have a duty to fulfill tonight. Last night we didn''t do that well, but tonight it is different. That cave is the only ce they cane in from. We need to shoot everything that can potentiallye through. HOWEVER! We must also prioritize anything that is about to hit our front line. Trust in your aim and let your arrow fly true." - Robin "Robin!" - Ian p Turning around from her team, Robin looks toward me. "Ian, what''s wrong?" - Robin "Nothing much, I just overheard your speech. I quite like it. Is everything okay though?" - Ian "It''s as good as it can be. Everyone here is trying their best but other than the archer hobgoblin and a couple of the demi-humans they are average at best." - Robin "It is hard to learn archery. I know if I tried I wouldn''t be any better." - Ian "Hahaha. I think you would do fine. I just wish there was a way for them to get better faster or a different kind of bow to make it easier for them to shoot. " - Robin "I''ll research something like that okay? I have an idea for it, but I don''t know if we can do it yet. I have noticed that goblins and demi-humans are more suited to archery than the other humans. Any thoughts on that?" - Ian "They have a better affinity for the bow and arrow. It''s weird to exin, but I believe a goblin or a demi-human can learn this particr weapon faster than a human can, and I think that''s more to do with the fundamentals of the different races." - Robin "Huh. Then what are humans good at?" - Ian "I would say adaptability. We can survive in a lot of different environments and use different tools to get by, I think that is what we are good at." - Robin "Interesting. So, let me ask you something, Robin. What would happen if the skeletons were about to attack day and night? What would you do?" - Ian "Umm¡­" - Robin "We would have to run." - Noah Turning around, I see Noah approaching Robin and me. "Why?" - Ian "We can''t fight an undying force. It is as simple as that." - Noah "We would run out of arrows and our equipment would break eventually as well, so there would be no merit in continuing a battle where we are just going to lose." - Robin "Right, my thoughts exactly." - Ian "Did something happen for you to mention this?" - Noah "It''s a potential future event." - Ian "Melody''s vision? If that is so, then it would most likely happen. The wall isn''t going to stop an endless wave of skeletons and if there is anything stronger it will only get worst." - Robin "I know, I know. I hope tonight isn''t too bad because I don''t know how we should approach the uing battles." - Ian "Well, it is almost night. Get some rest first. We can handle this, Ian." - Noah "Right, you are one of our strongest and the source of our morale. If you get injured everyone will be worried and anxious." - Robin "Alright. I''ll head over to Lucina and rest up near there." - Ian Waving goodbye, I walk over to Lucina who had set up a simple shelter withrge dead leaves and branches as a roof and dry grass as bedding. She had created a small area off to the side of the cave for us in case we get injured. Currently, she is organizing the healing potions as well as buckets of water with her team of nurses. "Lucina, can I rest here until sunset?" - Ian "Of course! Is everything okay? You look a bit stressed." - Lucina "Do I? I guess it is showing on my face a little. This is only the second day but there is so much happening around us and HavenFall. I just don''t want anyone to get hurt." - Ian "I think you are doing more than enough, Ian. Everyone here knows the amount of work you have put into HavenFall and into making our lives more enjoyable andfortable. No matter what happens, no one will me you." - Lucina "But that''s the thing, I don''t want it to get to that level." - Ian "Then, what else can you do but fight? It is something we have been doing ever since we settled here. I know there have been periods where we were able to rx, but there is a lot of time used in fighting and we both know it. Fighting is just part of our lives now, I think I heard Howard saying something simr. Live and die by the de." - Lucina "Howard said that? Where did he hear that from?" - Ian "He said it was back in the goblin encampment. A mysterious being wandering and trading goods with the goblins there, and he said that quote to Howard who had lost almost all his home. That line stuck by him, which made him never regret going into battle. " - Lucina "Hmm, interesting. I quite like it. Well, thank you, Lucina, for talking to me. I''m going to rest up. Wake me up right before the sun set okay?" - Ian "Of course. Rest up, Ian." - Lucina Closing my eyes as I lie down on the dry grass bed, I let my thoughts float in my head, drifting around as I slowly fall asleep. My breathing slowed and my body rxes, and it seemed like time had stopped. Lucina woke me upter that day, and the sky had turned from blue to orange indicating the approaching event. "Ian, I think it is time to get ready." - Lucina "Thank you, Lucina. Have you already distributed the potions?" - Ian "Already done. Everyone had at least one potion and Gobi is already at the front with the other hobgoblins. He said that it should be them first as they are slightly weaker than the demi-humans." - Lucina "Alright, I''ll head over there now. Be careful here." - Ian "I will. Take care and don''t push yourself too much." - Lucina Walking over to the cave, I see everyone else in position. Noah had taken a team away to the other entrance to HavenFall while Luna is positioned at the gate of HavenFall. The only ones left are Howard, Gobi and Robin as well as the troops here to fight. Looking around, I see the numerous determined faces. No one felt scared instead I could feel the burning desire to fight welling up inside their bodies. Minutes pass and finally, the sun dips below the horizon. The pirs of light shine brighter in the night sky, indicating the start of the event and the beginning of the horde of monsters. "It''sing. I can feel it." - Gobi "Everyone in positions. Get ready. The second squad get ready to rotate in case of any idents. The third squad be ready as well." - Howard "Archers, in positions." - Robin "Stay calm everyone. The monsters areing, Robin fire a ming arrow into the cave." - Ian "Roger that!" - Robin Grabbing a ming arrow and igniting it against the torch, Robin pulls back the string until it gets taut before releasing it. The whistling sound of the arrow as it flies through the air echos in the cave as it lights up its surroundings but the moment itnds, we see the unexpected. Stepping over the arrow and bing illuminated in an orange light weren''t skeletons. There was no blue fire in their eyes instead, a staggering, stumbling creature trod over the arrow. Bits of brown flesh drip onto the ground asrger chunks grip loosely onto the exposed bones. Grey peeling skin, desperately attached to the flesh, as dried blood paints the edges. Zombies¡­. Humans, demi-humans, goblins, kobolds, lizardmen, and even beasts like rats and snakes slowly turn the corner. The frontline was silent, mouths ajar, as they see the decaying corpse approach them from the darkness. Their breaths quicken and sweat forms on their foreheads. Quickly, I shout at the top of my lungs. I need to regain morale as quickly as possible, or else, tonight might end up worse thanst night. "EVERYONE! THIS TIME IT ISN''T SKELETONS BUT ZOMBIES. HUMANS, DEMI-HUMANS, GOBLINS, AND MORE ARE COMING! THEY ARE CORPSES THAT HAVE BEEN CURSED TO WALK ON THIS GROUND AGAIN! IT IS OUR DUTY TO KILL THEM ONCE MORE TO RELEASE THEM!"- Ian "RIGHT! LAST NIGHT WE WERE ILL-PREPARED BUT TONIGHT WE ARE READY FOR WHATEVER COMES AT US! WE CAN FIGHT THEM!" - Howard "PICK UP YOUR SPEARS! DRAW YOUR STRINGS AND FIGHT! FOR HAVENFALL!" - IAN "FOR HAVENFALL! - ALL 193 Chapter 193 The putrid smell of rotting flesh wafts up from the cave, invading my nose and causing my dinner toe up from my stomach. Standing firm, I force it back down, as everyone else did. We all know it wasn''t pleasant but the moment one of us let it overtake us, everyone will follow. The zombies move slowly up the cave making the time waiting for them toe close feel like an eternity, however, it allowed me to give some instructions to the front line. "Gobi, make sure no one gets bitten by the zombie, if they do they are done for." - Ian "What do you mean, done for?" - Gobi "Once bitten, the victim will be a zombie soon after." - Ian "WHAT! Is this confirmed? Is this real?" - Gobi "Very real." - Gobi "And you are only telling me this now as the zombies are getting closer?" - Gobi "Unfortunately, I was also dumbfounded by the appearance of the zombies so my reaction and thinking process kind of slowed. However, what I''m saying is something real. Do not get bitten." - Ian "YOU HEARD THAT EVERYONE! NO MATTER WHAT! DO NOT GET BITTEN!" - Gobi "YES BOSS GOBI!"- Hobgoblins "Anything else you want to share with us, my lord?" - Gobi "Aim for the head. Just like the skeletons they should die after a blow to the head however, it will take more than a normal blow. Decapitation would be preferred." - Ian "Alright." - Gobi "Don''t worry, I''m going to join in the fight as well." - Ian cing a hand on one of the hobgoblin''s shaking shoulders, I tell him to move back allowing myself to stand next to Gobi behind the wall. Gripping my trident with one hand, I wait patiently for the zombies to get in range. As they drew closer, they sped up, moving faster as the smell of flesh entices them. "Gobi, now." - Ian "Got it, Aura of Battle!" - Gobi With the increased stats from Gobi''s skill, I initiate the first attack against the new wave of monsters. Thrusting my trident forward, I stab into the rotting flesh of a zombie wolf demi-human, exploding its head and sttering dried blood across other zombies. The loud explosion echoes against the cave walls and like a tsunami, the once meandering zombies snap their heads towards the entrance. I can see their dead eyes focusing on us as they screech, dashing towards the cave exit. Tumbling on one another as they climb close to the wall. Fear strikes Gobi and the other hobgoblins as they see corpses screaming and wing at each other moving closer and closer to them. "FIGHT THEM! DON''T BE AFRAID!" - Ian Yelling at Gobi and the other hobgoblins, I quickly attack with my trident creating a small chain of explosions on the zombies that entered my range. Seeing me fight, Gobimits to the act as well. Using a golem spear he attacks an approaching zombie. The squishing sound creeps into my ears as the spearhead prates the skull and punctures a hole through the brain. Brain juices and thick blood runs down the spear as Gobi hurriedly pulls it back, before attacking another zombie. Due to the other hobgoblins''te reaction, the zombies had already approached the wall forcing them to take a step back. However, Robin and her team of archers weren''t afraid. They pull their bowstrings back, releasing arrows at the zombies. One of which narrowly scrapes the side of my cheek and pierces through the eye of a giant rat. Taking the opportunity to help out everyone else, I activate Cleave, shing at the zombies that were about to climb over the right side of the wall while simultaneously activating Earth Spike to help block off the left side. Gobi noticing my efforts grits his teeth and starts to actively attack as well helping out the left side. We momentarily stabilize as the hobgoblins finally started to retaliate against the zombies, but the frantic crazed state of the zombies increased each time I kill one with an explosion. I knew it was because of the sound generated by my trident, but each attack was able to kill them as well as damage the surrounding zombies. ncing around, I notice that even Gobi, unless he pierces directly through the skull has to attack a zombie two or three times before killing it. It was the same for the other hobgoblins as they were unable to kill a zombie straight away. Arrows fly over our heads prating into the gray skin of zombies with only a select few miraculously killing a zombie. Unlike the skeletons fromst night, the zombies were like hungry monsters desperatelying closer, but they were also inflicting damage on one another as if they didn''t know they were on the same side. This made dealing with them easier than the skeletons as they would bite, scratch, w, and push each other before they reached the wall and our spears. The battle this time was a lot easierpared to yesterday and after a couple of hours, we did the first rotation, substituting Gobi, the hobgoblins, and myself with a team of demi-humans. "How are you feeling, Gobi?" - Ian "Feeling good." - Gobi "Are you sure? You look a bit pale..." - Ian "No, no I''m fine. The smell is just too strong, so I''m feeling a bit queasy." - Gobi "It''s alright. There is no shame at all." - Ian "Gobi, we need to think of a n. " - Howard "This is not going as well as you might think. There is no way we can keep pushing against them like this, and now that there are more and more zombies the smell is going to concentrate here more and more." - Howard "Eventually we might just suffocate in the stench..." - Melody "Melody! What are you doing here?" - Ian I turn around to see Melody walking toward us. "I came to deliver potions ording to Lucina''s instructions. However, I''m dying from the smell. It is absolutely horrendous. Dead bodies piling up against each other is just not what I expected from the cave." - Melody "Owen and Rex might never want to go back down to mine copper after this as well..." - Howard "Maybe you can breathe in all the bad air and breathe it out near the forest we can go inside the cave without smelling anything" - Gobi "HEY!" - Howard "Gobi, take a potion first, you didn''t get injured however, your condition isn''t the best either. I saw you pushing yourself for the other two on the left a lot. They also need a potion as well. Melody can you give them a potion each?" - Ian "Of course, here Gobi take a potion and I''ll give the other two hobgoblins potions right now as well." - Melody "Ian, are we sure about this approach? Why not go on the offensive and attack directly into the cave?" - Howard "We can attack the cave but that would mean we are risking a lot for the attack. There is no way we can guarantee the attack will work and if we were to be surrounded we would have died. Think about it like this, we didn''t even know zombies wereing out of the pir of light. Imagine we were down there. Caught by surprise and surrounded in no time, the zombies would run over us like a stampede and we would have died. Even if we were able to escape one, two, no maybe even more people would have died to allow the rest of us to escape. Is it worth it in the end?" - Ian "I can see your point now..." - Howard "However, we could have fought valiantly and won right?" - Gobi " I don''t want to fight valiantly, I want to win and make sure no one needs to die for my sake. Everyone here will survive and I will make sure of that one way or another. It was already a tragedy when Oscar died but it wasn''t only him that died. Gobi I saw you make small tombs for the goblins that passed away as well. Each time one of them passes away, you wander into the forest and pick a flower, cing it next to a small pile of rocks. A small tomb for them, I want that to never happen again. Don''t you?" - Ian "You saw that... I thought I was hidden from everyone every time I went out..." - Gobi "It''s not just Ian that knows this. Ster, Gewari, Noah, Kingston, Lucina, myself and even Melody knows about this." - Howard "What!" - Gobi "You are also not the only one that has built a grave. Owen and Robin had created one for Oscar as well. Further, into the forest, they built a small grave with the only thing they had left of Oscar before he passed away." - Ian "I didn''t know... I thought it was only me. I know you have a lot of things on your mind my lord, so, I always thought that there was a part of you that didn''t care as much as others when some passes away. " - Gobi "Gobi... I would be saddened if anyone I knew died. " - Ian "I understand now." - Gobi "Good, now, let''s rest up while keeping an eye on the battle in front of us. Howard you will be rotating next okay?" - Ian "Understood. Will you also be part of the rotation?" - Howard "I will be, but I want to fight them inside the cave, so, you will have to keep an eye on my back." - Ian "Yes my lord! I will make sure nothing happens." - Howard 194 Chapter 194 Watching the demi-humans fight the zombies, I pace back and forth, observing their efforts as well as the zombies'' habits. Compared to the skeletons, not all zombies didn''t explode into purple smoke after getting attacked in the head. Some would flop down to the ground, trampled over by the zombies behind it while others would have to be stabbed over and over again before dying. However, everyone at the front was doing their best to keep the zombies at bay, and with the timely attacks from the archers in the back, there were no problems at the moment. Every so often there would be a push against one side of the wall, with multiple zombies piling on one another in an attempt to breakthrough. Cleaves were used by the demi-humans to retaliate against the zombies and while the skill doesn''t kill off all of them, it was able to stall enough time for someone else toe and help. Closing my eyes, I try to remember the information Sam told me as he faced the zombies on the first night but the zombies he fought were fast¡­ No, these were the same. The moment any sound was produced they immediately sprinted toward the noise. The number and the types of zombies were the same as well. We just need to defend against their attack since there are too many of them, but I do want to go deeper. "Ian, when do you want to go inside the cave, and who is going with us?" - Howard "We can go now, the zombies just did abined attack on the right side and were easily repelled. Thankfully, the stone armor old man Hus made was able topletely cover our arms and legs with a small gap at the elbows, but that was quickly fixed, so there was no need to be worried about any injuries. I have been watching them for a while and after fighting them earlier, I assume we are more than capable of attacking the zombies and going on the offensive. Compared to the skeletons that pushed with pure numbers, these zombies attack each other while approaching us. Our job will be easier with you, Gobi and Sr. We can push forward with our high offensive power and the rest of the troops wille venture in after we start to clear the path. I would have liked it if they were able toplete this mission, but I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg. After all, there are no abnormal zombies yet." - Ian "Alright, I''ll bring them over." - Howard Turning around, Howard calls over to Sr while approaching Gobi. With determined expressions, the three of theme to me awaiting my orders. "Before, I say anything I want your genuine opinions on going on the offensive. All of you." - Ian "It might be reckless of us to go and attack. I know everything seems fine now, but what if there is a monster that is too difficult for you to fight? You told us before that we can''t get bitten by zombies. What if a new monsteres, and it attacks differently? There are too many possibilities to consider¡­" - Sr "I do agree with Sr in this case, my lord. Inside the cave is an unknown amount of monsters, each different from thest, even if they look the same. It is the same as us hobgoblins or goblins or demi-humans or humans. We might look the same, but our skill sets are different. It should be the same case with the zombies." - Gobi "However, we should at least attempt to go on the offensive. We earned a lot from the fight against the skeletons and while the way we approached the attack wasn''t the best we can do it differently this time. The cave already restricts the number of enemies we have to face at once, so I think we can definitely beat them." - Howard "So, 2 of us are against going and the other 2 are supporting it. That makes it difficult¡­ We need a third person¡­ROBIN!" - Ian "Hmm?" - Robin Turning around as I call her name, Robin walks over to the 4 of us. "What''s wrong?" - Robin "We need a fifth opinion. What do you think about attacking the zombies rather than letting theme to us?" - Ian "Hmm, attacking or defending. Isn''t the best defense, offense? We should just attack them if we think we can handle it. Why? What does everyone else think? " - Robin "There are too many unknown variables in the cave which we can''t ount for, but I believe we are more than strong enough to face these challenges. I also think that if we attack we would be able to gain a lot of loot from the zombies. Rather than letting theme at us at a controlled rate, we should push forward and kill them faster." - Ian "Then I think we should attack." - Robin "Then it is 3 to 2 for attacking." - Ian "Alright, I understand my lord. I will give my utmost best efforts." - Gobi "I will do my best as well, Ian. Don''t worry about anything." - Sr "Thank you for expressing your opinions and don''t worry I won''t let you down." - Ian Looking at the cave, I took a deep breath exhaling out slowly. Robin walks back to her team, preparing them for the uing fight while I turn towards the three others. "Now, then. Let''s relieve the front line of their duty and attack all at once." - Ian "Yes, my lord." - Gobi "On it." - Howard "Without a doubt." - Sr "Everyone! Gobi, Howard, Sr, and I will be attempting an attack on the zombies. I want you to be prepared for anyplications that might happen and defend the entrance as we venture deeper into the cave. Frontline! Break to the side!" - Ian The moment I shouted themand, the demi-humans sprint to the side, letting the zombies they were engaging with reach the wall. Stepping forward, I activate Enhanced Agility and Cleave shing the approaching zombies but before I could step up on the wall I was stopped by Lynn. "Ian, let mee along. I can use Bone Wall if there are any troubles deep in the cave to allow us time to escape." - Lynn I hesitate for a moment as I process her suggestion before nodding and jumping over the wall. Gobi and Howard follow suit with Lynn and Sr in the back. Within seconds, a swarm of zombies was in front of me, attracted by the sound of explosions. I lead off the attack with a flurry of quick stabs, exploding body parts of zombies while my spider legs attack zombies on the sides. Gobi activated Tornado spin, clearing a small space in front of him, allowing Howard toe forward and bash his Bone Shield against a zombie. Sr casts shield on everyone here enveloping everyone in a yellowish-white barrier whilst Lynn attacks with small water bullets. The dark didn''t help in our attack but the snarling and growling of the zombies were more than enough to figure out where they were. I gave small quickmands to Gobi and Howard as we push forward, attacking zombies and killing them quickly and efficiently. The Bone Shield proved to be handy as well as the counterattack skill damages zombie after zombie with the only exception being the snake zombies. Their skinny bodies nimbly dodge the bone spike thatunches out of the shield and retaliates byunching its body at Howard. However, its movements were slow inparison to other monsters giving me more than enough time to kill the snake zombie before it reaches Howard with a simple strike of my spider legs. In such an enclosed space, the spider legs were doing the work of 4 warriors. Cutting limbs or stabbing into the skulls of the zombies, they attack at an even faster rate than my trident stabs. With each explosion, I get a small glimpse of the environment in front of me and as we progress deeper into the cave, I notice a small detail on the zombies that changed over time. From the start of the zombie attack at the cave entrance, all the zombies looked like they were falling apart but as I get deeper into the cave, they seem to be more whole. Fewer body parts ripped, fewer exposed bones, and fewer humans and demi-human zombies. Beasts like giant rats, alligators, snakes,rge cats, and wolves were being more and moremon as zombies and there were fewer humanoid zombies. This made the attack stagnate at one point as killing non-humanoid monsters took more effort especially if they are undead and inflicting pain on them would do nothing. As we turn the corner, killing a zombie wolf, a gush of wind pushes me from the darkness. Instinctively, I thrust my trident out while Howard bought up his shield. A loud bang could be heard as something heavy collides with Howard''s shield, pushing him back into the wall. I activate Quickstep, aggressively approaching therge dark figure and attacking with my trident. At the same time, Sr casts a Ball of Light giving us sight of the new monster. ,m A blood-red monster with its brain exposed as its face with a set of sharp needle-like teeth was climbing along the wall like a gecko. My trident misses since the monster wasn''t even there. Therge figure I saw in the dark was simply its long tongue bundled up after striking Howard''s shield. Its whole body was covered in muscles instead of skin withrge ws as its feet and hands. The monster grins as its long tongue enter its mouth, before retreating into the darkness. "What was that about unknown monsters¡­?" - Howard 195 Chapter 195 "Is everyone alright?" - Ian The wave of zombies had stopped, reced with an eerie silence. The moment the new monster showed itself, the rest of the zombies stopped pushing forward and except for a few stragglers, none had attacked since, like they were waiting in the darkness. "I''m fine, for now. That blow was heavier than a golem''s and faster than your attacks, Ian." - Howard "Ster and Lynn are fine as well. Howard took the brunt of the attack, so we are okay. How about you, my lord?" - Gobi "I''m fine. The monster is fast and silent. However, what makes me worried is that there are no zombiesing to attack us." - Ian "Let''s retreat a bit, Ian." - Sr "Okay. Let''s m- GET DOWN SOLAR!" - Ian Activating Quickstep, I pounce towards Sr as she turns behind her, falling forward. I ce my hand on her back, bending my knees to catch her, as I swing my trident upward, shing with a pink tongue. Attempting to retaliate, I stab my top two spider legs at the tongue, but it retreats as fast as it attacked. "Bubble!" - Lynn Lynn casts her spell, enveloping us in a bubble as a second tongue attacks us from the darkness. Gobi and Howard hurriedly regroup before the Bubble pops from a third tongue. "They are crawling around us, along the walls and along the ceiling." - Howard "We need light, Sr can you cast Ball of Light? While I get Robin to shoot down a ming arrow towards us. It won''t be super bright with the ming arrow as a torch but it will do." - Ian "I can try to control the Ball of Light. I saw another elf do it before in my vige but I never thought it woulde in handy, so I never properly learnt it." - Sr "Alright you can try. Howard, Gobi and Lynn stick close together. Let''s move back towards the cave entrance." - Ian Helping Sr up, I block another tongue attack while, Howard and Gobi get in front of Lynn protecting her. As we move back, I nce at Sr as she closes her eyes in concentration and starts to mutter some elven words. "Bone Wall!" - Lynn Lynn uses Bone wall the moment we back off from the corner, sealing the lowerpart of the cave but the new monsters knew how to climb and I could hear the rocks being crushed all around me. I keep my eyes peeled and my ears open, snapping my head in the direction of any sound and attacking immediately. "ROBIN! SEND A FLAMING ARROW DOWN!" - Ian Yelling at the top of my voice without looking back, I signal Robin while doing my best to defend against any attacks that wereing toward the front. My senses sharpen as I start to see the outline of the 3 monsters as they climb along the celing of the cave. Thier shadowy figures dart around the top and the sides, however, I notice they have stoppletely still before they attack. Using this information, I was able to defend agaisnt the majority of the attacks with my trident and my spider legs. Howard would block a couple of attacks as well, but since he couldn''t see where the attack froming from, his blocking was awkward and the cement of the shield was always off making it hard for him to defend. Gobi on the other hand was able to see in the dark being a hobgoblin, however, the monsters were moving faster than his eyes could keep up with them. The only time he could respond to their movement was when they werepletely still and about tounch their attack on him. Blocking with his club, he grunts at the force of the attack but stands his ground as Lynn was right behind him. At the same time, Lynn casts water bullets into the darkness but since she couldn''t see most of the attacks missed. However, it did restrict the monsters movements a little bit which allowed time for Robin''s arrow toe whistling into the cave lighting up the surroundings as it flies through the air. Howard picks up the arrow as itnds, lighting up the area in front of us briefly but as if it knew, the monster''s tongue nimbly dodges around Howard''s shield breaking the arrowhead and extinguishing the me.I curse under my breath but luckily for us Sr starts to chant louder and a Ball of Light starts to revolve around her hand, illuminating the cave''s interior. Snarls start to echo in the cave, as the monster''s retreat from the light, staying in the darkness. We back off slowly, keeping an eye in front of us. I gulp down my saliva as my heart races agasint my chest. "They are gone." - Gobi "Are you sure?" - Ian "Positive, my lord. I know they move fast but I can still see arge figure moving around. They retreated back behind the corner. At the same time, zombies started to move from that corner as well heading towards us. However, they are slow with some walking into the sides of the cave." - Gobi "Okay, let''s get out of the cave then." - Ian "Agreed. That was too much." - Howard "At least none of us were hurt." - Sr "Sorry, everyone. I didn''t do as much as I could have done¡­" - Lynn cing a hand on Lynn''s shoulder as we turn our backs to the cave, climbing over the wall. "Lynn, you did a good job. Those monsters were different and we knew next to nothing about them so you shouldn''t fee down about it." - Ian "Thanks, Ian. So, what now?" - Lynn "Now? Robin, keep an eye out for me. The cave is still filled with zombies. Howard set up another rotation and once you are finished meet up at Lucina''s healing station. Sr, Gobi and Lynn,e as well." - Ian "Got it. I''ll be there in a second." - Howard "What seems to be the problem?" - Gobi "We will talk more once, Howardes back." - Ian "Yes my lord." - Gobi The 4 of us wander back to Lucina''s healing station while Howard shouts somemands at the other people. Robin helps Howard as well asmand the archers to attack anything that aproaches the wall. Howard rushes over, waving goodbye to Robin who takesmand of the troops while we are disscussing about the new monster. During that time, I had asked Lucina to do a quick check up on everyone. While I can tell they lost some HP, I wanted to make sure their mental health was okay as well, after all, there is no stat screen for that. Gobi was a little shaken by the experience as I saw him reluctantly bashing the heads of zombie goblins with his club. His hands were still shaking even now, despite his confident expression. Lynn also looked under the weather as she looks through the magic book, muttering to herself. I understood that she felt useless in the cave but her timely Bubble was able to help us at a crucial time. Furthermore, her water bullet magic was able to kill zombies easily and she was able to do it a lot since she had high Intellegence. Compared to those two, Sr and Howard were fine after the battle and were checking teir equipment. The two of them were already used to death and monsters and must have quickly epted the turn of events, only slightly shocked about the new monster. "Alright, group meeting. That new monster was very different to monsters we have faced before and seemed to have some form of intellegence even though it is an undead." - Ian "I think it wasmanding the zombies or there is still another monster deeperin the cave which ismanding both the zombies and these new monsters but can''t do it at the same time. After all, if they could attack at the same tme then the zombies would swarm us from the ground while those monsters would attack us from the ceiling and with thier long reach we might not even see the attacking for us." - Lynn "Lynn makes a good point. I saw the zombies deeper in the cave as we fought with the new monsters. They were unmoving and seemed to be looking at the sides of the cave not paing attention to the fight between us and the monsters. Despite, zombies rushing us earlier becasue of Ian''s explosions." - Gobi "Right, I found that weird as well. No matter how much noise we were making, the zombies should have been attracted to it, since the cave echos as well." - Ian "The monsters themselves were very strong. We would have suffered some injures or maybe even casualities if we were fighting them with the zombie horde." - Howard ,m "I think I know how we fight against them though¡­" - Sr "Your light, right?" - Ian "Yep, they retreated from the light and the first time I used it agaisnt them, they also retreated but that time I did damage one of them." - Sr "They were afraid of the light andpared to me or Howard''s atttacks, you were able to damage themmore effectively. I also think they don''t have eyes and were relying on their sense of smell or sound to attack us. I say smell becasue it reacted to the burning arrow so fast, despite Howard oly just picking it up." - Ian "Then fighting it in the cave is next to impossible. Each step we make would produce so much sound." - Gobi "No, I have an idea¡­" - Lynn 196 Chapter 196 After recovering for a bit, we decide to go back into the cave, this time with some additional people. Robin and a couple of goblin archers were going to follow us with a quiver full of ming arrows and carrying torches in their hands. The defense at the wall was going strong, as the team of demi-humans and humans were steadily repelling any zombies. Since the start of the event, the battle has been concentrated at the entrance of the cave but bit by bit the rest of the troops got used to fighting the zombies. Cutting down the zombies became easier and easier as time went on, and I feel like they were bing stronger with each battle. Stronger but not stat-wise, their teamwork grew with each battle, and they were able to look out for each other easier. p Gobi and Howard bothmented on the troops'' performance, expressing their satisfaction. They didn''t realize how much one long hard battle would affect the other troops but seeing them defend the cave without taking any damage told them more than enough. Everyone was growing stronger which meant HavenFall was growing stronger as well. "Lynn, you sure this will work?" - Ian "No idea. I just said I had an idea." - Lynn "Then are we still going to go along with the idea?" - Howard "It doesn''t hurt to try right?" - Gobi "It depends on Sr since she is the main focus of the idea." - Ian "I think it will work. I will just need some time since this is different from using magic I already knew." - Sr "What are the odds you will be able to achieve it?" - Ian "I think it''s more about the time. The more time I have the longer I have to construct the spell. After all, this is going to be very different¡­" - Sr "It should be fine, Sr. I only thought about this idea after seeing you use Ball of Light differently. I think both of us need to understand that elven magic is fundamentally different from using magic from my book. The concept of elven magic draws power from their belief in their god. In Sr''s case, it is the god of the sun, and while the sun isn''t up at the moment the god still watches over her. Thus, she is still able to draw power from the sun regardless of time or ce. This was already proven when she changed the chant for the Ball of Light. The original chant was about casting light at an enemy, but after talking to Sr, I found out the new chant to create a spinning Ball of Light was about casting light around my hand. This means, that so long as the chant is correct she can utilize magic however she sees fit. If she wants to create multiple spinning Balls of Light she should be able to so long as the chant is correct, and she properly draws power from her god." - Lynn "I never realized this was how elven magic came about since I never really studied magical arts. I was just taught the chant and what it would do, so this really intrigued me. Ster would love to hear about this theory." - Sr "Can you test it now? So we don''t need to try it out while we are in the cave." - Ian "You make a good point¡­ I honestly thought we were just going inside and then trying it when we are in danger." - Lynn "That would be bad¡­" - Howard "Then I''ll help out at the front line while you get everything sorted, my lord." - Gobi "Sr, how about you and Lynn test it out on the side. Gobi, I''ming with you, I''m going to fight the zombies at the front and hone my skills. Howard go and tell Robin to just be ready for when we are about to go in." - Ian "On it Ian." - Howard "Alright, Lynn will you help me?" - Sr "Of course. I''m very interested in how it will turn out." - Lynn With that, we had our tasks. Gobi and I went to the front lines to fight the zombies. I took this opportunity to test out my spider legs a bit more, learning more about the way I could utilize them. Most of the time, I use them to stab something or block an attack, but the blocking wasn''t as urate as my attacks. So, I did my best to block as many of the zombie''s attacks as I could while dancing around them in the small space. Gobi also took this time to learn about fighting against multiple enemies. While he has already done that when versing the skeletons, he told me that fighting against skeletons and zombies was different. Not only were the zombies relentless, but their movement also varied from zombie to zombie simting hundreds of different styles of attacks. Taking absolute caution, he had Sr shield him before attempting to fight against zombies by himself. Seeing him face zombies by himself reminded me of when I was surrounded by skeletons at the front gate of HavenFall. Desperation and horror on his face, as he constantly defends and attacks the rampaging zombies. Then, something changed. Gritting his teeth, Gobi screams loud. His booming voice echoes in the cave and the already agitated zombies howl in delight as they rush toward us. Sensing the danger, I leap over the wall and grab his shoulder but as if he had eyes on his back, Gobi deflects my hand. "Gobi. GOBI! COME BACK!" - Ian "NO! I CAN SEE IT! I CAN FEEL IT! POWERRR!" - Gobi Confusion runs through my mind, but that''s when I remember that the Hobgoblin''s Club can trigger a berserk state. I had forgotten no one had entered that state since we fought Balta, but now I was regretting it. The stats on the weapon were strong, and I had thought anyone that wields it would be able to hold back their anger but Gobi¡­ "DO NOT WORRY MY LORD! This is different. AURA OF BATTLE! CLEAVE!" - Gobi Crashing onto Gobi the tsunami of zombies attacks him, but with a single Cleave, Gobi decimates the zombies. His eyes shine crimson as he dashes into the crowd of zombies spinning so fast that the flesh on the zombies was being ripped off their bones. I look at his status window to see the change. Name: Gobi Race: Hobgoblin ( Chieftain ) Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 15/15 Strength: 25 (+12) Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 15 (+15) Luck: 5 Skill: Charge, Cleave, Aura of Battle, Leadership (Passive), 1 vs Many (Passive) 1 vs Many (Passive) - When the user of this skill is fighting against a group of enemies that outnumber the user more than 10 times, gain +50% Strength and +100% Agility. However, the user will also enter a slightly crazed state where the pain is reduced by 50% and their thinking may be clouded. "God dammit¡­ He gets a new passive somehow, and it is as good as it is bad. At least he isn''t in apletely berserk state but isn''t this technically worse? GOBI! LISTEN TO ME! GET BACK!" - Ian "Wait!" - Lynn Turning around, I see Lynn, Sr, Robin, and 3 goblins, standing behind the wall with readied expressions. "Are you already ready, Sr?" - Ian "Yes, I''m ready. I am able to perform the new spell and with Gobi already fighting the zombies, I don''t think we need to back off. Instead, we can use this as a driving force to go deeper into the cave." - Sr "I have to warn you though, Gobi isn''t in the best state of mind." - Ian Banging on his shield, I turn to Howard who was grinning. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure he won''t go too deep" - Howard "Alright, Lynn and Robin what about you? Ready?" - Ian "Ready. There isn''t much I need to do other than use Bubble when we need it most."- Lynn "Me and the goblins are ready as well. We will light the way with our arrows and the torches." - Robin Reassuring me that we are going to be alright, I turn around to see Gobi still fighting against zombies licking his lips in satisfaction as he bursts the fleshy skull of a zombie lizard man. I nod my head at the 7 of them and signaled them toe over as I rush toward Gobi, attacking the nearby zombies and creating a chain of explosions with my trident. Howard quicklyes behind me, bashing his shield into a zombie while Robin lit the torches lighting up the cave. The goblins fired some arrows further into the back, revealing the rushing horde of zombies but for some reason, I felt calm. I knew there was danger deeper in the cave but right now I felt like I was standing in the middle of a tranquilke. Of course, all calmness breaks as Howard and Gobi shout a battle cry as they fight against the zombies. Smiling, I join in the fight more aggressively attacking with all my strength and using my spider legs where necessary. Deeper we go¡­ 197 Chapter 197 Club in hand, Gobi rushes forward smashing and bashing zombies left and right, while I support him with my quick thrusts, piercing through the rotting flesh. Howard stabilizes us, shielding any attacks from the right. Now, that there was light in the tunnel I could see the horrific tidal wave of zombies. Not to mention the ever-pungent rotting flesh that permeates into your nose every second that passes. Dried blood and pieces of flesh stter across the cave walls before turning into purple smoke. Gobi''sugh echoes in the cave filling my ears but despite his aggressive actions, I noticed that he was fighting differently than before. It was simr to Kingston''s style of fighting which relies on instinct. With the boosted stats, Gobi reverted back to his goblin nature. Aggressively fighting, aiming at weak points like the ankles or the neck, and dodging based on feeling. Eventually, Gobi breaks through the tsunami of zombies reaching the corner where we had stopped before, and like before, there was a moment of silence. "Robin, fire the arrows now. Sr prepare the spell and Lynn make sure you are ready as well. Howard, bring up the shield and Gobi¡­ Stay still." - Ian "Ready the arrows¡­." - Robin "Sorry, for the aggression my lord¡­" - Gobi "Don''t worry about it, Gobi. it was refreshing just running at the enemy instead of thinking of ways to fight them." - Ian "Just try not to do it too much. You gave us a scare a couple of times when you used Tornado Spin into the horde of zombies." - Howard "I''ll make a note of it." - Gobi "FIRE!" - Robin 3 trails of fire fly down the cave embedding themselves between rocks. The archer goblin''s night vision helped in the process of firing the arrows as they were able to see the best location to slip an arrow into the rocks. The arrows be small beacons of light illuminating the dark cave. "1 close on the ground, 1 close on the ceiling and 1 far on the ceiling. They are almost in range for their attack. I suggest attacking now." - Gobi "Right, Lynn protect me in case anything goes wrong." - Sr "Don''t worry, it will be fine. We figured out the chant, all there is left to do is to use it. There should be no problem whatsoever.'' - Lynn "Then, we should get ready as well. Howard step to the front and Gobi go to the back and be our eyes." - Ian "Got it, my lord." - Gobi "I''ll be sure to defend against the attack this time." - Howard Seconds after we got into position, the torches get taken out one by one. The monsters were approaching and they knew the significance of the torches to us. However, they didn''t know we could just keep shooting them. "Robin, continue firing arrows into the darkness. Always have 3 burning. Archer goblin''s aim for the monsters that are approaching us." - Ian "You heard him. Fire at will guys!" - Robin With a steady stream of ming arrows flying at the monsters, we were able to see them approach us. However, instead of backing off, they became agitated by our attacks and the closest monstershes its tongue out, mming into Howard''s shield. It booms in the cave like thunder striking the ground, ringing in my ears. Howard slips back a few steps but holds his ground as much as he can, knocking the tongue to the left side using his whole body. However, it left him in a vulnerable state, with his front exposed Howard awkwardly tries to bring his shield back to the front, as a tongue zips out of the darkness. Just in time, Gobies in front of Howard blocking the attack, but the force behind the attack was too strong knocking him backward into Howard. The monsters knew some strategy which makes it harder and were able to take opportunities from each other''s attacks but so could we. I activate Enhanced Agility and focus on the closest monster. An arrow hadnded near it which revealed its position nicely to me. Activating Charge, I dash towards the monster pointing my trident at the exposed brains. Unfortunately for me, its agility was nothing tough at, it nimbly dodges backward enveloping itself in the darkness while a pink tongue aims for my face. I activate Quickstep, dodging to the left, and pressing my back against the wall. I quickly swing my trident upward hitting the pink tongue with the butt of my trident. The attack was awkward and had little weight behind the strike doing nothing to the monster. Instead, I hear a low growl as another attack came from above me. The first monster which had dodged my charge came back to attack me, lunging at me with its mouth wide open, disying a row of sharp needle-like teeth. The top two spider legs shoot upward meeting the monster in the air and prating into its tworge hands. I would have liked to have stabbed its brain with my spider legs, but it used its hands to block my attack. I grit my teeth as I force the monster upward, retracting my spider legs and rolling forward away from the pink tongue. Howard had recovered and helped pull me back to safety with Gobi hitting another tongue attack away. ncing at Sr''s glowing body, I assume she was ready to use the new skill which I looked at on her stats. Name: ??i?lo? (Sr) Race: Elf Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 35/35 Strength: 12 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 70 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 22 Luck: 10 Skill: Shield of the Sun, Haste of the Sun, Touch of the Sun, Ball of Light, Illuminating Beam Blessing of the Sun (Passive) Illuminating Beam (Active) 20 MP - After gathering mana for 30 seconds, the user needs to chant the elven spell correctly before ejecting a beam of light in a directionsting for 2 - 10 seconds. ( 100 to 400 + 50% Intelligence ) Cooldown 5 minutes Sr''s body glows brighter until it condenses into her right hand as she holds it out pointing at the monster which Robin reveals with a ming arrow. "??im?n? ¦Ãm noq¦Ô ???il b??? bn? m??d ? o?ni ll?d ?i?? n?¦Ô? ???n???? ?m ?vi? n¦Ô? ??? ¦Ã?m Illuminating Beam!" - Sr Shooting out of her hand was a ray of light as bright as the sun itself, blinding me. Covering my eyes, I peek through the cracks to see the whole cave as clear as day as the ray of light burns a hole into the fleeing monster. The light burns the monster until it bursts into a cloud of purple smoke and as Sr was directing the beam of light towards the next monster it fades away until the cave goes back to its natural dark state. "That was¡­ AMAZING! I knew we were able to condense it into a beam but never did I know that it wouldst for that long nor do that much damage." - Lynn With a beaming smile on Lynn''s face, she hugs the panting Sr from behind. The attack took a lot out of Sr, as she breathes heavily unable to reply to Lynn''sment. However, that new attack was indeed fascinating. While Lynn had exined to me that the fundamentals of elven magic stemmed from the chant and the power is drawn from whichever god the elf believed in, I didn''t think a spell-like that would be created. This then begs the question, what are the limits of elven magic and what can Sr create? "Lynn, do you think Sr will be able to create even more devastating magic?" - Ian "There is the possibility, however, that requires more research. This time we were only able to create it by forcing lots of Balls of Light into a tunnel which eventually turned into a beam. The only problem is the amount of mana it consumes is a lot and as you can see Sr is already very fatigued from using one attack. It can''t work on all the monsters but at least this way we were able to eliminate 1 of the 3 monsters." - Lynn "Right, and with everyone''s help we should be able to defeat the other 2." - Ian "Especially since they look extremely worried now. They are disying sighs of hesitation and fear after seeing theirrade die. I didn''t know these monsters felt so much emotion." - Gobi "Confident in killing them?" - Ian "You know we are confident. After this, we still need to fight whatever is down at the bottom of the cave. There might be a whole cavern full of zombies and these monsters just waiting for us toe closer. There might even be a stronger monstermanding the zombies, who knows¡­" - Howard "Right, we shouldn''t getcent with just one monster killed. We need to be ready for whateveres at us. Robin, light the way for us. It''s time to kill these monsters and move forward." - Ian "Alright, I was waiting for you to say that. Leave the simple stuff to me and push forward!" - Robin 198 Chapter 198 Pressuring on, we were able to eliminate the other 2 new monsters with one of them dropping 2 pieces of loot. Previously, I didn''t pick up the zombie loot since nothing special had dropped but this time the new monster dropped a skill book and a thin needle-like object. I also took the opportunity to pick up the zombie loot, despite knowing it wasn''t going to be anything special. [ Zombie Skin A piece of skin cut from a zombie. It has no use whatsoever however,bined with other ingredients it might do something. ] [ Skill Book: Enhanced Muscles (Passive) +5 Vitality This skill book will allow the user to obtain the skill Enhanced Muscles. Enhanced Muscles will give the user a boost in Vitality, allowing them to endure more attacks. Open the book and say the skill name to learn it. ] [ Licker''s Teeth A singr sharp needle-like tooth from a Licker. It is as long as an average human''s finger and is slightly poisonous. ] A poisonous needle, lots of zombie skin, and a skill book that enhances vitality. The loot was about the same as the loot from the skeletons which meant, that so long as the yers killed a lot of monsters they would receive more or less the same rewards. Giving the skill book to Howard, I let him learn the skill while giving the needle to one of the goblins to ce in their pouch. We venture deeper into the cave, fighting zombies along the way with the asional Licker climbing along the walls. Now that we were more ustomed to fighting them, killing them became easier. Even without Illuminating Beam to kill them, having Ball of Light was already enough to damage them significantly. In addition, the goblin archers were able to find the Licker as it climbs along the wall, firing ming arrows at the monster and revealing its position. With its position revealed, defending against the tongue attack became easier since we were able to react to the attack. It became easier for Howard to defend and retaliate as well as he was able to locate the attack and put up the shield correctly to defend against it. Gobi became stronger the more enemies there are, and with the growing horde of zombies, his aggression, and damage became vital in our fight. While he was the main damage dealer, I focused on helping him with my spear attacks and my spider legs. My attacks were more pinpoint and were able to attack from different angles since my spider legs were able to reach different areas, covering our blind spots. ,m Eventually, we got stuck at the bottom of the cave as it enters the cavern. The zombies had changed as well, with their rotten skin reced by a pale greenish hue. Their eyes shine a dirty mustard yellow as they snarl at us, saliva dripping to the ground with dried blood covering their nails. The zombie beasts were just as terrifying as a mixture of wolves,rge snakes, and giant rats rushed at us. Their bodies were just as whole as the humanoid zombies, with the only difference being the dirty yellow eyes and the pungent rotting flesh they emit. Fighting them became harder due to their resilience. Cutting a limb off or gouging out a hole didn''t stop the zombies, instead, it is inconvenient to fight them as they were crawling along the ground desperately trying to reach us. Being unable to kill them in one stroke, made the fight harder as the number of enemies increased with each second, slowly overwhelming Gobi and Howard. "Gobi, Howard, support me. I''ll handle the front" - Ian "Sorry for this Ian. It seems like the number of enemies is just too much for me." - Howard "I''m sorry my lord. Fighting against so many is harder than I thought." - Gobi "No, you did well. It''s just my turn, plus my attacks are more useful and if I have more room, I can attack them easier. Sr, cast Shield on me. Lynn be ready to cast Bone Wall and Bubble if needed and Robin keep the arrowsing." - Ian "Shield! I''ll support with Ball of Light once I have more mana." - Sr "Okay, Ian." - Lynn "Alright, FIRE! KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR THE LICKERS!" - Robin Howard and Gobi step back, taking out a potion to heal themselves while I activate Charge, mming my trident into the first zombie piercing through it and into the next zombie causing two explosions. Pulling my trident back, I activate Cleave in front of me, eliminating the nearby zombies and creating a chain of explosions, setting the dry hair on the beasts alight. Burnt flesh mixes with the rotting stench, causing me to wrinkle my nose, but s, I continue my attack. I keep stabbing in front me creating explosions in a small cone while my spider legs managed the sides, not allowing even one zombie toe within my range. "MY LORD GET DOWN!" - Gobi Listening to Gobi''s call, I Quickstep to the right andunch myself onto the ground, sweeping the legs of zombies with me. A pink tongue stabs into the ground where I once was and a small trail of fire retaliates against it. "WATER BULLET!" - Lynn Lynn casts Water Bullet towards the same location as the arrow and a loud shriek could be heard in the cavern. We knew it didn''t kill the monster, but it was enough to stall it for a while, as I continue to breach through the zombie wall. Robin kept helping me with her arrows setting some beasts in the back alight and creating a small sea of fire in the cavern lighting up the surroundings. Surprisingly there were as many zombies as I thought left, which causes me to raise an eyebrow. Being prepared for the worst-case scenario, I didn''t rush out of the cave once I eliminated the final zombie. Standing in position ready to fight I waited¡­ I gulp down my saliva and nce behind me, nudging my head towards Robin. Taking the hint, she and the other goblins fired a volley of ming arrows into the cave but to no avail. Nothing showed up. It wasn''t like the cavern waspletely dark either, there was still the pir of light shining on the left side castingrge shadows on the right. "Gobi do you see anything?" - Ian "At the moment nothing¡­" - Gobi "Anyone hear anything?" - Ian "Nothing¡­" - Howard My heartbeat became the loudest sound in the cave, with my breathinging in a close second. My lips turn dry as I suck in the air into my lungs. "Okay, I''m going to slowly go in." - Ian Signally, my intent, I shuffle forward but immediately stop. Chills run down my spine and the hairs along my neck stand tall. A singr step echoed in the cavern. A figure walks into the light emitted from the pir of light. Silently it approaches as the shadow bes smaller. Each step was quiet, yet it was louder than anything I had heard. I wave my hand back, telling everyone to fall back, while I crouch slightly preparing for the monster. In the corner of my eye, a hand wraps around the top of the cavern entrance. A bony pearl white hand with strings of crimson muscles grip the rocks, cracking them and causing small bits of rubble to drop to the ground. Its thick muscr leg appears next, with dried blood spattered all over it. Without any skin, it looked simr to the Lickers that appeared before, except this leg was more humanoid as if it was just a body builder''s leg with the skin cut off. Like lighting, its head appears from the top of the ceiling, and two pearl white eyes with a tiny dot stare at me. Its mouth opens along with the jaw opening downwards, revealing a set of disgustingly yellow canine teeth. My heart skips a beat as a scarlet red liquid drips from its mouth to the ground, as it brings its head closer to me. Instinctively, I thrust my trident at the monster, hitting it in the forehead and causing a small explosion. Without letting up my attack, I continue to thrust my spear as explosion after explosion echoes in the cavern. I dodge back after the 10th strike and wait for the smoke umted from the repeated explosion to disperse. To my surprise, the monster stood still, taking the hits but once the smoke disperses I see that it didn''t need to move. Other than a small ck mark on its forehead, there was no damage. Instead, it opens its mouthrger as it screams at me. The sheer force of its scream, causes me to take a few steps back, but I ready myself for the following attack. As if it was following a script, it lowers its body andunches itself at me, mming into my trident as I clock the attack. I stabilize myself with my spider legs, as I shove 2 of them into the ground and the other two into the sides of the cave. I cough up blood after the attack as the monster straightens its back. Its thick muscr body takes up all surrounding area as it screams at me. However, what scares me most was that its chest had its rib cage bones exposed, pointing out towards me. With 12 bones on each side of its chest, sharp and ready to puncture me with holes, I couldn''t help but feel slightly overwhelmed. I grip my trident tightly and took a deep breath, staring at the monster. Ready to attack the moment it moves. 199 Chapter 199 "FIRE!" - Robin "WATER BULLET!" - Lynn "BALL OF LIGHT!" - Sr Shooting above me, 3 ming arrows shoot towards the monster''s chest however, it bounces off the exposed musclesnding on the ground with a light clink. At the same time, a wave of water bullets and a singr Ball of Lightnd on the monster''s face, causing a small explosion and agitating the monster as it screams. Its eyes locked on Lynn and Sr behind me, ignoring my presence even though I was standing in front of it. "Howard go on my left and Gobi go to my right. Attack once you see an opportunity." - Ian mming my trident across the monster''s face as I leap up, following up with a stab with the butt of my trident, I redirect its attention to me. I continue my attack as Ind, sweeping at its legs but was stopped the moment the body of the trident hits the monster''s ankles. It was like hitting a rock as I feel the vibrations run up the handle and into my hands. I grimace in pain but immediately regret my hesitation. Its feet quickly m into my stomach kicking the air out of my lungs as I get flung back. "GOBI!" - Howard "ALREADY ON IT!" - Gobi Responding to the attack, both Howard and Gobi approach the monster quickly as its leg remains in the air. Ducking underneath the leg, Howard ms his shield upward further destabilizing the monster as Gobi activates Charge gaining a boost of speed, and approaches the monster''s other leg, activating Cleave once he reaches. His club smashes across the leg but to all of our surprise, the club snaps breaking into tiny splinters which cover Gobi''s body and the monster''s leg. With a face of confusion, Gobi mutters a word under his breath. "Impossible¡­" - Gobi Regaining its strength, the monster kicks down on Howard''s shield ttening the man to the ground while also taking the opportunity to punch Gobi. Putting up his arms to protect his body, he feels the full force of the strike and I could hear his bones creaking and cracking as the monster''s fist pushes into his body. Flung into the cave wall, Gobi remains unmoving as Sr rushes over to cast a healing spell. Seeing the disastrous situation, I fling myself at the monster, attracting its attention after a few attacks while dodging under its legs and striking the back. Turning around it roars at me and proceeds to send fist after fist, each creating a small hole in the ground. I retreat backward, approaching the cavern with each step drawing the monster away from the rest of them. "ROBIN! GET EVERYONE UP TO THE SURFACE! I''LL HANDLE IT HERE!'' - Ian "But-" - Robin "NOW!!" - Ian Backflipping into the cavern, I lure the monster with my own body and as if pleased by the turn of events, a creepy smile forms on its face. The bones on its chest wriggle in pleasure as a burst of lowughter fills the cavern. "What a hero, sacrificing himself for other people." - ??? "Y-You can speak?" - Ian "Did you think I was like those lesser beings?" - ??? Staying silent, I gulp down on my saliva as I see the monster''s eyes narrow. Its face shows a displeased expression as I stay silent. "I see, even an insect like yourself can be arrogant." - ??? "Who are you? Did the Reaper send you here?" - Ian "Do you think you have the right to know my name or about my master''s intentions? An insect like yourself should die." - ??? Pressing down on the ground, its leg muscles bulge as itunches itself at me, faster than any attack I faced before. Receiving its attack with my trident as well as my spider legsing forward to absorb part of the damage, I activate a skill which I haven''t really used. "Emerald Gaze!" - Ian Staring at the monster, my eyes burn as an emerald light exits my eyes, engulfing the monster. Seeing the monster''s agility slow, I activate my Araneae Ring''s skill at the same time. "Summon Spider!" - Ian A small ck spider with a small red hourss on its back, the size of my hand, emerges out of the ring. Imand it to blend into the darkness and attack the monster from behind whenever it had the chance. Leaping off my hand, it scurries into the darkness as I proceed to attack the slowed monster, however, the slow was only for a short amount of time, and it looks like the monster was still quite fast despite the debuff. Stabbing at the monster''s face, it hits the trident head down with it''s left hand, swinging its whole body around towards my right side as it sends its right elbow towards me. Activating Quickstep, I move closer to the monster, pressing my back against its back as I twist my body to the left, moving the trident towards the exposed right side of its face. Anticipating the attack, it redirects the attack with its elbow to defend against my attack and as a small explosion urs above me, it lets out a scream. [ You have been attacked by Wailing Scream and have been inflicted with Fear for 2 seconds. ] My body stiffens as the scream resonances in my ears. A fist finds its way to my side, lifting my body off the ground andunching me to the side. I crash into the cavern wall, exiting the rubble with a couple coughs as I quickly drink a potion. However, without letting me recover my health, the monster dashes toward me and sends an uppercut into my chest lifting my body into the air. My HP depletes quickly and in the corner of my eye I see that I had already entered the single digits. As I get hit, the spider which I had summoned emerges out of the shadows and bites into the monster''s unsuspecting neck. Injecting green venom from its fangs into the monster, however, the monster shrugs off the spider andughs. "Did you think poison would work against me?" - ??? Unable to respond, I cough up blood, gripping onto my trident as Iy on the ground. The Copper Chest te which old man Hus had just made was already in pieces. The monster kneels and picks me up by the neck. It''s grotesque face stares at me in amusement. "Already unable to speak? So, an insect is still an insect until the end. Well, since you are about to perish by my hands, maybe I will tell you my name, so you can remember it as you regret your decision in attacking me. My name is Zabik, a general of the Reaper and themander of zombies. Let me tell you something, insect. Did you really think you killed my army of zombies?" - Zabik As if on cue, the ground around me starts to tremble as hands pock out of the rocky ground. Hundreds, if not thousands of zombies all of different sizes, shapes and types emerge out of the ground. Leaping up from the hole which leads to the white door were Lickers adding to the army of undead. "Why-why didn''t you just send them all up to attack us?" - Ian "Because it is more fun to kill insects after they think all hope is gone." - Zabik Lifting me up into the air and swinging me around, showcasing to me the ocean of zombies emerging out of the ground. The pir of light bursts in brightness, illuminating the cavern, as the yellow eyes reflect the light creating thousands of tiny yellow lights all staring at me. Bursts ofughter escapes Zabik''s mouth as it watches my expression sink. "Now, then. How do I kill you, so you experience the most amount of pain?" - Zabik "NOT SO FAST, ZABIK!" - ??? A soft angelic voice booms across the whole cavern, as a flying creature snatches me from the monster. It zooms across the room and flies to the other side of the cavern. Itsrge, sharp ws dig into my skin, but I endure it as I realize it was an ally. It releases its grip on me, dropping me to the ground, before a small gust of wind sts down on me as the flying creature zooms upward. "You¡­YOU DARE TAKE MY PREY! REVEAL YOURSELF!" - Zabrik "Ohe on, you don''t recognize my voice? That brings a tear to my eye, after all, I knew you before you became that monstrosity." - ??? Falling down from the hole in the cavern andnding softly on two feet, a small girl no bigger than a child. A soft white glow emits from her body allowing me to see her appearance as she turns towards me. Golden brown eyes stare at me with a long brown ponytail tied together with by a hairband with a pair of brown, gray and white feathers, swinging to the side. Dressed in a brown cloak with a turquoise underside, secured by a chocte brown ribbon, as well as a long sleeve white fluffy blouse with a tightly fit chocte under bust hourss corset. Golden buttons decorate the corset down the middle, leading to a coffee colored leather belt with a golden buckle. Secured on the belt was a small pouch as well as a dagger and antern which was emitting the light that envelopes her. Below the belt was a pleated skirt matching with her corset, as well as matching leggings that reach above her knee on her right leg and below the knee on the left leg. In addition, small bootspleted the outfit. She stretches out her hand toward me and I see her caramel gloves that expose her index and pinky finger. "Are you alright?" - ??? "I''m fine now. Thank you. Who are you?" - Ian "Me? My name is Mumei, guardian of Civilization. Nice to meet you." - Mumei [ You have met a Legendary being, Mumei, the guardian of Civilization. World Main Storyline First Objective has been met. Danger approaches all Civilizations. ] [ New Patch will be introduced after the server''s close. Stay tuned!] 200 Chapter 200 "Guardian of Civilization¡­? Legendary being?" - Ian "Oh hi! Whoa, you look pretty banged up now that I look at you closely. Want some berries? " - Mumei "Huh? Berries?" - Ian "Yea. Berries, they are good." - Mumei Retracting her hand, she pops open the pouch on her waist, taking out a small handful of red berries. However, before I could reach out and grab them, Zabrik roars initiating the fight as the zombies turn their heads towards us. Their eyes glow brightly as the pir of light behind them, emanates a brighter glow casting long shadows on the zombies. Mumei tosses the berries at me as she turns to face the growing horde of zombies. "Eat the berries, it will heal you enough that you won''t die by an attack but I can''t protect you from the infection." - Mumei Shoving the berries into my mouth, I bite into them squishing the soft balls in my mouth like a sweet nectar-like liquid coats the inside of my mouth. Watching my HP, I see it instantly rise to 75% of my HP., an extremely effective potion and I could tell that she has so much more but who is she and what connection does she have with Zabrik "For you to havee all the way here. WHY?" - Zabrik "No reason, Zabrik. You just seem to destroy civilization wherever you go so¡­ It''s kind of part of the job, y''know what I mean?" - Mumei "NONSENSE! You were all the way in the North, yesterday. Fighting against the Horde''s forces." - Zabrik "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but you know what today is? Today is the present and I''m your gift!" - Mumei "Just die, you disgusting worm!" - Zabrik "Friend. I''m going to need your help again." - Mumei "Me?" - Ian "Not you." - Mumei Appearing in the air above her left shoulder in a burst of aquamarine light was a small sienna paper bag, with two perfectly cut-out teal circles as the eyes. It flutters and floats in the air next to Mumei, brushing its body against her cheek. "This is my friend. I call him Friend, since I never want to forget his name." - Mumei "I see. Miss Guardian of Civilization, do you need my help?" - Ian "Just call me Mumei, and yes I do. I can''t defeat all the zombies myself while also having to deal with Zabik. It was already troublesome enough dealing with just Zabik." - Mumei "Alright, leave the zombies to me. You just focus on the boss." - Ian Gripping my trident tightly, I ready myself as the zombies approach closer. Some of my skills were still on cooldown, but I could use the less MP-hungry skills in session. "Then, for you hoo is an ambassador for the growing civilization of the hoomans, I grant thee some blessings to aid thy battle." - Mumei The paper bag, Friend, softly glows white as it floats around me, dusting off the white glows onto me. [ You have been blessed by the Legendary being, Mumei, the Guardian of Civilization. ] [ While Mumei still remembers you, +100% stats while in the same room or space as Mumei.] [ While Mumei still remembers you, All attacks do damage ording to the weakness of the monster. ] [ While Mumei still remembers you, gain skill: A Friend in Need ] A Friend in Need (Active) 99% remaining HP and 100% remaining MP - Utlitsing all your HP and MP, call Mumei over to your side to help you. The more HP and MP you have when activating the skill the more it will enhance Mumei''s stats. Every 10% HP or MP utilised, Mumei gains +20% stats. "Don''t worry hooman. I''m on your side. Now, then. FRIEND! It''s time to fight! IRA! " - Mumei Standing tall, Mumei''s cloak flutters as golden hieroglyphs appear on the edge of her cloak, around the corner. A dark red aura envelops Mumei, whilst Friend, turns from sienna brown into jet ck, recing its once teal eyes with a deep ruby color. The aura slowly concentrates around the pair of feathers tying her hair together and as the zombies quickly approach her, a grin appears on her face. Like she was looking down on the monstersing towards her, a sinister chuckle escapes her mouth as the red aura bursts away from her eliminating any zombie within the radius. The feathers on her head now glow a crimson red as her eyes change from golden brown to ruby red, matching Friend. Unsheathing her knife, she silently licks the t side of the de with her head held high, disappearing the moment her tongue reaches the tip of the knife and reappears in front of Zabik. "Pitiful aren''t you?" - Mumei "No! DIE!" - Zabik Lanching his whole body forward as bones start to grow in between every muscle on his body, each as sharp as knives. Bing a bone pincushion, Zabik attempts to m his whole body on Mumei but as if the whole situation didn''t phase her, she simply blocked the attempt with the tip of her knife. "So pathetic." - Mumei Bursting the bone spike armor, Zabrik returns to high-intensity closebat, punching where necessary or kicking. "Should a being such as yourself really do something like this?" - Zabik "The Reaper started this when he activated the door allowing chaos toe to this ne. I wouldn''t have needed to interfere with hoomans but now I have no choice. " - Mumei "You don''t know what you are even dealing with, clueless being. You will forget about our conversations within the next couple of days. HAHAHAHA!" - Zabik "I may forget some things but this I won''t." - Mumei "Then, try to stop me." - Zabik "With pleasure¡­" - Mumei Observing their conversation as I continue to kill zombie after zombie, was a sight to behold. So much information was exposed in the short conversations between the two NPCs. A door that leads to chaosing to this world, Mumei being forgetful, and the significance of the Reaper''s actions. Quickly, I move closer to the battle happening currently between the two NPCs, shing down zombies that appear along the way and creating a line of explosions as I approach the battlefield. "Wrath of the Tornado!" - Mumei pping her hands together, a ck mist slowly forms below her, swirling around faster and faster as each second passes until 10 secondster, there was a tornado tall enough to reach the ceiling and then branch outward. Red lightning sparks along with the ck wind, as I stand there watching the phenomenon. Growing in displeasure, Zabik, dashes into the tornado as countless ck des of wind cuts into his body. However, puffing his muscles out, the blood flow stops and the cuts became surface wounds. I could feel myself being sucked in as the tornado expands in size and starts to move towards the direction of the cavern entrance. Screeches and shrieks continue to echo in the tornado, as I watch it from afar, eliminating the zombies that are attempting to cause something to Mumei. Eventually, an amplified screech caused the tornado to disperse, revealing a heavily injured Zabik while Mumei remained untouched. Furthermore, she reverted back to her previous form with the pair of features as hair ties. Taking this opportunity, due to how close I am to the monster, I activate Charge dashing from behind. My attack isn''t as quick or silent as an assassin''s, however, I had my own style of fighting. Striking my trident into Zabik''s back, creating an explosion that shook the cave. Following up, I did a quick series of stabs as well as Cleave to finish the deal. My stats have been raised by Mumei which created stronger explosions and with the additional weakness damage, I assumed my attacks were good. However, the result said otherwise. ck burn marks cover the monster''s back, however, they start to heal the moment I stopped attacking. Cursing under my breath and gritting my teeth I proceed to retreat slightly, allowing Mumei to attack while Zabik was distracted by my attack. Mumei''s knife enters the monster''s stomach, dodging past the already preexisting bones. Her knife enters easily, drawing deep brownish-red blood, but it immediately recovered the moment the knife exits the body. Zabik''s regeneration has higher than anything else I have seen or experienced, with Mumei unable to deal the final blow. Until the second hieroglyph starts to glow. "LUXURIA!" - Mumei A rose-pink aura envelopes Mumei, with small red rose petals floating around her as Friend turns into a barbie pink color with amethyst eyes. Intoxicated in the Mumei''s appearance, I found myself stopping all action. [ You have been inflicted with the Charm Debuff. Duration 00:01:00 ] Unable to move my body, other than stare at Mumei, created a whirlpool of emotions inside of me. One side of me wanted to cheer and love her but the other side was telling me that it was all an illusion. ncing around, I see the zombies in a simr state of inactivity whilst Zabik was holding his head shaking it side to see as Mumei approaches him, stepping one foot at a time as if it was a catwalk. Her demeanor had hanged from the pure innocent next-door-neighbor girl to a mature female that knows what she wants and how to get it. The knife in her hand glows pink as the aura slowly gathers around it and seductively, she lets a few words escape her mouth. "Temptation." - Mumei A bubble gum pink ring surrounds the knife as Mumei slowly stabs it into Zabik''s chest. The ring forces itself into the Zabik exploding outward and sttering his body everywhere except a small ring around Mumei as Friend created an oval shield, to protect its friend. The debuff wears off and the zombies reengage in a frenzied attack, however, Mumei easily handles the situation with another skill of hers. "To Love is to Burn." - Mumei A small red heart pops out of the knife as the pink aura escapes Mumei. The heart slowly floats in the air for a few seconds as Mumei approaches me quickly, grabbing my arm. Friend transforms into arge owl, gripping onto Mumei''s shoulders as the two of us ascend to the ceiling of the cavern. The heart pulsates slowly, emitting a soft pink ring, crossing every zombie on the ground, and in the next second, they all catch on fire and burn in pink mes. "So, hoo are you?" - Mumei [ Blessings have worn off. Mumei has forgotten you. ] 201 Chapter 201 "I met you about 10 minutes ago I think¡­" - Ian I reply without thinking as I look into her confused eyes. She looks up at Friend, who swoops down. Releasing her grip on me, she drops me to the ground whilstnding softly before me, having Friend transform back into his paper bag form. Rolling on the ground to soften my fall, I get back up, carefully sizing up Mumei, after all, she doesn''t seem to remember me ording to the system. "So, speak. Hoo are you?" - Mumei "My name is Ian. I was fighting Zabik and his army of undead before you came here. You helped me defeat him, and now you don''t seem to remember me." - Ian "Hmm¡­Friend is what he is saying the truth?" - Mumei Turning towards Friend, Mumei consults the floating paper bag. Twirling in the air and ejecting some aquamarine light, Friend responds back to Mumei who nods her head and after a bit of conversing, she looks towards me. "Okay, Friend tells me you are telling the truth so for now, I''ll believe you, but I don''t have much time. I don''t remember you so, I don''t remember how I acted with you or what we did. All I know is that I needed to defeat Zabik before he caused another up-anding Civilization to fall, AGAIN!" - Mumei "This has happened already? I know the both of you talked about meeting each other in the north but what happened?" - Ian "It wasn''t in the North, it was a few years ago when a hooman vige had just started to be bigger. They were gathering more hoomans and bing stronger and stronger which made me happy but then Zabik and his army of zombies came. Before I coulde and help he had already killed 60% of the poption and let the zombies infect the rest. By the time I reach the vige, it was toote with only a few families making it out. I couldn''t do much for them other than provide direction to a clean source of water with some food nearby as I am restricted from interfering too much with hoomans. I may be the Guardian of Civilization, but I am more than just the hooman''s protector. Furthermore, I also protect the elves and the demi-hoomans but unfortunately, I am only 1 person. May tragedies have happened because I was too far away¡­" - Mumei "So, the Reaper''s army has been destroying a lot of different viges over the years?" - Ian "Yes, but it isn''t just them. The Horde, Kronos, and Cornelia are all savages hoo kill everything along their path. There is no peace with the 4 of them and only destruction will follow." - Mumei "This might sound controversial but aren''t they also creating a type of Civilization as well? By creating a ce for their own followers to live are they not part of their own Civilization?" - Ian "They are and they aren''t. It is a difficult ce however, I have spoken about this to the Gods and they have agreed that the 4 kings do more harm than good as a Civilization. During the time they have reigned supreme, thousands of viges and thousands of budding Civilizations have been destroyed. I keep all that knowledge of the ones that have been lost, however, I too lose so much knowledge at a price. The more that I remember, the more that I forget, so in the end, the people I have met along the way are nothing but shadows. I only remember their culture and their time. However, no matter how much I try to forget, I will never forget about my enemies. Zabik was only one of them and I''m not even sure he died today." - Mumei "What do you mean? I clearly saw you kill him while he burst into purple smoke." - Ian "How much do you know about the Reaper''s army? In fact how much do you know about the enemies you are facing right now? The onesing from the portal of chaos." - Mumei "I would like to say I know a lot, but I know next to nothing. Other than enemiese out of the pir of light and for some reason, it is different todaypared to yesterday." - Ian Holding her hand low as she shakes it side to side, she lets out a deep sigh before cing a hand on her waist. "Zabik is not a singr entity. He is like a hive, there are so many of him, everywhere in the Reaper''s army. Every small group of monsters has a Zabik but each of them is not the same. They are birthed from a mother, which I have called Mother Zabik, but I''m sure there is a proper name. Mother Zabik gives birth to Zabik in the Chaotic Realm, a ce where the Reaper goes to and fro. A small dimension that consists of nothing but death. However, the Reaper was able to great life there which was Mother Zabik. In return, Mother Zabik helps the Reaper by giving him an army of monsters. Whether it is skeletons, zombies, or demons, she will birth a creature that would lead them for the Reaper." - Mumei "I see, does that include the other generals under themand of the Reaper? Are they the children of Mother Zabik?" - Ian "That, I''m not certain however I wouldn''t be surprised. I''m sure there are monsters or entities that have sought out the Reaper for power and have stayed under him but for all I know, Zabik is a menace that needs to be stopped as many times as possible. Especially with the many growing Civilizations in the past half a year." - Mumei "Right, there would be a lot of humans who have started to create a vige and gathered people together to fight against the different King''s armies." - Ian "Yes, I have seen some of them grow and some of them fall by their own means and I did not mean to interfere with yours today. It might have been your destiny to fall to Zabik, but I changed it when I came here. Maybe you were meant to die¡­." - Mumei "Wow, okay. I don''t want to die. How about you tell me more about the other King''s and why they have been stopping you?" - Ian "Hmm, the Horde has been a crazy killer since the time he wasn''t a King. Defeating strong foes one after the other, I initially thought he was going to create a Civilization that benefits the world, getting rid of evil and protecting the weak. However¡­." - Mumei "However¡­?" - Ian "I seem to have forgotten, but that is okay, maybe you can find out about it yourself one day. As for Kronos¡­ He was a mad scientist of sorts. Constantly tried to go against thews of nature, but I guess he did do it¡­ His inventions and creations have been a real pain to fight since most of them don''t have any sort of emotion and are just killing machines¡­ Then we have Cordelia. I thought she was nice at first since she took my berries, but then I found out she was hiding the glowing berries underwater. She then proceeded to attack me. Now I don''t like her, she is mean." - Mumei "Ah, I see. Is there anything else you want to tell me?" - Ian "Tell hoo? You? Hoo are you?" - Mumei I blink in confusion as the Mumei I was just talking to forgets about me mid-conversation, but before I could say anything, Friend floats in front of Mumei''s face and twirls around. A childish gigglees right after as Mumei grabs Friend and brings him to the side. "Well, I don''t know hoo you are but here take this. I need to go now. Goodbye!" - Mumei Transforming into a bird once again, Friend flies Mumei out of the cavern after she drops a small brown cloth pouch tied together with a dark brown string. Untying the pouch, I open it up to see a small bundle of red berries, the same one which healed me significantly right before the battle with Zabik. [ Mumei''s Treasured Berries Heal 25% Max HP Can stack. No cool down. Due to her obsession with berries, the Gods had gifted her an infinite amount of berries and while she isn''t a creation of the gods, they love her as much as everything else. Each berry is red with soft skin and sweet nectar-like juices. ] There were a total of 10 berries and since each could heal 25% of my maximum HP, these berries would be able to kill me twice before I died. Putting away the pouch, I look around to see the ground littered with loot from the zombies that died to Mumei''s attack. However, it was dark, and the loot was everywhere. Instead, I went back to the cavern entrance and slowly proceeded up the cave until I came out. Greeted by a worried Melody and the others I slowly exined what had happened to me in the cavern. Gobi sent some goblins to acquire a few wheelbarrows before we all went down to the cavern to collect the loot. The whole time my mind was still racing, thinking about the information Mumei had given me before she left. It was unfortunate that she was forgetful, but I can only guess that was how the game producers wanted to create her. That way some information would be given to the yer, but a lot of small details would be hidden. Collecting the loot took a bit of time but once we were finished the sun had just risen. Another night finished and another night awaits¡­ 202 Chapter 202 Commanding the groups of humans, demi-humans and goblins, we transported the loot back to HavenFall, where everyone finally rested up. I was pulled to the side by Noah once I arrived in order to get a rundown of the events that happened whilst I was at the Cave. Bringing me towards the front gate, Noah starts to recount the events that happened at night. "Starting off with where I was positioned, I was faced with arge group of zombies, some of which were different from others. They had exposed muscles and no skin with extremely long tongues. These monsters were difficult to deal with since our arrows didn''t do much, however, the normal zombies were unable to break down the wall we had created. Especially after we reinforced it with the shields at the front and bricks behind. The monsters instead climbed the sides and started to invade the surrounding space, but Razor and some other wolves were able to defend against the monster, retaliating and defeating them. That was during the first half of the night,ter on, we were bombarded with poisonous liquid. The liquid did not differentiate between friend and foe and killed more zombies than it did damage to us, however, those poison zombies out ranged our archers and were smart enough to go into hiding after each attack. They bombarded us with attack after attack, but as the sun started to rise the zombies retreated in one wave." - Noah "And that was just your side? Was there more that happened at the gate?" - Ian "Yes, the gate was swarmed with zombies. The pir of light that Ster was watching, spawned zombies in droves with half going to us and half going towards the Krepost. However, the zombies moved slowly, allowing Ster''s group to slowly whittle away the numbers before they reached either ce. Once they did arrive at the gate, Ster''s group and the archers that were positioned at the gate with Gyumi were able to defend against the zombies. ording to her, there were no special kinds of zombies. They were all the same slow-walking zombies until any sound was made, then they would rush towards the sound in a crazed panic." - Noah "I see. Did you already go out and collect the loot in both ces?" - Ian "The small path has already been looted and brought to old man Hus''s storeroom. Ster''s group is in the process of looting in the forest as they killed zombies in between the pir of light and HavenFall." - Noah "Good, if there is anything out of the ordinary take it to me. I''ll be at my house in the meantime. Make sure everyone is checked out and no one is injured and then rest up. Tonight will be another hard night especially since we don''t know what kind of monsters will appear from the pirs of light." - Ian "Of course. I''ll let everyone know about it as well as discuss it with Howard, Gobi, and Ster about the follow-up. Do you want to be notified about what is going to happen?" - Noah "For now, I trust you know what to do so there will be no need to notify me. Also, send a scout to the Krepost as soon as possible. They will be replenishment of either potions or materials, so the scout will need to be someone fast." - Ian "Leave it to me, Ian. Get some rest, you don''t look so good." - Noah "Really? I feel fine though? Just a little tired but other than that, I thought I''m looking alright." - Ian "No, you definitely look like you need some sleep. I''ll get Melody to bring you the loot but until then, I suggest you sleep. Don''t worry about anything here, I''ll handle it and rest upter okay? If I need help, Howard has my back so don''t worry about it." - Noah "Are you sure?" - Ian "Yea, rest up. You have done more than enough. I''ll get the details about what happened at the cave from Howard." - Noah "Alright, thank you, Noah. I''ll head back to my house now." - Ian Waving goodbye, I start walking back to the house. I had already given my armor and my trident to old man Hus as I passed his workshop for him to repair, so I was just wearing a simple shirt and pants. After hearing Noah telling me I was tired, I did feel a wave of fatigue hit me. My head was slightly spinning, and my eyes were barely open. I hurriedly got home, and copsed on my bed upstairs, closing my eyes the moment my head hit the pillow. "Ian¡­" _ Melody A feel a slight tugging on my shoulder as my eyes cracked open. Slight throbbing pain in my head as I turn my head sideways, to see Melody gazing into my eyes. It took me a couple of seconds to register that Melody was there before, I fully open my eyes and smile at her. Her face bes flushed as she turns her head to the side hurriedly. "Hey, what''s up Melody? Are you okay?" - Ian "I-I''m fine. Are you okay? I came in here a while ago, and you were so knocked out that you didn''t respond to me calling your name. It was only until I shook your body did you wake up. Was fightingst night too much?" - Melody "I''m not too sure. There was a lot going onst night, and it was the second night of continuous night battles. I guess my body was just not used to it yet. There is still tonight and every other night for the next month of constant fighting, so I need to get used to this as fast as possible." - Ian p "It''s going to be hard on everyone here. Is there anything I can do to help?" -Melody "You are doing a lot by just helping around. Not everyone can fight, and we need people doing other things as well." - Ian "Yea, I understand." - Melody Melody''s bright smile radiates warmth as she speaks to me. We end up having a light conversation with her sitting on the side of the bed, talking about the different things that have happened since she hase to HavenFall. She teases me about the time I gave her a massage by the river, making me slightly nervous, but she tells me she was grateful foring here and meeting everyone in HavenFall. After talking to her for a while, she brings me downstairs where a small box containing the loot fromst night''s battle was ced next to the table. It consisted of 2 of the same skill books, a w-type weapon, a pair of gloves, and an earring. The loot varied a lotpared to the previous battle, but the more there is, the stronger we get as a whole. [ Skill Book: Toughness +3 Vitality +2 Strength This skill book will allow the user to obtain the skill Toughness. Toughness will give the user a slight boost in Vitality and Strength. Open the book and say the skill name in order to learn it. ] [ Bloody ws Attack: 30 Agility: 5 10% of damage is converted to HP A ck tightly fit glove, with 3 sharp prongs at the knuckles. It drinks the blood of enemies and converts the blood of foes to the life of the user. ] [ Night Gloves Defense: 15 Agility: 15 Skill: Sleight of Hand A soft ck fingerless glove. Its smooth underside makes it easy for the user to take things or to move things around without other people noticing. ] Sleight of Hand (Active) - The user''s hands move twice as fast for 5 seconds. Increases the chances to steal items and increases the chances of performing multiple attacks at once. Cool down 5 min. [ Amber Tear Drop Earring Intelligence: 20 Skill: Rock Fist A small earring in the shape of a teardrop, made out of polished amber. Its orange hue gathers mana from the earth, creating a fist out of stone to help the user. ] Rock Fist (Active) 5MP - Create a fist out of rock as big as a head and propel it towards the target. Once the fistnds, it will explode and the shrapnel will also do another portion of damage. ( 30 + 50% Intelligence) + ( 15 + 50% Intelligence) Cooldown 2 min. Looking at the new loot, I already knew who gets the items. Howard and Gobi both need to be stronger, to the point that I can leave them to fight their own battles during this event. After all, there might be a time when I need to leave to fight a boss and I need to assure myself that HavenFall is protected during that time. I would give them both the skill books for Toughness, increasing their stats just a little, while the ws might be useful on Gewari. I had a slightly tough decision between Sr, Lynn, and Gyumi for the earrings but ultimately, decided that Lynn should have the item since her kit as more magic-based than Gyumi and Sr had enough skills to manage. Gyumi was more of an archer that used magic rather than a mage and Sr was a light mage or a healer than a ssic damage mage. As for the gloves, I took them myself since I didn''t have any sort of special gloves yet. The additional Agility will be good for me and having the skill, Sleight of Hand, might alsoe in useful in theing battles. After telling Melody about who would get what item, I left her to deliver the items whilst I wait for the game to end, after all, the sun was already high up in the sky. Before long, I bid farewell to HavenFall and woke up in reality. 203 Chapter 203 "So¡­ How wasst night? And were you once again the person that progressed the main storyline?" - Reba "Uhh¡­ Last night was alright. There was a lot that happened, and I''m still somewhat wrapping my head around it. As for the second part of your question, yeah¡­ Hahaha." - Ian Sitting at the dinning table having a slice of toast with cheese, avocado and tomato, Reba asks me aboutst night. Before this, I had quickly said good morning before going to the convenience store to get some bread, whilst Reba had her morning shower. Once I was home, I went to take a shower as well as Reba made breakfast. After serving me breakfast, she sits on the opposite with her cheese toastie, asking aboutst night. "Did something happenst night?" - Reba "I just got reconfirmation on how weak we arest night, and how strong the NPCs are in the game that aren''t rted to yers. It''s like we are just spectators in their world¡­" - Ian "Isn''t that fine, though? I think we are spectators in their world. We came into their world as yers, but to them there was already existingplications and situation happening already. Our introduction can be seen as both a blessing and a curse to them, depending on our actions. At least for me, I was kind of a curse to the NPCs that followed me, after all, they have all died now¡­" - Reba "I get what you are talking about, but I can''t help but feel like I need to be stronger as soon as possible before something bad happens. It''s because of the things that have happened after the game, and whether those things are real or just my brain ying tricks on me." - Ian "Well, at least you don''t have spider legs growing out of your back." - Reba With a soft giggle, Reba leans in and kisses my cheek. Her face slightly glows red from her actions. Breaking our moment, both of our phones vibrate on the table and a message from Sam was sent to the group chat. "Hey everyone! I have arranged for a small meeting with everyone to discuss some game information as well as some real life information. I have already arranged flights and a driver for everyone already, so be ready with 1 night''s worth of clothes as well as your VR helmet. The driver will be at your door at 1000 whilst the flight will be at 1200, please be ready as there is a big surprise for everyone!" - Sam "OOOOHHHHH!!!!! DADDY SAM!!!!!!!" - Kingston "LOL! Kingston, I didn''t know you were like this??!!" - Nina "All hail, DADDY SAM!" - Evan "Thanks, Sam, even though we don''t know what it is about." - Sabrina "Only 3 hours to get ready??? Sam, you should have told us earlier!!!!" - Reba "Any teasers for what it is we are going to experience?" - Ian "NOTHING! No Spoilers until you get here." - Sam "Alright, alright. Well since we are getting on a ne, I''ll see you soon, Ian, Reba, and Sylvia. I''m going to get ready!" - Evan "Damn, I''m going to be on the same flight as Evan¡­" - Sabrina "We will see you soon! From both Ian and me." - Reba "I''ll see you at the destination! I think I live in a different state than you guys, hahaha!" - Nina "DADDY SAM! I WILL SEE YOU SOON!" - Kingston "I''ll see everyone soon! I need to get ready as well" - Sam Putting our phones down and looking up, Reba meets my gaze with sparkling eyes. "Come, babe, let''s get ready! What should I wear? What do I need to bring? Oh, I''m meeting Nina for the first time as well. I need to look good, first impressions are vital. Okay babe, you pack the suitcase with the essentials while I find something to wear, and then I''ll help you out, okay?" - Reba Confused, I nod at the excited Reba, stiffly moving around to find a suitcase. Reba opens the wardrobe, sifting through shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, and dresses, piling them on the bed in a messy pile. I was able to find a small suitcase hidden under a heap of boxes. It was covered in ayer of dust and after cleaning it with some tissues and water, a shiny rectangr suitcase was revealed. "Baby, is this suitcase big enough?" - Ian I walk into my room, looking at the suitcase as I hold it by the handle. ncing up, I see Reba pondering intensely as two sets of clothes were separated from the messy pile. The first set was a simple white blouse with frills around the wrists, paired with a short ck mini skirt. Apanying it is avender knitted sweater with a small silver moon ne and two dangling rose gold 5-point star earrings. The second set was a ck woolen turtleneck with light blue ripped jeans and a brown leather belt with a golden buckle. Instead of the silver moon ne and star earrings, there was a golden sun ne with a ruby in the center and two rose gold heart earrings. "Baby¡­?" - Ian "Which should I choose? Should I go with a city girl vibe or a more mature vibe? I don''t know¡­ Which do you think looks better? White blouse plus sweater and skirt, or ck turtleneck and jeans. " - Reba "I think both look great. " - Ian "No, that''s like the worst answer since it doesn''t help." - Reba "Umm, okay, well I think the first set makes you look very weing and that might make Nina morefortable when talking to you. The second looks really nice on you as well, but Nina might feel like you are hard to approach, since it does make you look more mature. I think. I''m not too sure about what I''m saying as well" - Ian "Hmm¡­ I think I''ll go with the first set then. BUT! I''ll take the second set and put it into the suitcase as a just in case. Now, then, what are you going to wear? I''m d we did some shopping not too long ago, but still I feel like your wardrobe is so minimal. Hmm¡­ If I''m wearing the white blouse andvender sweater, then, maybe you should wear this white button up and your ck jeans." - Reba "What about a jacket? Or a jumper, at least? It might be cold." - Ian "Hmm, take your coat instead. It''s got a nice deep navy blue color, which I like, hehe." - Reba "Alright babe, I''ll wear that to make you happy. I''ll get our normal pajamas for the night as well as get a separate bag for the VR helmets, okay?" - Ian "Yep. I''m going to change now. I also need to do my makeup. There isn''t enough time! Why didn''t Sam tell us earlier? " - Reba "He probably needed toplete a few details before he could tell us. What do you think it is anyway? I know he wants to discuss the new patch and what led up to it, but what do you think the real life talk is about?" - Ian "Hmm, I''m not too sure? There is no way he is thinking about getting a gaming house for everyone to live in, right?" - Reba "Now that you mention it, he did talk about doing that for us, since we all live in different parts of New Oceania. We were lucky to be in the same vicinity as Sabrina and Evan, but Nina, Kingston, and Sam all live far away from us and discussing on text might not yield the same result as talking in person." - Ian "We just need to find out. Okay baby, hurry up and get changed as well as pack everything. No more distracting me as I do my makeup. Go go." - Reba "Alright, alright. I''ll get everything done, so make sure you finish before 1000." - Ian "I will. Don''t worry. Make sure you bring my shampoo and conditioner as well, okay?" - Reba "Yea, I will." - Ian Quickly, I get to work, changing out of my casual clothes and into the clothes that Reba and picked out for me. My feet got to work once I got changed, getting a duffle bag for our electronics. I ced the VR helmets inside as well as all the necessary wires and cables as well as phone chargers and battery packs, cing a couple shirts on the outside to give the helmets a soft cushion. As for the suitcase, I got out pajamas as well as toiletry, making sure to bring the shampoo and conditioner that Reba wanted. I also got toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary pads, tissues, body wash and moisturizer, cing them in a stic bag and slipping them inside the suitcase. cing a second set of clothes for both Reba and me at the end to finish up. Zipping the suitcase took a bit of effort since I packed it full, but with a little push I got it closed and 1000 was nearing. I head back into my room to see Reba, packing up her makeup tools as well as perfume and other small bottles into her purse with a delighted expression. She looks amazing in her outfit, and too top it off she had curled her hair slightly, giving it a soft wavy look. Grabbing her wrist, I pull her close, giving her a peck on the lips, making sure to not smudge her lipstick. Blushing through her foundation, she turns her head slightly to the side. "Let''s wait outside. It''s almost time." - Ian "Okay¡­" - Reba 204 Chapter 204 Slinging the duffle bag over my shoulder and extending the handle of the suitcase, I pull it outside and put on my shoes. Reba follows afterward, putting on her boots and the two of us had a light conversation as we wait for the driver to arrive. On the dot, a sleek ck car rolls in front of us. Its huge waterfall grille and upright chassis shine in the sun, spotless as if it just came out of the factory. The driver''s seat door opens softly, and a young man in his twenties walks out, buttoning his suit in one fluid motion. His blonde hair radiates in the sunlight as he ruffles through his hair, and breathes out a deep breath. Walking around the car and stopping at the backseat, he casually opens the door for us, before giving us a warm smile. "Mr. Ian, Ms. Reba, it is nice to meet you. My name is Adam. Mr. Sam has informed me that you already knew that I wasing to drive you to the airport. I will be your chauffeur for today. Please make yourselffortable inside the car whilst I ce your bags in the trunk. I have already prepared a ss of sparkling lemon water in the cup holder for you to hydrate yourself." - Adam "Uhh¡­" - Ian "Thank you, Adam, for the help. We just have one suitcase and the duffle bag for you to ce in the trunk. I will hold onto my purse if that is okay?" -Reba "Of course, Ms. Reba. For now, please make yourselffortable." - Adam "Come on, babe. Leave the bags to Adam ande inside." - Rebeca "Wait, what?" - Ian "Follow me." - Reba Reba smiles at Adam, before getting in the car, waving her hand at me to follow. Still confused, I follow Reba while cing the duffle bag on the ground next to Adam and rolling the suitcase next to it as well. "Umm, the duffle bag has a lot of electronics, just be careful with them." - Ian "Of course, Mr. Ian. I will make sure nothing is damaged on the trip." - Adam "Hurry up babe, let the man do his job ande and rx in here with me." - Reba "Okay,ing. Thank you¡­ Adam. I''ll leave it to you."- Ian Nodding in acknowledgement, Adam closes the door behind me and all the outside noise vanishes. Only the sound of the bubbling water in Reba''s hands as she was sipping from it softly. Soft cream leather seats with jet ck highlights, it was the first time I have ever sat inside an expensive car. Usually it would be buses or taxis. "Have some water, babe, and calm down. You need to rx." - Reba "How can I? This is so different from what I''m used to. How are you so rxed?" - Ian "I''ve experienced this before plus you see this in movies all the time. All we need to do is rx and let Adam do everything. It''s like having a butler." - Reba "Never had a butler before. Baby, I''ll just follow your lead okay?" - Ian "Okay! Don''t worry, I''ll help you!" - Reba Momentster, Adam opens his door and gets in the driver''s seat. Adjusting his mirrors and putting on his seatbelt before starting the engine. "I will be taking you both to the airport now. Just rx and enjoy the ride. Please notify me if there is anything either of you would like whether it is more water, a soda, music or a slight detour for food." - Adam "Thank you, Adam. I think we will be fine for now." - Ian "Maybe some nice calming music?" - Reba "As you wish, Ms. Reba." - Adam ying on the tablet that was embedded in the dashboard, Adam selects a ylist called Peace and Love. Soft piano music starts ying from the speakers and Reba and I engage in conversation, sometimes asking Adam for his opinion. The drive was smooth with little traffic, and we arrive at the airport after an hour of driving. Adam parks the car and hands the key to a person wearing the same clothes as him, before taking our bag and suitcase out of the trunk. "Mr. Ian, Ms. Reba, please follow me, Mr. Evan and Ms. Sabrina are already waiting on the ne for our arrival." - Adam "Lead the way, please." - Ian "Have you ever been on a ne, babe?" - Reba "No, I barely left my area, only going to the city when needed, so this is my first time leaving home to go somewhere pretty far away." - Ian "Excited?" - Reba "Yeah! I''m also excited about what is in store for us once wend." - Ian Walking past the crowds of people at the airport, we approach a side door which Adam opens up for us, signaling with his hand for us to move in. "Mr. Ian, Ms. Reba, this way, please." - Adam "There isn''t a need for passports or tickets?" - Reba "Not at all. Mr, Sam has already prepared a private ne for the journey." - Adam "How long is the flight?" - Ian "It will be exined on the ne as it is easier to exin to everyone all at once." - Adam "Understandable. Just through the door?" - Ian "Yes, then take a right at the end. It will lead you to a corridor that leads to the ne."- Adam "Will you not be joining us?" - Reba "I will be joining once I ce your bags in the storage unit inside the ne." - Adam "Alright thank you for showing us the way." - Ian "It is my pleasure to help, I will see Mr. Ian and Ms. Reba soon." - Adam With a slight bow, Adam walks away with our bags whist, Reba links her arm with mine as we follow the corridor toward the ne. Low hums from the nearby nes echo in the corridor, as we walk along a red carpet towards the ne. As we approach the ne, I see a slender woman with fair skin and dirty blonde hair tied in a bun with a ck and gold juda stick holding it together. Dressed in a tight ck zer with a white blouse underneath, and a ck tight miniskirt, she turns her head in our direction and with a calm expression approaches us. "Good morning, Mr. Ian and Ms. Reba. I''m d you have arrived safely. My name is Eve and I will also be your chauffeur for today alongside Adam. I had Adam pick you both up, whilst I went to get Mr. Evan and Ms. Sabrina. Both of them are already on the ne and are currently enjoying somemodities provided by our in-ne bar. Please follow me." - Eve "Thank you, Eve. Are we going to wait for Adam before we leave?" - Reba "Yes, he has already informed me that he will arrive in 5 minutes, once he is here we will inform you about some information before we fly." - Eve "Okay, lead the way." - Ian Stepping into the ne, and through a gray curtain, we were greeted by Evan and Sabrina slouching inrge brown leather seats with a tall champagne ss in their hand. Evan was wearing a simple ck v-neck shirt with a gray jacket and beige chinos, while Sabrina was wearing a short denim jacket and bright red crop top, and ck short shorts. Noticing our presence, Evan waves his hand calling out to us. "YOOOO! Look who it is, the man of the hour. The one guy that always stops the game with his crazy in game luck." - Evan "Hey, love birds! Wow¡­I like the fit Reba!" - Sabrina "Thanks Sabrina. I''m digging your look as well. I could never pull that off." - Reba "How''s everything so far? What do you know about what is happening?" - Ian "Absolutely NOTHING! I''m just enjoying thisfortable seat and this champagne. Unfortunately, I have to share the space with this person over here but other than that we are chilling." - Evan "Eve told us to rx until you guys came. We only got here about 10 minutes before you anyway, so we barely did anything. AS FOR THIS GUY! In 10 minutes, he drank 3 different shots as well as had a beer and a ss of champagne. Unbelievable, what an idiot." - Sabrina "Hey, hey. I asked first. She said Sam allowed us to just have it. It''s all free. Why not use it? Plus I think Sam wants us to indulge ourselves a little." - Evan "Eve, is that true?" - Ian "Yes. Mr. Sam has informed us that you are all able to drink whatever you desire so long as we have it on the ne. He wants you to enjoy yourself to the fullest." - Eve "Who is Sam anyway? We knew he was rich, but we never thought more than that. After all, none of us asked each other about our personal life. It was mainly talking about Settlement whenever we chat." - Evan "I believe he would like to tell you that information himself. Now then, Mr. Ian and Ms. Reba what would you like to drink?" - Eve "Umm¡­ Just a wat-" - Ian "We will take two sses of champagne. Thank you, Eve." - Rebeca "Babe?" - Ian "As you wish Ms. Reba." - Eve Pushing the curtain away, Eve leaves us to prepare the drinks. Reba turns toward Sabrina and grabs her wrist pulling her up from her slouched position. "Just enjoy yourself. Sabrinae sit with me over here. Let the two boring boys, talk amongst themselves." - Reba "Alright, alright. I like this. No one else belittles that man child other than me, and that felt refreshing. Reba I think you and we are going to have a great time together." - Sabrina "Please help yourself." - Eve Coming up behind me, Eve hands me a ss as she looks into my eyes. I gaze at her sparkling sapphire eyes, before averting my attention. Picking up the ss I give my thanks to Eve before sitting down on the seat Sabrina was sitting in. "I''m back. Eve?" - Adam As I sit down, Adam pushes the curtain away, slightly taken back by the amount of people in the cabin. Eve gives Reba her ss before walking to Adam and with a nod, the both of them stood in front of us. "Dear guests. Thank you foring along Mr. Sam''s abrupt wishes. Adam will start us off with some safely instructions first before we go into the details." - Eve 205 Chapter 205 "Greetings to everyone here, Mr. Ian and Ms. Reba already know who I am but for Mr. Evan and Ms. Sabrina who do not know who I am. My name is Adam. Right now, I will be giving a brief exnation of the safety procedures. Just don''t break anything and we should be fine. The private ne will fly extremely smoothly and since our destination is only 2 hours away there isn''t much to worry about. Eve do you want to talk now?" - Adam "What? That''s it? Are you serious? ADAM!" - Eve "My apologies but there really isn''t much to talk about? The ne is one hundred percent safe, our pilot is amazing, and you don''t feel any turbulence. Just don''t break anything and don''t go too crazy with the drinks and everyone will be safe." - Adam "I thought we were going to keep it as professional as possible? You already broke out of character. What am I supposed to do? If I keep it up I''ll look like an idiot. I can''t believe it¡­ All my acting went to waste¡­" - Eve "Wait, you guys were acting professionally?" - Evan "Looked pretty legit to me¡­" - Sabrina "Yeah, but I got slightly tired of it. Eve was the one that wanted to at least act professionally in front of you guys. That way we look a little more reliable but after seeing everyone and watching you guys for a bit, I concluded we are the same, BABY!!" - Adam Ripping off his zer, Adam howls to the ceiling, with Eve holding her forehead in distress. "What a plot twist¡­" - Ian "Adam is a party animal." - Reba "Adam! Want a drink with me? We can pour each other a nice cold beer if you want?" - Evan "One hundred percent baby! Let me get the drinks!" - Adam "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! At least wait until I finish talking my part. You can''t always just go running off. Everyone, let me reintroduce ourselves. Adam is my younger party freak brother and I am Eve-" - Eve "My boring, goody-two-shoes sister. Hurry up, LOSER~" - Adam "SHUT UP! GOD, you are annoying. ANYWAY! Mr. Sam is our benefactor and we serve him, both in real life and in-game. He asked us to help everyone here gather with the rest of the members of your guild to establish it official but other than that detail he hasn''t told us anything else. The 2 of us want to join it as well but he told me that Evan was the leader of the guild, so we needed to appeal to you, that''s why we tried to act professionally. " - Eve "Well, I don''t mind at all¡­ How about you guys? Do you mind if they join?" - Evan ncing around the cabin, Evan looked for our responses, and with nods from everyone he smiles, turning back to Eve. "Get a drink, Eve. We party during the flight and once we see Sam and the rest, we party again. What do you think of that?" - Evan "Are you sure¡­?" - Eve "TAKE THIS DRINK SIS!" - Adam Shouting from the other side of the cabin, Adam throws a beer can at Eve who expertly catches it with her left hand before it hit her face. "Eve, I think you don''t need to worry too much. Everyone here is friends and we y the game for fun, helping each other out with information we find online and through our experiences. The more people we know then the more information we will hold which makes it better for everyone." - Ian "Thank you¡­" - Eve "ALRIGHT, WITH THAT LET''S PARTY! DUMBVAN START BLASTING THE MUSIC! ADAM GET THE BOOZE!!!" - Sabrina With us epting Eve and Sabrina''s shout, we start to have fun on the ne as it flies across the sky. Loud music was sting through the speakers and the cabin had turned into a dance floor. Being a private ne, there were obviously some new additions that can''t be found in a normal airliner. One of them was the disco ball that pops out of the ceiling of the cabin. An array of lights fills the room, shing with the beat of the music. Reba was chatting with Eve and Sabrina, whilst Adam, Evan, and I were drinking and dancing. Thinking back, I haven''t gone out and drank alcohol in years while partying with friends. I can tell I had a big smile on my face as I have fun with everyone here and a warm fuzzy feeling could be felt inside my chest. However, the party was cut short as our ne starts tond. With the help of Eve and Adam, we were ushered out of the ne in no time and by going through another side exit we were out of the arrival gates and walking towards a car park. Waiting for us were 2 cars simr to the one that pick Adam picked us up in and after splitting up into a boys-only and girls-only car we start to head to our destination. Sitting next to me, Evan was sipping on some sparkling water. He was in the process of sobering up after drinking so much alcohol, and he catches me ncing at him. "Something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?" - Evan "No reason. I just had some thoughts on my mind." - Ian "What thoughts? Tell me, I''m curious now." - Evan "Are you thinking about what I was thinking about, Mr. Ian?" - Adam "Maybe¡­ I didn''t realize how close you were with Sabrina, yet there always seemed to be a barrier between the two of you. Want to tell me what that is about?" - Ian Almost spitting out his drink, Evan chokes and coughs a couple of times while Adamughs hysterically in the front. "That was EXACTLY what was on my mind. After all, it was my job to research everyone here as well as act ording to your personality. I had a slight suspicion on that thought as well. Mr. Evan tell us, what is your rtionship with Sabrina?" - Adam "My rtionship¡­? We are just friends. Well¡­ Maybe more than just friends. It is a long story and I bet the both of you don''t want to hear it. Honestly, it is also a boring story." - Evan "Noooooo, tell us. I mean there is nothing wrong with your rtionship right now. I''m with Reba after letting her stay with me for months." - Ian "Righhhhttttt, I want to hear about that story. How did that happen? It was so out of the blue. I swear the both of you just one day said, yep we are dating." - Evan "How about you tell us first, Mr. Evan, and then Mr. Ian will tell us?" - Adam "Uhh¡­" - Evan "I don''t mind. There isn''t much in my story but if you are curious I don''t mind sharing." - Ian "Goddammit, you are meant to refuse in this situation, Ian." - Evan "Sorry, man. I''m very curious. Especially after getting to know you both in the past 6 months." - Ian "Fine. Fine. It starts back in high school, in ourst year. I was the good-looking nerd that yed games all the time but was able to socialize with everyone else. I had friend groups everywhere and one day, Sabrina transferred into our ss. She had moved from Ameri recently and being the friendly person I was, I started to talk to her. Originally, my thought process was that if I talk to her, she would start to open up and have fun in school, after all, she had the coldest depressed expression anyone could have. So, I struck up a conversation with her during our break and tried to talk to her. However, you know how Sabrina is, she didn''t open up, and instead I was red at and shouted at whenever I tried to talk to her. Her whole first day at school, consisted of me trying my best to talk to her over and over again and her shouting at me to leave her alone. Frankly, I don''t even know why I kept trying, maybe it was because she was the first person to ever refuse to talk to me. Eventually, the first term of school finished, and she still had no friends while I was still trying to talk to her just a little less than the start. Instead, I would nce in her direction a lot and try to wait for her after school, because I found out she lived close to me. Then my parents dropped a bomb, they told me I was to be engaged to a girl in the holidays after the first term. Confused and disorientated from their chat with me, I was forced to go to a meet-up with my soon-to-be fianc¨¦e. We arrived at a fancy Japanese restaurant where we had to sit on some soft cushions in a tatami mat room, and at this point, I waspletely losing it. I had no idea what I was doing, I was 17 and didn''t know anything. Until she walks in¡­ Walking in wearing a kimono was Sabrina. She was wearing a bright red kimono with Sakura petals. She had her hair tied up and light pink lips. Her eyes bat so quickly as she realizes who I was, but I was so speechless I didn''t do anything. I honestly fell in love, with seeing her like this. Comparing her persona at school and at that moment was likeparing two different people. The meeting went reasonably well with the parents but neither of us talked much. It was only after school started again that I confronted her. It was on the rooftop after school with the sunset behind me. I had it all nned. I was going to confess my feelings, but instead, she told me she didn''t want the engagement. My heart broke into a million pieces. I asked her why, but she said she just wasn''t ready. I thought that was the end of it. I fell in love over the holidays only to experience my heartbreaking on the first day back at school. No amount of tears could save me, but when I went to school the next day. She talked to me first, asking if I was okay. From then to now, we started to talk more. We yed games together and went out together, but there was always a thin wall between us. I feel it to this day, after all, I''m still in love with her. I''m just waiting. Waiting for when she is ready¡­" - Evan Taking a deep breath, Evan drinks from his cup mulling over the story. I could hear Adam sniff a few times afterward, and I could feel a tearing to my eyes. "Does she know¡­?" - Ian "Who knows. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn''t. I don''t worry about that anymore. I just live and do my best to see her the next day. Nothing more and nothing less." - Evan "You-You-Are a true man. Mr. Ian how about you tell us your story now?" - Adam "Mine? Well¡­ At the start me and Reba didn''t talk as much, with her teasing me most of the time but as we hung out more, we started to do more things together. Exercising, working, shopping and chilling. It was slow and steady with us just interacting with each other as the days went on. However, in the back of my mind, I felt like I didn''t want these days to end. I wanted to keep waking up to her sleeping face. I wanted to keep seeing her next to me. That was probably when I realized that I had feelings for her, but what would you do if you were me? I had low self-esteem already. I didn''t really believe in myself that was outside the game. In the game, it was easy. I had people I could trust, and they didn''t judge me for anything but outside¡­ I was always worrying if what I was doing was too much. I didn''t want Reba to dislike me, so I kept it to myself, however, I tried to be with her more and more. Doing whatever she wanted and being with her most of the day. I didn''t even know if she liked me or not until I confessed and was I surprised¡­" - Ian "Sounds like some character from a novel or movie. BORING!" - Adam "I know right, BORING." - Evan "HEY! I told you there wasn''t much to it. We just were together for a long time and we just happened to like each other." - Ian "Right, right. Only main characters in novels and movies get this route. ALWAYS GETS THE GIRL! Am I right, Adam? I''m here still waiting after 5 plus years, but this guy meets a chick after a couple of days and straight away lives with her. Unbelievable¡­" - Evan "Unbelievable indeed, but we will have to continue this conversation another time. We have arrived." - Adam ? Looking out the car window, I see us slowly drive towards arge mansion with cream bricks and a red roof. White pirs extend from the roof to the ground, surrounding the whole mansion, and apanying it is a lush green hedge taller than me, which wraps around the whole building. Standing in front of arge brown door with golden hinges with his arms wide open like he was hugging the air was Sam and yelling at the top of his lungs¡­. "WELCOME! TO THE HALE ALI''I OF THE KALANI!" - Sam 206 Chapter 206 "SAM! It''s good to see you." - Ian "HEYYYY! It''s the man of the hour! How are you? What is all of this? And did you just say Kni? The Kni that owns the hotel chain called Kni Hokele?" - Evan Stepping out of the car with the help of Adam opening the door for us, Evan already bombards Sam with a barrage of questions from greeting him to finding out his identity. Laughing at Evan, Sam smiles stepping down a few steps to hug the both of us. His huge body was able to wrap his arms around both Evan and me with ease, squeezing us tightly before releasing us, patting us on the back as he lets go. "I have been good. I know you have a lot of questions for me but that is for ater time. You two are thest to arrive with Reba and Sabrina arriving just minutes before you. Come inside to the living room, the rest are waiting there already. Adam, park the car underground ande back once you are done. Also tell Keo, to prepare Ian and Evan a ss of ice-cold water when they arrive at the living room." - Sam "Yes, sir. I will get to it immediately." - Adam Stepping back into the car, Adam drives away speaking into a small ck earpiece as he drives the car. Patting our backs to get our attention, Sam nods his head towards the door ushering us through as tworge dark skin males with ck suits and pants apanied by dark sunsses open the door. Walking ahead of us, Sam nods to the two security guards before going into the mansion, leaving Evan and me to follow after him. "Evan¡­ That story about Sabrina, that wasn''t all of it right? There is more." - Ian "Maybe. Maybe not. That is just for another day. For now, we should follow Sam. I''m very curious about everything here." - Evan "Agreed. Sam, wait up." - Ian Stopping in the middle of his stride and turning around, Sam waits for the both of us patiently as we quickly walked up to him. The three of us walked along a marble corridor with paintings and photographs of the environment of Haloha, New Straya and Mka. Many of the photographs were from decades ago while the paintings were even older but as we followed the corridor, more and more modern forms of art could be seen. "How do you find Hale Ali''i?" - Sam "Amazing¡­ I''ve never been in a house this luxurious before so I don''t even know how to digest what I''m seeing. The walls and the floors shine brighter than anything I have seen before and all the art along the wall is beautiful. Who would have thought you were like rich. I thought you were just like us but with maybe a bit more money if I was, to be honest." - Ian "I thought simr as well. While you did look like you had money, you didn''t unt it nor did you look down on us who had little money. Never would I have thought you were like a secret son of the CEO of Kni Hokele. There had been no news of a sessor or him having a child at any point of his life and looking at how old you are, I don''t know how you were able to hide it." - Evan "HAHAHA! There was no secret son or anything like that. We just never announced to the world that I existed. I was going toe out of hiding once my father retires. Since I was the only son we wanted to make sure no one could harm me as I grew up so I was hidden away from my father for most of my childhood. However, I knew who he was and we interacted a lot especially now that I am much older. As for why I never unted my money or did anything simr to that, it was because I just didn''t need to. Money was hard for me growing up and I only know about how much money I had after I became a teenager, so in actuality, I had a very humble upbringing much like Kingston''s. Now that I have money, I prefer to hide it and only show it to those I trust and those that will trust me back. The time we spent together, I was slowly understanding everyone''s personality to make sure I don''t regret my decision on revealing myself." - Sam "So why reveal yourself now?" - Ian "There must be a reason right?" - Evan "Yes, there is a reason but I will be telling everyone. Don''t worry we are almost at the end of the corridor. Everyone should be seated on the left on the couches." - Sam Sam was right, there wasn''t much left to walk and I could already hear some chatter andughter echoing along the walls. Turning to the left as we got to the end of the corridor, I could see 4 people sitting on 2 long red couches. The floor was still marbled whilst the red couches stood out in the white room. Reba and Sabrina were sitting on one of the couches while the other had a guy and a girl. The room itself was massive, it had the two couches in the middle surrounding a rectangr chocte brown table with candles and small statues ced in the middle of the table. To the left side there was a small bar, where another worker was busy preparing cups and drinks, I assume that was Keo. To the right was a disy of vases and swords all of which look more expensive than my apartment opposite the entrance was arge wall with a singr portrait of the CEO of Kni Hokele. The guy was wearing a ck hoodie and jeans, donning a scruffy hairstyle, while the girl was wearing a flowy baby blue dress that stops at the knees with small white polka dots. Her hair was ck with red highlights parted in the middle in a bob-cut style. Comparing the two was likeparing a daisy and a rose but for some reason, it fit the image I had of them. "Kingston? Nina?" - Ian Turning towards us as both Evan and I turn the corner, I identally spoke their names. However, the moment I do, the both of them smiled and waved to us excitedly. "IAN! EVAN! COME COME!" - Kingston "Oh my god! Iannnnn! Evannnnn! How are the two of you??" - Nina "NO WAY! This is what the both of you looked like? And how did I know you were going toe in a hoodie and jeans, Kingston?" - Evan "It''s my style, Evan. Cheap and humble but still looking good~" - Kingston "I don''t know about the looking good part but OKAY!" - Sabrina "Sabrina! Don''t hurt the guy''s feelings. He doesn''t know any better." - Reba "What is this attack?!" - Kingston "I think you look great. Both of you." - Ian "See, see. That''s what I need. None of this negative crap. Positivity is key." - Kingston "Thank you, Ian. You look pretty good yourself. I heard Reba helped you though." - Nina "Uhh¡­ Maybe." - Ian "Girl, all I do is help him. Hahaha!" - Reba Small talk andughter erupted in the room as we introduced each other since this was the first time we all met up. Sam joined in the conversation as well as the organizer of the event and slowly we all warmed up to everyone, talking to each other as if it was a group chat. Keo, who was wearing the same clothes as Adam and Eve, came to all of us one by one serving us refreshments as well as some light snacks which we took and indulge ourselves in as we wait for Adam and Eve toe back. After about 30 minutes, the pair walked in and talked to Sam on the side, I assume they were reporting to Sam about their job, as Sam''s expression never changed from his happy tone. With a nod, the pair stood off to the side while Sam grabbed our attention. In addition, the wall with the portrait, slowly transformed. The portrait sunk into the wall, before moving to the side as the whole wall parts in the middle revealing a screen that covers the whole wall. On the screen, was the Settlement home page and Sam stood underneath, with a serious expression. As we quiet down, turning towards Sam one by one, we wait for him to start the speech after all we were all curious about why we were here. "I''m d everyone could make it today, really I am d. It is definitely nice to meet everyone for the first time and while I have met some of you before, this is the first time all of us have gathered together. We alle from different ces and from different backgrounds and upbringing but we are all together. Initially, I wasn''t going to get attached to anyone and stay away from others but after interacting with everyone as we discussed and yed Settlement, I decided to open up and move forward. I am the son of Kalelo Kni, Sameio Kni or Sam. Today, I want to officially create the guild with Evan as the leader as I want to build it into arger group with a bigger name. The reason for doing so is that I have information on the movement of the 3 big guilds, Aqua, Bones, and Lotus. I know we are small, but that doesn''t mean we are losing out to the other 3 and so long as we get our name out there, we will be able to pressure them. All 3 guilds are looking to dominate Settlement much like how the 4 Kings are already doing and after this event, there will be a big boom in yers." - Sam "Why are you saying that the 3 guilds will be doing something? And what do you mean by a big boom in yers? There is already a substantial number of yers already." Evan "Well, Evan, after this event, Lotus is going to release their new product. A VR Capsule and with it, they are opening the game for everyone. This was nothing more than a beta test in disguise with the only dying ''production'' of the game due to ''limited server space''. I know you are well versed in the news about the game and have always wondered why there weren''t many new yers despite the game being out for 6 months. This was the reason. Furthermore, once the game has more yers, the guilds are nning to snatch them all up and use human wave tactics to defeat the Kings. Eventually, they n to do the same against any other yer group and create a trio of territories under their name." - Sam "But that''s impossible no matter how much they try. The Kings and the generals under them are so strong. I''ve experienced their strength multiple times." - Ian "That was the case until this event. From the information gathered by both Adam and Eve''s teams, they have gained a massive amount of loot from the event and are currently farming the monsters thate out of the pirs of light as if they are goblins. In addition, any skill books they gain to go the top dogs slowly gaining skills and stats. They will eventually be the same strength as the generals if this keeps up and I know it will for the whole event. That''s why I think we should create a guild now and establish ourselves so that once the new yerse, they might want to join us and when they do, we will be the 4th powerhouse. If we don''t do something simr I know for a fact, that they will target both Ian and me since our names are consistently in the top 10. " - Sam "I see. You want to create a name so that when they do see us, they will have to think twice before attacking." - Kingston "In that case, don''t we need to be closer to each other so that we can help each other when that timees?" - Nina "Yeah, but we are far away¡­." - Reba "They don''t know that though. We could be across the other side of the continent or we could be a day''s ride away. They will never know." - Sabrina "So, what''s our name going to be? I like the idea of making it official." - Evan "You never had an idea of a name? I thought you have a temporary name in your head." - Ian "I did but like¡­ I don''t about it." - Evan "Yeah¡­ That name is kind of twelvie." - Sabrina "I think twelvie is good though. It usually has the impact we want for a name." - Kingston "The more stupid but strong stounding the better, in my opinion." - Nina "Tell us, Evan." - Sam "Yeah, tell us." - Ian "Alright, alright. The name which I had in my head and I already told Sabrina but it was RavenStar. The logo would be a raven''s head with a 10 point star as its eye." - Evan "That''s it? I thought it was going to be X_P0150N_BL4D3_X or something like that." - Kingston "It wasn''t that bad¡­ I kind of like it." - Nina "Twelvie~" - Sabrina "I like it. Sounds cool." - Reba "RavenStar¡­ Not bad" - Sam "Then we are settling for RavenStar?" - Ian "Wait seriously? It was only supposed to be a temporary name." - Evan "No can do, Evan. We all don''t mind it." - Sam "Right, you have to ept it now." - Reba "Seriously? Alright. You guy''s said it." - Evan "Then from today onwards, we are RavenStar, with Evan as guild master." - Ian 207 Chapter 207 "Hey, wait I''m still not one hundred percent sure about this¡­" - Evan "It''s fine. Don''t worry. Sam, I''m sure this isn''t all you brought us here to talk about." - Ian "You are right, Ian. As always you have a keen eye for these things. The name and the official birth of RavenStar are just the start. This Hale Ali''s, I want to make it an official building for us so we can live and work together in theing days. It is just a suggestion and it is not final yet, but I think it would be better if we are together. What do all of you think?" - Sam "Like a gaming house that people did for esports years ago?" - Kingston "The exact same, yes." -Sam "So we would move from our homes to here and just live here?" - Nina "Yes. I don''t know if everyone is okay with that because we all have our own lives." - Sam "Sabrina, what do you think? - Evan "Why are you asking me? Can''t you decide for yourself?" - Sabrina "What? I can''t ask you? We practically live next to each other." -Evan "HEY! You can''t just say that. Guys, I don''t live near this idiot. I would rather die but if it was living here. I don''t mind." - Sabrina "Alright, both Sabrina and I are staying." - Evan "I would love to live here, daddy Sam. Take me away asap! However, I don''t know if I can just leave my family like this so I''ll have to give you an answerter." -Kingston "That''s fine, I don''t want to force you. Discuss with your family first before deciding." - Sam "Babe, what do you think?"- Ian "I''ll do whatever you want. I''m happy so long as I''m with you." - Reba "Then I think we will stay here. The apartment I''m living in is already small and I don''t exactly like living there. Plus if anything were to happen to us like before we will be able to react faster right?" - Ian "Yes, if you are talking about the episode of the spider mark on your neck then I always have a team of medics ready at a moment''s notice. They will make sure your life isn''t in danger during your stay." - Sam "Then that''s settled, let''s stay here babe."- Reba "Well if most of us are staying then I''m staying too. I''ll just need to tell my family and I should be good to go!" - Nina "Alright, thank you, everyone. Not going to lie I was slightly worried none of you would ept since it was a very out-of-the-blue topic but moving on. We have the patch notes. Due to Ian interacting with an NPC again we have a new patch. Do you want to tell us the context of what happened?" - Sam "Sure. The NPC with whom I interacted is the Guardian of Civilization, Mumei. She is a legendary being who is connected to the gods as well as the lore behind the game before yers were introduced. However, she is extremely forgetful and seems to forget a lot of different information the long she is alive. During our short interaction, she forgot me twice, but she didn''t forget her objective of destroying the enemy General Zabik. There wasn''t a lot of information I could gather from Mumei, but that didn''t mean I didn''t get any information. She knows that the Reaper is behind the invasion however she chose to not attack the Reaper directly. Instead, she chose to attack Zabik. Her objective is not to defeat the Kings but to create a bnce of some sort between the Kings and other Civilizations. The only problem with that is she is one person. She also knows about the Horde before the Horde became a King. Going off that, we can assume she knows the lore behind all the Kings and is constantly traveling throughout the continent defeating enemies in the shadows. That''s more or less the extent of her background that I could gather from talking to her. Other than that, she is extremely powerful and her abilities are very flexible and versatile." - Ian "Is she more of a mage or a warrior? And is she willing to help yers to an extent?" - Nina "Hmm, from the small battle I can only tell you that she is a little of both. She uses a small knife as a weapon but some of her skills were like magic." - Ian "Can youpare her abilities to Casper or Rautt? Since you have seen both of them." - Kingston "I feel like she could defeat them in a fight but it wouldn''t be an easy battle and she might lose as well since Casper and Rautt haven''t shown their true power. Then again, neither has Mumei so I''m not too sure aboutparing them to each other." - Ian "Well, not much you can do there. Sam, what''s on the home page and show us the new patch notes?" - Evan "Alright, if everyone were to look at the screen I''ll show you what is shown to us by the game devs." - Sam Looking up at the screen, the home page is zoomed in showing just the information about the patch notes. [ Server Maintenance Hello, Gamers! How are we today? How is the event treating you? It must be good right? Especially since someone progressed the main storyline. Well, we are here to tell you about some slight changes we are going to make to further enhance the gamey and the difficulty. Since thest patch notes, we have noticed that yers were getting stronger but there are some unique monsters that happen to defeat yers extremely easily. Instead of nerfing them, we are going to buff them. After all, we don''t want this game to be too easy. Furthermore, there seems to be a bottleneck in the technology tree. We have noticed that fewer Leaders were progressing the technology tree and found amon issue with it, therefore we will be changing some slight details. Read carefully as it might affect you. Patch Highlights 1.3 Increases Monster Spawn Rate (During Event) Since we do have an event happening right now, we have decided to increase the monsters that wille out of the ''Pirs of Light''. This includes the monsters that already had a high spawn rate like the skeletons and the zombies. So expect there to be 40 maybe 50 percent more mobs, than in thest 2 days. Whether this amount will destroy some up-anding viges is none of our concern. Increased Monster Spawn Rate and Movement While there is an event in progress right now, there are still monsters in the wild both small and big. Due to the attacks at night, these monsters have been forced away from their natural habitat, resulting in them invading other monster territories. These monsters will either band together into a stronger group or seek to destroy each other for the Territory and resources. As yers, you might be lucky enough to fumble into a battle between two different monster groups ande out on top profiting from their fight. Increasing All Monster Stats Both event monsters and normal monsters will go through a strengthening phase. This is to add to the difficulty of both the event and general monsters. We have seen in just the short 2 days of the event groups of yers farmingrge amounts of monstersing out of the ''Pirs of Light''. While we do not condone this kind of ystyle we do not support it either, thus we want to increase the strength of the monsters to make it harder to farm. Even the generic slime or goblin will go through strengthening, with an average boost of about 20% in stats. Increasing Evolved Monsters As yers might have experienced already, there are evolved monsters amidst the many small groups of monsters. They might be simr in shape or size or they might be apletely different variant of the monster, however, these evolved monsters are smarter and stronger than their previous counterparts. Be careful when fighting them. Increasing Resources in the World To counteract, theck of progress in the technology tree, we have decided to increase the number of resources in the world. Metals like bronze, iron, tin, gold, silver, and more will be moremon but it doesn''t mean they will be easy to find. To make sure we do not have an overabundance of resources we are hiding them deeper in the ground but once they are found there will be more in the location than before. For those who have already found a deposit, once you go back into the game, there will be more of said resource in the vicinity. That said, it isn''t just metal that will be added to the world we will also be adding more monsters that will drop more loot which would benefit yers. For example, more monsters that drop meat so that yers can start to stock up on meat or monsters that drop herbs or medicinal products. We are encouraging yers to find food and start to create restaurants and farms in order to build a more sustainable civilization. Leaderboard Top 10 for this patch update Devel Helioc SAMurai SanShiGo Ian BabyPenPen28 BAB SpotsNboots Ramoose Hide-Ha We at Lotus would like to thank you for ying our game. We wish you the best of luck in your adventures and a small gift will be ready for those who are ying once you log back into the game. We would also like to announce that we have a surprise waiting after the event is over, so, stay tuned! Thank you and have FUN! ] 208 Chapter 208 "What does everyone think about the patch notes?" - Sam "What do you mean, Sam? It''s more or less the same as thest one except we get more resources." - Evan "Uh¡­ Well, I didn''t expect that to be the patch notes either to be honest." - Sam "No, it actually changes a lot for tonight''s ''Pir of Light'' invasion." - Ian "The game is trying to overrun the smaller groups of yers to make room for therger groups. They are essentially, pruning the weeds in the yers and forcing them to take sides with the bigger groups without explicitly saying it." - Nina "That was what I was going to say." - Kingston "Sureeeeee, Kingston. Aren''t you struggling to help out Ian anyway? Are you going to be fine fighting off more monsters than thest two days?" - Sabrina "Right, how wasst night, Kingston? I never got to ask you about it." - Ian "It was okay, if I was to be honest. Compared to the first night, it was a lot easier. There were some poison zombies but other than that, it was mainly normal zombiesing at us. We were able to hold them off and use a rotation of troops to fight them and during the day, we also increased the thickness and height of the wall making it harder for the zombies to siege. The poison zombies were a problem at first, but after we realized that the Krepost was able to heal us if we were hit by the poison attack we just disregarded the poison zombie''s existence. We just had to keep the gate free of zombies and fight from above using archers and long spears." - Kingston "You didn''t meet any Lickers? Or anything simr to a zombie with an exposed brain?" - Ian "Nope. Just goblins, demi-humans, giant rats, snakes, and a bunch of other random monster zombies with the asional poison zombie." - Kingston "How about the rest of us? Did we fight anything different from what was already known to appear? Or anything that shouldn''t have appeared at all?" - Ian "Hmm¡­. I fought against skeleton mages." - Sabrina "WHAT! Skeleton mages? What kind of magic were they using? Fire? Dark? Poison? Earth? Some sort of ck magic that can''t be exined?" - Nina "Some were casting fire magic while others were casting what I believe to be dark magic. I was against a horde of skeletons, and we were able to hold them off while destroyingrge portions of them with our magic. However, the moment the skeleton mages appeared it became a lot more difficult to fight. The skeleton magics cast Fireball and Fire Bolt without any chant or book, instead a small magic circle appeared in front of their hand before the magic as cast. It was the same with the dark magic, but the dark magic was more focused on illusions or covering the enemy in a veil of invisibility. This was why it became harder to fight them since sometimes a whole chunk of skeletons went missing on our right or left." - Sabrina "A MAGIC CIRCLE?! That''s so cool!!! So, there is magic as a skill, magic from a book, elven chant as magic and now a magic circle. There are so many ways to implement magic in this game. It''s amazing!!!" - Nina "Oh, I should tell you, Nina. Lynn and Sr were able to create a new magic skill by tampering with the chant." - Ian "WHAT! WHAT! HOW! WHY AM I NOT THERE!" - Nina "Yeah, from Ball of Light to Illuminating Beam. Changing the chant can allow for a different skill, however, it is dependent on the chant and gathering the power from the respective god." - Ian "AHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHY AM I NOT AT HAVENFALL????" - Nina "I forgot, why are you not there?" - Reba "I''m on some quest given to me by the God of War, Ares¡­ AHHHHH! I shouldn''t have epted it. It''s been so long, and I''m nowhere nearpleting it. I think." - Nina "What do you need to do? I heard about this from Ian before but since you are here now, you might as well exin to everyone." - Sam "I too, want to know about this after all it does seem like a very interesting topic. Plus it might affect Leaders and Travelers as well since it involves a god and a person, whether that person is demi-human or human." - Evan "Well, Ian''s NPC Sylvia is an apostle of the God of War, Ares, and after interacting with Sylvia one day I received a system prompt saying that the God of War, Ares, is interested in me. Right after, Sylvia came up to me and started to talk to me about going on a journey to grow stronger and since my stats were pretty small I decided to go with Sylvia. During the trip, we fought a lot of different monsters and have travelled quite far from HavenFall and are currently moving in a North-Westerly direction, judging from the position of the sun. Fighting monsters is just the start of the quest, since the main objective is to dominate the monsters to the point that they are afraid of us just from just standing there. I think Sylvia hase close to that at the moment since she looks like she has grown stronger. I have not learned the awakening skill yet, and I assume that is when I be a full-fledged apostle but until then, I''m just fighting monsters using my magic book as much as I can and slowly improving my skills. Sylvia estimated that we would be back in the next month so hopefully, I will be able to join Kingston and Ian in the fight against the Reaper''s army. "-Nina "Damn¡­ That''s a long time to learn a skill, but I guess it would be worth it right? Do you know what your current stats are? Or at least an approximate." - Evan "Hmm¡­ I don''t remember clearly, but I think my Intelligence stat is around 70 or 80? With my lowest stat being strength at around 15 or 20. I know I have grown exponentiallypared to when I wasst at HavenFall." - Nina "Did you say 70 or 80¡­. Sr is at 70, and she is an elven mage¡­." - Ian "I think following the God of War was a wise idea." - Kingston "No shit, Kingston. Alright, well I don''t think there is much to discuss. The main objective of this meet and greet was to see everyone as well as tell everyone that this house is where I want the guild, RavenStar, to be situated. Does anyone have anything they want to talk about before we all rx until dinner and then eventually go back into the game?" - Sam "Where are we sleeping?!" - Sabrina "Good question. Adam and Eve will show everyone to their rooms right now. Your bags should already be there as well as some snacks on the table inside everyone''s room. I''m going to hit the gym before dinner. Kingston do you want to join?" - Sam "Free gym? Don''t mind if I do!" - Kingston "HAHA! Alright I''ll see everyer." - Sam Kingston follows Sam closely as the both of them chatter amongst themselves while walking through a door to another hallway. Adam and Eve grab our attention as well as signal us with their hands to follow them. Standing up, Nina, Reba, Evan, Sabrina and I follow after them with Nina, Reba, and Sabrina talking with each other right behind Adam and Eve, leaving Evan and me at the back. "I''m still amazed about who Sam is as well as this mansion I am currently walking through. Never would I have thought I would make friends with a rich person through games and a genuinely nice person as well." - Evan "I''m as amazed as you are about the situation however, I don''t know much about the Sam''s family. Other than that they run hotels, how much they are so big?" - Ian "Sam''s family, the Kni, is a family that owns and runs one of the biggest hotel chains around the world. Whether it is in Ameri or New Oceania or Asiafreeca or EuroNation, they have hotels in all the major cities. Each sporting the most expensive food, housing, and services. They make a LOT of money and because of their good reputation people love them. Which makes it more crazy when he tells us he is the heir to the Kni Hokele. Since, it means he is mega rich! What are the chances we were able to interact with such a rich guy, and he is nice too. It''s just too good to be true." - Evan "But it is true, and he is a delightful person. I quite like how we met as well, not once did he unt his money in that small caf¨¦ we were in, and I think he quite excited to meet us." - Ian "I think so too. Maybe due to his background and past, he didn''t have much chance to do something like this, that''s why he is so happy. You could tell, he was enjoying ourpany with just us being there." - Evan "Yea¡­ I''m d we met him." - Ian Following Adam and Eve, we eventually got shown our room as we travel up a long flight of stairs to the third level of the mansion. Nina''s room was the closest to the stairs with Sabrina opposite her. Down a bit more was Evan''s room and opposite his was Reba and mine. A golden brown door with a small shiny golden letters in the upper middle of the door reading Ian&Reba was embedded into the wood. I nce at Reba just in time to see her surprised expression, smiling to myself before turning the handle and pushing the door inward to see our room. Clear ss covered a whole wall, showcasing the beautiful blue sky dotted with small white fluffy clouds with the endless ocean right below the sky. Breathtaking scenery, made the both of us stand still unable to move a single step. Noticing around the room a deep brown wooden floor boards with soft animal skin rugs apanied by goldenmps on top of intricate tables. Multiple caramel chairs could be seen surrounding the chocte tables with small crackers on top as well as a steaming hot cup of tea. Nearby, arge king-sized bed, with an array of pillows right below two smallmps overhanging the bed frame. "Babe¡­ I want to live here now." - Reba "You and me both babe." - Ian 209 Chapter 209 Rxing in the mansion felt amazing, both Reba and I had a great time chilling in the room, eating snacks, and chatting while looking around the ce. The whole experience felt foreign to me, but Reba was used to it, immersing herself in the rich girl''s life almost immediately. Adam knocked on our room once dinner was ready, escorting the whole group down to the dining room where a long marble table was ced in the middle of the room with candles burning brightly down the center. Shining gold-rimmed tes with glimmering silverware next to them were ted evenly along the sides of the table and as we took our seats one by one the food arrives carried by Adam, Eve, Keo, and a couple of other employees. Sam sat at the head of the table with Kingston on his left and Evan on his right, while next to Evan were Sabrina and Nina, and next to Kingston was me and Reba. ced before us was a perfectly cooked and cut steak, glistening in the light as the fat drips down the side of the charred edges. A small ball of mashed potatoes and a handful of other vegetables apany the steak with a small amount of red wine as well. Opening his mouth first, after the food was served was Evanmenting on the food and the experience he had so far. "Sam¡­ This is amazing. From the ride from my house to the ne to the mansion and then the room to this. It is phenomenal and I don''t know how to exin it other than say it was a once in a lifetime experience." - Evan "Hahaha! It wasn''t that much, there is no need to be modest. I am just doing what I believe is right as well as what I believe is what everyone here deserves. You are my dearest friends and I want to share with you my enjoyment as well as celebrate ouring together. Previously, we met at a cafe and that was an experience for me. I almost never went outside so when I was able to, I went via transportation rather than by car. I looked for the route to the cafe myself and I had an amazing time just experiencing what everyone else experiences daily. Now, I want to share what I am used to with everyone here especially since we are able to meet both Kingston and Nina. These two lived in different states and we weren''t able to meet up. Only Ian has talked to Kingston and Nina in the game but the rest of us have only conversed through text or call. This was an opportunity for us to be closer as friends and individuals so I wanted it to be as amazing as possible for everyone." - Sam "It is great at the moment, Sam. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience what it is like to have money. I absolutely love it and I want to help as much as I can." - Kingston "Thank you, Sam! I have been having a great time here! There is so much here that it is hard to look at and see, however, I do have a slight concern. While we would be here living in this ce I want to be able to work and provide some sort of ie rather than just use your money. I understand that you want to do this for us, but my family has always taught me that we should always repay our debts no matter how small." - Nina "There isn''t really anything you can do in terms of ie here, Nina. We are isted from other people in the mansion so it will be hard for you to acquire a job." - Sam "Why not find an online job? Something that can be done using aputer or maybe set up a website to sell things. That can provide some ie even if you aren''t working a lot." - Sabrina "That could work if you are worried about making money." - Ian "Or, Sam could hire you for something?" - Reba "I can have a look and ask someone, Nina." - Sam "Thank you, sorry about that. I just don''t feel asfortable just freeloading off you." - Nina "Hmm, I have no qualms about that though¡­" - Evan "That''s because you are a selfish greedy individual." - Sabrina "Wait, if I had no qualms about it too, does that make me a selfish greedy individual as well?" - Kingston "No, I think that makes you Kingston." - Reba "Babe, don''t me to mean even if it is the truth. Kingston is a sensitive guy, it might hurt him too much if you say something like that." - Ian "HEY! What is this aggression?" - Kingston "Hahaha! Enough, let''s dig into the food before it gets cold." - Sam ,m And with that, we dig into the food whilst chatting amongst ourselves, bringing in extra food for Adam, Eve, and Keo to join in on the fun. Since they were employed by Sam, there was a slight awkwardness at the start but after a few drinks and a lot ofughter, they started to fit in immediately. Dinner endedte and we all parted ways once we arrived at our room. After a quick shower, Reba and I got ready to enter the game and below long, midnight hit and once again we get transported into Settlement. Opening my eyes, I immediately get to work. From previous information, I could assume that the monsters I will be facing were the monsters from the sea which attacked the East on the first night and the North on the second night. However, since most of the monsters weren''t able to go onnd the group of monsters that attacked the East and the North were different. The first night focused more on monsters that lived in the depths of the ocean,ing up to the surface and attacking Cordelia''s troops or the yers that made their homes near the many marshes, swamps, and coastline. The second night had more amphibious monsters that looked like a mix of skeletons, zombies, fish, frogs, and other nightmare fuel. ording to Sam who was fighting against this group of monsters, they were able to eject water out of their mouths or fingers creating water jets that could break through a tree. They also wielded weapons, mainly spears and swords, and had high proficiency in using them. Even able to go toe to toe with some of his Bison demi-humans in terms of strength and some of his Cat demi-humans in terms of speed. Sam told me there was a variety of monsters in that group and not one was the same with some even being an outlier. Worried about this new group of monsters that have been buffed from the patch notes I needed toe up with a n as soon as possible after all there are 3 ces that get targetted in each attack, the cave, the small path next to the waterfall and the gate near the forest. I am most worried about the cave and the path near the waterfall. The cave was due to the proximity, but the path was near the waterfall because it was a source of water for the monsters which might heighten their abilities. Since I have no information on them, I want to avoid giving them a ce to swim as much as possible. Calling Noah, Howard, and Gobi for a small meeting, I start to exin some of the details I want to get through and implement immediately. After fighting against the zombies at the cave front, I realise that we were able to defend against them very well and suggest we camp next to the ''Pir of Light''. Fighting as they exit the door and keeping them congested there as much as possible. Both Howard and Gobi disagreed with the idea saying it was too dangerous since we don''t know the strength of the monstersing through the door. If they are too strong then we would get pushed back immediately and forced to retreat which would lower morale and even cost us some lives in the process. However, Noah suggested we make a trap for them. The trap would be simple pitfalls but, at the bottom would be spears pointing upwards. We won''t kill all of them but we could reduce their numbers even just a little. The other idea of the trap would be to block off the path upward and ce a lot of dry grass and branches and burn them underground, killing them with both smoke and fire. Despite how terrifying the second idea for the trap was, it changed both Howard''s and Gobi''s opinions and they immediately contacted a group of goblins to get dry grass and small branches from the forest, transporting them with the help of demi-humans to the cave. The next n was to strengthen the wall near the waterfall by creatingyers of walls that monsters would need to go past. However, the difference would be by using boulders naturally found nearby to block the path rather than make a wooden fence. The boulders are already there and the only problem would be to move them but with a little bit of teamwork from demi-humans and hobgoblins, they can move tons of rocks around. Blocking as much of the path as possible while also eliminating some of the monsters that roam in that area. The next n was the forest and since it also connects to Krepost it was hard to set up any real defense. Using Noah''s earlier suggestion, we had some people start to dig small pitfalls around the front of the gate, dotting them in that area and covering them with ayer of branches, leaves, and dirt to make it look as natural as possible. These pitfalls will be the firstyer of defense and other than having the wolves, Gewari, and Gyumi on that side of HavenFall defending against the iing monsters, there wasn''t much else I could do to bolster the defense. Getting to work, Howard helped in the transportation of boulders near the waterfall whilst Gobi oversaw the trap in the cave and Noah proceeds to dig holes in the ground. I help out everywhere, making sure Lucina had enough potions, Robin had more than enough arrows and that old man Hus and his team were taking breaks. The sun slowly descends to the horizon and the third night of the event starts. Another long night awaits us¡­ 210 Chapter 210 After getting everything finished, I approach the statue of the goddess of Luck once again. Why you might ask? Well, it is time for some gacha! I had received the notification earlier for the server maintenance gift, however, chose to ignore it in order to finalize some ideas for tonight''s n of action, after all, it is going to be more difficult. Looking at the small blue minimized box in the bottom right of my vision, I pull up the system notification. [ Sorry for the inconvenience our server maintenance may have caused. In order to reward those that have been patient with us, we have decided to give everyone a small gift. ] [ For the first yer who has met a legendary being we have prepared an additional reward.] In front of me, two small boxes appeared. The usual white box with a golden ribbon tied around it appears and beside it is a simrly sized ck box with a silver ribbon. Grabbing onto both boxes and cing the white box on top of the ck box in my left hand, I proceed to untie the first box. Drawing all my luck as I pry the lid of the white box open, I observe the golden glittering fragments of light escape from inside the box. Smiling, I toss the lid of the box up and away revealing the gift, a small circr bronze badge with a pearl white logo of a shield with 2 spears crossing behind it. Curious, I pick up the badge allowing for the game to bring up the system information about the item. [ Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem Skill: To Arms! Summon 5 Hoplites for 30 minutes or until they lose all their HP. Hoplites will protect the summoner''s life at all costs, never retreating unless ordered to do so. Hoplites will also only listen to the summoner''s orders and will ignore everyone else. Cooldown 24 hours. A small badge reminiscence of an ancient shield design from a past civilization. Their warriors have been known to be exceptionally sturdy and were once a force to be reckoned with, however, only a few of their warriors remain, soul bound to the emblem. ] "I can summon the original users of the Phnx formation!? This is perfect! I can ask them any questions as well as have them train Gobi and Howard but 30 minutes¡­ It''s too short of a time to learn everything and the 24-hour cooldown is extremely long. Hmm¡­ I would love to have them teach my NPCs, but their strength might be vital in the uing battles, so I shouldn''t waste the item." - Ian Mumbling to myself while holding onto the emblem, I try to reason my way into not using the emblem immediately in order to preserve the strength of the skill. Having an additional 5 trained NPCs will definitely be important when I am inbat with any General-ss enemies. After all, they would never expect 5 warriors to appear out of nowhere and attack them. Turning the badge around, I see that there is a small metal pin, which I use to ce the badge on the pouch with Mumei''s berries. The white box disappears, and it was time to open the ck box. Observing the design of the ck box, I could tell it had a different atmosphere to it, with small dark gold runes on the ribbon. It felt mysterious and somewhat forbidden despite it just being a holder of an item but regardless I pull on the ribbon untying it and lifting the lid. A scarlet red light emits from the box shining brighter than the gold light from the white box and causing me to turn away slightly letting the light dim down before turning back. Peering inside the ck box, I see a clear crystal ball the size of a golf ball. It sparkles as the setting sunlight bounces around its edges. Picking up the ball, I look at the system information about it and unconsciously let out a whistle. [ Cleansing Orb A clear orb filled with holy energy. It cleanses cursed items and as well as amplifies the original effects without the negatives. Its powerful abilities make the item heavily sorted out by all being however, it loses its powers once it is activated. Use this item wisely! ] Looking at the description I knew instantly what to use this orb for and immediately dash towards my house. Bursting through the door, I look to my left where I had ced the Orb of Darkness on a shelf next to a pot nt. Since the Orb of Darkness was slightly shady not just from the description but also the name, I have not used it or allowed anyone else near it but now that I have the Cleansing Orb, it changes everything. Picking up the Orb of Darkness in my left hand, I slowly bring the Cleansing Orb in my right-hand closer until both orbs touch. Almost instantly, the Cleansing Orb reacts in my hand, absorbing a ck miasma from the Orb of Darkness slowly turning from clear crystal to a jet ck pearl. In return, the Orb of Darkness slightly changed to a deep violet color instead of a pure ck. It also shone a light purple as if it was an amethyst. One could get lost staring into the orb¡­ Bringing my eyes away from the orb and instead, looking at the system information on both items, I notice some slight changes in the descriptions. [ Cleansing Orb ( Nullified ) After absorbing the energy from a cursed item, the orb has now solidified into a cursed mass. Breaking the orb will cause the curse to disappear, however, if left for too long and the curse mighte back. It is best to destroy the item as soon as possible! ] [ Improved Orb of Darkness An orb filled with condensed dark element magic. If a person were to absorb the orb they will be able to gain a dark-element-rted skill as well as an additional 10 Intelligence. ] After reading the new description for the Cleansing Orb, I immediately follow the directions and drop the orb to the ground, smashing it with my foot and shattering it into pieces. A small cloud of ck dust scatters into the air before disappearing. At the same time, I think of the different people that would benefit from the orb. Ster, Lynn, Gyumi, me, and even Sr if we are looking at it from a potential skill objective rather than a religious perspective. However, I scrap the idea of giving a dark-element skill to Sr since all of her skills revolve around light. That leaves the 2 mages, a dark elf, and myself who has be an all-rounder with the various skills I have acquired from changing races. Lynn would benefit from the skill as it would increase the number of magic skills she would be able to use as well as add more variation to her attacks. However, I did just give her the Amber Tear Drop Earring which gives her Intelligence as well as a new skill. Gyumi still has her archery as well as the lightning-based attacks which focus more on her agility and positioning rather than her magic, which makes it somewhat awkward to give her a skill that might conflict with her attack style. Then we have Ster who already uses dark-element skills to support her assassin job. This skill which can be acquired from the orb mightpliment her skill set, but it might also add an unnecessary skill that she might not use. I scratch my head thinking about it but ultimately decide on myself since there is nothing wrong with gaining more skills and stats. I need to be stronger in the first ce in order to project HavenFall into prosperity. Gripping onto the orb with my right left hand, I squeeze it tight shattering it in my palm. The violet light escapes from the orb wrapping around my hand and slowly creeping up my arm. Closing my eyes, I feel the dark energy flow around my arm and into my chest. Breathing slowly, I let the energy slowly seep into my skin and spread around my body following my blood flow and letting it explore everywhere even my spider legs. After a series of inhaling and exhaling, I open my eyes to a small translucent blue system message that disyed what I had gained from the Orb of Darkness. [ Congrattions on absorbing the energy from the Improved Orb of Darkness. You have acquired the skill Bone Totem as well as 10 Intelligence. ] I bring up my status screen in order to observe the increase in stats as well as the new skill. Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 7689/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 30 ( Happy ) 360/5000( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 80 / 950 ( Reach 900 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 90/90 Mana Points (MP): 27/27 Strength: 45 Vitality: 45 Intelligence: 55 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 36 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Bone Totem, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive), Miasma Protection (Passive), Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring, Vomva Bronze Trident, Sk Mail, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Code of Hammurabi, Night Gloves, Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem Bone Totem (Active) (1-5) MP + (1-5) Bone Fragments - Sacrificing both MP and Bone Fragments, the user is able to create a totem of bones which gives nearby allied units +(2-10)% Dark Resistance and +(2-10)% increased damage to Skeleton rted enemies. Depending on the amount of MP and Bone Fragment sacrificed, it will increase the strength of the totem as well as increase the duration of the skill. Duration (10-50) minutes. Cooldown (1-5) hours. Happy with the new skill and item, I set off for the cave as the sun dips below the horizon and the Pir of Lights shines brighter. I can just tell that the monsters were spawning, and it was finally time to use the traps which we had set up. 211 Chapter 211 "Are you sure about this, Kingston?" - Gibing "About as sure as I can be. Why you don''t like this idea? I remember you being the most excited. What changed from the morning to now?" - Kingston "I think he is getting cold feet, especially as the sun is slowly getting closer to the ground and the moon is slowly rising above the clouds." - Frank "Gibing used to be so brave. I missed that Gibing. What happened to him?" - Gopopo "I guess fighting against so many undead monsters changed him. However, looking at the n, I do have some slight concerns." - Yor "Yor, trust in us. Keade and I will protect you no matter what happens." - Ken "That is one of my concerns, Ken. I know you have received some new equipment from Kingston, but that doesn''t mean you are invincible, and neither is Kaede." - Yor "I trust Kingston''s n. Celine and Ster will do a great job in the back. We just need to focus on the front." - Kaede "Can you run through the n again, Kingston?" - David "David¡­ I told you like 3 times already. What more do you want to know?" - Kingston "I just want to make sure I am going to be doing everything exactly as how I should be doing things. I don''t want to ruin this n of yours." - David "Alright, alright, I''ll exin it to you once more since we have a little more time." - Kingston A slight breeze blows through my hair as I look up at the sky. An orange ocean above me, slowly blending into a deep dark blue, whilst the emerald sea surrounds me on the ground. Not too far away, a Pir of Light illuminates the creeping darkness, and as everyone else huddles closer for the debrief once more. I lean close to David, cing a hand on his new weapon, a battle hammer called Bone Warden. [ Bone Warden Required: 40 Strength Attack: 50 Agility: -10 Skill: Splinters (Passive) With a long handle, reminisce of a monster''s spine, topped off with an amalgamation of bones shaped into a cylinder, this battle hammer screams terror. Its yellowish white appearance with spots of dried blood only adds to the fear and despite its appearance it weights quite a lot, making it so only the strong can wield this weapon. ] Splinters (Passive) - With every attack, a small barrage of bone fragments will eject out of the head of the weapon, doing damage in a small area around the zone of impact. (20-30 Damage) "The n for tonight is we will attack the closest Pir of Light right as the monsters spawn out of it. I have already asked Gopopo to find a couple of goblins to scout the area of the 3 Pirs of Lights that are close to us. From their findings, 2 Pirs of Lighte from underground, and are in open ground, while this one we are close to ising from a valley in between two hills. If we continue down, we will be able to enter a small tunnel which has been dug out by the monsters living in this area. ording to the goblin, the monsters most likely take advantage of the tunnel to travel closer to us. Instead of allowing this the chance toe close to us, we will be going to them, and we are going to fight them as theye from the Pir of Light. The tunnel itself is quite big and is able to fit 4 of us side by side with enough room so that we are not squished together, which makes it a pretty big tunnel. Furthermore, as we go deeper, the tunnel expands into a small cavern, giving us more room to work with. Now, we don''t know exactly what will appear from the Pir of Light, but we can assume it will be monsters which have high enough intelligence to use weapons efficiently. You, Frank, Gibing and myself will be in the front while Gopopo, Ken, Kaede and Yor are in the back. Frank and I will provide mid-range support with our spears while, you and Gibing will charge into the enemies. After giving you the Bone Warden as well as giving both you and Gibing the skill, Blood Boil, I am almost certain the both of you are able to tank for a while without our help. If it every get too much for you to handle, both Frank and I wille in and activate our new skill, Hurricane Thrust, to give the both of you some space. Don''t forget, Gopopo will always be on the lookout for you, and he will pick off any monsters that you might not see. While this is all happening, Yor, Ken and Kaede will be in the very far back defending our rear. Yor will be our tactician for the battle and Ken and Kaede will protect him if any monsterse from behind our slip through the front line. Yor also has a new skill which gives all of us a small boost of speed for a couple of minutes, Breezy Footsteps. That''s the formation, the more detailed part of the nes when we are in front of the Pir of Light. We need to be able to find a way to eliminate the Pir of Light, and it will most likely have to do with the white door itself. Whether it is breaking it, or blocking it or just repeated beating down anything thates out of it, we need to find out any information on it as soon as possible. Is that better for you, David?" - Kingston "Perfect, Kingston. I hear you loud and clear." - David Blood Boil (Active) 20%HP + %50MP( minimum 10HP and 10MP) - Heightening the user''s senses as well as dulling the pain, this skill allows the user to survive long beatings. +10% Strength +10% Agility and reduces damage taken by 20%. Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. Hurricane Thrust (Active) 5MP - Thrusting rapidly 9 times dealing 15 (+50% strength) damage, with thest 10th thrust applying an additional 10 (+100% Strength) wind-element damage. Cooldown 10 minutes Breezy Footsteps (Active) 5MP - The user ps their hands together, creating a small gust of wind which wraps around nearby allies'' feet, giving them a boost in speed. +25% Agility. Duration 1 minute. Cooldown 30 minutes. "Shall we head into the cave now, then? Before it gets too dark and we end up arriving toote. I don''t think we should be fighting them after a significant portion has walked through the white door" - Frank "I agree with Frank, the more monsters that have already passed through the door, the worse it is for us since we don''t know their abilities." - Yor "Alright then, David, Gibing, lead the way for us. Be prepared for anything." - Kingston "Got it." - David, Gibing Picking up his axe, Gibing takes the lead with David right behind him, grasping his weapon with both his hands. I held my spear tight, following behind him with Frank next to me. Compared to thest couple of days of fighting, I felt surprisingly calm. Maybe it was because I had experienced worse days, with the first time I fully demonized, or even the night where I was fighting against that ck skeleton. Now that I have reliable people next to me, I feel more calm and ready to take on any challenges thate my way. At the bottom of the slope was the entrance to the tunnel. It was hidden, covered by the long des of grass that grow around it. If anyone was to nce around this area, they would have missed the fact that there was a cave here. Stepping into the cave, a wave of musky wooden scent enters our noses. "Strange¡­ Why does it smell like a forest here?" - Yor "Did the goblin go inside the tunnel, Gopopo?" - Kingston "Yes, but he didn''t mention the smell. I find it quite pleasant. What about you Gibing?" - Gopopo "Hmm¡­ It smells like home, but not HavenFall. Like the ce we were in beforeing out of the hut, but I can''t seem to know where it was¡­" - Gibing "I have the same thought. I think it is getting stronger with each step we make." - Gopopot "It smells weird to me and Kaede, though." - Ken "It is like a pack of wolves has been here and left after spending the night." - Kaede "Funny thing is, I don''t smell anything." - Frank "Neither do I." - David "I was going to mention that, I don''t smell anything rting to the things you have all said." - Kingston "Is it something only demi-humans or monsters can smell due to our heightened senses?" - Yor "Maybe? But then why is it different between races." - Frank "Wait. I hear something." - Gibing After walking a fair distance into the tunnel, with the only light being a burning piece of wood which Yor had prepared for us, we heard a low moaning sounding from the depths of the cave. It was quiet and low, yet it seemed to prate through the conversation we were just having, drawing everyone attention. Stopping, we ready our weapons as the sound draws closer. Were monsters spawning already? Disagreeing with the thought, I shake my head since we should still have time judging by the position of the sun before we started walking into the tunnel. Instead, I wait and listen. The sound draws near, a slight foreboding shadow creeps in¡­ 212 Chapter 212 Shivers run down my spine as a chilling breeze brushes against my body from deep within the cave, blowing out the torch that Yor was holding. With our only source of light gone, the darkness envelops us but in front of us, dancing in the dark a small orange light. Small and bright like a firefly yet bouncing around erratically like a flea. Quietly under my breath, I whisper to everyone while I watch the small light in the distance. "Careful everyone. I think the monsters spawned earlier than expected tonight. We might have to fight our way through to the door. No guarantees on what we are fighting as well so stay alert and watch all around us. Yor, are you able to create another torch?" - Kingston "Already on it but the only problem is every time I try, the wood catches alight for a second before a cold breeze blows it out. It seems like there is something that is permanently trying to take away our only light." - Yor "I don''t know if any of you can see it but the light isn''t a monster it feels more like¡­ The tool Owen uses when he is capturing prey in the river." - Gopopo "Fishing? Do you think the light is a bait and it is attached to something on the end?" - Kingston "I don''t just think it is, I can see it. A small white linees from the center of the light and this line blends into the darkness behind it." - Gopopo "That doesn''t bode well for us. It means the monster is somewhat intelligent and has used this tactic before to fight or to engage inbat." - Yor "We can''t just stand here either, wait for it to do something." - Frank "Maybe we should go forward and fight them." - David "That is a stupid idea. Especially since Gopopo can shoot an arrow instead. Just focus and be ready to defend anything next to me." - Gibing "Ah! Right." - David "Then, I''ll engage with a Heavy Shot." - Gopopo Heavy Shot (Active) 2MP - Applying stronger pressure when about to fire a projectile in order to umte more damage (10 - 50 + 50% Strength). Holding the attack for a longer duration will increase the damage and at max duration, there is a chance to induce additional piercing damage. Duration (1 - 10) seconds. Cooldown 1 minute. In the darkness, I hear Gopopo slide an arrow out of the quiver. The stone head brushed against the wooden body of the many arrows in his quiver. Letting out a small breath, I hear a quiet whistle as the bowstring is pulled taut. As Gopopo holds the arrow for a few seconds a rhythmic heartbeat and melodic breathing be the only music in this tunnel as an orange light dances to the tune. Without a moment''s notice, the bowstring snaps and high pitch whistle echoes in the cave as the arrow flies towards the light disappearing into the darkness. The long quick shadow of the arrow brushes the light and pierces whatever was behind it, resulting in a low grumbling sound followed but the ground around us shaking. Like a crowd at a music festival lighting up their light sticks, tens of small blue lights appear around and behind the initial orange light and with the collective lights we were able to see the monsters hiding in the darkness. However, I would have much rather that I couldn''t see what they looked like. It is like looking at an aquarium of ugly, grotesque zombie fishmen. An assorted rainbow of dark colors ranging from deep violet to a dirty green to a very ashy grey, all with small warts on the surface of their skin. Cuts and scratches look more like a fashion statement on these monsters as a strange purple liquid oozes out of their body, dripping to the ground. Some of the monsters had their mouths open, showcasing the rows of sharp needle-like teeth with some growing at obscure angles. Above their mouths were their tiny eyes or some without any eyes at all, however, all the monsters had one thing inmon and it was the small antenna that produces a soft light. The monster in the front that was emitting the orange light is also the most different of the new army of monsters. Its dark orange body is leaner with fewer warts and more distinctive features on its body. It was also holding onto two curved des that were as long as its forearm, with a yellow spiral shell as the guard, whereas the other monsters were wielding spears or maces. Gopopo''s arrow had found its ce on the orange fishman''s thigh, prating through the flesh, however, it was the least of our concerns. The orange fishman grins as its allies grip onto their weapons tighter staring at us as if we were mere sand on the bottom of the ocean. "Alright, everyone. Time to show these deep-sea fish what it is like to fight on the ground. Yor, direct us if needed. David and Gibing, show them. MAKE THEM REGRET COMING TO THE SURFACE!" Kingston "HAHHHHHHHHHHH!" - David, Gibing Stomping on the ground, David and Gibing, both charge toward the group of monsters, swinging their weapons behind their head as they draw closer. Not letting us get the upper hand, the orange fishman brings his right arm up, pointing his knife at David. Following his movement, 2 other fishmen dashes forward meeting David and Gibing in the middle. David''s Bone Warden smashes into a violet fishman''s spear with the small bone fragments splintering into the fishman''s skin. Replying to the attack, it gurgles at David shooting a Water Ball out of its mouth at David''s face. Narrowly swinging his head to the side, David dodges the attack and pushes the monster back, proceeding to drop the Bone Warden''s head to the left before gripping onto the body and swinging upwards crashing into the monster''s waist as it awkwardly defends with the butt of the spear. Its waist indents as David follows through his swing with multiple bone fragments prating into the monster''s body as well. Gritting its teeth, at the pain, the monster drops its spear and grasps the body of the Bone Warden. It starts to send multiple water balls at David with little sess at hitting any, instead, I burst each stray Water Ball behind David as it flies past him. David''s muscles budge under his armor as he lets out a shout, pulling the Bone Warden towards him making the monster lose bnce. As the monster falls closer to David, he grabs its big rough head and forces it down while bringing his knee upward. The copper leg guards smash into the monster''s face, followed up with a one-handed strike from David killing the monster. As David was fighting the purple fishman, Gibing was also engaged in close-quarterbat with a spiky moss green fishman. Gibing was using the golem stone ax and with his increase in strength over the past few battles, he had be extremely proficient in using the ax. Waving the ax around as if it was a stick, Gibing constantly applies pressure on the monster, attacking the neck, the wrist, and the feet with frightening uracy. The green fishman was using a mace whichcked in the defense department, however, the spikes that cover its body protects the monster from most of Gibing''s attacks. Finding an opening in the monster''s attacks, Gibing activates Cleave cutting through the monster''s defense and pushing the mace out of its hands. Following up on his attack, Frank activates Quickstep, lunging forward and piercing the monster''s throat. Gopopo also fires an arrow piercing the same spot Frank had just attacked, prating through creating a clean hole. 2 fishmen down and barely drawing any sweat. Confidence was key and we haven''t even shown our true power yet but then again neither have they. However, the fact that 2 of the fishmen had died at our hands angered the orange monster. Screeching at the monsters surrounding it and pointing its knife toward us, itmands a second attack and like clockwork, the monsters charge toward us. This time it wasn''t just 2 monsters but it was the whole lot of them, however, the tunnel only allowed a maximum of 2 of them to fight us at the same time, or else they wouldn''t have any room to move around. We already knew that this would work in our favor, and smiling at the result, I let out a battle cry as I help David fight against the many monsters in front of us. "Wait, what''s that? Wait. Wait. WAIT! Don''t charge head first! It isn''t just fish monsters we are facing! LOOK UP AT THE CEILING! KINGSTON, DAVID, GIBING, FRANK! RETREAT A FEW STEPS! IT IS A TRAP!" - Yor Hearing Yor''s desperate cry, I stop in my tracks and pull David who had just pushed a fishman off him, closer toward me as I hurriedly retrace my steps. Gibing and Frank were also running backward, unsure of the threat. I nce upward and my heart drops. This battle didn''t look so good anymore. 213 Chapter 213 Attached to the charging fishman were small blue strings connected to several semi-transparent being''s fingertips floating along the ceiling of the tunnel. Their white hands glow cyan as their fingers twitch around, moving the strings. However, the rest of the body was hidden in an oversized cloak, with a hood over its head covering its face. "What are those? Yor! What are they?" - Frank "I don''t know. I''ve never seen a monster that is practically invisible. I just know rushing in now is a bad idea. We should fall back more and figure out how we are going to deal with them. The first two fishman that attacked us didn''t have those strings, but the ones charging at us now do." - Yor "What would we do if we were to retreat? Shouldn''t we fight them now and figure out what we can do?" - Kingston "Hmm¡­ I have an idea. Gopopo shoot a couple of arrows, one aiming at the strings and one aiming at the floating monster. While he does this, we retreat for and not engage inbat until we see the results of Gopopo''s arrows. If 1 arrow each doesn''t work, then shoot another. Can you do this?" - Yor "It''s not whether I can do this, but I must be able to do this. Don''t worry, I''llnd the shot." - Gopopo "Alright. David and Gibing retreat with the rest of us, but stay focused on the front. Be prepared for anything unexpected. Luckily we have already fallen back, but if we retreat too slowly the monsters will catch up." - Kingston We start to retreat away from the monsters, with Ken and Kaede bringing up the rear, while the rest of us were watching in anticipation as Gopopo pulls back the bowstring. Steadying his breathing as he retreats, he calmly takes aim and quickly fires off two arrows. Both cuts through the air with one slicing through a blue string and the other flying through the floating monster, but to our dismay, neither arrow did anything. The cut string magically reconnects within a second of breaking, and obviously the arrow that went through the floating monster did nothing. In disbelief, Gopopo fires another short barrage of arrows aiming at different strings and monsters, but to little sess. "Damn, Sabrina wasn''t joking when she said nothing can hit the wraiths she was fighting. What was it again¡­? Magic! Right, only magic could hit those monsters." - Kingston "Kingston, the only problem is that none of us can use magic¡­" - Frank "That is a big problem. If these monsters are only able to be killed with magic then the only people that can help us are Ster, Sr, Lynn, Gyumi and Ian. However, if we assume this is happening near them too, then the Krepost is in big danger since only Ster can defend it." - Yor "No, we have the Zivotinjas and Crizannas. Their skills should be able to hit them as well, and HavenFall has all our mages, so they are fine. The problem is us, since all of us use weapons to fight¡­ WAIT A MINUTE! I have a Spear of Light. This should work, right?!" - Kingston "It should work in theory, but you would need to activate it first, and that requires you to activate Endless Rage." - Yor "Kingston, don''t worry about us and activate the skill. Thest time you did it, you were able to control yourself." - Ken "Right, and if anything happens, we can just beat you down until you be unconscious. That should fix it easy." - Gibing "Alright then, then what''s the n Yor." - Kingston "Once you activate Endless Rage, you have approximately 5 minutes before you go Berserk to the point of no return. You will do your best to defeat as many of the floating monsters as possible before that timer runs out. The moment you get close to that time limit, both Gibing and David will activate Blood Boil and Charge to stop you. While you are fighting the floating monsters, Frank, Ken and Kaede will focus on the fishman, leaving David and Gibing to focus on your movements. If you are worried about me since the twins are leaving, don''t be. While I''m not the strongest here, I am still a demi-human. I can protect myself to an extent. Gopopo focus on support, shoot any monster that you deem to be troubling as well as help eliminate any monster that is close to death, so that the front line can focus on the others. Let''s try our best to push forward rather than stand still in one spot and fight, that way we can slowly approach the portal while fighting. Did everyone get that?" - Yor "Understood." - Gibing, David, Frank, Ken, Kaede, Gopopo "Then, shall we start." - Kingston Stopping our retreat, I squeeze through a small gap between David and Gibing, dashing quickly at the approaching monsters. Following behind me were the steps of myrades, each with a determined look on their faces. I took a deep breath and stared daggers into the monster in the front, eyeing the ghost puppeteer above it. Once in range, I leap up stabbing forward with my spear and, at the same time, activating the skill. "Endless Rage." - Kingston [ Endless Rage Activated ] [ Spear of Light Activated ] ,m Within seconds, the world gets dyed in a scarlet red with my spear glowing a bright ruby color, contrasting against the light cyan glow of the ghost. My spearhead draws closer to the monster and, realizing the danger, it casts a barrier spell in front of it''s body, releasing the strings attached to its fingertips at the same time. Arge cobalt hexagonal barrier appears between the monster and my spear. As the spear touches the surface of the barrier, multiple ripples appear, distributing the spear''s damage. However, I didn''t give up just because my first strike failed. Beforending, I attempt another attack, activating Cleave with my now activated Spear of Light. The increased Strength from Endless Rage, plus the damage from the activated Spear of Light, rips through the barrier as Cleave is used. Unfortunately, I had tond on the ground after that attack. A smile spreads across my face as I look at the sea of letters, with the smile growingrger as the ghosts be covered in those same letters. A glowing Kill, can be seen on the area hidden by its hood. Cracking the ground below, I leap up attacking the monster without any hesitate, directly aiming for the glowing words, however, I wasn''t fighting a single ghost but a whole fraid of ghosts. Breaking down one barrier just allowed another to create one where ever I was attacking, and that was just the start. Some ghosts released control over the fishman and turned to attacking me with spells of condensed Dark Magic. A mix of indigo and ck balls were flung at me, each the size of a ser ball and each exploding on contact. The balls shook the cave and reduced my area of movement, making me dodge constant while also weaving around the attacks of the fishman. Supporting me were Frank, Ken and Kaede who has started to attack the monsters in the front. Frank''s spear shes with the other fishman''s spear, creating small bright sparks as the spearheads rub against each other, in the lightning quick strikes. Ken and Kaede, simultaneously fights against 2 fishmen, as they both co-ordinate their strikes, attacking both at the same time. They both dodge the enemies attacks, retaliating on a different monster each time, switching between the 2 and confusing them. Supporting those them was Gopopo as he expertly aims at key moments to eliminate the threat. Prating through the eyes of the fishmen, as well as, shooting an arrow at the wrists of fishmen as they attempt an attack damaging them and disarming them, allowing for the others to attack or quickly retreat. However, it was all dyed in red for me. I could only really see the glowing words around me, as if they are the stars in the night sky. Gripping onto the spear tightly, I dance around the iing indigo and ck balls, leaping onto of nearby fishmen''s heads, or spears to dodge the attacks. Stray balls would end up damaging the fishmen, leaving them covered in purple ooze and once the opportunity rises, I Quickstep towards the ghost attacking at the weak spot. Barriers stop my progress, but after 3 strikes they would break, revealing the sweet glowing words that were my aim. However, as I break through the barrier and my spear draws near the glowing, Kill, my head throbs as a bright cyan light shes from underneath the hood. The dark tunnel gets reced by a bright white room, and all monsters and NPCs disappear, leaving only me. I blink and in front of me, my family appears. Blink again, and they are on the ground in a puddle of blood with their heads decapitated and staring at me with smiling eyes and mouths. Stepping back in fright as a small screames out of my mouth, I feel my whole body shudder as my blood runs cold. Blinking again, they disappear, and instead my friends appear in front of me. Their eyes stone-cold with weapons in their hands. Ian in the lead dashes toward me. I try to escape but looking down, I realize my legs were buried in the white ground, unable to move. Unable to do anything as Ian''s trident prates my chest. Luke''s spear stabbing not too far away, Ster''s knife slicing my ear off. David''s war hammer smashing my hand. Gibing''s axe, chopping my other arm off. Frank''s spear stabbing into my shoulder. Ken and Kaede''s clubs smashing into my sides. Sr''s and Lynn''s magic disintegrating my body. It didn''t happen once. After they all attack me, it would reset, starting all over with Ian''s strike. Over and over. Death after death. A ghastly scream escapes my lips as I open my eyes to the ghost''s illusion dropping to the ground as my scream echoes in the cave as my head splits open. My whole body shakes as I clutch onto my head. Despite it being an illusion and I had Endless Rage activate, I felt every attack. I felt myself die over and over again, just like I was in the Ikanda, but then a sweet angelic voice appears next to me, or at least it sounded angelic at that moment. "What are you waiting for? Are you still not going to ept me?" - ??? 214 Chapter 214 Hearing that voice, I feel my whole body lunge into darkness, the surrounding space darkens and time slows down. Growls and screams muffle away, and the scarlet red vision is reced with the night sky. Small white dots sparkle around me, but when I try to move my limbs, I find that I couldn''t move. My voice wouldn''te out as well, and I couldn''t blink. Where was I? What am I doing here? Why can''t I move? What is this ce? Thoughts race through my head, hammering into my brain one after the other. Questions pile on top of each other, but the answers weren''ting. I thought I died, but it was different from death. Yet at the same time, it has this familiar feeling. I couldn''t shake it off. "Look who we have here." - ??? A sweet voice, simr to that of a temptress at a bar, whispers into my right ear. The cold breath sends shivers down my spine and without seeing who or what was next to me, I reply slowly and as calmly as possible. "Who are you?" - Kingston "Who am I? You already know¡­ Kingston. Hmm¡­ Maybe you don''t appreciate this voice, I thought it would help loosen you up." - ??? "How about this one? Do you recognize me now?" - ??? A creepy, low, deep voice reces the once sweet angelic tone. It was like hearing nails scraping against the ckboard with each word that escapes its lips. Goosebumps appear all over my skins as I listen to the voice. My teeth chatter as I remember the voice from a couple of days ago, when I had a near-death experience. A shroud of darkness envelops me and a pair of sharp scarlet eyes re at me. "Y-Y-YOU! You were the voice after I killed that shadow monster." - Kingston "Yes. I was that voice, Kingston. How was it then? Victory never tasted so sweet, right? It was so easy to kill that monster. One stab. One stab was all it took." - ??? "Who are you? What are you? I felt like my body was controlled by something else right before I heard your voice. Especially when that mask appeared on my head, the red skull with long jet ck horns. Are you a demon? If so, what kind?" - Kingston "So many questions. So little time. DO you think time has stopped outside this space, Kingston? The answer to that question is no. Time is still flowing at a normal rate outside this space, and to make it more entertaining. You are currently on a rampage outside. Killing the ghosts and fishmen alike, but sooner orter you will be a problem to your own friends. Do you want that to happen?" - ??? "No. No. No. TAKE ME BACK! LET ME GO BACK TO THEM! I CAN''T HURT THEM! What is it that you want? You obviously want something, and you are taking my friends as hostage, with me being the weapon. " - Kingston "I always knew you were smart. Straight to the point as well. Yet, I find myself bewildered by your choices. You don''t care for them. These ''friends''. You never once really cared for them. Look¡­" - ??? The darkness surrounding me shes, reced with the rocky environment where I had fought the dinosaur. Vibrating below me, I see the ground caving in with Roche Serpents bursting through and in front of me, I see myself running with Ian on my right. Ian dashes to the right whilst I dash towards the left and I see three Roche Serpents appearing from underground creating a hole which Ian falls through. "Right here." - ??? The scene rewinds back to the moment Ian diverts to the right and the shroud of darkness wraps around the image of myself. Its eyes hover next to my face and I see myself looking at Ian. Just a small nce, so small that I had forgotten or maybe forced myself to forget. "You saw him turn, yet said nothing. Not just that, you purposely stepped to the left first. I know because I was inside you. You felt the vibration of the monsters from the right, more than the left, which made you escape to the left. However, you didn''t do anything when your ''friend'' turned to the right. Not a word. Not even a thought. Instead, you turned your head away, only to look back when you heard a scream. Why? Was it reassurance that you choose the right path? Maybe because you knew, he was going to fall anyway? Maybe¡­ It is because you never really thought too much about him. Your ''friend'' is nothing more than a tool for you to enjoy yourself. Whether it is here or elsewhere. SO! Why continue this charade? Why not just embrace it? ENJOY, the taste of victory. ENJOY, the killing." - ??? "Yo-yo-you are wrong." - Kingston "WRONG?! No, no, no, no. I am right and you know it." - ??? The world crumbles around me, recing the scene once again, but this time it was during the moment when I had lost myself in the Endless Rage and fully Demonized. I never say myself in a mirror of sorts, so I could only reference what I looked like from touch and what Ian had told me, but now, I see it. The shroud of darkness loops around myself, stopping right next to my cheek as it looks in the same direction as me. Even though it has no mouth, I could feel it grinning as I discover about myself while I look upwards at my body in this scene. A blood-red figure wielding a glowing scarlet spear, on top of a monster corpse, looking down on Luke and Sylvia. Even though I was just looking at myself, I felt the intense murderous aura emanating from my body as it stares at Luke like he was a rabbit in front of a lion. "You were conscious of your action. Right here." - ??? "No I-" - Kingston "I know you were. You could have turned back. Released the skill and stopped all actions, but you didn''t. You thought nothing of this ''friend'' and instead smiled underneath your mask. Do you know what thought was running through your mind?" - ??? "No. Stop it. STOP IT!" - Kingston Gripping my head, my knees copse and my eyes shake. Air rapidly enters and leaves my lungs as my head starts to ache. However, no matter how much I cower, those sharp scarlet eyes appear in front of my and the voice enters my ears no matter how much I cover them. "KILL! YOU WANTED TO KILL THEM! YOU WANTED TO SEE THEIR BLOOD ALL OVER YOUR BODY! THEIR SCREAMS AND THEIR TERRIFIED EXPRESSIONS, YOU WANTED TO SEE AND HEAR THEM! KILL! KILL! KILL!" - ??? "N¡­O¡­.That''s¡­No¡­" - Kingston With my throat drying up faster than a desert, I feel my soul leaving my body as the voice screams inside my head. Was it true? Was that what I was thinking? Was that what I wanted? I couldn''t think. There were too many thoughts running through my mind right now, and I was so confused. "So. Why not ept it?" - ??? "ept¡­?" - Kingston "Yes. ept it. ept me." - ??? "You¡­?" - Kingston Looking up, the shroud of darkness fades away, revealing a knight covered in scarlet red armor with two jet ck horns. Its appearance is simr to my demonized form, except it looked more robust and sharp. "Yes. ept me, Belial. Hell''s brightest me." - Belial As Belial introduces itself, the world around me slowly turns aze. A sea of yellow, orange, and red mes dance, surrounding us in a sphere of fire, yet it doesn''t feel hot. It felt warm, in fact. "I¡­" - Kingston "Trust me. Your ''friends'', you don''t need them. In fact, you already know this. You are just using them for your own benefit. Later on, you will cast them aside, but for now, you need to bide your time. Take as much as you can and don''t give any back. This whole experience is like an especially made event for you, to be stronger. I know, trust me. ept me. Grow with me, and I will lend you my power. " - Belial "You¡­I¡­No¡­I¡­" - Kingston "ept me. st through this situation. These ghosts will wish they never wanted toe back to life. These fishman will be nothing more than meat on a stick. You will lead your ''friends'' to victory, only to take more in the end. We will be the ones who will win at the end of the day. ept me." - Belial "I¡­" - Kingston Stammering around, with my head swaying back and forth. Belial reaches out to me, grabbing onto my shoulders and bringing his helmet close to my face. The slots where his eyes would be shes bright scarlet, and the world around me disappears, even Belial disappears. Instead, I am in a white room, standing on air. I hear the sound of a baby crying behind me, making me turn around, slowly. Stepping on the air and seeing a small baby crying in the arms of its mother. A familiar feeling washes over me as the mother turns around, revealing to me that it was no one other than my own mother. Which meant, that the crying baby was myself. Both myself and my mother slowly crumble into dust, reced with an image of myself as a child, no older than 7 or 8. Just a kid, squatting on the ground, but within a second drenched in water as a bucket is tipped over my head. Who did it? None other than the bullies at my school when I was younger. Kicked and pushed onto the ground while still wet, I see small crystal tears rolling down my cheeks. Once again, the scene crumbles away, reced with a more recent incident. I was an adult, on the ground, on all fours bowing my head to my superior as he sitsfortably on his chair with a stack of papers in his hands. He stands up and ps my head in the bundle of papers and proceeds to kick and stomp on my body. A lifeless body takes the beating, responding to nothing¡­ "ept me. You will never need to experience anything like this. These ''friends'' can''t help, but I can. I can help you. ept me." - Belial "What can you do to help me?" - Kingston "More than you can ever imagine. There is more to this world than you may think, however, you need more power. I am just the start." - Belial "What more power do I need?" - Kingston "There are 71 more of us. Hidden. Find them. Find US! We can help. ept me and it will be the start." - Belial "Then¡­If what you say is true. I will. I¡­I will ept you." - Kingston 215 Chapter 215 [ You are about to ept a contract with a demon. WARNING! This is thest chance for you to say no.] [Yes/No] "YES! Say, YES!" - Belial "Wait, wait, wait. I''m not too sure anymore." - Kingston "WHAT? WHY? I''LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING! POWER IS JUST THE START!"" - Belial "Well, it''s just, you see. Uh¡­" - Kingston "ACCEPT ME! LOOK! YOU ARE STILL ON A RAMPAGE OUTSIDE! ACCEPT ME AND WE CAN CONTROL THAT POWER AND MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING GREAT!" - Belial "I¡­ I''m going to regret this, aren''t I?" - Kingston Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh. I knew, deep down, that I wasn''t a good person. I''m a coward. I''m greedy. Yet, was I the type of person to look down on a friend? Was I really relieved when I saw Ian fall? At this moment, I couldn''t tell what was my own feelings and what was fake from the conversations and the visions Belial had shown me. "Yes." - Kingston [ A contract has been made with the demon - Belial.] The world around me shatters like broken ss, mes seep in through the cracks engulfing everything while Belialughs menacingly. The mes rush in, spinning around me like a tornado before flying inside my body through my mouth, eyes, and ears. Muffled screams, burning throat, skin peeling, hair singed, my mind goes nk. Time passes so slowly, the feeling of my body burning to ashes from the inside out continues, and with no telling when it will stop. The echoing sounds of rushing mes and Belial''s menacingugh resound within my head imprinting themselves within my very soul. Just like that, my body disintegrates away, but my mind bes active again, like a beating heart. As if I am looking down from an eagle''s perspective, I see my ashes shift closer together, pressing against one another. An ember sparks, lighting the ashes up and creating a small fire. However, the ashes stille closer and the fire burns brighter until a fiery orb is formed in the center. The mes twist and spin around the orb as it sucks in the embers, ring brighter and brighter. It burns and glows beating like a heart as ruby crystalline veins crack through the surface of the orb, creating a web of ruby crystals. Once the web of crystals forms, Belial looks directly at me, grinning from ear to ear. "Time to go back." - Belial With a blink, my perspective turns back to where my body once was before it got burnt. I look down to see the crystal veins and the orb beating slowly recing my heart. Panic rushes through my head but no soundes out, then all of a sudden the veins sh scarlet. White bones form as muscles wrap around them entangling with the veins. Skin magically paints on top covering the flesh underneath as hair sprouts from under the skin. Each individual crease on my skin slowly forms, creating intricate fingerprints and palm textures. Belial walks towards me grabbing my right hand tightly while grinning. His body res once before slowly disintegrating. Shards of his body twirl around in a small tornado until it was just his hand before rushing into the back of my palm searing the area, creating a sigil in his name. A jet ck scarprised of an inner and outer circle, with a small space between the two spelling out Belial with each letter at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 o''clock respectively. Inside the inner circle, an obscure shape can be seen. My first thought was it was a weird upside-down jester hat, with numerous hanging ornaments at the bottom of the shape, hugging the L, I and A. 4 crosses can be seen on the sigil each and nearby 4 small circles can be seen. The sigil glows menacingly before Belial''s voice rings inside my head. "That is my Seal. It is also our contract." - Belial Gulping down my saliva as I hear Belial talk, I notice the numerous system messages I was receiving. Some rte to Belial and others rte to new skills and changes to current skills. [ Congrattions on establishing a contract with a Demon - Belial. ] [ As the first to create a contract with a Demon, you will be rewarded. +20 to all stats Skill: Siphon Soul ] [ Being Belial''s contractor, you will gain skills ordingly Skill: Hellfire (Upgradeable) Skill: Darkness Resistance (Passive) Skill: Demonic Energy (Passive) (Upgradeable) Skill: Seal of Belial ] [ Certain skills have been modified Skill: Endless Rage has been changed to Skill: Rage Skill: Demonification has been changed to Skill: Demon Trigger ] [Spear of Light has noticed the change within the user. Feeding off the Demonic Energy the Spear of Light has converted to the Dark Spear ] Siphon Soul (Active) 10% Maximum MP - Deal damage (10% Maximum Enemy HP) to an enemy and heal ( 10% of Missing HP) to yourself. Cooldown 1 hour. Hellfire (Active) (Upgradeable) 10MP or 5 DE - Choose 2¡Á2 m to burn and create a small fire in that area. The initial activation of this spell will cause 50 damage (+150% Intelligence) as well as 10 damage over time (+50% Intelligence). The fire cannot be put out by normal means, however, will not spread beyond that area. Duration 30 minutes. Cooldown 1 hour. This skill able to be upgraded once the user contracts with more demons. Darkness Resistance (Passive) - 50% Resistance against all dark-element magical and physical damage. [DE] Demonic Energy (Passive) (Upgradeable) - The user is able to store Demonic Energy within their body due to the presence of a demon. Demonic Energy can be used as a substitute for MP. Current Demonic Energy (20/20) can also be seen on status. This skill able to be upgraded once the user contracts with more demons. Seal of Belial (Active) 50% Maximum HP - Activate the Seal of Belial and summon the Demon Belial for a short period of time. The Demon will have its own consciousness and will make its own choices. Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 1 day. Rage (Active) 20% Maximum HP 20% Maximum MP - Enter a state of rage, enhancing Strength and Agility by 20%. The user will react to enemy movements faster and is able to distinguish between friend and foe. Duration 30 minutes. Cooldown 12 hours. Demon Trigger (Active) - Merge with a contracted Demon. The user covers themselves in crystalline armor resembling the contracted Demon. In this state, the user''s stats are increased by 50% and their Demonic Energy is refilled and doubled. Skills that rte to the contracted Demon will do a further 50% damage. Can only be activated whilst the skill Rage is activated. Duration is however long the skill Rage has left. Cooldown 12 hours. [ Dark Spear (Upgradeable) Attack: 50 Agility: 20 Each attack is a dark element-based attack. After absorbing the demonic energy of its user, the Spear of Light converts to the Dark Spear. Losing its glowing white hue, a deep magenta light radiates from its purple wine-like body with the tip of the spear painted in jet-ck. This weapon is able to feed on Demonic Energy, the higher the Demonic Energy the user has, the stronger this weapon will be and the more additional stats/skills will be revealed. ] Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 90/90 Mana Points (MP): 18/18 Demonic Energy (DE): 20/20 Strength: 40 Vitality: 45 Intelligence: 38 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 45 Luck: 21 Skill: Sand Armor, Rage, Cleave, Charge, Demon Trigger, Siphon Soul, Hellfire, Seal of Belial, Buffalo Horns (Passive), Darkness Resistance (Passive), Demonic Energy (Passive) Equipment: Dark Spear (Activated), Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Goblin Knife, Wooden Helmet The amount of information that was presented before me stuns me, making me take a small step back, but before I could react to the new skills and weapons, my eyes refocus, and I''m back in the tunnel. Surrounded in a small circle were agitated fishmen, gnarling and shrieking, taunting with their weapons in front of my eyes. Repositioning myself, I nce around taking in the new environment, only to find David, Gibing, and the rest in a heated battle not too far behind me. A booming voice reaches my ears in the midst ofbat. "KINGSTON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL THEM BEFORE THE GHOSTS BUFF THEM AGAIN!" - Yor "Kill¡­?" - Kingston A small voice resounds inside my head, like an enticing subus ready toy prey on her victims. However, I know this voice all too well. The same voice which I had spoken to not too long ago. "Yes, kill them all. You are no longer the weak human you once were. With my power, you will be able to even control that state of Rage. Wreak havoc on your foes. Kill them all." - Belial Like a switch inside my brain, my hands grasp the Dark Spear. My breath slows, and my heart races. I feel the power pumping through my body, like electricity surging through the wires. A grin spread across my face as a happy thought cross my mind. The ghostly image of Belial, looms on the edge of my vision, looking at me in anticipation. "Kill." - Kingston [ Activate Rage. ] 216 Chapter 216 "Kill them all." - Belial Just like before the world dyes in red, however, instead of the walls of textyered on top of every living creature, I only see a singr word on every enemy. Shining scarlet in this world of blood, the word ''Kill''. I knew what that word represented. I just need my spear to reach it. To reach each and every single one of those words. Without a second thought, my body moves. Staring at the closest fishman, my spear naturally draws towards the glowing words on its neck, stabbing through it in one fluid movement. As casually as breathing, my spear slices the side of its neck, spinning around my waist. The butt of the spear bashes into the chin of a mace-wielding fishman lifting its whole body upwards. Pushing the spear along my waist once more, I let the de spear slice through the glowing ''Kill'' on its neck, before taking a step forward and prating the chest of another. With each step forward or to the side, my spear naturally pierces through the neck, head, or chest of the fishmen. Killing them instantly and reaching Gibing and the others within minutes and just as my spear pierces through thest fishman between us, Belial warns me. "Look behind you. That monster is different from the rest. Not only are the Banshees helping it, but it still has its own consciousness. A warrior from the depths. Merge with me, let''s kill it. Burn it until it bes just ashes." - Belial Turning around, I face the orange fishman. My breathing elerates and my hert pounds against my chest. 10 Banshees, float above the orange fishman, with opaque thin blue lines attached from their fingertips to the fishman. Its eyes glow golden as it reveals its thin sharp white teeth. "Kin¡­gst¡­on! Ar¡­e you¡­ okay?" - Ken Ken''s voice drowns and muddles its way through my ears. I could barely make out the sentence as my whole body shakes. cing his hand on my shoulder, I twist around bringing the tip of my spear dangerously close to his eye before Gibing and David grab onto my arm. Their strength although lower than mine, was able to stop my movements temporarily, giving me enough time to react, stopping my attack. "What are you doing! Don''t worry about these insects. Go, merge with me. Let us kill everything in our way." - Belial "K¡­ill." - Kingston A rush of bloodlust surges through my body as Belial speaks to me. Like a dragon ready to roar, I feel my thirst for blood and battle, ready to burst out upon the people with me. Wrestling free from Gibing and David''s hold, a scream escapes my lips and the entire tunnel shakes in unison. Hearing my call, the monster''s shriek pierces through, prating into my ear and rocking my brain. Gripping my head and through my dazed state I hear everyone arguing about something. Their voices resonate in my head as my knees wobble down and Belial''s voice quietens. "KINGSTON! Get a grip!" - Gibing "You are going to kill us! What are you doing?!" - David "He can''t hear us properly. It''s that state of rage he gets into sometimes in battle." - Ken "How did he escape from it before?" - Kaede "He didn''t. Either the ability ran out or he was knocked unconscious." - Yor "Well, we can''t leave him like this. We need to try something right?" - Frank "We can try, but it''s going to be difficult. He just threw both Gibing and David off him, and that monster in front of us looks as excited as Kingston to fight." - Gopopo "We fight, right? David and I will just try to hold him back, keep him upied for as long as we can. Frank, Ken and Kaede will have to deal with the monster with Yor and Gopopo providing support when they can." - Gibing "Not possible, Gibing. We can''t even hurt the ghost monsters flying above the orange fishman. Even if we try to defend against that monster, sooner orter we will lose. We need Kingston to fight the monster. During the small fight he had already, I noticed that some things have changed, and his spear was able to deal damage to the ghosts. Either we guide him towards the orange monster or we retreat and hope they fight anyway." - Yor "Are you saying we leave him?" - Kaede "We can''t. Kingston has done a lot for us, we can''t just leave him here." - Ken "I''m not suggesting we just leave him. I''m saying we retreat and keep an eye on the situation, looking from afar and waiting for the right time to jump back in. Right now, he is attacking anything and everything including us which means he can''t see through his rage." - Yor "I agree with Yor. Kingston already left him to make the decisions during fights and this decision is just one of the many Yor will have to make. Retreat now and thene back to help him once we confirm that he is fighting against the fishman. Both Gibing and I can see in the dark, so it won''t be hard to determine when we need toe back." - Gopopo "Ken, let''s go back. I know it feels wrong, but we need to be safe first if we want to help Kingston get out of here alive. " David "But-" - Ken "Le¡­ave¡­" - Kingston Through the cracks between my lips, I spoke to everyone. However, a splitting headache causes me to copse to my knees. Dropping the Dark Spear, I grasp my head in pain and howl to the ceiling, causing small rocks and dirt to fall onto the ground. Kneeling beside me, Ken ces his hand on my shoulder and looks at my face distorted in pain and anger. "KINGSTON! Are you okay? What''s happening?" - Ken "Le¡­ave. Every¡­one." - Kingston "Why? How are you going to be okay fighting everything down here." - Ken "I SAID LEAVE!" - Kingston I push Ken away from me as Belial''s voice creeps into my head once again. Strangely, my body calms down at the sound of his voice. The pain and the headache dissipate like a wave going back into the ocean. My breathing slows, and I grab the Dark Spear, standing up and turning my back to everyone facing the monster that stops our advance. Belial''s face "Activate it, Kingston. You can feel it, can''t you? The rage inside you subdued because of me. I can help you. Just merge with me." - Belial "Belial¡­ If I activate the skill to merge with you. What happens to everyone behind me. Would I lose consciousness and kill everything around me?" - Kingston "No, instead you will gain power. Enough power to decimate your enemies." - Belial "I''m confused. What is your endgame? Why did you approach me? Why are you searching for the other demons? Why me?" - Kingston "I wondered why you didn''t ask me this before. If you think you are special, think again. You were just the most convenient chess piece I could ess right away. Giving you power will help you, and it will help me, nothing more and nothing less. As for my objective, I merely want to reunite with my brethren. Destroying things along the way is more of a pastime than anything." - Belial "I see¡­ Then, you won''t hurt the people I care about?" - Kingston "No guarantees. I do what I want but you are still in control unless you summon me directly from the seal, which is different from merging with me." - Belial "Alright then. Gibing! Take everyone and move back a bit, I don''t know what will happen so I want everyone to be safe first. Move them back and keep them safe, I''ll do my best to not allow anything to get past me and if¡­ If I start attacking you guys, kill me. Don''t worry about me and just kill me so that I won''t hurt anyone else. Can you do that?" - Kingston Without looking back, I ask Gibing an important question. My eyes fixated on the fishman monster as a blue aura starts to congeal around its body. The banshees were giving the monster more and more power, one by one vanishing into thin air erupting the aura in a blue sh. My grip on the Dark Spear tightens as I await Gibing''s answer. "...Alright. David, Ken, Kaede, Frank, Gopopo and Yor, let''s move back." - Gibing "Kingston! Don''t do anything reckless." - Ken "Ken! Kingston knows what he is doing." - Kaede "Let''s move. David and Gibing keep an eye on the front. Frank bring up the rear with Ken and Kaede. Gopopo observe the surroundings." - Yor "Come back to us. Safe and sound, Kingston." - David p "I''ll do my best, after all, this is 100% reckless." - Kingston I stand my ground, not looking back, and let out a sigh. I look at Belial''s floating figure, his smirk grows wider as he realizes my intentions. "COME!" - Belial Letting go of the Dark Spear with my left hand, I bring it close to my face covering my vision, only allowing me to see through the gaps of my fingertips. Gathering my energy, and feeling the blood flowing through my veins, creating a mysterious mixture of ck and crimson auras drifting out of my palm. It covers my whole face and slowly I feel another heartbeat pounding alongside mine. "Demon¡­ Trigger." - Kingston "Demon Trigger!" - Belial 217 Chapter 217 The mixture of ck and crimson auras melts together, slowly crystallizing into a mask. It wraps tightly around the curves and edges of my face as if it was just anotheryer of skin on my face, leaving only two small holes where my eye sits. Taking a breath, I feel a warm sensation shudder throughout my body. Surprisingly, I feel like I still had control of my whole body. Gripping onto my spear, I gaze around looking to see if there were any changes, however, it was the same. The only difference before the Demon Trigger and after was that I had a mask covering my face, one which I can''t even see without a mirror. "How do you feel? Different? Powerful?" - Belial "I feel the same¡­ As if nothing has changed. No¡­ It''s like I already know what to do. I can feel every pore of my body and the mask is constantly beating like a heart." - Kingston "That is because we are one and the same. This is my body as much as it is your body. However, you have control, but that doesn''t mean you won''t feel my desire." - Belial "WAIT WHAT?! ARRRGHHHHH!!!!!" - Kingston A rush of bloodlust flows through my veins. The desire to kill. The desire for blood. The desire for carnage. Yet, this felt so familiar. How many times have I felt this way before to feel like this? Gripping my spear tightly, I walk forward, or at least I thought I walked forward. With a single step, my spear already connects with the orange fishman''s dual des, creating a shower of sparks in the dark tunnel. Being so close to the monster, I could see its enraged expression. Its eyes were bloodshot, ring daggers into my soul. However, I have the higher strength, knocking its des away upwards creating a gap in its defense. Activating Quickstep, I dash behind the monster and straight away activate Cleave but in the nick of time, the Banshees retaliate with a spectral barrier. An array of 5 blue translucent hexagon shields blocks my strike, but that doesn''t stop my assault. Striking the shield a few more times with a quick burst of stabs, I break through 2 of the 5 shields before leaping backward, away from a series of ghostly spikes popping out of the ground. "Use Siphon Soul on the Banshees. It will kill them regardless of how strong they are, after all, they are just a bunch of worthless souls waiting to die." - Belial. "Are you sure? I thought I would only do some damage to them and heal myself." - Kingston "Just trust me and kill them all." - Belial Reaching out with my left hand, I use one of my new skills on the floating Banshees. "Siphon Soul." - Kingston A shamrock green aura covers my hand, shooting out toward the closest Banshee entrapping its head in a sphere of the same color, creating a line between the banshee and my hand. Howling at the pain, the Banshee starts to sh blue brightly as the green aura pulses. Feeling the strength of the monster flow into me, I Charge forward at the orange monster, dodging the ghostly spikes as it attempts to stop my charge. Shrieking at my face, it charges at me as well, meeting me mid-charge. This time, however, I could clearly see several Banshees behind the fishman injecting it with more power as the thin blue lines connecting the monster pulse brightly. Parrying the thrust with its des, it continues its counterattack. Both monster''s des slid along the top of my spear, forcing me to duck down as the tip of my spear dipped towards the ground. Slicing the air above me, I stick my spear into the ground, using the forward momentum I flip my body and m both my feet into the fishman''s stomach forcing the monster to take a few steps back. The monster stabilizes near the ban "Hellfire NOW!" - Belial Gathering energy into my right hand as a crimson red aura with ck streaks covers it, I feel my soul warp out of my body. A top-down view of the tunnel appears and even though it was my first time using the skill, I knew exactly what to do. Reaching out with my transparent hand, a crimson red aura wraps around it, firing out onto the spot which I was aiming at, and like clockwork, the area bursts into a fiery hell. "HELLFIRE!" - Kingston Crimson mes erupt where the fishman stood with the ck tips licking at the Banshees above it, burning them as well. Screams from the Banshee resonate in the tunnel as the fishman charges out of the mes. Its body is covered in crimson fire, as it runs towards shing the air wildly. Its shrieks echo in my ears the closer it gets, but that didn''t matter to me. None of it mattered, I just need to kill them all. With no more thought put into its attacks, I dealt with the monster easily, attacking its legs before striking the chest and head when there were gaps. Each stab or thrust was calcted, weaving in Quicksteps when I could, dancing around the monster until it eventually copse. The Banshees were no expectation, burning slowly in the Hellfire while casting ghost spikes at me, only to miss. Once I finished with the fishman, I naturally turned towards the Banshees eliminating them as quickly as possible. Killing them was just the start, I dash deeper into the cave without stopping entering another crowd of fishman and Banshees. However, without amander-like monster like the orange fishman, this army of monsters had no sense of unison. They ran at me nonstop dying one by one to my spear. At the end of the fight, the duration of Rage and Demon Trigger finished and the mask around my face vanishes. I slump to the ground, tired from the fight, huffing, and puffing. I look around me, only to see the darkness of the cavern. How did I even fight in this darkness before? "How was that, Kingston? Didn''t it feel good to kill everything that stood in your way? Didn''t it feel good to overpower these weaklings? I know before it was hard, facing dragons and Ogres, but with me, it will be different. No longer will you be the small weak human you were. No, now you are stronger." - Belial "I do feel stronger, and I''m no longer afraid of you or your thoughts. You just tried to make me afraid of you didn''t you, Belial? It wasn''t as if you were trying to kill me or anything like that because if it was, you would have already done it. You need me, don''t you? You need a catalyst for your power to shine." - Kingston "I don''t know what you are on about. I just gave you strength and in return you will give me strength. You will find the other demons and be someone no-one will want to fight. You will kill everything in your path." - Belial "Right¡­ Well, for now. Thank you for helping me. I was always afraid of Endless Rage causing damage to my friends. I was able to control it for a bit at one point, but I knew it wasn''t a power I could rely on." - Kingston "That wasn''t you controlling it. I was helping you from the shadows, seeing if you were worthy of my strength. What you experienced was just a fraction of my power at that point. If you were to fight that monster again as you are now, you would kill it in a heartbeat." - Belial "Whatever you say¡­ Does going into Demon Trigger give me night vision, Belial?" - Kingston "No and yes. Demons have always been able to see in the darkness. Why? Because we live and breathe in the darkness. Of course, we can see in the dark, it would be stupid if we couldn''t." - Belial "You make a great point. You know, now that I''m properly conversing with you maybe you aren''t so bad after all." - Kingston "..." - Belial Belial''s shadowy form dissipates into thin air, ignoring my remark and at the same time, I hear someone calling my name from behind me. "KINGSTON!" - Gibing Turning my head behind me, I see a small light in the dark, bouncing up and down slowly. How far did they have to run after me to get up to where I am? It must have taken a while right? After all, I was killing things for quite a while. "Kingston! Are you okay?" - David "David! I''m great. Not a scratch on my body." - Kingston "Did anything happen or change? You didn''t look that good when we left you and from Gopopo''s and Gibing''s report, as we watched you, you were attacking very aggressively. Are you sure there are no injures or concerns we need to watch out for?" - Yor ''I''m fine. I''m fine. The skill which I used was able to keep me safe, after all, I did get quite a power spike when I used it." - Kingston "Just let us know if there is anything wrong. We can always retreat back to the Krepost. There is no reason to rush in recklessly." - Ken "I know, and on that note, let''s move forward. The door should be right here..." - Kingston 218 Chapter 218 With Gibing holding the torch, he moves forward illuminating the area in front, revealing a stone white door. Simr to the one from the cavern near the copper mine, however, there was something missing¡­ "Isn''t it meant to be open and glowing white?" - Kaede "Right¡­ It should be. No wonder it was so dark. Wait¡­ Now that I thought about it, throughout the whole time we were here we never saw light at the end of the tunnel. We only relied on the light from the torch and the light from the monsters." - Kingston "Hmm¡­ For now, let''s try to approach the door and see what happens, just be ready for a fight. David and Gibing, lead the way with Frank and Kingston right behind. Gopopo and I will be after the both of you, with Ken and Kaede " - Yor "Are you sure we should go up to this door even though we don''t know anything about it? What if we retreat back to the Krepost ande back with more people in the morning? I think it will be a safer option that doesn''t risk anything." - Frank "I agreed with Frank on this one since we have no information about the door." - Gopopo "On the contrary, thest time Ian approached the door nothing happened. While we do know it is meant to be glowing white and ejecting a pir into the sky maybe it was only happening because I killed everything here? Regardless, I think we should at least see what happens when we touch the door." - Kingston "Alright, David stand next to me." - Gibing "Got it. If anything happens, get to my side. I''ll block with my shield." - David Nodding at David''s statement, Gibing gets into position, with the rest of us behind him and David. While I didn''t get hurt during the previous fight, I did use half my HP activating Rage and the constant intense battling had made me very tired. My breathing has slow and heavy, but I couldn''t stop here, not yet. "Wait, Kingston. Take this potion. I still had some from when Lucina distributed them to us the night before." - Yor "Oh, you still had one left? I thought we all used them." - Kingston "I asked for an extra potion, just in case we ran into any trouble during the night. I''m d I still kept it with me since you will need it for anything behind the door."- Yor "Thank you, Yor" - Kingston After taking the potion I regained some of my HP and while it wasn''t all of it, it was enough, after all, it also restored some of my fatigue giving a bit of an energy boost. Belial has been silent for a while now, but other than that, I am ready to see what was beyond the door. Gibing slowly approaches the door. His ax is ready at his side as David draws close positioning his shield in front of him, prepared for any unexpected dangers. Tension builds and the sound of our quickening heartbeat resonates in our ears, like war drums readying the army for battle. With each step, nothing happens but the intensity doubles. Sweat drips down the side of our cheeks, and our hearts race faster, all the way until we were within an arm''s reach of the door. ncing behind his shield, David looks at me with a confused and worried expression. Gibing does the same secondster, but with a nod from myself, he knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, Gibing reaches out to touch the door, gripping his ax tightly just in case, and as his fingers touch the white door¡­ Nothing happens. cing his whole palm against the wall, Gibing starts to examine it by touch. However, nothing happens. David starts to touch the wall as well, but like Gibing''s experience, nothing happens. "This is different from what I expected¡­ I thought something would happen when one of us touched the door but nothing¡­ " - Yor "Can you push it open? There is a slit in the middle which means it does open." - Ken "I''ve tried pushing against it, however, it won''t even budge." - Gibing "Same, when I ced my hand on the door, I tried to push against it only to feel like I was pushing against a wall." - David "Let me try¡­" - Kingston Remembering that Ian was the first person to touch the door thest time this had happened, I had thought that maybe NPCs can''t interact with the door but yers can. Squeezing between Gibing and David, I let my spear drop to my side and reach out with me left hand touching the cold white surface. [ You have touched a Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated). This Portal is now under themand of Ian, Lord of HavenFall. ] [ As you were the yer that interacted with the Portal, you also have the authority to activate the Portal. However, once you or any friendly NPCs pass through the Portal, you cannote back, until Ian activates the Portal. ] [ The Portal will send everyone to a predesignated destination in the Glemt. The same Portal is used to travel back, however, can only be activated from this location. NOT the Portal in the Glemt. ] [ Would you like to activate the Portal? Yes/No ] A series of notifications appear in front of me. Reading it slowly, I began to understand what the Portal was and where it leads to, however, there had been no mention of the Glemt before in any forum post. With so little information, I feel unsure about activating the Portal but before I make any decision it is best to consult everyone first. Taking my hand off the door and naturally refusing to activate the Portal, I turn to everyone else. "Uhh¡­ So, this is a Portal to a ce called the Glemt. Does anyone know anything about that ce?" - Kingston Looking around one by one, I see the same clueless expression, except for Yor who had his hand under his chin and was deep in thought. Shrugging my shoulders at Gibing who was standing next to me, I lean against the door waiting for Yor to finish thinking about the Glemt. After a few moments of quiet thinking time, he looks up at me and begins to share his thoughts. "Okay, while I''m not 100% sure about this hypothesis, my idea shouldn''t be too far from the truth. We know the Portals have spawned monsters of various races but they all have one thing inmon which was they were all undead or dark-element or something rted to that category. We also know that it is the Reapers army that is attacking us. This Portal is without a doubt rted to the Reaper but the questions is where does it lead to? This Portal leads to a ce called the Glemt which can be of two things. The first being a seperate world or ne where the Reaper''s army is waiting or living. The other possibility is that we get transported to a location in the South, most likely within the Reaper''s base. I''m leaning more to the second option but once we step through the Portal there will be hundreds of monsters waiting on the other side. I doubt it is the first option that I thought of, but there is still a possibility since the Glemt doesn''t sound like a normal ce. If it is a separate dimension then we have absolutely no information about it and how to survive but at least if it is just at a location in the South then we can potentially dominate an area, giving us freedom to move around and wait for rescue. The monsters we will face regardless of which option I think it is, will be everything we have faced before if not worse. Zombies, skeletons, ghosts and fishman are just the start of our worries since there have been evolved versions of each monster in our many fights with them. In my opinion, we should not go through the door at this moment and we should retreat instead, taking back the loot we have acquired here and trying it again another time. There is nothing wrong with turning back now and waiting for reinforcements to arrive." - Yor p "Listening to Yor, I agree with turning back. We have picked up some of the more important looking items and left it rtively closeby since we weren''t sure on the situation yet. We should look through these items first and pick up the rest of the loot before proceeding." - Gopopo "I also think we shouldn''t go forward. We know nothing behind the door and we don''t even know if we cane back." - Kaede "We can''t go back after going through the Portal. Sorry, forgot to mention that." - Kingston "Then all the more reason to not go through the Portal right?" - Ken "Let''s go back. Kaede can you get the items that you stored before going to the Portal?" - Kingston "Of course!" - Kaede Kaede runs off into the darkness, seeking the items but as she leaves Belial, who has been silent the whole time, warns me of the dangers behind me. "You should move Kingston. Something ising." - Belial "Hmm? What could being and where?" - Kingston "Behind you. Through the Portal." - Belial "Portal?" - Kingston Since everyone''s attention was on Kaede, no one was looking at the Portal until I turn around. Only to see the ominous white door creak open. Instead of the bright white light which I was used to seeing emitting from the door, it was a darkness, cker than the abyss. [ The original owner of the Portal of Glemt has forcefully activated the Portal. ] A giant ck hand stretches out, grabbing everyone but Kaede and as quickly as it came before anyone could even scream, it disappears behind the door. 219 Chapter 219 [ You have passed through the Portal to the Glemt. You are unable to go back unless the owner of the Portal reactivates the Portal. ] [ As one of the first 10 people to discover the Glemt, you will be rewarded with a huge boost in contribution. As someone affiliated with HavenFall, your contributions will go collected together with the Lord of HavenFall, Ian. ] [ Sub Event Quest will now be essible to yer Kingston. ] [ Sub Event Quest - Glemt Objective - Find a way to escape the Glemt OR destroy the Glemt. Reward - Unknown. ] One second I was in a dark tunnel, the next I got pulled by a mysterious hand and right after, I''m on my back looking up at a spiraling tower. Small amethyst balls of fire circle around the tower, illuminating patches of darkness in purple light. Dazed and a little shaken from the kidnapping, I groan as I try to sit up. "Kingston, you havepany. Don''t die. These monsters that are approaching you soon have the same presence as me but are slightly different. I''m not too sure what this feeling is, however, they are emitting an intense murderous aura at not only you but every one that is currently on the ground." - Belial Hearing Belial''s concern, I immediately grab a hold of my Dark Spear¡­ It''s gone. The momentary hesitation, causes me to get upte as I nce around looking for my weapon. Awkwardly I stand up and assume a fighting stance as I observe my surroundings, and to my surprise, I notice quite a few people on the ground. Not only were Gibing and the others on the ground slowly getting up, but there were people I have never seen before. yers? NPCs? On closer observation, there were 10 white doors covering the walls. Thinking back to the system notifications I received, I realize that the 10 doors represented the 10 people who discover this ce alongside me. The rest of the people on the ground must be NPCs, which means there are 10 different groups of people who have arrived at this ce. Even though monsters are themon enemy, I read online many horror stories of other yers killing other yers. "Where are we¡­?" - Gibing "My whole body hurts¡­" - Ken "This isn''t the tunnel anymore. That door¡­" - Gopopo "From a tunnel to a tower¡­ What is happening?" - Yor "Not sure. Everyone, get up! Come close and prepare for battle. There might be enemies nearby so be careful and set up a defensive formation." - Kingston Scrambling off the ground, Gibing and the rest bunched up close together, backing towards the door as quickly as possible. However, none of us had our weapons, so we were just baring our fists, shoulder to shoulder ncing around proactively looking for any potential threats. I could see other groups slowly collecting themselves, bunching together in small groups. In the different groups, I was able to make out a few different races, including Kobolds, Cat demi-humans, Wolf demi-humans, and a variety of monsters. Some yers have also tamed monsters to be part of their army, and it wasn''t just Celine. Speaking in my mind, to not alert anyone else, I try to converse with Belial. "Belial, where are the monsters you were talking about? I don''t see anyone or anything yet. So far it just looks like people who had been kidnapped through the door as well. Also, do you know where our weapons are? Did they get taken?" - Kingston "Not at the ground. Look up, they are there. As for your weapons, they were taken immediately when you arrived here by an invisible force. Not just yours but everyone. I don''t know where it can be." - Belial Clicking my tongue, I look up into the darkness, only seeing rings of purple balls of fire, but then suddenly something drops from the darkness, cracking the ground and kicking up dust. A rough deep voice booms through the room, echoing alongside the walls and sending chills down my spine. "Well, well, well. It looks to me like we have some lost littlembs. Where did youe from and what am I going to do with you?" - ??? Two scarlet red eyes gleam in the dark asrge purple leathery wings sweep the dust away, revealing an extremely muscr dark indigo-skinned monster. On top of its head is a pair of sharp long horns arcing upwards, while its pearl white fangs can be seen popping out of its mouth. Onyxs ck tight pants cling to its legs, covering itsher regions as two glistening obsidian gauntlets brush off the dirt on its thighs. I gulp in fear as I feel not only my heart but also Belial''s heart race at the sight of the monster. A quick nce to the rest of the room and I could see that all of us were scared at the presence of the monster. Checking my stats, I calcted that I could use Seal of Belial and Siphon Soul to deal damage to the monster while using Charge and Quickstep to dodge any attacks before my MP ran out. The only problem was no matter how much damage I try to do to this monster, I don''t know if we could survive even one attack from it. I don''t want anyone to die, but I am powerless to change it if the monster wants to kill us. "DEMON! MY NAME IS AZOF! RELEASE US OR YOU WILL FACE THE MIGHT OF ALL OF US COMBINED! SPARE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE AND BEGONE!" - Azof On the other side of the room, a tall lean blonde man shouts out in a low husky tone. His sapphire eyes seem to glitter in the light, as he bangs his shiny wooden armor in an attempt to intimidate the demon in the center of the room. Following his cry, a couple of his NPCs aggressively shout, doing their best to rile up the demon. Without taking much notice of themotion, the demon turns around slowly, observing each group one by one until he stops at our group. Seconds passed and the sound of my heartbeat was louder than Azof''s jeering crowd. "He has noticed me¡­ I think." - Belial "What do you mean? You aren''t even in that ethereal state and I''m just talking to you inside my own head. There can''t be any reason for that demon to notice me. Wait, is he one of the demons that you are looking for?" - Kingston "No, he isn''t unfortunately. The seal on your hand emits a faint demonic presence plus paired with the fact that you now have Demonic Energy inside your body, I can assume the demon is confused at your presence. He is unsure if you are a friend or foe and is thinking about it as we speak." - Belial "So we should try to be friendly with the demon right?" - Kingston "Wrong! Demons grow stronger if we kill other demons of a higher ss. He is trying to determine if you are of a higher ss and if you are, he will target you until he kills you, ignoring the rest of the insects in the room. That is the worst-case scenario since it would be better if he kills everyone else while we try to escape." - Belial "What do I do then? Should we fight first and try to escape in the middle of the chaos?" - Kingston "I highly doubt these insects will be useful in a fight. We can only wait to see what direction he will take and act ordingly. It would be best if we kill him though." - Belial "Why? Does killing him give us anything?" - Kingston "It will give you a boost in Demonic Energy as well as a chance to absorb part of the Demon''s power. It is a benefit from killing demons with a demon since another way we grow is by absorbing other demons. However, for low tier demons this method is unreliable as there is a low chance of gaining anything from killing a lower tier demon than yourself." - Belial "Sounds like it is rough for anyone that is poor. Just like me." - Kingston "My name is Sorag. Fellow demon, what is your name and rank? And why are you with thesembs?" - Sorag Spreading his wings out wide, Sorag addresses me as he stares directly into my eyes. It wasn''t just his eyes that were on me now, every other yer and NPC had their eyes focused on me as Sorag speaks to me. "Bluff your way through it. Say your name and then say you are of the 8th rank. There are 10 ranks that demons ssifies themselves as and looking at him, he is most likely a small general of about 100 10th rank demons. Making him either 9th or 8th rank." - Belial "Alright¡­ Watch this." - Kingston Stepping out of the formation and in front of David and Gibing, I take a deep breath before replying. "Sorag, is that the way you address your superior? I am Kingston, 7th rank Demon, and I was tasked to infiltrate the Human settlements in order to collect information. My ns have been disrupted, so how do you propose we settle this dispute?" - Kingston "7th rank!? My apologizes, 7th Rank Demon Kingston. I had no idea there were spies near the many Portals. I was told to activate the Portals in this sector by Mori Calliope herself and eliminate anything that gets caught in this trap." - Sorag "I see. Well then, what are you doing? Kill the rest but leave this group to me. Now that my identity is exposed, I will keep them hostage to gain more information out of the Humans." - Kingston "Yes, 7th Rank Demon Kingston¡­ Or was that what you thought I was going to say." - Sorag pping his wings, the demon flies directly at me with his right fist pulled back ready to smash down on us. Cursing at the scene, I could only think of one solution. Holding my right fist out, I bite down on my left thumb and smear the blood over the seal on the back of my hand. "Alright Belial, time for you to do some work. Seal of Belial!" - Kingston 220 Chapter 220 The smeared blood on the back of my palm sparks as it shines brightly. shes of hot pink and rose, blind me, forcing me to squint to see what was happening. Sensing danger, Sorag ps his wings in front of him, creating a mini tornado and stopping his movement at the same time. In his defense, it was the right action to stop his straightforward attack, since Belial appears from the seal, looming out menacingly in a cloud of smoke and mes. His two iconic jet-ck horns exit the cloud first, appearing right before the crimson skull. His eyes ze crimson as a deep mahogany red tightly fit suit of armor covers his body. Even though the skull shows no emotions, I could feel the slight increase in his heartbeat. Excitement takes over, and happiness rises, like a child ying with a new toy. "Finally, fresh air. No longer am I stuck inside the body of a human child. There is even a gift for me as Ie out. The gift of DESTRUCTION, BLOOD, AND TEARS! HAHAHA!" - Belial "BELIAL! Don''t kill anyone other than the demon." - Kingston Crying out to Belial, from behind, I desperately plea that he wouldn''t go on a killing spree. However, as Belial turns his head towards me my heart sinks. I knew because our hearts are connected that the look he gave me was one of disgust, like looking at an ant before you step on it. "Kingston! What''s happening? What is that?" - Frank "A demon? Is that a demon?" - Yor "What are these hands? It''s sticking to me and I can''t get it off!" - David "KINGSTON!! Do something?!" - Ken "I can''t fight it! It just makes it worse!" - Gibing "I can''t feel any strength from my legs anymore. Kingston, I¡­" - Gopopo Looking over my shoulder, I see small ck hands gripping Gibing and the other''s legs, wrapping around them and slowly rising up higher, with Gopopo and Gibing already covered in those hands. Distress could be seen on all their faces as they constantly ask me about what was happening. Confusion and panic flood my mind as I turn back to Belial. "No. No. No. Belial! BELIAL! PLEASE! Don''t do this to them!" - Kingston Leaning down until both our faces were right next to each other, Belial speaks to me slowly in a low creepy voice. "I¡­ Don''t¡­ Want¡­ To." - Belial Much like the iing tornado, my emotions were spinning around mixing with Belial''s. My confusion, anxiety, powerlessness, and terror mixing with his happiness and excitement. I didn''t know what to do, my mind is nk. I stare hopelessly at Belial as he turns his attention to the mini tornado. With a flick of his wrists, Belial creates a tiny crimson me in his right palm. Reaching out to the iing tornado, he lets the strong winds blow at the me, letting it burn brighter and bigger. ck tips can be seen as it licks the edges of the tornado, slowly spreading around and around spiraling up. I know that skill or at least I know what kind of skill it derives from. It was Hellfire, the skill I had recently acquired and used. Yet the way Belial is using it was different. Instead of using it like a skill, it was like he was molding the me to be whatever he wanted like it was controlling its every movement. Before long, the once-raging tornado had be an inferno. A spiraling tower of crimson mes and ck streaks and this monster controls it. Bending the me to his will, he redirects the tornado at Sorag. Thinking he could fight Belial''s fire tornado, Sorag once more creates another tornado but this time, it wasrger and stronger. The winds were picking up the dust and dirt on the ground creating a shield of debris as it spins. Watching this spectacle, the many yers and NPCs were dumbfounded. Not only were they watching a fight between two demons, but right there in the center were two tornados about to sh. What''s more, is that another yer was the one who had summoned one of the demons. I think I would be having the same feelings as they were except, all I''m feeling is helplessness. With Belial busy with Sorag, the many ck hands eventually covered everyone behind me, leaving behind ck cocoons. Walking over to one of them, I ce my hand on the cold steel-like surface. I couldn''t feel anything from the cocoons, as if they were just empty shells. I feel heartbroken¡­ Unlike Ian, I couldn''t confirm if they were dead or alive. I could only see them as they are and right now they are in a cocoon. However, that wasn''t even the worst. I feel disgusted. Not at Gibing and the others. Not at the cocoon. Not even at Belial but myself. I am smiling. A grin so wide I could be mistaken for a clown, could be seen in the reflection of the cocoon. Despite this smile, a tear slowly forms in my left eye, rolling down due to the power of gravity. After the first tear, one morees, and then another, and then another¡­ This spiral of emotions is destroying my mind. I can''t take it. Ripping off the chest te, I kneel down on the ground gripping my chest. I should die right now, shouldn''t I? If I die then Belial would stop, right? I can stop this. Yea, I can stop this. I''ll just die. It''s so easy. Just grip your throat and grip it tighter. Yeah. Yeah. Th-this is the way to repent. My hands hesitantly lift off the ground. I slowly bring them up closer. Bit by bit. My cold hands wrap around my throat as I look upward at what was once Gibing but is now just a ck cocoon. "DON''T YOU DARE KILL YOURSELF!" - Belial Like thunder, Belial''s voice pierces through my dark thoughts, stopping me before I could apply any pressure to my own throat. Fear strikes me as I get lifted off the ground and flung at the wall. My back smashes into the wall, cracking it slightly before I fall downnding on my face. Looking up, I see Belial approaching me, filled with anger and rage. "YOU IMBECILE! HOW CAN YOU THINK OF DYING? IF YOU DIE THEN I DIE! I WILL NEVER. EVER! LET YOU DIE! I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT PULLING SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!" - Belial Grabbing me by the shirt, he lifts me up and ms me against the wall. mes spread out around him as he shouts at me, like a parent lecturing their child. Yet I know, he was only saying this for his own benefit. He doesn''t care about me. No, it''s an understatement to even think he recognizes me. I''m like a puppet, just here for him to use a skill. Tossing me to the side, Belial turns around. The two tornados shed at that moment and the vortex created by the two winds spread out mming into all the other yers and NPC causing them to be lifted. Screams echo in the room as one by one, humans, monsters, and demi-humans alike were lifted and flung around the room. Some were tossed up into a higher level while others not so lucky were tossed straight into a wall, killed on the spot. Right in the midst of the storm, as the two tornados were creating sparks and spitting mes, Belial and Sorag were fighting. Unable to fly due to the strong winds, Sorag, had his wings folded behind him and was punching at Belial. His gauntlets light up amethyst each time he goes for a punch, shing with Belial''s me-coated fists. After a few exchanges, Belial changes his approach, forming a wall of fire as he ms his fists into the ground blocking off Sorag from attacking. In the brief moment of hesitation, Belial creates a pir of me behind his feet, allowing him to gain the higher ground, and immediately, he casts a barrage of fireballs over the me wall at Sorag. Anticipating the attack, Sorag opens his wings, blocking the attack with them unfortunately he underestimates the damage as Belial''s fireballs burn his wings greatly. Creating another gust of wind, Sorag backs off, cursing at Belial. His gauntlets shine brighter as he screams at Belial, charging at him like a bull to a red g. Looking at Sorag charging at him, I could feel the disappointment emitting from Belial. Waving his left hand, Belial grabs the mes of the fire tornado collecting them andpressing them into a ball the size of a basketball. Without the mes, the tornados collide once more but this time, dancing around each other following the other''s rotation eventually creating faster and more powerful winds. Sorag disregards the winds, charging at Belial as he bashes his fists together creating purple sparks. Belial leaps off his me pir holding the orb of fire in his hands and pushing it outward towards the charging Sorag. Pulling back his fist, Sorag, meets the fire orb head on creating an explosion in the middle of the room and sending a shockwave powerful enough to slice the tornado stopping the wind. The shockwave sends me back to the wall, pressing and indenting me into it, and causing me to lose even more HP. Looking at my status I was barely surviving with only 3 HP left. The dust created by the explosion clears, and I see Belial standing on top of Sorag''s body. Pulling the horns off of Sorag, he begins to crush them in his hands, pouring the shards into the small gap in the crimson skull. A burst of orange meses out of the gap as all the shards from the horn disappear. [ Demon Belial has absorbed Demon Sorag''s magical power. Increase DE by 5. Increase Strength by 5. Increase Intelligence by 5.] After he was done, Belial disappears into a cloud of ck smoke as the duration of the skill concludes. However, what was left? Just me and the ck cocoons that were once my friends. None of the yers or the NPCs that came out of the other white doors were alive. Just myself. All alone¡­ 221 Chapter 221 "What''s wrong Ian?" - Sr After fighting through wave after wave of disgusting fish and humanoid hybrids, with annoying ghosts buffing them, something changed. The once ever-so-bright pir of light that illuminated the cavern disappeared. Reced with darkness, the fight became more dangerous and difficult. The monsters used the darkness to their advantage, weaving back and forth creating an illusion of arger army with the faint glowing lure. Unprepared for the sudden darkness, panic ensued throughout the ranks, but with Howard and Gobi''s leadership, order was restored quickly before anyone lost their lives. In addition, Robin and Sr solved the light issue quickly illuminating parts of the cavern with balls of light or ming arrows. Lynn creates a wall of bones to defend one side while I cast Bone Totem, allowing us effectively retaliate against the monsters but now that the monsters were killed another problem arises. "I''m not sure. The door doesn''t respond to me or anyone else which is extremely weird. Thinking back to thest time I touched the door, I at least got a response but now that the Pir of Light disappeared, nothing is happening." - Ian "Maybe, the door closed on its own? Or someone on the other side cut the connection between this door and whatever is on the other side." - Noah "The monsters stoppeding through the door after the light disappeared. We can at least look at this in a positive light since it is still dark and we were prepared for a whole night''s worth of fighting. We can give the soldiers a proper night''s rest while collecting the loot and preparing for the next fight." - Howard "That''s what concerns me though. Why did it stop? What was different tonightpared to other nights? Did something change? How are we going to prepare for something that we don''t is even happening? There are too many questions and not enough answers." - Ian "I understand why you are feeling stressed, Ian, but, right now I think is a good time for us to rest. The attack this time was more intense with the increased numbers and the different types of monsters we fought. Not only were we fighting against a troop of monsters that could use weapons but our trap with the fight was put out almost immediately by the ghosts. They weren''t part of the n and it caused us a bit of panic. We dealt with it the best we could but the stress and anxiety didn''t escape from us. I could tell some of the hobgoblins were also scared at the fact that they were facing monsters that they couldn''t even hit. There were too many unforeseen events that happened in such a short time span that I think it is good that we can have this small break." - Gobi "Gobi is right, nothing good wille out from you being stressed and worrying about things we don''t know the answer to. Go back up, I''ll get someone to bring the loot once wepile it all together." - Sr "Okay, I''ll rest up for a bit. Thank you everyone and while the original n didn''t work out we still managed to hold them off." - Ian Waving them off, I head back up to the surface leaving them to handle the clean-up. The walk up the tunnel to the exit was filled with humans, demi-humans, and goblins caring wheelbarrows and baskets up and down as the transportation of loot is slowly beingpleted. Looking at this, my thoughts wandered as I think about what was next to HavenFall. I could tell we were growing stronger, not just individually, but as a whole, as both Gobi and Howard were able to control the panicked soldiers in the cavern. Both of them had the qualities of a general, and with them holding the reins I was able to freelymit my attention to fighting the more elite monsters during the fight without having to watch over the whole situation. This begs the question of what is next? Do I stay here or do I go to the Krepost to support Kingston since they are more exposed? Then there were thoughts about the infrastructure of HavenFall itself. Looking at it from a modern perspective, I realized that there were too few people doing anything furnishing rted. This is done by old man Hus, and his apprentices but they also handle all the weaponry and armor for the vige which makes it extremely hard for them to find time to construct simple furniture. Most houses only have a dry grass bed, a table and a couple of chairs as ''furniture'' and while they believe this to be enough, I think we can expand on it more and create a better living space. We have more citizens now and eventually, I will need to incorporate a form of currency as well as a market and then eventually a system of wages. In the long run, it will create a self-sustainingmunity as a government system will be created alongside the creation of money as well as jobs. Once trade can be established between HavenFall and the Krepost more effectively, items and objects from either side will start to have a price tag on them. Values of certain objects will increase and I will not be able to manage and allocate the resources by myself which further tells me I need to create a currency system so that the citizens will be able to form decisions themselves. Writing and mathematics will be even more vital in the near future as I want every citizen to have the chance to learn, study and understand to a certain degree as the knowledge they learn in school will help them form their own paths. Thinking of this, I need to create an actual location for a school rather than the outdoor study sessions that were currently taking ce. On this trail of thought, schools will be able to expose citizens to various potential jobs and roles. There can be sses on botany, warfare, cksmithing, magic and so much more allowing everyone to have a chance to find something they feel passionate about doing rather than me, Howard, Gobi, and Noah allocating people to do certain tasks. I also think the creation of a shrine and/or temple will also do wonders for HavenFall. Since there are different religions, and different gods/goddesses I think creating a space for each god/goddess will allow others to pray in afortable state. Faith is an important factor for HavenFall as with the increase of the stat, the more benefits I will gain. If creating a shrine or temple can boost the amount of faith I gain, I would dly do it. This would also introduce priests and maybe even missionaries to help spread the faith to future viges. Lost in my thoughts, I don''t even notice Melody standing in front of me waiting at the exit of the cave until I bump into her slightly. Looking up surprised, I see an annoyed expression looking back at me. "Ian! What are you doing? I''ve been calling out to you for a while now but you didn''t respond and now you just walk into me? What''s the matter with you?" - Melody "Sorry, Melody, I was just lost in my thoughts. I didn''t mean to ignore you." - Ian "I get it, there are lots to think about but there is something I need you to know. After Noah left his position at the waterfall toe down to the cavern, I took over the role of supervising the soldiers. We were able to repel the monsters that came to attack us and after seeing no more monsters, I became slightly worried and confused. After asking one of the goblin scouts to venture forth, he came back to inform me of a fight that was happening not too far away from our vicinity. There seems to be a group of travelers that caught the attention of the fishmen and are currently engaged in a full-scale fight. ording to the goblin, the travelers were slowly backing off from the fight, as they were on the losing side." - Melody "Wandering travelers? Interesting¡­ What did they look like? How many of them were there? From his opinion how big of a threat could they be to HavenFall?" - Ian "They look worn out and tired, like they have been traveling for a long time, constantly getting into fights. Most of their armor is destroyed with some not even wearing anything other than some thin shirts and pants. Their weapons are also very basic, mainly consisting of spears, knives, and a couple of small wooden shields. As for how many, the goblin couldn''t get an urate number, but the estimate is that there are somewhere between 25-40 people. A mix of humans, demi-humans and kobolds were seen fighting against the fishmen and ghosts. In all honesty, they don''t seem like a threat to HavenFall but I''m not sure if us helping them is a good decision. We aren''t done preparing houses for new citizens yet and food might be an issue if we are adding this many people all of a sudden." - Melody "Hmm¡­ I understand your concern about this group but having more people in HavenFall will always help. We need more manpower and if they agree to live with us we can solve the manpower issue. However, I would like to see the situation before making a clear decision. Get me Luna and Gewari. The four of us will have a look at them and if I think they are worth saving, then we will proceed to save them." - Ian "Got it, Ian! I''ll get them right now. Meet me at the waterfall?" - Melody "Yeah, get them quickly. I don''t want to get there toote in case they all die." - Ian Nodding her head towards me, Melody runs off to the gate, fetching both Luna and Gewari who were sitting next to each other on top of the wall. Meeting back at the waterfall in a couple of minutes, the goblin scout led the way for us towards the new group of people. 222 Chapter 222 Nostalgia hits me as I follow the goblin scout. Half a year ago, I hade through this very path with nothing to my name and a couple of NPCs. Despite that all, I had found a way to develop HavenFall to where it is now and for the first time in a long time, I''m walking back down the same path that took me here. It didn''t take us long with the goblin scout leading the way when we arrived at a high vantage point, allowing us to overlook the ins. Out there somewhere was where I first spawned into this game and now that I was looking at it again, I was speechless. It was like a quiet beast, sleeping underneath the starry sky but in the distance, I could see a crowd of tiny glowing lures dancing around. "Over there! You can''t make out the numbers because of how dark it is, but you can see the fishmen chasing something. If you listen closely then you can hear the screams and shouts from people in the distance." - Gewari "What do you think, Ian? Do you think we should go and save them?" - Melody "Short term, there will be some issues but long term, saving them will benefit us. Not only will we be gaining more people to help grow HavenFall, but there might be some talented individuals who can contribute even more." - Ian "Alright, then what are we waiting for? Let''s go! I''ll lead the way since I can see in the dark. " - Gewari "Melody, go back to the HavenFall. Prepare food and water for many people and ask people if they are okay with moving into other people''s houses for the time being." - Ian "On it! Do you need anyone for reinforcement?" - Melody "No, Gewari, Luna, and I will be able to fight them off. " - Ian Nodding to me, Melody runs back to HavenFall with the goblin scout escorting her, just in case anything unexpected happens on the way back. Meanwhile, Gewari jumps down, using her agility and night vision to navigate a quick route to the ground, followed by Luna who does the same thing. Holding onto my trident tightly, I follow them down using my spider legs to slow my fall. Once on the ground, Gewari bolts towards the action brandishing her knife in her right hand while I saw her flexing her left hand, with the Bloody ws equipped. Luna dashes beside her howling to the stars, announcing our presence. I was not too far behind, activating Enhanced Agility but purposely not going at full speed. With my agility stat, I could have easily overtaken Gewari, but I couldn''t see in the dark. I would be running blindly into a group of fishmen. Gewari leads the way, pointing to her right as I see the fishmen''s formation shift slightly. They were preparing to tackle us head-on, while also fighting the travelers. Splitting into two groups, with one of them charging at us, they shriek and yell, waving their lures in front of them, creating small blue circles in the dark. However, that wasn''t going to stop me. This tactic had already been used in the cavern, and it was meant to confuse the opponent on the location of the monster. Gewari in the front could see them as clear as day making their tactic worthless and with a shout she gives me information on the fishmen in front. "Ian! There are currently 15 fishmen attacking us. 6 wielding swords, 5 wielding maces, and 4 wielding spears. They are running at us at different speeds with the swordsmen in the lead. Behind them is the main group of fishmen, approximately 30 of them left with a variety of weaponry. Above the main group, there are 10 ghost monsters with all of their blue threads connected to a singr purple fishman. " - Gewari "Alright, Luna you will handle all 10 of the fishmaning at us, while Gewari Stealth to the left and wrap around, attack the front of the main group and try to create a gap between the travelers and the monsters. I''ll Stealth to the right and attack the main group from behind."- Ian Howling in response Luna sprints in front of us growling at the approaching monsters. Luna has been ying a huge part in the recent battles and her stats have grown immensely. She had also acquired some new skills as well making her an unstoppable beast so long as the moon shines brightly upon her. Name: Luna Race: Beast (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 36 (+3.3) Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 47 (+4.7) Luck: 5 Skill: Moonlight Renewal, Pounce, Howl, Hyper Fang, Starry Bliss ( Passive ) Howl (Active) 1MP - Howl loudly, establishing yourself as an alpha. Monsters who are weaker than you will submit to your howl, otherwise, monsters that are simr or stronger than you will be taunted. Taunted monsters will focus on you before anyone else. Cooldown 5 minute Hyper Fang (Active) 5MP - User will bite down hard on the opponent, causing damage ( 50 + 100% Strength) as well as having a 10% chance to cause bleeding on the opponent. Cooldown 1 min. Starry Bliss (Passive) - Whist under the stars, the user will gain 10% Strength and 10% Agility. Other skills that require the use of the moon or the stars will be free to use, and their cooldown reduced by 50%. Gewari and I both activate Stealth, dashing away from Luna as we run past a group of fishmen. Looking back, I get to see Luna in action. Pouncing into the crowd of fishmen andnding on a disgusting green monster, she howls at the top of her lungs. The air vibrates to her howl, causing the surrounding monsters to be dazed for a moment before angrily screaming back. Without a moment to lose, Luna leaps off the monster and opens her mouth wide. Her canines shine brightly as a blue aura wraps around them. Biting down on a red fishman''s neck, she rips out a chunk of flesh before kicking the monster in the face letting it copse on another fishmen. Her eyes glitter in the night sky as her golden fur dazzles me with her bloody dance. Every leap or jump felt calcted as Luna dashed between monster after monster. Weaving her agile body between sword, mace, or spear and retaliating with a bite or a scratch. She was like a sh of lightning bouncing around the fishmen, damaging them bit by bit every time she moves, torturing them until she deals the final blow. Leaving her to deal with that group of monsters, I continue forward using the lures as an indicator of their position, but before I made it to the back, Gewari had already engaged inbat. I had a look at her status screen right before she left my vision and I was surprised at her growth. Comparing her to Ster, who was also an assassin, Gewari felt more threatening. This was due to her skill set, leaning towards extremely high agility-focused assassin, whereas Ster used dark-element magic to fight as well. Name: Gewari Race: Hobgoblin ( Assassin ) Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Strength: 30 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 40 Agility: 55 Luck: 5 Skill: Stealth, Eviscerate, Focused Mind, Quick Step, Weak Spot, Backstab (Passive), Light Steps, (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive) Equipment: Bloody ws, Golem Stone Knife, Wooden Chestte, Wooden Armor Guards, Wooden Leg Guards Weak Spot (Active) 3MP - Carefully observe and identify a weak spot on the target. Once a weak spot is found, a small red and white target circle can be seen. Only the user of this skill can see the target. If the user attacks the target the user will be able to inflict massive damage on the target ( 300% Strength). Cooldown 10 minutes I couldn''t see Gewari killing the monsters, however, I started to see fewer glowing lures at the front, meaning she was already on a killing spree. I can only assume with thebination of Weak Spot, Eviscerate and Backstab she could kill monsters so long she is behind them. Being an assassin, appearing behind them is the easy part, especially with Agility that rivals my own. Turning to the monsters, I reached what I assume is the back of the group. Gripping my trident tight, I deactivate stealth at the same time I activate Cleave, slicing two fishmen straightaway. My spider legs followed my attack perfectly, stabbing their heads multiple times, instantly killing them. Smiling, I activate Charge, attacking the nearest fishman. Blocking its downward sword swing with my front left spider leg, I stab at its throat, slicing the side as it narrowly moves its head to the right. However, covering my miss, my front right spider leg stabs through its eye. Being so close to these monsters, I didn''t even need good vision to know where to attack. Each step, each swing, and each thrust felt natural. Weaving my way through the cluster field of monsters I kill them one by one, using Quickstep to dodge any awkward attacks. In the midst of the group of monsters, I activate Bone Totem, sacrificing 5 bone fragments for the maximum effect, before returning to killing the surrounding monsters, as I prepare for the battle against the purple fishmen and its 10 ghost buddies. 223 Chapter 223 Noticing my presence, the ghostly figures screech at me, attacking me with a sound wave attack. Withstanding the attack, I use Earth Spike in front of me as I notice the purple fishman dashing toward me. A sh of purple lightning curves around the Earth Spike, mming into my spider legs as they quickly stretch out in front of me, blocking two silver daggers. Sparks flew from the sh, allowing me to get a good look at my opponent. Surprisingly, the monster looked very human-like. Other than its distinct purple skin, two sharp fins on top of its head, and the slit gills at its neck, the monster looked like a human withrge azure blue eyes. Its daggers on the other hand were unique and unlike any dagger, I had seen before. The handle resembled the spine of a fish as it digs into the palm of the monster drawing blood. Instead of dripping to the ground, the blood runs up the handle defying gravity, pooling in a small groove that cuts through the center of the knife. The knife itself curves like a snake. Its sharp edges screech along my spider legs as the purple fishman retracts the knife. ring at me, it points its knife between my eyes and angrily snarls at me. Its deep low speech causes goosebumps to form along my arm as I listen to the chilling tones. "Do not interfere with my hunt, human. Otherwise, I will kill you first." - ??? "Sorry, but I have no choice but to interfere. I can''t let you kill my future citizens." - Ian "Hrmp, they are nothing butmbs in a ughterhouse but if you insist on getting in my way. I will let my knives taste your blood first. I, Vogg of the depths, will sacrifice you to the Reaper." - Vogg "Try if you can." - Ian shing forward, Vogg shes with my trident as I defend myself from a stab to the stomach. Retaliating my front spider legs stab downward only to be repelled by his other knife. Breaking the stalemate, I Quickstep to his left and sweep at his feet. Jumping upward, Vogg uses the ghosts as steps elerating in the air as he circles around me. I could even see the ghosts gifting him more power as the blue threads that connect them shine brighter, like a beacon in the night sky. I release the spider in the Arachne Ring, ordering it to attack the other fishmen and at the same time take out the Emblem. Gripping it tightly I activate the Emblem, releasing the warriors of the past. A ghostly blue aura wraps around my hand as the Emblem shines slightly, ejecting 5 blue clouds that surround me. Vogg dashes toward me shing at my throat, but is immediately parried by a bronze spear. Without a moment to lose, Vogg bounces around me using the ghosts as tforms and attacking me from different angles and directions. However, each attack was unsessful as the blue clouds dissipates revealing 5 sturdy shields and spears that surround me. "ALALA!!! FOR ARCHON IAN!!! FIGHT TO THE DEATH!!! ALALA!!!" mming their shields with the head of their spears, the 5 Hoplites scream and yell at the top of their lungs as their war cry booms across the battlefield. Dressed in bronze armor and blood-red linen under armor, theirrge concave aspis shields bang against the ground, sending tremors up my spine. Race: Human Health Points (HP): 120/120 Mana Points (MP): 25/25 Strength: 50 Vitality: 60 Intelligence: 50 Dexterity: 35 Agility: 50 Skill: War Cry, Spear Toss, Double Thrust, Charge, Shield Bash, Mortal Faith (Passive), Unyielding Will (Passive) Equipment: Bronze Spear, Aspis, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Chest te, Bronze Leg Guard, War Cry (Active) 3MP - Roaring the war cry of the Greeks, boosting the morale and strength of the surrounding troops, as well as strikes, fear into the enemies. Increase ally strength by 5% while decreasing enemy strength by 5%. Cooldown 30 minutes. Spear Toss (Active) 1MP - Tossing the spear with great strength in a direction to do damage (50 + 100% Strength), at the expense of losing the weapon. Double Thrust (Active) 3MP - Thrusting the spear twice in quick session dealing increased damage in the second thrust (First attack: 25 + 50% Strength, Second attack: 50 +100% Strength) Cooldown 10 seconds. Shield Bash (Active) 5MP - Charge forward slightly with the shield facing the opponent dealing damage on contact (30 + 80% Strength) as well as having a 10% chance to stun. Cooldown 1 minute. Mortal Faith (Passive) - This user generates Mortal Faith as they block an attack from an enemy. After a total of 10 stacks of Mortal Faith, the user will be able to gain 10% Strength and 10% Agility for 30 seconds as well as heal for 10% of their maximum HP. The user will lose the generated Mortal Faith after 5 minutes out ofbat. Unyielding Will (Passive) - Being already dead, the user is no longer afraid of pain or dying once more. Their mentality has changed, and their strengths have been amplified, increasing their Strength and Agility by 10% when the user is below 50% HP and increasing their Strength and Agility by 25% when the user is below 10%HP. Looking at the Hoplites that surround me, I be bbergasted at their insane stats and skills. Not only were their stats simr to mine, but their skills were more threatening than mine, especially the two passive skills. With just the passive skills, they will be major threats on the battlefield the longer they are ''alive'', but unfortunately, they will onlyst for 30 minutes. "YOUR ORDERS, ARCHON!!" Spoken in unison, the 5 Hoplites express their opinion as they get into defensive formation with me at the center. Yogg had been bouncing back and forth trying to pry open the wall but to no avail. The Hoplites were sturdy and kept their ground against the attack, stacking the Mortal Faith bit by bit. ,m "Kill the purple fishman!" - Ian "ALALA!!!" Raising their spears at themand, the 5 Hoplite spring into action. Receiving Yogg''s attack, the Hoplite retaliates with a Shield Bash, mming his shield into Yogg''s chest stunning him for a brief moment. Almost immediately, the other 4 Hoplites surround Yogg mming him with their shield, with a lucky hit to the head stunning the fishman once more. In hopes to disengage the Hoplites, the ghosts create 10 Ghost Spikes around Yogg piercing the feet of the Hoplites and reducing their HP by 15. However, as if that attack didn''t happen, the Hoplites proceed with their attack. Thrust after thrust could be seen as their spears enter and exit Yogg''s body. Despite his extremely high agility, Yogg was unable to escape the Hoplite encirclement after he got hit with the first Shield Bash. It was like watching 5 bullies beat up a small child, a Yogg''s body flops to the ground in a bloody mess before disintegrating into a cloud of purple smoke. It happened so fast, that I barely had time to process the fight. The ghosts above the Hoplites were desperately attacking them with white balls and ghostly spikes but were unable tond any attack. Unable to reach the monsters, the Hoplites could only dodge while at the same time waiting for my next order. Their gaze reaches me as I fumble my words ordering them to eliminate the rest of the fishmen. Screaming their war cry once more, they dash into the fray, stabbing their spears into the fishmen or blocking attacks with their shields. Knowing that they could handle the fishmen, I run toward Gewari who was crouching next to Luna. Luna''s distinct fur served as a marker and under the moonlight, I could easily spot her. As I approach Luna and Gewari, I notice 2 other shadows next to Gewari. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? I''M WARNING YOU! DON''T COME ANY CLOSER!" - ??? "First the fishmen, now goblins and wolves? I told you we should have stayed in that abandoned goblin encampment. Now all of your NPCs are going to die along with us." - ??? "SHUT UP!! We were so close to our destination. Look it is literally over there! We just needed to not get noticed by this group of monsters, and we could have been safe!" - ??? "Well, now we so screwed. I''ll see you outside the game I guess¡­" - ??? "Wait¡­ Evan? Babe?" - Ian Hearing those familiar voices, Ie closer as the two shadowy figures turn in my direction. Their faces were full of confusion but at the same time relief and excitement. I couldn''t stop a smile from forming on my face as I look at their bewildered expressions. "EVAN! BABE!" - Ian "IAN?! WHAT THE HELL??" - Evan "Oh my god¡­" - Reba Running faster, I swing my arms around both of them as I crash into their bodies, pushing them to the ground with my momentum. I couldn''t believe that they made it all the way here after so long. Especially since Evan had been traveling for so long, seeking out HavenFall. "Wait, wait, wait. IAN! MY NPCS! SAVE THEM!!!" - Evan "Don''t worry, they will be safe. My NPCs are already fighting against the fishmen. On another note, I''m d to see both of you!!!" - Ian 224 Chapter 224 Standing up with the help of my spider legs, I grab Reba''s waist lifting her up as well, kissing her on the cheek. cing my giggling partner down, I help Evan up as well smiling at him as he pats my shoulder. The both of them looked the same as they did in real life with Evan changing his height slightly to look taller. "My lord, who are these people?" - Gewari Turning to Gewari, I introduce her to my friends. "Gewari, these two are people really important to me. They are-" - Ian "Hello there, my name is Evan, or as I am moremonly known, Elves_or_Nothin. Please to make your acquaintance." - Evan "Ah¡­ okay?" - Gewari "Don''t worry about him, Gewari. I''m Reba, but you can call me Bec." - Reba "My name is Gewari, a hobgoblin that serves under my lord, Ian. I am also the vice leader of the Shadow. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." - Gewari ''Wait, Shadow?" - Ian "Yes, that is what Ster and I have decided to name the group of assassins and scouts. We were going to ask you for your permission about the name, but we didn''t have a chance." - Gewari "You have an assassin group? And it''s called SHADOW? You have got to be kidding me." - Evan "I''ll allow it. I don''t mind that as the name." - Ian "Thank you, my lord." - Gewari "Babe, are you sure we don''t need to help Evan''s NPCs?" - Reba "Oh, I''m sure. Look." - Ian Turning around, I point toward the group of NPCs that were surrounded by the Hoplites. Each Hoplite stood tall, proudly banging on their shields in unison as they shout out my name. However, their bodies started to fade into small specks of blue dust floating toward the Emblem in my pouch. "Cassidy! Cassidy, over here. How is everyone?" - Evan Evan rushes into the crowd of NPCs, grabbing the shoulders of a tall male. Under the moonlight, I could make out his sharp jaw line and hazel eyes as a tear drips down the side of his cheeks. Grabbing onto Evan, the man weeps, and like a wave, the rest of the NPCs gather around Evan. Humans, demi-humans, and kobolds as one. "My brother, we have lost many tonight. Even with the help of those mysterious loud warriors we were unable to prevent the deaths of ourrades. James, John, Jane, Kololo, Kobobo and Kororo may they rest in peace." - Cassidy High-pitched squeals escape his lips, as he tries to speak through his tears. It wasn''t just him that was crying over the loss, it was all the NPCs. Even my heart throbbed a little hearing Evan''s group crying. "Everyone! May our fallenrades rest in peace. However, I also have good news. For the past couple of months, we have been traveling. Walking through forests, swamps, mountains, and ins. We have lost manyrades and friends along the way, but we have also found each other along the way. I am truly saddened by all the loss, but now we have reached our destination. Tonight, we were saved by my friend, Ian. Ian and his elite squad of warriors hase to our rescue, destroying the monsters that stood in our paths. Without him, it might be more than just the 7rades that passed away tonight. We might have lost Cassidy, or Tera or Komomo. Tonight, we mourn the deaths of ourrades and also celebrate reaching HAVENFALL! From now on, we don''t need to live off the small berries we find in the wild. We don''t need to search every nook and cranny for water. We don''t need to live under rocks at night or run from monsters that look too scary. NO! Not only that, but we now have a ce to live. To eat. To sleep. HavenFall is our safe haven. Ian! Will you ept us? " - Evan Thrusting his hand towards me, from the middle of the crowd, Evan looks at me with sparkling eyes. Bending my head toward Reba who was standing next to me, bewildered by Evan''s speech, I whisper to her before answering Evan. "Did he always speak like that? Or did he start doing this in-game?" - Ian "That''s his persona in the game. I swear he is like a politician. His words make no sense but at the same time, they do. I couldn''t wrap my head around it after I met him in the game, since his real-life personality was so vastly different." - Reba "I see. I guess I should y along with his speech?" - Ian "You can if you want. I just speak to him normally and so far it has worked out." - Reba "Alright, got it, babe. I''ll just speak normally." - Ian Straightening my back, walk toward Evan''s stretched hand, grabbing it firmly before giving him a handshake. "Elves_or_Nothin, Evan, HavenFall would dly help you and yourrades. From tonight onwards, both of us will be together through thick and thin. We will help each other grow and build a happier and safer HavenFall. For those of you who want to join us, follow me. We will be traveling back to HavenFall as one." - Ian "You heard him. Everyone! March!" - Evan With a spirited yell, apanied by Luna''s howl, the group marches toward HavenFall. During this time, Evan, Reba, Cassidy, Gewari and I, marched at the front. I needed to know some information about Evan''s group to understand them so that they can live in HavenFall happily. "What do you want to know? Ask away if I don''t know the answer, Cassidy will. He is the second inmand and while he isn''t much of a fighter his brains are bigger than mine." - Evan "You say that as if your brain is big, but I do agree with Evan''sment. Cassidy is an extremely smart individual. Isn''t that right, Cassidy?" - Reba "No need to say such nice words, Bec. I am just a humble being who remembers more than most people that is all." - Cassidy "Right, well the most obvious question would be who is part of this group? I need numbers. I would also like a small run-down on the number of warriors. Tell me their strengths and their weaknesses." - Ian "We have 15 humans,6 of which are female and 5 that are children with only 4 male adults. The 4 males usually fight in the front lines, so their stats are geared towards Vitality and Strength. 8 demi-humans, 6 of which are of the cat tribe and 2 of the dog tribe. They are fast but are afraid of battle after their tribe was wiped out by an attack. Following that, we also have 10 Kobolds with a 50-50 split in gender ratios. They are also quick on their feet, and they hit hard, but their low Vitality is their weakness. Overall, the whole group is weak in battle, but we can run away pretty fast." - Evan "Any mages? Archers? Or special skills?" - Ian "I used to have the Kobold staff, but it got destroyed when we were fighting a group of monsters. Other than that¡­ Not really." - Evan "Actually, most of us are well versed in nts, tracking, and scouting. After traveling for so long, we became a lot better to understand which nts are edible, which nts are poisonous, and which nts can be used to make potions. Tracking is also easier for us as well. Small marks on the ground or marks against trees, we can use to track most monsters, especially, Komomo. He is the best tracker in our group." - Cassidy "Tracking is a very useful skill. Gewari, I want you to learn from Komomo. Bring him into Shadow and have him teach not only you but all the scouts and assassins." - Ian "Yes my lord. I am also interested in learning about tracking as well, especially if we need to hunt down any monsters that try to run away in a fight." - Gewari "GREAT! Komomo is a little shy, but I''m sure he would be able to open up to you!" - Cassidy "I will do my best." - Gewari "Alright, what else? Surely that isn''t all you need to know." - Evan "What are the preferences of your people and what do they think about living in HavenFall? I know you haven''t asked them for their opinion, and they are just going along with your decision. I don''t want any fights between my people and you people." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Most of us are fine so long as we have food, water, and shelter, which HavenFall has all of. The Kobolds prefer caves to live in. They have told me they are great miners as well, but we haven''t had a chance to mine anything yet." - Evan "Miners? That''s excellent, I have a bronze mine and a tin mine in the works, so they will be a great addition to the team. The rest will be able to either join the army or join the cksmiths. I need more people who are interested or keen on making things." - Ian "Oh, then Tera is great! I''ve talked to her a lot after meeting up with Evan, and she has always told me she wanted to make equipment for the people she loves. Protecting them with her armor is one of her dreams, so she will be perfect for cksmithing." - Reba "Really? Howe she never told me this? I''ve been talking to her for so long." - Evan "Maybe she doesn''t like talking about her dreams with you, Evan but that''s okay, I''m sure the both of you talk about other things." - Reba After talking to them more and learning more about the new additions to HavenFall, we eventually reach home. However, all was not well as I see Noah pacing back and forth beside the waterfall with Gobi, Howard and Melody hugging Kaede. 225 Chapter 225 "Noah! What''s the matter? Did something happen with Kaede?" - Ian Rushing ahead of the group, I ce my hand on Noah''s shoulder as he turns away. His mumbling mess stops as his whole body shook in surprise. Turning toward me, Noah''s distressed expression vanishes, but what reces it wasn''t that much better. With an awkward smile, and sucking in his breath, Noah starts to exin the situation. "Ian, there is a major problem. I¡­ I don''t know how to say this because I''m still not 100% sure of the situation but Kingston, Gibing, David, Gopopo, Frank, Yor, and Ken all disappeared into a white door. They were pushing through a tunnel and fought against the same monsters as us, but at the end of the tunnel was a white door. Like us, it wasn''t shining, so they approached it carefully but once they let their guard down, it swallowed them. Kaede happened to not be with the main group and wasn''t taken with them. She ran back to the Krepost, telling Celine and Ster about the situation. Celine gave her a Zivotinja to ride back here as soon as possible. " - Noah "Alright, I understand the situation. Kaede,e here. Are you alright? It wasn''t your fault that something happened okay?" - Ian "But-but-I I left them, there. I turned away for a second, and they are gone. I didn''t know what to do. I dropped everything and ran back to the Krepost. Ster and Celine tried tofort me, and they did help, but I was still not feeling well, and then they told me I should tell you about everything. So, Celine gave me a Zivotinja, and it rode me all the way here, but when I got here you weren''t here, and then¡­" - Kaede "Okay, okay, slow down. Kaede, slow down. Noah has told me the general gist of things but with you talking so fast and panicking we can''t do anything. I want you to rx, have Lucina check you and get some food first, okay? Kingston is with your brother, so I''m sure he is fine. The rest of them should be able to handle themselves pretty well." - Ian "But-but" - Kaede "No buts. Get something to eat first and calm down okay?" - Kaede "Okay¡­" - Kaede "Good. Sr and Melody can you go with her?" - Ian "Of course. Come, Kaede, I''m hungry too. Let''s have Lucina feed us!" - Melody "That''s right. Eating and rest will rx you. There is nothing to be worried about.." - Sr Sr takes Kaede away, leaving Noah, Melody, Howard, and Gobi with me, Gewari, and the rest of Evan''s group. Awkward nces were exchanged between the two groups before I start to introduce them. "Everyone, this is Evan and Reba. They are people close to me, and they have traveled from a far ce to get to HavenFall. I have already epted them into HavenFall when I went and saved them from the monsters on the ins. Likewise, this is Noah, Howard, and Gobi. They are one of the most important people in HavenFall and are the ones that keep this ce running if I am not here. Noah manages the logistics around here, whilst Howard and Gobi help with the militaristic aspects. Of course, there are others that you have yet to meet, but for now, this is more than enough to get an understanding." "Pleasure to meet everyone, I am the one and the only Elves_or_Nothin also known as Evan." - Evan "Hello, I''m Reba or Bec. Let''s all get along." - Reba Smiling at the sessful introductions, I ask Noah to help out with moving Evan''s group around so that they can rx in HavenFall as if it were their own home. "Noah, can you help find them a ce to stay as well as find Lucina to get food and water for them as well?" - Ian "Of course my lord. Melody had already instructed some people to move in with each other to make some space. I''ll bring them over and have food and water ready for them in the dining hall as well. May I know who will be the representative or who I will be speaking to most of the time?" - Noah "Cassidy, can you take care of everyone? I would like to be with Ian for a bit and understand more about HavenFall." - Evan "You can count on me! Everyone~ Follow Noah!" - Cassidy "Alright, Howard and Gobi, I want you to look out for the white door in the cavern. Make sure no one gets close to it until we find out the cause of the disappearances. Make sure Gyumi also knows about this and make sure she is alert at the gates. Have another group watch out for the path next to the waterfall. Even though we just came from that direction, I''m not sure if anything will follow us." - Ian "Got it. Gobi, tell Gyumi about the situation. I''ll get a squad ready to defend the waterfall path as well as the cavern." - Howard "Right, I''ll go there as soon as I can. Ian, there is a box of the unique loot in your house already. We ced it there already so whenever you are ready, you can look through it." - Gobi "Thank you, Gobi. I''ll head there now. Evan, babe, follow me." - Ian Dismissing the meeting and making sure everyone had a job to do, I bring Evan and Reba to my house. As we made our way there, I could see them intrigued with everyone around them. From the brick path to the medical herb garden and even the many active kilns. They made variousments about the houses and the clothing everyone wore. Evan alsomented on how cool the spider legs on my back were, whilst Reba was worried about them. Eventually, we made it back to my house and I sat them down at the table. "So, how do you find HavenFall so far?" - Ian "Bro, I know you said you were putting in work in this ce but I¡­ I didn''t expect this¡­ This is amazing but this is just the start. There is so much we can improve on and so much we can create using the knowledge we have of past generations. Bro, this is crazy!" - Evan "This is great and all but I got a question for you, babe. Who was that girl?" - Reba "Huh?" - Ian "Dude, Reba are you serious? I''m here amazed about the different architecture, the weaponry, the connection between humans, demi-humans and monsters, and you are jealous? Doesn''t that just make me cringe?" - Evan "Quiet Evan." - Reba "She is just a friend, Reba. Everyone here is like family." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Friend. I get it. Don''t worry when we get out of the game we are going to have a nice long chat. Where you learn about boundaries. Even if it is in a game. Okay?" - Reba "Wait, babe-" - Ian "OKAY?!" - Reba "Okay¡­" - Ian "ALRIGHT! Back to the point. From what has happened in the past few hours maybe less but there has been an ident with Kingston. The problem is that he disappeared in front of a white door, which to my understanding is one of the Pirs of Light. Now there are many of these Pirs of Light which mean there are many doors, which also means that he is probably not the only person to be ''kidnapped''." - Evan "The forums will be going crazy the moment the game ends for the night. We can definitely get information on the forum then, but for now, there isn''t much we can do right?" - Reba "We can go to the door that was close to Kingston now, and be ready for the next night?" - Ian "What about the one near you? If you end up going to Kingston what happens here? The whole reason the both of you split up was to take care of both sides, HavenFall and the Krepost. There are also not enough people here to take care of¡­ No. You do have enough people." - Evan "Us. Right?" - Reba "Right, I was thinking about having you guys stay here while I went to Kingston. The Pirs of Light disappeared today and I can only guess it was at the same time when Kingston ''disappeared''. If I take a couple of people with me and leave the rest of the troops here with you then we can still protect HavenFall. I will, however, have to take a few with me to go to the Krepost since they will be needing more people." - Ian "Wait, we just got together and you want to leave already?" - Reba "Reba, it''s technically better this way since we are kind of on the weak side." - Evan "No! I want toe along, plus even if I die, it''s not like we die forever. I''ll juste back tomorrow. " - Reba "She is also not wrong about that." - Evan "I don''t want you to die though." - Ian "It will be fine. I won''t die. I can protect myself." - Reba "What are your stats and your skills? Babe, I know you aren''t strong enough. You are going to die to one random mob monster." - Ian "What about the copper armor and stuff? Can''t I use that? I''m pretty sure it has high defense." - Reba "What? My armor? I can''t just give you that?" - Ian "Why not? You have spider legs, better stats, just do something with your skills." - Reba "She has a point too." - Evan "Alright. Alright. I''ll lend you the armor and you cane with me." - Ian "Great!" - Reba "Is that it? Pretty short conversation if you ask me. So what happens here while you are gone? Noah going to handle everything or like, what''s up?" - Evan " I''ll have Noah handle the logistics. Your people will only have today to get used to things before they get into a fight. They are not trained to fight properly with my troops so it is best to split them up and have them slowly assimte into the army. I will also have Gobi stay behind as the lead General for the army. He and Noah will be who will take care of the fighting. Evan, you will be here as well. Lead your people and help them. I''m sure Cassidy will be of great help to you as well and the both of you will need to get used to working around here." - Ian "Alright. I''ll work things out around here. Now, then you said there was some loot right? What do we have?" - Evan 226 Chapter 226 Looking around, I locate a box close to the stairs. Compared to thest few days, this batch of loot was a lot less with only 2 small items inside the box, a white and turquoise ring. Picking up both rings, I walk over to Evan and Reba as I read the descriptions for both. [ Ghostly Ring Intelligence: 5 Skill: Ghost Spike A white ghostly ring created from the despair of a widow after she pierces her chest on the same spike that her husband fell upon. The ring harnesses the very same spike that took both their lives. ] [ Aqua Ring Intelligence: 5 Skill: Healing Pulse A turquoise ring reminiscent of the water along the coast of a tropical ind. Its gentle and soft feel calms the user as well as allies near them, helping the user and allies to recover their strength. ] Ghost Spike (Active) - Create a spike thates out of the ground to damage your foes. (50 + 80% Intelligence). This skill is able to hit enemies that are cannot be damaged by physical attacks. Cooldown 5 mins. Healing Pulse (Active) - Upon activation creates a ring of mist, 5 meters in diameter. It will pulse every 10 seconds for 1 minute, healing 10% missing HP. Cooldown 1 hour. "Evan, take the Ghostly Ring, it might be useful in fights since there is no MP required to activate it, and it has a short cooldown. Whereas, babe, take the Aqua Ring. You will need it during a fight, and it can be used if some of us are injured as well." - Ian "Are you sure? I don''t think I deserve this. What about your NPCs?" - Evan "Yea, don''t you think they would use this more effectively than us?" - Reba "Maybe, but you guys need to get stronger as well. You might not be getting any stats from ancient ruins, so the only way you can get stronger is by finding opportunities in battle and using better equipment. This is just a start, and you will be able to get stronger by killing monsters and gaining more contribution." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I guess." - Reba "Alright, if you say so. I''ll use this to protect your NPCs. A 1-minute cooldown is very short, so I can use this repeatedly over the course of a whole battle. Thanks, Ian." - Evan "I''ll use the ring to heal you whenever you need it, okay." - Reba "Thanks, so¡­ What now?" - Ian "What do you mean? Aren''t you going to go to Kingston?" - Evan "Well, yeah, but I told Kaede to take some time to recover from the incident, and it hasn''t been that long since we parted." - Ian "It''s almost sunrise, so I guess we can rest up for a bit and leave in the morning." - Reba "Right then-" - Ian "IANNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!" - Melody "Ohhhhh dramaaaa." - Evan Snapping my head toward the door, I see Melody standing there with a slight scowl on her face as she side-eyes Rebeca. Rushing behind her is Sr, who was slightly out of breath. "Melody, can you slow down for a bit." - Sr "Oh. My. God. An elf¡­" - Evan "Ian, who is she? What is she to you? Care to exin?" - Reba "Babe, I-" - Ian "No, I need some answers first. Who is she? She can''t just appear out of nowhere and look this close to you." - Melody "Melody, calm down. I-" - Ian "Hey, girl. I asked first. You can just stand back and let me talk, okay?" - Reba "Excuse me. I''m sorry, I didn''t know dirt can talk back." - Melody "DIRT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" - Reba "Hello, beautiful angel, my name is Evan. May I know your lovely name?" - Evan "Sr. Nice to meet you, Evan. You have quite the charming name yourself." - Sr "YEAH! I called you dirt. What are you going to do about it? Roll along the ground?" - Melody "So, this is the kind of foul-mouthed woman you like talking to, Ian? We have a lot to talk about and for your information you filthy skank, I''m Ian''s significant other. Oh, wait. With your low intelligence, I bet you don''t even know what that means." - Reba "Babe, can you calm down for a second." - Ian "No. I will NOT calm down. I will not take an insult from someone I don''t know and not fight back. This little vixen has no right to talk to me like this." - Reba "Oh please, princess. There is no need to look down on other people. I''m sure Ian has had enough of your haughty attitude." - Melody "I would love to learn more about you, miss Sr. Are you by any chance seeing someone at the moment?" - Evan "Umm, no I''m not but Mr. Evan. I''m not quite sure if this is the appropriate time to be discussing this. I think Ian needs a little help." - Sr "No, no, no. He is getting the treatment he deserves as a pioneer in the harem path. This is but a small roadblock in the way." - Evan "But still¡­ I do think we need to solve this. Ian has to prepare who will be going to the Krepost with him soon, Kaede has expressed that she wants to go back sooner rather thanter." - Sr "Sigh¡­ Alright. Ian, Reba, and Melody, was it? It''s time to stop this pointless argument. There are more important matters at hand. Kaede wants to go soon, so you need to figure out who is going with you, Ian." - Evan "Thanks, Evan. The both of you, I will talk to you about thister, but for now, can you both focus on what is at hand?" - Ian "We will be having a nice long chatter, Ian." - Reba "You better tell me what is going on, Ian." - Melody "Alright, miss Sr, can you lead the way to Kaede." - Evan "Wow¡­ You stopped that so quickly, Mr. Evan. Ian, and everyone, follow me to the training grounds. Kaede is currently there with Howard." - Sr Running after Sr and Evan, I escape the tense atmosphere. However, it was only the start of my trouble. Reba grabs onto my right arm, pressing her body close to mine, whilst Melody grabs my left arm, also pressing her body close to mine. Afortable but ufortable walk to the training grounds awaited me. It didn''t take long before we reached the training grounds where Kaede and Howard were sitting together on the ground, watching the sunrise. Slipping out of both girls'' hold, I wave to Howard and Kaede, approaching Kaede first and kneeling on the ground next to her. "Kaede, are you sure you are okay? I don''t mind waiting untilter in the day before we leave." - Ian "Ian, thank you for worrying about me but right now I''m sure Ken and the others are in danger. I can''t be here worried and scared when they are probably in the worst situation. That''s why I think we should go as soon as possible." - Kaede "Alright if you say so. I''ll be needing you to tell me how to get to Kingston and the others." - Ian "Of course! I''ll do anything." - Kaede "Alright then, Howard is everything okay with the troops? What''s the situation with Evan''s group as well?" - Ian "From what Gobi has told me, the troops are resting up right now. Everyone is tired from the constant fighting but today was a lot less than usual, so they are able to rest up earlier. They should be in top shape by tomorrow night and with the additional people, we might be able to have more rotations. More rotations mean more rest overall so, we should be good with you leaving to the Krepost. As for the general popce of Evan''s group, ording to Noah, they are mainly non-warriors. Most of them are children or women and while some of the women can fight most of them are not fighters. Some have asked to work with Lucina already and with Lucina preparing to expand the medical garden, she already epted the extra hands." - Howard "Yea¡­ There weren''t a lot of fighters in my group. We mostly ran for battles if we had the chance and only fought whenever it was guaranteed that we would win. At the start, we had more warriors, but slowly we started to face stronger and stronger monsters. The bodies started to pile up after that, and we had no choice but to run from battles. Cassidy and I were the main fighters but even then we weren''t that strong." - Evan "Right, Cassidy did mention that it was mainly you two in battles especially when you had a Kobold staff. However, the Kobolds have expressed their will to help fight especially in the cavern. They like the environment, and they want to protect it." - Howard "Perfect. Have old man Hus make weapons that suit their battle style and give them the wooden armor for now. They will be part of the cavern defense force, and we can shift some people there to the front gate." - Ian "Alright, I''ll tell Gobi. Who are you nning to take with you?" - Howard "Well, Kaede and Reba are definitely going with me. I''m nning to take Luna, Gewari, 5 goblins scouts, 5 shield bearers, and you. The scouts and the shield bearers are for Ster and Celine. They might need the backup for the next night or two without their main damage dealers, so I''m nning to move some people over there. The ones who are participating in the actual rescue mission are Luna, Gewari, Kaede, Reba, you, and me." - Ian "Are you sure about this? What about taking more wolves with us?" - Howard "No, because I require this ce to be properly defended in case of an emergency. The wolves themselves are stronger than most of us, with the only downside being they can''t use any of the equipment because old man Hus hasn''t made anything for animals and monsters yet. Having Luna is more than enough as an extra pair of eyes and nose." - Ian "Alright. I''ll get everyone ready as well as restock our potion bags." - Howard "Thank you, Howard. We leave the moment everything is ready, and we are going to get to the Krepost as soon as possible." - Ian 227 Chapter 227 Howard leaves the moment, the conversation ends, running to Gobi to ry the message as well as get everyone else to prepare to leave. In less than an hour, everyone was prepared to leave for the Krepost. Knowing that we needed to make haste, everyone wore wooden armor instead of the golem stone armor and wielded the smaller shields instead of therger bulkier shield. Bagging was also kept to a minimum with only a handful of vegetables, a small water bag, and 2 potions per person. Kaede sat on top of the Zivotinja leading the way, while everyone marched behind at a quick pace. The whole path had been carved out with vines as a substitute fence, following the path we arrived at the Krepost behind midday. However, everyone was slightly tired and breathing heavily. I signal for everyone to rest whilst I meet up with Ster and Celine who had stayed behind at the Krepost when Kingston left for the Pir of Light. Bringing Reba and Kaede with me, we sat at the table on the second floor of the Krepost. Celine had dark circles below her red eyes while Ster was constantly fidgeting with a goblin knife. "Ster can you stop fidgeting with the knife? You might hurt yourself by ident." - Ian "Right, right. Sorry, I haven''t been very focused. Umm, well. I see there is someone new here. Hello, my name is Ster. " - Ster "Nice to meet you, I''m Reba, Ian''s partner." - Reba "Hi! I''m Celine." - Celine "Do you want to tell me what has been happening here since Kingston left and when Kaede came back with the bad news?" - Ian "Sigh¡­ Well, the night battle against the Fishmen and the Banshees was fine. Celine''s tamed monsters were able to deal with the Banshees and the rest of us were able to deal with the Fishmen with the help of the Krepost. However, throughout the whole time, we were expecting Kingston and the others tounch a surprise attack at the nk since they were to deal with a Pir of Light. We were able to fight off the horde of monsters and kill everything eventually, but they still didn''te back. Just as we were able to send out scouts to figure out the situation, Kaede was seen running toward us. In tears and shaken she told us the situation, but we weren''t sure what to do. I told Kaede to go back to HavenFall and get your help on the situation. From then to now, we have sent various scouts in different directions in hopes of finding any leads. I know that the tunnel doesn''t have an exit, but I thought maybe there would be another door that connected to the same ce. After hours of searching and with nothing to show for it, I was losing hope¡­" - Ster "Ster¡­ It''s not your fault. I''m sure Kingston has everyone sorted out, and they are safe." - Celine "I know, I know, it''s just I can''t believe that 7 of them disappeared just like that." - Ster "Well, we are going after them. Ster and Celine, I need both of you to stay here once more and keep the Krepost safe. I''ll be bringing Luna, Kaede, Reba, Howard, and Gewari with me to get Kingston and the others back safe. I also brought along some reinforcement for you with a small batch of potions that Lucina made. I would have brought more potions but there was only so much we had prepared." - Ian "Are you sure just the 6 of you will be enough? Even when it was 8 of them, only Kaede came back." - Celine "I think just us 6 will be fine. The tunnel should be empty at the moment until the Pir of Light reactivates, which means we won''t be fighting many monsters along the way." - Ian "What about when you reach the door?" - Ster "ording to Kaede, they were in front of the door one second, and then they disappeared. I think someone grabbed them and pulled them through the door. Whatever it is, even if we had more people, it would just result in more losses." - Reba "Following on what Reba just said, with an elite group we would have less to worry about and more space to move about during fights. Especially for Luna, Gewari, and me who prefer more space when fighting, with fewer people around, we can bring out more of our potential." - Ian "Alright. I understand, there is still some loot from the night if you want to look at it. I''m going to get some rest before any more fighting happens." - Ster Ster leaves the table first, heading downstairs to go to the resting quarters. The resting quarters were small makeshift houses near the Krepost, with just a couple of beds and chairs for furniture. Celine walks to a small box in the corner of the room bringing it to the table. Peering inside the box, I see a dirty bronze bracelet, a ck choker with jagged edges, and a piece of parchment. "These are what we acquired throughout the whole time we were fighting against the different monsters. Kingston was unsure about who should have it, so we were going to deliver it back to HavenFall but now that you are here, you can sort it out." - Celine "Thank you, Celine. Let me have a look first." - Ian [ Inferior Strength Bracelet Strength: 2 An essory crafted by an unknown cksmith. It was meant to allow the user to inhibit god-like strength however became a failure as the cksmith was still green behind the ears. ] [ Widow''s Grasp (Female only) Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Once adorned by a widow, now travels in search of a wearer. This choker allows another female to acquire the strengths of its past users, an aristocrat, a duchess, a thief, and a markswoman. This choker will take the highest stat from the user if the user ever gives or loses the item. ] [ Spell Paper (One Time Use) Skill: Summon Banshee A piece of paper that has been enchanted with a spell. Each Spell Paper is unique and may contain different spells. The Spell Paper can only be used once before it is destroyed. ] Summon Banshee - Summons a Banshee to serve the summoner for 30 minutes. The Banshee cannot betray the summoner and must follow all orders. "Hmm¡­ Give Howard the bracelet and Gewari the choker. I''ll hold onto the Spell Paper for when we need it. Was there anything else you need to mention to me, Celine?" - Ian "Umm¡­ I don''t know. Is there anything you need to know?" - Celine "How long until the Zivotinjas are ready to be proper cavalry? Kaede seemed to ride them pretty well so if they are ready, I would like you to train some demi-humans here." - Ian "Oh! The Zivotinja that Kaede rode was the leader of the Dazzle and also the first Zivotinja that I tamed. It was able to grow used to Kaede after she helped me feed the Zivotinja, and eventually, it allowed her to ride it. The rest of the Zivotinja are still in the process of adjusting to life here, but I can tell some of them are ready to allow us to ride them. The only problem I can see is that unless the rider is skilled they will most likely fall off the Zivotinjas when they are riding them. The backs of the Zivotinja are very ufortable and when they are galloping fast it bes harder and harder to hold onto them. We need some sort of seat on the back of Zivotinja. Once we achieve something like that, then we will be able to have the cavalry that you speak of, Ian." - Celine "Alright, I think old man Hus is working on something for that in between making armor and weapons, so it shoulde through sooner orter." - Ian "Thank you, Ian. The rest of the monsters are having a nice time here even though they are fighting because they are growing stronger faster than when they were out in the wild. When do you think you are leaving?" - Celine "As soon as possible. I''m giving everyone a little break since running here from HavenFall took most of the day, so after the sun reaches its peak, I''ll set off." - Ian "Babe, midday wille soon, so there isn''t much break." - Reba "That''s fine. A little break is better than no break." - Ian "Right, well, Ian I''ll be with the monsters if you need me." - Celine Celine leaves as well, leaving just me and Reba in the top floor of the Krepost. While I have been with Reba for a while now in the game, this is the first time I had been alone with her. Leaning back in the chair, I put my arm around her holding her tight. Before the game ends for the night, I hold her tight letting my lips touch hers. "I''ll see you out of the game okay babe?" - Ian "Okay, see you soon." - Reba 228 Chapter 228 The world turns gray and Reba disappears from my view, reced with the ceiling. I take off my VR helmet and turn to my side to see Reba getting up as well. Helping her up and saying good morning, we both washed up early before leaving the room. However, what greets us as we walk out, was very unexpected. Adam and Eve were seen directing other butlers and maids along the corridor. Looking at Reba, she nudges her head towards Adam, signaling for me to talk. "Why don''t yo- OUCH! Okay, okay. Hey, Adam! What''s happening? Why is everyone running around?" - Ian "Mr. Ian and Miss Reba, I was about to just get you. There seems to be a problem with your friend Kingston. His room caught on fire, and we are currently handling the situation. Mr. Ian and Miss Reba, I would like both of you to follow the corridor to the living room calmly. Mr. Sam and Miss Nina are already there, this is not a drill." - Adam "Wait, what? What happened to Kingston?" - Ian "Fire? How did that happen?" - Reba "Please, I need the both of you to exit this ce while we-" - Adam A loud explosion rings throughout the building as smoke and dust rush through the corridor mming into my body. Pushing Reba back into the room, I attempt to shield myself with my arm. As the smoke and dust clears, I see 2 butlers unconscious against the wall while Eve and a maid were on the ground. "EVE!" - Adam "Adam! Wait! Babe, stay inside the room! Don''t go out!" - Ian "Wait, babe, don''t go!" - Reba "No! Just stay inside, I''ll be right back. Call Sam to get more people up here as well as a doctor. I''m not sure if Adam has already called the doctor but just in case he hasn''t, make sure you inform them." - Ian "Okay! Just be careful." - Reba Adam rushes toward Eve and I follow right behind me. Crouching down and cing his index and middle finger on her neck, Adam confirms that Eve was still alive. Peering into Kingston''s room, I see the floor and walls scorched ck with Kingston in the center of the room, face first on the ground. "Kingston? Are you okay?" - Ian Adam was in the process of moving Eve and the maid away from the door as I call out to Kingston. Not hearing a response I peek inside once again but nothing had changed. I look at Adam for advice, but he was just as unsure as I was. Instead of entering the room, I help Adam move everyone to the side, and only once the both of us were confident that those who were unconscious were safe, did we venture into Kingston''s room. "Mr. Ian, the both of us need to be careful going in here." - Adam "Just call me Ian, Adam. What do you know happened here?" - Ian "Not too long ago, we were informed that a fire had started in this room due to the smoke detectors. However, the sprinklers didn''t activate, so we sent 2 butlers and a maid to check out the situation. Through the phone, they told us that there was a fire and the door to Kingston''s room was burnt ck. Eve and I were nearby, so we also went over to check the situation while also informing everyone to evacuate. We already told a fire brigade toe as well as the ambnce and just as we were going to leave the explosion happened, and we are here right now. There shouldn''t be anything explosive inside the room so, I''m confused as to what happened. " - Adam "Right, and it isn''t as if Kingston had explosives on him. Looking at the scorch marks, we can see that everywhere, but a small ring around Kingston is burnt. The scorch marks even reach the ceiling, but it didn''t burn through the walls." - Ian "I''m going to approach Kingston. Stay here." - Adam "Are you sure the both of us shouldn''t go to him at the same time?" - Ian "I don''t know¡­ I''ve never been in this situation before. Usually, I find things for Mr. Sam or escort him around. Nothing ever happens at home and this is extremely different. Regardless I''ll see if Kingston is okay or not. If anything happens to me, tell Eve I''m sorry for letting her down." - Adam "Wait, no, no, no. We can wait for the fire brigade and the ambnce right?" - Ian "What if something happens to Kingston while we wait? Are you going to take responsibility if we let him die as we wait nearby?" - Adam "No¡­ In that case, we both go. You go to the left and I''ll go to the right." - Ian "Not sure if that matters but okay." - Adam Both Adam and I, approach Kingston slowly. Carefully watching around us just in case something unexpected happens. Other than the slightly hot ground, and the smoke-filled room nothing was out of the ordinary. Adam kneels beside Kingston reaching out slowly toward his neck, checking his vitals just like how he did for Eve. "He is alive, but he is burning up¡­" - Adam "What do you mean?" - Ian "I can feel his pulse beat normally but as I touch more of his body I can feel my hand slowly burning as if I am touching hot coal. Even now as I am right next to him, I can feel the heat. Come, kneel down. You''ll know what I mean as you get closer to him." - Adam Following Adam''s lead, I kneel down, and just like he said, I could feel Kingston''s body radiate heat, like a natural heater. No matter where I touch him, whether it is his arm, leg, or neck, it was like putting my hand inside an oven. "Should we flip him?" - Adam "Maybe¡­?" - Ian "Alright, follow my lead." - Adam cing his hand underneath Kingston''s body, Adam readies himself to flip Kingston while I prepare myself to ease his body down. Adam grits his teeth as the heat from Kingston''s body starts to hurt his hands. With a small countdown, Adam pushes Kingston''s body over, and I catch up, easing him down. As I look at Kingston''s body, I froze, while Adam flinches, standing up immediately. Instead of Kingston''s face, we both saw a scarlet red crystal mask, with ck red horns on the front. Looking back at the spot where Kingston''s facey, I see there were 2 holes burnt straight through the floor. "What the hell is this?" - Adam "I know that mask. It is the same mask, Kingston has when he goes Berserk. The skill he has creates this mask over him giving him an insane stat boost, but that''s in the game¡­" - Ian "Are you saying that the game affects him in real life? How is that possible? It''s just a game, right? Right?" - Adam "I-I don''t know. It happened to me before as well and Reba. However, this was the first time it has been permanent." - Ian "What do we do? Do we leave him? Do we try to take off the mask? Like what do we do? I am just so confused right now. This shouldn''t be happening." - Adam Just as Adam was freaking out, Kingston jolts up from the ground. Narrowly moving out of the way, I dodge Kingston''s potential headbutt. Kingston''s mask crumbles off his face slowly revealing a scared and tired expression. Looking around anxiously, Kingston''s eyes eventually meet mine. "Ian¡­? Where? Oh my god¡­ Am I d to see you. You won''t believe what happened-." - Kingston Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Kingston flops back down to the grounds with a loud thud. Frozen from Kingston''s sudden revival to his sudden fall, both Adam and I were unable topute what just happened. Slowly, Adam reaches out to check if Kingston still had a pulse, which he did. Unable to process the recent events, both of us just waited for the doctor to arrive. After a couple of minutes, the doctor arrives giving Kingston a full body check after transporting his body to a sterile environment. Eve and the other workers were also transported along with Kingston and during that time, I met up with everyone else in the living room. Retelling what Adam and I experienced, Sam, Nina, Evan, and Sabrina were shocked and confused. The events that took ce left their mouths wide open and with nothing to say back. We could only wait until Kingstones back from the doctor before we confirm anything. Most of the day passes before Kingston is released from the doctor''s care. ording to the report, there was nothing wrong with his body other than a slight fever which he recovered from during the stay with the doctor. Meeting with everyone in the living room, we start to question Kingston on what happened to him in the game that lead to the skill activating in the real world. 229 Chapter 229 "Kingston¡­ What happened¡­ This morning? I know it isn''t technically your fault but still, that was dangerous, and I don''t want something like that to happen again." - Sam Sitting on a chair isted from the couches in the living room, Kingston nervously scratches the back of his head. Everyone was slightly on edge from the incident in the morning and with so little information about the situation, all of us were worried. "Kingston, Adam, and I were the ones that saw you in the morning. You had the mask you get when you go berserk on your face. It crumbled away the moment you woke up." - Ian "You also caused a fire and an explosion if you didn''t remember." - Reba "Well¡­ I don''t really know where to start. A lot of things happenedst night." - Kingston "How about you tell me what happened in the tunnel? Kaede left you and came back to HavenFall with news that you disappeared along with Gibing, David, and the others. I know they didn''t die because there was no system report of them dying, but I had no idea what was happening." - Ian "Okay, easy enough. After fighting a bunch of monsters we reached the white door. However, this white door wasn''t glowing anymore despite there being a Pir of Light prior to entering the tunnel. Confused as we were, we approached the white door carefully but nothing happened until I touched it. That door is a portal to a ce called the Glemt and Ian is the owner of the portal." - Kingston "What do you mean? I didn''t get any message about this?" - Ian "Maybe you have to touch the door as well, I''m not too sure about the requirements, but that ce is where me and the others got taken too. Of course, against our will." - Kingston "We know about the Glemt. There is a lot of talk on the forums about it since it is connected to the event." - Even "Which part of the Glemt did you get transported to?" - Sam "There are more to the Glemt?" - Kingston "ording to the forums, the Glemt refers to the territory controlled by the Reaper, specifically around the Reaper''s Castle. From other yers'' experiences, we have verified there are at least 5 spots where yers have been transported; Courtyard, Farnd, Tower, Barracks, and Abyss. The Courtyard had 30 doors, Farnd 25, Tower 20, Barracks 40, and Abyss 10. Not all the doors were open, and some ces had very few yers but the ones that were transported to the Abyss were the first 10. Funnily enough, it was 1 yer per door in the Abyss." - Nina "Right, and it would be funny that the ce where everyone supposedly died in, the Abyss, is where Kingston went through." - Sabrina "I think I was in the Abyss. Since there were only 10 doors and 1 was part of the first 10 to arrive in the Glemt." - Kingston "Not sure if lucky or unlucky¡­" - Reba "What happened in the Abyss?" - Ian "Uhh¡­ That''s the funny thing¡­" - Kingston "No¡­ No way. YOU KILLED EVERYONE IN THE ABYSS?" - Sabrina "Wait, how do you know this?" - Kingston "The forums. There was a fight between demons in the abyss but one of them was spawned in front of a door. I can only guess that you are rted to the demon. Did you make a contract with a demon? Are they the same as the Gods?" - Nina "I made a contract with a demon called Belial. I''m not too sure about the process of contracting a God, but I would assume it is simr. I gained new skills and additional stats, but the downside is that Belial is constantly in my head. Furthermore, I also summoned him when we were fighting the demon since there was no way anyone in that room could have killed him. Belial¡­ He did kill everyone but Gibing and the others are currently trapped inside some sort of ck cocoon. " - Kingston "Belial¡­ I have heard of him before in a video about demons. Don''t ask why I watched it but from what I remember he is the 68th demon in a grimoire called Ars Goetia. It is also rted to Solomon''s 72 demons." - Evan "NERDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!" - Sabrina "Shut up, Sabrina!'' - Evan "So, the demon was the cause of your outbreak in the morning?" - Sam "Uh¡­ Kind of¡­ I hear him right now." - Kingston "WHAT!" - Evan Jolting up from Kingston''s sudden announcement, every one slightly backed away from Kingston. I could hear Sabrina gulping down her saliva since she was the closest to Kingston. "Wow, wow, wow, wait. It''s not what you guys think." - Kingston "Kingston, exin yourself please." - Ian "Alright, just don''t freak out like that. It scares me too. In Settlement, I heard a voice constantly ever since I kept using Endless Rage. Eventually, I found out the source of the voice to be a demon. After contracting with the demon, I was able to converse with it, but I thought it was only limited to the game. After waking up in the clinic, I started to hear his voice although faint and sometimes mumbled, but I could tell it was Belial trying to connect with me. At first, I thought I was hearing things. I mean,e on hearing voices in my head that I heard in a game. I thought I was going crazy. That was until he said, ''So there are worlds outside of mine¡­''. That was when I snapped out of the illusion and realized, oh this is real. The only problem is that sometimes Belial would disconnect, so right now, I can''t actually hear him or anything, but I can tell he is listening. Our hearts ironically are connected, and he is experiences what I am experiencing. Not going to lie, but ever since Ian''s incident where the spider mark was found on his back, it has been slightly suspicious about otherworldly connections. Sam, I know you have connections to the inner workings of society. There must be some talk right? That''s the one of the reasons you sought us out and created a guild. I don''t want to just imply that you created a guild for something like this, but this must be part of it right?" - Kingston Listening to Kingston analyze the situation, I realize that his thoughts matched with mine. While I tried to ignore and look past the facts he had been thinking about them and was looking at them while deciding whether tomit. Looking at Sam who was still standing at the front, I could see him contemte about his answer. The cogs in his brain were turning and after a long minute of waiting, Sam answers. "I''m sorry. I have been unfaithful to everyone here. I wasn''t sure if saying this would cause panic or cause everyone to not want to be together but after the situation with Kingston today I think it is better if everyone here knows." - Sam "Holy¡­ What is happening right now? This is like information overload. Like, I am not ready for this. Like WHAT THE HELL?" - Evan "Evan, take a chill pill. Sit down and wait for them to speak." - Sabrina "So, it is true¡­ Damn, it was in the back of my head but now that even Sam is saying something." - Nina "Babe, what''s going on?" - Reba "Just let them talk, we are about to find out." - Ian "Sam, can you please tell us about what you know?" - Kingston "Alright, but what I''m about to say right now isn''t made public yet, and I don''t know if it will be made public. Can everyone agree to not disclose this information?" - Sam "Agreed." - Everyone "This information is only known to a select few including the higher ups in Lotus, Bones, and Aqua. Other than them, there are about 50 people worldwide that know about this information that I am about to tell you. Settlement is just a precursor to a bigger whole. When the angel Ariel first tells every yer that they are creating Civilization from scratch, she literally means it because in the near future, Settlement and Earth will be one. Now, it might sound confusing and trust me it is. I didn''t believe it when I heard about it from my father, but he assured me that it is without a doubt legit. You can already see parts of it merging together with Ian''s spider mark and Kingston''s demon acquaintance, however, it is still in the process. When it willpletely merge, I''m not too sure either. What Kingston said is true about the guild. I also wanted a safety of allies I could trust with my back once the world merges. Eventually, I was going to tell you, but I didn''t think it would be this soon. " - Sam "Sam¡­ This is like big news, you know that right. Like we are talking about another world that is real. So every time I was ying Settlement, I was essentially isekai-ing into another world. Oh my god. AND I MEET ELVES!! LET''S GO BABY!" - Evan "If what you say is true then the NPCs in the game are more than just NPCs. They are real living people even if they are of different races or monsters." - Sabrina "Then, all the NPCs that died with me. They¡­" - Reba "Not just them, babe. Everyone we killed whether it was monster or yers were real." - Ian "The only difference being, yers could revive." - Nina "So what now?" - Kingston "Nothing we can do. Just keep ying the game and build up what we have already. The stronger we are, the better it will be. Especially since there will be more yers joining the game soon. I believe it will be after this event, they will announce more ''yer slots''." - Sam "Alright then, I suggest we try to gather closer to each other or create some sort of route between us while at the same time, strengthening our forces. The event will onlyst so long and with the Glemt already essible, it won''t take long before more and more yers will start to invade the Reaper''s territory." - Ian "Agreed. Let''s end this discussion here. Kingston, I''m sorry for being rude to you at the start. I hope this doesn''t create any bad blood between us." - Sam "None, taken Sam. I understand your perspective fully." - Kingston "Thank you. I''ll be taking my leave first then." - Sam 230 Chapter 230 Sam leaves the room, leaving Kingston, Reba, Nina, Evan, Sabrina, and me. The whole conversation was a lot to take in, and I was still in the process of digesting it. However, it made me want to grow HavenFall even more than before. If the world is eventually going to merge then I want HavenFall to be the ce where people want to gather. This means that I need to expand HavenFall further and create more space for future residents. "What is everyone going to do now?" - Nina "How about we update everyone on what we are currently doing and what we n to do? That way we can at least try to match each other''s schedules." - Sabrina "Well, I just got to HavenFall with Reba. The ce is so bomb, you guys need to visit. Don''t worry it''s only in the center of the continent no big deal." - Evan "Right, amazing. Next." - Sabrina "I''m traveling with Ian, to go rescue Kingston." - Reba "We are currently at the Krepost, and we will leave soon. I''m not even sure if I can pass through the portal to the Glemt, yet. However, I have Luna, Kaede, Gewari, and Howard with me just in case." - Ian "The system told me you are the owner of the portal and that you can activate it whenever you want. Right now, I''m just sitting and waiting for something to happen. After Belial, decimated everything and Gibing and the others became cocoons, I haven''t really done anything. Kinda just sat with my thoughts and Belial talking to me." - Kingston "We will be there soon, don''t worry." - Ian "Nina, how about you?" - Sabrina "Umm¡­ I''ve been following Sylvia for a while now, and we are currently somewhere in the North. We have been fighting monsters constantly while gathering these things called Holy Essence. Apparently, monsters drop this, but we have only 2 out of the 10 needed for me toplete my trial to be a proper Apostle of Ares. However, Sylvia is currently distracted because we saw a person in the distance that had short golden hair. After seeing this person''s silhouette, we have been non-stop chasing after them. Sometimes we lose sight of them and other times we catch a glimpse of a passing figure. I''m not sure who it is and Sylvia doesn''t want to say anything nor do I want to ask. She looks torn and disorganized wherever the person shows up." - Nina "I think I know who that is." - Kingston "Nina, that person is most likely Luke. Previously he was an NPC that lived in HavenFall and for a while, Sylvia and he interacted with each other a lot. He was kidnapped right in front of Sylvia and right now he is currently somewhere in the North. I can only assume who you saw was Luke and Sylvia is thinking about how to save him. The only problem is that she is too weak to save him." - Ian "Sylvia weak? That is impossible she was granted more power from Ares and unlocked a greater power. There is no way she is weak." - Nina "Try versing against a bloodthirsty ogre and a dragon." - Kingston "Oh¡­ Yeah, never mind. Forget I said anything. We definitely can''t beat that." - Nina "What about you Sabrina? We all said something. Time for you to tell us what''s been happening over at your ce." - Evan "Not much. Just been busy repelling the constant waves of monsters, but I don''t know how long my NPCs willst at this rate. The fights are long and tiring and with theck of terrain to create any effective defenses, I feel like my vige will be destroyed sooner orter." - Sabrina "Being in a ce with only open terrain is harsh against these constant attacks that have no regard to strategy." - Ian "Why not just run then?" - Reba "I wish I could, but where would I run to? How would I even run? There are only so many horses that we have tamed and even then not all my people are fit enough to fight while on the run. Water and food are also a problem if we leave everything behind. After all the work I have put into my ce I can''t just leave it." - Sabrina "Maybe you should. I left mine and somehow made it to HavenFall and now, I''m living great, or at least I will be living great. Right Ian?" - Evan "About that. I have some thoughts I want to discuss with you on the direction I want HavenFall to go." - Ian "God dammit, you want me to work? I just want to talk to Sr and be on my way. She is amazing by the way. Let me tell you. She is HOT! ELEGANT! EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND NEED! PLUS! She is a healer. HOT PRIEST HEALING FROM THE BACKLINES!!! WHAT MORE DO WE NEED?" - Evan "SHUT UP EVAN! I don''t need to hear about your disgusting fantasies right now. Can''t you go 1 day without thinking about these things?" - Sabrina "Aye, you are just jealous. Don''t worry, my little Sabrina. You are great in your own way. No matter how many hot busty elves or seductive slender elves I see, you are top tier." - Evan "Nope! I don''t want to hear it! Just do die in a hole!" - Sabrina "Sabrina is right. Why are there so many girls in HavenFall, babe?" - Reba "Uhh¡­ I don''t make up the rules on who can live in HavenFall." - Ian "Aren''t there more at the Krepost?" - Kingston "Like Celine and Ster? Those two were wonderful to talk with. Evan, Ster is an elf as well and a different kind of elf." - Nina "NO WAY! What kind? NO! Don''t tell me. Night elf? Dark elf? Blood elf? Oh, am I excited to go to the Krepost now." - Evan "Celine is also great. She is a tamer, and she is very nice." - Kingston "Oh? Kingston? I see. I see. You might want to have a chat with her. On the other hand, I think we need to talk about Melody. What is she to you babe?" - Reba "A friend. I think." - Ian "You think? YOU THINK! You have an amazing girlfriend right now and YOU THINK about this other girl?" - Reba "She was in a game. It''s like having waifus. How was I meant to know she is real?" - Ian "Don''t give me that excuse, Mister. What did you want a harem in the game as well?" - Reba "Uh¡­" - Ian "Unbelievable. Sabrina, Nina, let''s go take a walk. I need some air." - Reba "Agreed. Men, disgusting." - Sabrina "Wait for me." - Nina Watching the three girls walk away linking arms, I turn back to the other two. Evan wasughing silently while Kingston was trying to hold hisughter in, coughing and smiling. Letting out a sigh, I signal the three toe to the kitchen with me as we grab a couple of drinks together. After some time, Adam finds the three of us and asks us to follow him. Leading us to another room, we walk through seeing Sam sitting at a small round wooden table. 5 dark wooden chairs were in ce with a bright red cushion on the seat. "Hey, everyone. Please sit. I want to tell you about my ns." - Sam I look at the other two, who just shrugged their shoulders. Sitting down at the table, Sam lets out a deep breath. sping his hands together, Sam speaks in a low voice. "I know I have been unfaithful to everyone here and I can only ask for your forgiveness. I was selfish in hiding such important information from everyone and I would like to tell you one more thing that I have hidden." - Sam "I understand why you hid things and I have nothing against you for it. Everyone has their secrets, and it wasn''t like we asked you about it, and you had to lie." - Ian "What Ian said." - Evan "Don''t worry about it. Now, what is it that you need to tell us." - Kingston "Not only is the information about Settlement being another world to us something that has been hidden from the public, but there has been an appearance of someone from that worlding to ours. Specifically, a personal meeting with my father. Only he and I know about this incident, and it is also the reason I y Settlement." - Sam "Someone from Settlement hase to Earth?" - Ian "Yo, that''s insane¡­ Was it an elf?" - Evan "Elf? What if it was a dragon? Or a King?" - Kingston "Right. Her name is Amelia Watson, a time traveler. However, due to a fault in her power, she not only traveled in time but in space as well. Transporting through her world in Settlement to our world, she was able to give my father a small hint about the collision of our worlds before traveling back to her time." - Sam "WAIT! Wait, wait. So this person your father met was a time traveler and an alternate universe traveler. This isplete bullshit isn''t it?" - Evan "Evan, there have been more unbelievable things right?" - Adam "I don''t know man. This is crazy." - Evan ''Keep going, Sam. There must be more right?" - Ian "Just a bit more. Amelia, came into our world not too long before Settlement started and appeared in my father''s study room. Her appearance sent rms throughout the house, and I was luckily in the next room. I immediately burst through the door to see a blonde bob-cut teenager with a checkered brown beret in a cream coat walking flipping out a pocket watch. Turning her head slightly, she gives me a slight smile before the lighting from the watch starts to envelop her body, disappearing along with the light. After she disappears I confront my father, who tells me about another world as well as Lotus already creating a bridge between the two worlds in the form of a game. Amelia tells my father that one day both our worlds will be connected and once that happens there will be war between both worlds. Apparently, I have some sort of impact on that event which is why she came to my father. That''s all I know." - Sam "I see¡­ Sam has a crush on a time-traveling wizard. Done, guys we are done here." - Evan "Evan¡­ I now see why Sabrina shouts at you 24/7." - Kingston "If she came from Settlement, then there is a chance we will see her again while ying the game, especially since you said the Amelia your dad interacted with is from the future." - Ian "My thoughts exactly. Ian, you have also interacted with a legendary being. I think Amelia is another kind of legendary being and as for meeting her, we can only leave that to fate." - Sam "Then let''s do it. A war ising and there is only one way for us to win. We need to be stronger than whoever or whatever our enemies are and beat them down before they beat us." - Evan "Belial and the other demons might be a possible solution. I''ll do my best to control him as well as search for the other demons and if anything goes wrong, Ian you got me right?" - Kingston "I got you, so long as you are near me. I''ll make HavenFall a ce where we can go to rest while also preparing for any fights. The NPCs that stay there will be the best of the best and it will only be a matter of time before the rest of you join me. The first step is the surroundings, then the whole territory, after that the continent, and finally the world. No matter who stands in our way, we will defeat them." - Ian "Well said! I''ll create a stronghold in the North East, in preparation for you and your army. Adam! I suggest you move toward Ian. You are a traveler who has high Agility so I''m sure you will make it there in a couple of days to a week." - Sam "I can try, sir. I don''t even know how far away I am from the center of the continent but I''m somewhere in the North. I''ll make my way South and report to you once I get there, sir." - Adam "Ian, time for that talk you wanted with me. No need to be shy since we are all going to be part of HavenFall eventually. HavenFall will be the capital of RavenStar from this point on!" - Evan 231 Chapter 231 "Was there something the both of you were going to discuss privately?" - Sam "Not at all. It was about the direction for HavenFall now that Evan and his NPCs have joined me. Currently, we have enough space for everyone, but once we acquire another group of people we will suddenly be crowded. I already told Noah to start on the construction of more houses in the housing district, while also expanding old man Hus''s workshop, since we need more cksmiths and carpenters. However, this is only a temporary solution, and it doesn''t actually have any long-term benefit for everyone to just stay in one ce. Expanding is key, and we have so muchnd to work with since most of thend is still monster-infested. I was thinking to move some residents in HavenFall, both old and new, to the area out looking the ins and create a whole long strip of arablend." - Ian "That-that''s a big project." - Evan "What about the area between HavenFall and the Krepost?" - Kingston "The forest? Looking at the geography of the ce, it would take a lot of effort to cut down the trees and then change thendscape for farming. Plus, the forest gives us so much food, so I think it is pointless to tear down the forest. Maybe, creating a more direct route between HavenFall and the Krepost would be fine because it still took me a couple of hours to get to the Krepost running there with reinforcement." - Ian "What are your ns for the new ''vige''?" - Sam "At the moment, it will start off with just a basic framework. Have people protect the location first, before constructing anything there, after all, the event is still ongoing. There will be constant attacks at night and unless we make some sort of defensive structure, there is no point in creating houses or farms. The basic framework would include troops to defend the area while clearing the area of anyrge rocks and shrubbery. Make the area clean as well as mark out the potential starting territory. Blocking or noting down an area where there can be an exit or entrance is also part of the n." - Ian ? "Then why not build part of the buildings in HavenFall and then connect them at the new location, like how the Japanese did in ancient times." - Adam "What do you mean by that, Adam?" - Ian "There was a story about a castle being built one night in Japan during the time of war. It was used to create an advantageous position in an area where there shouldn''t be. I''m not 100% sure about the details because I just watched a video of someone exining it. Apparently, they constructed the walls and floors off-site, transported them in the dead of night, and connected them to build whatever they needed. So, you can apply the same strategy to the new ''vige''. Construct the fences using wooden nks or spikes, then construct the walls and floors for houses. Transport them to the location during the day and set up a generic defensive line using the fences as a barrier before upgrading it with stone or y." - Adam "Wow, that''s a hectic idea. Doing this means we can create a vige in a day and while the farming aspect can only be done over time, it will at least create another location where we can go to if anything bad happens in HavenFall." - Evan "I hope nothing bad happens in HavenFall, or else we have to pretty much start all over." - Ian "Farming will have to be led by some women underneath Lucina. They have been tending to the medicinal farm and the vegetable farm next to it for weeks, even months." - Kingston "Exactly. After that, it will be preparations to expand the Krepost." - Ian "Wait, what do you mean? What are you going to expand near the Krepost? It''s just hills of grass." - Kingston "I''m not expanding it in the same sense of expanding near HavenFall. The grassy hills that the Krepost overlooks are home to a lot of monsters. What if we can use them as both a tool for farming experience for new soldiers but also to fill in the holes in our army?" - Ian "I''m not exactly following. Sorry, Ian, I''m not too familiar with HavenFall''s army as well as the environment surrounding it." - Adam "It''s fine, I''ll exin what I mean. The Krepost is next to an area where there are predominantly 3 kinds of monsters, Zivotinja, Xabaril, and Crinzanna with a couple of other kinds like Ombidia, Ijagu, and the Roc. Celine has already tamed as well as bred some Zivotinjas, Xabarils, and Crinzannas, and they have proved to be extremely useful when we werecking in troops at the Krepost, right Kingston?" - Ian "Right, they were able to defend and attack really well. Xabarils are great defenders, rivaling some better shield bearers at HavenFall, and with the Zivotinja as a magic dealing support, they could tank for days. The Crinzanna''s are also another type of magic dealing support, but their physical damage isn''t something to scoff at either. What would be even more amazing is if Celine could tame a Roc and breed them. We would have a strategy for aerialbat as well as a way to fly to ces. The Ijagu could be tamed and then put together with Shadow, the assassin group led by Ster. Their stealth and ambush tactics are one of a kind and if they run away, it bes very difficult to find them." - Kingston "What about the Ombidia?" - Adam "Oh, they are just sources of meat. Literally free meat, the only problem is they are kind of rare despite theirrge size." - Kingston "Learning that, imagine we had a bigger army of monsters. We would have more monsters than actual soldiers, but it would help us a lot since everyone is so split from each other. Groups of other intelligent races are also wary ofrge groups, which makes it hard to bring them over unless there was a reason. Reba told me she tried to recruit a group of kobolds, but she was refused because she was human." - Ian "Alright, so in conclusion, a farming area in the ins near HavenFall and a zoo near the Krepost." - Evan "This is more thought out than my location. I like it, I think I''ll do something simr then, and using your ce as a guideline, I''ll be able to figure out what I can and can''t do." - Sam "Ask if you need any help, Sam. We are in this together, so there is no harm in asking." - Ian "Will do. Let''s drink then, until dinner, and then eventually before we go back into the game." - Sam Closing off the conversation, Adam leaves his seat to prepare us drinks and snacks. The lighthearted atmosphere continues until dinner when the girls join us after their walk. Despite Reba saying she will talk more to me, she decided to not bother and instead enjoyed the dinner. After dinner, we all decided to y some board games together, bringing everyone closer until we eventually parted to sleep and prepare for the game. Picking up the VR helmet, I feel slightly nervous and anxiouspared to the past 6 months of ying. Going into Settlement had a different purpose and looking at all the NPCs that trust me and follow me feels heavier. Compared to before when it was definitely saddening to have someone close die, it will feel heavier and more heart-wrenching knowing that they are not dying in a game but for real in their world. Pounding against my chest, my heart feels like it would burst out. Clenching the VR helmet, I let out a small sigh. ncing up, I see Reba walking toward me with a worried expression. "What''s wrong?" - Reba "Nothing. Just a little anxious about going back." - Ian "Going into battle has a whole different weight to it now, doesn''t it?" - Reba "Yea, what you say is right. Especially when I''ll be walking into new territory to help out Kingston. I don''t know what to expect not what to do. I want them all to survive, but that''s probably the hardest part." - Ian "You have grown stronger and so have they." - Reba "I know, I know. That''s why I''m also worried. What if we are still that weak? The fight I had in the cavern just further showed how weak I ampared to the other monsters out there in the game. It''s just not enough." - Ian "What can you do? The world isn''t going to wait for when you are ready. We are going to be constantly in the deep end. The amount of times I died trying to get to you is immeasurable, but that didn''t stop me. I''m sure they also know that you are constantly working harder and harder, and to not be left behind they are pushing themselves to their limits in order to catch up. Just look at who is traveling with us right now. Even though I have only met Kaedest night, I could tell she grew up fast even if she was forced to grow up, to make sure she got her brother home. It isn''t just her as well, some of the scouts that you brought along told me they have been waiting for the day you let theme out of HavenFall. They want to serve you and help you. They are growing and they will keep growing. You just need to steer this boat called HavenFall in the right direction and led them to the path you deem as right. Don''t worry because you have me here now and Evan on the sidelines to help you. Kingston is also there managing one part and eventually, Adam, Nina, Eve, Sabrina, and Sam will be joining us." - Reba "You are right babe¡­ I just have to do my best. Thank you." - Ian "Of course. Hrmp, without me what would you be doing?" - Reba Smiling, I took Reba into my arms and push her onto the bed. cing my helmet on the table I give her a kiss. With a couple of hours before the game starts for the night, we had our fun, until we had to stop and go back into the game. Back to Settlement. 232 Chapter 232 A sun over my head zing down the heat and the earthy scent of grass in the breeze. Back here again and this time with a n. Looking around, I see Reba standing there looking at me, and with a slight smile, the both of us walk out, and I nce around to see Celine nearby the stable. Rubbing the head of a Zivotinja Foal, her angelic smile radiates happiness in the Krepost. Wandering over to her, I gently tap her shoulder. "Celine, can you tell me if it is possible to keep taming monsters and if taming monsters like the Roc is possible?" - Ian "There isn''t a limit on monsters I can tame, but they are their own I guess ''person''. Taming isn''t like a master-servant rtionship, instead, it is closer to a friend rtionship. I ask them and tell them about the benefits of being with me. If they want to proceed, then the contract is formed between me and the monster, but otherwise, we would have no choice but to kill them. It is also why taming Zivotinjas, Xabarils, and Crinzannas are a lot easier to tame because they require a lot less. For example, the Zivotinjas'' were tamed when I told them they would be able to graze without anything or anyone harming them. That was more than enough for them to ept us and stay with us while also protecting us. So, taming the other monsters will be harder since there are things they want as well. Trying to tame the Ijagu is difficult due to their tendency to be alone, and they''re somewhat cowardly. They prefer dark areas where they can hunt prey without being disturbed by other predators. As for the Roc, I haven''t had a chance to meet one where I was trying to tame them, so I have no clue on how they behave." - Celine "So the monsters are just like us then, they have things they like and dislike, and they know how to prioritize their wants as well as their needs even when negotiating with you. That''s amazing¡­" - Reba "It is amazing, isn''t it! There is still so much to learn about each monster and so much to understand. It''s like a different world just speaking to them and listening to them." - Celine "If that is so, then can you try to prioritize taming more monsters?" - Ian "It will be hard with the limited space I have within the walls of the Krepost. However, if there is a chance to expand it further out, so the monsters have more space to roam around, then yes I can try. Unfortunately, there have been fewer monster sightings due to the monsters at nighting out and either killing or terrifying the monsters." - Celine "Do what you can do, but leave a good amount in the wild because I also want new soldiers to fight monsters. They will learn and hone their fighting techniques against the monsters in the wild and eventually join other soldiers." - Ian "I understand. I will try my best to tame other monsters. Also, I found someone else who has the same talent as me, a fox demi-human by the name Kumi. She has been interacting with the monsters and has developed a bond with them and was able to help some monsters breed. While I''m not sure if she can tame monsters, she is definitely able to provide an environment and mood for monsters to breed and create babies." - Celine "Interesting and somewhat sensual." - Reba "What are you saying babe¡­?" - Ian "What? Are you saying that is not interesting?" - Reba "No, never mind. Where is Kumi, Celine?"- Ian "Over by the pen with the Xabaril piglets." - Celine Following Celine''s finger, I see a young-looking fox demi-human with maple fur. She wore a simple wooden chest te, wooden leg, and arm guards, and was casually ying with the piglets in the pen. Her simile had the same radiance as Celine''s as sheforts the piglets in her arm. Looking at her more closely, I observe her stats. Name: Kumi Race: Demi-human (Fox) Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP):10/10 Strength: 15 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 20 Dexterity: 18 Agility: 24 Luck: 10 Skill: Caring Touch (Passive), Day Care (Passive) Caring Touch (Passive) - If the user touches a TAMED monster, then the monster will feel higher affection toward the user. A TAMED monster''s stats will temporarily increase by 5% for 10 minutes. If the TAMED monster is a ''baby'' then hasten the growth period by 1 day (Cooldown 1 day). Day Care (Passive) - Within close vicinity of the user (10-meter radius), all TAMED monsters will feel energized, slowly recovering HP (10% missing HP every 10 minutes) and MP (10% missing MP every 10 minutes). TAMED monsters will have a higher chance to mate and reproduce whilst in the Day Care radius. ''Baby'' monsters will have a higher chance of gaining part of their parent''s stats and skills (10% chance of gaining an additional 10% of all parents'' stats. 5% chance of gaining parents'' skills.). "Celine, I want Kumi near any and all tamed monsters as much as possible. Take her out of any fighting from now on and have her be near injured monsters as she nurses them back to health. Any ''baby'' monsters must also be near her until they be adults as well." - Ian "Sure, I can arrange for that, after all, it did seem like she preferred to stay with the monsters than on the front lines." - Celine "Thank you. I''ll be grabbing the rest and leaving right now as well. Both you and Ster will have to take care of the Krepost whilst I am gone. Try to expand the Krepost''s territory slowly and try to tame more monsters." - Ian "Okay. Thank you, Ian¡­ I do have one request." - Celine "Tell me. What is it?" - Ian "Please make sure Kingstones back. I''m worried about him." - Celine "... Of course. I''ll be back with him soon, don''t worry too much." - Ian "Thank you again, Ian." - Celine Walking away from Celine, Reba nudges my side softly giving me a small smirk as I look at her. "Kingston has an admirer~" - Reba "Who would have thought he would be putting on the moves over here while I wasn''t looking? The only problem is that he isn''t here right now to be with her." - Ian "That''s our job, right? Time to y cupid." - Reba "Of course but first we need to get to him." - Ian Wandering around the Krepost, I eventually find everyone and told them to get ready as I want to leave within the next 10 minutes. Kaede, Gewari, and Howard put on their armor and got ready in minutes while Luna wasying on the ground next to us as we waited at the gate. Following Kaede''s lead, we headed toward the tunnel on foot reaching there not too long after we had left. Eerie silence and darkness were all I could see and hear as I stood in front of the cave entrance. Lighting 2 makeshift torches, I pass them to Reba and Kaede to hold as Kaede leads us deeper into the darkness. Luna and Howard were in the front with Kaede right behind them, lighting our way. Then came Reba and me as we kept our eyes peeled for any slight movements while Gewari took up our rear. Reba had told me that she would immediately yell out if her Danger Sense activated which meant we had another way of indicating danger was ahead. After all, Luna has an extremely keen sense of smell and hearing while Gewari could see in the darkness. However, there was no danger all the way until the white door. Almost tripping over the loot that was still on the ground, I slowly observe the surroundings as well as the door. An identical door stood before me, much like the one in the cavern near HavenFall. Nothing was different, but I still look my time looking at every corner and edge of the door. "They disappeared after I turned away from the door. I don''t know what took them and I don''t know how it opened, but they were there one second and gone the next." - Kaede "Was someone touching the door?" - Howard "Umm¡­ I think Kingston was thest person to touch it." - Celine "In that case, I think you should touch it babe." - Reba "My thoughts exactly." - Ian Stepping in front of the group, I reach out my hand to the door and as my fingertips touch the cold stone surface, a couple of system messages appeared in front of me. [ The Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated) has recognized its new owner, Lord Ian of HavenFall. ] [ You are now able to freely activate or deactivate this Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated) as the new owner. ] [ You may rename the Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated). Would you like to rename the Portal? Yes/No ] "Yes."- Ian [ What would you like to rename Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated) to? ] "Reaper Abyss Portal." - Ian [ Portal to the Glemt (Deactivated) has now been renamed to Reaper Abyss Portal (Deactivated) ] [ As the owner of Reaper Abyss Portal (Deactivated) you are able to open the Portal both at this location and the exit. Other yers or NPCs are unable to activate the Portal. After activating the Portal, it will stay activated unless the owner Deactivates the Portal. Would you like to activate the Portal? Yes/No ] Taking my hand away, I look at everyone confirming their stance on the situation. "Everyone, we can go through the door right now if we are ready."- Ian "Always ready." - Howard "Ready whenever you are my lord." - Gewari "I''m ready as well!" - Kaede "Open it up, babe." - Reba Nodding my head, I ce my hand on the door once again. "Yes. Activate the Portal." - Ian [ Activating Reaper Abyss Portal. ] 233 Chapter 233 Half expecting the door to fling outward, I jump back slightly, grasping my weapon just in case. While I understood that I controlled the Portal now, I was still cautious. However, instead of the door moving in or out, it moved to the side. Opening in the middle, and slowly moving to the side we were able to see into the Portal. A starry night sky awaited us, like a thin film covering the space in front of us. "Howard, Luna, and Kaede you 3 will enter first, and right behind will be Reba and me. Gewari, stay on this side first before a minute before following us, just in case something happens." - Ian "Alright, Kaede, follow my lead." - Howard "I''ll follow you immediately after a minute or so, my lord." - Gewari Howard, Kaede, and Luna enter the portal, holding onto the weapons, ready to react to any danger. Following them, Reba and I walk through into the starry sky film. I hold out my hand as I walk through just in case there was something in front of me, but it was like touching a liquid. It wraps around my hand and gently pulls me deeper. The darkness fades as I step through, and the scent of death lingers in the air. Arge cylindrical room with a spiraling staircase awaits me, with small amethyst balls of fire illuminating parts of the room. Exactly as Kingston described the room, however, I don''t see either Kingston or the ck cocoons. "Defensive formation. No, Kingston or the ck cocoons. Any danger, babe?" - Ian "Nothing at the moment. It''s weird though, where could Kingston have gone?" - Reba "Where are they¡­?" - Kaede "Luna isn''t reacting to anything either. I think we can safely assume that we are safe right now." - Howard "No, we spoke too soon. Look at the other side. A Portal is opening there too." - Ian Stepping through the Portal on the other side of the room is a group of humans, 3 males, and 3 females. In the center, carrying arge ck rectangr shield with small spikes along the edge is a muscr blonde man with deep emerald eyes. Wearing simrly colored armor, and a sword on his belt, he brings his shield in front of him as he realizes we were also in the room. Appearing next to him were two other males, one with short ck hair while the other had long curly hair. Both wielded a short ax and small circr shield, dressed in brown leather like armor. The girls in the back were both archers, poised and ready to shoot an arrow at the slightest of movements. Calling out to the man in the middle, I suggest a peaceful oue. "Hello, there. We don''t want to fight you. We just got here through a Portal ourselves. Is it possible for you to lower your weapons?" - Ian "Who are you and who are you affiliated with?" - ??? "My name is Kingston. I''m an individual yer with a small squad of trustworthy people. I y this game for fun and I discovered this Portalst night but didn''t go through until today. May I ask for your name and affiliation?" - Ian "My name is Travys Mayne. I''m with Bones and this is one of the few Portals that we were able to acquire. Kingston, I would like both of us to work together here. Last night there was a bloodbath after a demon attacked, and to prevent another bloodbath I suggest that both of our forces work together for the time being." - Travys "Agreed. My friend died yesterday when he discovered this ce, isn''t that right Howard?" - Ian ncing toward Howard, I signal him to reply but keep it short. At the same time, I see Gewari appear from the Portal while casting Stealth and blending into the darkness. I didn''t even need to tell her to keep hidden, but her decision to do so made me smile. "Uhh, yes. It was dangerous." - Howard "Right. Shall we meet at the staircase over at that side to have a proper talk?" - Travys "Of course. I would like to discuss and share any information if possible, so we can figure out this ce." - Ian I start walking toward the foot of the staircase which was along the wall on my left. Without rming everyone, I quietly whisper my orders. "Stay on alert and my name is Kingston. Howard, try not to speak too much. Reba try to cover for him as much as possible." - Ian "What about me?" - Kaede "Act cute. That should be more than enough." - Ian "Why Kingston?" - Howard "Just in case. I don''t want to reveal too much information to people I don''t know." - Ian "Alright. I''ll do my best to keep quiet as well. If there is any potential danger, just say something, and I''ll immediately spring into action." - Howard Approaching the stairs, I am able to get a better look at the 6-man party. With 3 frontline and 3 supporters in the back, their party seemed very bnced. It also seemed like the two girls were also wielding daggers as I could see the scabbard strapped to their thighs. However, as we approached them, they went back to being on guard. "Kingston, what are you? What are those things on your back?" - Travys "Oh, these spider legs? Part of a skill. Don''t worry too much about them." - Ian "Travys, I think we just kill them. They are obviously lying." - Song "Wow. There is no need to get violent already." - Ian "Is there a way to put the spider legs away? And Song, calm down. There is no need to rush into things." - Travys "No. They are constantly active." - Ian "Alright then. Then you won''t mind if we stay a little far from you and your group right?" - Travys "Not at all. Then let me introduce everyone to you. This is Howard, Reba, Kaede and the wolf here is Luna." - Ian "Once again, it is nice to meet you. This is Song, Rosanna, Tsugi, JenJen and Kumiho. We are here because the initial team got squad wipedst night. The initial team was weaker than us, however, they were instantly killed because of a fight between 2 demons." - Travys "Our friend died because of that as well. We want to find out the secrets of this ce and ording to the forums, this ce had the least amount of Portals. However, that also corresponds to the difficulty. What is at the top and what is in between? We are curious about that. " - Ian "Alright. Well, there is not much that we know. We are going to go up the stairs and face whatever it is that we need to face to figure out the Abyss." - Travys "Okay, how do you want to position ourselves? The stairs can fit 5 people standing next to each other but with no railing on the side I suggest only 3 people at the front. That way there is some room for all 3 of them to move about without being too cramped." - Ian "I like your suggestion. However, I would like to propose that your front will be the ones to go first." - Travys "Why is that?" - Ian "My party members are worried about the spider legs and frankly so am I. You also have enough members to be at the front and with the spear. You will have more rangepared to me and my two ax-wielding friends." - Travys "Your shield would be perfect for defending though. How about we mix our members together? So that we can take advantage of our strengths while eliminating as many of our weaknesses as possible. Wouldn''t that be a better idea if both group''s aim is to explore?" - Reba "Travys, we will be fine. I think." - JenJen "Alright then, what do you suggest the line-up to be, Kingston?" - Travys "Howard, Luna, and you at the front with Song, Tsugi, and me right behind. Following us will be JenJen, Rosanna, and Reba. At the end will be Kumiho and Kaede." - Ian "A fair choice. However, we swap JenJen and Kumiho around. JenJen has a skill that is more suited when the target is further away from her." - Travys "Okay. I don''t mind." - Ian Getting into formation, we start our slow ascent up the stairs. The atmosphere feels slightly tense as everyone is getting used to the new faces. Constantly nces and stares could be felt everywhere, as everyone tries to gauge the strengths of the person next to them. However, we still had Gewari who is currently hidden from everyone while she has stealth activated. With every step up the stairs, we can hear the echoing sounds of our footsteps as it bounces around the tower. An endless stairway up into the abyss with no monsters. Theck of monsters made the climb rxing to a certain extent, but an ufortable feeling keeps tugging at me. Where did Kingston go? Where are the ck cocoons that were supposed to be right in front of the Portal? Did they climb up as well? What is waiting for us the higher we climb? There were a lot of questions but none of them could be answered. Not yet at least. "Kingston, I think there is something in front of us." - Reba "Luna feels it too." - Howard "What is it? A monster? Monsters?" - Song "How many are there, Travys?" - Tsugi "I can''t see anything but the wolf is definitely agitated." - Travys "I suggest you get into a defensive stance. They aren''t in front of us but above us." - Ian "He is right, Travys. Up above¡­ There is definitely a lot¡­" - JenJen Dozens of light red dots could be seen floating in the empty space in the center of the tower. Circling around in the darkness above us, they dance and weave around each other waiting for us to get closer. "Girls, take aim." - Travys 234 Chapter 234 Taking an arrow each from their respective quivers, all 3 girls quickly shot an arrow up into the sky aiming at the floating red dots. At the same time, we reposition ourselves with our backs to the wall. With my enhanced vision from the Eye of the Roc, I could catch glimpses of the moving creatures however, their movement speed was too fast to be hit by an arrow. Assuming the first arrow missed, the 3 girls took aim once more firing at the closest red dot. Unexpectedly, the creatures dart around creating rays of red light, crisscrossing in the air. One of the red dots starts to zigzag downward, appearing in front of us in mere seconds. Revealing a giant bat the size of an adult with deep red eyes, 2 dirty yellow fangs, and leathery wings with touches of fur on the edges. "SHIT! A GUIAFAIRO! COVER YOUR EARS!" - Travys Quickly following Travys''s call, I cover my ears with my hands whilst running to the front and stabbing forward with my front spider legs. Simultaneously, the Guiafairo opens its mouth wide revealing smaller teeth behind the fangs. A high pitch screeches out of its mouth piercing through my poor attempt to block the sound with my hand and stunning me before my spider legs reached the monster. "TAUNT!" - Travys Travys bangs his shield loudly with the t side of his sword, stopping the monster''s attack. The slight hesitation allows me to attack twice with my legs, stabbing into the left wing of the monster. Thrusting forward with my trident, I attempt to follow up on my previous attack whilst Travys has its attention however, another Guiafairo block my path zipping down from above and pushing my spear downward. Helping me out, Luna pounces on the monster, jumping over our heads and biting down on its neck. Herrge fangs shine as she activates Hyper Fang dealing more damage to the monster. She wasn''t the only one helping me out, Tsugi presses close to me swinging his ax at the monster hitting its wing and pushing it outward. JenJen snipes its head piercing through the eye with a deadly arrow. Facing the first monster, Travys blocks an attack from its legs with his shield, allowing time for Howard to swing his ax at the monster''s side. The heavy hit pushes the monster into itsrade and as Luna leaps back onto the stairs, Rosanna and Kumiho shoot it with another 2 arrows each piercing through an eye. "Watch out they areing. Bronze Skin! " - Song Covering his body with a thin bronzeyer, he meets the monster head-on, blocking a bite with his shield and retaliating with an upward swing with his ax. Reba, who was nearby, attacks with a goblin knife but fails to pierce the skin, forcing her to back off as Luna follows up instead. Swiping the monster with her paws, she scratches its belly causing green blood to ooze out. "Over here too! Cleave!" - Kaede Kaede engages with a monster attempting to attack Kumiho as the monster flies straight toward her from above. Kaede''s ax strikes the monster''s w and with the additional strength from Cleave, she pushes the monster away, allowing Kumiho to fire 5 arrows in quick session. Following her attack was Rosanna, helping to secure the kill. "Quick Fire!" - Kumiho "Straight shot! - Rosanna The monster falls down to the bottom of the Abyss along with the first 2 monsters that were killed. Despite its quick speed at the start, the monster slows down once it engages in closebat, making it easier to hitpared to when it was flying around in the air. Its strength is also a lot weaker than I expected, after seeing Kaede being able to repel an attack with a Cleave. "Travys, give us some insight on these monsters. It seems like you have fought them before." - Ian "Well Kingston, you can say that. These monsters are like noob bashers. If you don''t know that they can stun you with the screech then most yers will die to the following attacks. However, if we are able to stop that attack the Guiafairos are easy to kill. They don''t have a lot of HP and their Strength is on the low side. The skills consist of a bite attack, a screech attack, and an enhanced Agility ability." - Travys "So they hit fast but not hard?" - Howard "Basically. They will do a lot of damage if we get stunned by the screech attack. I, unfortunately, died to one a couple of days ago." - Tsugi "So what if there is a group of them like this? Anything special?" - Ian "Nothing. Just attack any bat that looks like it will screech." - Song "Done. Summon Spider!" - Ian The ring on my hand glows slightly, as a spider appears. I order it to climb the wall behind us and attack any monster thates near it. At the same time, Predator Instinct activates as monsters start to fly down, a total of 10 bat monsters instantly surround us and without surprise, they open their mouths wide. "Enhanced Agility! Emerald Gaze! Cleave!" - Ian "Dragon''s Roar! Warrior Strike!" - Travys "Hurricane Arrow!" - JenJen "Beat Down!" - Song, Tsugi "Double Shot!" - Rosanna, Kumiho "Cleave!" - Howard Activating a series of skills the moment the Guiafairo bes stationary, we retaliate as quickly as possible, eliminating any chance for the screech ability to activate. The moment my attack hits the monsters, a chain of explosions rings throughout the Abyss, tearing through the monster''s flesh and burning the area. Travys''s Dragon Roar momentarily stuns a monster before he strikes its head with his sword. Following his strike, JenJen''s arrow bursts a hole through its chest whilst Rosanna and Kumiho attack different monsters each stopping the screech. Song and Tsugi attack the closest monster as well with 3 consecutive downward ax strikes while Howard secures the kill with a Cleave. We hit all 10 monsters that appear before us, with Kaede and Luna attacking a monster near them, making all monsters unable to activate the skill. "ATTACK!" - Ian With all monsters now slowed by my Emerald Gaze, we were able to kill them even faster than before despite more monsters surrounding us. A brutal battle awaited us as monster after monster dashes toward us. Explosions rang in my ear louder than any screech or shriek could, but that didn''t stop me from stabbing and thrusting at any monster near me. My spider legs were also doing work, as they attacked monsters outside my range as well as helped Travys, Howard, and Song who were next to me. Surprisingly my summoned spider was also putting in its fair share of damage as it leaps to bite monster after monster, dancing through the air as it stops each monster it poisons from using its skill. After a hard-fought battle, we were finally able to take a break once all the monsters were killed. I had no idea how many Guiafairos were killed but most of us copsed on the staircase after the battle. Reba activates the healing item, helping us recover any lost HP as well as wash our fatigue away. "This healing item is amazing, Reba." - JenJen "Thanks, Jen! It''s very helpful after a battle, but sometimes I will need to use it during the battle." - Reba "How are there so many monsters? We haven''t even gotten that high up the staircase either. Maybe 1 or 2 stories?" - Tsugi "I think we are about 3 stories high." - Song "Should we go down and collect the loot?" - Ian "Walking back down, only to walk back up?" - Travys "It''s we either do that or we leave it down there for anyone to take it." - Rosanna "We can send 2 people down and just bring up the important items?" - Kumiho "Let''s do that. That way we will be able to at least acquire items that might be useful for us. At the same time, the rest of us can rest up for a bit while someone collects the items." - Ian "Then, Reba and JenJen?" - Travys "I''m fine with going." - Reba "Me too, follow me Reba." - JenJen The two girls head downstairs after the effects of Healing Pulse wear off. In the meantime, I made sure Luna, Kaede, and Howard were okay with the current circumstance. With no arguments, we all rxed and had small conversations while waiting for the two girls toe back up. Every so often, I would look upward, observing the small patches of amethyst light, just in case something reveals itself identally. I could see Rosanna looking in the same direction as I was and assumed that she had a simr ability that allows her to see further into the distance. Travys, Song, and Tsugi were making sure their weapons were sharpened as much as they could before the girls came up and after a while, Reba and JenJen came back. Confirming that nothing happened down below, the girls showed the loot that we had acquired after fighting with the Guiafairo, 3 daggers, and a skill book. However, before we could all check on the stats, a high-pitched screech echoed throughout the Abyss. 235 Chapter 235 "What was that?" - Rosanna "Don''t know. Be careful, it sounds like the Guiafairo screech. Maybe there are others above us?" - Travys "Only one way to find out right?" - Song "Let''s keep moving up slowly." - Ian "What about the items we just got?" - Reba "How do we split it? 3 daggers and a skill book." - JenJen I went to grab both a dagger and the skill book in order to see the stats. [ Poison Fang Attack: 20 Agility 10 10% chance to apply poison damage A dagger made out of a fang of a Guiafairo. Its de is as sharp and can poison enemies however, the edge is blunt. One would prefer to stab with this dagger than to slice. ] [ Skill Book: Extreme Speed 100% Agility for 5 seconds After 5 seconds - 50% Agility for 1 minute This skill book allows the user to obtain the skill Extreme Speed. Extreme Speed will give the user a way to go above their limits momentarily however, the user will also experience severe drawbacks once the skill finishes. Open the book and say the skill name in order to learn it. ] "Travys, I would like this skill book. You can have the 3 daggers." - Ian "Kingston, now we both know that is not how it works. We flip for the items. Can we agree on that?" - Travys "What are we flipping?" - Ian "The book itself. I don''t know if you have ever done this before but, whenever there is an item in a party that can be used by more than one person, then we must flip something to determine the owner. In the case of a weapon, then we flip something nearby that can be flipped, or spin the weapon on the ground, taking to ount which side will be upright after the spin." - Travys "Alright. I can agree to flip the book. However, I want either Kaede or Howard to flip it. Is that okay with you?" - Ian "That is fine. JenJen, can you give it to Kaede?" - Travys "Sure. Kaede, here. Just toss the book into the air." - JenJen "Just up?" - Kaede "Yep." - JenJen "The top of the book with the words is Heads. I''ll give you the first say whilst it is in the air." - Travys "Alright. Kaede do it whenever you are ready." - Ian Holding onto the book, Kaede toss it into the air. As it spins around in the air, Travys and I call out which side we want to bet on. "Heads" - Ian "Tails" - Travys Falling to the ground, the both of us look in anticipation and with the words of the skill book facing me, I smile to myself. "Well, can''t do much there. Kingston, you will take the skill and I''ll take the 3 daggers." - Travys "Thank you. Extreme Speed." - Ian [ You have acquired skill - Extreme Speed ] Extreme Speed (Active) 10% Max MP - Upon activation, acquire 100% Agility for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, reduce Agility by 50% for 1 minute. Cooldown 1 hour. "Alright, let us move up and find out what is happening above us." - Ian "We keep the same formation. Just be on guard since we don''t know what is in store for us." - Travys Following Travys, Howard, and Luna''s lead, we venture up the stairs, however, I already knew what was above us. Looking at the way the light shines upon the wall, I could see that there was a ceiling above us, it was faint, but the Eye of the Roc was able to pick up on the small details far away. The stairs lead to a floor of some sort and the screech must havee from the floor above us. Advancing forward, the exit could be seen, and it wasn''t just me that realized there was a ceiling/floor above us. Looking through the gap, I could see that the lighting has changed slightly. I could faintly make out a blue me instead of the amethyst me that lit up the Abyss, but it was made more prominent as we got closer. "Kingston¡­ I feel danger the closer we get to the end of the stairs." - Reba "Something is there?" - Ian "Not something but someone or maybe many someones? I can''t tell. It is very mixed up and my head is muddled. I-I''m sorry." - Reba "Rx, it''s fine. Whatever is in front of us we should be able to handle it to some extent." - Ian "I hope what you say is true because we are about to find out." - Travys Looking forward, Travys peeks above the gap and looks around carefully. His head just barely sticking out, just enough, so he could see. Howard and Luna were the next to peek over, but Luna was already slightly agitated at that point, meaning there is something close by. "I see 6 figures fighting a giant Guiafairo, I think. The monster is constantly moving at fast speeds, attacking at maximum velocity beforeunching off the ground the second itnds. It seems the 6 figures are huddled in a circle and are trying their best to fight off the monster but it also looks like they are losing." - Travys "Can you see anything to do with the 6 figures? Facial features? Race features? Gender? Injured? Weapons? Anything will do." - Ian "It looks like they are all unarmed¡­" - Howard "He is right. None of them have a weapon unless the weapon is something small like a knife or gauntlets. I can''t seem to make out any body features. It is too dark here, and the only light is 4 small blue mes along the wall. I can just barely make out the figures already." - Travys "What''s the n?" - Tsugi "Surely it is to wait for them to either die or kill the monster right?" - Song "No, that''s a stupid idea. We should go help them." - Rosanna "How would we help? We don''t know them and they don''t know us. They might even misunderstand and think we are attacking them." - Kumiho "They might also think the same if we wait until after they defeat the monster." - JenJen "Usually, themon courtesy is to wait and then approach as peacefully as possible. However, I don''t know how they will react while we are in the Abyss. It was different with Kingston''s group since we met at the start where there was nothing of value topete over but it looks like this is a boss-level monster. The loot from the monster might cloud their judgment, and it might make them our enemy." - Travys "I think we should go and help them. From what you are saying it looks like they are struggling against the monster already. If wee and help, we can use the fact that we are saving them as a way to help. The argument about the loot mighte up but if it does and things go south, there are more people here, and they will be worn out from the battle. We just need to kill them and that''s the end of it." - Ian "I feel danger from the 6 figures and the monster." - Reba "So they have noticed our presence but chose not to do anything?" - Howard "Maybe they are waiting for our help?" - Kaede "No, that''s too optimistic. There is no way they are waiting for our help but if they notice us and aren''t doing anything then I would assume they would fight us the moment their battle with the giant Guiafairo is over." - Ian "That, I agree with." - Travys "So, let''s fight them before they fight us. It will be a 3-way battle between that group, the monster, and us." - Song "We have the advantage since we are well rested." - Tsugi "Start with the arrows. Any long-range ability should be used first and aim for the monster. There is no point in fighting the other group if the monster isn''t dead." - Ian "Alright, after that we go at this defensively. Wait for the monster to attack us. It won''t be long, especially with its high movement speed in the air. I would assume it will attack us after attacking the other group." - Travys "Alright, same positions then but this time, Kaede is up next to Song and Tsugi. The girls will shoot and then retreat to the stairs before shooting again. Agreed?" - Ian "Done. Let''s do this." - JenJen Moving up, Travys, Howard, Luna took positions right outside the stairway. Song, Tsugi and Kaede took positions slightly behind them but also protecting the sides. I am in the middle and with my high Agility, I was ready to counter any attack the monster tries to make on us. I notice the other group rearranged their positions since we had just appeared, but the dimmed room made it hard for me to see them. It was the opposite for them though, with the blue me zing above our heads, they could see us clearly and make preparations for our potential engagement. Looking back, I see the girls taking aim, and with in a second, they let their arrows fly upward toward the giant flying monster above us. 236 Chapter 236 Noticing the arrows, the monster flies through the air spinning as it zooms down towards us. The vortex in front of the monster blows the arrows away and as it draws closer, it starts to speed up. Travys steps forward with his shield in hand, breathing out slowly as he watches the iing attack. I activate Bone Totem as a precautionary measure while ncing at Howard, signally him to approach the monster with me the moment the attack happens. "Iron Defense!" - Travys Coating himself in a silvery veil, Travys meets the attack with his shield. A disgusting grating sound vibrates through the whole Abyss as the monsters spin on Travys''s shield. Breaking the stalemate, Iunch myself into the fray attacking with a vertical Cleave, while Howard approaches from the other side, attacking with a Cleave as well. Our attack stops the monster''s movement, however, it was because the monster stopped spinning and blocked both our attacks with its wings. Sparks flew from Howard''s side while a small explosion rang from mine. The sudden deceleration from the monster created a burst of wind pushing the three of us in the front back, but that didn''t stop the assault. Song and Tsugi run past Travys, gripping onto their axes tightly as they swing toward the exposed monster''s face. Its gray humanoid face made the girls squirm as its scarlet red eyes dart back and forth watching Song and Tsugi approach it. Using its wings, it pushes off the ground with one p somersaulting in the air before diving towards the other group. Crashing into the group and picking up dust, the monster screeches loudly, hurting my ears and making me drop my trident in order to attempt to block the sound. However, to little avail. A constant ringing could be heard in my head long after the screech ends and my surroundings feel distorted. "Kingston¡­ We need to engage the monster. We are at a disadvantage if it is just going to screech at us and then attack us with its high speed. Furthermore, I doubt I can block many of its frontal attacks. I can barely feel my arms." - Travys "I know. I know. Rosanna, JenJen, and Kumiho keep shooting it with arrows regardless if it works or not. Aim for its face and eyes while Kaede and Reba protect them. Song, Tsugi, and Howard, approach it from the left. Travys you are with me on the right and Luna, go crazy." - Ian "What about the other group?" - Tsugi "Don''t worry about them. We need to kill the monster first. I''m sure they feel the same way, and I''m hoping they will cooperate with killing it." - Ian "So, we just approach the monster hoping we won''t get backstabbed. Great¡­" - Song "Just go. We just experienced its attack, and I''m not going to lie, I''m not confident. We need their help if we want to kill the monster." - Travys "Alright, on my lead and¡­. GO!" - Ian Song, Tsugi, and Howard sprint to the left with Howard leading them. Howard leads the other two while watching the monster''s movement. Luckily it was preupied with the other group, and they could easily approach from the left side. Simrly, Travys and I sprint to the right. My Predator Instinct activates and I gradually widen the distance between Travys and myself. Luna could be seen dashing right into the other group, dodging and zipping through them before pouncing toward the monster. Noticing, Luna''s charge the monster ms off the ground and creates two des of wind slicing the spot where Luna was as she rolls to the side. Clouds of dust cover the area as we got closer, to the point where I could barely see in front of me. However, it disappears instantly as the monsternds once more spinning on the ground and hitting me on the back with its tail. A huge chunk of my HP disappears with that hit as I fly forward, rolling on the ground. I stop myself from flying too far by mming my spider legs into the ground, creating marks as I slid. Taking out a potion from my pouch, I chug it down as soon as possible so that Travys and the others wouldn''t see. Recovering some of my HP, I nce around to see the other group had bunched up near a wall while Travys and the others were engaging in closebat with the monster. Wait, a minute there were 6 members in the other group when Ist saw them but right now I only see 5 figures. I instantly stand on guard. Thest member was obviously not near Travys and the others, so where could they be? The girls! Looking back to where they were positioned, I see all 5 girls uninjured, with 3 of them firing arrow after arrow. I let out a sigh of relief, but it was too soon. My body freezes as I feel the tip of a de touch the back of my neck. I didn''t even realize someone or something had approached me from behind until it was toote. "Move and I will kill you." - ??? "Please do not misunderstand. After walking up the stairs we came across this ce, and while we did know you and your group were here first. After experiencing the monster''s attack ourselves we wanted to team up with your group. Your group can still take the loot, we are okay with that." - Ian "It seems like I wasn''t clear enough with you. Move and I will kill you." - ??? "Please understand that we do not have even the slightest thought of kill stealing from you or your group. Wait a minute, this voice¡­" - Ian I turn around suddenly and the unknown person pointing their weapon at me, grinning from ear to ear was Kingston. Blinking in confusion and surprise, an awkwardugh escaped my mouth. While the thought of the other group being Kingston, Gibing, and the others did pass through my mind, it was still a surprise to see them. However, Kingston was holding onto a Poison Fang and not his Spear of Light. "Surprise! And don''t worry about this. There was nothing I could do. Our weapons were stolen when we arrived at the Abyss. This was from a drop from those bat monsters on the way up the stairs." - Kingston "That''s fine, whatever, don''t worry about that. Why didn''t you wait down at the bottom for us? You knew I wasing to get you." - Ian "Belial told me I should go up and after what he did to Gibing and the others I felt like we would be okay going up. No monster would be able to defeat us if we teamed up against it until we met this giant giant bat. It has slowed a lot since we first came up here, by the way, so we should join forces and kill it soon." - Kingston "Wait slow down. What do you mean after he did something to Gibing and the others? What did you demon thing do?" - Ian "Umm, long story or short story?" - Kingston "Short. Keep it as simple as possible." - Ian "Belial turned them into a form of demonkin or monster, but it was their choice. He gave them the chance and opportunity to be demonkin." - Kingston "What the¡­ Okay give me a slightly longer version." - Ian "Inside the ck cocoon, they were given an option to grow stronger. They would lose their current race and be a part demon or full demon or monster which made them stronger. It was kind of like a metamorphosis, but after the cocoon broke, everyone single one of them chose to give up their race to be stronger. Gibing and Gopopo have be Oni, David had be a Djinn, Ken and Yor have adopted a demonic form of their current race. In other words, Ken has epted Amorok''s blessing, a wolf god simr to Fenrir. While Yor has be one of the ck Dogs or another word for it would be Hellhound. As for me, well I''m still human just with an actual demon attached to me, no biggy." - Kingston "You know this is a lot to process, and I have a lot of questions, but the people over there are getting hurt. Howard and Luna can only take on so much damage. Why aren''t Gibing and the rest attacking the monster as well?" - Ian "We all noticed your entrance and decided to wait until you give themand to attack together. We weren''t sure what we should do." - Kingston "We attack all at once however we act like we don''t know each other. Ry this message to everyone there and by the way, the guy with the shield." - Ian "Yeah, what about him?" - Kingston "I told him my name was Kingston." - Ian "WHAT? WHY?" - Kingston "I didn''t trust him at the time and I still don''t. He is part of Bones and they are eventually the enemy so I can''t trust him. However, that doesn''t mean I can''t use him." - Ian "So what should be do?" - Kingston "Act natural and choose a different name. Tell everyone about the situation." - Ian "Alright then, Kingston. Let''s team up for now, shall we? My name is uhh... John Smith" - Kingston "Alright, John Smith. Let''s team up." - Ian 237 Chapter 237 "Gewari, are you nearby?" - Ian Feeling her tap my shoulder, I speak to her while looking at Kingston. Travys has noticed that I was talking to Kingston and, to keep up the pretense, I spoke to Gewari while making eye contact with Kingston. "Yes, my lord. I have snuck in after you engaged inbat with the monster. I had to wait at the bottom for a while beforeing back up the stairs." - Gewari "That''s fine. I need you to somehow message Kaede. Her brother is safe but he is different from before. I require her to not react like she is seeing her brother. She needs to be natural if they meet. Also, protect her and Reba if the other three girls decide to do something that will hurt them. You have permission to kill them if you can." - Ian "As youmand my lord, I''ll do my best." - Gewari Assuming she left, I went back to talking to Kingston, making sure he would be able to tell Gibing and the others about the situation. "Kingston, tell the others okay?" - Kingston Nodding his head, Kingston dashes away, toward Gibing and the others who have backed off against a wall. In the meantime, I rush back into the fight, getting as close to Travys as I can, so I can talk to him. However, he was blocking an attack from the monster while takingmand of the situation. "Song, attack from the left aim for its neck! Tsugie from the right, it tends to use its left wing to attack if it doesn''t fly. Try to hit it with a downward attack. Howard, help me block the next attack! Luna, I don''t even know if you understand me but attack from behind! TAUNT!" - Travys "On it! Vertical Slice!" - Song "It''s going to be hard to stop this guy from flying but WHO CARES! POUND TOWN!" - Tsugi Using the skill, taunt, the monster''s eyes re at Travys, a low snarl escapes its mouth as saliva drips to the ground but just as it was about to attack, Song''s skill connects first. Slicing the side of its face and making a white mark on its cheek, it turns to Song, lifting its left wing to retaliate only to experience Tsugi''s skill. "Earth Spike!" - Ian Following up Tsugi''s attack, I cast Earth Spike on its right wing, piercing through the leathery wing. Screaming in pain at the attack, The monster tries to escape using its right wing to swipe in front of it. Howard blocks the attack as he holds out his ax but is pushed back into Travys, knocking them both off the ground. Song narrowly dodges at attack by diving into the ground, eating a face full of dust at the same time. "LUNA! ATTACK!" - Ian During the attack, I was watching Luna nk around the monster and as she arrives at its back, I ordered her to attack. Dashing up the monster''s back, Luna dives to its exposed neck whilst I Quickstep closer to its chin while dodging the wing attack. Thrusting forward with my trident and having my spider legs stretch out, I strike the monster''s chin at the same time Luna''s Hyper Fangnds on the back of the neck. An explosion rings throughout the area while my spider legs stab at the monster several times before the monster activates a skill, knocking me and Luna away from its body. Translucent dark rings pulse out of the monster, knocking me back even more until I was near Travys. Lunands on her feet not too far away as well, growling at the monster as her paws dig into the floor. "Co-operation update?" - Travys "Done. They will be helping us in the fight, and they look strong don''t worry." - Ian "How are they going to be helping us? I don''t see them even getting close to the monster. There is no way they are all ranged," - Travys "I think you spoke just a little too soon." - Howard After a final pulse, the monster ms its wings into the ground zooming up into the air, at the same time, we see Kingston and the rest dash off the ground running toward the center of the room. Since it was still dark we could only see their shadowy figures running and as they get closer to the center it became harder and harder to see them. The monster flies around in circles before spinning once again, aiming for Kingston and the others as it dives at a terrifyingly quick speed. "HEY, KINGSTON! ATTACK THE MOMENT WE BLOCK THE MONSTER!" - Kingston "ON IT, JOHN SMITH!" - Ian Looking at Travys and the others, I signal them to run up to the monster as soon as possible as it looks like the attack will collide at any time. Even though seeing the monster is hard due to theck of light, the wind pressure it was emitting from spinning as it dives makes it easy to spot. Bits of blue me wrap around like a snake as the wind collects the embers from the wall, burning the dust circling the monster and creating a blue flying tornado. With a blue spotlight shining down on the floor, I could make out Gibing and the other and just like Kingston said, they look different. Towering over all of them was a humanoid ram, with tworge ck horns that bulge out to the sides and sharp ws. Its brown skin was riddled with dark golden Arabic text and only a thin kilt-like covering around its waist. From what I can tell, that has to be David. Next to him, were two simrnky red-skinned monsters, with two smaller yellow horns that jut out of their forehead. Large fangs can be seen hanging down outside its mouth while its eyes shine like two small embers. Looking like the Oni told in eastern myths and fairy tales were Gibing and Gopopo. Shining brightly in the light with their snow-white fur, a teenage-looking demi-human stood next to an older jet-ck demi-human. Contrasting each other were Ken and Yor, but despite being opposites their bloodlust could be felt even though it wasn''t directed at me. "DAVID! YOU''RE UP!" - Kingston "MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW UP! FLAME BODY!" - David Igniting his body on fire, David spreads his legs out, while everyone scatters away. Sucking in a huge breath, he bashes his knuckles together before bringing them behind him as he leans backward. Facing the blue tornado, his crimson red me zes brighter as he roars at the top of his lungs. "JAHANNAM NAAR DIRE!" - David Punching the air in above him from his bent position, the fires escape from his body burning the air and congealing into a gigantic concave st as it collides with the monster sending a loud explosion through the Abyss. The moment it hits, both Gibing and Gopopo leap into the air, bouncing off the air twice as if there were imaginary steps diving into the smoke created from the collision. In mere seconds, leaving the smoke was the monster with Gibing and Gopopo above it. Crashing to the ground, the monster instantly recovers and starts attacking us with wind des. However, David was waiting for the monster and grabs its wing before it could attack. Landing on the ground, Gibing and Gopopo grab onto the other wing with Ken and Yor helping. "Demonic Embrace!" - Gibing, Gopopo "Predatory Grasp!" - Ken "Deathly Hold!" - Yor "HURRY, THEY CAN''T HOLD ONTO THE MONSTER FOR LONG! IF IT USES THE PULSING BLACK RINGS AGAIN IT WILL RECOVER ITS HP AND STRENGTH! GIBING AND GOPOPO HAVE DEBUFFED THE MONSTER SO IT IS CURRENTLY CONFUSED AND WEAKENED! HELLFIRE!" - Kingston "EVERYONE! CHARGE!" - Ian Dashing toward the immobilized monster, I Charge as well as activate Extreme Speed, reaching its neck in a blink. My trident targeted its neck repeatedly while my spider legs attacked its face, a flurry of attacks is let loose and explosion after explosion sted in front of me while the skill was in use. Within that 5 seconds of increased Agility, I utterly attacked and focused on the neck and face, dropping to the ground once it was over and letting the rest attack. Out of breath, I run back while I see Howard, Travys, Song, Tsugi and Luna jump in attacking with a variety of skills and shes. Kingston uses a skill that connected a green line from the monster and him, while also repeatedly burning parts of the monster, but after a series of attacks, the monster roars, flinging everyone to the side. The smoke that was covering the monster''s face after my attacks dissipates revealing theck of damage I had done to the monster. "Are you serious¡­?" - Ian Even though the monster was burning from Kingston''s mes, it looked virtually unharmed. White marks could be seen all across its body with only a few drawing blood. Staring daggers into us, it snarls, like it knows it has won. "What now? That was your strongest attacks right?" - Kingston "Yep and it did barely anything to the monster." - Ian "Surely, it must have used a defensive skill right?" - Travys "We are so dead right now¡­" - Song "Don''t say that. Even though we know it is going to happen¡­ Maybe there is a way to kill it." - Howard "There is one." - Ian "What is it? Say it now while we still got time. The monster just activated its ck ring skill again. It''s going to heal." - Kingston "Unfortunately it only works if the monster is using a strong attack against me." - Ian "A counter skill?" - Tsugi "Yes, a counter skill." - Ian "So you had tricks up your sleeve. Alright, what are the conditions?" - Travys "Big attack, big counter-attack. Nice and simple right?" - Ian "Nice and simple. Let''s try this again." - Kingston "On your mark, John." - Travys "... Oh! Right, uh, right. David, Gibing, Gopopo, Ken and Yor, I will need you to attack from the left. Everyone else on the right. Ia-Kingston will be in the middle. Just be ready for a big attack after all, your agility has been lowered right?" - Kingston "I''ll wait then. Don''t worry. I won''t disappoint." - Ian "Okay. Let''s kill this sonva!" - Travys 238 Chapter 238 Acknowledging Kingston''s n, David and the others dash to the left, whilst the rest went to the right, leaving me in the middle as the monster res at me. The dark rings pulse out of its body, sending shockwaves toward everyone but that didn''t stop us. Ken and Yor sped in front of the group as their bodies glisten ebony and silver respectively. The contrast makes it seem like they were drawing power from each other increasing their speed and leaving a small trail behind them. Baring their ws, I see that both of them were morphing slightly into more beast-like forms. Their humanoid faces start to morph into their respective animals, as dense fur starts to grow on their faces and their fangs and ws ergen. Surprisingly, Luna reaches their speed as she runs beside them, she howls inciting them to howl along with her before the three of them reach the monster way in front of anyone else. "Silver sh!" - Ken "Blood Hunt!!" - Yor With a series of 14 dashes all around the monster dodging the ck rings, Ken''s w digs deep into the monster''s flesh, tearing and bleeding the monster. Attacking the same ce as Ken, Yor''s speedy and agile movement also dodges the ck rings, tearing the exposed flesh into a bloody mess. Luna faces the monster head first, biting the monster''s ear off before she gets sent flying by a ck ring. Arriving not longter was Gibing, Gopopo, Kingston from the left and Song, and Tsugi from the right. Fortunately for this group, the ck ring that sent Luna flying was thest one but the problem was the monster no longer stood in front of them helpless. Screeching at us and sending a soundwave that momentarily stuns us, the monster attempts to fly upward but awkwardly angles to the side as its injured wing didn''t fully heal. Taking advantage of the situation, the pair of Oni, leap off the ground, cracking the floor in the process. Enveloping their bodies in a bloody aura, both of them smashes their fist into the body of the monster forcing it to slump down, screeching at Gibing and Gopopo. "Demon Lash!" - Gopopo "Demonic Battle Pact!" - Gibing Forming two long whips with the bloody aura, Gopoposhes at the monster''s body creating multiple white marks while Gibing''s aura burns brighter, focusing on his fists. As his attacknds, a small explosion urs as the monster screams in pain. Desperately retaliating, the monster sends a wind de along the ground but Song and Tsugi dive in front of the wind de. "EARTH WALL!" - Song, Tsugi mming their shields into the ground, a metre-high wall formed from the same materials as the floor rises to block the attack but cracks and starts to fall backward. Reaching their side just in time, David rams through the rubble with a Charge. Crushing the rocks with his body to dust, he saves the two that were still on the ground. Dashing right past them, Kingston''s body also changes and a familiar mask covers his face, along with a crimson crystalline armor. "Rage! Demon Trigger!" - Kingston Drawing his knife with his left hand, Kingston stretches his right palm in front of him, casting not one but two skills at once. The first being the mes which couldn''t be extinguished and the second being the green aura skill. Standing its ground, the monster creates several wind des, pushing Gopopo and Gibing away as they retreat to dodge the attack. However, Kingston pushes through. The increase in Agility from Demon Trigger boosts his speed, allowing him to dodge the attack while the green aura skill is constantly active and doing damage. mming straight into the chest of the monster, the Poison Fang stabs as deep as its de can go before ripping through the flesh as Kingston slices to the side. Pushing off its body, and somersaulting through the air, Kingstonnds next to David. Screaming at the continuous assault it had just received, the monster starts to charge at us along the ground. Instead of risking the awkward flight again, it chooses to engage in groundbat. Surprisingly the monster was quick even on the ground and arrives in front of Kingston in the blink of an eye, attacking with a swing of its right wing. "Iron Defense!" - Travys Blocking the first attack, Travys shields everyone and with Howard attacking the monster''s wing with his ax, Travys is able to push it away. Ken and Yore back and swipe at the monster''s leg drawing blood as the monster bites forward aiming for Kingston. Ready for the attack, Kingston prepares to block with his armor and knife but David stands in front of him. "me Body!" - David Gripping onto one of the top and bottom monster''s exposed fangs, David stops the attack only after being pushed back a metre but the free Kingston, Song, and Tsugi execute a three-prong attack. Leaping over David''s body, Song ms his ax down on the monster''s head while Tsugi wraps around David''s right swinging his ax at the monster''s eye, as Kingston stabs the left eye. Sessfully damaging both eyes, the monster screams, desperately swinging its head and wings around warding off any attempts for us to attack. Unfortunately, for us Song, Tusgi, Gibing, and Gopopo were hit by an unsuspecting attack and were flung across the room,nding somewhat far away. "I think a big attack might being, Kingston!" - Travys "Maybe, but it is blind right now. How are we going to make it aim correctly?" - Kingston "Shouldn''t we just keep attacking it?" - Howard "No. We got it to this stage before but it was still able to retaliate and recover. The monster might seem close to death but I feel like it is at its strongest when it is." - Kingston "So, what do you suggest to do?" - Travys "Give it a second. It''s going to use its biggest attack. Luckily it is an attack along the ground. We were able to block it once with David''s shield attack." - Kingston "I can''t use it anytime soon though, I don''t have enough mes." - David "That''s fine because we have someone else to tank the attack." - Kingston "Right, Kingston''s counter skill." -Travys "Yes. we just need it to aim for him." - Kingston "Don''t worry I''m not too far away." - Ian Turning around, they see me standing behind them, looking confidently. "Even if my Agility is cut in half, it doesn''t mean I can''t get over here." - Ian "You are totally right." - Kingston "So, what''s the attack? What do I need to look out for?" - Ian "It''s about to happen¡­ You just need to be in front of us. Nothing had right?" - Kingston "It will be fine. I think it can still see us as well. After all, it''s still looking in our direction." - Ian Covering itself in a dense ck aura, simr to its ck rings, the monster screeched to the sky. The wounds on its body slowly heal, including the two damaged eyes, as the auraes thicker and thicker almost like it was surrounding itself in a jet ck armor. Spreading its wings wide, it ps them behind it blowing dust everywhere, extinguishing the blue mes along the walls. In the darkness, its body glows slightly as Kingston''s mes rage on, creating a silhouette in the dark. I could hear our hearts racing as our breaths quickened in anticipation. Stepping forward, I reach into my pouch pulling out my trump card, the Code of Hammurabi. No matter how strong this monster''s attack, it will be defeated by the Code of Hammurabi. Charging at me, the monster screeches at the top of its lung. An ear-piercing sound bursts my eardrums, making me kneel down but I keep my eye on the monster as it approaches. Spinning along the ground, a ck tornado covered in Kingston''s HellFire looms closer. Gripping onto the artifact, I call out the skill pushing my hand out the moment the monster reaches me. "CODE OF HAMMURABI! EYE FOR AN EYE!" - Ian Appearing in front of me, the white stone b glows brightly. Towering in front of me, it blocks the monster''s attack absorbing the impact in a shy fashion. Sparks eject to the side as the monster spinning at the stone and only when the monster stops spinning does the Code of Hammurabi perform its counterattack. Immobilizing the monster with its mysterious powers, it ejects out a carbon copy of the spinning monster covered in jet ck armor. The counterattacknds on the monster''s chest and as it spins through the chest and out the other side the monster could do nothing but scream in pain. Copsing to the ground once the attack finishes and bursting into purple smoke, the Code of Hammurabi returns to its small mobile state in my palm. "Well, there we go. Finished." - Ian "Absolutely disgusting. What a cheat move." - Kingston "Agreed. Why didn''t you use it earlier?" - Travys "Just in case. We all have tricks we don''t want to reveal to others." - Ian "Right, and in good faith, I''ll tell you something. I have no choice but to kill everyone here." - Travys 239 Chapter 239 "What?" - Ian In the corner of my right eye, Travys''s sword flies toward me, only to be blocked by my spider legs. Sparks spin off as the de slices down cutting the air in front of me. Jumping in front of me as quickly as possible, Kingston punches Travys''s sword down to the ground, making Travys release his grip. However, to Kingston''s surprise, Travys spins horizontally in the air after releasing the sword, sending his foot right at Kingston''s temple, knocking Kingston to the ground. Davides next, attempting to tackle Travys, who hides behind his shield, picking up his sword. Failing his attack, David swings his fist at the shield pushing both the shield and Travys back a few steps. At the same time, Ken and Yor zoom close to Travys baring their ws at the traitor but meeting Song and Tsugi halfway. "Travys, speak. I''ll give you one chance before we retaliate with all we have against you." - Ian "It''s nothing personal Kingston, or should I say, Ian? I know that was Kingston on the ground since he was previously a Bones employee. I also know that he was working under you. This attack is just to secure the loot from the monster as well as make you surrender your Portal rights. Nothing more, nothing less." - Travys "What makes you think you can stop us? There are only 3 of you here and 3 of you at the entrance." - Ian "Reba and Kaede are my hostages if you didn''t know. By now JenJen, Rosanna and Kumiho would have restrained them." - Travys "How sure of you that will happen?" - Ian "Because I also know about your hobgoblin assassin. She has been following us from the start and while I kept it quiet about it, it didn''t mean I was letting her roam freely. See Ian, you weren''t the only one who thought of using invisible troops." - Travys Appearing behind Travys and around us, were a total of 20 ck d people, each holding onto two daggers. In the distance, I also see Gewari, Reba, and Kaede, tied up with some sort of rope. One can only assume that the rope is something special. "Was this always the n, Travys?" - Ian "Yes. I didn''t know when to do it though since you were quite skilled and the appearance of Kingston''s group did throw off my ns. However, after using everyone here to kill the monster I decided to throw my n into action." - Travys "Alright, what are you going to do? Kill us?" - Ian "That would be the best, but first I want you to unequipped everything. Killing yers only allow one of their items to drop, but I want everything on you. Make it easy, and I''ll finish this fast."- Travys "And if we refuse?" - Kingston Standing up, Kingston looks at Travys with a disgusted look. Even though his mask was still covering his face, I could feel the murderous gaze as he stares at Travys. "I will be killing everyone regardless so, it doesn''t matter to me." - Travys "Well then¡­ Belial, you can have the feast, you have always wanted. SEAL OF BELIAL!" - Kingston Opening his mouth and biting his left thumb, Kingston smears blood on the back of his right hand, creating a shower of sparks as a demonic figure looms out of Kingston''s hand covered in smoke. Laughing menacingly, it towers in the middle of the rough circr surrounding made by Travys''s people. "Who would have thought, I would be able to taste flesh not once but twice so soon after taking my first breath." - Belial "Kill them all, Belial." - Kingston "With pleasure. Don''t you believe me more now, Kingston?" - Belial Clicking his fingers, Belial creates a wall of mes between Travys and the ''hostages'' blocking both parties'' vision of each other. At the same time, his seal appears on his forehead, shining scarlet as he clenches his fists. I notice that it wasn''t just Belial that had the mark but also Gibing, Gopopo, David, Ken, and Yor. Everyone that had been affected by Belial had the same mark and with it, a slight murderous aura emanated out from them. Bursting into action, everyone dashes toward an opponent, with Belial sending a ming punch at Travys who blocks it with his shield. Turning to Kingston as he ces his hand on my shoulder with Howard right next to him, he quickly tells me we need to move. "Ian, we need to save Reba, Gewari, and Kaede right now! Don''t worry, I have Frank on the case already." - Kingston "Frank? Oh my god! I forgot about him." - Ian "Don''t worry, he has a pretty forgetful presence and I think it ys to his strengths even more now." - Kingston "Why is that? What did he be after epting Belial''s conditions?" - Ian "A vampire. More specifically, a vampire that is more suited to spells than physical attacks. I would assume that he is currently in a shadow form and has dealt with the people near Reba since I told him to watch guard over the entrance instead of fighting." - Kingston "So he should be over there right now, what you are saying?" - Howard "Yeah, but just in case we should regroup with Reba and make sure they are safe first before cleaning up this mess. Although, I doubt Travys can defeat Belial, especially with Belial already teasing him with light jabs instead of straight up killing him." - Kingston "Then, let''s move. My debuff will wear off soon so I will be able to properly fight soon." - Ian "Are you sure we don''t need to be here?" - Howard "Yeah, don''t worry Howard. They are the same people when youst saw them a week or so ago. Honestly, they are probably stronger than you are right now, so you need to catch up soon or else you will be left in the dust." - Kingston Running from the encirclement, Kingston leads the way as he dives head first through a small gap in the firewall, created once we got close to it. It seems that Belial is watching us even though he is busy toying with Travys. I look onward to see Kaede and Gewari fighting their captors with a tall male while Reba has the Aqua Ring activated. Rushing in front, Kingston and Howard engage inbat, helping them out and killing the captors without any mercy. Turning to face me, I see Reba waving at me as I approach with Gewari and the others smiling at my presence. Since things were finally somewhat calm, I take a look at Frank''s status. I could have looked at the others but it would have been a brief look and I wouldn''t be able to properly look through the upgrades. Name: Frank Race: Vampire Variant (Psychic) Health Points (HP): 82/82 Mana Points (MP): 5/25 Demonic Energy (DE): 5/10 Strength: 32 Vitality: 41 Intelligence: 50 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 36 Luck: 10 Skill: Mind st, Soul Leech, Walk of Shadows, Bat Transformation, Bronze Skin (Passive), Vampiric Offspring (Passive), Taste of Blood (Passve), Belial''s Gift (Passive) Mind st (Active) 5MP - Send a wave of mental energy to a target, dealing damage to the mind instead of the body (20 + 100% Intelligence). Cooldown 10 seconds. Soul Leech (Active) 10DE - Latch onto the soul of a target with your spirit, draining of them their life and adding it to yours, healing for 50% of the damage (50 + 80% Intelligence). Cooldown 5 mins Walk of Shadows (Active) 10MP - Step into the shadows and be one with them, being invisible to most. It is possible that someone or something will detect the user even if they are in the shadows. Duration 1 hour. Cooldown 6 hours. Bat Transformation (Active) 1MP - Transform into a small bat. Duration 1 hour, but canst longer at the expense of more MP, with each subsequent hour needing 5MP. Cooldown 5 mins Vampiric Offspring (Passive) - If the user were to drink the blood of a being of any race or monster, there is a 1% chance they will be a vampiric being under the user''s control. A vampiric being must follow themands of the user and will be gifted additional stats (random 1-5 of all stats) ording to the strength of its master on transformation. Taste of Blood (Passive) - Any time the user drinks blood, they will be able to recover HP up to 10% maximum HP per feed. Belial''s Gift (Passive) - After undergoing a transformation with the help of the demon Belial, the user has been given additional stats. + 50% to all stats, whilst Belial is summoned. "Ian? You alright? Did you hear what I was saying?" - Kingston Snapping out of Frank''s status screen, I look at Kingston who was waving his hand in front of me. "Sorry, was a little distracted by how amazing Frank has be. While your appearance has barely changed, your stats and ability have received aplete makeover." - Ian "Thank you, my lord but there hasn''t been that much of an increase. Just a bit here and there. The most important thing is that I have received the strength to help you in and out of battle. Something I have been worrying about since I wasn''t nearly as strong as the others." - Frank "Don''t worry too much about that Frank. You are doing great as you are." - Ian "Right, as I was saying. Belial has pretty much-finished everything over there behind the wall. It''s just Travys left but with Belial''s personality, I''m sure he has destroyed everything but Travys''s body." - Kingston "So, the fight was won before it even began." - Reba "Belial is a demon that is stronger than all of usbined and maybe even rivaling the dragon and ogre we saw that works for the Horde." - Kingston "Is Ken alright, Kingston?" - Kaede "Oh, yeah. He is fine. He¡­ might look a little different." - Kingston "So, long he is fine. I don''t mind. I want to see him as soon as possible." - Kaede "Don''t worry. Kingston, lead the way. Let''s go see Travys and get some answers." - Ian 240 Chapter 240 With his head pressed to the ground, Travys nces to his left to see us emerge from the wall of mes. Gibing pulls his head back while lifting his body so that we could have a casual chat with him. Spitting out blood and saliva, Travys looks at us calmly, as if dying and losing were just part of a day-to-day basis. "So, how was it?" - Ian "How was what? Losing? Getting over 30 other yers killed? About to die? Getting outyed? Not knowing that Kingston over here has a demon in his hand which killed everyonest night? What are you asking, Ian?" - Travys "I just want to know something simple. Why didn''t you just think of co-operating in clearing this ce? You know there is a quest to clear it right, and it ties in with the third event, so why?" - Ian "Do I need to spell it out for you or something? Or are you aplete idiot now?" - Travys "I want to hear your opinion. I have my own opinion and assumptions of what your reason is, but they might be different. So just tell me before I kill you, nice and simple. " - Ian "Hahaha! If we were in a different game with a different objective, heck if we were just meeting in real life, it would be great to get to know you, but I have a job to do. This is just part of the job, nothing more, nothing less, and definitely not personal. I am an employee of Bones. This is a new area that we could potentially conquer and use. That''s it." - Travys "Just that, and you would kill everyone that walks through the other 9 Portals down below?" - Ian "Just that." - Travys "I see¡­ There really is nothing more to it." - Ian "I''ll be back, you know. Devel will be aware of your presence now, and he isn''t the type of person to let things be." - Travys "Let him know, that I will be here, waiting for him." - Ian "Finish him, Gibing." - Ian "With pleasure." - Gibing mming Travys''s head down into the floor, Gibing depletes his HP, sending him back to the real world, but that was just the start of a multitude of problems. "He didn''t really say much, did he?" - Kingston "Why did you kill him so fast, Ian?" - Reba "I¡­ I don''t know. I felt annoyed during the conversation. Maybe I just wanted to end it as soon as possible. Sorry, I should have kept asking him things rted to Bones, Devel, etc. Howe you didn''t notice that he was nning to attack us?" - Ian "Umm, I''m not sure. Nothing activated..." - Reba "Don''t worry about it, at least we are all safe now, and I guess we have reunited with everyone as well. Although, they are slightly different from how I remember them, am I right, guys?" - Howard "Just slightly different, Howard? I thought we had a big improvement." - David "Are you really, David? I remember David being a little more shy. What happened to you that changed that?" - Howard "People change, especially when we were in a dire situation." - David "It wasn''t just him that changed. I didn''t think I would be in the front lines at all." - Yor "And now you are attacking side by side with Ken." - Kingston "And the biggest difference would be Ken." - Gibing "I''m not that different¡­" - Ken "Brother¡­ Is that really you now?" - Kaede Speaking up, Kaede approaches Ken and looks at him nervously. Ken''s appearance was different after Belial''s transformation. Grabbing Kaede''s hand, Ken kneels to the floor. Previously they were the same height but after the transformation, Ken was a head taller than his sister. Bringing himself down, to give Kaede reassurance, Ken smiles at her gently. "Sister, no need to be worried. I''m sorry for leaving you at the Portal, and I''m sorry for letting you feel so lost and hurt. I am the same as I have always been, nothing has changed except for my appearance. I''m still Ken, your one and only brother." - Ken Tears well in Kaede''s eyes, as she grabs Ken closer to her. A stream of tears pours out of her eyes and onto his shoulder. Holding her tightly, Ken gently rub''s Kaede back as a few tears escape the drop. Taking the tranquil opportunity, I decide to look at everyone''s stats to see the changes. After all, we were all resting our bodies after a long fight. Name: Ken Race: Demon (Snow Wolf) Health Points (HP): 62/104 Mana Points (MP): 10/22 Demonic Energy (DE) : 5/10 Strength: 38 (+10) Vitality: 52 Intelligence: 44 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 10 Skill: Ferocity, Predatory Grasp, Silver sh, Amorok''s Blessing (Passive), Follow the Pack (Passive), Belial''s Gift (Passive). Predatory Grasp (Active) 10MP or 5DE - Enhancing the user''s hand and grip strength increasing Strength by 25%, while also injecting demonic power into the target dealing damage ( 20 + 100% Strength). Cooldown 1 min. Silver sh (Active) 12MP - Increase Agility by 50% during the process of 14 short dashes. During the short dashes, it is possible to dodge or attack dealing ( 10 + 50% Strength + 100% Agility). Cooldown 30 minutes. Amorok''s Blessing (Passive) - This being is blessed by the wolf god Amorok and his able to receive more of its blessing the longer its faith toward''s the godst. Each blessing will be granted once a week and could range from additional stats to skills to weapons. Current added blessing, +10 Str. Name: Kaede Race: Demi-Human (Wolf) Health Points (HP): 15/62 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 25 Vitality: 31 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 36 Agility: 35 Luck: 1 Skill: Ferocity, Beastman Senses (Passive), Follow the Pack (Passive) Name: Gopopo Race: Oni Health Points (HP): 63/102 Mana Points (MP): 6/23 Demonic Energy (DE) : 5/10 Strength: 35 (+3) Vitality: 48 (+4) Intelligence: 46 Dexterity: 32 Agility: 41 Luck: 10 Skill: Demon Lash, Demonic Embrace, Backstep, Pinpoint, Enhanced Sight (Passive), Weak spot (Passive), Darkness Aliment (Passive), Oni Blood (Passive) Belial''s Gift (Passive) Demon Lash (Active) 6MP or 3DE - On activation, create two long whips out of Demonic Energy. Each attack with the whips stacks damages up to 5 times (First Strike: 20 + 20% Strength, Second Strike: 20 + 40% Strength ¡­. Fifth Strike+ : 20+100% Strength). Duration 10 min Cooldown 30 min. Demonic Embrace (Active) 4MP or 2DE - Grabbing onto the target, draining its HP dealing (10 + 100% Strength +60% Intelligence) and healing for 20% Damage dealt. Darkness Aliment (Passive) - All damage, whether it is a close range or long range, will deal 10% additional Dark-Element damage. Oni Blood (Passive) - Increasing Vitality and Strength by 10%. Name: Gibing Race: Oni Health Points (HP): 56/132 Mana Points (MP): 3/16 Demonic Energy (DE): 5/10 Strength: 45 (+4) Vitality: 60 (+6) Intelligence: 38 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 25 Luck: 10 Skill: Demonic Battle Pact, Demonic Embrace, Charge, Heighten Reflexes, Warrior''s Sense (Passive), Darkness Aliment (Passive), Oni Blood (Passive), Belial''s Gift (Passive) Demonic Battle Pact (Active) 6MP or 3DE - Enveloping the fists with Demonic Energy creating small explosions with each strike dealing (50 + 120% Strength) damage. Duration 10 mins. Cooldown 30 mins. Name: David Race: Djinn Health Points (HP): 43/150 Mana Points (MP): 10/15 Demonic Energy (DE) : 0/10 Strength: 40 Vitality: 75 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 25 Luck: 10 Skill: me Body, Jahannam Naar Dire, Ifrit''s Favor (Passive), Fiery Essence (Passive), Belial''s Gift (Passive) me Body (Active) 5MP or 2DE - Engulf the body in me reducing damage taken by 50% whilst also giving a shield equal to 50%HP. The mes can be used to enhance Jahannam Naar Dire. Duration 1 min. Cooldown 5 mins. Jahannam Naar Dire (Active) 20MP or 10DE - Create a st of condensed mes dealing Fire-Element damage (100 + 150% Intelligence). If me Body was activated prior to the activation of this skill then the damage and size of the skill will increase by 50%. Cooldown 1 hour. Ifrit''s Favor (Passive) - Reduce damage taken by 10%. Melee damage dealt to this user will counter to the dealer in the form of damage over time, burning them, for 1% Maximum HP every min. Fiery Essence (Passive) - Give close-range attacks additional 10% Fire-Element damage. Name: Yor Race: Demon ( ck Dog ) Health Points (HP): 23/86 Mana Points (MP): 16/21 Demonic Energy (DE) : 5/10 Strength: 30 Vitality: 43 Intelligence: 42 Dexterity: 32 Agility: 56 (+5) Luck: 8 Skill: Deathly Hold, Blood Hunt, Energy Booster, Guardian ck Dog (Passive), Belial''s Gift (Passive) Deathly Hold (Active) 5MP or 2DE - Gripping the target dealing Dark-Element damage (20 + 80% Intelligence). If the target is held for longer than a minute then deal additional (50 + 160% Intelligence). Cooldown 10 min. Blood Hunt (Active) 10MP or 5 DE - Increase Agility by 50% while intensifying traces of enemies that are below 50% HP. The user can see a blood mist trail leading to the enemy. Guardian ck Dog (Passive) - The rare and unique variant of the ck Dog, guides the user on a path, protecting them from danger. Giving 10% reduced damage and 10% Agility. I almost couldn''t believe my eyes¡­ Each and every one of them had stats that rivaled mine and with it an additional gauge, the Demonic Energy, just like Kingston''s. In fact, some were better than mine. I let out a low whistle as I ce my hands on my hips and look up. If it wasn''t for the fact that I had so many skills, they would be far superior to me since their skills were tailored to their current races. cing his hand on my shoulder, Kingston looks at me. "They are strong, aren''t they?" - Kingston "Stronger than I thought, that''s for sure." - Ian "Right? Belial really gave us a gift there. So, what''s your n? If you don''t have one, let me tell you mine." - Kingston 241 Chapter 241 "What do you mean? Did something happen other than everyone being a demon? By the way, they look so cool!" - Ian "I know right!? They look amazing, especially David. Those horns¡­ Anyway, we lost all our weapons the moment we came into the Abyss. I have no idea where they are, but my best guess is that they are at a higher level in this ce. There is a set of stairs over there on the opposite side of the stairs that lead to the Portals, so we were thinking of heading in that direction and going up." - Kingston "I''m thinking of letting Howard, Reba, and Kaede go back. Reba is obviously not fit for fighting, although her healing skill has been useful, while Howard and Kaede are outshone by everyone else." - Ian "Isn''t better for them to keep fighting and get stronger that way? They aren''t like us who have to find paths to get stronger. They grow passively as they keep fighting and training, well other than Reba of course." - Kingston "What kind of dangers are we going to face in this ce though? I had to use my Code of Hammurabi on this monster to kill it. What are we going to do against something that is stronger?" - Ian "Run!" - Kingston "Run? Run where? We are going up a staircase." - Ian "You are right. I still think we go up, this is a new area and there isn''t much left to do at HavenFall and the Krepost." - Kingston "There is so much to do there. Although, I have already told Noah and Evan about what I want to do so¡­ Alright, I''ll ask the three of them their opinions first before deciding. Kingston, take everyone else and wait at the staircase." - Ian Kingston takes everyone but Howard, Reba, and Kaede to the stairs. The three were pulled to the side by me as I gave them a brief rundown of Kingston''s n while asking them their opinion. "I would like to keep going, Ian. After seeing everyone, fight against that monster, I truly felt how weak I am, and I cannot stand it. You have entrusted me with defending HavenFall while you are away and while there has been no event where that is needed yet, I do not feel like I can defend HavenFall like this. I need to push myself further if I want to improve myself." - Howard "I feel the same¡­ Looking at my brother, I feel both a sense of joy and envy. I''m d he is strong, but I want to be strong right next to him. Please, Ian, allow us to keep going as well." - Kaede "No way, you are leaving me." - Reba "Alright, everyone ising along. Let''s meet up with everyone by the stairs." - Ian Walking over to Kingston and the rest, I noticed that these stairs were slightly different from the ones we used to climb up. Kneeling next to the steps, I touch it slightly, feeling a cool metallic surface against the tip of my fingers. Iron? Steel? Metal stairs? But why¡­? "How do you want to approach this, Ian? Since you are here now, we don''t need to listen to Kingston''s tactics." - Gibing "Gibing! Did I do something wrong?" - Kingston "Nothing. You just don''t listen to Yor''s strategy and go in all the time. There is no point in listening to you." - Gibing "I have to say that out of 5 different times I have said something, you only listened to me for 1 of them¡­" - Yor "No, wait that was because-" - Kingston "At least I was in the front to help out, who knows what would have happened if it was just him." - David "Enough talking, listen." - Ian Perking up my ears, I could hear a slow rhythmic beating sound, like a heartbeat resonating throughout the Abyss. I didn''t notice this during the fight, or maybe it wasn''t even there before, regardless there is something above us. Turning to both Frank and Gewari, I tell everyone the n. "Frank and Gewari, I need the both of you to go first. Gewari use your invisibility to scout along the stairs, however, be careful. It is all unknown territory. Frank use your Bat Transformation and fly in the middle, if it gets dangerous use Walk of Shadows and return to us, don''t go too far. David, you will be at the front with Howard, but try to support Howard, let him engage in any fight first before you do anything. Gibing and Gopopo will be right behind both of you, with Ken and Yor supporting from behind. Kingston, Kaede, and Reba will be at the very back. Kingston, make sure to protect both of them. Kaede, I know you want to be more involved in the fights but at this location, I''m afraid you can''t." - Ian "It will be like old times, David." - Howard "It hasn''t been that long since the both of us were at the front of a fight." - David "What about you? Where are you going to be?" - Gibing "I''ll be above everyone. Using my spider legs, I''ll climb up and stay attached along the wall. Once a fight happens I will climb along the wall and attack them from behind." - Ian "The only downside is that we don''t have any ranged weapons and most of us are just using our bodies to fight." - Gopopo "It does make it slightly worse, but all in all it isn''t too bad. Both Ken and I and scale the walls like Ian, attacking from above if we need to as well." - Yor "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go!" - Kingston "I''ll be off first. Stealth." - Gewari "Me as well. Bat Transformation!" - Frank Gewari turns invisible as she dashes up the stairs while Frank bursts into a cloud of gray smoke, flying out as a small ck bat from the top of the smoke. Howard and David start moving up the stairs with everyone else following the formation. Our steps echo in the dark Abyss as we climb higher and higher along this spiraling staircase, while with me each time my spider legs prate the walls it echos louder and louder. As we climb higher, we naturally notice the slight changes along the Abyss. Not only were the wallsing closer, but the material of the walls changed. Purple cracks scale along the wall, glowing softly resonating along with the beating sound that I have been hearing. There was no need for a torch or a me to light our path as the walls itself was our light. The staircase also changed as we traverse upward, bing smaller and smaller to the point only we were wandering upward in a single file. It wasn''t long until both Frank and Gewari came back to us with news both good and bad. "What''s the situation? Gewari? Frank?" - Ian "Not too far up, is another floor much like the one we were just one. Surprisingly, there hasn''t been even one enemy. Not sure if that is a good thing or not." - Gewari "No, you were mistaken Gewari. It was not that there were no enemies, I had just eliminated them quickly before you arrived. There were only 10 small bat-like monsters, and they posed no threat to us." - Frank "Really? I didn''t even see you fight anything." - Gewari "Mind st and Soul Leech to kill them all. Extremely simple matter. However, only you got close to the exit. Did you see anything?" - Frank "I was about to look, but I had a bad feeling making me retreat from the ce. I would prefer it if we all went there to look rather than myself. I''m not exactly confident in my abilities to handle the situation." - Gewari "No, what you did was good enough, Gewari. Now that we know there is nothing standing against our way until the next floor, let''s move onward. David and Howard, lead the way." - Ian "On it. Gewari, slip behind us." - Howard "Be careful, I''m sure something strong is there." - Gewari "Don''t worry, Howard has this." - David "Should I stay in my bat form?" - Frank "Yes, there isn''t enough room on the staircase, just fly in case and use Mind st. Other than that, let''s see what''s above us." - Ian Nodding in acknowledgment, we carefully move upward, leaning against the wall as we approach the top. With so little space left along the wall, I climb down and start walking alongside everyone. We were already able to see the underside of the floor in the distance, above us and as we approached it, the beating sound intensifies. At first, when we were on the previous floor, it was like a low heartbeat, but now it is like war drums ready for battle. The purple cracks flicker brightly, blinding us slightly as we get closer, but the moment Howard reached the entrance of the next floor, everything quietens. The purple cracks fade away, and everyone freezes. Howard looks back the moment the light dissipates and I nod at him before the darkness envelops everyone. All that was left were our nervous footsteps as we exited the staircase. Compared tost time, it looks like theyout of this floor is vastly different. Exiting in the middle of the floor, inplete darkness, we carefully set up a formation with Howard and David in front of us with Kingston and Kaede near the stairs. Seconds passed and then minutes, yet it all feels like hours. I don''t know what was running through everyone else''s heads, but the anxiety and the curiosity about this new floor were gripping my chest. Suddenly, the whole floor res purple, whilst a purple beating heart looms above us. It fills what looks to be the ceiling of the Abyss, and with its grotesque shape and size, it sends shivers down my spine. The purple cracks branch out of the heart like veins, creeping along the walls and the floor. I can hear Kingston letting out a deep breath as the purple cracks pulse all at once, alongside the beating of the heart. Looking in front, I see a slim figure sitting on a tall ck throne, with spikes peeking out the sides. The light casts a shadow upon the figure, making us unable to see who or what it is but, with the Eye of the Roc, a smile could be seen. 242 Chapter 242 "Well, well, well. I knew my pet was killed not too long ago, but I didn''t expect the same people who killed him to venture up further so soon. Who would have thought¡­ I guess I should introduce myself, it''s not nice to keep everyone waiting." - ??? Speaking with a low-pitched voice, the figure steps off her throne moving a wine ss of suspicious red liquid onto the side of the throne. Her steps echo alongside the beating of the heart as she walks closer as a scythe appears in her other hand, twirling around her wrist. Flicking her pink hair, and banging the butt of the scythe on the floor in front of her as the purple cracks stop flickering. It starts to emit a constant stream of light, lighting up everything around us. "3¡­2¡­1¡­ Swing it. It''s ya boy, Mori Calliope, first apprentice to the Grim Reaper himself." - Calliope An intense aura emits from Calliope, and the pressure weighs down on my body but for someone with a worse physique like Reba, she was forced to the ground. Even Howard has difficulty standing as I see his legs tremble slightly. Staring at her as she looks at us with disgust, I try to strike up a conversation while signaling Reba to use her Aqua Ring. "The General for the Reaper?" - Ian "The General for the Reaper? Is that what you humans have been calling me? A bit disgraceful in my opinion as I am nothing like a General. Just a shinigami." - Calliope A blue ring circle around us as a gentle pulse lists the terrifying aura off our shoulders. Raising an eyebrow at the effects of the ring, Calliope sends out another wave of her aura strengthening the weight on our shoulders to the point that everyone had no choice but to kneel to her. "We¡­ Weren''t the ones that came up with that reference. Unfortunately, for us, it seems we stumbled here at the wrong time. Maybe we should leave first? I''m sure you don''t mind that right?" - Kingston "Hmm¡­ No. I do mind." - Calliope Hitting the floor once more with her scythe, she casts a skill, blocking the stairs with a thick bone wall. Turning away, she returns to her throne, sitting down with her left leg on top of her right knee, resting her scythe on her thighs. "While I don''t like killing insects, y''all did kill my pet, so it is only fair for me to at least try to do something to you. I''m sure Death sensei will pick you up before you enter hell. Deadbeats rise. It''s time for you to do some work around here." - Calliope Picking up her wine ss with her right hand, she takes a sip before coating her left hand in a smokey gray aura. Lifting her left hand and pointing to the beating heart, the aura slowly spirals upward entering the heart, causing the purple cracks to turn gray. As if someone turned off the color button, the world bes engulfed in gray. Every bit of color is eaten out of existence by the gray light thates out of the cracks. One by one, small pirs of lighte out of the ground, and from them, skeletons emerge. Each one wearing a trench coat and a bandana around their skull, holding onto a baseball bat as the dark socket for eyes re at us. What started off as a couple of Pirs of Light eventually covers the room revealing an army of trenchcoat-wearing skeletons. "Ian, this doesn''t look good." - Kingston "I can see that, Kingston. No need for you to say that." - Ian "I suggest, the moment the woman takes off this aura, we attack in a straight line backward or to the side and find a wall where we can at least protect our nk." - Yor "Agreed, there is only so much David and I can hold off before potentially dying to the horde of skeletons." - Howard "Yor and I can start by clearing a path." - Ken "That''s assuming that the both of you are able to push past these skeletons. We don''t even know if they are as weak as the ones we faced before." - Gewari "I doubt I will be of any help in the fight itself, but from my danger sense, the left side seems to be the least dangerous." - Reba "Then we head toward the left, with you and Kaede in the center. Ken and Yor will attempt to clear a path, while Howard and David bring up the rear. I''ll do my best to protect the side with Kingston while Gibing and Gopopo protect the other side. Frank and Gewari, support Ken and Yor after the initial push. We move the moment Calliope lifts her aura on us." - Ian Snapping her fingers, as thest Pir of Light dissipates, Calliope''s voice booms across the floor. At the same time, the Deadbeats grip their baseball bats tighter, bringing them up front and pointing them at us. "I hear a lot of chattering even though you are surrounded. Do you think you will be able to get past my Deadbeats?" - Calliope "We won''t know unless we try and who knows, we might surprise you and escape this hellhole." - Ian "Hahaha! Deadbeats¡­ Kill them all." - Calliope ,m Her eyes sh red, as the dark sockets of each Deadbeat sh red as well. A small dot for eyes appears and their jaws widen, as if cheering in unison, they raise their bats into the sky charging at us. Within the same moment, the aura is lifted from us. I feel the pressure leaving my shoulders, and we immediately spring into action, following the n that I had thought up. Bursting off the ground, Ken and Yor dash toward the left. Their ws sh with the baseball bats, overpowering the Deadbeats and pushing them back into the sea of skeletons. After the initial attack, they realize they were able to overpower the skeletons easily. Nodding to each other they activate their respective skills, Silver sh and Blood Hunt. Ken zooms forward, bashing into the Deadbeats along the way before zipping back. He uses his 14 shes to create a path toward the wall while also disarming as many Deadbeats as possible as he collides with each baseball bat. Whilst Ken is busy with creating a path, Yor instead attacks the Deadbeats closer to us. His increased Agility allows him to attack a Deadbeat several times before they are able to react, with some of his attacks killing them. This gives us more room to work with as Frank and Gewari enter the battle right next to Yor. Even though Frank would do more damage with his skillspared to using his fists and feet, he, unfortunately, didn''t have much choice. With his low MP, he had no choice but to rely on his own body to deal damage. At least with the increase in stats, he is able to contest against the skeletons but is unable to deal a finishing blow before another skeleton approaches him. Unlike Frank, Gewari was doing her best to support Yor. Her Agility might not be on the same level as Yor, but it wasn''t too far behind, allowing her to counterattack skeletons that might be attacking Yor from a blind spot. Her ws shatter the bones of the skeletons but even though the skulls of the skeletons were destroyed they were still moving. "It''s somewhere other than the head that we need to destroy in order to kill the skeletons quickly!" - Yor "It might be random! I''ve attacked multiple skeletons, and it seems I was able to kill 1 by destroying the lower pelvis but didn''t kill another when I targeted there." - Ken "Let me see¡­" - Ian With the path somewhat clear, Reba and Kaede start moving toward the wall and I start my battle with the approaching Deadbeats. Piercing forth the trident collides with a baseball bat, sparking a small explosion, emitting a touch of orange and red light before being eaten by the gray light surrounding us. The baseball bat remains intact after the collision and the Deadbeat swings at my chest. Blocking the strike with my lower right spider leg, I Immediately counterattack with three quick trusts to the skull, the rib cage, and the pelvis. Each strike shatters the bones but is unable to kill the monster. Following my attack, the three free spider legs stab forward, piercing through the bones of the skeleton as well, eliminating it when the rib cage was pierced again. However, there is no break. Once a Deadbeat dies, another takes its ce, forcing themselves forward with sheer numbers. Kingston shows up next to me, stabbing at the skeletons with a Poison Fang. Covering his body is his Sand Armor, as he tanks a couple of hits from the Deadbeats, allowing him time to Cleave in that direction and pushing them back with his strength. Following his example, I do the same, creating a series of explosions while my spider legs attack rapidly at various points. I activate Enhanced Agility and charge toward Frank as I notice a Deadbeat leaping at him, attacking from above after the help of another Deadbeat. Reaching the attack in time, I block with my trident and activate Emerald Gaze in that direction, slowing down a good number of Deadbeats. Gopopo''s Demon Lash attacks next to me as a Deadbeat attempts to attack my legs, knocking it toward Kingston who pierces the skull and luckily kills it in a single blow. Defending Gopopo, Gibing''s fists were wrapped in Demonic Energy as he smashes his fists into baseball bats and rib cages. Doing his best to push the monsters away from Gopopo as Gopopo was constantly whipping at the monsters approaching us from blind spots. Protecting the rear, both David and Howard were doing their best. I could see Howard shifting his shield left and right constantly, as loud bangs echo throughout the floor. However, slowly but surely, they were moving backward. David constantly embraced any attack that might harm Howard with his me Body as he helps fend off any monsters that were attacking our rear. With sheer willpower, we eventually made it to the wall, left of our previous position while sustaining as little damage as possible. Our superior stats yed arge role in it as well as our teamwork but now, the second part of this battlemences. Using this spot, we need to defend against the army of Deadbeats, while at the same time, hoping Calliope doesn''t want to join in on the battle. After all, if she does, I doubt we would have any chance. 243 Chapter 243 Blocking a blow with my spider legs, I fish into my small pouch and pull out 5 Bone Fragments, gripping them tightly as I activate one of my skills. "Bone Totem." - Ian I didn''t use this skill earlier due to our positioning, after all, the skill will cancel if the totem is destroyed. Creating the totem against the wall protects it from the monsters while it gives everyone the buff, making us do more damage to skeleton-type monsters. With the skill activated, I see everyone doing slightly better against the monsters. Even Kaede was able to join in on the attack. With all of us in a semicircle, we retaliate against the iing monsters. At the peak of the semicircle surrounded by the most monsters is David. His me Body allows him to soak the most hits while also allowing him to retaliate the best he could against the monsters. On his right, all the way from David to the wall is Howard, Yor, Gibing, Frank, and Kaede. On his left, I, Kingston, Ken, Gopopo, Gewari, and Reba. While Reba wasn''t stronger than a Deadbeat, with our positioning she was only facing a singr monster, without the fear of another monster attacking her. Taking a Poison Fang, she does her best to defend against the attacks while having the Copper Armor, tank the damage. The rest of us were destroying skeletons one after another, slowly eliminating the horde. ncing up, I see Calliope tapping her finger against the handle of her scythe. A small crease forms between her brows, as her army slowly depletes. An ufortable feeling starts to form inside me. Taking a glimpse at everyone''s conditions, I start to see something worrying. Reba started to get hit more often, and even Gewari, Kaede, and Howard were having difficulty. Sweat starts to drip down the side of Kingston''s cheek as I see him support Ken. Yor and Gibing had to help Frank and Kaede repeatedly as well and taking a peek at David''s stats, I see his HP already below 30% nearing 20%. Piercing through my thoughts, Calliope''s voice booms across the floor. "Deadbeats. Deadbeats! DEEEEAAAADBEATSSSS!" - Calliope Banging the butt of the scythe against the ground, Calliope stands up angrily. A menacing gray aura surrounds her, bending the air like heat waves. Her eyes shine scarlet, revealing the bright color in this grayscale world. Following her, all the Deadbeats stop their movement, taking a few steps back. Their bodies shake violently as Calliope''s aura increases, reaching the heart above her. "Ian¡­ I don''t know about this. Low-key you might have to say goodbye to someone soon¡­" - Kingston "Don''t jinx it Kingston. Everyone here is dear to me." - Ian "I''m just saying. This doesn''t look good. Belial is currently warning me that we either have to escape right now or we somehow kill Calliope. Both don''t seem viable right now." - Kingston "I can still do this. Don''t worry and stand behind me." - David "No, you are already low HP. Any more and you might die." - Ian "He is right, David. You have been taking hits for me as well. I''m grateful, but there is a limit. Don''t do any more than necessary." - Howard "What''s the n? We can''t just stand here." - Ken "Push through to Calliope? Try to break the bone wall?" - Gopopo "Both are possible ns, but both have too many variables. Rushing to Calliope is too unpredictable. Her strength is way above ours, and we don''t even know what she is capable of, since the only skill she has done is summoning the skeletons. The bone wall is most likely our best course of action. It is a skill, we just don''t know how durable it is but if we hit it hard enough it will break." - Yor "What''s the strongest single target ability we have? Because Calliope is giving off massive bad vibes and I don''t need my danger sense to tell me that." - Reba "It would be David''s Jahannam Naar Dire, or my Demon Trigger/Seal of Belial, but I can''t summon Belial since I already did that already. Furthermore, without my Dark Spear, I''m not doing the most damage I could be doing. David, are you able to use your skill?" - Kingston "I can, but wouldn''t I hit everyone near me if we were waiting for my skill to hit the bone wall?" - David "You would but at the same time, you won''t. I''ll use the Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem to summon some warriors to help you. We will stay here while you and the Hoplites move toward the bone wall. They will protect you while you cast Jahannam Naar Dire." - Ian "Are you sure about that n? The skeletons might be a lot stronger." - Kingston "There is nothing else we can do right?" - Ian "¡­ I guess. What are your thoughts on it David?" - Kingston "I can do it. Trust me." - David "Take a potion first, before wemence the n. Unfortunately for us, it seems like the Deadbeats are about to do something." - Ian Just as I say that all the Deadbeats stop vibrating, their white bones crack all around and a bright scarlet light peeks through. Bit by bit shards of white bones fall off revealing a ruby skeleton. Even though everything around us was still gray, each Deadbeat emit a bright scarlet shine upon us, dying the world in a bloody red shade. Kingston next to me, gulps down his saliva as the scene unfolds, while I hear Howard''s sharp inhale. Looking at Calliope as she stands in front of her throne, her hair floats gently in the air as her deathly gaze scans us. Her bright scarlet eyes seem to be able to look through us as if she is looking into our souls. "Deadbeats, I''m leaving this ce. I hope you kill them all. Do not disappoint me." - Calliope With another bang of her scythe Calliope disappears into smoke, leaving the Deadbeats and the heart with us. However, these Deadbeats didn''t look as easy to killpared tost time. Their bodies have a glossy shine to them, as they approach us slowly. "Without Calliope, we can do this. Maybe we don''t need to destroy the bone wall, but instead, we just need to survive this wave of monsters." - Yor "My thoughts exactly. Summon Spider! Hoplites, to arms! Summon Banshee" - Ian Summoning the spider from my ring as well as gripping the emblem tightly and tearing the Banshee paper, I release all the potential fighters in my arsenal. After all, I don''t want anyone to die. Emerging from a cloud, were my Hoplites, and from the paper a Banshee appears above me, wailing to the ceiling as she emerges. "Hoplites! Protect the front! Do not let any monster through! Use your bodies if you must! Spider, attack from the walls, and Banshee fly above and attack!" - Ian "ALALA!!! FOR ARCHON IAN!!! FIGHT TO THE DEATH!!! ALALA!!!" Replying to me with a hiss, the spider goes up the wall and screaming at me the Banshee follows mymand. Such a weirdbination, from warriors to an insect to a ghost¡­ Looking at me with gazes of confusion, everyone stares at my summons. "What?" - Ian "Nothing. Just wow¡­ I guess." - Kingston "I''ve seen them before, but those Hoplites look amazing. If only you looked like that, babe" - Reba "I''ll do my best, working out 24/7 for that body, but right now, we need to stand our ground and fight. No choice." - Ian "Right. David, have you taken the potion? You should be feeling better after it, Lucina did a good job in making them. Do we have any more?" - Howard "Don''t you have 1 or 2 in your pouch Howard?" - Kaede "Oh, yes. I forgot. I still have 2." - Howard "As do I." - Kaede "Me too but Aqua Ring will be off cooldown soon. I''ll use it the moment I can" - Reba "Just 1 left." - Ian "I''m feeling better, don''t worry too much about me. I won''t die, no matter what is thrown at me, I''ll find a way to survive." - David "I like that mentality, David. You da man!" - Kingston "Still, don''t get too hurt alright?" - Gibing "Shouldn''t you watch out for yourself, Gibing?" - Gewari "She is right, I had to help you 1 too many times." - Gopopo "Shut it. I''ll do my best no guarantees. Just don''t die, you two." - Gibing "I calcte that you will need to move your feet as fast as me and Ken if you don''t want to die." - Yor "I don''t think he can. He is too slow." - Ken "Brother don''t say that. You will hurt his feelings, even though it is true." - Kaede "Ouch, Gibing. Unlucky man." - Kingston "Enough chit-chat. Time to kill some skeletons." - Ian "Let''s do it. FOR HAVENFALL!" - Everyone Gripping their weapons or tightening their fists, everyone around me gathers all their energy and willpower. No matter how you see it, this is going to be a long and hard fight for us. These monsters look tough but in my opinion... We are tougher. 244 Chapter 244 Charging from all directions, the Deadbeats lift their baseball bats swinging them down upon the Hoplite wall. Raising their shields heroically, the Hoplites block the attack however, small explosions echoes against their shield. Raising my eyebrows, I realize that the Deadbeats attacks would explode much like my trident. Defending just became harder¡­ "David, try to avoid being hit for free, try to deflect the attack or dodge the attack altogether." - Ian "Will do Ian!" - David ncing at the Banshee above me, I check its stats while thinking of a course of action. Name: Banshee Race: Spirit Health Points (HP): 100/100 Mana Points (MP): 50/50 Strength: 10 Vitality: 50 Intelligence: 100 Dexterity: 20 Agility: 35 Luck: 1 Skill: Puppeteer, Injection, Ghost Spike, Wail, Spectral Walk (Passive), Physical Resistance (Passive) Puppeteer (Active) 1MP - Attach mana strings to a creature, allowing the Banshee to control the creature for 10 min, giving the creature a 10% increase in stats. If the monster epts the Banshee''s control, then the skill will be active indefinitely or until the Banshee cancels it. Cooldown 10 min. Injection (Active) 10MP - Can only be used on the Puppeteer target. Banshee will give the target 20% of its remaining MP and HP as well as an additional 10% in stats. Cooldown 30 min. Wail (Active) 2MP - Scream at a target, reducing its Agility by 10% as well as having a 10% chance to ''Fear'' the target. Cooldown 10 min Spectral Walk (Passive) - The user is able to move through objects and walls but is unable to move through living beings. Physical Resistance (Passive) - The user takes 25% less damage from physical attacks. With its skill set, I thought of a tactic that may or may not work, after all, the Banshee doesn''t seem to be a fighter and looks to be more of a supporting monster. Ordering the Banshee, to use Puppeteer on a Hoplite, I n to increase the Hoplite''s strength in order for it to effectively defend against the raging Deadbeats. From the tips of the Banshee''s fingers, multiple thin blue translucent lines attach themselves onto a Hoplite changing its eyes into two glowing blue beads. At the same time, I order the same Hoplite to ept the Banshee''s control, as Injection is used, boosting the stats of the Hoplite even higher. ,m Revealing its increased strength right away, the Hoplite immediately smashes its shield against an iing attack from a skeleton while also pushing the skeleton back a couple of steps. Surprisingly, the skeleton''s bones showed signs of cracks forming along the rib cage. Following up his attack, the Hoplite steps forward and sweeps across the right with his weapon. Supporting the Hoplite''s attack, the Banshee activates Ghost Spike at the immobile skeleton, piercing through and shattering the ruby skeleton but as it shatters the small bone shards glow crimson intensely. Like fireworks, the bone shards explode scattering more bone shards in every direction. Explosion after explosion resonates across the whole floor as bone shards explode near us as well as the other skeletons. "SHIELDS UP! EARTH SPIKE!" - Ian Commanding the Hoplites at the front to block as many of the exploding bone shards, I cast Earth Spike near Reba as I catch a glimpse of a bone shard flying in her direction. Luckily enough, the Earth Spike forms in time as a small explosion breaks the tip as dirt falls on Reba''s head. "Push the skeletons away if you kill any or if they look like they are about to explode!" - Ian "Easier said than done! Hellfire!" - Kingston Creating a wall of mes on the left side, Kingston cuts off part of the skeleton army, while Ken breaks a couple of the Deadbeat''s skulls. The crimson shine happens once again as bone shards that Ken shatters illuminate in front of him. "GET DOWN!" - Gopopo Coming to his rescue, Gopopo activates Demon Lash, pushing the headless skeleton into the air with one whip and hitting it through the wall of mes. Explosions ur on the other side, but, Gopopo misses a couple of small shards letting Ken take a hit. Rushing to his side, Kaede helps Ken up. "KEN! Be careful next time!" - Gopopo "Are you okay?" - Kaede "I''m fine sis. Don''t worry about me and focus on the monsters in front of us." - Ken cing a hand on Kaede''s shoulder, Ken punches forward, activating Ferocity and Predatory Grasp. Shaking her head while smiling, Kaede also activates Ferocity, apanying Ken in his attacks, and helping him by pushing the exploding Deadbeats into the approaching army. Defeating the Deadbeats on the other side, Yor and Gibing were like machines. With Gibing''s hard-hitting punches, he would create cracks throughout the monster initialing the exploding sequence. At that moment, Yor would quickly pull the monster by the trench coat sweeping the legs to make it fall and fling it into the other skeletons. Charging at the flung skeleton, Gewari and Frank push it deeper, escaping as the skeletons surround them. Using the other skeletons as shields, the explosion only impacts its fellow bony friends. David and Howard support the Hoplites in the front, with the buffed Hoplite leading the defense front. Each skeleton that approached it didn''t stand a chance, only to be beaten down and shattered into tens of pieces. Following his example, I too went on a killing spree but instead of fighting a defensive battle, I took an aggressive approach. Knowing that everyone will be okay, I use my two lower spider legs to charge forward, piercing through with my trident and meeting explosions with explosions. Reaching a fair distance inside and being surrounded by only skeletons, I grip my trident tightly and stand on my feet. Letting my spider legs attack behind me and my side, I focus on the front. Activating Cleave, I create some space for me to move about, stabbing at their skulls with the point of my trident and hitting their sides and feet with the butt. Flowing around them like water, I narrowly dodge each and every swing of their baseball bats as I weave deeper and deeper into the crowd. Explosions follow closely behind me as I defeat Deadbeat after Deadbeat, however that didn''t bother me, in fact, I weed it. With each explosion that happens behind me, I know that the damage will spread to the other Deadbeats around it and if I was lucky, it would mean that I kill more than 2 Deadbeats with a singr Deadbeat''s death. sting through the crowd and meeting with me, I see Kingston in his crimson armor as he shatters the skull of a Deadbeat near me, kicking its exploding bones away as he lets out a smallugh. "I was nervous at the start but who would have thought the biggest problem left on its own." - Kingston "Calliope might have been the biggest problem, but that doesn''t mean she won''t be back. We need to finish this as soon as possible and deal with that heart above us. At the moment, it hasn''t made a move but what if it does?" - Ian "Right, and it is a bit suspicious that she left so suddenly as well. She looked angry, but I felt like the anger wasn''t directed at us since that intense aura didn''t nket us again." - Kingston "You''re right about that but did she really think we would die to these monsters?" - Ian "Maybe she thought we would just die to them exploding on us¡­ wait." - Kingston "No¡­ No¡­" - Ian "These monsters aren''t going to all explode at once right¡­?" - Kingston "Kingston didn''t I say not to jinx anything¡­" - Ian Quickly, I nce around searching desperately through the gaps and cracks of the monsters, and in the far distance, away from anyone else I see what I had feared. A Deadbeat had just turned crimson, exploding in the back line. ncing around, I start to see them glow more and more starting from the back. "Kingston! We need to get back and find a way to defend against that, right now!" - Ian "Already running. Hurry up!" - Kingston Clicking my tongue, I chase after Kingston arriving back at the group. Thoughts fly through my head at frightening speeds as I think about how to deal with the exploding skeletons as I see them start to light up faster and faster. Looking at everyone around me, my eyes fall upon Kingston, David, and the Hoplites. "David you need to use Jahannam Naar Dire. Right now! Aim for the right side. Kingston, take my trident and st through the middle, but as close to the edge of David''s skill. We need as much space as possible. Everyone else, get as close to the wall as possible. Hoplites bring your shields up and block as many skeletons usible. If needed, break formation." - Ian Giving Kingston my trident, he readies up next to David who left the front and went to the side, in front of Gibing and Yor. Covering his body in mes as he prepares his skill. An exchange of looks between the two happen, and Kingston grips the trident tightly, leaning his body forward as he waits for the signal. "Alright, Ian. David, cast it!" - Kingston "Jahannam Naar Dire!" - David 245 Chapter 245 Gathering the mes around his fists, David sends out a concave st of fire, mming into the charging Deadbeats, burning the bones until they were charcoal. The fire continues until thest Deadbeat, exploding at the end. Following right behind the mes is our crimson warrior. Holding the trident, Kingston smashes through any skeleton that was still alive after taking David''s attack. At the same time, he also pushes the rest of the skeletons away with a Cleave, causing them to explode, hastening the whole process. While Kingston was on clean-up duty, I got everyone to huddle against the wall with the Hoplites in the front. I wasn''t sure how big the explosions will be when all the Deadbeats explode, regardless these Hoplites are our meat shields. I need them to take as much of the damage as possible or else, some of us will die today. "Are you sure this will be enough, babe?" - Reba "I''m not sure at all. There is no way of knowing how much damage the Deadbeats will do if they all explode. The best we can do is prepare and get away from them as much as possible. Is Aqua Ring ready?" - Ian "It''s ready but it doesn''t heal that much¡­" - Reba "Better than nothing and is there anything going off for your danger sense?" - Ian "Every direction that has monsters. While they aren''t thinking of anything I can feel their murderous gaze. It is slowly creeping closer and closer." - Reba "That means more and more of the Deadbeats are exploding. Judging by the explosions it should be soon before theye closer to the front. Activate the Aqua Ring on my signal okay? And don''t worry I''ll stand in front of you, I''ll protect you." - Ian "Alright, just don''t die on me¡­" - Reba "Ian! I don''t think I can keep going! I can see the explosionsing closer!" - Kingston "Thene back! All that is left is to brace ourselves for the impact." - Ian Seeing Kingston run back he activates a Siphol Soul on a Deadbeat, absorbing as much HP as possible before the explosion. Time is ticking and the moment Kingston arrives behind the Hoplite wall, I see the rest of the Deadbeats freeze as they light up crimson. "IT''S COMING! Reba! Everyone, cover your ears just in case and get close to the ground." - Ian "AQUA RING!" - Reba The moment the blue translucent ring envelopes around us, the world turns bright crimson as Deadbeats explode. Covering my ears, I get on the ground covering Reba as I do. Right after the bright sh, I feel as if my whole body is hit by a truck, wind smashes over me pushing me into Reba. I stabilize using my spider legs, stabbing them into the ground but even they were trembling in the might of the explosion. After the st of air came the mes. No word could exin how hot it felt. The hairs on my body felt like they were being burnt off as my skin cracked under the heat. The only relieving feeling was the gentle pulseing from the Aqua Ring which counters the heat for a brief second. [Banshee has lost all its HP, returning to nothing.] [Spider has lost all its HP, returning to the Arachne Ring.] [All Hoplites have lost their HP, returning to the Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem.] A couple of surprising notifications pass through. I guess it is because normally the Hoplites and even the Spider never died. They were normally deactivated or their duration ran out. However, with this message, it means we were left without any of our meat shields. I can only hope that the residual damage will not kill any of us, as the heat blows over us. I bring my head up and peek around, looking at everyone''s condition. The explosion left a giant hole in the middle of the floor and with it, the gray cracks along the floor regained their color, slowly fading into purple. Color starts to flood my vision as everyone slowly looks around. A smile slowly forms on my face, everyone survived the attack but just barely. Looking at everyone''s stats, I saw some worrying numbers. Gibing and Gopopo were on 5 HP, while Ken was on 3. Yor, Frank, Gewari, and Kaede were on 7, 8, 6, and 10 HP respectively. However, the ones who were at the front of the attack protectins us, David and Howard were both on 1 HP and it seems like it was because of a new skill they just gained, Last Stand. Last Stand (Active) - On the brink of death, by sacrificing 99% of a stat, you will live on 1HP for 1 min. That same stat can no longer be used to activate Last Stand. Cannot use Luck. It seems that both of them chose to sacrifice their Dexterity, which just so happens to be the one stat that didn''t matter for either of them. However, if they were to choose to use it again they would have to sacrifice an important stat, either Strength, Vitality, Intelligence, or Agility. I too was lucky enough to survive on 1 HP even though I didn''t have the skill. I might have died if the explosionsted longer or if it did more damage. Rubbing Reba''s shoulder, I see her lift her face. A relieved smile spread across her face as she sees that we had survived. Trying to stand up, I realize my legs were trembling, and seeing my silly attempt to stand, Reba, giggled, bringing everyone''s attention to me. Bursting out inughter, Kingston points at me as he sits up, followed by Gibing and David. Theughter spreads, eliminating the serious atmosphere before the explosion. Scratching the back of my head, I let everyoneugh at my failure while I turn to explore the rest of the floor. ncing above us, the purple heart continues to heart at a steady pace. The pulse spreads down the cracks until it a gap in the floor, and half expecting some liquid to burst out, I instead just see a purple light. It seems the heart wasn''t pumping a liquid through these veins but just light. A light that could steal the color in the world, but what kind of advantage was that? What was the purpose of this heart and why did Calliope just leave? We had just finished a major battle but there were still so many questions left unanswered. The biggest question was should we try to destroy the heart? "We should try to destroy that shouldn''t we?" - Kingston "Are you reading my mind? I was just thinking about it but we don''t have a skill that can reach it other than David''s Jahannam Naar Dire. Even with that skill, there is no guarantee we kill it in one hit, and if we don''t we have to wait for the cooldown." - Ian "Yea¡­ and it doesn''t seem like there is anything on this floor that resembles a room that has our equipment. Even Belial is saying there is nothing on the floor. Initially, something came down and took all the weapons and he said it was brought upward but now, he doesn''t sense anything." - Kingston "Maybe Calliope took the weapons somewhere? She did teleport away and if you look toward her throne, it looks untouched even though the massive explosion has the walls behind us burnt ck." - Ian "I just noticed¡­" - Kingston "We should go back to the Krepost, babe." - Reba "Ian, I agree with Reba. I know there is more on this floor but right now, we are tired and worn out from battle after battle. We need to rest and recuperate before moving forward." - Yor "I know, Yor. It is sad though, there is nothing here for us to take. The skeletons killed themselves and the monster below didn''t have anything else." - Ian "We did gain something though." - Howard "What did we gain?" - Kingston "Knowledge. We now know how strong we arepared to our enemies. We also know that there are humans other than us fighting against them but we shouldn''t trust them." - Howard "He is right, and we also grew stronger. We need more time to get used to our new bodies and with time we can get stronger." - Gibing "Even if we lost the weapons we had, we can always make new ones. Old man Hus will help us, and when wee back we will be stronger than before." - Gopopo "But my Dark Spear¡­" - Kingston "You can''t cry over a lost spear Kingston." - Frank "I guess I can''t but still¡­" - Kingston "Then, let''s head down. Though are we even able to go down? Didn''t the explosion destroy the floor?" - Reba With Reba''sment, we all look at each other before sprinting toward the hole. Looking down the hole, we could see the spiraling staircase and as my eyes follow it up, I see on the edge of the hole the entrance to the floor. On the other side of the hole, miraculously the staircase was okay. Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, I turn to Reba andugh softly. What would have happened if that staircase was destroyed? Would we have just needed to jump down and hope for the best or would we have to wait until a different group of people came up? "Let''s go down and back through the Abyss Portal. After that, let''s return to the Krepost and rx while figuring out a n." - Ian "Agreed and let''s eat something when we get back. I''m starving." - Kingston 246 Chapter 246 Heading down the staircase, after a long hard series of battles, the fatigue hit me. Adrenaline had died down and there was only tiredness left. It wasn''t just me, ncing behind me, I see that everyone was feeling more or less the same. Luckily for us, there were no more battles, and we safely exited the Abyss, going through the Portal and walking out of the cave. I didn''t realize so much time had passed as the moon and stars greet us the moment we walk outside. With Kaede leading the way, we eventually make it back to the Krepost. Worn out and tired from the journey, we all copse in the Krepost after greeting Celine and Ster. The pair were relieved that we were okay, and after confirming that we didn''t need anything, they went back to protecting the Krepost at night. However, they were shocked by the changes in David and the others. It seems like there was a small invasion of monsters during the day and night, with us just arriving after Celine''s tamed monsters cleaned up the enemies. However, that was for tomorrow to think about. I got a nket made out of Jackalope fur and cuddled up with Reba as the healing waves from the Krepost refresh our HP and fatigue, allowing a nicefortable sleep. Morning arrives but most of the people that went to the Abyss were still asleep. Coming out of the Krepost with Reba, I spot Kingston and Celine together by the baby monster pen, with Ster, Gewari, and Frank not too far away discussing something together. Moving toward Kingston and Celine first, I ask about the recent monster invasion. "Celine, what happened yesterday after we left? You told me there were monsters attacking the Krepost both in the day and at night?" - Ian "Nothing too serious, however, it did feel out of the blue. Not too long after you left, we were met with a stampede of Zivotinjas and Crinzannas, the only problem is that both groups don''t really mesh well together in the wild. The Crinzannas hunt Zivotinjas for food so to me this felt very weird, so I tried tomunicate with the monsters first, only to be rejected. The battle was rtively simple since there were only a total of 30 monsters. Everyone here could handle them pretty well, with simple tactics, like using the wall as cover and attacking from various angles. The monsters were unable to react or otherwise just attacked in the general direction, which leads me to believe that while there might not be someone controlling them, they were given simple instructions. That''s what happened after you left, at night, however, we were attacked from the direction of a Pir of Light that appeared from the forest. Ster was in the forest at the time, and we were able to react to the iing skeletons before they reached the Krepost, joining forces with HavenFall to eliminate the rest of the monsters. Compared to before, there were fewer monsters, and it felt like a scouting party since the skeletons weren''t humanoids but beasts, mainly wolves, dogs, and other fast-moving 4-legged monsters. If it weren''t for Ster and the fact that the Zivotinjas were just as fast as the skeletons then who knows how far they would have gone." - Celine "Interesting¡­ Not only were there forces from the Reaper, but wild monsters were also attacking us. This is so weird because there has rarely been a time that wild monsters attacked the Krepost." - Ian "Not just that, most of the time the monsters only stick within their group. They never group together and if you do see two different monsters, they would always be fighting each other." - Kingston "Doesn''t it seem like someone is controlling the monsters though? It doesn''t make sense otherwise. At most, the person controlling the monsters is only able to make them move in a certain direction, but they might not be able to control them when they are in a fight. After all, when there is a fight, there are moreplicated instructions." - Reba "I agree with that theory, but then that means there is someone nearby us with a substantial amount of monsters." - Ian "And they know our location." - Kingston "Has Ster scouted the area or direction that the monsters came in?" - Ian "I''m not sure¡­ Ster?" - Celine Calling Ster over, Celine waves to the trio, bringing them close to us. I repeat my question to Ster, waiting for her to answer. "I did go in the direction where the monsters came from, but I didn''t find anything after traveling for a while. The monsters came from the grasnds to the west, in the same general direction that Nina once came from just closer to us. What I found were endless grasnd and hills, as well as the forest to my side. I made sure to travel under the effects of the mask, making me invisible, but there was nothing to be found." - Ster "Strange, isn''t it? I remember going around the perimeter a while back but didn''t find anything as well." - Frank "Do you think maybe the monsters came from the forest?" - Gewari "Not possible, the monsters are from the grasnd, and for there to be so many of them, the controller must be in a location where they would encounter a lot of monsters. The forest isn''t home to these monsters and their food source isn''t there as well. It would be too troublesome to continuously forage for food and then transport them to a safe location in the forest." - Celine "This might be a bit weird but, what if there were a lot of people? Maybe there is just one controller but what if there is a vige of people as well doing the tasks which you just said." - Kingston "You think there is another yer vige close by to us?" - Ian "It wouldn''t be strange since this world is so big but at the same time, why would they choose toe now?" - Kingston "Because they saw us travel away from the Krepost¡­ Maybe they nned for this for a while and were waiting for an opportunity. They wouldn''t know about ourbat level, but it would be safe to assume that having 30 monsters attacking a vige without the yer would be more than enough. I doubt someone without a lot of battle experience would be able to kill even one and even with NPCs, how many could a vige have? The person most likely assumed it would be 1:1 ratio of monster to NPCs, and even it isn''t that ratio, it wouldn''t be too far off." - Reba "That means they are watching us. They would know we have returned, and they would know that we know about them." - Frank "Hm¡­ Ster, I want you to send out another scouting team. Gewari, apany her but stay invisible. Leave the Krepost invisible as well and stay along the forest. Frank, I would like you to follow them as well but, I have a more important role for you. I want you to make use of the Vampiric Offspring, and go out hunting. Go back to HavenFall first and take a team of goblins with you. Your mission is to turn them into hobgoblins while also creating an army of vampiric beings. The more, the better and once the goblins turn into hobgoblins, go back to HavenFall and get yourself another team." - Ian "I don''t need to be here? Are you sure?" - Frank "Yes, I had thought about this when I first saw your new skills." - Ian "What about me? Is there something you want me to do, Ian?" - Kingston "Take the goblins in the Krepost and go out to the grasnd. Celine, do you also want to go out and tame more monsters?" - Ian "I would love to! Kumi can handle all the monsters here, and they listen to her now as well, so they will be fine without me." - Celine "What about you and me?" - Reba "We are going to be staying here for a while. David, Ken, and Kaede will go back to HavenFall to strengthen their forces as Frank moves with the goblins to make them stronger while Gibing, Gopopo, Howard, and Yor will stay here. I think it is time to expand the Krepost, to make room for more monsters, and at the same time put in some essential buildings. My n is to bring Lime or someone else to start a forge here as well and be the lead cksmith in the Krepost. After that, a farm needs to be started somewhere near here since I want the grain-like product to be produced. Houses for people and a sturdier wall need to also be implemented and if I''m lucky enough maybe new technology will be discovered, and we will be able to progress the technology tree." - Ian "Alright then, I''ll go wake up everyone that is still asleep in the Krepost and let them know about their duties." - Kingston "I''ll start to ready my things. If I''m going out to tame more monsters, then I also need to be prepared." -Celine "Ian, I''ll start scouting further out, don''t worry I''ll find out who is attacking us." - Ster "Alright, thanks, everyone. To be honest, there has been a lot of fighting going on thest few days as well as a lot of exploring. There hasn''t been time to develop what we already have and instead, we have been preparing against attacks almost all the time. While I am here, I''m going to do my best to make the Krepost a better ce. Estimating a week before I want a report on your actions. Do I make myself clear?" - Ian "Got it!" - Everyone "Then, let''s get this show on the road." - Ian 247 Chapter 247 "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" "M-M-MONSTER!" "THIS¡­ THIS¡­ THIS IS INSANE! SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!" "WHY ARE WE FIGHTING THIS GUY? HE IS A FREAKING NPC!!!" "Are you ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS???!" "WHY IS HE HERE? DIDN''T THEY SAY HE WOULDN''T COME IN THIS DIRECTION!" "I''M NEVER GONNA BELIEVE A THING THEY SAY ONLINE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!" "GOD DAMN IT MY WEAPONS, MY ARMOR! NOT LIKE THIS!" Constant screaming echoes in the small wooden vige, rebounding off the shattered walls and craters. How many have I seen in just the past 4 days? How many have I destroyed in just a few days? My hands have been stained with the blood of fellow humans and I can''t do anything about it, not with this psychopath near me¡­ "It seems this was just a nest of weaklings. Nothing more, nothing less." - Casper "Why am I just attacking these people¡­? I¡­ I really don''t want to just be doing this, Casper, there must be something better." - Luke "There is no saying no to the Horde''smand. We must purge these insects from the North and free ournd from them. While at the same letting you be stronger, the Fenrir inside you is slowly awakening from the constant bloodshed." - Casper Looking away from Casper and tossing a piece of a wooden structure towards a running figure, I grit my teeth knowing that he was right. I can feel it deep inside me, a raging storm running wild, tossing and turning at every opportunity to kill someone or something. An inescapable feeling, especially with all the fighting I have been doing the past few days. There is nothing I can do about it as well, apparently, it is ingrained in me¡­ This thirst for blood. But¡­ that''s just the feeling deep inside me. Outside, I am also trapped with an inescapable feeling. The chains that lock me down, the Horde, Casper, and sometimes Rautt, there is no running from them. Whether it is day or night, their gaze feels locked on my body. No¡­ My soul. "You are to kill them all. Leaving not a soul alive. Speaking of the devil, it seems there are 2 people under that building. Kill them and let us move on." - Casper "Alright¡­" - Luke Dragging my feet along the ground, I walk over to a copsed building. My body shakes as I hear a sight whimper, in front of me. The building shifts slightly to the side as whatever was inside moves. Stepping closer, I crouch down while lifting a piece of the rubble, revealing to me the suspect of the whimper and the movement, two children. An older boy with red hair, holding onto a sharpened stick, with his hand in front of a younger girl with green hair. "L-l-leave this ce. W-w-we don''t have anything left to give you." - Boy Trying his best to not stutter his words, the boy threats me. His hand shakes as he stares daggers into me. Behind him, the girl does her best to not let any sound out of her mouth, covering them tightly to the point that her whole body was shaking from how hard she held her mouth. Tears stream down her face, as an asional whimper escapes her lips. "Casper¡­ We-" - Luke Turning away from the two children, I look at Casper who was floating in the air, only to see a small fireball fly past my cheeks. A st of hot air, apanied by two high-pitched screams hit me from behind. Snapping my neck back quickly in panic, I reach out to where the two children were, only to stop halfway as I see the scene of the children burning in the mes. My eyes tremble as their skin cracks and burns ck faster than any fire I had ever seen. Their voices were drowned out as the embers spit out their singed hairs and clothes. My hand falls to the side, as I gulp down my saliva. No mercy, no matter who or what they are. No remorse and no empathy. "You still take too slow in killing people. You need to work on that, or do you want to be punished once again?" - Casper "No! I mean, no Casper. I''ll do my best, I''m sorry for what just happened." - Luke "Good. Now, let''s move to the next nest. From what I have seen, there is another vige not too far away. About a day or two''s walk. Giving you more than enough time to collect your thoughts and rearrange them to fit your needs." - Casper "I''ll do my best." - Luke Standing up with a crestfallen expression, I walk in the direction that Casper told me to go, after all, I don''t want to experience that punishment again. Who would have thought, that healing would be so torturous¡­ Shivering at the past thought, I grip my arms as the feeling of my limbs being ripped apart over and over again overwhelms me. After they were ripped apart, they would be healed and then the process would repeat itself again and again, for hours. The worst was when Casper took out my heart, only to heal the attack immediately. The feeling of my body shutting down constantly made me numb. There was nothing I could do but ept my inferiority¡­ Flying above me, Casper watches my every movement as I walk slowly towards my destination. There was no escaping his gaze, so the only way to distract myself from him was to look at the scenery. Compared to the environment near HavenFall, the North had a variety of ins, grasnd, hills, mountains, forests, and water bodies, with my favorite so far being argeke surrounded by tall mountains. However, I was never able to appreciate these scenic views as I was constantly fighting monsters and humans. During the day, I would be forced to hunt humans, killing them in cold blood as they run from my might. These humans were always screaming and cursing at me despite my many attempts tomunicate. During the night, a variety of monsters would show up from these Pirs of Light. ording to Casper, these were the Army of the Reaper, and it was a start to the invasion of the deathly race. These monsters were countless and like waves, they keeping anding. There were many moments in time when Casper had no choice but to help me as there were just too many monsters. After fighting against so many monsters, I did grow stronger, whether I wanted to or not. Controlling Golden Ascension has been getting easier and easier and I have been able to hold the state for longer and longer. Not only that, but I have discovered new skills rting to Fenrir''s past skills with the ''help'' of Casper. I walk and walk, through the dense forest to the open grasnd and now into a new forest. I have no idea where I am in respect to the Horde''s caste or HavenFall but all I know is that I have been walking further from the Sun in the morning and closer as night arrives. Not only that, but I see fewer mountains and more ins and forest and with each forest, I walk through it bes denser and denser. "In the clearing, there is arge group of humans, and further to the left, I see a pair of humans. It seems like the pair is scouting out therge group of humans. Eliminate all of them, including the pair to the left." - Casper "I''ll do this as quickly as possible. I have been walking nonstop for days, Casper. Is it possible to rest after this fight?" - Luke "Hmm¡­ I''ll allow it." - Casper "Thank you, Casper." - Luke Sighing in relief, I walk forward towards the clearing. ncing around, I see that this ce was more developed than other viges I had been to, with a wall as tall as the trees nearby towering in front of me. On top of the wall, I see humans holding onto bows and arrows as they aim toward me like they were waiting for me. How did they know I wasing? Not even Casper said anything about them knowing we were on the way to this location. "Leave this ce at once. I''ll only say this once." - ??? "Who are you to tell me what to do? Frankly, I would love to leave, but I have no choice." - Luke "I see, then let me, Jak, be the person to deliver judgment onto you. Everyone fire at will, do not stop shooting until he dies." - Jak "A few arrows won''t be able to stop me. Golden Ascension! Fenrir ws!" - Luke Enveloping myself in a golden aura, my hair changes to match the aura as I push off the ground. Slightly away from my arms on the edge of my aura, two giant wolf paws form from my energy. Wrapping in lightning, it sparks as drag it along the ground, making 3 shallow lines on either side of my body as I rush toward the wall. As arrows rain down onto me, my body sways left and right, swerving slightly to the side as the iing projectiles. With each dodge, I get faster and faster reaching the wall within a matter of seconds. Stepping forward while dragging my right arm backward, I punch forward intensifying the lightning surrounding the Fenrir w, as it sts a hole through the wall. "I''m sorry, but you will have to die." - Luke 248 Chapter 248 "KILL HIM! WHOEVER KILLS THE MONSTER, I WILL REWARD THEM WITH $1000 AS WELL AS AN INTERVIEW WITH A BONES TEAM LEADER!" - Jak Entering this vige, I notice that thebat power of everyone is a lot higher as well. It wasn''t just the defensive capabilities but also the offensive capabilities of its residents. Within an instant, a rough formation was already created and surrounding me were spears made out of wood and stone. Looking at them reminded me of old man Hus and the efforts he put into making weapons and armor for everyone in HavenFall. "ATTACK! PIERCE THAT FOOL!" - Jak Yelling at the top of their lungs, several people lunge forth with their spears aiming for my head, chest, and legs. However, they were too slow. Sparks focus on my feet as I leap over their spearsnding in the small space behind them. Gripping my fists, I pummel the closest person letting my Fenrir w do the work and sending small discharges around it. Reacting to my attack, the second line of defense attacks me with their daggers, axes, and clubs. As the weapons swing towards my body, I simply dodge them while using the Fenrir ws to block and counterattack. The weapons couldn''t break through the w and each attack sent a couple of people flying back, hitting their allies. "Shockwave." - Luke mming my fist to the ground, I send numerous electric pulses around me, passing through everyone near me and paralyzing them. With them immobile, they became sitting ducks waiting for my ws to rip through them. Killing human after human, tearing through their flesh and sttering blood across the ground. Compared to the start where Jak was rallying his troops, the people around me showed signs of nervousness and anxiety after seeing theirrades murdered in front of their eyes. These people posed no threat to me as they were afraid, making my job easier. I continue to kill them, one after the other, with only a few people trying their best to fight back. "No, no, no. HOW ARE WE SO WEAK?!" - Jak Standing in the back, dressed in leather armor and holding a spear, Jak''s distressed expression was mirrored on all the other people. Despair is all they know as sparks fly around my body and two giant ws float in front of them. How could they possibly beat me is what they are thinking. If only I can tell them how much I rather them defeating me. "Finish them, Luke." - Casper Stepping onto the ground next to me, Casper nces around as he orders me. His voice was full of disdain as he kicks a corpse away from him. "There is more than one of them? Who are you? Why are you going around and killing us? What have we done to you?" - Jak "I have nothing to say to insects other than the Horde demands that you die." - Casper "The Horde? Damn, this isn''t even part of the main mission." - Jak "What do we do Jak?!" "Run? Fight? It is all the same. We are going to die just like everyone else that met that saiyan wolf thing." - Jak "Hurry up, Luke. We don''t have all die." - Casper "Yes, Casper. I''m sorry, but please die." - Luke I had already eliminated half of the people that were defending this vige and with only a group of scared individuals left, the fight was easy. Once again there is only carnage and destruction as I kill Jak, thest survivor. It was strange though, why did he keep trying to ask me and Casper things as he was dying? I had torn off a limb, but he was still asking about the reasons for our movement. "Casper, I have a question." - Luke "Speak, but it can''t be about how long you are away from our home." - Casper "No¡­ It''s not that. Why was this person more concerned about information than his own deaths? It''s different from other humans. I thought maybe you can enlighten me." - Luke "Interesting but before that." - Casper Casper dashes toward me, grabbing my shirt as he looks into my eyes. I jerk my body at his approach only to be unable to move as Casper''s hold was too strong. The air around me freezes as he pressures me with his aura. A couple of seconds feel like a couple of hours as I hold my breath, waiting for Casper to be satisfied. "Hmm¡­ I guess I can tell you a little about this." - Casper Casper''s intimidating aura is released, and he releases me. Looking at the corpses near us, he grabs one of them and brings it near us. "You see Luke, these humans are special. We can kill them, but they wille back to life tomorrow if they so choose." - Casper "Come back to life? Like the zombies that I had to fight a few days back?" - Luke "No, different. Zombies are reanimating the dead, moving bodies to do a job, but these humanse back to life with their souls intact. The same person you just killed will be back the exact same way before you killed them, only with additional information. They will learn our skills and our strengths, using them to their advantage. That human you were with before is the same." - Casper "What? Ian? No¡­ He doesn''t do that, he is normal. What? What do you mean?" - Luke Confusion hits. People reviving? That can''t be real. "Maybe you think it is a joke, or maybe you think I am lying to you, but I assure you this is real. There is a reason why we are constantly killing humans. We are eliminating them and slowing their progress. It seems like they grow stronger the longer they are alive, and their knowledge is extremely advanced for how long they have been here. It is like they are a different breed of humans, or maybe theye from somewhere across the ocean. There are too many possibilities on who and why they are here but the only thing you need to know is that they are dangerous. Including the human, you were with." - Casper "Who told you this¡­? There is no way this is real. I-I refuse to believe this." - Luke Was it fear that I feel right now? Why is my body trembling at the thought of Ian being someone he isn''t? Is it just him? Lucina? Howard? Kingston? Sylvia¡­? "That isn''t the only thing you need to know. These humans are everywhere. Not just the North or the Center but everywhere. These humans are worse than insects appearing from every corner and taking everything. You can''t even kill them as theye back to life." - Casper "Is there a way to identify them?" - Luke "No, but most of them are together with humans that can revive. When this happens, viges such as these are formed. They tend tomunicate openly regardless of who they are fighting, giving away their tactics if their opponent is intelligent. If only there was a consistent method to find out if they are able to be revived¡­ Hmm, maybe we capture the next few humans and experiment. Like the two nearby. Luke, wait for me here. I will be right back." - Casper Licking his lips Casper spreads his wings and flies off the ground zooming into the forest, leaving me to my own thoughts. Thoughts that are muddling my mind. ncing over to a small boulder nearby, I sit down and try to collect my thoughts. Was what Casper saying true? Gripping my head I don''t know what to believe¡­ Was Ian just like these humans? Can he just revive? Then why did he save me? Save us? Save all those other people in HavenFall? Why did he allow Sr and the others toe into HavenFall? Were their ulterior motives? How about Kingston? Sometimes he feels a little different from the others, but he felt real. What if it was all fake as well¡­? "Luke¡­?" - ??? A familiar voice enters my ears, something I haven''t heard in a long time, but why would I hear that here, unless¡­ Springing up from the boulder I look in the direction of the voice, only to see Sylvia and another girl, hanging from their feet as Casper hovers above me. "LUKE! HELP!" - Sylvia "Please help, Luke!" - Nina "Why would have thought? I found Ares''s Apostle. Not one but two of them at the same time. Isn''t this the female that was with you when I took you away from the humans, Luke?" - Casper "Casper, please¡­ There isn''t a need to hurt them. There is no way they are the same as the other humans. Please¡­ I''m begging you." - Luke "Luke? Why are you¡­?" - Sylvia "Luke, now why do you think I will listen to you?'' - Casper "Please¡­ This is the only request I have." - Luke "Luke, why? Just-" - Sylvia "Sylvia, please be quiet. Casper, I will do anything for you and the Horde. Just please, let Sylvia live." - Luke "And the other girl?" - Casper "I couldn''t care less." - Luke "LUKE! No! Nina doesn''t need to die." - Sylvia "No, it''s fine Sylvia. Don''t worry about me. Luke, do whatever you need to do, I''ll be fine. I know how much the both of you mean to each other." - Nina "Girl, I have a question for you. Are you the same as these humans?" - Casper "What do you mean?" - Nina "Do you also revive after dying?" - Casper "There is no way she is the same." - Luke "What do you mean by revive¡­?" - Nina Nina''s expression turns slightly sour for a brief second but Casper notices the change. Smiling, he grabs Nina and pulls her face closer to his. "So you are the same¡­ Excellent. Luke, I will be taking both of them to the Horde. I won''t kill your female but if you so much as step out of line, I will kill the both of you." - Casper "No, Luke. Just escape there shouldn''t be a need to do this¡­" - Sylvia "It''s fine. Just please, let them live." - Luke "Then, let''s head back. There are some experiments I want to do already." - Casper "LUKE! WHAT-" - Sylvia Within an instant, Sylvia and Nina were consumed as a small ck orb formed in Casper''s hands. I knew what that orb meant. A room filled with nothing but darkness. No light, no sound, no heat, no cold, just nothingness but at least they were safe¡­ For now. 249 Chapter 249 Where am I? Huh? I can''t speak? Everything is just dark as well. It''s kind of cold as well but maybe that is just me¡­ Hmm¡­ Let''s think about this slowly. Sylvia and I were sucked into some orb that Casper had and Luke made some sort of deal with him. That should be the general gist of this situation. Now, questions that need to be answered. How did Casper even find both of us when we were hidden in the forest? What is his goal in taking us? What did he mean by experiments? Howe Luke was with him? Why did Luke make such an unfair deal as well? Any usible answers¡­? Yes? No? Maybe? Perhaps Casper has some sort of heat vision? Did he sense our mana like in novels and games? Did he just see us? Is his goal rted to Luke? No, perhaps it is to do with Sylvia and the Ares apostle. Then I need to make sure he doesn''t realize that I am an apostle as well. Is experimenting on us his way of saying torture? From what I remember Ian and the others said Luke and Sylvia had a thing for each other. Why didn''t he rush to save her then? Why hesitate and choose to talk to Casper? Isn''t Casper one of the Generals for the Horde? Wait, didn''t he get kidnapped by Casper? Did I remember it wrong? If memory serves me right then, Ian told me that Luke had been captured by the Horde right before meeting me near the mountain. This situation is so confusing¡­ There are too many holes in this whole situation. Like someone is purposely leaving bread crumbs for someone to find, however, at the end is just another set of trails. Now, I''m in this ce and Sylvia is nowhere to be found. I can''t use my skills for some reason and I can''t speak or hear or see. My thoughts trail along as I float in darkness, I don''t know how long it has been since I have been trapped here. It just feels like an eternity. I check my stats as well, since I had nothing better to do while I was rxing in the dark. Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 41/41 Holy Energy (HE): 20/20 Strength: 10 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 80 (+2) Dexterity: 21 Agility: 23 Luck: 5 Equipment: Tattered Robe, Beginner Fire Mage Book, Woven Shirt, Woven Pants, Little Star Pin Skills: Awakening, Mystic Palm, Holy me, Sacred Light, Blessing of Ares (Passive), Holy Energy (Passive) Awakening (Active) (Upgradeable) 25% HP + 25% MP - Awaken the sleeping power of Ares within you. Doubling your stats as well as gaining enhanced reflexes. Recover all lost Holy Energy and increase any skills that use Holy Energy damage by 50%. Cooldown 12 hours. Holy me (Active) 5 HE or 10 MP - Choose a target and create a burst of holy mes, setting the target alight dealing (20 + 100% Intelligence) as well as dealing double to dark-element monsters. The target will burn for 30 seconds dealing additional (10 + 50% Intelligence) every 10 seconds. Cooldown 30 mins. Sacred Light (Active) 5HE or 10 MP - Create a beam of light hitting the first target dealing (50 + 80% Intelligence) over 10 seconds, every second. Can be canceled mid-channel if the user wants. Cooldown 30 mins. Blessing of Ares (Passive) - All fire-element rted skills will do additional 10% damage. Give the user 10% fire resistance. When the user is inbat for longer than 1 hour, increase user''s all user stats by 10%. [HE] Holy Energy (Passive) (Upgradeable) - The user is able to store Holy Energy within their body due to being an apostle of Ares. Holy Energy can be used as a substitute for MP. Current Holy Energy (20/20) can also be seen on status. This skill is able to be upgraded once the god gives more blessings to the user. Compared to when I left HavenFall I was a lot stronger now, after traveling with Sylvia for so long, but that doesn''t mean I was stronger than Casper or even Luke for that matter. As I was thinking about the different possibilities about why Luke and Casper were together, I feel the surrounding space shake. In the next moment, my body feels like it is being pulled out, and I fall to the ground. Before I could even get up, I feel an immense pressure on my body, sweat instantly forms as my body shakes from the pressure. My head hangs low as I support my body up with my elbows. Sylviands next to me as well, as I hear her grunt softly as the pressure is applied to her as well. "Casper, what have you brought me?" - ??? "My lord, these two were once allies of Luke and by chance I was able to capture them. Furthermore, it is the apostle of Ares that I have told you about before." - Casper Is this the Horde? Am I actually in front of the Horde right now? Is it fear or joy that I am feeling right now? Who would have thought that I would have a chance to see one of the 4 kings in this game? Wait¡­ There is no notification? No!!! I''m not the first! Who could have seen this figure before me? Oh, what if I need to actually look at him? Let''s just try- Doing my best to peek at the Horde, I try to lift my head up only for Casper''s feet to press down on my head, forcing it to the ground. Wincing from the pain, I could only nce to the right seeing Sylvia with her face pressed to the ground by Luke''s hand. His expression has a hint of sadness and regret but at the same time relief. "Hmm¡­ I see and for what purpose are they here?" - Horde "I suspect that the girl here is one of those humans who can revive." - Casper "And what are you going to do about it Casper? This isn''t the first time you have assumed that a human is like those what was the terminology that they used again?" - Horde "I believe it was yers? The word is extremely strange, so I''m not sure." - Casper "yers?" - Nina By ident, the word escapes my mouth and even though I realize what I said was incorrect, it was just too surprising to hear them say something they shouldn''t know. No matter how quiet I said it, both Casper and the Horde heard me say something. Immediately, the pressure increases from the Horde and I could see my HP depleting slowly as Casper applies even more pressure on my head. "Care to say that word again, girl?" - Casper "Wait! Please, don''t hurt her." - Sylvia "No can do, apostle of Ares. She knows something and I want to know it as well." - Casper "I will talk but if you keep hurting me I will die." - Nina "Let her speak Casper." - Horde "Yes, my lord." - Casper The pressure from both monsters lifts from me, and I could finally get up from my crouching position. ncing at Sylvia, I see her pleading with her eyes. Worry spreads across her face, as she sees me stand up slowly. Smiling to her is the best I can do, as I look at the Horde, only to see a veil between us. Why does this person have a screen between us? Does he not want to reveal his face? Is he in some sort of condition that might expose his weakness? There must be a reason. "Hurry up and speak girl, the lord does not have all day." - Casper "Well, it would depend. What is it that you are asking? What do you want to know? I only know so much after all. I''m not an all-knowing god after all." - Nina "Don''t y coy with me girl. Speak now or I will kill you." - Casper "Alright. Then, ask away." - Nina "Who are these yers that you speak of and are you one of them?" - Casper "Nina, don''t answer anything!" - Sylvia "Sylvia, please don''t talk. Our lord is currently restraining your powers and your holy energy. It is better to not resist and to calmly ept the situation." - Luke "Shut up Luke! I''m not talking to you. I''m talking to Nina." - Sylvia "Sylvia¡­" - Luke "Quiet. Speak, now." - Horde Silencing the room with just a word, the Horde, directs his focus to me. Gulping down on my saliva, I proceed to tell him the desired information as well as try my hardest to see if my n would work. There seems to be something hidden about this King and if I can find out, maybe I can help Ian get back Luke. "I''m sure Casper already knows this and yes your suspicions were correct. I am a yer and yers are people like me who are undying, but that doesn''t mean we want to harm you. We also have our own objectives and mine just so happens to align in your direction. I have been traveling for a while now, under the guise of being a follower of Ares, but frankly I would prefer something else. There is so much more opportunity working for someone who has already established themselves in this world. I can help you with information and dare I say, I would prefer to join you. - Nina 250 Chapter 250 "Interesting. INTERESTING! CASPER! This girl thinks she can bargain with me. HAHAHA!! Interesting. Girl, you say all these things, and you call yourself a yer but what value is that to me? Just because I know you are a yer, why would I want you with me?" - Horde "Simple. There is an informationwork, called the inte, which all yers use tomunicate and share information. If you allow me to stay with you, I will do my best to ry any information that you might need. Some information will involve movement in the North, whereas other information might include the other 4 territories. There is a lot of information on the inte just waiting to be discovered." - Nina "Hmm¡­ Casper, look into this girl. I am interested to see what she can bring for us and what kind of information there is on this inte." - Horde "Yes, my lord. What about the apostle of Ares?" - Casper "Do what you want with her, I couldn''t care less. Just make sure that Ares doesn''t do anything to us. I don''t want to fight another god anytime soon. Leave now." - Horde "Yes, my lord. Luke, we will be taking these two to a guest room. Follow me." - Casper "Of course, Casper." - Luke Picking Sylvia up, Luke pushes her forward following Casper who strides away quickly. Making sure I don''t get left behind, I speed up so that I am right next to Luke. Wanting to make conversation with him, I turn to look at him only to see him ce a finger to his lips, signally for me to be quiet. Nodding in acknowledgment, I turn to the front, looking at Casper''s back. We walk through a giant door, and down a corridor, trying to look at the surroundings as much as possible, but it seems there is a veil of some sort blocking every window I walk past. Instead of looking through it and seeing the scenery, I see a spiral of colors, blocking any chance of me gathering information on the location of the Horde. After a long walk with a couple of twists and turns, we arrive at a small wooden door with a solid metal lock. Casper urges us inside, and I was half expecting a dirty straw bed, but to my surprise, there were two white mattresses with a wooden frame and a small wooden table separating the beds. On top of the wooden table is a y pot with a bundle of flowers in various colors. There are also a couple of oil-based torches lighting up the room, with a nice maroon rug in the middle, covering up the stone floor. Blinking at the scene, I turn to Luke who was equally surprised, and then to Casper who was showing a slight side smirk. Sylvia, however, showed only anger as throughout the journey Luke had hit her head whenever she was about to speak. "Casper, what is with this room?" - Nina "Is it not to your liking? I would have thought you would prefer to havepany during your stay. I have allowed the apostle of Ares to stay with you, but if your preference is to have a room to yourself, I can also make arrangements." - Casper "No, no, no. I was just confused when I saw how pleasant this room looked. I kind of assumed I was going to be living in a dirty jail cell¡­" - Nina "That would have been the case if my lord didn''t like you. I wouldn''t even hesitate to drop the both of you into a ditch. However, it seems you are lucky, and I have no choice but to follow my orders." - Casper Pushing us inside, Casper turns around with Luke, about to leave the room when Sylvia stops them by yelling out. "What do you want with me, Casper? I know, that there is a reason that I am still alive." - Sylvia "At the moment, I can''t tell you, but I bet you can already guess why though. I also want you alive so that Luke doesn''t disobey me anymore. Look at him, he is like a goblin now. Unable to harm its master. HAHAHA!" - Casper Closing the door behind him, Casper leaves the room. Hisughter echoes in the corridor behind as a loud click sound resonate through. Sylvia rushes to the door, rattling the handle, only for the door to not budge. Stepping back, her right fist gathers the fire elements in the air, and with a short burst of energy, she pounces forth mming her fist against the door. The mes burst out to the sides riding along the door frame as a blue coating protects the door. It ripples out from the impact site of Sylvia''s fist. Retracting her fist, she sees that there was no damage done. Shaking in anger, she proceeds to attack the door over and over again. Yelling and shouting out Luke''s name as she beats at the wall. Ripples bounce around the room continuously, and shrugging my shoulders I walk over to the bed and jump onto the mattress. Its soft bedding reminded me of my own bed before I moved to Sam''s ce. Not too soft and not too hard. It is time to collect my thoughts, after all, so much has happened in such a small amount of time. Let''s start with what happened with the short talk with the Horde. He is interested in yers but not the same as Casper. Casper seems to be interested in yers as if they were toys, experimenting with their so-called revivability which is just us respawning the next day. Wait, how do they even know about yers in the first ce? Did the people they killed talk about the real world? Or is it their AI progressing further because of all the yer interaction? Then how much do they know? Other than what I have said are they hiding information about other things? What about my existence then, won''t they kill me the moment I am useless? No, let''s just tell him some random information online. The inte is useful for bad information, plus I can sneak in some useful information every so often about Bones''s movement. With them in the North, information about them will always be useful no matter how trivial. I also had my fair share of fights with them and I can use that to tell the potential ces where Bones has set up viges. "Nina." - Sylvia "I need to make sure I am useful-" - Nina "NINA!" - Sylvia "Huh? What? What''s wrong, Sylvia?" - Nina "I''ve been talking to you the whole time, but you have been lost in your thoughts. You do this all the time, do you think you can listen to what I am saying now?" - Sylvia "Sorry, yes, what were you saying?" - Nina "I''m saying we need to get out of here as soon as possible. There is no telling what they are going to do to us, and I don''t want to just be stuck here any longer than I have to be. I''m sure they have lots of nasty things in store for us and LUKE! Doesn''t seem like he is of any use. That coward has given his life and soul to the very beings that took him away. I bet if Ian was here we would be attacking them straight away and Luke would be right next to us fighting alongside us, but no. He is with the enemy, and we are trapped in a cell. The door has some sort of magic barrier and no matter how hard I hit it, it doesn''t seem to want to break for me. What''s more, I feel like we are being watched right now. Something in these walls I can feel a presence. I just don''t know what it is." - Sylvia "Well, in my opinion, I think it is better for us to stay. While it may look like we are trapped in a cell, we are actually better off than most other prisoners. Plus, now you know that Luke is safe." - Nina "I don''t care about him anymore. That guy should have died before if this was how he was going to turn out." - Sylvia "Don''t say that. I know you were worrying about where and what Luke was doing the whole time you were with me. There is no denying your feelings for him." - Nina "Then, why did he do all that? He left me, hurt me. He was following the orders of Casper and the Horde instead of helping me. In that dark space, I-I-I was so angry. I was screaming, and yelling but no sound came out. Tears were streaming down my face, and I just felt so lost¡­ Then I came out of that darkness, and my head was pressed to the face by Luke. I was shaking, Nina. I¡­ I don''t know what to do. I just want to get out of here." - Sylvia "Sylvia, Luke is doing his best to protect you. I''m sure there is a reason for his actions. When we were walking to this ce, I could see him, slowly moving you away from Casper. It is a subtle movement, but he is doing his best. Plus, there is so much more he can do for us, know that he knows we are near him." - Nina "She is right you know. Love knows no bounds¡­" - ??? A voice enters our ears. Above us, in the shadows, a figure descends. I couldn''t move, after all, it was someone Ian has told me about. The one who gave him the curse mark. The Queen of Spiders, Selino. 251 Chapter 251 Chapter 251 - Ian, I''m Sorry (Nina Perspective) She was exactly like how Ian described her, pure white long hair,rge breasts, a small waist, and an oversized spider''s abdomen. Yet, her figure seduces you as she sways in the air, descending slowly from the roof. A thin strandes out from behind her, as she lowers her body head first. Her scarlet eyes smile at me, all 8 of them, as her face draws near, spotting the moment we were both on the same eye level. "And what do we owe the pleasure of meeting the Queen of Spiders herself." - Nina "I''m impressed you know who I am, but I guess that is because you are acquainted with my beloved Ian." - Selino Her long purple tongue licks her lips, as the temperature drops a few degrees. She speaks of Ian as if they were in a rtionship, but her expressions make it seem like Ian was nothing more than delicious prey. Gulping down my saliva, I nervously smile, doing my best to maintain eye contact with at least one of the eyes. "So¡­ Why are you inside this room with us? I''m sure it isn''t because you want to gossip about Ian and Luke. There must be a reason someone like yourself is going out of their way to talk to two lowly people such as ourselves." - Nina "Oh please, honey. I know the both of you are apostles of Ares, and I''m sure Hordey knows too. He just hasn''t said anything yet because having you here is better than having you wandering around." - Selino "What do you mean he already knows? Nina has only just be an apostle, there should be no information on her. Her coronation was done in secret. How?" - Sylvia Standing behind Selino, Syliva expresses her concerns. A slight nervous tone could be detected as she quickly fires off her words. One of our advantages has been exposed before it could even be used, but she says is true, how does the Horde already know? And Hordey? How close is the Queen of Spiders for her to call one of the Kings a nickname like that? "Hmm, it seems the both of you don''t know." - Selino Cutting the thin strand with one of her legs, she does a small side flip in the airnding gracefully between us. Ushering the both of us to sit on the bed, she makes herselffortable by spinning a small web cushion on the ground. "The both of you exude Holy Energy from your bodies just by breathing. It seems neither of you is aware of this but both me and Hordey and maybe a couple of others will be able to detect your presence because of the Holy Energy. There is no hiding it from us because we are more sensitive to the powers of the Gods. Cas-Cas doesn''t know because he is too infatuated with the idea of revival and reincarnation." - Selino "I see, so the Horde already knows that I was hiding my skills but chose to not do anything. He most likely thinks we are too weak to be of a threat to him." - Nina "Not just that, but it is more of a pain to be dealing with a God or a Goddess than it is to deal with their apostles." - Selino "Why are you telling us these things? Why are you even here talking to us?" - Sylvia A sinister grin appears on Selino''s lips, as her gaze naturally draws to Sylvia. Creeping forward with her body, using only her front legs, she leans in close to Sylvia until they were just inches apart. Unmoving, Sylvia stares back at Selino, determined to not lose the staring contest. "Nothing much to it honey~ I''m just bored. There isn''t much to do in this lonely ce than to tease the maids and build my army of spiders." - Selino "Then you don''t mind exchanging information?" - Nina Leaning away from Sylvia and moving closer to me, Selino''s grin widens, and her eyes form half moons. A slight chuckle escapes her lips as if everything unfolding right now was just a fun experiment for her. "Now, now. Just because I told you some things doesn''t mean I will be telling you more. I just felt generous when I told you all that information before." - Selino "Is there anything we can do so that you will be willing to share the information with us?" - Nina "Maybe. Maybe not. Right now, I''m merely enjoying talking to different people. Hordey is so stiff with his words, and he shows no interest in a beautiful female like myself, and Cas-Cas, the little boy has no interest in anything but his toys. Rautt is too much of a muscle brain to care and the others, well are just boring. Hmm¡­ How about this? Entertain me, and maybe, just maybe I will reward you but if you fail to do so¡­ Both your bodies will be mine to use for a while. How is that, honey?" - Selino "Nina, I don''t know about this maybe we should think about it for a bit before-" - Sylvia "We agree." - Nina "NINA!" - Sylvia "Well said! I''ll call you darling and the other one I''ll call honey. So, darling what are you going to do to entertain me." - Selino "Well, it''s not something I will do. Both Sylvia and I don''t need to do anything." - Nina "Are you trying to y games with me, darling? You won''t like it when I get upset." - Selino "It''s not like that, Queen. It is because the best source of entertainment for you right not and for the foreseeable future is not us but Ian." - Nina "Oh~ Do tell me more." - Selino "You see, Queen. I can call you Queen, can''t I? Or do you prefer a different name?" - Nina "Call me Sel, darling. It''s a nickname someone close to me used to call me." - Selino "Alright then, Sel. Your problem from what I have deduced is that you are bored in this ce. I can assume that you are unable to leave due to some sort of circumstance. However, if you were to be able to bypass that circumstance than the best way to entertain yourself is to be with someone who will entertain you. And what better person than Ian! You two have already met, and you have given him such a gift as well. Don''t you think it would be fun to torment him daily with your presence or maybe let him wake up to see your face? His expressions will be priceless and that is something you definitely cannot get while you are stuck here. Furthermore, I have heard that Ian is currently speaking to two other females. With your majestic body, I''m sure you can if you wanted to seduce Ian, grabbing his full attention away from the other two girls. The problem with seduction is there might be no true feelings, but that cane after. If you defeat the girls without harming them, I''m sure Ian will look at you in a more positive light. Once that happens, you will be by his side the whole time. You can tease him, speak to him and do so many things with him. You won''t be bored as well because there are so many things happening near him, including battling, adventuring, and rxing. It is only a matter of time before your boredom is cured. The only problem is getting to Ian which we can help with. We can put in a good word for you when you two meet for a second time and with that, you will be secured inside the small circle around Ian." - Nina I rant on and on about the benefits of being with Ian to Selino, asionally repeating myself as I was running out of words and my brain was overloading from the increasing tension in the room. Sylvia behind could only hold her head as she listens to me ''convincing'' Selino. Even though I had no idea if this would work, I knew I had to think of something fast. After all, someone like Selino prefers if the answers were told to her fast and spontaneous, rather than thought out and methodical. Finishing my rant, I look at Selino and to my surprise, I see her contemte her decision. Did it work? Am I convincing her? Was I about to get us out of this hellhole the moment we were ced inside it? "Darling¡­ That idea¡­ SOUNDS AMAZING! I can already see myself never bored. Ian''s expressions were already priceless when I first found him. Being with him more would allow me to see him like that again and the thought about the other girls¡­ Hehehe, I can already see me tying them up as I make them watch me y with Ian." - Selino Drool slightly drops from the side of Selino''s mouth as she imagines the different ''activities'' she will potentially be doing with Ian. Wiping away the drool with her left arm, she looks at me seriously. "Alright, darling. Your suggestion has entertained my thought and I will forgive you for the fact that I have to wait until I meet with Ian before your suggestion works. Now, then. What is it you want to know?" - Selino I can''t believe that worked¡­ But, Ian. I''m sorry for the troubleing for you soon. May you rest in peace. "Well, Sel¡­ Let''s start with¡­" - Nina 252 Chapter 252 Since the events at the Abyss, it has been a week and a half, 2 weeks into the third event. During this time there have been a lot of discoveries made by the yers as they venture through the Portals entering the Glemt, the Reaper''s territory. The most prominent discovery would be the location of the Reaper, himself. One of the top teams of Aqua, led by Helioc, ventured deep into the Glemt through the Portal that leads to the Courtyard. They documented the journey and posted it on the forum, allowing others to reach the same destination, however, it only led to more yer deaths. What they didn''t include were the monsters that were defending the Reaper''s Castle. In front of arge ck castle shrouded in a ck mist, were 2 monsters. A Cerberus, with each of its three heads utilizing fire, ice, and lightning, and a Duhan, dressed in pitch ck armor with a cyan spectral head and cyan mes for a neck. The Duhan also rode a jet ck horse with ming red eyes and scarlet mes for its mane and tail, with sparks of mes right above its hooves. These two monsters were discovered after the Aqua released the path to the Reaper''s castle. However, the most usible situation is that Aqua was also unable to defeat the 2 monsters. Attempting to see who could defeat these monsters, they released the path to them. Other discoveries included the vast variety of monsters, the environment of the Glemt, and the multitude of items obtained from fighting the monsters and from searching the area. That was the good news during the week and a half, there was also a lot of bad news for yers. After the Portals started to be overtaken by the yers, more monsters pooled out of the ones that weren''t, as the hordes of monsters slowly pushed back the yers from the Glemt. Many yer viges that were only able to barely defend against the initial waves of monsters were destroyed. Many yers and NPCs were killed and lots of environments were overtaken by the Reaper''s army. For HavenFall, this week and a half have been very productive. Just looking at the progress in the main vige, we were able to rescue another group of NPC humans as they ran from the dangers. These 15 humans were previously their vige''s militia and were trained inbat but most of them were cksmiths or farmers. Taking advantage of the new blood, old man Hus took the cksmiths and worked them to the bone, making Evan create a second workshop to amodate the increased workload. Old man Hus, was able to create 10 sets of bronze armor during this time, equipping the Hobgoblins that were at the frontline the most. During this time, Evan imed the Portal near HavenFall, calling it Portal to the Tower. Oscar and Rex found arge amount of copper ore near the Portal and started to transport them via the river. This was possible for them as they discovered how to create a simple raft, and then after unlocking the Sailing Technology, they were able to experiment and create a small rectangr floating device. Attaching a rope to the floating device, they were able to transport more copper than before upstream. Lucina was also making sure of the recruits, expanding her medicinal garden and creating more potions. She transported arge amount to the Krepost, while also keeping a decent number at HavenFall. Various other potions were experimented with as she learned more from the farmers, as these farmers have used certain nts to treat certain situations. However, the seeds need to be found and then grown before any progress can be seen. After Frank arrived at HavenFall, he started to take some of the goblins out on hunting trips for 12-18 hours a day,ing back with 1 or 2 hobgoblins. If Frank was lucky enough there would be a monster following behind him, however, at the end of the week and a half Frank was only able to obtain 5 monsters, 3 Pythons, 1 Giant Rat, and a Kobold. There was an increase of 17 hobgoblins in HavenFall, with some of them transferred to the Krepost along with the potions. Gobi has been training the goblins during the whole process, having Noah manage the Ikanda and allowing hobgoblin after hobgoblin to go through. I was not sure if it was because the tasks were different inside the Ikanda or Gobi passed on some amazing advice to the hobgoblins who were leaving in 3 days after entering the Ikanda. A total of 3 hobgoblins were able to obtain the increased stat points and skill from the ikanda, making them stronger than their counterparts. Ster and Lynn were practicing their spells during the time, trying their best to understand magic and further their skills. The both of them sparred constantly, testing out new strategies as their proficiency in using the spells went up. With the help of the spars, they were able to understand their skills more and had a higher uracy on spells that require attacking a moving target. asionally, they would help Lucina with some foraging as a way to rx and calm their mind. Noah also had time to upgrade the walls of HavenFall, primarily creating 3 walls between the mine and HavenFall. These walls usedrge tree trunks, cut into thick strips of wood, cutting out only a small adult-sized portion to allow passage. Furthermore, there were several gaps in the wood as it entered the water, allowing water to pass through smoothly. He also solidified the wall towards the ins, securing it with a stone barricade. The front wall was also upgraded, creating a taller wall as well as making it thicker and creating a wide moat. On top of the wall were Robin and her apprentices, Rex''s sister, and her friends. They were only working on their archery skills the whole time, being a lot better, however at the expense of other stats. They can hit moving targets easily and are capable of firing multiple shots at once in quick session. Standing near them were a couple of skilled goblin archers, trained by Robin as well. There is also a small bundle of sticks and leaves on one end, as a method to signal an enemy invasion. The smoke signal was only used once to test out the capabilities, meeting a satisfactory result. The defensive capabilities of the walls were also upgraded, the walls were all purely made out of stone cut from the canyon. Moving further down the canyon, past the tin mine, there is a small clearing to the right. After careful examination of the rock in this area, it was found to be only slightly weaker than golem stone, making it stronger than y bricks. During this time frame, only the front gate waspleted,pletely showing off a grey color scheme from the front. Offensively, HavenFall has improved greatly with the development of the Kris de, created by Lime. Simr to ancient Indonesian cold weapons, Lime used the leftover ore scraps from the copper to forge a wavy de. This de was the first of its kind, created when Lime was experimenting. The wavy edges were done unintentionally, as Lime fails to contain the melted metals, however, after cooling it was determined to be of use. Experimenting with the de, Lime lets Gobi attack a Jackalope with it. Seeing the de enter the monster easily satisfies Lime, however, as Gobi retracts the de, more blood and flesh was taken out. They were able to find out after a couple more experiments that the de tears the flesh as ites out of the body. Unfortunately for Lime, there wasn''t enough material to create more and only 15 were produced. The de has been worn on the side of the front line, ready to be used if their spears were broken. Bows and arrows were also improved as the farmers advised on the type of trees to use for the bow and the shaft of the arrow. The wood was more flexible and retained the tension of the bow, resulting in a better product as the increased flexibility also increased the speed of the attacks. The arrow''s shaft was also reced, creating a more streamlined weapon. There was plenty of this type of wood, allowing Robin to collect a decent amount to make into arrows and bows. HavenFall has been upgraded internally as well, as more houses were created to amodate the increased poption. Bricks were used to create pathways allowing for easier navigation and for the convenience of feeding everyone in this vige, the dining hall was expanded and a secondary outdoor dining area was created. Evan overlooked this expansion as he waited for the food to be cooked. With that, HavenFall''s week-and-a-half update report ends here. Next is the Krepost, where there have been as many or maybe even more changes. 253 Chapter 253 So, what happened at the Krepost? Quite a lot actually, both in the development of the Krepost and the NPCs. Starting off, the original wall surrounding the Krepost was taken down and reconstructed further out. Recing it were the y bricks taken from HavenFall, using some stone and wood to create a more stable structure. The wall also became taller and wider, giving more space to the goblin archers on the top, as well as a better height advantage. A small wooden cover was also ced at the top of the wall, providing cover for any of the NPCs. Furthermore, on each of the 4 points, a small tower was created, providing additional height as well as adder down to the ground. The total height, of the towers, was well over 5 meters tall, creating long shadows along the ground. Gopopo and Yor were the two people busy managing the wall, with Gopopo as the lead archer. Gopopo received a long bow from old man Hus, with several fully stocked quivers ready to be used. Alongside him, the goblin and hobgoblin archers were also equipped with bows and arrows, routinely patrolling the wall and overlooking the grasnd. Day by day they trained below the wall, shooting targets over and over again until they never miss. Following the expansion of the walls, the area where the tamed monsters were kept also increased. Kumi had her work cut out for her, as Celine came back after every hunting trip with more and more tamed monsters. With the increased workload, she had no choice but to get help from some farmers back in HavenFall and some goblins that were interested in taking care of monsters. However, it was worth the increased efforts. Celine had brought back an additional 10 Crizannas, 8 Zivotinjas, 5 Xabarils, and 2 Ijagus, over the course of a week and a half. These monsters were slightly weaker than the ones that were already in the Krepost, however, the increase in monsters helped with the breeding substantially. With the help of Howard, Kumi created multiple pens for the baby monsters as well as created environments that suited each type of monster. Crizannas and Zivotinjas had more room to freely roam around, whilst Xabarils had lots of dry grass and branches for them to y with. Ijagus were ced closer to the shade with additional roofs connected to the wall. Creating these environments, was Kumi''s idea and with it, the monsters seemed more rxed and appreciative. ording to Celine, the monsters preferred these separated environments and from what can be seen, the stat improvement increased faster. On the other side of the Krepost, Gibing helped with the construction of the buildings. Using HavenFall as a base, Gibing copied theyout of the buildings, cing the civilian homes on one corner. However, he soon realized that in an event of an invasion, these homes will be destroyed if they couldn''t defend against the monsters. Taking this into ount, he changed the construction ns and used the Krepost building as andmark, building homes around it in a circle. Using this formation, he was also able to position other buildings like the workshop, the dining hall, the armory, and the barracks, North, East, South, and West of the Krepost. Doing so, he was able to spread out the more important buildings at the moment and used the homes as ast resort shield. On the far side of the Krepost, next to the wall was the start of the farms. Using the grain found in the grasnd, the farmers from HavenFall slowly did their best to sow the seeds. It was a slow process since finding the seeds took a lot of time. It was only when Kumi suggested the use of the Xabarils as a method to find the seeds did they start to collect more, eventually filling up the first batch of farnd. As it was just used as an experiment, there wasn''t too much space allocated to the farm but if it turns out well and the grain can be mass-produced then, it won''t be long before this bes a stable food source. Looking out of the Krepost, Kingston, and Celine were off on their daily adventures taking goblins with them to train. Other thaning back with more monsters, Celine also learned more about the monster''s habitats and started to research them in depth as Kingston and the goblins fought them. Previously, she only had the first experience as a measure of how theirbat skills, and other than the constant fighting at night, she didn''t have any other knowledge of how the monsters fought naturally. Taking this opportunity, she learned more about the different tactics some monsters used as well as the application of their skills which she did not know about previously. Zivotinjas will always cast their shield before charging their electricity, making sure they are always ready for a fight. Crizannas never moved outside the pack, and when one of them was targeted, they would follow and attack, making sure they were never left alone. The monster she was able to learn the most about was the Ijagu. Originally her conception of the monster was that of a natural assassin, using the shadows and its superior stealth skills to hunt. The Ijagus they encountered always attacked a goblin when it was by itself, and when it failed, it would immediately retreat. Kingston was able to hunt it down, but even he had some difficulty if it runs into the forest. Its light feet and agile steps make traversing the forest extremely easy, coupled with its ck fur it could sometimes be invisible to the naked eye without using a skill. During this time, Celine was able to fully appreciate the monster''s tactics when hunting. Fighting only battles it was able to win, otherwise retreating and waiting for another opportunity. It was different from other monsters as its intelligence was a lot higher. Its decision-making skills were above some humans and goblins. It was only after taming the first Ijagu that was Celine able to understand the reason for its strength. Communicating with the beast, Celine understood that the most optimal way to hunt was to be patient and wait for the prey toe closer rather than actively hunting it. While she had the concept in her mind, she was never able to appreciate it as the monsters she tamed hunt in groups, protecting each other in fights, and never take a battle when it is alone. Then there were the Ster and Gewari, who were tracking down the cause of the strange monster invasion. Ster and Gewari left at different times, using their respective invisibility skills to remain hidden. Meeting upter in the forest with a small team of goblin scouts, they start to search in the direction that the monsters hade from. Following the tracks the monsters made on the ground, they were able to easily find the culprit. Deep inside the forest, South of the Krepost and East of HavenFall, resting against the mountainside was another yer vige, and just like we had suspected, they had some sort of tamer skill as well. There were several Crizannas patrolling the vige gate, between a wooden wall. Staying nearby to investigate the vige, Gewari noticed that there were a total of 27 humans and 15 demi-humans ranging between cats, dogs, and rat variants. At the same time, there were a total of 21 Crizannas, 16 Zivotinjas, 9 Giant Rats, and 3 Pythons. Ster decided to infiltrate the vige in order to gain more information about the vige''s actions, learning that the attack on the Krepost was nned as it was just the beginning. The vige was slowly preparing its army of monsters to attack while using the Pythons as scouts however, it was unable to detect that we have already infiltrated this vige. The leader of the vige also happens to be the tamer, however, protecting his side is a Zivotinja-variant. Instead of the ck and white stripes, it had gold and ck, with a glowing golden star for a tail. Bright yellow sparks scatter into the air with every step, and its menacing aura made Ster rethink her ns. Initially, she wanted to assassinate the leader and a few other people to make an example of attacking the Krepost but thinking about the Gold Zivotinja, she thought otherwise. Regardless, she was able to obtain valuable information and now a constant team of goblin scouts are always watching the vige rying information back to the Krepost. So what about me? What did I do during this time? I was constantly traveling back and forth between HavenFall and the Krepost. I didn''t need to train like the other NPCs, but I still participated in the various battles at both locations. Monsters wereing from other Portals that we were able to secure, and I would sometimes enter the Abyss Portal and the Tower Portal, fighting the monsters and obtaining various loot. However, there was nothing amazing to be obtained fighting the small monsters, and it was mainly to keep my skills in check for when we do eventually fight the Generals. I spent time with Reba as well, watching the sunset or the sunrise every so often. There was still much to discover about the environment and since it was still a game at this point, I still wanted to experience the freedom and the rxation of this world. However, as the final week of the event nears, there was only so much time left before we have no choice but to push forward. I wasn''t the only person thinking this, after all, every other yer had a simr thought. Carefully nning for the best 2 weeks all led to this point. This week will be long and chaotic. 254 Chapter 254 "Ian, what are your thoughts? Travys and the others will be attempting to defeat the Heart in the Abyss today. Shouldn''t we go and try to intercept them?" - Kingston "We beat them once already, it should be easy, right?" - Gibing "Not necessarily. Like us, they have had a week and a half to prepare their attack, most likely taking us into ount since we are their next big threat." - Howard "Then we just need to take them by surprise with a bigger army." - Gopopo "Why not just sneak attack them at that point? No need to waste the manpower to defeat them, if we can just kill the more important people." - Ster "We can''t do that Ster. It would be too big of a risk for the ones who are attacking them by themselves. There would a high chance that they won''t make it out alive if they were to be discovered trying to assassinate their leader." - Yor Sitting around a wooden table in the Krepost, Kingston, Gibing, Gopopo, Howard, Ster, Yor, and I were discussing the possible avenues for the eventual conquest of the Abyss. Sam had told me offline, that an insider from Bones informed him that Travys and some other Bones employees were attempting to attack the Heart. Wanting to hear my NPCs'' opinions, as well as Kingston''s, I brought them here soon after midday, gathering them around the table. "What is our current status if we were to start a fight with Bones? Are we able to hold out against them if they were to attack us in full force?" - Ian "Well, it depends, what is our strategy against the Heart? Frankly, I haven''t thought of a usible method to deal with damage to it consistently when it is so far away. Even with all our goblin archers and the hobgoblin archers, there is no way our arrows will be able to kill the Heart. I doubt Travys and his army will be able to do the same." - Kingston "Kingston, you may think it is impossible but to me, there is a possible strategy to attack the Heart. I''m not saying we will be able to kill it, but there is a chance." - Yor "Go ahead, Yor. What is your n?" - Ian "Celine has tamed a lot of monsters and amongst them, there are a lot of ranged skills, namely the Zivotinjas, Shooting Stars, and Discharge. While the Crizanna''s have ranged skills as well, their overall abilities are weaker than the Zivotinjas, as they also have Prismatic Barrier to defend themselves. Celine has informed me about these skills and their descriptions and this got me thinking, isn''t the Zivotinjas the best partner in any form ofbat? Not only will they shield you, but they will also do damage to your enemies. The Zivotinjas will be vital when we engage inbat with Travys and his army. Once that battle is done, we will be facing the Heart and while the damage will be slow, the Zivotinjas will also be attacking the Heart, adding to the archer''s damage. We just need David here to do the final blow to the Heart with his skill." - Yor "Yor, that n is fine and all but isn''t the just my thought, thought out more?" - Kingston "Possibly. There isn''t much we can go off since we were only able to get to the Heart once. Every other attempt we tried, we had to stop the level before since another monster now guards it." - Yor "That monster is a lot more difficult than thest one we had to face. While it is of the same race, its intelligence is a lot higher, making it harder to attack it since it knows that just flying around makes it hard for us to attack it. Not only that but there were several instances where someone could have died to the sneak attacks of Travys''s assassins." - Howard "However, one on one against them, we have the advantage. They weren''t that strong." - Gibing "That''s because individually most of them aren''t strong. They work better as a unit, where their teamwork can be disyed. Despite theck of ideas, my own thoughts did coincide with Yor''s. The only problem is moving all these Zivotinjas and then managing them for the duration of multiple battles will be quite difficult. They are still monsters, so they wouldn''t fully understand the reasons behind our actions even with Celine tranting. Despite that, I think we should attack them head-on rather than try to y around with assassination or backstabbing attempts. With this approach, we need to be very careful with the timing of our attack. We want to catch them off guard, but before they have time to send out scouts and invisible troops to guard the sides. Once they do this, it will make the battle extremely difficult, since we have to be careful wherever we go." - Ian "I will do my best with Gewari if it ends up being an assassin battle. Would you like me toy in wait for the enemy or attack their own leader?" - Ster "As I said, I prefer if that doesn''t happen but¡­ I think you attacking their leader would be better. We should be more than capable of defending ourselves." - Ian "I''ll lead the battle with Howard and David, as well as some demi-humans. We will st through their front line quickly and reach for Travys." - Kingston "Wouldn''t Travys be at the front anyway? He was at the front when we temporarily teamed up with him and his equipment matched that of Howard''s or David''s before he transformed. So isn''t it more likely that he would be at the front as well?" - Gopopo "You''re right¡­ Then Howard, David, some demi-humans, and I will attack Travys and keep himpany. I''m sure his two friends, Song and Tsugi will be right next to him as well, so we need to fight against them as well." - Kingston "So, how many of us will be going to the Abyss?" - Yor "Quite a lot, but we need to bnce it so that when we leave we won''t be attacked by that Tamer vige not too far away from us. What is their recent movement Ster? Have they done anything that we should be concerned about?" - Ian "The vige has grown in numberpared to thest time you asked for a report on them. Mainly more monsters have been tamed, however, the residents themselves seem to be busy constructing houses for themselves rather than finding an opportunity to attack. I might be wrong, but I feel like this is just a front, I feel like the tamer knows we are watching him and is currently giving us false information through the civilian movements. It has also be increasingly difficult to scout around the vige. The increase in monsters led to an increase in patrols as well as an extended range. Numerous close encounters have urred, and we had no choice but to retreat further back and scout from a further distance. Every so often I would infiltrate the vige but only for a short while before the Gold Zivotinja notices me." - Ster "So you think they might attack us the moment we leave the Krepost?" - Ian "Unfortunately, yes. I believe they are waiting for that moment. Even if they do not, I believe they would prepare an ambush for us near the cave. Making us have to fight them not long after a difficult battle." - Ster "What if we split into two different teams?" - Kingston "What do you mean, Kingston? We are already small in numbers, but you want to reduce it even further?" - Yor "That''s right, Kingston. Isn''t it better to focus on the Heart? It is a more important battle than a battle with a nearby vige." - Gibing "Let him talk. I''m sure he has an idea." - Gopopo "Well, the tamer vige is mainly monsters, right? Why not attack them with our own monsters? We have a significant number of monsters, 47 Zivotinjas, 39 Crinzanna, 58 Xabarils, and 2 Ijagu. Just looking at the numbers we outnumber theirs, but that isn''t the only thing we have, after all, we have Luna and the rest of her pack. Right now there are a total of 28 wolves, each more than capable of fighting against a few monsters by themselves. David is already on his way but if we send a messenger quickly, we can also get Luna and her wolves toe to us. Celine, Kaede, Ken, Reba, and a few others will form a second army and attack the tamer vige, with the monsters being the main army. We just need maybe 20 Zivotinjas for the first army, but other than that, goblins, hobgoblins, and demi-humans can guard the girls while Ken leads at the front." - Kingston "Interesting proposition, Kingston. I quite like it as well. Alright, we will go with Kingston''s n. Ster find someone fast to deliver the message but also bring back Frank and his vampiric beings. They will be a trump card against the tamer vige in case the monster army can''t handle the battle against the Gold Zivotinja. The rest of us, it is time for you to prepare yourselves for the uing battle. Kingston, tell Celine to get her monsters ready. We march at dusk, attacking the tamer vige at night and entering the Abyss at night as well, following Travys''s schedule. Luna and her wolves will be here in time and David will also hurry after getting the message." - Ian "Yes, my lord/Ian!" - Everyone 255 Chapter 255 Walking out of the Krepost, I see Ster quickly approach Gewari, asking her to find a fast scout to deliver the message. At the same time, I see Kingston stroll over to Celine, squatting next to her as he rys the message. Nearby, Reba walks over to me, clinging onto my arms the moment she reaches. "So, what do you have in store for me in this n of yours?" - Reba "Uhh¡­ To be honest, I was hoping you would stay at the Krepost for this one babe." - Ian "WHAT!! What do you mean, hoping I would say at the Krepost? How can you just leave me here? I thought I would be going with you all the way to the Abyss. What about the Aqua Ring? Don''t you need the AOE healing?" - Reba "It is nice, but this battle will be too hard. I can''t have you in it since you will most likely be killed. Your stats would be the lowest in the whole army, and even if you can heal us if you are not alive how can you use it?" - Ian "But¡­ I¡­ I just want to me with you." - Reba "I know, and we are still together offline, it''s just this time I don''t think it would be good for you to apany me. Plus, with you here managing the Krepost while I''m gone, it will put my mind at ease. Nothing will happen here if you aremanding everyone. I will be able tomunicate with you offline and be updated on the situation here even though I am in the Abyss." - Ian "But-" - Reba "Please, babe. I need you here at least." - Ian "Alright¡­ I''ll stay here but next time, I''m going with you okay?" - Reba "Sure, next time." - Ian Hugging my whole body, Reba looks at me with big eyes, slightly pouting her mouth. Where did the cool beauty Reba go? How did she transform into this adorable creature? Giving her a kiss on her forehead, I notice Kingstoning over, holding onto the trident in his left hand. "Sorry to disturb your online date, but I need to ask you something, Ian." - Kingston "Go ahead. What did you need to ask me?" - Ian "Do you still want me to use the Trident? After you gave it to me in the Abyss you haven''t used a main weapon since." - Kingston "It''s fine, keep the Trident for now. You need it more than me since you lost the Dark Spear and don''t worry, old man Hus is making me a spear. It should arrive with David if old man Hus had finished making it." - Ian "Seriously, dude? You get an upgrade and I get your hand-me-downs? Why can''t I take the new weapon? You take this Trident back, I don''t want it anymore." - Kingston "Rx, Kingston. Honestly, the trident suits you more than me anyway. Your style of reckless attacking and explosionspliment each other very well." - Ian "Hmm¡­ You make a good point and Belial doesn''t mind it either. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this, but Belial says that we should be able to defeat the Heart rtively easily. It is mainly a monster that keeps things alive and has high defensive skills butcks offensive skills. We could have killed it the first time we saw it, but we didn''t have the damage, and we were severely weakened." - Kingston "I had thought about that. The Heart didn''t do anything to us after the battle with the Deadbeats, even though it should have known that we were very weak. The only problem is, we don''t know what kind of monster will be guarding it. It must be very important if Calliope was there for a while protecting it, even trusting the massive amounts of Deadbeats to protect it." - Ian "Maybe it is some sort of core that helps the Reaper? We still haven''t seen him yet even though other yers are knocking on his doorstep." - Kingston "Only time will tell. What did Celine say about the attack? Will the monsters she tamed be okay?" - Ian "She says it will be okay. Evenmanding all the monsters shouldn''t be that hard for her. Most of the monsters already have a basic understanding of warfare after going through so many battles with us against the invading monsters. The only problem she can see is when there is a stronger monster, they might be afraid as it is a monster''s instinct to bow down to the stronger monster." - Kingston "That''s a problem since we know there is a Zivotinja-variant or Alpha Zivotinja, hopefully, the monsters will be okay when that shows up or else we might lose the battle before it even begins." - Ian "That was Celine''s concern as well, unfortunately for us, none of the monsters look even close to evolving or bing some sort of variant. In fact, after Gyumi, there hasn''t been a variant evolution in any of the goblins. They all go into one of three paths which are bing like the previous Gibing and Gopopo or bing like Gewari." - Kingston "What can you do? We don''t know the reason behind the evolution either, so we can''t control it. We just know after fighting a lot they will naturally evolve. It is like they have a hidden experience bar. Well, is that all you were looking to talk about?" - Ian "Pretty much. I''ll get everything ready by dusk, you two have fun." - Kingston "Will do. Babe, what do you want to do while I''m still here?" - Ian "Hmm¡­ There isn''t much to do here. We can walk around if you want until something happens. Otherwise, we can rx in the Krepost." - Reba "How about we walk around, and look at the construction of the various buildings." - Ian "Okay, lead the way. I only ever nce at them, never took time to look at them in detail." - Reba "Alright, let''s start this way." - Ian Pointing in a random direction, Reba and I start wandering around the territory. We see the many residents of the Krepost, helping each other in constructing the houses, with y bricks. At the start, we were taking the bricks from HavenFall, but as the demand started to rise, we needed to create a kiln in the Krepost as well. After doing so, the construction speed hastened, leading to many buildings being constructed. Using wood and stone as reinforcement, there were enough houses for everyone at the moment with some houses featuring a second story. This surprises me as I didn''t think anyone needed a second story as they were mainly outside working or fighting. Nheless, it did add variety to the small vige. Walking around, we also saw some houses featuring pot nts or different types of roofs, windows, and even house structures. It seems the architect of these houses was experimenting as we saw circr, rectangr, and diamond windows, straw roofs, wooden roofs, and even longer or wider houses. This put a smile on my face as it meant the residents were thinking for themselves, and upgrading the vige a little by adding their own tastes and interests. The most interesting building was the mess hall, as it featured a singr long room with several tables and chairs. A counter was at the back, where a door behind it leads to an open-air kitchen, with the Krepost''s chef busy making stew throughout the day. The enticing smell wafts over the whole vige and the growls of the resident''s stomachs can be heard echoing from every corner. In another corner, the sound of wood striking wood could be heard. Walking over slowly with Reba, we could see Gibing training a batch of demi-humans and hobgoblins. Their repeated strikes against a wooden dummy that Howard had made, rang in my ears as I see their determined eyes and their clenched teeth. Sweat flies from their bodies as they shout in unison each time they attack, without a care in the world about their surroundings. Even with me standing there watching them, they were too focused to notice. Nodding my head at their determination, we move up a bit to see Gopopo and a small team of archers practicing. Much like Gibing''s group, their determination could be seen as they focus all their energy on the arrow''s tip. Releasing it alongside their breath, before quickly repeating the process. Arrow after arrownds in the middle and only once they ran out of arrows did their concentration lessen. Noticing my presence, Gopopo draws near, expressing to us his satisfaction with the archers. Knowing that he is only this good because of Robin, he had always been unsure about his own archery skills and teachings but after seeing the result of his hard work, he could only smile and excitedly share the news. The morale of the archers behind him reaches the sky as their teacher proudly shows them off. After engaging in some small talk with Gopopo, we leave him to continue the practice. Walking along the walls we eventually reach one of the corner towers. Using thedder to get up, we sit on the top of the tower, looking out to the emerald sea before us. "You know, it is always beautiful looking at this scene. I sometimes forget that this is a game when I see this." - Reba "It is beautiful, and one day it might be a reality. This scene we see is real, even if we treat this as a game, it is real to the NPCs. They see this and they too feel revitalized. It isn''t just you, babe, but out there¡­ There is danger everywhere." - Ian "I know. That''s why you are going out there. To get stronger. Toe back better than when you left. Not just you. Everyone down there, Gibing, Gopopo, Yor, Kaede, Kingston and so much more. Strength is everything here and the moment we show weakness, we lose." - Reba "Yes¡­ That''s why I have no choice." - Ian "I know¡­ Just stay safe okay?" - Reba "I will. Don''t worry, I''ll alwayse back." - Ian 256 Chapter 256 A couple of hours passed with both Reba and me rxing above the corner tower. With her head leaning against my shoulder, we chat about the random things in life as well as the different things we have experienced during the game. Not before long, Kingston walks up to the tower, putting his hands near his mouth he shouts up to us. "IAN! David has arrived!" - Kingston Turning my head around, I nod at Kingston and both of use down. Walking over with Kingston, we get to the Krepost building, where Kingston was putting down arge barrel of what seems to be equipment. Frank and his 6 vampiric beings, also put down a few smaller baskets, and a small group of goblin scouts was around taking out everything. Luna and her pack were resting up with Celine, as she tends to their fur. Observing Luna, it seems like her body lookedrger than the other wolves, but her stats were the same as Ist saw it. Maybe she is getting close to an evolution? Simrly, Razor and Belle were also slightlyrger than the average wolf, but still smaller than Luna. David sees me walking over and smiles widely, spreading his arms around as hees in for a hug. Making sure my spider legs don''t hurt him, I hug him back patting his back as I do. "Ian! It is good to see you. I was lucky enough to see the goblin scouting from the Krepost before I got too far away from HavenFall. If I didn''t see it, I don''t know if I could have made it by dusk. I might havee during the night or even tomorrow." - David "Well, it is good that you saw it. I''m also d that the goblin scout got there in time. I was worried that it might have been toote. So, what did old man Hus make for us?" - Ian "Most of it is for the troops, with a thinner stone te. It is as durable as the thicker ones we used to use but lighter making it easier to move. Furthermore, there have been improvements in the stone weapons. They are a lot sharper than before and have a thin bronze coat on the edge. Instead of making a full bronze weapon, that was what he decided to do so that we would have a better chance at fighting. As for arrows, Lime had the other cksmiths make a huge amount totaling a thousand arrows with a bronze tip. Robin has said these arrows will do better than the ones we currently have as well as it pierces deeper than the stone arrows. That''s for the mass-produced ones, as for you weapon Ian, here." - David Taking out a long bronze spear, with a slightly curved tip, resembling part of the Alpha Jackalope Antler. The tip glistens as the orange glow from the sun shines over it. Taking the spear, I look at its stats and to my surprise, it was a lot stronger than it looked. [Frenzy Antler Attack: 60 +20 Agility Skill: Frenzy, Sharp Point (Passive) A spear created by an inspired cksmith. His ingenuity helped forge a corrupted antler and bronze shaft, taking the in monster''s personality and creating a weapon that utilizes it. Its sharp point is something to be wary of, but its durable shaft is what keeps the spear together. Made by Hus] Frenzy (Active) - Enter a frenzied state, enhancing Agility by 10% and Strength by 10% for 5 min but lose 20% Agility and Strength for 30 mins. Cooldown 45 mins. Sharp Point (Passive) - Enemies struck by the tip will experience ''Bleed'' losing 1%HP every 10 seconds for 30 seconds. Can stack 5 times, dealing a total of 5%HP every 10 seconds for 30 seconds. "This spear is amazing¡­ Old man Hus outdid himself again." - Ian "Oh before I forget, Sr and Lynn, made something too, out of the scrap pieces of metal. It seems to be a bracelet of some sorts, but it doesn''t fit my wrists." - David Taking the bracelet from David''s hands, I inspect the item. Its cold touch reminds me of steel, but its orangey tinge tells me it is copper. On the inside of the bracelet, I see text that I couldn''t understand, were they Elven? [Elven Protection Bracelet +10 Vitality +10 Intelligence Skill: Shield] The item was very basic but maybe because of its ''basess'', it became very useful. Not only did it have a good stat boost but the skill it had was the same skill that Sr uses just without the elves'' chant. Putting on the bracelet, let David help equip everyone else as we make the final preparations for the night attack. Gopopo helps move the arrows up to the wall while Gibing helps equip the demi-humans and the goblins making sure they were well-equipped to protect the Krepost while they were gone. Kingston moves over to Celine, helping her with anything she needs for her own preparations. Luna and her pack got ready as well as they moved out of the Krepost and stood waiting for the signal to move out. She howls softly to her fellow wolves, making them all perk up as they look at the setting sun. Reba takes off the bronze equipment and lets me equip it as she wouldn''t need it for tonight. Putting it on, I slowly calm my breath, preparing my mental state for what is toe. ncing around I see everyone doing the same, their nervousness slowly spreading to one another. Once I put on my armor, I made some noise hitting the butt of my spear against the ground. Their startled expression brought a smile to my face, as I walked to the front of the Krepost. ncing to my left, I see Kingston grinning as well, as I approach the door of the Krepost, turning around and facing everyone. "What''s up, Ian? Why are you there?" - Kingston "I am here to tell everyone just a few words. The tension around this ce is as tight as a taut string, why is everyone so nervous? While we shouldn''t be celebrating, there shouldn''t be a need to be so nervous about what is toe. Tonight we venture forth to two battle fronts, the Glemt and the Tamer Vige. The former was a ce where we had no choice but to retreat from after a difficult battle and thetter was a ce that invaded us when we were weak. Tonight we will conquer both ces. We will defeat the monsters in the Abyss and destroy the Heart. We willpletely eradicate the Tamer Vige, taking the monsters if possible and converting the vigers to our side. Now I will announce those who will be going to which front, starting with the Glemt. David, Howard, Kingston, Gopopo, Gibing, Ster, Kumi, 20 Zivotinjas, 15 goblin archers, 10 demi-humans, 5 hobgoblins, 5 goblin scouts, and me. Those mentioned please move out of the Krepost and stand ready down the hill. Make sure all preparations areplete within the next 5 to 10 minutes. There are potions given to us by Lucina in the barrels over here, take 2 each. Now for the other front, the Tamer Vige. Celine, Frank, Yor, Gewari, Luna, and her pack, the rest of the Zivotinjas, Crizanna, Xabarils, and Ijagus. Those I have not mentioned will be staying at the Krepost. Protect this ce with your life until wee back. DO NOT let anyone inside. Reba will be taking care of you until I am back. That is all." - Ian "Anything else?" - Kingston "Nothing, Kingston. Please prepare yourself. I need you to be at the top of your game." - Ian "Will do my lord." - Kingston "Celine and Yor will be themanders of the battle against the Tamer Vige. Respect their orders and obey them as they will be the ones who will help you win. CELINE! Make sure the monsters you tame stay under yourmand. Do not let them be controlled either by the other tamer or by the other Zivotinjas. BELIEVE in yourself!" - Ian "Yes, my lord. I will do my best!" - Celine ? "And Kumi!" - Ian "Yes, my lord?" - Kumi "Make sure you keep the monsters under yourmand when we are going to the Glemt. They might be afraid of the new environment so make sure you keep them call as possible throughout the whole thing. They are important to the final stage of the battle and will be needed throughout the various battles." - Ian "Yes, my lord. I will not disappoint you." - Kumi "ALRIGHT! IT''S TIME TO MOVE OUT!!!" - Ian "FOR HAVENFALL!!" - Everyone After saying my final words, I meet up with Kingston at the bottom of the hill facing the grasnd before us. Kissing Reba goodbye, I nod to everyone here with me. It was time to leave ande back with a victory. Picking up my spear, I take the first step of many. 257 Chapter 257 Leaving the Krepost, we slowly advance towards the tunnel where the Abyss Portal lies. The formation of our troops was simple, demi-humans and hobgoblins in the front with shields, scouts on the side, Zivotinjas in the back, and everyone else in the middle. The goblin scouts also held onto torches, as well as some demi-humans in the front, lighting our surroundings as the sun dipped below the horizon. With no monsters obstructing our path, we make it to the tunnel in no time. Standing in front of the Portal, I press my hand against the door, activating it. Nodding to Ster, I let her and the goblin scouts pass through first. Activating her invisibility skill from the mask, she cloaks herself and the goblin scouts before moving through. As we were approaching the tunnel, I had already informed Ster of a scouting n for when we arrive at the Portal. Letting her and her goblin scouts move in first, we will be able to gauge any enemies that are loitering around the entrance of the Abyss. At the same time, she will be able to quickly assassinate any nearby enemies, escaping immediately after she does, putting any groups into disarray. Trusting her skills, I let her initiate the n the moment we arrive, wasting no time. We wait for a while, letting Ster do her job. In the meantime, David, Gibing, and a few demi-humans set up some torches around the Portal, making the ce less of a deary hole. Leaning against the wall, I nce around the site. Seeing everyone talking to each other lightened the mood up. I could see their faces rx a littlepared to their stone-cold expressions as they were marching towards the tunnel but that brief moment of relief fades quickly as Ster and the goblin scouts exit the Portal. "What is the situation Ster? Tell me as much detail as possible." - Ian "At the moment there are no enemies at the entrance. We searched the whole floor, making sure to check the Portals as well for any signs of their opening, even waiting for a while just in case someone was going to go through but no one. However, that doesn''t mean that someone isn''t already in the Abyss. With a quick scout up the staircase, we were able to spot a few dead Guiafairo, along the steps. These monsters looked to have been sliced and pierced multiple times. It was unclear if it was done by a singr weapon or by multiple. A quick discussion led us to fall back as we were unsure what might be ahead of us." - Ster "Excellent choice. You were able to bring us enough information for us to know that there are most likely enemies above us. The number and their skill level are unknown, but that shouldn''t matter too much for now. Do you need to rest up before entering the Portal again?" - Ian "No. The scouts and I are fine to continue. Just say the word, my lord." - Ster Nodding at Ster, I turn to Kumi who was tending to the Zivotinjas. She was brushing their necks while feeding them some grass she had in a small pouch. "Kumi, how are the Zivotinjas feeling? Will they be okay?" - Ian "At the moment, they are fine. The environment here startled them at first but after seeing everyone else walk forward confidently, they slowly became ustomed. I''m sure they will be fine passing through the Portal as well." - Kumi "Good, then we will go through now. Ster and her group will go first again, followed by the demi-human and hobgoblin shield bearers, then it will be us and the archers, followed up by the Zivotinjas." - Ian "Understood! Scouts, let''s move." - Ster Replying to mymand, Ster passes through the Portal once more with the goblin scouts. The demi-humans and hobgoblin shield bearers press their shields together side by side, leaving no gap before marching through in 3 rows of 5. Kingston and the rest follow up, tightening their grip on their respective weapons. Gopopo even nocked an arrow, just in case there is an unexpected situation. Walkingst in this group, I turn back and look at Kumi once more. Her smiling face reassures me as I turn around and walk through the Portal. Appearing on the other side, I see everyone in a battle-ready stance. ncing around, I see no enemies and letting out a low sigh, I turn behind, watching the Portal as Kumi and the Zivotinjas walkthrough. Calming the Zivotinjas immediately, Kumi brushed their necks softly, speaking into their ears as their slightly aggressive nature reveals itself in the unusual environment. Kumi takes only a minute to calm them all as they pass through one by one. Satisfied with her work, I smile at her and pat her head, making her blush slightly. Finding Kingston, I nudge my head in the direction of the stairs, while cing a finger against my lips, signaling silence. Everyone knew we had to be quiet. It was part of the n I had spoken about along the way to the Tunnel. No matter the situation, we had to be as quiet as possible, so that we won''t notify the enemies we are there, behind them. Kingston nods his head, patting David''s shoulder and pointing for him to move up. Kingston was already recognized as the second leader or the vicemander, after his constant contribution to the Krepost and to fights. Leading the front will always be Kingston, while I lead from behind, watching over the whole battle from a different perspective. David moves forward at a rtively slow pace, allowing the shield bearers to catch up with him and reorganize their formation as they approach the stairs. It was impossible to have a wide formation along the stairs of the Abyss, instead, it was better to have a strong frontline which David makes up for with his bulky build. Just him is enough to deal with the front, and if needed the shield bearers behind him can assist immediately. It wasn''t just them, Gibing and Howard were not too far away either and in the worst-case scenario, I can scale the wall to reach the front. Kingston falls back a few rows, allowing David to take the lead as a few rows of shield bearers separate them. Next to him were Gibing and Howard, both so focused you could see their eyes bulge out of their sockets. Gopopo was a lot further behind, alongside the goblin archers, however, his position will always make it so that he could strike any enemies at the front even with the curving staircase. Kumi carefully brings the Zivotinjas up the stairs, and to her surprise, they were able to climb them with rtive ease, with some even jumping up a few stairs. The only downside to having so many people doing a stealth-like mission is¡­ Well, the amount of people. The noise of our footsteps echoes in the Abyss and the sound of our armor clinking against each other creates a melody, ringing in our ears. Seeing this, I gave up on even the slightest chance that was being ''sneaky''. Kingston also just shrugged his shoulders, there was nothing we can do other than to press onward. Moving past the Guiafairo corpses, David pushes them down to the ground, giving us more space to move through. Hoping there would be an item left behind, I made sure to carefully inspect the corpse before David threw it away, s there was nothing. Bit by bit we advance higher into the Abyss, and the corpses were increasing. There were a lot morepared to the first time and as we got further up, the damage inflicted on these monsters was also increasing. At the start, it was merely just sliced and pierced flesh, but as the monster corpses increase, we start to see torn flesh, shattered skulls, and protruding bones. Whatever was killing these monsters, disregarded the method and went for the most effective means of killing. Can''t say I wasn''t impressed but at the same time, I was curious as to why these bodies were still bodies. Didn''t monsters burst into purple smoke when they die? No, there was an exception to this¡­ The Alpha Jackalope. However, that was due to a monster living inside the Jackalope, what about these? This thought swims around my brain, but seeing David tossing them down the side of the stairs and letting their corpse m into the ground, slowly pushed any theory I had further away. Looking up further, I could see the exit to the next floor. David stops suddenly 20 steps away from the exit and looks back at me. Nodding my head, I signal him to advance further. Nodding back, he readies himself, cracking his knuckles through his gauntlet. Yes, David''s new weapons are gauntlets made out of stone, bronze, and Ijagu leather,plimenting his new fighting style perfectly. An air of tension spread throughout us, as David reaches the next floor and walks up. 258 Chapter 258 Peeking above the stairs, and looking around the floor, David quickly assesses the situation before ducking down. He speaks in a low tone, keeping his voice as calm as possible but there were hints of nervousness. Since we were so close to the exit now, we were able to hear the constant yelling of orders mixed with the screeches of the monster above us. "There is a fight going on right now, on the other side of the exit and along the stairs. Arge group of humans and demi-humans are currently fighting against the monster which we first fought on this floor. However, there is a slight difference between the two monsters. This one seems to have an extra set of wings, tails, and an extra head¡­ It hasn''t been that long since Gibing came here with Gopopo to scout out the ce and the monster has already changed. This is going to be a lot tougher than anticipated." - David "They haven''t noticed us? Even though we were like elephants walking up the stairs?" - Kingston "None of them were turned toward us. They were focused more on the flying monster. I would be too if you saw how big that monster was." - David "How many enemies were there? Not including the singr monster." - Ian "It was arge party simr to our size with a variety of troops. From what I could see, there were people wielding shields of all shapes and sizes, people holding long knives, spearmen, archers, and a small group of people holding onto a stick of wood or a book. I don''t think I can give you an exact number but that was what I could see, most of the archers and the people with the staff and books were alongside the stairs. They had a couple of shield-wielding demi-humans in front of them with the rest on the ground. Although I was able to spot Travys in the front of the formation standing next to another human, that wasn''t Song and Tsugi." - David "Another human? Wouldn''t there be a lot of humans there?" - Gibing "Was the air around this person different?" - Howard "Yes. I only took a nce at him beforeing back down but the hair on my body stood up and my breath felt like it was taken away from me." - David "David, describe him for us. As much detail you can remember." - Ster "I don''t remember much. The human''s presence was as great as Calliope''s, I wouldn''t dare keep looking¡­" - David "Only one way to find out then right? Let''s move up to the next floor. Immediately get into position alright!" - Ian Letting out a sigh, David goes back up, this time with everyone else following him. In my mind, there was only one person I can think of that could potentially be a threat to us¡­ Devel. The top dog of Bones, the highestmander, leader of their main vige, and one of the top 10 yers from the beginning. I guess it was finally time for some of the top 10 to fight. I know nothing about his abilities but from our interaction with Travys, Devel would know some of my skills. The Code of Hammurabi is no longer a special trick that I can use, after all, I used it already to defeat the other monster. If I want to use it, I would need to be extremely sneaky, bringing it out and using it as quickly as possible. Kingston moves back against the crowd until he was next to me. "We are about to fight Devel right?" - Kingston "Most likely. There is no one else who I can think of that might be standing next to Travys with such arge presence. The only other exception would be an extremely strong NPC but what are the chances of that happening?" - Ian "You''re right. So, what''s the n? We didn''t ount for a strong yer. We knew there was most likely going to be Travys and his party but to think even the top yer of Bones will be here. Things might get a little bit dicey¡­" - Kingston "The n won''t change, for the most part, there isn''t much that can be changed. However, out of everyone here, either you or me has to deal with Devel. Save Belial for the Heart unless things get too dangerous and try your best with dealing with him. If needed we can switch, or even tag team Devel but then it leaves Travys. While Travys wasn''t that strong when west fought him, his skills make him hard to deal with. We were only able to defeat him quickly before becasue he used up his skills defending against the monster." - Ian "Then let''s do it like this. I''ll handle Travys and take care of the front with David and Howard. The rest will be like how we nned it before, with Ster and Gewari taking care of the backline before they do any real damage to us and the Zivotinjas casting their shields on our front line while attacking anyone thates near." - Kingston "Yep, let''s keep it the same. I''ll do my best to handle Devel. I still have the Hoplites, the spider, the new bracelet, and this new spear as well." - Ian "Alright, then. Be careful okay, Ian" - Kingston "You too. Don''t die on me, just go Berserk. I''m sure that will be better." - Ian "If only¡­ If only¡­" - Kingston Leaving me, Kingston slips through the demi-humans, climbing up. I follow not too far behind, mentally preparing myself for the fight that is toe. With just a few more steps, I finally get to the floor. Kingston and the rest of the front line we already in position, and after a nce see that Ster and Gewari had already disappeared. Looking past them, I could see the situation with the monster with my Eye of the Roc and I could feel my mouth drying up. Standing in front of everyone, facing the Twin-Head Guiafairo, is a singr man with his hand gripping a ck handle behind his shoulder. An outrageouslyrge jet-ck rectangr sword with multiple blue cracks along the body could be seen below the handle. The air around it seems to bend and curve as the blue cracks start to glow brighter and brighter as I see the man grip the sword tighter. Wearing simple leather armor and leggings, with the only unique-looking equipment being these navy gloves with multiple lightning bolts on the back of the palm, the man starts to bend his knees, leaning forward slightly. His ck hair seems to float up slightly as the Twin-Head Guiafairo screeches toward him. Both sets of wings start to p picking p the dirt and dust along the ground, picking up speed quickly but the man only bends lower. His sword sparks blue lightning around him, zapping the flying dirt and the ground. The sword glows brighter and brighter, to the point that it seems like it was the cracks that were holding the ck sword together. Travysmands his troops to fall back, pointing with his bronze ax for them to move toward the stairs. Doing so, he was also able to notice our presence as we stood at the staircase going down, prepared for battle. Some words were spoken between Travys and the man and I could see Travys smile before running to the stairs as well. Meanwhile, the Twin-Head Guiafairo sends two dust tornados at the man, before flying up into the air and sending two balls ofpressed air aimed at the man as well. Lightning sparks off him intensify as his sword lights up the whole room, drowning us in bright blue light. As the two balls of air draw near, he finally breaks his stance, swinging the sword over his shoulder, producing a wave of lightning shing the balls and creating tworge explosions. Wind sts at us from the impact zone, but it didn''t stop there. The moment his sword swinges down, he grips the sword with his other hand and leaps off the ground. Lightning flies off him, like a cape as he reaches the monster''s left head at terrifying speeds. Bringing the sword above his head, he shes downward sending a lightning strike to the ground, spitting the head in two. Screaming in pain the Twin-Head Guiafairo struggles in the air, desperately swinging its whole body around in an attempt to fend off the man. However, the man bounces off the air as if there was a tform below his feet, dodging any counterattacks. Bouncing off the air a few more times he positions himself above the other head. Recing the sword behind his shoulder, he grips the handle with both his hands. A grin could be seen on his face, as the sword bursts, revealing an erratic lightning bolt with small chains of lightning connecting the broken pieces. His whole body erupts in blue lightning, wrapping around like armor, as he pushes off the air spinning downward and slicing through the monster''s head and body,nding on the ground with a loud thug. Sparks could be seen in the dirt cloud as the tornados lose their power, releasing a huge amount of collected dirt and dust. Stepping out of the dirt cloud and approaching us, with his sword, back in its previous form, resting on his shoulder, was the man. "So, you are the ones who killed my people the other day¡­ Fair enough, they were weak but not anymore. Number 1 on the leaderboard, Ian. Step up. Let''s have a chat, I''m assuming you know who I am and if you don''t let me tell you. Name''s Devel. Nice to meet you, RavenStar." - Devel 259 Chapter 259 An oppressing air washes over us as Devel stands in front, looking down at us. It was like looking at a giant mountain, looming above the peasants that live at its feet. Instinctively, I grip the spear tighter as Devel takes a few steps towards the front line. Stopping his movement, he raises a brow as Kingston steps forward, pointing the tip of the trident at Devel. Smiling, Kingston arrogantly addresses the situation. "So, you know who we are? Well, doesn''t that make things easier? You know exactly why we are here." - Kingston "Kingston, right? I asked for Ian, but I guess talking to you will do. It''s very simple. Just leave right now, and I''ll spare you and your army. No tricks." - Devel "Hah! Do you really think we will leave just because you said so?" - Kingston "Of course not, but are you sure you can face me?" - Devel Swinging his sword off his shoulder and mming it onto the ground, Devel creates an electrical surge as lightning zaps his surroundings, with a couple of bolts flying towards the front line. Meeting them, Kingston, David, and Gibing jump forward. Tossing the trident at the closest lightning bolt, Kingston stops one from reaching the demi-humans. Nearby, David gets struck by 2 lightning bolts but brushes them off as if it was just a tickle, whereas Gibing envelops his fists in Demonic Energy, creating a small shield to protect against the lightning. Moving from the middle, I slowly make my way to the front, observing Devel''s actions as I do, but he only grins as he notices me approaching. Resting his sword once again on his shoulder, Devel waits for my appearance and as I reach the front, he tightens his grip. Looking at him, let out a low sigh and spread out my spider legs, drawing a small arc on the ground with the tip of my spear. "Devel, there is no need to be so uncivilized. You wanted a chat, and here I am. So, let''s chat. You also know there is no point in us leaving when the event has something to do with the Heart that is above us. Instead, what is it that you want? A fight? An alliance?" - Ian "Is there no way I can convince you to leave? How about money? Oh, wait. You have already acquainted with Sam am I right? Then you most likely won''t need money. What if I gave you protection? There are forces out there that will attack you if you aren''t careful. I can protect you from them." - Devel "I''m sure Sam will be able to do that too. Is that all?" - Ian "Hrmp, will Sam be able to help you once the ''Merge'' happens?" - Devel "The ''Merge''? What are you talking about?" - Ian "Has that guy not told you yet? And he has the guts to create a guild. Alright, I''ll tell you." - Devel "Devel, are you sure about this?" - Travys "It will be fine, Travys. No harm in telling them the small details." - Devel "Alright, whatever you say. Don''t me me after this since you were the one who leaked the information." - Travys "It will be fine, trust me. Ian! The ''Merge'' is a real-life event that will happen in the near future. The prophecies that the forum has been talking about only hint at parts of the ''Merge''. Eventually, this game world and the real world will be one. We at Bones know this will happen but when that happens is still unknown. Getting stronger in the game is only the start, but the more we destroy, the more we kill, the better it is for us in the future." - Devel "You speak as if you are the prophet himself, but how do I know you are not lying? This whole ''Merge'' thing sounds quite unreasonable, like a fairy tale. This is just a game, isn''t it? How can it possibly rte to real life?" - Ian "Then, you will just have to wait for it happens. For now, it seems we have reached a bottleneck in our conversation. Electrical Charge!" - Devel Without waiting for even a second, Devel dashes forward, draping himself in an electrical. Meeting him in the middle, I Charge forward as well, aiming my spear right between his eyes. Sparks fly as the tip of my spear shes with his sword, with small lightning bolts flying off to the sides. Behind me, I hear Kingston givingmands as I break free from the stalemate, and move to the side, away from the approaching armies. Following me, Devel aggressively strikes me over and over. Despite the enormous size of the sword, he easily swings it around as if it were made out of paper. Each strike felt heavier than thest and blocking it with the body of the spear be increasingly difficult and even if I had the spider legs to help, it only felt worse and worse. ncing around, I notice we were rtively far from the main fight, and with a Quickstep to the right, I start my counterattack. Activating Emerald Gaze immediately, and following up with three quick thrusts to the head, along with a few spider leg attacks. Devel brings the handle towards his face, blocking each thrust urately with his handle. Grinning at my failed attempt, Devel ms his foot on the ground, sending vibrates through the floor, causing me to wobble. Taking advantage of my unstable state, he shes forward horizontally. Managing to block the attack, I get knocked back hitting against the wall. Taunting me, Devel lets down his guard and spreads his arms out. Activating Extreme Speed, I dash up to him in a blink of an eye and use Cleave to attack his body as he did mine but the moment my spear touches his body, he smiles. "Thunderous Aura!" - Devel Coating his whole body in yellow lightning, Devel roars, as my spear rebounds off his body. Instantly, I cast Earth Spike in between us, as a buffer, knowing Devel has now used some sort of special skill. However, it is meaningless, smashing through the Earth Spike with a single strike, revealing his new form. With eyes as bright as the sun and armor made out of lightning covering his entire body, Devel looked like a god. Licking my dry lips, I feel my body slow down as the effects of Extreme Speed fade. Devel''s presence looms over me, he feels as strong as Casper and Rautt as he slowly approaches me with a devilish smile. ,m "Summon Spider! Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem!" - Ian Summoning both of my helpers, I could only wait out the duration of his skill. Pulling out the Code of Hammurabi from my pouch, I ready myself for any sudden attacks, while I order the spider to climb the wall. The hoplites already stand in front of me, with their shields poised in front, their gazes locked on Devel without a hint of fear. "Is this the best you can do, Ian? I thought you were part of the top 10. Howe you are so weak? And what are these 5 NPCs in front? What kind of yer are you?" - Devel "You shouldn''t speak so soon, Devel." - Ian "RAGE! DEMON TRIGGER! SEAL OF BELIAL!" - Kingston Coming from behind, Kingston releases Belial while also charging at Devel while he was covered in scarlet armor. Crashing into Devel with a small explosion, Kingston attacks at point-nk range with the trident. At the same time, Belial forms a giant ball of fire above his head, sending it down at Devel and Kingston. Dodging backward, Kingston activates Hellfire, creating a ring of fire around Devel, who looks at the approaching fireball in excitement. He once again crouches down, resting his sword on his shoulder as it glows brighter and brighter. As the fireball reaches closer to him, Belialughs, sending smaller fireballs afterward. Observing Devel, I see him crack a smile, as his sword bursts open revealing the lightning underneath. Gripping the handle with both hands, he shes at the giant fireball, splitting it in half and creating two separaterge explosions before leaping off the ground and rushing at Belial. Bringing his sword above his head, he slices midair at Belial, sending a giant lightning bolt at Belial''s head. Disappearing in response and reappearing above me, Belial scoffs in anger as Develnds on the ground near Kingston. "This person is a little more difficult to fight." - Belial "Just a little." - Ian "He is still nothingpared to the other Demons." - Belial "Well, then I expect you to be doing a lot of work because he is much stronger than me and Kingston. The lighting is also very annoying." - Ian "The lightning reminds me of a certain God. Those disgusting beings love to give humans their skills only to watch andugh." - Belial "Are you saying Demons don''t do the same thing?" - Ian "We have an etiquette. Not sure if you humans understand that sort of thing." - Belial "Regardless, help us out." - Ian "Of course, I don''t want my other half of the contract to die already." - Belial "Then, let''s go. Hoplites, charge! Frenzy!" - Ian "FOR ARCHON IAN!!!" - Hoplites Charging forth in an arrow formation with their spears pointing forward and locked on Devel, the hoplites engage inbat with him. At the same time, the spider that was on the wall sends out a web from above while Kingston dashes forward from a different direction. Drawing an arc along the ground, I also attack from a different direction while Belial''s eyes turn purple as a beam of Demonic Energy is sent out reaching Devel at the same time as we attack. "Pitiful. You only amount to this much. ?SKKNALL!" - Devel pping his hands together, Devel releases a wave of electrical energy from his body, stopping our attack and reducing my HP to 10%. The electrical energy paralyzes me, as I couldn''t move my body after being hit. ncing around on the ground, I see everyone else the same, except for Belial who expands his body casting a shadow over the whole battlefield. "I guess there is no choice. Distortion World!" - Belial 260 Chapter 260 Darkness. Pitch ck. Emptiness. Where am I? What am I? Who am I? My body¡­ It''s floating. Or is it my soul? "I..! W¡­E¡­!" A chilling breeze, one that bites at the bones, washes over me. The world turns and tumbles. Spinning around and around. No, it''s not the world. It''s me. I''m falling. But to where? For how long? It feels never-ending. Maybe it doesn''t end. Maybe I have always been falling. Down a spiral of never-ending failures only to finally see the light¡­ And for it disappear from my grasp. It is a dream, isn''t it? "...AN! A¡­K ¡­P!" Being a top 10 yer. Having a loving girlfriend. Having another girl fall in love with me. Surrounded by trustworthy friends. Subordinates who trust me. Fighting against strong monsters. Going out to eat. Living in such a luxurious building. It is a dream, isn''t it? There is no way, someone like me should be having these things. Right? Maybe, if I just close my eyes¡­ I''ll wake up from this dream. Back to reality. "IA¡­! WA¡­ UP!" Back to thatrge but empty apartment. To a job that I need but don''t want. Returning to my skinny and unhealthy self. Wallowing in regret day by day. That''s where I belong, right? That''s where I have always been. This whole adventure. This journey. It is nothing but a rose-colored lens. I need to wake up. To wake up from this dream. Just close your eyes¡­ Let nature take its course. Just close- "IAN! WAKE UP!" - Kingston A sharp pain gets sent to my brain from the side of my face, my eyes burst open, and my whole body shivers. Kingston''s worried face stares at me, behind me I see the night sky. Strange, why can I see the night sky inside the Glemt? Am I even in the Glemt? Did we escape from Devel? What was that feeling just now? Why did it feel like I was going to disappear if I didn''t wake up? What happened? Thoughts scatter around in my brain, as I nce around, trying to put two and two together. A night sky. Dirt ground. Floating tforms. Vertical and upside tforms. My scattered NPCs, standing on the floating tforms, defying gravity. Floating rocks. The enemy scurried to hold onto the ground or to whatever their feet could touch. Finally, Devel, looking up into the sky, grinning like a child. His sword glowed in the dark, illuminating this ce. Following his line of sight, I see a giant Belial with his eyes closed, his hands close to his chest as a vortex spins in a shape of a sphere. mes burst out of his body, like the sr res of the sun, getting absorbed by the vortex and shot out into random directions, indiscriminate of allies and enemies. "What. What happened? Kingston?" - Ian "Dude, you cannot copse like that. For the 10 minutes you have been out, it has been like hell here. The only reason why we haven''t all died yet is becasue of Belial''s Distortion World but this thing isn''t going tost for more than 5 more minutes. We need to do something now or we might never have the chance." - Kingston "What do mean? What is this ce? What happened while I was unconscious? Was I even unconscious? I felt like I was awake¡­" - Ian "You were unconscious. What you experienced was a mid-life existential crisis, just amplified a few times. No biggy. Don''t worry about it, it''s just part of the effect of the skill, no harm done. Everyone experienced something simr, it was just that yours took longer to get out. The only ones that weren''t affected were me and Devel for some reason. That guy just looked at the surroundings change and did nothing but watch and observe, like he was watching a movie. Only recently, when people started to wake up from the skill, did he start to move. Bouncing around this ce as if he already knew what to do, like gravity was all part of a game. I felt like I was at a disadvantage, even though I knew gravity was different here. Nothing fazes this guy. He is an absolute monster, through and through. I doubt Belial can do anything to him unless he was in a moreplete form. Right now he isn''t even a tenth of the strength he used to possess, or so he says. I''m pretty sure the only way to defeat him is to use the Code of Hammurabi, that counterattack skill is our best shot at defeating him." - Kingston "The only problem with that is he already knows about it. Travys must have told him that since it was one of the trump cards used to defeat the boss monster on this floor thest time we were here." - Ian "So what? Give up? No way, man. We are here to kill the Heart. The rest of the people back at the Krepost and even back at HavenFall are waiting for our victorious return. We are meant toe back with victory, just like the people who went to the Tamer Vige. I will not ept anything that isn''t a win." - Kingston "Since when have you been so patriotic to HavenFall?" - Ian "Since now. Nothing wrong with that right?" - Kingston "Right¡­ But that doesn''t mean I know of a way to defeat him. Thatst skill he used depleted my HP from 90% to 10%. Even without looking at my notifications, I can tell the Hoplite and my spider died during that attack as well. On the contrary, I doubt we have even done 10% of his HP. When my attack did hit, he deflected it and activated the lightning armor around him. His skills so far show that he has high defense, high offense, both short and long-range attacks as well as a charge skill which elerates him forward. Thoughts on a strategy to beat that?" - Ian "I don''t know. Isn''t that your job? I just swing weapons at the enemy and try to hit them. My job is meant to be the brain-dead job, why are you asking me how to solve this?" - Kingston "Fine, let me think. How much longer until this skill, Distortion World, finishes?" - Ian "About 3 minutes why?" - Kingston "Thinking of a n just like you said. Luckily for us, he isn''t focused on killing us but rather his focus is on Belial. However, Belial is only here for a set amount of time as well. When does his summoning end?" - Ian "5 minutes. Not long after this skill ends." - Kingston "Hmm¡­ That should be more than enough. Belial will have no choice but to bait Devel for us since he is about to disappear anyways. We need to attack Devel the moment the skill ends and from two different directions. However, Belial needs to draw his attention and make Develmit to a big attack. If we get the timing right, Belial will dodge the attack by despawning and we cane in for an attack when Devel is wide open after missing. However, there is a backup n if this one fails and that is me using the Code of Hammurabi on that same big attack Devel uses. If I can get off my counter-attack skill on Devel when he uses the big attack then we can defeat him. If we can get David, Gibing, Gopopo, Ster, and the Zivotinjas in on the fight as well we might stand more of a chance. David has his huge AoE skill, Gibing has high single target damage, Gopopo can snipe him, Ster can restrain him and the Zivotinjas can cast a protective shield around us. If we include them in the form, we will be able to do more damage as well as protect ourselves from Devel''s damage. If we can restrain him and attack with everything we have we should be able to defeat him and at that moment, he will most likely use a big skill to counter us. Giving me the perfect opportunity to use the Code of Hammurabi to counter his attack. If all goes well, we win then and there. The rest of the Bones army can be defeated easily after this, hopefully. Travys and the others didn''t look like they were troubling Howard and the others too much. You were even able to walk away from that battle ande help me. So we just need to deal with Devel to win this battle. Simple enough right?" - Ian "And if it doesn''t work?" - Kingston "Justmit everything to kill him. Every skill. Every breath. Every swing. Just keep going until you die. Until we die or he dies." - Ian "I see¡­ Guess we got no choice, huh?" - Kingston "If we want to kill Devel, we have no choice. It would have been easier if we were stronger not just as individuals but as a whole." - Ian "Well, we can''t do much about that, right? Let''s go, Ian. Round 2." - Kingston "Round 2, it is." - Ian 261 Chapter 261 Observing the situation, Ian discovered that the world is slowly crumbling the floating tforms seemed to fall into the abyss below, luckily, none of my NPCs were safe. However, I don''t know how much longer they will be safe. Kingston reassures me that everything will be okay for another two minutes, trusting Belial''s skill. Devel is seen bouncing from one tform to another, with his sword glowing vigorously. The pulsating mes from Belial are shot towards Devel, but with a swing of his sword, he slices the mes away creating an explosion in the area as he approaches Belial. Meanwhile, Kingston and I run towards David, Gibing, Gopopo and Ste, who were amidst the crowd of enemies. David can be seen punching Travys''s shield, with his body already covered in mes. Travys''s spiked shield draws blood on David''s fist piercing through his gauntlets. Staggering from the pain David retreats a few steps and sees Kingston and me approaching. Gibing who also notices us approaching, covers for David, furiously attacking Travys to stop him from interrupting. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to fight Devel." - David "We were, but he was too strong for us, forcing Belial to cast this skill. Without it, I''m sure we would be dead." - Kingston "We are going to need yours and the other''s help for this battle. We have no chance of killing Devel unless we all work together." - Ian "What about Travys and the others? Weren''t they trying to stop us?" - David "We have no choice, the guy is too strong by himself not even Kingston''s strongest attacks could phase him even though we tried something different we were sted away. I still have the Code of Hammurabi which I can use, however, Devel already knows about this item which makes it extremely hard to just pull out and use." - Ian "We don''t have the luxury of choices at the moment, but one of the usible strategies is to bait out a big attack and then let Ian use the Code of Hammurabi to counter it." - Kingston "Alright, I understand but right now the ones in the way are Travys and his troops, not Devel. How do you propose we get out of this situation?" - David "Where is Howard? I thought he was going to deal with Travys?" - Ian "I''m not sure. He was with us before¡­ Maybe something happened to him when the skill was activated." - David "He might be lost on one of the tforms and is unsure about how to move. It is quite difficult to understand that gravity works differently here." - Kingston "What''s gravity?" - David "My point exactly." - Kingston "It''s fine, the n is to attack Devel the moment the skill ends anyway. His main focus will be on Belial, but once Belial disappears, then you guys will have to draw his attention." - Ian "Alright, Kingston, Gibing, and I will be in the front attacking him with everything we got. That should keep his eye on us for a bit." - David "Let''s hope so. We should get ready, the skill is ending soon." - Kingston "We need to let the others know of the n as well." - David "Don''t worry. I''llmand them to move the moment the skill ends. You two, start moving toward Devel and be careful with any stray mesing from Belial. I''ll stay here for the remaining minute." - Ian "On it. I''ll see you soon." - Kingston "Be careful as well Ian." - David The both of them dash off, running toward Devel who was dodging mes while trying to traverse the floating tforms, slowlying closer to Belial. Looking away, I search for Gibing and Travys, and once I found them, I lock on to them. Kicking off the ground, I charge at Travys aiming my spear at the side of his face immediately. Noticing my attack, he jumps back, bringing his shield up and curling his legs together, bing smaller and hiding behind the shield. "What brings you here, Ian? I thought you would be battling Devel, or did you already lose? " - Travys "None of your business, Travys. I''m just here to take out the trash." - Ian "Hah! Say that after you beat me." - Travys Dashing toward me, Travys holds up his shield, attempting to ram into my body. Smiling, I grab Gibing by the arm and whisper into his ear before pushing him away. Stopping Travys''s charge with my spider legs, I nce in Gibing''s direction, seeing him run toward Devel. Using the butt of my spear, I push Travys back, separating us. Continuing my attack, I strike at him three times with the tip of the spear, all of which were blocked expertly by Travys. Taking a step forward, Travys swings around my left side as he pushes my spear to the right. His ax scrapes along the floor creating sparks as he swings it up at my chest. Commanding my spider legs to block the attack, I force my body to spin around with my spear, thrusting it at Travys''s exposed head. Narrowly missing, the spear cuts his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood, making Travys wince slightly. "DRAGON''S ROAR!" - Travys Opening his mouth, I see a mirage of a dragon flying at me, paralyzing my body as it passes through. mming the back of the ax into my side and pushing me to the ground, Travys attempts to end my life. However, the stun didn''tst as long as he expected. Jerking my body to the side at thest moment, I dodge the attack and kick Travys''s body away from me, before leaping up from the ground. "Sneaky move. Using a CC in a 1v1" - Ian "What do you mean? It''s just part of my kit. Can''t deal with it?" - Travys "Oh, I can deal with it. I get stronger the longer we fight but here is where I end things." - Ian Positioning myself as I nce around, I see that everything is in ce. Turning around, I bolt off in the direction where Devel was currently fighting Belial and the moment I do, the night sky shatters. Large cracks form and the floating tforms, disappear, reced with the original floor. In front of me, were Gibing, Gopopo, and Ster, running away from Song and Tsugi, as per my instructions. Previously I told Gibing to go to the other two and deliver my message while I distract Travys, and the n worked out perfectly as I see everyone approach Devel. Kingston and David were already there helping Belial as he casts Hellfire around him. Kingston''s trident creates a chain of explosions as he does lightning-fast thrusts at Devel''s lightning armor, only to not even breakthrough. Likewise, David attempts to stop Devel in his tracks with a tackle, only to be shrugged off like a child. Not even David was strong enough to rival Devel, but it was enough, he was focusing on attacking all 3 of them. With only 2 more minutes before Belial disappears, I had no choice but to move the n forward. I can''t afford to lose Belial''s firepower against Devel since Belial is without a doubt the strongest amongst us. "Gibing and Ster, attack the moment you get in range. Gopopo attack from a distance, provide cover for us as we run in. Wait¡­ Is that Howard on the stairs over there?" - Ian As I tell the others their orders, I notice Howard attacking the archers and mages on the stairs. I did notice that the mages were quite annoying for the normal troops as their magic skills were usually AOE and there was no way for them to reach the mages. However, with Howard charging straight at them, it seems there will be no more difficulties on the front line. Only Devel, Travys, Song, and Tsugi will be a problem, but we need to eliminate the biggest threat first. "Shadow Bind!" - Ster Approaching Devel fast, Ster activates her skill, creating 10 small child-like handsing out from the shadows. These hands reach for Devel but with a swing of his electrifying sword, he disables the skill instantly, slicing the hands while also defending himself from Kingston''s overhead attack. "Pinpoint! Demon Lash!" - Gopopo Engulfing his arms in Demonic Energy while also concentrating on Devel Gopopo uses his whips to attack Devel''s calf, neck, wrists, and head. Foreseeing each attack, Devel dodges them by the skin of his teeth but fails to retaliate at Gopopo, as his sword hits the air instead of the whips. "Heighten Reflexes! Demonic Battle Pact!" - Gibing Jumping at the opportunity, Gibing envelops his fists in Demonic Energy, throwing a flurry of fists at Devel. However, the monster that he is, Devel, weaves through each attack counter punching Gibing several times and knocking his jaw at the end. Helping Gibing, Kingston attempts to sweep at Devel''s feet, only to hit into what seems like a pole. Grinning at Kingston''s sorry attempt to do damage, Devel pushes Gibing away with his hand before swinging his sword down at Kingston. Barely enough time to block the attack, Kingston grunts as the weight of Devel''s strike pushes him to the ground. Coming in as reinforcement, David, Ster and I simultaneously attack Devel. David''s ming fists punch toward Devel''s liver as he roars in excitement, while Ster''s knife seeks Devel''s throat. Aiming my spear at his heart, I push forward with the other two but¡­ "Close but not close enough. Shift!" - Devel David''s fists pass through Devel''s body hitting the air. Ster''s knife slices nothing. My spear narrowly misses Ster''s body. And Devel''s body disappears. 262 Chapter 262 "Did you think I only had skills rting to lightning?" - Devel Reappearing a few meters from us, Devel taunts our failed attempt at attempting him. Cracking his neck from side to side, he repositions himself, preparing his attack as he rests his sword on his shoulder once again. Knowing this stance meant he was going to charge his attack, Kingston and I both sprint forward without any signal. Seeing us run first, David and the others follow behind us closely. Each one of us took out a potion, drinking it as quickly as possible to replenish our lost HP. The damage we took from the previous fights was building up and some of us were in dangerously low health. Splitting into two separate groups, Kingston, David, and Gibing went towards the left while Gopopo, Ster and I went to the right. Approaching Devel first was my group, activating Frenzy, I speed in front of Ster, going for a sweep on his legs, while also attacking the face and chest with my spider legs. Seeing my attack, Devel jumps back creating some distance between us, only for Ster to sing around and stab towards his throat once more from the side. Twisting his body in midair, Devel narrowly dodges that attack but by this time, Kingston had already caught up. Using the butt of the trident to pole-vault into the air, Kingston performs an overhead downward strike, while Gibing activates Charge, attempting to tackle Devel. With only a glimpse in their direction, Devel''s sword bursts out as he swings it at Kingston while using the momentum for a front flip, dodging Gibing''s tackle. Flying in the air, Devel notices David leaping for him, with his arms open wide. Unable to dodge in midair, Devel gets caught for the first time but despite that, his expression doesn''t change. Brought back down to the floor, David starts to pound Devel''s face, as hard as he can. With only his sword to protect him, Devel attempts to swing at David''s body, but Gopopo''s whips hit his wrists disarming him. Instead, to block the repeated attacks from David, Devel curls his forearms in front of his face. Sliding next to David, Gibing also proceeds to punch Devel, but I start to notice something strange. Each time David and Gibing strike Devel, his body shes a faint blue glow, and as the blows increase the glow brightens. "Wait¡­ STOP! HITTING-" - Ian "Counter Pulse!" - Devel "SHIELD!" - Ian Devel''s body engulfs in blue light, and a pulse of electricityes out of him, smashing into all of us. The shield skill that came from the bracelet immediately broke as the damage from Devel''s skill exceeds it. The knock back from Devel''s skill pushes us away, giving him enough time to stand up and pick up his sword. ncing around, I see everyone else on the ground with Ster and Gopopo unconscious. Gibing could barely stand, and I could see his flesh charred in some ces. Kingston and David were better off than the others, but I could see that they were badly hurt as well, with Kingston''s armor shattered and broken off. Their weary eyes look at me for help, but I could only grit my teeth as Develughs at us. "That was better. I guess even trash can team up and make something work." - Devel "Ian¡­ Belial is gone, what now?" - Kingston "Yes, Ian. What now? What can you do? Because I think it is about time we finish this up. RavenStar isn''t much of a threat, I confirmed this after fighting you for quite a while and I even gave you the benefit of the doubt. However, it really is disappointing to see that all of you are nothing more than regr yers. I expected a lot more from you, Ian." - Devel "Well, you can''t please everyone right? But don''t worry I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, just stay tuned to find out." - Ian "Few tricks? Like the Code of Hammurabi? The skill that counters attacks, just like my Counter Pulse, but it is an item. A very interesting trick, however, it won''t matter if I never use a strong enough attack." - Devel "Oh, I got more than just that." - Ian "Hrmp, then show me, before you die." - Devel Without hesitation, Devel activates his Thunderous Aura, draping himself in a lightning coat, before sprinting toward me. His sword sparks along the ground as it glows brighter and brighter. I ready my spear, as he approaches, my arms feeling heavier than before. Swinging his sword at me, Devel strikes at my side. Clenching my spear I jump slightly, blocking the attack at the same time and using the force from Devel''s attack to push me further away. I fly some distance away but Devel rapidly approaches me, mming his sword down toward me, cracking the floor as I parry it to the side. Trying my best to retaliate, I spin my spear around, stabbing at his torso, but my spear is stopped by his lightning armor. Refusing to let up, I constantly attack him over and over again, dodging his attacks the best I can and blocking when I couldn''t. I can feel my eyes zooming around, my heart beating against my chest, and the spark of electricity zapping at my skin. Surprisingly, Devel was unable tond a clean hit on me with his normal attacks, but with a slightly different attack, he rams forward with his shoulder catching me off guard. Knocking me back slightly but breaking through my guard allowing for him to stab at my chest. My spider legs barelye in front, blocking the stab. At this point, Devel''s attention was fully focused on me, and he had no idea what was happening behind him. David had taken another potion and was engulfing himself in mes, preparing for the right opportunity, with Kingston standing in front of him ready to defend him if needed. I only have one shot at this. "Jahannam Naar Dire!" - David Noticing David''s shout, Devel momentarily turns his head around, leaving a small gap in his defense. With several quick thrusts, I attack Devel''s blind spot, bringing his attention back to me, but for the first time, his eyes were panicking. David''s empowered skill was quickly approaching, and I am all-out attacking, disregarding my defense. Head, chest, legs, arm, foot, it didn''t matter where I was attacking, I just needed to keep going. "If you think doing a suicide attack will win you this battle you are surely mistaken." - Devel With a burst of power, Devel knocks me away and retreats just out of the attack range, leaving only me to take David''s attack. ncing back, Devel sees me smirk as I take out my trump card, the Code of Hammurabi. Pointing the artifact, at Devel, I call out the skill just as Jahannam Naar Dire hits me. "Eye for an Eye!" - Ian The Code of Hammurabi absorbs the attack and sends it back towards the direction I was pointing. In my mind, it was the biggest gamble. I didn''t know if this interaction worked like this or not, but there was no better time to try it than now and to my surprise, it worked. The countered skill sts toward Devel, and with nowhere to go he had no choice but to stand his ground. Grinning from ear to ear, Devel grips his sword tight, letting it burst out revealing the lightning underneath. He licks his lips as the fire st approaches him, leaning forward as the lightning armor around him slowly retracts towards his sword, creating a stronger light. Gulping my saliva, I see Devel''s sword glow as bright as the sun casting a shadow over the fire st. "I didn''t think I would need to use this and let me take back what I said before. I underestimated your ingenuity, so let me spoil you with a trump card of my own. Unseal. Zeus''s Lightning Bolt." - Devel As Devel''s sword glows brighter and brighter, the small metallic shards that were hovering around the sword bursts into dust. The handle slowly cracks and fades revealing a blue jagged handle, and the whole sword sparks, charring the surroundings. As the fire st reaches Devel''s range, he merely swings his bolt of lightning, shing with the fire st head-on. However, to all our surprise, the moment both attacks meet, the Abyss shes, and purple cracks appear everywhere along the walls and the floor. These cracks were the same ones that came out of the Heart that was above us butpared to before the cracks formed a spider web of sorts. At the same time, the fire st disappears into smoke, and Devel shes the air, with a confused look as the purple cracks pulsate. Looking around, I see everyone else confused and wary of the cracks, instinctively stepping off the cracks and moving to the small areas that were still safe to stand on. Keeping an eye on Devel, I see him cautiously ncing around, ignoring the fact that we were just in a battle and instead observing the situation. Turning toward Kingston and the others, I start to call out to them to use their potions while they can when a loud explosion rings throughout the ce. Reacting quickly, I point my spear upward in the direction I heard the explosion. Small shards fall down to the floor along with dust and dirt. The cracks glow sinisterly, as a faint light could be seen all the way up. The light slowly gets brighter and brighter before I realize it was actually a glowing object falling to the fall at extreme speeds. Breaking the sound barrier, it zooms to the floor, creating another sonic boom as it stops right before it touches the ground. An orb wrapped in purple mes resonates with the cracks. Glowing brighter and brighter along with the cracks until two purple wings made out of mes bursts through the orb. In the next moment, the rest of the orb cracks and shatters, revealing a young woman with hair reaching her thighs, two small horns on her forehead, right above her seductive ck eyes. A thin ck tail with a sharp point flickers in the air as her petite body shakes in excitement. Purple mes cover her chest andher regions, further enhancing her charming figure, as sheughs lightheartedly at the situation. "For a bunch of men, you are all really weak." - ??? 263 Chapter 263 Ignoring the woman''sment, Devel, dashes toward her shing the air in between them and sending out a bolt of lightning. Nonchntly, the woman stops the bolt of lightning with her palm, dispersing the lightning into the surroundings. Her seductive gaze falls on Devel''s approaching figure, and a smirk can be seen. Furrowing his brows, Devel''s previous excited and happy-go-lucky expressions disappeared, and a bead of sweat could be seen trailing down the side of his cheek as he sends several more bolts of lightning toward the woman. However, each one was blocked with just a slight change of movement dealing no damage to the woman. Reaching her, Devel starts off with a quick stab at her heart but to his dismay, the woman merely turns her body to the side to dodge it. Knowing it wouldn''t have worked, Devel proceeds to follow her movement, slicing to the left. Stepping back, with a yful expression, the woman moves away from the attack. Without stopping, Devel proceeds to sh at the woman numerous times, attacking from different directions and even shooting bolts of lightning at point-nk range. In spite of that, the woman dodges each attack with minimal movement. Dancing outside Devel''s attack range and only putting out a hand to block the lightning bolts. Mind you, it wasn''t slow strikes Devel was doing, but lightning-fast attacks. Faster than any attack he was doing on us and yet, this woman didn''t even look like she was worried about the iing assault. Making the most out of this situation, I move toward everyone else. Making sure Ster, Gopopo and Gibing were okay after the recent beating. Having them take a potion each, I bring them back to a healthy level. ncing back to the bigger battlefield, I see Kumimanding the Zivotinjas and eliminating thest of the yers with only Travys, Song, and Tsugi left defending with their backs against a wall. Howard on the other hand was still busy on the stairs, but I could see him ncing over to us every so often to observe the situation. Looking at him, I see that he had the upper hand despite attacking them by himself, meaning the archers and the mages weren''t able to do much damage to Howard. Gripping my shoulder tightly, Kingston looks at me with a worried expression. "Ian¡­ Belial, he, he knows who that is." - Kingston "WHAT!? How? Isn''t this a woman just a general for the Reaper? She has the same colors as the purple cracks and came from above us. Maybe she is the Heart? How can Belial know her now but not before?" - Ian "Well, he says he didn''t know before, and he can''t do much about it, but he definitely knows who this woman is." - Kingston "Uhh¡­ Well, does he want to give us the details?" - Ian "Okay, this is going to sound absolutely insane, but she is Belial''s daughter, Fierna." - Kingston "What¡­? WHAT!" - Ian "Yea, pretty insane. I didn''t expect that either, he just told me now while Devel was fighting her. Due to this, he is asking me to contract with her, so I can gain more power. The only problem with this is Fierna, while she looks like she is just ying around right now, the moment she snaps her frustration level skyrockets. Killing things would just be a simple way to put it, but she would absolutely murder all of us if she gets angry." - Kingston "So, what does that mean? You can''t make a contract with her or is it just going to be difficult? Don''t you just need to say that you are contracted to Belial?" - Ian "Possibly but Belial is telling me that her attachment to the purple mes is weird as her mes are meant to be the same color as his, a deep crimson or scarlet. He believes something happened to her and maybe the Heart that was above this floor was like a cocoon. I also think she might be connected to the Abyss itself and that this Fierna is being manipted in some shape or form." - Kingston "You are not suggesting we need to defeat her right¡­? We couldn''t even force Devel to reveal his strongest attacks nor did he go all out on us at any point. Look at him now, even he is having trouble with Fierna. What can we do? In all honesty, and I say this with a heavy heart, I think we need to retreat. Ster, Gopopo, and Gibing almost died." - Ian "If you don''t mind me cutting into this conversation, but if Kingston has a way to contract with Fierna then I think he should. It will be one way to get stronger and with the additional strength maybe he will be able to fight Fierna." -David "Thank you, David. See, someone is thinking just like me." - Kingston "Yes, I would like that too, but the problem is you don''t know how to contract with her. Right now, she is currently just dodging Devel''s attack. Each attack looks faster than my spider legs stabbing a still target, but she is dancing around them as if it is just a game. I''m sorry, but I don''t have a strategy or tactic¡­ Wait. Kingston, Belial cane out of your body without using the skill right?" - Ian "Yea, why¡­ OHHH! We just need them to meet. Rightttt, how could I forget that I could do that? Belial,e out for a bit." - Kingston Emerging above Kingston''s shoulder a miniature Belial appears with a small wisp of smoke surrounding his lower body. With his arms crossed, he nces around and turns to me. "Fierna will not think much of me at the moment. We haven''t seen each other for tens of years after her sudden disappearance. I assumed she was just going aroundva pit tova pit and ying with her Spinagon troops, but I never expected to meet her again like this." - Belial "Firstly, what do you suggest we do in order for Kingston to form a contract with her? And secondly what is a Spinagon and is there a chance this monster will attack us as well?" - Ian "I would rmend for you to defeat her, however, it might also be the start of your downfall because her outbursts have been known to massacre entire races before. She is extremely intelligent but also hot-headed, her temper is her downfall. With Kingston and your strength, both of you will die extremely quickly. So the next method I can think of is to outsmart her. Find a way to negotiate with her. Even if she is transformed into something different or connected to something else, she is still a Demon and Demons need followers, just like Gods. We want contracts, but we only contract those we deem worthy. Kingston, you need to prove your worth, and Ian you need to distract her and Devel. David, I suggest you stay out of this, unless you want to perish." - Belial "Understood, Master. Ian, my lord, I would like to suggest that I take Gibing and the others away from this fight, or else they may suffer dire consequences." - David "There is no need to speak so politely David¡­ Just talk like normal and yes, take them away. Help Howard and Kumi." - Ian Nodding his head toward me, David motions to the others to move along with him. Ster takes a look at me, showing her worried expression, but I smile at her, nudging my head in the direction David was traveling. With a slight pout, Ster runs after David and the rest, following closely behind Gibing and Gopopo who had already started to run after David. "Well, then Ian. Just you and me again but this time fighting my Demon contract''s daughter. What an adventure this is turning out to be." - Kingston "Don''t get your hopes up too early Kingston. We have no way of knowing what will happen when we enter that fight. Nevertheless, it is just us left. Need me to debrief you and the basic strategy for this fight?" - Ian "Hit me." - Kingston "You go right. I go left. Belial stays on your shoulder and I will get between the both of them, pushing Devel away if possible while you converse with Fierna. I can''t guarantee how long I can hold Devel off with his new sword, Zeus''s Lightning Bolt. However, I will do my best, so please form a contract with her as fast as you can because I feel like I might die with just a single stab from that weapon." - Ian "Will do boss! No guarantees she listens to me though." - Kingston "I know, that''s my biggest worry." - Ian Turning toward the dance between Devel and Fierna, I could only gulp down my saliva nervously. Devel''s forehead showed his veins almost popping out as he clenches his teeth, attacking with all his might while Fierna is merely stepping around him. Giving a wink and blowing a kiss in between dodges and even ncing at us a few times. "Let''s do this!" - Ian 264 Chapter 264 "Right after you, Ian." - Kingston Letting out a quick breath, I start running right behind Ian. Looking over his shoulder, he nods to me while pointing to the left, dashing in the opposite direction, picking up speed as he zooms toward Devel. Despite his confident leader-like mannerism in front of David and the others, when he was talking to me it felt like he was just another guy again. There didn''t seem like there was any barrier between us¡­ "That''s just what he wants you to think, Kingston." - Belial "Shut up, Belial. I''m choosing to trust in my friends, so don''t say anything unnecessary and focus on figuring out a way to convince your daughter to contract with me." - Kingston "I told you this before, there is no right method to convince her. You just have to do it and if you are lucky, she will take a liking to you. Only then will the contract be made." - Belial "Right, right. Leave all the heavy lifting to me, when you are the one that wants all the demons to be united." - Kingston "Not all the demons, just 72 of them. Fierna isn''t included in this number but it would be good to have her." - Belial "Wait, what do you mean, she isn''t included? What is the point of creating a contract with her then? Wouldn''t it just be a waste of time?" - Kingston "No, because right now what you need is strength and she will add to your strength. Not only does she also wield fire but her constant outbursts will enhance your Rage. You won''t need to rely on fusing with me to defeat your opponents. Honestly, Kingston, you are just too weak right now." - Belial "Hey, don''t tell the truth. It hurts because I know it. I''m sure Ian is also frustrated at this fact, after all, Devel looks to be an apostle of Zeus, granting him the same strength that Sylvia showed. You know, it looks to me that the Gods give more power than the Demons. Why can''t you make me overpowered like that?" - Kingston "Because unlike the Gods, who only see you as their ythings, we are bound together by contract. My strength is lent to you but only you can pull out my strength. If you can''t do it, it only means you are not strong enough to use my power." - Belial "Then are you stronger than Zeus? Then Ares?" - Kingston "Noment. Why don''t you focus on the fight in front of you? Ian looks like he is about toe between Fierna and Devel." - Belial Spreading his spider legs wide, Ian bursts in between Devel''s strikes, locking the Lightning Bolt between his spider legs and his spear. Grunting in pain, he quickly pushes Devel''s body to the side with all his might, kicking him in the stomach while using the locked weapons as leverage. Without even sparing a nce at Fierna, Ian follows after Devel and strikes him at his feet, forcing him to step back further to dodge the attack, leaving me to deal with Fierna. Sprinting up close to her, I sent the tip of my spear toward her chest. Dodge the attack with ease, Fierna smiles at me. Her soft red lips part slightly and a rose-colored tongue appears, licking the inner edges of her lips. Finding myself distracted by her actions, I quickly clench my teeth and attack her several times, stabbing her, sweeping at her legs, and even doing random spins. However, not even one of these attacks hits. "Is this the best you can do? The other guy was a lot better at entertaining me." - Fierna "I can do better, I''m just not feeling well right now. You might have to wait a while though, the best version of me can only be seen when I get some help from my friend here." - Kingston "Friend? Do you mean the wisp of smoke that has been hanging by your shoulder for a while now? I thought you were preparing something entertaining for me to experience but it seems you are just delusional." - Fierna "Wait, you can''t see him? Belial! Come out!" - Kingston "I am out you idiot. I don''t know why she can''t see me. I''ve been staring at her the whole time waiting to see if she would do anything but from her reaction, it looks like she doesn''t even realize that I am here." - Belial "Well, that ruins all our ns. What now?" - Kingston "I don''t know, just charm her?" - Belial "Stop talking to yourself. It''s creepy. I think I''ll kill you and grab the other guy back, he at least put up a good exercise session but you are just too weak." - Fierna Bouncing back a few steps, Fierna clicks her tongue. Her bored expression tells a thousand tales as she sps her hands together. As she separates her hands a purple me appears in between shaping into a sword handle. The further her hands pull apart, the longer the me de bes until finally she grips the handle and swings the de to her side. With a purple fiery de in her hands, she licks her lips once more, slightly biting onto a lower lip as she looks at me. Sensing danger as all the hairs on my body stands, I back away instantly, putting as much distance between her and myself as possible. However, with just a single step she disappears and ms my body straight into hers as she reappears in front of me. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I attempt a German suplex, just like the ones on television but the moment I use my strength to pull her up, I lose all feeling in my body. As if I was free falling, my strength leaves my body rapidly, and as I blink, the scenery changes. Taking a glimpse around me, I see the bolts of lighting zapping around below me as my spear leaves my hands unwillingly. Gripping my ankles, Fierna looks at me from above. Her purple ming wings p slightly, as I finally figure out that she has taken me into the air and is currently suspending me in the air by my ankles. "WOW! WOW! WOW! Fierna, there is no need to do this. Let''s-Let''s talk shall we? I''m sure there are things you must be dying to know about this world and hey, why don''t you introduce yourself to me? Have I told you that you are the most beautiful person I have ever met in my life?" - Kingston "Oh, please little boy. I know your game. Do you think this is my first time dealing with you and your kind? However, I am interested in how you knew my name. I haven''t spoken my name while I was down here and I only broke out of my slumber moments ago, so there shouldn''t be anyone that knows who I am." - Fierna "Ah, well, you might find this crazy or even unbelievable but I met your father, Lord Belial. Wonderful gentleman he is, and he told me all about you and what kind of amazing daughter you are. He also told me one of your favorite pastimes is jumping fromva pool tova pool which I can say is an amazing hobby. I can only dream of doing the same thing." - Kingston "Hahaha! Nice try, but unfortunately for you, I don''t have a father. I only have the Reaper whom I call master. I don''t know who this Belial person is but you have gotten the wrong person, now die." - Fierna "WAIT! DON''T KILL ME YET! Let me confirm something with my friend here. I promise it will only take a few moments then you can drop me. Sounds fair?" - Kingston "Fine. I will let you delude yourself for a while longer as I like to see your hopes ir up once more only to burn to the ground alongside you." - Fierna ncing at Belial whose face was full of disbelief, I started to rummage through my brain to figure out a way to stall for more time. Belial,es in front of me, breaking my concentration. "There is no way she isn''t Fierna. I know my daughter and this is her." - Belial "Belial, that is great and all but the girl is saying she isn''t your daughter. She doesn''t even know your name. How do you expect this to turn out if I try to force out the fact that you are her father? I need another way for this to work." - Kingston "How can she think the Reaper is her master? She is better than that. There is no way she would choose a bag of bones as a master. Her standards are too high for that." - Belial "Belial, stop talking. I''m trying to think." - Kingston "If she isn''t the same person then who is she? Now she must be my daughter. She reacted to her name. Unless they have the same name?" - Belial "Belial¡­ Please. I think there is no way out of this. I might be dying here." - Kingston ''No. Don''t give up. Why don''t you just ask her to be in a contract with you? Best case scenario, we get her to ept and the worst is you dying. Either way, if we don''t try something then we die." - Belial "Are you sure something like this will work?" - Kingston "Not sure at all but I think it is worth a try." - Belial Letting out a long sigh, I nce up at Fierna. "Fierna, I would like to ask you one thing before I fall to my death." - Kingston "Go on." - Fierna "Will you form a contract with me?" - Kingston 265 Chapter 265 Bursting out inughter, Fierna throws her head back, gripping my ankles tighter as she starts to grip her exposed stomach with her other hand. Herughter rings within the abyss and a nervous tension instill as Devel and Ian back off from one another to observe the situation. The cracks along the walls and floor strobe alongside herughter, slowly calming down as she does as well. Wiping away a tear from her eyes, Fierna pulls me up high until our eyes were leveled. Staring into her glittering ck eyes as they be crescents, I nervously gulp down what little saliva I had left in my mouth as her lips slightly parted, revealing her rose-colored tongue. Dispersing the me de in her hand, she starts to caress my head with her free head bringing her mouth towards mine. "Do you think I would just form a contract with anyone?" - Fierna "No. Not at all but I can give you what you want." - Kingston "Oh, and what is it that I want? Do you even know?" - Fierna "Umm¡­ No, I don''t know what you want, but I can do my best to give it to you nheless. I have a reputation of being one of the most trusting people in my friend group." - Kingston Giggling in front of me, Fierna brings her head around to my right side. Letting out a slight breath near my ear, sending a wave of tingling throughout my body, she softly nibbles on the edges. The feeling of her sharp teeth softly touching my ear was something I hadn''t felt before as my eyes stare at hers as she nces over. Speaking right next to my ear, her alluring voice echoes in my head. "You are such a weak little insect, yet you have a very interesting mouth. How about I look inside you for a second, and see what it is that makes you, you." - Fierna "Wait, what are you-" - Kingston Bringing her head back up, she presses her lips against mine. A warm soft touch envelopes my lips and by surprise, I try to jerk my head back only to feel her hand behind my neck. Twirling around my tongue with hers, I start to feel drowsy, my eyelids bat multiple times as a wave of fatigue washes over me. Separating our lips, and with thest sliver of consciousness, I catch a glimpse of purple smoke escaping Fierna''s mouth, as she smiles, watching me close my eyes. ..................... Snapping my eyes open, I nce around. White space surrounds me but looking closer I see two figures in the distance, both standing not too far apart, seeming like they were in mid-conversation. Stepping towards them, I notice them turn their bodies to me only for their faces to be blurred. Squinting and rubbing my eyes, I try to look closer only for them to disappear and the white space turning into a fiery hell. Yelling in surprise, I jump back dodging the mes as they burst toward me. They crackle and spit out embers as they burn all around me but to my surprise, I couldn''t feel the heat from the mes at all. It was as if they were just taunting me. "Well, of course, you don''t feel any heat. They aren''t real." - Belial Turning around, I notice Belial floating as if he was sitting on a chair behind me. He had a bored expression on his face as he points over my shoulder. "Maybe you should look over there. We have a guest." - Belial "What? Where are we?" - Kingston Moving in the direction of Bl''s finger, I question him in a frustrated tone but once I notice who was in front of me, I closed my mouth instantly. Walking through the scarlet mes, Fierna can be seen in her scandalous purple me clothing. As she passes through them, the mes change from scarlet to purple until she stops in front of me. The surrounding space had been turned into a sea of scarlet and purple mes, splitting in the middle where we stood. "I''m surprised. Why is this inside of your mind? Usually, people have memories of their loved ones or a memory that they treasure." - Fierna "To be honest, I have no idea where I am." - Kingston "Are you serious? Or are you just dumb? This is the ce where we made our contract." - Belial "OHHHHHH! Right, yea. Still don''t know why this is here." - Kingston "This dumbass¡­ Fierna, can you see me?" - Belial "I can. Who or what are you? I have been curious about this ce as these mes feel like mine, with their color being the only difference. Tell me, what you know." - Fierna "Belial, you do the talking. I got no clue what she wants to know." - Kingston Letting out a long sigh, Belial steps down, walked next to me, and stood in front of Fierna. His towering figure looms over her as he looks down slightly to meet her eyes. "This ce is a shared space between me and Kingston. What you went into wasn''t his mind but here instead. Protecting his mind is the ce where I stay while I am contracted with him. You can say this is my home, and what I want to do with it is my choice, for example, the mes you see are my mes. They have only changed color to match yours because I made them change color." - Belial "I find that quite false, I''m sure these are my mes and you still haven''t told me your name or what you are." - Fierna "I was getting to that. You are still as impatient as ever, Fierna." - Belial "Don''t act as if you know me. This is the first time I am meeting you after all. I don''t need you to lecture me on what I want to do." - Fierna "Oh, but I do know you." - Belial Dashing forward, Belial grabs onto Feirna''s neck and lifts her. Surprised by the sudden movement, she was unable to dodge and could only struggle helplessly in their air as she tries to form her me sword. I could see purple mes forming around her palm but they were unable to collect together and ended up only spirling around her wrists. "See? You don''t control anything here. It was a mistake toe here but a blessing for us. Right, you wanted to know who I am? I am your father, Belial, Hell''s Bright me, and the 68th Demon of the Ars Goetia, and you? You are nothing but my ungrateful daughter who left home only to be turned into a ve for the Reaper. A disappointment. That''s who you are. Do you think your master is going to save you?" - Belial "I. Don''t. Have. A. Father." - Fierna "So where do you think you were born? From that Heart that is above us, at the top of the Abyss? Do you think the Reaper made you? Do you think you are a creation?" - Belial "... I. Don''t. Know. Let. Go. Of. ME!" - Fierna Bursting in mes, Fierna escapes Belial''s grasp. Her body is enveloped in a thickyer of fire as her eyes burn with rage. She stares daggers into Belial who nonchntly, shakes his wrists brushing the mes off him. Screaming, she flies toward him coating her fists with her mes creating a ball of fire but with a snap of his fingers Belial, transports all of us into a different environment, canceling Fierna''s skill at the same time. Below my feet are burnt dirt with cracks along the ground that show an ocean of magma underneath. Pirs of obsidian connect the ground to the ceiling, glistening brightly as the light from the magma shines against the exterior. Belial walks away from the both of us toward a small crib made out of obsidian, inside it is a baby demon girl, with horns simr to Fierna''s and a cheeky smile much like hers as well. "This is Fierna isn''t it?" - Kingston "I guess you can use your eyes, Kingston. Yes, you are correct. This Feirna when she was only 1 week old. She didn''t like staying inside the house so I made a crib near a pool of magma. Her smile andughter as geysers of magma fly into the sky was one of the most precious scenes in my life." - Belial "Uhh¡­ Right. Because geysers and magma are safe for children but yes, go on." - Kingston "This. This is not me. You must be lying. This has to be an illusion of some sort. Why can''t I get out of your mind, boy? What have you done?" - Fierna "He has done nothing. The moment you went here, you already lost but I was surprised that you were even capable to enter the minds of others. You weren''t able to do it before, so I guess you did learn something while you were gone." - Belial "I don''t understand. The first memory I have is bowing my head to my master. There is no way any of this is real. I refuse to believe it." - Fierna "Believe it or not. This is fact and what you have experienced is fiction. I believe someone yed with your memories and your mind. So, let me help you." - Belial Disappearing from the crib, Belial appears in front of Fierna once more, grabbing her head this time. Scarlet mes forms around his shoulders, creeping down toward Fierna as she starts to struggle, hitting Belial''s arm and screaming at the top of her lungs. The piercing scream hurts my ears as I cover them with my hands as I watch the scene y out, with a slightly agape mouth. Belial''s mes slowly circle Fierna''s skull, drifting closer and closer to her before forcefully entering her via her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The mes intensify as Belial grips Fierna''s head harder, showcasing the many veins along his arms. With muffled screams, Fierna could no longer struggle as the mes vite her skull and insides. Even the mes that were covering her body were expelled, revealing her beautiful slender figure. Momentster, Belial releases his grip and the mes escape quickly out of their respective hole, leaving an exhausted Fierna on the ground. Her eyes are unfocused as they wander around, simr to the movements of her arms and legs. They were like jelly as she spread them out and feels around the ground. Mumbling and incoherent words escape her lips as she tries to talk, moving her head toward Belial, who looks over her with a slightly disgusted expression. "W-Whe-Where a-am I?" - Fierna "Have youe to, Fierna? What are you thinking about right now?" - Belial "F-F-Father? W-W-What?" - Fierna "Oh, you cured her. Howe you couldn''t do that outside?" - Kingston "It doesn''t work like that, Kingston. Like I said before we were lucky she came here in the first ce. Otherwise, I have no idea how we were going to have a proper conversation with her if we couldn''t talk. Yes, dear. Your father is here." - Belial "Father?" - Fierna Spinning around on the ground she holds her head tightly in pain as she nces over me and looks at Belial. Taking a few moments to register what was happening, she ends up sighing and banging her head to the ground. "Damnit. I screwed up, didn''t I? Hi, father¡­" - Fierna 266 Chapter 266 Slightly lifting her head up, Feirna nces between Belial and me. Showing little remorse, she sighs once more and pushes herself off the ground enveloping her body with scarlet mes in the same position. Flicking her hair back, she carefully ces a hand on her waist looking at her nails uninterestingly as if she was just a teenager waiting for the lecture from her mother to finish, which was what happened just with Belial. "Are you serious, Feirna? How can you get captured by the Reaper and then used as a ve? Did you hit your head against something and lost or did you fail to seduce someone and got captured? You must be better than that, how can you lose? Look how much trouble it was t get you back to normal. If you didn''t stupidly enter someone else''s consciousness, I doubt you would be here right now. See, you are still an idiot even when you are under some''s control." - Belial "Yeah, yeah. I can hear you, father. Don''t worry I won''t do something like that again. Yes, I am an idiot. I understand. Are you done now?" - Feirna "Am I done? Do I look done to you? I can keep talking for the next 10 years about the stupid things you have done and don''t get me started on the things you have done in the past. I can''t believe you grew up to be the biggest idiot in Hell. Your mother would be disappointed." - Belial "Uhh¡­ Belial. I get you are angry but how about we move things on." - Kingston Interrupting their conversation, I stand in front of Belial. I understood he was upset about the situation, but I was unsure about the situation outside this ce and wanted to hurry things along. "Alright. Feirna, I am not done with you, we will continue thister but for now, I want you to contract with Kingston." - Belial "Uhh¡­ No. I don''t want to. Why should I contract with this weakling?" - Feirna "He might be weak now but once he acquires more Demons this person will help us figure out the situation in Hell." - Belial "But I don''t want to~ Look here father, I would much rather find someone who is already strong to be contracted with, that way I have less to do but more chances to destroy things. Looking at this weakling, I would not only have to do a lot, but I doubt I will have a chance to destroy things. In fact, I bet I would be on the receiving end of the destruction." - Fierna "As I said before, contract with me and I can give you want. If you want to work less, then I will let you work less, however, when I need your power I expect you to help. If you want to destroy lots of things, monsters, and people included, then I will let you do it. I''m not going to stop you from destroying my enemies so long as you stop yourself from hurting my friends. What do you think of that deal, Feirna?" - Kingston "I''ll still be working for you just like my father." - Feirna "And he is having a rxing time here, aren''t you Belial?" - Kingston "I''m doing fine here. It is entertaining seeing things from a different perspective and when I get a chance to wreak havoc, it is even more entertaining." - Belial "What do you mean? Are you able to just do whatever you want when you are released? Are you not bound to the contract to only follow his orders?" - Feirna "I am somewhat bound, however, my opinion matters. I have a say and sometimes that say is more important than his own thoughts, plus, I was able to discover something very interesting while I was contracted with Kingston." - Belial "And that is?" - Feirna "There is a greater world outside here, and I''m not talking about the Heavenly Realm or Hell''s Floor but a world that is separate from ours. One where science rules and magic is nonexistent, where fighting is rarely done and peace is the norm. A pr opposite from life as we both know it and I want to learn more about that world." - Belial "Does such a world truly exist? Because if it does, I want to destroy it. The thought of peace disgusts me, how can you even think I would want to contract this person when that is the world they live in?" - Fierna "Because we can have a chance to destroy the peace. How much more entertaining would it be to destroy a peace that has been built up for generations? It is so much better to be feared as the ones would lead an army to another world than to be known as another group of Demons who attacked the humans." - Belial "I can hear you. I''m not deaf. I can hear you plotting about the destruction of my world, like that''s not cool, Belial. I don''t approve." - Kingston "Shut up for a second Kingston. Fierna, contract with Kingston. Let us once again show this world our power, together. Let us destroy all those that stand in our way and make the Reaper bow his head to us." - Belial "Hmm¡­ Fine. Not because I want to contract with him but because the thought of destroying another world intrigues me. I also want to learn more about that world. The people, the environment, and this thing you call science." - Fierna "Excellent! Now,e over here Fierna, and Kingston! Hurry up! Get over here." - Belial "The difference in treatment is outstanding¡­" - Kingston "Well, then Kingston. Shall we get into a contract?" - Feirna Standing in front of me, poised like a model, Feirna smiles at me seductively. The side of her mouth creeps up slowly as she bends her body down, looking at all of me, from toes to head. With a smirk, she licks her lips and the system message pops in front of me. [ You are about to ept a contract with a demon. WARNING! This is thest chance for you to say no.] [Yes/No] "Here goes nothing. Yes!" - Kingston The moment the words left my mouth, Belial''sughter rings in my ears as he shatters into dust along with the world around us. Like ss shattering, the world cracks and crumbles asva seeps in, pooling along the ground and slowly burning the world around me. Frantically, moving away from theva, I move closer to Feirna, who catches and holds me tight, wrapping her arms around my sides and cing her hands on my back. Her two small mounds press against my chest as her figure shrinks until she was the same height as me. Her ck eyes gaze into mine, mesmerizing me and distracting me from the approachingva. Leaning forward, she presses her cherry-red lips against mine, tightening her grip around my back and slowly moving her left hand up my spine, resting it behind the back of my hand, while the other creeps down to my butt. Reciprocating the kiss, I lean forward as well, pushing my body into hers, as my hands naturally wrap around her, and despite theva touching my feet I couldn''t think of anything else other than Fierna. Our tongues roll around each other as moan after moan escapes our lips, as we kiss passionately over and over. Dismissing the mes that cover her body with a snap of her fingers, Fierna holds into me tighter her nails slightly digging into my back, sending a wave of pleasure. I could feel the heat from theva burn my skin, boiling my blood, and melting my bones. The pain should have been indescribable, enough for someone to faint or die from, but right now, I felt euphoric, like I was on cloud nine. Without stopping, kiss Feirna more and more, grabbing her waist and pulling her toward me. Leaving her lips, I tease her cheek before moving to focus on her neck where I nibble, suck and kiss, as she moans in pleasure. My heart pounds against my chest as I glimpse at the risingva levels, as it passes my waist. I couldn''t feel my legs at this point, but I could see Feirna''s lower body swaying from side to side as she nibbles my neck. My breath slows, and I feel the grip strength I once had leaving me, with the only thing holding me up being Feirna''s hands. Time seems to wind down, as I see Feirna stop ying with my neck and instead watch me. Licking her lips and revealing her rose-colored tongue, she smiles, giving me a wink as she ces and hand on my chest. Pushing onto it slightly, she releases her grip on my back and I fall into the pool ofva. Immediately, steam envelops me, and I go under theva I feel every part of my body burn and crack away, but not a sound escapes my lifts. Instead, I feel the corners of my mouth rise slightly as I burn away, leaving only a singr fiery orb. Once again, I go into the spiritual state, watching my body burn away in theva. The orb slowly spins around horizontally, pulling theva around its body. A small vortex starts to form with the orb at the center as theva rushes into the orb. Like a whirlpool, theva gets sucked into the orb, and turning to face me, Feirna blows me a kiss. "Guess we are together now." - Feirna Her body dissipates and flows into the fiery orb along with theva, and only when all theva entered the orb did I feel it beat once more. Like a heart, it starts to beat rhythmically. With each beat, I feel my spiritual body draw closer and closer to it, until my visionspletely flip, and I see my body being reconstructed once more, just like the time I contracted with Belial. Feirna''s body escapes out of mine and materializes, and with a kiss she turns into a tornado made out of scarlet mes, spinning into my other hand, creating another ck scar on the back of the palm. Simr to Belial''s scar, it had Feirna''s name written along the edges of the circle but in the middle, there was a shape of lips surrounded by 6 small knives. At the handle of each knife, was each letter of Feirna''s name and once it was constructed I heard her seductive voice echo in my head. "This is my Seal. Do you like it? It is our contract." - Feirna "I do like it." - Kingston 267 Chapter 267 [ Congrattions on establishing a contract with a Demon - Feirna. ] [ As this is your second contract with a Demon, some skills have been upgraded/updated. Hellfire has been upgraded. Demonic Energy has been upgraded. Demon Trigger can now be used to transform into either Demon.] [ As you have contracted with another Demon, increase all stats by 10. ] Hellfire (Active) (Upgradeable) 15MP or 10 DE - Choose 5¡Á5 m to burn and create a small fire in that area. The initial activation of this spell will cause 100 damage (+200% Intelligence) as well as 25 damage over time (+100% Intelligence). The fire cannot be put out by normal means, however, will not spread beyond that area. Duration 30 minutes. Cooldown 30 minutes. This skill able to be upgraded once the user contracts with more demons. [DE] Demonic Energy (Passive) (Upgradeable) - The user is able to store Demonic Energy within their body due to the presence of a demon. Demonic Energy can be used as a substitute for MP. Current Demonic Energy (50/50) can also be seen on status. This skill able to be upgraded once the user contracts with more demons. [ Being Fierna''s Contractor you will gain skills ordingly Skill: de of Fire Skill: Charm Resistance (Passive) Skill: Demon Servant (Upgradeable) Skill: Seal of Fierna ] de of Fire (Active) 50% Maximum MP or 50% Maximum DE - Conjure a 70 cm de made from fire, dealing additional fire-element damage with each strike (+200% Intelligence). It is possible to create a ranged attack using the de of Fire. The de''s mes cannot hurt the user. Lasts for as long as the user wishes. Once dismissed, the user must activate it using the full amount again (50% Maximum MP or 50% Maximum DE). Charm Resistance (Passive) - 50% Resistance against all charm skills and abilities. Demon Servant (Active) (Upgradeable) 10% Maximum HP + 10% Maximum DE - Create a summoning circle to summon a Lesser Demon (Imp) as a servant. The servant gains a portion of the summoner''s stats (10%) as a bonus upon summon. Duration 30 minutes. Cooldown 1 hour. This skill can be upgraded upon the acquirement of more Demons. Seal of Fierna (Active) 50% Maximum HP - Activate the Seal of Fierna and summon the Demon Feirna for a short period of time. The Demon will have its own consciousness and will make its own choices. Duration 10 minutes. Cooldown 1 day. Name: Kingston Race: Human Health Points (HP): 56/110 Mana Points (MP): 24/24 Demonic Energy (DE): 50/50 Strength: 50 Vitality: 55 Intelligence: 48 Dexterity: 30 Agility: 55 Luck: 31 Skill: Sand Armor, Rage, Cleave, Charge, Demon Trigger, Siphon Soul, Hellfire, Seal of Belial, de of Fire, Demon Servant, Seal of Fierna, Buffalo Horns (Passive), Darkness Resistance (Passive), Demonic Energy (Passive), Charm Resistance (Passive) Equipment: Vomva Bronze Trident, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Goblin Knife, Wooden Helmet Opening my eyes as wind cuts along my skin, I see the rapidly approaching floor. Panic immediately sets in as I scream my lungs out iling my arms around. Appearing from my chest, a smaller version of Fierna forms in front of my face. "Use Demon Trigger with me. Hurry!" - Fierna "RAGE! DEMON TRIGGER, FIERNA!" - Kingston Without hesitation, I use Rage and followed up with Demon Trigger which had bothe off cooldown despite being used not too long ago. My only guess is that it was reset the moment I entered a contract with Fierna. Forming around my body, instead of scarlet armor with a skull helmet, was a spiral of scarlet mes, condensing tightly around my body. Despite this, the floor was getting ever so closer. The mes cover everywhere across my body, like tightly fitting leather armor with a scarlet sheen. My heart pounds harder against my chest, as I see the smaller Fierna, looking over my shoulder. With a panicked gaze, I turn my head to Fierna, and she looks at me smiling. "Use the wings." - Fierna "WINGS?! WHAT WINGS?!" - Kingston "Yep! You have wings on your back made out of mes. You just need to use them to not die, unless that is what you want?" - Fierna "WHAT?! HOW?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN? FIERNA, I''M GOING TO DIE! HELP ME!" - Kingston "Sigh, JUST FOCUS! YOU ABSOLUTE INBRED! These wings are part of you. You just need to control them by moving them. It is very easy!" - Feirna Focusing on my back, trying my hardest to not think about the floor, I wriggle around and feel something like a muscle that wasn''t there before. Moving it up and down, my descent starts to slow, a smile cracks through my stiff expression, but I start to realize, I''m not slowing down fast enough. Following my previous movements, I repeat the same steps over and over again, gradually slowing down until I stop myself right before crashing into the ground. Letting my hands touch the ground, then my legs and feet a sense of aplishment rushed through me, I was just flying. A chuckle escapes my lips as a surreal feeling washes over me, but before I can savor it, out the corner of my eye, I see Devel''s sword swing toward me creating sparks along the ground. Leaping off the ground, I glide upward dodging the attack as well as the follow-up lightning bolt that came out of the de. Glimpsing around, I search for Ian who should have been upied with Devel and in the far corner, embedded inside a purple crack was Ian''s body. Blood pours out of his body as his mouth stays open, and his eyes are filled with white. Looking closer, I saw his spider legs were broken, with some snapped in half and others torn and left dangling in the air. "Devel, don''t you think you went too far with Ian? The guy looks like he just went through a horror movie like you tore his limbs apart. Where is the decency?" - Kingston "Don''t talk like you know what happened here, Kingston. While you were held up in the sky, Ian went through some sort of transformation and went wild, attacking anything that moves. I did my best to protect myself and that just led to him being severely injured. If I didn''t, I would be the one that is smashed into a wall." - Devel "What do you mean? Did he go Berserk? He doesn''t have a skill like that though." - Kingston "Devel isn''t lying Kingston. Ian went Berserk just like you did a while back. Only his Berserk was most likely triggered by the curse that was ced on him. Ian grew an extra set of spider legs as well as a pair of eyes above his normal ones. Ian wasn''t normal, there was something different about him when he went Berserk like he was in a trance or something. Ian kept mumbling words, but I was too far away to hear him and Devel stopped me from getting too close, in case Ian attacked us. " - Ster "What¡­? What about the rest? Where are they? David? Howard? Gibing? Gopopo? Kumi? Howe it is just you here, Ster?" - Kingston "We moved everyone down to the lower level, right now it is just Devel, you and me on this floor, well if you include Ian''s body then, Ian is also here." - Ster ? "Is he not dead?" - Kingston "Nope. This is the third time I have sent him into a wall. The first time was the start of the Berserk, the second was protecting my people from his attack and the third was hitting him away from you who had just fallen down from the sky." - Devel "Wait, so that attack wasn''t meant for me? I could have sworn you aimed your sword at my head and also sent a lightning bolt in my direction." - Kingston "He was right next to you, plus I felt you would be able to dodge the attack after seeing you hover above the floor, which you did splendidly." - Devel "So, what now? If Ian is like this, do we just leave him? Go out separate ways?" - Kingston "No, I still want to go up to the top of the Abyss and figure this ce out. One of my employees still has the sub-mission for this area and I would want to get the reward for it before I go. I assume someone from RavenStar also has the sub-mission?" - Devel "Yes. That would be me, but I don''t know what to expect above this floor." - Kingston "Regardless, I''m going up. Are youing with me?" - Devel "I''ll go. I''m curious about the situation above us as well. Ster, go back down and inform the rest. Tell them to stay near the Portal and be ready at all times. Devel, do you need to say anything to your people?" - Kingston "No, they already have their orders." - Devel "Right¡­ Thank you Ster." - Kingston "It''s okay. I''ll be going first then. Stay safe." - Ster Leaving us, Ster disappears down the set of stairs, and an awkward silence urs as Devel and I look at each other. Shrugging my shoulders, I let him take the lead but the moment he turns away, the both of us snap our attention toward Ian. Pulling his body out of the wall one limb at a time, Ian''s eyes sh red as his whole body cracks loudly, as if his bones were resetting themselves. "I will sacrifice you all to the queen." - Ian 268 Chapter 268 "Kingston, what does he mean by the queen?" - Devel "Oh my god¡­ There is no way¡­" - Kingston Turning toward me, Devel''s face showed a hint of confusion. However, I wasn''t confused. I knew exactly what he meant, and I was terrified. How long has it been since we met her? Since she came down and attacked us in the forest, inflicting her curse upon Ian. Gulping down my saliva, I shook my head as I look at Devel. "The queen he is referring to is the Queen of Spiders, Selino, a General for the Horde and also the reason he has spider legs on his back. I can only assume the reason for his sudden outburst is rted to the curse which is affecting him. Ian has told me that there was a timer on his curse and as the timer goes down, he has be more and more spider-like. Well, looking at him, there does seem to be an extra set of eyes and legs." - Kingston "He has also be a lot strongerpared to before. Does he get a damage boost or a stat upgrade when the curse timer goes down?" - Devel "Not sure, I think there were times when he grew stronger exponentially, but this looks very different. I think he might have acquired a new skill or something." - Kingston Stomping off the ground and cracking the surroundings, Ian leaps toward us. Instinctively, both of us separated, as Ian zooms in between us bouncing off the ground once more, as his spear pierces the space next to Devel. Kicking Ian in the chest, Devel backflips away from Ian but in the middle of the flip, Ian elerates thrusting his spear at Devel''s chest. Knocking the spear to the side with his sword, Develnds on his feet and immediately swings at Ian, gripping the handle with two hands. Bursting around his sides with pinpoint uracy, Ian''s spider legs stop the attack mid-swing. Flying in to help, I attack Ian with my trident, but with a single nce in my direction, he tumbles in the air rolling under me and punching my stomach. ? Unable to block the attack, I feel his fist break through the chest te and hit my flesh. Gritting my teeth, I p my wings downward aggressively, sting me up into the air as pieces of my armor fall to the ground. Spinning down, Ian''s spider legs repeatedly strike at Devel, aiming for his legs and arms, forcing Devel to take a step back. However, a few of those strikes hit their target and small cuts can be seen on Devel''s skin. "Fierna, Belial, any thoughts on how to defeat Ian? He is obviously faster and stronger than before but his reflexes and flexibility have also improved greatly. There was no way he would have been able to fight like that before. " - Kingston "Just attack him and kill him? Why are you overthinking this?" - Belial "Belial is right, I''m sure you win against him if you use everything." - Fierna "But not even Devel is beating Ian¡­ Isn''t that kind of strange?" - Kingston "Didn''t that person attack both you and Ian before Ian turned evil?" - Fierna "Ah¡­ He is waiting on his cooldowns. Alright, I just attack him with all I got. Fierna, can you help me?" - Kingston "I would be happy to help." - Fierna "Alright then, prepare toe out! Seal of Fierna!" - Kingston Bursting out from the back of my palm, a gorgeous beauty flies out wrapping thin mes around her body as she lunges down toward Ian and Devel. Conjuring a me sword in her hands she ms the ground in between them, sending a wave of fire in all directions. Diving behind her while thrusting my trident at Ian, I hit his spider leg as it attempts to block my attack, creating a small explosion that sends cracks along the leg. Looking at Ian up close, I see that his eyes were bloodshot as he stares at me. Pushing me away with his legs, his focus turns toward Feirna who is giggling beside him, shing and swinging her me sword at Ian. Dancing around her attacks, Ian nimbly positions himself on her right, giving him an opportunity to strike at Fierna''s nk, but she smirks as she ducks down. Jumping over her body, Devel''s sword slices through the air, aiming for Ian''s neck. Spinning his spear up such that it was vertical, Ian stabs it into the ground prating into the floor. Just in time for the sword to connect with the body of the spear, pushing Ian to the left as he takes the full force of the attack. Stopping his momentum, Ian uses his lower spider legs to pierce into the ground. Unfortunately for him, the momentum was so strong that his lower spider legs snaps from the force. After traveling for quite some distance, Ian turns toward us but to his surprise, Fierna is already next to him, grinning like a child as her sword shes at Ian''s body. Leaping into the air, Ian abandoned his weapon as he narrowly dodges the attack, with only the tips of his fringe burning. Licking her lips, Fierna creates a pair of me wings, eyeing Ian as he repositions himself midair. Flying toward him, I attack with my trident, forcing Ian to tumble in the air to deflect my attack, but I was only the decoy. Fierna leaps into the air, elerating with the help of her wings as she shes upward, cutting the rest of Ian''s spider legs as well as his left arm. With the crackling of electricity, Devel also attacks at the same time, shing forward and redirecting his dash midair shing cleanly through Ian''s legs. Blood rains down from the sky as Ian screams as he falls to the ground. Unable to protect himself, hends with a thud creating a small dust cloud. shing back to the ground, Devel lets out a small sigh of relief, ncing at Fierna and me, who float down calmly. We stand somewhat far away from the crash site, observing the situation, waiting for the dust to clear, so we can see what happened to Ian. Seconds passed and then minutes as the dust cloud eventually dissipates. With a sharp inhale, I see Ian standing on his two legs as his left arm regenerates visibly. His spider legs drop to the ground as new ones rece them. Throwing his head back, he cracks his neck before looking at us once more. Blood-red eyes stare at us menacingly, but that is only the start. Crawling up from his neck were small ck spiders that cover his skin, reaching from his right fingers to across half of his face. They crawl and scatter around, but never going past half of his body, eventually crawling down his right leg, before stopping once they reached his feet. Shivers run down my spine as I grimace at the sight of what seems to be hundreds of spiders crawling along his skin, but then I notice that these spiders were different. A sh of memory appears in my head, is that the spider tattoo on Ian''s back? Having no idea what that would mean for us, I only grip my trident harder as I activate Sand Armor which covers my defenseless body with the surrounding dirt. "This is going to be troublesome¡­ I''m sensing a power that is a lot stronger than what we were previously fighting. The only difference I can see is the spiders on his body, and they only cover half of his body. Not sure if I want to find out how strong he will be if the spiders cover all of his body." - Fierna "I''m guessing this is part of the curse that Kingston was talking about and are you our ally now, demon?" - Devel "I''m only a temporary ally to you, sweetie." - Fierna "I''m guessing it is part of the curse as well, but I have no information about this. I have no idea how strong Ian will be, and it seems cutting off his arms and legs or even his spider legs will do nothing to him. If we want to stop him, we need to kill him and one of those ways is to attack his chest, neck, or head." - Kingston "No shit Sherlock, I think all of us know how to kill someone. At least we have stalled enough time, I have everything I need to all out on Ian now. So, let''s attack him with all that we have before we die." - Devel "No problem from me, sweetie. I''m just getting started with my attacks." - Fierna "Alright then, let''s attack him all at once, kill him by all means. de of Fire! Demon Servant!" - Kingston Conjuring a me de, much like Fierna, I feel the warm hilt in my hand as a small demon is summoned from a ck portal in front of me. The ck Imp looks at me before flying up and around my body positioning on my shoulder. Grinning sinisterly, it waves its small arms around enveloping both my trident and my me sword and a ckish aura. Looking at the both of them beside me, I yell at the top of my lungs. "Alright, ATTACK!" - Kingston 269 Chapter 269 ncing at the Imp, I was able to understand the purpose of the ckish aura around my weapons. It was the skill it had called, Dark Mantle. Name: Imp Race: Lesser Demon Health Points (HP): 28/28 Mana Points (MP): 17/17 Demonic Energy (DE): 5/5 Strength: 10 Vitality: 14 Intelligence: 34 Dexterity: 19 Agility: 21 Luck: 1 Skill: Dark Mantle, Shadow Sting, Lesser Demonic Energy (Passive) Dark Mantle (Active) 5MP or 1DE - Apply dark element to a weapon, shield, part of the body, or an object. Enemies making contact with the dark element will take damage (10 + 100% Intelligence). Can apply Dark Mantle 3/5 more times. Duration 5 mins. Cooldown 10 mins. Shadow Sting (Active) 5MP or 1DE - Release a thin dark needle to deal damage to a target. (20 + 50% Intelligence). Cooldown 30 seconds. "Imp, apply Dark Mantle on Devel and Fierna for me!" - Kingston Running toward Ian, I order the Imp and with a flick of its wrists, a dark aura envelopes their weapons. Without any words between the three of us, we dash at Ian from three different directions with Devel approaching him first from the front, Fierna on the right, and me on the left. With the me de in my left hand and my trident in my right, I elerate faster watching Devel stab forward with his de, only for Ian to disappear. Devel''s de stabs into the wall sparking lightning in all directions, gritting his teeth, he turns and yells in my direction as Ian reappears in front of me. All of Ian''s spider legs dash out from his sides stabbing at my face at lightning-fast speeds. With my quick judgment, I felt like I was unable to dodge the attack, instead, I activate Charge flinging my body straight into Ian''s. The tips of his legs scrape against my skin, as I shoulder bash into Ian, tucking my head down to protect it. Hitting Ian, I was able to push him back and without fail, I stab forward with my trident, creating a small explosion in his chest, forcing him back some more, into Devel''s range. Spinning in midair Ian defends against Devel''s iing horizontal stash, shing with his de with the left side of his spider legs while also counterattacking with the right. Protecting Devel, Feirna''s me de slices through the spider legs, before attempting a diagonal sh across Ian''s body. However, almost immediately after his spider legs were sliced off, new ones grew out stabbing into Feirna''s chest, lifting her up into the air as Ian stabilizes on the ground. "Electrical Charge!" - Devel Dashing forward, draping himself in an electrical, Devel ms into Ian''s side, shooting electrical currents off his body. Small currents burn Ian''s skin and in response, Ian takes the spider legs out of Fierna and backs off, leaping away. Turning to observe Ian, I notice that the burnt skin was already starting to recover, however, I never once heard of Ian having a healing ability. Dashing past me, Devel and Fierna both attack Ian with their respective skills. "Fire Shield - Cone!" - Fierna "Askknall." - Devel In the front, Devel initiates the attack, pping his hands together the moment he was in range, sending an electrical pulse toward Ian. While behind him, Fierna conjures a cone asrge as her body, in front of her, pressing forward like a lotive. Gritting my teeth, I follow after them, watching their movements and doing my best to find an opportunity to join in on the attack. With just this short exchange, I already knew that this fight was out of my skill level. Not only is Devel having difficulty facing Ian, but from what I can see, even Fierna was having trouble. The only thing left in my mind is how do I help them. What can I do for them? My attacks are too slow and too weak so¡­ What can I do? ? As my thoughts race through my mind, Fierna reaches Ian, using her fire shield as a cover she blocks his movements, swinging around the side to attack with her fire sword. Blocking the shield with his right spider legs, Ian brings up his left spider legs to parry Fierna''s attack, counterattacking at her legs with the lower left spider leg. Predicting that the attack would fail, Fierna jumps up somersaulting in the air above Ian, the moment her fire sword touches his legs. Devel approaches Ian from the right side, using the fire shield as cover as his skill sends a wave of electrical energy at Ian, momentarily stunning him. Scraping his greatsword along the ground, Devel attacks Ian''s lower body, letting out a small battle cry. As the sword approaches Ian''s body sparks orbit around it as the de glows lightly. Fierna, above swings down with her sword, letting out arge me as the fire covering her body burns brighter. "Quickstep." - Ian Dodging both their attacks with a slight shift of his feet, Ian retaliates immediately, mming Devel''s sword to the ground while at the same time, letting Fierna''s body pass by him, giving him room to ground her arm, pulling her to the ground as well. A small cloud of dust appears as Devel''s sword shatters the ground and Fierna''s body erupts into mes. However, the dust cloud clears instantly as Fierna flies out upward and Devel shifts next to me. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the end of Ian''s counter-attack as he leaps into the air, following Fierna. His speed grew exponentially and could have only been done by Extremespeed, allowing him to reach Fierna within a second. Tackling her in the air, Ian''s spider legs proceed to stab Fierna in the back but a smirk appears across her face as her hand caresses Ian''s cheek. A singr word could be heard escaping her mouth. "Charm." - Fierna A small fiery pink heart leaves Fierna''s mouth, imprinting itself on Ian''s cheek. His body freezes and he starts to fall as Fierna slips through his grip but as he falls the heart slowly crumbles away, disappearing the moment Iannds on the ground. Nodding at Devel, the both of us approach Ian, stabbing at his body as we got into range but it seems his movements had already returned, as his spider legs block our attack. "Hold him still, darling~" - Fierna Gazing upward, I see Fierna surrounded by a tornado of mes as her sword is pointed at Ian. Winking at me, I realise that her mes were slowly intensifying and both Devel and I had no choice but to stay next to Ian if we wanted to make sure the attack would hit. Already acknowledging the situation, Devel presses forward allowing himself to be sliced by Ian''s whirlwind of attacks but a coat of lightning appears around Devel as he activates his skill. "Thunderous Aura!" - Devel Turning to Belial, who was rxing on my shoulder while all of this was happening, I ask him a question that might determine whether or not my attacks would be relevant. After all, this whole fight has been mainly Devel and Fierna, with me supporting them from the sidelines from time to time. "Belial! Can I use Demon Trigger for you while Fierna and I are connected?" - Kingston "I wouldn''t rmend that. Not only would you most likely be unable to contain your Rage, but the Demonic Energy that is currently circting around your body is too low for a second Demon Trigger. If you were to try and do it then you might turn out to be the monster that attacked, what was his name again¡­ Luke! That''s right, the human with the powers of a Fenrir. So, unless you want to be like that again be my guest." - Belial "Then what do you suggest we do? I know Fierna is currently gathering power for ast attack and Devel is currently upying Ian but Fierna''s summoning is about to be over and I doubt Devel is strong enough to defeat Ian." - Kingston "I can hear you, you know. I don''t appreciate you saying I am weaker than a yer who has lost all reasonings to a stupid curse. Pathetic." - Devel "Well, that pathetic guy is beating our asses so¡­ What do you suggest, Belial?" - Kingston "Apostle of Zeus, should unseal his sword again. The moment Fierna''s attacknds and kills Ian as soon as possible. You will do nothing. There is no help you can offer, Kingston. You are just too weak." - Belial Letting out a small sigh, I agree with Belial. There was absolutely nothing I could do that didn''t risk me doing something outrageous. I have to just leave it to Devel and Fierna. "...I know. Devel! Activate that unsealing skill you did earlier." - Kingston "I can''t at the moment. The conditions aren''t met." - Devel "What do you need? Let me help, I can''t do anything to Ian at the moment anyway, so I might as well help you out." - Kingston "There is nothing for you to help. The conditions are just not met, however, after your summons''s attack, I should be able to unseal Zeus''s Lightning Bolt. Unfortunately, I will need to kill Ian. I doubt we can stop him any other way." - Devel "Just do it. Kill him." - Kingston ncing over his shoulder slightly, Devel nods toward me, returning his attention to Ian as his sword dances with Ian''s spider legs. Making sure Ian didn''t escape or retreat, Devel had grabbed onto Ian''s right wrist with his hand and had been doing his best to parry as many attacks as possible. However, not even his coat of lightning was defending all the attacks, as more and more blood drips down Devel''s skin but a silver lining appears. "Alright, darling~ Are you ready?" - Fierna 270 Chapter 270 "Devel! Get out of there!" - Kingston "Can''t! I need to stay here until thest moment! Just get out of the way!" - Devel ncing up, I see a tornado burning around Fierna, it had traveled up her sword and had engulfed the whole of her body, with only small gaps in the mes showcasing her excited expression. Grinning from ear to ear, the tornado bursts outward, quickly lighting up the surroundings. I could feel my skin burning up the longer I stayed below the epicenter of the attack and making quick work, I dashed toward the lower staircase. In the meantime, Devel was still upying Ian''s attention. His de was always in contact with Ian''s spider legs as much as possible but there was only so much he could do as a wave of fatigue washed over Devel, causing him to mistime a parry. Taking the opportunity, Ian''s spider legs stab through Devel''s Thunderous Aura, piercing through his chest and out the back, sttering blood all over the ground behind him. Coughing up blood, Devel smiles and lunges forward while dropping his sword, pushing the spider legs deeper into his body, and grabs onto Ian''s body, holding Ian''s arms to the side. Struggling to break free, Ian shakes and trembles his body in hopes of making Devel let go, however, Devel''s superior strength doesn''t allow for that to happen. Instead, the spider legs continue to deal damage to Devel and more blood is spilled. "Thanks for waiting, darling~ You did a good job~!" - Fierna The fire tornado above us burns brightly as Fierna''s hystericalughter rings throughout the room. Like a monster, it breathes and vibrates along with Fierna''sugh, sending small ripples along the edges of the mes right before a burst of energy sends the tornado down. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Fierna shouts the skill name, as the mes start to travel faster and faster, spinning down, focusing on Ian. "?|?¡ë???1?? ?¡ä?1???2????????!" - Fierna Unable to move due to Devel''s restraint, Ian could only watch the traveling fire tornado approach him and with his back facing the skill, Devel could only wait patiently as the attackes closer. Even though I had retreated so far away, I could feel the sheer intensity of the attack as it boils the air, creeping closer to the two that were locked inbat. Fierna''s summon cancels, and she reappears next to Belial, exhausted but excited as her skill finallynds. Spinning along the ground, the fire tornado kicks dust and dirt into the air, enveloping Devel and Ian in its fiery ze. I couldn''t see them anymore but for some reason, I doubt either of them was dead. Heavily injured, maybe, but not dead. Just as that thought passes through my head, I start to see shes of blue travel up the tornado. It would start from the left, then go to the right, only toe back to the left. Small subtle shes, but the color was all too simr to someone''s skills that I knew, Devel. Was he traveling upward while gathering energy? Or are they locked in a fight in the eye of the storm? I couldn''t tell what was happening since the fire tornado was just burning the surroundings, creating a hazy atmosphere from the heat of the mes. "Wondering what is happening inside, Kingston?" - Belial Reading my mind, Belial, speaks to me. That demon has always been some sort of step ahead of me, regardless of what I have thought about it or tried to think about. I can only assume it is because of the contract between us that makes it easier for Belial to understand my thoughts. However, sometimes I feel like he understands it better than I do. "Yeah, I''m curious about what is happening inside the tornado. Devel is stronger than any other yer I have seen up until now and Ian had just received a massive upgrade because of the curse. Devel seemed so confident in surviving Fierna''s attack, so I want to know why he is so confident and how he is going to defeat Ian." - Kingston "Well, I don''t think you need to wait much longer. Look at the top of the tornado." - Belial Following Belial''s words, I look at the top of the tornado and I see Devel floating in the air with his great sword poised above his head. Little by little the rocks surrounding his sword break off revealing the Lightning Bolt hidden underneath and in doing so, the light emitted from Devel outshone the tornado of mes below him. Within the next second, Devel disappears from the spot. A bright sh followed by the pping of thunder sts through the room, disintegrating the fire tornado at the same time, sending a shockwave in all directions. The mes were pushed to the walls, before traveling upward as if painting the walls with fire. In the middle of the room, Devel stands still right in front of Ian. The Lightning Bolt, nted on the ground, zapping the surroundings lightly. A clean split appears in the middle of Ian''s body, as it falls to the side in half. Copsing into two separate piles of ash, was my friend. I felt a slight sting in my chest, knowing that I had just helped kill Ian but what else could I do? I was too weak to stop him any other way. Slowly, I make my way to Devel but as I do, I see him copse to the side as well, letting go of his weapon at the same time. Surprised, I quickly dash over to see Devel''s body riddled with holes. I knew he had been stabbed multiple times already by Ian during their close-quarterbat but looking at Devel''s body now, there seemed to be even more holes. Kneeling next to him, I reach inside my pouch to see if I still had a potion but unfortunately, I had nothing left. Quietly, I click my tongue, but the sound was enough for Devel to regain consciousness, and with bated breath, he speaks to me. "Kingston. I''m about to die. Ian is dead, but he was able tond a few more blows during my attack, and I don''t have much HP left. It was fun fighting against you and Ian and then again against Ian, however, I need you to know that whatever is happening with Ian is going to trante over to real life. This game is more than just a game, and whether you believe me enough is your choice. You need to be careful." - Devel "Why are you telling me this? Aren''t we still rivals or enemies?" - Kingston "It is nothing more than just a front. We need strong yers to appear soon or else we humans will be wiped off this world when the ''Merge'' happens." - Devel "I understand about the ''Merge'' but why not just tell themunity about this information? Isn''t it better to have everyone united to defeat the ''Kings''?" - Kingston "It cannot be done. It has already been tried. This is the only way. With less information, the stronger yers were able to be born. Luck is also part of skill, you know." - Devel "It has already happened? What do you mean?" - Kingston "It seems you really don''t know much, do you? Unfortunately, my time is up. I cannot interact with RavenStar any longer or else there will be major consequences. I need to go back to being Devel from Bones. If we meet again, we will be enemies." - Devel "Wait? What? Are you not Devel?" - Kingston "Til we meet again, Kingston." - Devel Before any questions could be answered, Devel''s body and the Lightning Bolt shatters into tiny pieces. Left with more questions, I momentarily stayed still. What was happening?! Confusion and slight panic wash over my body, but before I went down a spiral of thoughts, Belial snaps me out of it. "Kingston! Stop, thinking! There is no point in thinking about something you have no information about." - Belial "What? What do you mean? This was so much information to process and it was so fast. How do you expect me to just ignore it?" - Kingston "Even that human told you to not worry. You need answers, but the information is not here, so move on but keep those questions in your head. Wait and observe, those answers will be somewhere." - Belial "Alright, fine. Fine. I''ll do as you say but seriously, I am so confused right now. Like I feel like my head is about to explode." - Kingston "That is okay. Maybe you should deal with the aftermath of this battle first. Regroup with David and the others. Exin the situation to the other human''s subordinates and then move on." - Belial "Alright, alright. Move on, you say. Alright..." - Kingston Dragging my body away from where both Ian and Devel had just shed, I move slowly to the lower staircase. Holding my head in my hands, my eyes shake from side to side. What is going on in this world? Why isn''t this just a normal game? 271 Chapter 271 "It''s so far awayyyy!" - Sylvia "Less talking, more walking. We need to be at that vige around the same time as Celine and the others." - Nina "I know that but it is so farrrrrrr and are you even sure they are attacking a vige? We haven''t had a way to contact Ian and the others ever since we left on our journey and now we are on the run from the Horde with Selino traveling with us." - Sylvia "Well, without me deary, I doubt you would have been able to leave and be d, Luke won''t be punished for our escape. After all, it is deemed that I was the one that helped you escape and not him." - Selino "He would have been fine by himself." - Sylvia "No he wouldn''t." - Nina "Yes, he would. He is stronger than you think." - Sylvia "If he was stronger than the Horde he would have escaped already but instead he followed them like a dog. Don''t worry, we will find a way to set him free but for now, focus on running faster." - Nina "Are you even sure we are going the right way? What if we are going in the wrong direction?" - Sylvia "Don''t worry about that, deary. I''m making sure we are going in the right direction, after all, it is in the same direction as my baby Ian. I''m so excited to see him." - Selino "You still promised that you will help with the first battle before going to meet Ian." - Nina "Of course, dear. I would never ever forget a promise like that." - Selino Turning away from both of them, I focus on moving forward, while my thoughts try toprehend the situation. It has been 2 days since we ''escaped'' the Hordes'' grasp and I say ''escaped'' because I still feel very suspicious about the whole situation. How can such a strong individual just give up their two captives as well as a strong subordinate? This just doesn''t make any sense to me¡­ Selino is an extremely strong monster, capable of controlling an army of spiders, and yet, she is allowed to roam freely. Even so far as saying she helped in the escape. Well, she did make a path for us to move around the guards and lead a hand in fighting some wild monsters that were too strong for me or Sylvia, to deal with but nheless, it is suspicious. I already told Ian and the others about Selino and from their thoughts, it is better to keep her close rather than far, especially since Ian had been cursed by her. Her slight obsession with Ian might be detrimental in the future but, for now, I can use it to make sure she doesn''t wander off or attack us for no reason. How can just one curse change how a monster acts though? Is there something special about Ian that warrants her attention or is the curse linking them together? Ian has experienced multiple real-life events due to the curse but what has Selino experienced? If both the game and reality are connected does she experience something too because of the curse? Or maybe I''m just thinking too much about these things that don''t even matter? No, these are valid theories, after all, I''m connected to Ares and whether I like it or not, I can feel his presence. It is the same with Sylvia, we both have a mutual understanding of our god''s wants and needs and currently, he is expressing his concern about having Selino with us. A constant buff is being cast upon us by Ares, helping us through this short period where we are traveling to a vige that has been currently attacking the Krepost. [Protection of Ares: 1 hour 30 minutes left] Protection of Ares (Active) - Can only be used by the god of war, Ares. Ares casts a spell upon his apostles, boosting their stats by 50% while they arepleting a certain mission/quest/task. Can be recast the moment the spell duration finishes. Current task: Travel to Unknown Vige. Why would a yer attack another yer anyways? Especially when there is nothing to gain from attacking¡­ People''s train of thought has always baffled me Breaking my own train of thought, Sylvia ces her hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. Turning back with a confused look, I open my mouth to ask her why she had stopped me but refrain from asking as she ces her finger on her lips. Sylvia''s eyes narrow as she crouches down, slightly pushing the branches in front of me aside. Selino, on the other hand, nonchntly sits on the ground, resting her head on her palm as she observes our movements. "There is something ahead of us. I can''t see it, but I feel a presence in front of us. Selino, do you see anything?" - Sylvia "Sorry, deary but I told you before. I''m not going to help you outside of our agreement. That means no asking for help here deary." - Selino "Come on, just help me out here? It can''t hurt for you to just say yes or no to my question." - Sylvia "No means no, deary. I doubt Luke would like an impatient girl such as yourself. Maybe you should change that while you are away from him?" - Selino "HEY-" - Sylvia "Sylvia be quiet. Selino, there is no need to provoke Sylvia, it is her mistake. Sylvia, I too feel something is in front of us now that you have stopped me. However, with no way of finding out what it is, we can only carefully avoid it and go around it. We can make a slight detour by pathing to the left or right for a while before turning back in the direction we need to go." - Nina "Alright, let''s do that for now. This presence gives me a slightly ufortable feeling." - Sylvia "I wouldn''t rmend moving right now." - Selino Instantly taking Selino''s advice, both Sylvia and I froze. Even though the spider queen is a hypocritical being, her words and advice need to be taken seriously. One second she would say she wouldn''t help us and in the next, important advice wille out of her mouth. ncing in front of us, between the small gaps in the branches, I spot something forming along the ground. Dirt and dust swirl slowly, as a small tornado is formed, right before a shadowy figure blinks into existence. Appearing so suddenly that I feel my heart jump for a second. What is that? A monster? A yer? The shadowy figure slowly forms a solid appearance, taking a humanoid form. Its feet float above the ground with the help of the small tornado. Turning its head side to side, it looks as if it was searching for something but when it didn''t find it, it vanishes. Dashing forward, away from us, at frightening speeds. Seconds passed, and Sylvia and I still stood still, as if anticipating that the monster would show up again but nothing. Instead, Selino speaks to us, ridiculing ourck of movement. "So, why have the both of you stopped moving? The Shade clearly left, why are we not advancing further toward the vige?" - Selino "You knew what that monster is?" - Sylvia "Yes. It is a Shade, although, there was something slightly different about it than a normal Shade." - Selino "Can you tell us about it? And what was different?" - Nina "Hmm¡­ I don''t know. Can I tell you? Wouldn''t that be helping you?" - Selino "Tell us and I will tell Ian. He might run into this creature so isn''t the best course of action to spread information about the monster before it is toote?" - Nina "Oh~ Deary~ You are bing smarting and more cunning by the day. I like it! Okay, for that, I shall tell you a little about them. The creature you just saw is called a Shade. A human that has epted the help from a Lich and consumed something containing arge amount of Dark-element. However, the reason why I found it strange is that it was said only humans could be Shades. That wasn''t a human." - Selino "What was it?" - Nina "A demi-human, right? After it formed a humanoid shape, I could make out something that looked like ears or horns on the top of its head." - Sylvia "Yes, good girl! That was a demi-human of the goat race, although its horns are slightly smaller than normal. I also found that it was being controlled by someone or something. Those movements that the Shade made didn''t look natural and felt like someone or something was ordering it toplete a task." - Selino "So, you are saying that there is a Lich nearby?" - Nina "No, deary. I have no idea if a Lich is nearby or not. However, he did travel in the direction we are going as well so maybe there is something at that vige we are traveling to." - Selino "I thought you said that the vige we are going to help with an attack is controlled by a human who can control animals?" - Sylvia "That was my thought too¡­ Is it possible that he can do both?" - Nina "Maybe. It isn''t impossible." - Selino "... I see. We need to hurry then." - Nina Letting out a sigh, I press on, running as quickly as I can while following Selino''s direction. An uneasy feeling was starting to brew inside of me¡­ 272 Chapter 272 "Where do we need to go, Selino? What''s the fastest route?" - Nina Turning to Selino, who was following behind us closely with a rxed expression, I confront her on our route. Knowing that the geography around the Krepost is grasnd and forest, I had some slight suspicions since we were still inside what looked to be a dense jungle, for a little over a day now. "Not long now, will we reach the Emerald Field. We only need to cross it to reach our destination, deary." - Selino "The Emerald Field? Is that the grasnd not too far from the location where you first met Ian?" - Nina "Yes, they are right next to each other, deary. I guess no one educated you, so I will be the one to do so. The Emerald Field is surrounded by the Silent Forest and the Central Mountain Range. We are currently next to the Central Mountain Range, in a small pocket of trees. One of the few ''safe'' pathways that connect the North and the Center." - Selino "I have never heard of these names before. Who named them?" - Nina "Who knows? These were the names of ces long before I was born, and I have used them when I needed to." - Selino "So, not even you know the history of this ce?" - Sylvia "No one knows the true history of thisnd. However, I have heard from the Horde that thisnd used to be made up of 4rgend masses. We are one of the 4." - Selino "Is there a name for thisnd?" - Nina "I don''t know. I never thought about it." - Selino "I see¡­ How much further until we reach the Emerald Field?" - Nina "Almost there, deary. Don''t be so impatient." - Selino Moving forward for another half an hour, pushing past the dense flora, we reach the edge of the Emerald Field. Much like how it looked from the Krepost, I could also see an endless sea of grass. Looking around, I see a familiar towering mountain on my left, which means we need to head slightly in that direction in order to meet up with Celine and Reba. "We only need to cross the Emerald Field now to reach our destination. However, it will take quite a while if the both of you were to travel by foot." - Selino "What do you suggest we do then? It''s not like we have wings." - Sylvia "It is not wings, but I can make our travel speed much faster. I''m also quite bored with walking at this speed." - Selino Stepping forward, Selino''s eyes shine scarlet as tiny silver threads leave her fingertips, traveling with the slight breeze across the Emerald Field. As her eyes fade back to their normal color, I see tworge ck dots racing across the Emerald Field, and within minutes, tworge tarants appear before us. Both towering above Selino, with jet-ck hairs sticking out. Their gold and red eyes observe us as they make small movements with their fangs, constantly turning between Selino and us. However, with just a brush of her hands on theirrge heads, they calm down and sit on the ground, lowering their heads toward us. "These are my little babies. I call them Titants, because of how big they are, but they are quite gentle and curious creatures." - Selino "These are gentle¡­?" - Sylvia "Yes, deary. More gentle than you will ever be." - Selino "HEY- I am as gentle as a flower okay?" - Sylvia "Whatever you say, deary, I doubt Luke will like such an aggressive personality but to each our own right?" - Selino "Enough banter, Selino. What do you want us to do?" - Nina "Nothing much, my little babies will help us traverse the Emerald Field, stopping not too far away from the destination. After that, I will refrain from doing anything and will only watch from the shadows until I meet Ian." - Selino "Fine. Thank you for the help. Sylvia, let''s get on the spiders." - Nina "Where do I sit¡­?" - Sylvia "Just on its back, deary. Make sure to grab onto the hairs unless you want to be thrown off." - Selino Climbing on top of the Titant''s head, and onto its body, I realize that its hairs are as soft as a feather, moving out of my way as my body brushes past it. Finding a ce to sit on its back, I grasp onto its many hairs, tugging on it softly to make sure it wouldn''t be pulled out. An orange light washes over us as the sun starts to set, and with a quick scarlet sh, the Titants start moving. Surprised Sylvia yelped the moment the Titants moved, their quick and rocky movements create a rollercoaster experience but once we got used to their movements, I start to enjoy the passing scenery. This was the first time in this game that I moved this fast and truly embraced the environment. I wasn''t constantly looking over my shoulder, afraid of a monster attacking from the shadows, or constantly scanning the environment to make sure the path forward was safe. This was different. This felt nice. A smile spreads across my face, as the wind brushes against my skin. The sea of Emerald Grass parts to the side as the ck bolt of lightning, the Titant, zooms through. ncing around, I see it wasn''t only me who was enjoying the experience, with Sylvia screaming at the top of her lungs while smiling. Behind us, Selino was following closely, looking around nonchntly as if this wasn''t even her top speed. As the sun dips below the horizon and the world turns dark, I see a small light in the distance, on top of a hill, overlooking the Emerald Field. On closer inspection, I realize I was looking at the Krepost. Shouting beside me, Sylvia also realized that the Krepost was in front of us. The lighting from the many torches that litter the tops of the wall illuminates the night sky, and since this was the first time seeing the Krepost after Ian expanded the ce, I was slightly amazed. With such arge wall towering over the Emerald Field, I look at the Krepost in awe, as we quickly pass it, smiling to myself as some ideas of improvements pop into my head. After traveling for a bit more, we started to enter the Silent Forest where Selino stopped her Titants. Ordering them to lower their heads, both Sylvia and I got off them, before they disappeared into the darkness. Brushing the dust off my clothes, I look at Sylvia as she tugs on her gloves, and cracks her knuckles. "Which way, Nina?" - Sylvia "I''m not too sure. Selino, do you have any idea?" - Nina "Hmm¡­ Just in that direction. I sense the presence of humans and monsters. Deary, I''ll be going now, so, have fun. I''ll be nearby¡­" - Selino "Wait-" - Nina Before I could stop her, Selino disappears into the darkness as well. Letting out a sigh, I turn to Sylvia who shrugs her shoulders. ncing around, I take note of our surroundings before moving with Sylvia along the direction Selino advised us to take. Carefully moving through the forest, I start to notice monster sounds in the distance. cing her hand in front of me, Sylvia takes the lead. Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 61/61 Holy Energy (HE): 20/20 Strength: 10 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 80 (+42) Dexterity: 21 Agility: 23 Luck: 5 Equipment: Mage Robe, Beginner Fire Mage Book, Woven Shirt, Woven Pants, Little Star Pin, Wooden Wand Skills: Awakening, Mystic Palm, Holy me, Sacred Light, Blessing of Ares (Passive), Holy Energy (Passive) [Apprentice Mage Robe Required Int 50 Defense: 10 Intelligence: 20 When casting a spell, reduce casting time by 1 second. Once an apprentice magician''s robe, now cast aside after they became stronger. It still contains small amounts of magical power, however, it doesn''t look as good as it can be, tattered and ripped in some ces. Made by Unknown Tailor] [Apprentice Wooden Wand Attack:10 Intelligence: 20 Deal extra 10% Intelligence damage when a spellnds on an enemy. Once an apprentice magician''s wand, now cast aside after they became stronger. It still contains small amounts of magical power, aiding in battle to the best of its ability. Made by Unknown Magic cksmith] Checking my status right before moving, I take out my book in one hand and grasp my wand in the other. It won''t be long now until we enterbat, I have to be ready as well. Slowly we approach a clearing but as Sylvia was about to exit, she stops suddenly. Turning to me, she lets out a small breath. "In front of us is an army of monsters, I don''t see Celine anywhere at the moment, so I think she is near the front. It doesn''t seem like the fighting has started just yet, but I can see that the n is a frontal assault. Do we join them or do we detour to the sides and enter the vige another way?" - Sylvia Peeking past Sylvia, I take note of the number of monsters,paring it to the mental note I made when I was discussing with Ian before going into the game. Observing theyout of the front of the vige, as well as the surrounding environment, I made a decision for Sylvia and me. "We go around and try to enter from the right side. Ian told me there is a variant monster that is at the top of the vige. Maybe we can fight it first before ites down and fights Celine and the others." - Nina "Alright, let''s move then." - Sylvia 273 Chapter 273 "Celine! Yor! How are we doing? What''s the n of action?" - Reba "With the sun just setting and the world being nketed by the night, both sides will have to rely more on their other senses. The front gate has been reinforced both in the front and most likely in the back. The sides don''t have any openings either ording to our scouts, so the next best thing would be to try to destroy the front gate which should be one of the weaker points of the wall." - Yor "The only problem with this is we don''t know the exact number of monsters inside the vige and which monsters can attack from a range. I also feel like the monsters are slightly on edge. They feel a stronger presence within the vige." - Celine "Exactly. Attacking recklessly will only lead to potential losses on our side. I would prefer to wait and see what the other party will do, however, I don''t think we have the time to do so." - Yor cing my hands on my hips, I look around me, observing the front gate of the Tamer Vige. In front of the gate is a wall of wooden spikes; from Gewari and the scouts, the wall isn''t a singr wooden structure. There are 5yers of wooden structures to go through before making it inside the Vige, with the thickestyers being the first and thest. Initially, the n would have been for the Xabarils to ram down the front gate, however, upon approaching, Yor advised against it. From our current information, there are also Zivotinjas inside the vige, and they might attack from the top of the wall if we invade. With our low ground disadvantage, we would be sitting ducks if they were to just attack us, but then that begs the question¡­ Why haven''t they already attacked? "Reba, Celine, Yor I think something is wrong. The scouts and I haven''t seen a single monster in the vige the whole time we were here. " - Gewari Turning toward Gewari, who had appeared from the shadows, I look at her with a concerned expression, with slightly panicked speech, I ask her what she meant. "Gewari, what do you mean? Didn''t you say before we arrived that you saw them prepare the defenses? How can there be no one inside at the moment?" - Reba "I''m not sure. When we went to scout, there were no monsters or people wandering the vige streets. However, I still felt the presence of a strong monster at the back of the vige. It is very strange." - Gewari "How was the interior? Messy? Clean?" - Yor "Clean. Nothing looked out of ce. Houses were upright. Some torches were still burning inside. It is as if everything vanished." - Gewari "You don''t think they are ambushing the Krepost while we are here?" - Celine "They would leave the base undefended in order to attack ours? Sounds like a dumb move to me." - Reba "No, it is the opposite. If they keep their strongest here and in a surprising situation, we are more likely to hesitate in our decision to attack or to retreat. In saying that, I suggest we split up, with half of us returning to the Krepost while the other half attacks the vige right now." - Yor "Alright, I trust your decision, Yor. We will get the fastest monsters to head back, with Gewari and her scouts to take charge. The rest of us will attack." - Celine "Alright. I will leave now. If there is no danger, I will head back here as soon as possible." - Gewari "Okay, I''ll have half of the Zivotinjas to follow you, along with all the Ijagus." - Celine Blowing a whistle with her fingers to get the attention of her monsters, Celinemands the Zivotinjas and the Ijagus to follow Gewari as they retreat back into the forest. At the same time, Yor steps to the front, and orders the Crinzannas to attack the wooden spikes with their skill. With their manes lighting up the front lines, the Crinzannas let loose a barrage of attacks, crashing into the spikes. Splinters fly out in different directions like hidden des in the dark and the thunderous roar of the frontyer of their defense falling down, rings through the surroundings. Thinking that it would spark retaliation, Yormands the Crinzannas to momentarily stop the assault. However, nothing happens making Yor order the assault again, still holding back the Xabarils in case of a counterattack. Bit by bit, the attack creates holes in the wall, but theck of retaliation only heightens my anxiety. Nervously, I look around, somewhat anticipating an attack to happen from the sides or even behind but nothing. Just nothing. Why? This is different from what was supposed to happen¡­ Fortuna told me that there was going to be a major battle here, however, nothing is happening. Was it a lie? Or is it justdy luck telling me one of the many possibilities? Taking out the small stopwatch from my pouch, I click the side button, opening it up to see a wooden clock face. The same wooden hands read 10 past 12, but I knew that it was ticking backward. Ever since I received this item after praying to Fortuna to increase the Faith of HavenFall, it has been ticking backward ever so slowly and with only what I can assume to be 10 more minutes, I nervously wait. Waiting for whatever event will happen here. [Fortuna''s Stop Watch (Bound to Ba) (Artifact) ? The stopwatch is a timer created by Fortuna to remind her of an important event in the flow of the universe. It ticks backward and only those that Fortuna believes are worthy can wield the stopwatch.] Name: Ba Race: Human Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 20 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 10 Agility: 27 Luck: 21 Skill: Coin Flip, Fortuna''s Blessing (Passive), Fortuna''s Gift (Passive) Equipment: Goblin Knife, Stone Spear, Wooden Chest te, Wooden Arm Guard, Wooden Leg Guard, Wooden Helmet, Aqua Ring Coin Flip (Active) 1MP - Flip a magical coin, calling out heads or tails. If correct double a random stat for 10 seconds. Can repeat. If you fail, then lose all buffs and cannot retry for 1 hour. Fortuna''s Blessing (Passive) - Fortuna maymunicate with the user, blessing them with various things if she chooses to. Current Blessing (+20 Luck) Fortuna''s Gift (Passive) - There is a chance that the user will receive something from Fortuna. It can be status points, equipment, artifacts etc Luckily for me, I was finally able to gain some useful skills after praying to Fortuna after arriving at HavenFall, but it wasn''t only me who has been blessed by her. Melody has been blessed with foresight and before leaving she told me that it will be dangerous at the Tamer Vige. Apanying the fact that the timer is slowly ticking down, I can only pray that whatever danger it will be, we can handle it. With a booming sound, the front gate falls down after the collective attacks from the Crinzanna. Pausing the assault, Yor waits for the cloud of dust to fade away, observing the situation. Celine gently calms the nearby Zivotinjas as we all see something emerge from the cloud. A singr ck humanoid figure pushes the cloud of dust away, sending a small gust in our direction. Floating on top of a small ck tornado, it looks at us with disdain. Its expressions were more human-like than its body. Narrowing its eyes, it scans us from left to right. I could see Yor letting out a quiet breath, as his fingers wrap around the knives on his waist. In a low voice, the creature speaks to us. "Who¡­ Are you? Why¡­ Are you here? This¡­ Is my prey. Its body¡­ Is mine. None¡­ Shall have it. Other¡­ Then me." - ??? "I don''t know who you are, but we are here to attack this ce as they have previously attacked us before. If they are your enemies as well, then maybe we can cooperate and kill them together. I would like to ask why you came from that side of the wall." - Yor "Wall? There¡­ Was no such thing. I¡­ Appeared here from the shadows." - ??? "Okay¡­ What shall we call you? And are you our enemy?" - Yor "I¡­ Number 88. Shade. Enemy? Yes. All¡­ Shall be my prey. Be¡­ My energy. MAKE¡­ ME STRONGER!" - Number 88 Screaming at the top of its lungs, a burst of dark energy resonates out of the monster, hitting everyone in the vicinity, and dealing surprisingly little damage. However, that wasn''t even an attack, only the monster screaming. I grab onto Celine, and the both of us make our way to the back of the army as Yor dashes forward whilemanding the Xabarils to follow him. While retreating, Celine calls out to the Zivotinjas to apply the various Prismatic Shields on the Xabarils and Yor, while ordering the Crinzanna to surround the monster from the sides. Patting 4 Zivotinjas on the side, Celine brings them to the back with me, having them protect us as the battle begins. 274 Chapter 274 "Energy Booster!" - Yor Stepping off the ground, Yor dashes forward, pulling out a short sword, made from abination of bronze and a Crinzanna Fang. A sharp whistle pierces through my ears as the de slides out of the leather scabbard as a white half-moon arc approaches Number 88, from below. Noticing the attack, Number 88''s body, bloats up, erging itself instantly until it was thrice the size of Yor. Yor''s de makes contact with the blown-up body, producing orange and yellow sparks, as the monster''s body hardens upon contact. Like arge ck ice sculpture, the monster''s body deflects Yor''s attack, before a fist is formed in its right hand. Swinging down with speed that does not match its body, Number 88, aims for Yor''s head. Blocking in the nick of time by crossing his arms above his head, Yor grunts at the impact as his feet sink into the ground. At this moment, the several Crinzannas surrounding the monster, attack their skills as their manes light up the surroundings. In conjunction, the Xabarils charge at Number 88, desperately sprinting as they see Yor in trouble. Each one of them activates Charge, gaining a boost in speed as small dirt clouds could be seen as their feet kick up the dirt. Smiling at the monster''s decision without anymands, Yor yells out, breaking free from the attack and jumping on top of the monster, wrapping around its neck, and locking it in ce with his legs. Bringing his short sword down at the monster''s face, the Xabarils squeal loudly as they reach Number 88''s body. "DISPERSE!" - Number 88 Disappearing like a cloud of smoke, Number 88''s body, changes from a solid into a gas, instantly flying away along with the wind. The Xabarils unable to stop their charge, collide with one another with Yor luckily using their body to escape the entanglement. However, the Crinzannas were unable to stop their skill as well as their manes spun faster, about tounch their attack at the Xabarils. "AIM FOR THE GATE!" - Celine Listening to their tamer''s orders, they turn their heads to the already destroyed gate, and in the nick of time, their attacks areunched. Another wave of splinters flies out into the darkness, nketing over Yor and the Xabarils. Looking around, I try to find the monster, but with no sign of the monster in front or to the sides of us, I quickly turn around. "BEHIND US!" - Reba Swirling out of the ground like a tornado, Number 88 appears, shrieking at the Zivotinjas, as a st of sound waves hit into all our chests. Taking note of the low damage, I took, I activate my Coin Flip ability. Revealing itself in front of my eyes, a small silver coin flickers into existence. With a portrait of Fortuna on the obverse side of the coin and a number 1 on the inverse side, the coin magically floats in the air for a moment before I quickly grab it. cing it slightly above my thumb, resting it against my index finger, I flip the coin upward. A small spark of electricity gathers around the coin as it spins in the air. Catching the coin in my right hand, I ce it on the back of my palm on my left, revealing the portrait of Fortuna as I pull my right hand away. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling random stat¡­ Agility has been selected! Agility 27 > Agility 54. Will you Coin Flip again?] "Not yet." - Reba With my increased agility, I dash backward, grabbing onto Celine''s waist and pulling her back as well. Making sure not to wander too far away, I position ourselves near the Crinzannas, before Celine issues hermands over the Zivotinjas, who were already very agitated by the appearance of Number 88, behind them. "Use the stored energy from Energize and activate maximum power Shooting Stars! Surround Number 88, and ATTACK!" - Celine Following hermand, the Zivotinjas'' eyes light up as electricity gathers within their bodies. Wrapping around their body is an aura of electricity, travelling from their eyes to their tails as it lights up the surroundings. Within a moment of the electrical currents touching their tails, all 4 Zivotinjas start to move. They gallop toward Number 88, with two Zivotinjas splitting off to the right and left, surrounding Number 88. However, Number 88 wasn''t going to just let the Zivotinjas surround it for free, instead, it starts to form a purple and ck ball above its head, with two simr balls on its left and right side. Pointing toward the Zivotinjas that were approaching it from the front, the three balls sh purple before elerating to the Zivotinjas at frightening speeds. Crashing into the Prismatic shields that were already ced on the Zivotinjas prior to the battle, a small purple cloud is produced from each explosion. Zooming out of the cloud were the Zivotinjas, and with a quick turn with their front legs, they swing their tails at Number 88 at the same time as the Zivotinjas on the left and right were attacking. A gxy of spinning electric stars fly toward the monster from all directions, creating a web of electricity as the stars produce small sparks between each other, seemingly dancing in the air. In response with the attack, a thin purple barrier appears around Number 88, expanding out to meet the stars as the same three purple and ck balls form around him again. With each star colliding with the barrier, small explosions litter the surroundings as shes of light blind our eyes, forcing both Celine and me to turn away slightly from the fight. The moment the explosion were done, three balls race out of the smoke, crashing into the Zivotinjas on the side butnding in between the two Zivotinjas in the front. The unexpected attack breaks the Zivotinjas Prismatic barriers, and unfortunately for the Zivotinja on the right side, Number 88, lunges from the shadows behind it. Opening its mouth wide, showcasing an endless void, Number 88 swallows the Zivotinja whole, bing a ck ball in the process as small sparks of electricity could be seen shing inside the body. "NO! Attack! Use Discharge!" - Celine The remaining three Zivotinjas body light up as a bolt of lightning is produced out of their bodies, zapping through the air toward Number 88, but as if there was an invisible barrier around it, the attack deflects awaynding on the ground and the surrounding tree. Yor arrives beside us at that moment, standing in front of us, in his battle stance, as the Xabarils hemands line up in front of him. The Crinzannas eyes glow as they growl in the direction of the monster. "What is it doing? Celine, can you hear the Zivotinja inside of Number 88?" - Reba "I can''t but the connection between us is still there and all I feel is the immense pain the Zivotinja is feeling. Its bones are being crushes, the flesh pulled from the bones, skin sliced from the flesh but it¡­ It''s kept conscious throughout the process. THAT MONSTER IS KEEPING THE ZIVOTINJA ALIVE WHILE IT KILLS IT!!" - Celine For the first time, I see Celine furious and upset. Clenching her fists to the point that blood is dripping down to the ground. Turning back to the monster, we finally see that it finished killing the Zivotinja as its body reverts back to the humanoid shape, however, this time there was a slight addition. Swaying around behind it is a tail, with a very familiar star shaped end. "No way¡­" - Yor "This¡­ This monster-" - Celine "It absorbed the Zivotinja¡­" - Reba "Which means its humanoid appearance is from absorbing humans and with how urate the appearance is, it must have absorbed a good amount of humans." - Yor "It doesn''t exin its powers, though. What about the balls that explode on contact?" - Celine "What if it absorbed a mage? Or a human that knew some sort of magic? Nina and Lynn are able to use magic and while it isn''t creating a ball and firing it, it isn''t that much different." - Reba "Regardless, knowing that it absorb us is already quite terrifying, especially since the attack from the Zivotinjas weren''t able to make contact with the monster while it was absorbing the dead Zivotinja." - Yor "You don''t think it bes invincible during the absorbing process, do you?" - Reba "No, that would be too unreasonable. However, a theory that I have right now is that while the monster is absorbing something, it can not be attacked by the same species, but like I said it is just a theory. We have no way of putting that theory to practice until it absorbs another monster, and to be honest, I would rather we defeat it somehow before it bes too strong." - Yor "Agreed. I don''t want any of my monsters to go through the pain that the Zivotinja just felt." - Celine "So far, it has a barrier skill, a projectile attack, a teleportation technique and the absorbing skill. We don''t know what other abilities and skill it might have, but we should be ready for an attack from our nks as much as possible." - Reba "Alright, I''ll lead the attack first with a few Xabarils, the rest will stay around in a circle, with the Crinzanna inside the circle. The Zivotinjas will move around outside the circle, since they are more agile. Celine,mand the ranged attacks whenever you see fit." - Yor "On it." - Celine "Don''t worry, Yor. I''ll keep her safe, I happen to be quite fast myself now." - Reba "Thank you, Ba. We need Celine to be as safe as possible if we want to win this fight and be careful, we still don''t know what is inside the vige." - Yor "I know." - Reba ncing toward the vige, I swallow my saliva silently. I can feel something is going to happen inside the vige, but what it was, I have no idea. 275 [Bonus Chapter]Chapter 275 Loud explosions could be heard from the front of the vige, as each time an explosion could be heard, a loud echo vibrates throughout the surroundings. Climbing on top of a tree with the help of Sylvia, we both position ourselves near the back of the vige. Unfortunately for us, the wall is slightly taller than the tree, but it isn''t a problem for Sylvia to jump across, the problem was me. "I can''t make this jump, Sylvia. There must be another way for me to get inside the vige." - Nina "Trust me, it is not that far of a jump and I can still grab onto you, so long you are close enough." - Sylvia "That doesn''t make it ANY easier. What if I don''t get close enough for you to catch me? I just fall down to the ground, right?" - Nina "Uh¡­ I guess so?" - Sylvia "No, no, no. I''m climbing down the tree. I''m going to find another way. Maybe I should st my way through? That can''t be hard, right?" - Nina "And let everyone know we are here?" - Sylvia "Sigh¡­ I know. It''s an idiotic idea. You think I didn''t think of it earlier before I climbed this stupid tree with you? How about you just tell me the situation inside the vige first and then I''ll decide what to do." - Nina "Alright¡­" - Sylvia Turning away from me, Sylvia look below the wall, into the vige, while I nce in the direction of the front gate. Seeing clouds of dust below the moonlight, with just a couple small torches lit up for the few people at the front gate to see, I could guess the state of the battle, however, I did feel like something was missing. I just couldn''t put my finger on it, and instead choose to ignore it. ncing back in Sylvia''s direction as she tries to grab my attention. "Nina! I think we might be lucky. We should be able to st our way from the ground if we need to. There isn''t a single person or monster here. I think they are all at the front of the vige fighting everyone else." - Sylvia "Huh? What do you mean? Is the vige just empty?" - Nina "Well, from what I can see, yes. However, there is are two separate gates. One closer to the front, which I can assume is a secondyer of defense, and another toward the back of the vige, which leads into a cave. In front of the cave, I can see two lit torches on either side of the entrance, but even in that area, I don''t see anyone." - Sylvia "That''s very weird. No matter what kind of attack befalls on a vige, there should always be civilians wandering around, trying to escape or run to shelter or a group of soldiers preparing the defenses. Yet, you say there is no one? Not a single soul?" - Nina "No one. I can''t see over the wall that is closer to the front gate, but even then, I would assume that where would be people positioned on top of the gate. There isn''t even a single torch lit in that direction, with only the light produced by the moon and the two torches at the cave being the only light in this whole vige." - Sylvia After Sylvia told me the situation in the vige, it finally clicked, what I felt was missing, the sounds. If a ce is being invaded then there would be a lot of noise of people scurrying away, panicking at the attack, or the sound of monsters growling at the presence of the enemy. The shouting of orders from superiors, telling others to defend a ce or even the cluttering of weapons and armor, bouncing against on another as they prepare their defenses. However, there was no sound. As silent as a ghost town, the vige stands in front of our attack, just waiting for its invaders toe closer. Like a crocodile, lying in wait for its prey as the fish swings right in front of its long mouth, brushing against its yellow teeth. A trap? No¡­ It''s too quiet even for a trap and for a trap to work, there would still be traces of movement right before prey arrives, but there was nothing throughout the whole time we have arrived here. Did they leave and are now attacking the Krepost? I know, they know where the Krepost is, but there was no sign of them approaching the Krepost, especially since we werete arriving here. We should have seen signs of arge army detouring around to attack the Krepost. Then what is it? Think, Nina. What else could be the reason? The biggest unknown is the cave. Where could the cave be heading? What is inside the cave? An ambush? A safe retreat? A method to attack the Krepost? Too many possible solutions and too little information to properly estimate their n of approach. Looking up at Sylvia, who had been waiting for my response, I prepare myself for a jump. Leaping unexpectedly at Sylvia with all my strength. Her surprised face turns to panic as she lunges forth to grab my outstretched hand. "ARE YOU STUPID? WHY DIDN''T YOU SAY SOMETHING BEFORE JUMPING?" - Sylvia "You said you would catch me. I only trusted my friend to catch me, plus I was busy thinking about things." - Nina "I can see that, god dammit. Come up here, Nina." - Sylvia Pulling me up bit by bit with her Herculean strength, Sylvia eventually helps me onto the wall. Breathing heavily after the task was done, Sylvia stays on the side while I took a good look around the vige from the top of the wall. Much like Sylvia has said, it was empty without a hint of a human or monster life, however, what Sylvia didn''t realize is that it this ce was like this for a while. Half constructed buildings and materials were spread out, withrge boulders in ces next to walls to reinforce them. I could count the amount of finished buildings on my hands, and to my surprise, there wasn''t even an area to house the monsters. The onlypleted part about this whole vige is the wall itself. A three stage defense, with a cave at the end, which could lead to anywhere. "So, what do you suggest we do? Do we head toward Celine and Reba? Help them push through the front gate?" - Sylvia "No, since there isn''t even any enemies here, I doubt it will take them too long to reach the end of the vige. They will slow down slightly as they realize that there are no enemies and will proceed with caution, slowing down their advance as an ambush might happen but with no real danger, they will be fineing here. Instead, I think we should investigate the cave. I''m curious about the interior and if there is any danger, the both of us will be able to handle it." - Nina "Alright, well, to get down I see a set of stairs on the far right side, closer to the third wall. It looks stable enough, but just in case, do you see any other way down?" - Sylvia "Hmm¡­ No, I don''t. Let''s go to the stairs." - Nina Wandering over to the stairs, we find that it was stable enough for the both of us to traverse down, however, we used the wall next to the stairs as points of contact. Lessening the strain on the stairs by applying some of our weight to the wall as well. Slowly we reached the ground, and once against we were greeted with silence. Not a sound could be heard within the vige, but there was an increasing sound of explosions in the direction of the front of the gate, with momentary pauses. Sylvia takes the lead as we travel along the wall, searching for a way past it. Not long on our travel, do we see a small opening, tall enough for a standard sized adult. Long at me with a slightly worried face, Sylvia nces between me and the opening. Shrugging my shoulders, I urge her to take the lead, taking out my small wand just in case. Making her way through the opening carefully, Sylvia stops to look around before signalling me to follow with her hands. The space in front of the cave and between the wall was just empty. Nothing but the dirt ground and the two torches, however, I notice that the ground was man made, as if a group of people had bought more dirt to the area andpacted it tightly into the ground, building a small dirt mound, leading to the cave. Sylvia approaches the mouth of the cave, slightly crouching down and in battle position as she grabs onto the left torch and throws it into the cave. Bouncing off the ground and rolling slightly down, the torch lights up the interior, revealing blood-red sigils, writing, and lines along the ceiling of the cave. Waiting just in case something appears from deeper in the cave, Sylvia stands on guard, but when nothing happened she nces over her shoulder. "Do we head inside?" - Sylvia "Of course we do. The writing on the ceiling doesn''t seem to be anguage I am familiar with, and it didn''t look like the writing of the elves. What''s more is that there are small symbols in between the writing and lines, and these are most likely all along the ceiling, travelling deep into the cave until the end." - Nina "The blood-red color does make my hair stand on end." - Sylvia "It''s just a color, and it could be made by mixing monster blood with water to thin it out, but it doesn''t matter much since we don''t understand it. I''ll take this torch, so grab the one you threw into the cave and let''s get going." - Nina And just like that, we venture into the cave, with the many blood-red sigils and writing still lingering in my mind as I slowly scan through them, hoping to understand even a little of it. 276 Chapter 276 Echoing footsteps in the cave greet us as the me from the torches show us a scene straight out of a horror movie. Both Sylvia and I could only gulp down our nervousness, as we venture deeper into the cave, as each step brings us deeper into this unknown darkness. At the start of the cave, it was only the ceiling that had weird writing, but as we venture further, the same weird writing would fill the sides, blending into the ceiling. Every so often I would hold Sylvia back, as I observe the writing on the walls, gazing at the sigils that litter the space in between words and lines. Making out some familiar shapes, I try to piece this puzzle together, as I see sigils that looked like eyes, deformed bodies, animals, and evenmonndmarks such as mountains and volcanoes. However, no matter how long I look at them, I couldn''t figure out a pattern, but instead it looked like a child had painted the walls however they wanted. A winding downward path awaits us as we proceed deeper, and the metallic scent of iron starts to permeate the air. Wet sshes could be heard in the echoes of the cavern as even the floor starts to be covered in blood-red writing, butpared to the clean dry finishes on the ceiling and sides, the ground was wet and runny. As if someone had just recently painted the floor. It is messy, and there were a lot of gaps and blurred writing and sigils, mixed together with the running liquid. It became increasing difficult to make out the writing as the liquids start to pool together, merging into one big puddle as it travels slowly down the cavern. Stopping my from proceeding, Sylvia shakes her head and puts a finger to her mouth. Pointing to her torch, and then the ground, she signals me to do the following steps. Slowly, she brings the torch to the ground, pushing it into the blood-red liquid and extinguishing the light as quickly as she can by rolling the tip around. Copying her actions, I do the same, quietly, eventually eliminating our only source of light. Waiting with her for our eyes to adjust to the darkness, I calm breath in and out, letting out the increasing anxiety that is being built up in the darkness. Grabbing my arms softly, Sylvia pulls me behind her as we take each step slow and steady, brushing our left side against the wall every so often as to not lose our way. Eventually I make out a bend in our path, and with Sylvia peeking around the left side first, she quickly brings her head back. Even in the darkness, I could see that she was a slightly frightened expression. Lightly tugging on her arm, I signal her that I too want to observe the situation. Shaking her head, she instead signals we should leave, pointing upward. Raising an eyebrow, I question, what could make her so scared that she would prefer to leave but as if answering my question, a blood-red light escapes into the cave. Like a wave, the writing all around us lights up, traveling upward following along the various lines. Bathing in blood-red light,ing from the ceiling, walls and floor, I could only prepare for the worse than I tightly grip onto my wand. Pushing herself in front of me, Sylvia brings up her fists as she stters the illuminating blood on the ground to the sides as she repositions herself. Putting up her guard, she waits patiently in front, keeping her ears open. ncing around, I try to figure out if an enemy is about to appear from the writing, but only silence greets us. Moments feel like days, and after waiting for a while with nothing happening, I tap Sylvia''s shoulder. Peeking over her shoulder, she sees me pointing forward. Nodding her head, she carefully makes her way around the bend, slightly losing her bnce as she steps lower than she had expected. With a light ssh the liquid reaches her knees, but quickly she puts up her guard, ready to react to anything even in her unbnced state. Wading through the blood pool, Sylvia disappears around the corner. Following her, I also approach the bend, carefully stepping forward as to not create a loud sound as I step lower into the pool. A warm, sticky liquid wraps around my skin as it reaches my knees. Still illuminating the surroundings, the liquid glows and shifts as Sylvia and I wade through it. In front of us, we see the cave expand out, showcasing arge cavern and as we approach the cavern, we both sharply inhale at the sight before us. Below, surrounding a singr rocky pir, is ake of illuminating blood, an extension of the liquid that pools around our legs. Along the sides of the cavern, covering every little crack is the writing, sigils and lines, with arge magic circle in the center of the ceiling, directly over the pir. Standing on top of the pir is a person, with a monster hovering right above their heads. Dressed in a ck robe with deep scarlet writing along the edges, the person raises their hands up to the monster, encasing it in a thin sphere, with a simr shade of red as to the surroundings. Twisting and breaking in unnatural directions, the monster is ripped into shreds, as blood bursts out from its body, pooling in the bottom of the sphere. Holding in my urge to vomit as I feel my stomach churn at the sight of a monster brutally killed right in front of my eyes. However, I force myself to keep watching the person''s actions, curious and frightened by their ns. The rest of the monster''s body is crushed into a ball, squeezed and rinsed for the blood as if gravity had forced its flesh together into the ball the size of a golf ball. Plopping into the liquid, the ball of flesh floats and rolls around in the pool before it slowly disintegrates into nothing, leaving behind a half-full sphere of blood. Floating in the air above the person, it slowly moves, so it was directly over them, before bursting above the person. Raining on them, and covering them from head to toe in the blood of the monster, as a slightly maniacalughter escapes their lips. The blood shines brighter around the person as they throw their head backward,ughing crazily at the magic circle. Slowly the light collects around the magic circle, as red lightning crackles around it, arching downward to the person, bouncing around the rocky pir as it makes it way to the liquid below. Panicking, I was about to move backward when Sylvia grabs onto me, stopping my movement. Jumping out of the pool of blood, meeting the red lightning in the air with a simr scarlet colored horn, is a horse like monster. With a body the size of an elephant, and a horn asrge as the leg, the horse neighs loudly as the lightning wraps itself around the horn as the horn shines brightly. Deep red stripes cover the monster''s body with a jet ck under color and a simrly red colored star tail, and it was only then did I realize that it was a Zivotinja. Albeit slightly different from the Zivotinja that I had seen before, but a Zivotinja nheless. Ian had informed me that there was a variant Zivotinja however, I remember he had told me that it was a different color and most definitely not blood-red. To my surprise, the monster bounced off the air as it gallops up to the top of the pir, stopping next to the person as a red bolt of lightning escapes its horn and prates the magic circle above it, causing a total ck out to ur. With the sudden change from light to darkness, I had to shield my eyes as the monster''s stripes were blinding in the darkness. In the darkness it was as if it were only a pair of scarlet eyes, stripes and a red star. Its body was nowhere to be seen, but I knew it was there, just hidden in the darkness, as it stares at Sylvia and me. The sound of chuckling echos in the cave as the person finally speaks. "Hahaha! It seems we have visitors, although, I have known of you for quite some time now. Constantly looking and observing my little vige from a distance. Not too far but not too close either. Especially after I had attacked you with a small section of my army. You were strong, with arger amount of tamed monsters, BUT! There is something you didn''t have, and it was something I realized. Not one of your monsters was superior to the other. It was like looking at copies of monsters. There was no alpha monster. But you see, I saw one. In the forest, a golden wolf,rger than all the other wolves. I wanted that monster. I wanted to tame it, but sadly it got killed. So I had to look for a different solution and that was when I stumbled to this ce. I''m in a world where magic and monsters exist, so obviously, I could do whatever I want. And this, this ce, was the answer. A SACRIFICE! THAT WAS ALL I NEEDED TO DO IN ORDER TO RAISE MY MONSTERS TO BE STRONGER! HAHAHA! IT WAS TOO EASY! TAME A MONSTER! SACRIFICE THE MONSTER! You¡­ You, too, are a yer, are you not? What did you find? Join me! It will be so much more fun, ying a game where we can kill ANYTHING!" - ??? Revealing himself, the yerughs hysterically as he pulls a glowing red book out from his robe. Flipping it open, a light crimson shine illuminates his face, as the corners of his mouth touch his ears. "Why do you say nothing? Are you AFRAID? HAHAHA! TO BE AFRAID INSIDE A GAME! WHATEVER! I HAVE NO PATIENCE FOR YOU! Crimson Ghosts make short work of them, we must venture out. Scarlet Hare, st through the ceiling, there is no need for this cave anymore. We need to follow the scriptures of Nital, and help the Reaper in his quest." - ??? Without giving either Sylvia or me a chance to speak, the person shouts out whatever was on his mind,manding the monster to attack the ceiling with another bolt of crimson lightning as 4 creatures spiral out of the book. Taking the form of specters, the monsters glow scarlet in the dark, quickly approaching Sylvia and me from the front. "I have no idea what just happened, but that guy is attacking us." - Sylvia "I''ll figure it outter. He just said way too many things, way too fast, as if he was some super viin. Deal with the monsters in front of us first, and we can think about himter." - Nina "Already on it!" - Sylvia 277 Chapter 277 Jumping out of the pool of blood, Sylvia leaps toward the iing group of Crimson Ghosts and with a yell, she punches toward the closest monster. However, contrary to her thoughts, her fists phase right through them. Different from the specters that could be hit with physical attacks. Surprised at her attack failing, she could onlynd in the pool, creating arge ssh. The upside of this battle was the monsters were emitting a red glow, making it easier for the both of us to target them and with the monsters now charging at me, I have to retaliate. Pointing the wand at the group of ghosts, I jump back slightly, into the cave where we once came from, and activated my skill. "Holy me!" - Nina Bursting out of my wand, a fireball the size of a watermelon, flies toward the iing ghosts. Its yellow, white and orange glow, illuminates the cavern briefly before it explodes like a firework in the night sky, sending smaller fireballs in all directions. The ghastly screams of the ghosts prate my ears, as they wail in harmony. Covering my ears from the noise, I wince at the pain, as I quickly cast Sacred Light as well. With a sh of bright white light, I damage the ghost in the front, stopping it in its tracks before canceling the spell not much longer, giving Sylvia enough time to attack alongside me. Awakening and activating Mystic Palms, Sylvia was finally able to hit the ghosts as well, mming her fist into the back of one of their heads, sending them straight into a wall. Landing as gracefully as a butterfly, she proceeds to dash toward the immobile monster. However, a giant spike made out of blood stops her movement as it forms from the pool of blood, piercing into the air in front of her. Turning back, another ghost elerates at her, its hands forming deep crimson ws as it shes at Sylvia''s face. Instantly, I cast Fire Bolt, sending a small ball of fire to interrupt its movement. Landing square on the side of its face, it momentarily stops, and taking advantage of the situation, Sylvia uppercuts the ghost. ncing to my right, noticing the strange movements of a ghost, I instinctively, dive forward, sshing into the pool of blood and covering myself in the blood of monsters as a Blood Spike pierces where I was once standing. Pointing my wand at the same monster, I cast Ignite, setting it ame as I roll to the side, getting out of the way as another monster shes its Crimson ws at me. A wave of blood washes over me, as I quickly stand on my feet, casting Fire Bolt at point-nk range, exploding against the chest of the ghost. "NINA! ARE YOU OKAY?!" - Sylvia "I''m fine. Focus on the two ghosts near you beforeing over here. I''ll yell if I need help." - Nina "ALRIGHT! I DON''T THINK IT WILL TAKE TOO-" - Sylvia With a loud explosion, the ceiling shatters, and the night sky is revealed. Standing on top of the Scarlet Hare, the person looks down on us. His emerald green eyes sparkle in glee as a smirk appears on his pale face. Tapping the monster''s back with his feet, he quickly turns around, dropping to a sitting position as the monster gallops along the air, out into the night sky, with a trail of scarlet stars following closely behind. Breathing out slowly, I shake the blood off my arm and wand as I observe the two ghosts that were targeting me. Despite being the same race and type of monster, they act slightly differently, with one of the monsters constantly wailing and trembling. Suddenly the same ghost, screams loudly, flying upward in a spiral before two magic circles appear in front of its hands. Knowing that it wouldn''t be good to stay still, I start dashing away, however, my speed is severely reduced due to the thick blood. Quickly small solidified spikes of blood appear behind me, chasing me as I retreat. Gritting my teeth, I dive to the side as the trail of spikes reaches me, falling into the pool of blood face first. Taking note of the other ghost quickly drawing near, I activate a newly unlocked skill from my Beginner Fire Mage Book. "Cage of mes!" - Nina Cage of mes (Active) 10MP - Encase a 1x1x1m area with powerful mes. Anything within the cage will burn taking 50 fire-element damage (+150% Intelligence) every 10 seconds, it is trapped. Duration 1 minute. Cooldown 30 minutes. Just in the nick of time, I trap the ghost within the confines of the Cage of mes. It screams and shrieks as the initial burn from the cage takes effect. Turning my attention to the other ghost, that was still floating in the air, I quickly cast a Fire Bolt in its direction as I another set of magic circles appear. Interrupting its cast, the monster wails once more, trembling in the air as it starts to move around spastically. Preparing for the worse, I move away from the Cage of mes, keeping my attention on the spastic monster. Circling around the stone pir, to the other side of the cavern, I cast Ignite again, burning the monster, chipping away at its HP. Following up with another Fire Bolt, I damage it slowly, as it tumbles and turns in the air before I see a slight change in its body. Glowing brighter than the other ghosts, the monster screeches to the sky, bursting in a bright crimson light as it immediately dashes toward me with lightning quick speeds. With such quick speed, I couldn''t run away in time, instead I attempt to intercept it, casting Fire Bolt. However, to my dismay, the attack didn''t stop the monster''s charge as it continues to zoom toward me. "Awakening!" - Nina With no choice, I activate my most powerful skill, as I sense the dangering from the monster. Leaping out of the pool toward the side, I dodge the ghost''s charge by the skin of my teeth, and in the process, let loose another Fire Bolt at its back. As the Fire Boltnds on the monster''s back, it explodes, but the explosion wasrger than any explosion a Fire Bolt could have produced. The shockwave from the explosion pushes against me, as I cover my face with my arms,nding safely near the pir. As the explosion clears, I don''t see any trace of the Crimson Ghost as the area darkens with theck of light emitted from the monster. Letting out a long kept sigh, I quickly move toward the Cage of mes as the skill finally lets out the monster, but with a single Fire Bolt, the monster shatters as it dies. "Finally done?" - Sylvia Glowing a pure white aura, Sylvia approaches me, as she momentarily looks upward at the hole in the sky. Following her eyes, I see that the Scarlet Hare and its Tamer had already disappeared from sight, leaving just the sight of stars against the dark night sky. "That wasn''t as hard as I thought, although, it did get a little dangerous as the monster was charging at me." - Nina "That happened to me as well. It just exploded as it glowed really bright." - Sylvia "Hmm¡­ Then it was a good decision that I jumped out of the way, even at the expense of my Awakening skill. Who knows how much damage it could have done to me." - Nina "So, what now? Follow the Scarlet Hare? Follow that guy? I''m sure he is connected to the Reaper''s attacks in some shape or form." - Sylvia "How can we chase after him? He has a flying creature. Only with Sel''s spider army can we chase after him, but I doubt she will lend us a hand there. Instead, we should hurry out of here and head toward the front gate to help Celine and the others. Although I find it unlikely the person will attack them, there is still the chance he will take interest in all the tamed monsters." - Nina "Agreed. Let''s quickly head on out, Nina." - Sylvia Rushing backward up the cave, cing our hand on the left side in order to make sure we didn''t identally run into any walls, we make our way out of the cave. As we reach the entrance, to our visible surprise, the whole vige was up in mes. Incidentally, I had noticed a lighting from the front of the cave as we approached it, however, I didn''t think too much about it, assuming it wouldn''t be anything too drastic. "What happened here¡­" - Sylvia "There is no way a couple fire spells can cause such arge fire, but with the amount of wooden structures and the forest nearby, it will soon spread to an uncontroble forest fire if we don''t do anything soon." - Nina "Even if you say that, what do we do?" - Sylvia Looking around, I notice that the path we had initially taken hasn''t caught in mes just yet. However, the fire was quickly spreading. Pointing in that direction, I grab Sylvia arm, tugging it softly. "We head outside the same way we came. You just need to carry me when you jump down. After that, we head to the front of the vige to see what happened and to help them if we need it. It looks like the fire is most intense in the front, so either they set the vige alight or something attacked them with mes. Either way, we need to make sure anyone near that area is okay. Afterward, we need to find a way to stop the fire from spreading too far towards the Krepost. The forest should be connecting the area between the Krepost and HavenFall and if it burns down, our natural defenses also burns down, along with all the wood we could be using as resources." - Nina Sweeping me off my feet, Sylvia holds me in a princess carry as she quickly dashes toward the stairway. "Alright, just hold on tight." - Sylvia 278 Chapter 278 Bursting forward with insane speeds, Yor reaches Number 88''s side instantly, quickly attacking its body with a flurry of shes. Protecting itself, the monster immediately, brings its arm to the side, curling its body slightly as the attacks hit its arm, creating orange sparks as the monster''s body harden once more. Noticing his attacks weren''t working, Yor kicks himself away from the monster, creating some space. Filling the space almost immediately, were 3 Xabarils as they charge after hearing Celine''smand. Screaming at the charging beasts, Number 88 spreads its arms out as three ck balls form, one in each hand and another above its head. Flinging the balls at the approaching beasts, I see a hint of pleasure and glee as an abstract smirk appears on the monster''s face. With no way to cancel the Charge Skill, the Xabarils take the attack head first as the ballsnd on their heads, enveloping them in a small cloud of dust and dirt. However, just that attack wasn''t enough to stop them as they soon charge out of the cloud, locked on to Number 88. Lowering their tusks close to the ground, they elerate slightly at the end of their charge, mming into Number 88 as it uses its arms to stop 2 of the 3 charging beasts. Unfortunately for the monster, there was a third Xabaril, who ms into the side of the monster, causing it to buckle slightly at the hit. Taking advantage of the situation, Yor appears on the other side of the monster, thrusting at its head with pinpoint uracy. Turning its head to meet Yor''s attack, it opens its mouth wide, showcasing the endless void. Remembering that the same mouth consumed the Zivotinja, Yor forcefully stops his attack, spinning to the side with the momentum. Grunting at the failed attack, Yor dashes forward sightly, and with the attempt to not lose momentum, he bounces off a nearby tree, turning around immediately. Number 88, bursts out, inting its body as it shoves the Xabarils to the side, before leaping into the sky with the help of the small ck tornado below its feet. Clicking its tongue, at the movement, Yor could only look as the monster hovers in the sky. "Crinzannas'' let loose a barrage of attacks!" - Celine Turning their heads toward the floating monster, the Crinzannas'' activate their skills at same time, sending out multiple rings of light, each hitting into Number 88. Defending itself, it creates a purple barrier once more, blocking a majority of the attacks, before counterattacking with a series of purple and ck balls. Leaping into the air, the Zivotinjas block the attack with their Prismatic Barrier,nding safely in front of the group. However, the attack wasn''t over just yet. shing a dark purple light, the tail that was swaying behind Number 88, starts to move erratically as a series of ck stars with sparkling purple outlines start to rotate around it. With a total of 10 stars, the monster deactivates its barrier after swinging its tails toward us, sending the stars straight toward Celine and me. Knowing how low Celine''s total HP was, I grab onto her and leap backward, as 4 Xabarilse in front, to block the attack. Using their bodies to take the attack, the Xabarils could only squeal loudly as each starnds on their bodies. Covering Celine with my body, I close my eyes, bracing for a star to miss the Xabarils and hit me, however, it seems they did their jobs. A cloud of dirt and dust had enveloped the area after the attacknded on us, but I could see Celine''s face distort slightly. Biting her lips slightly, she quickly tries to get up, pushing me slightly to the side in the process. Clearing the cloud by fanning my hands, I see the disfigured bodies of the Xabarils. Chucks of flesh had been sted off and tusks could be seen, shattered and broken. Their eyes slowly losing light as Celine''s eyes well up in tears. Grasping onto the body of the closest Xabaril, she strokes its back, calming it as best as she could before its eyes close forever. Tears roll down the side of her cheek, but with a determined look, she looks up at the monster that was floating above us. Already preparing its next attack, balls had formed around the monster. "CELINE! WE NEED TO MOVE BACK!" - Reba "NO! I CAN TELL IT IS TARGETING ME! THERE IS NO POINT IN MOVING BACK!" - Celine "ARE YOU STUPID?! IF YOU STAND THERE, YOU WILL JUST BE A SITTING DUCK! AT LEAST MOVE WITH ME!" - Reba "CELINE! LISTEN TO BECCA! WITHOUT YOU, THE BEASTS WILL GO ON A RAMPAGE!" - Yor Clicking her tongue, Celine turns her back on the monster and runs toward me. Keeping note of the monster, I grab Celine by the hand and pull her along, rushing into the forest. In the meantime, the Crinzannas let loose another attack while the Zivotinjas retreat with us. Under the protection of the forest, it will make attacking from the sky harder, reducing one of the options for the monster to attack. After casting yet another series of attacks at the Crinzannas and Xabarils at were out in the open, Number 88 flies down to the ground, rapidly approaching us who were in the forest. Standing in its way, were several Xabarils who charged at the approaching monster. Creating ck balls to parry their charge, Number 88, breaks past the herd of Xabarils, dodging a few close calls as the Xabarils, try their best to attack. "Blood Hunt." - Yor Appearing in front of Number 88, Yor slices downward with his short sword,nding a significant blow on the monster''s shoulder as it attempts to dodge to the right. With his increased Agility, Yor doesn''t let the monster escape, immediately following up on his attack with an upward slice which hits along the monster''s chest. Stepping forward once more, Yor kicks the monster in the stomach, pushing it a considerable distance away. Stepping off the ground, Yor continues his assault as he dashes toward Number 88, stopping right behind it as he kicks the monster upward. Leaping after it and travelling higher, Yor pierces the monster''s stomach with his short sword, sending it downward with all his might, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. Leaping away from the monster after hends on the ground, Yor puts up his guard as a worried expression spreads across his face. "Be careful. I don''t think my attack did much to the monster." - Yor The dust clears, and the monster is nowhere to be seen, immediately, prompting me to check my surroundings. Quickly spinning around, I scan the area, however, the monster wasn''t anywhere to be seen and even with Celine''s orders for the beasts to search for the monster, it was as if it disappeared. Or so we thought. Leaping out of Yor''s shadow, the monster attempts to swallow him whole. However, Yor''s Agility was too high for the monster to sessfully swallow him, as Yor dashes to the side. With it momentarily stunned by Yor''s quick movements, Celine shouts for the nearby Zivotinjas and Xabarils to attack. Striking with their back legs, the Zivotinjas ms their hooves against the monster''s upper body, with the Xabarils charging into its lower body. Leaping above the Xabarils, using the Zivotinjas as support, Yor aims for the monster''s neck, slicing through cleaning with his sword. Knowing it might not end with cutting the monster''s head off, Yor steps off the head of a Xabaril, diving forward. "Deathly Hold." - Yor Grasping the head tightly, Yornds on his feet as dark-element energy is injected into the monster''s head. Bursting into purple smoke, the monster''s head disappears, but as I turn to look at its body, I see it squirming in ce, bloating into 5 times its previous size, pushing the beasts away from it. Grabbing Celine''s hand, I drag her away, toward the other side of the clearing as shemands the Crinzannas to stand in between the monster and us. However, in the corner of my eyes, I see a sh of scarlet light, followed by an explosion as part of the mountain behind the vige, explodes. Flying out of the hole, was a horse-like figure, with scarlet stripes, illuminated by the backdrop of stars. The horse looked to be galloping in the air, and I could see the faint outline of something or someone on the back of the horse. A glowing rectangr object appears above the back of the horse, and I could see a deathly pale face before another sh of scarlet blinds me. Appearing in front of the horse and its rider, was a pair of crimson birds, asrge as a person. Grasping on to my hand tightly, I turn to Celine, who was looking at the horse and the birds with a terrified face. "That-that''s the creature that is making my beasts terrified. I can feel the fear being transferred into me and-and I too feel scared. Ba. We need to get out of here right now." - Celine "What do you mean? We still have to deal with that monster, Number 88, and how can we leave? Yor is still fighting with the other monsters." - Reba Just as I say that, I notice the Crinzannas in front of us, tremble as they huddle close together, doing their best to not look in the direction of the horse monster. "Trust me. Those flying monsters are more dangerous than Number 88." - Celine "Alright. We need to get to Yor as soon as possible. We need to get away as soon as we-" - Reba Before I could finish my sentence, I notice multiple fireballs, flying toward our direction. Activating my Coin Flip skill, I toss the coin quickly. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling random stat¡­ Dexterity has been selected! Dexterity 10 > Dexterity 20. Will you Coin Flip again?] "Damn it! No! Celine, I''m going to be a little rough, forgive me." - Reba Grabbing Celine, I pull her into the forest, pushing her as far away as I could as I leap at the same time as the fireballnds behind us. "NO! BECCA? WHAT ABOUT THE CRINZANNAS?" - Celine "I can''t save them and you." - Reba Turning around after the fireballsnd, I see a hellish scene as the Crinzanna''s burn, engulfed in mes. They toss their heads into the sky, huddled together as the fire burn their flesh. "No¡­ No¡­ NO! NO!" - Celine "I''m sorry, Celine. I had no way of protecting both them and you." - Reba "No¡­ I understand¡­" - Celine Patting her back, as we watch the fire consume the beasts, I could feel tears travelling down my cheek. However, I could only mourn for so long as I knew, not only do we have to deal with Number 88 but now a new enemy. One that is stronger than our current foe. 279 Chapter 279 "Alright, we need to go to the right, as quickly as we can." - Sylvia Putting me down safely, Sylvia takes the lead as we run toward the front gate of the burning vige. Embers fly above our heads, catching the thousands of leaves and branches alight, zing a road toward the sky. The crackling of wood as it burns and chars fill my ears as the mes dance beside me, pulling me deep down a burning path. Sweat piles along my forehead and even if I brush it off to the side, it forms again instantly. The tips of my hair singe as we delve deeper into the mes. My skin bes like the desert, as cracks form all over. Not even my saliva can keep up with the heat, as it dries the instant I try to wet my lips. The world around my starts to spin as the air bends and curves. Turning around, Sylvia grabs onto my wobbling body, pulling me up and quickly taking me to the left side, where the mes aren''t as strong. Breathing heavily, she props me on her shoulder as she helps me jog slowly in the desired direction. "Sorry, I should have moved us further from the fire. I didn''t realize how bad it would have been for you, especially since you use fire magic, but don''t give in, Nina. We are almost there." - Sylvia Unable to speak, I let Sylvia push me along as I try my best to recollect myself for the iing battle. Suddenly, arge ck object flies toward us, crashing through the trees. Grabbing onto my waist, Sylvia leaps to the side, out of the way, as the object crashes into the tree next to us. Catching a glimpse of the object, I notice it looked simr to a person, only it was d in ck. "It''s that ck humanoid that appeared in front of us!" - Nina Forcing the words out of my mouth, I warn Sylvia of the identity, of our new guest, as it pushes itself up from the tree. Shifting and forming with liquid like movement, a head is formed on top of its neck, and a tail sprouts from behind. Meeting its newly formed head is a sh of silver, as a short sword slices at its side. However, as if knowing the attack wasing, the humanoid blocks it with its arm. "Just DIE already!" - ??? "Is that? Yor?" - Nina Turning to face me, the demi-human Yor, showed signs of surprise as he pushes himself away from the monster with his feet,nding next to us in one fluid motion. "Nina? Sylvia? What are you doing here?" - Yor "Long story, but it doesn''t matter right now. The monster is attacking!" - Nina Letting go of Sylvia, I grasp my wand and cast Fire Bolt at the monster, while Sylvia dashes behind the Fire Bolt. Dodging my attack with a simple sway of its body, the monster leans to the left, only to be greeted with Sylvia''s fist as shends a right hook. Following her attack with nomunication, Yor shes behind the monster and shes at its back twice. Screaming in pain, the monster pushes Sylvia and Yor away with a ck wave, emitted from its body. At the same time, three purple and ck balls form around it, each one targeting us separately. Meeting the magic attack with my own magic attack, I cast Fire Bolt at it, exploding the ball midair, while the other two dodge the attack. Locking onto the monster, I cast Ignite, setting the ck figure aze, much like the vige it stands near. However, the mes don''tst long as it dives into its shadow, disappearing from our sight. Knowing that the monster will most likely reappear from an awkward angle, I run toward Sylvia, pressing my back against hers while Yor slowly circles us. Keeping an eye on our surroundings, I notice the monster reappearing not too far away, this time with a ring of stars floating around it. "Dodge the stars! They do a considerable amount of damage, much more than the balls it used before." - Yor Warning us of the dangers, Yor sprints towards the monster, weaving around trees as he draws near. Patting my shoulder, Sylvia races after Yor, copying his movements as she approaches from a different angle, leaving me to observe the situation from afar. Pointing my wand at the monster, I breathe in slowly as a white light collects at the tip. "Sacred Light!" - Nina Shooting out of my wand, a beam of white light travels toward the monster, intercepted but a purple barrier that forms around it. Holding my wand in ce, I let the beam attack the barrier to its fullest potential, while I see Yor approach the monster from the right and Sylvia from the left. Cracks form along the barrier as my skill ends, but it was enough, Yor''s next strike shatters the barrier while Sylvia''s fist smashes into the monster''s face. At that moment, the monster decides to retaliate, shooting the stars in all directions, however, narrowly missing both Sylvia and Yor who were the closest to the monster. Instead, a star zooms toward me, making me dive into the ground to dodge it as it explodes into a nearby tree, causing it to copse into the burning vige. "You¡­ Strong¡­ All¡­ You¡­ Strong¡­ Number 88¡­ Will be back." - Number 88 The tornado, at its feet, spirals out of control, enveloping the monster, knocking Yor and Sylvia to the side. As quickly as the tornado came, it disappears, leaving nothing behind. The monster had retreated. Heaving a long sigh, Yor picks himself off the ground, brushing the dirt off his body. Looking at me intently, he hurriedly points in the direction of the front of the gate. "Ignore the monster. It''s most likely gone. We need to hurry back and help out Celine and Reba. There was an attack in their direction which caused the fire but the monster was stopping me from approaching them. With it gone now, we need to help them." - Yor "Lead the way, Yor." - Sylvia "We also need to think of a way to stop the spread of the fire, or else the Krepost will be in danger of burning down." - Nina "We can figure that out as we save the others. I don''t know the situation they are in, so we should hurry as quickly as we can." - Yor Sprinting through the forest, with the mes lighting our way, we eventually make it back to the clearing, only to see the burning corpses of Xabarils, Zivotinjas and Crinzannas. Not too far away, curled into a ball, banging her fists into the ground as tears and snot roll down her face, was Celine. Standing beside her, Reba, looked lost as she gazes into the sky. Following her line of sight, I see a pair of crimson birds circling in the sky. The color and shade of these birds were simr to the Crimsons Ghosts that were summoned by the mysterious tamer, and I could only assume there were the same. Their beady scarlet eyes, watch us from above as they fly away into the night sky, leaving behind a trail of sparkling mes, like fireflies dancing above the river. Rushing to Reba''s side, I shake her out of her tranced-like state, looking into her unfocused eyes "Reba! Look at me!" - Nina "Wh-What? Oh, Nina¡­ You made it. But it is toote. That bird decimated this whole ce, killing so many of Celine''s tamed monsters. And, and there was this ck monster that we were fighting as well¡­ I thought this was going to be different¡­" - Reba "Reba! Snap out of it. We don''t have time. I get it, shit happened, but right now we need to figure a way to stop the fire before it goes out of control." - Nina "Stop the fire? How¡­?" - Reba Pointing to the raging mes that engulf the vige, zing and howling, reaching for the moon as wooden structures copse and burn. Embers shoot into the sky like fireworks, lighting up Reba''s distraught face. Letting go of Reba, I let the cogwheels in my brain turn as I think of a solution to stop the fire, but only one quick and simple solution springs into mind. "SELINO! I NEED YOUR HELP!" - Nina Shouting toward the untouched forest, with my back to the vige, I call the Queen of Spiders, hoping she would reply. However, silence. Biting my lips, I call out to her once more. "SEL! I NEED YOUR HELP! IF THE FIRE REACHES IAN''S SETTLEMENT, THEN THERE WILL BE NO POINT IN IAN STAYING HERE!" - Nina Scanning the edges of the forest, I spot a small rustling behind the trees as Selino leaps out from the depths of the forest. Smirking at me as she slowly turns her gaze at the burning vige and trees. I see her expression slowly change from arrogance to being slightly annoyed. Shocked by the appearance of the Queen of Spiders, Yor instantly takes battle positions, standing in front of both Celine and Reba, but Sylvia calms him down and assures him that Selino isn''t here to harm us. Still worried, he lowers his guard slightly, still gripping his short sword tightly. "I can help, but I won''t do it for free, deary." - Selino "What do you want? A meeting with Ian?" - Nina Creeping to me slowly, Selino ces her cold hand on my cheek, slowly moving it down to my chin. "Oh no, I won''t be needing that. He will being to me soon enough. What I need is food for my babies¡­ 30 beasts. It doesn''t matter what kind. I just require them. Can you do that for me, deary?" - Selino 280 Chapter 280 "30 beasts? Celine, I''m sorry, but I''ll need you to sacrifice 30 of your tamed monsters to Selino." - Nina Turning toward the crying Celine, I tell her the one and only solution to our current problem. mming the ground with her fists, she looks at me angrily, leaping up from her curled up position and grabbing onto my robe. "ARE YOU JOKING ME RIGHT NOW, NINA?!" - Celine "No, I''m not. I can see that a lot of them have died to this unfortunately attack but-" - Nina "BUT WHAT? JUST BECAUSE YOU DON''T CARE FOR MY BEASTS, DOESN''T MEAN YOU CAN SHOVE THEM INTO SOME SPIDER''S MOUTH!"- Celine "Oh~ Deary me. Someone has a feisty tongue." - Selino "CELINE! LOOK AT THE SITUATION! WE MIGHT ALL BURN TO DEATH! WHAT IS 30 BEASTS FOR OUR LIVES AS WELL AS THE LIVES BACK AT THE KREPOST!" - Nina "But¡­ But¡­ NO!" - Celine "YOR! Get Celine away from here. I''m sorry, Celine, but we have no choice. I don''t want the forest to burn down, and we lose our only source of lumber as well as one of our natural protections. I''m sorry, but you will just have to tame more monsterster to fill the void with losing them today." - Nina "NO! YOU CAN''! YOU-" - Celine Grabbing onto Celine, Yor covers her mouth and restrains her hands by holding her wrists together. Sylvia, clenches her fists as she looks to the side, unable to acknowledge the situation as it unfolds. Turning back to Selino, I let out a short sigh. "30 beasts. I will get them to you from the Krepost once we are done here." - Nina "Mmmm¡­. Good job, deary. Don''t worry, I''ll handle this little camp fire for us." - Selino "Camp fire, huh?" - Nina Moving away from me, Selino casually strolls near the burning vige, while Yor tries his best to calm Celine down off to the side. Gritting my teeth, I could only watch powerlessly as Selino''s eyes sh red and a grin creeps along her face. Dyed in orange light, she flips her head upward, thrusting her arms to the side as a slight tremor could be felt below our feet. Scanning the ground, I start to see small cracks appear around Selino asrge spikes stab out of the ground. Stepping back in rm, I notice these spikes were still moving, tilting to the side as another spike pierces from under it. However, it wasn''t a spike made out of earth, as arge oval body appears from the ground as well, revealing 8 amber spheres that glisten in the light. Stones and dirt drop to the side as it moves its gigantic body next to Selino, towering over her figure, as 3 more simr monsters emerge from the ground. Brushes the side of its head, looking deep into its eyes, Selino whispers hermands as the monster trembles slightly, further tossing the excess dirt that had piled on top of its body. 3 of the monsters separate from Selino, moving into the forest, while pushing the trees to the side, breaking some and simply stepping on others. Turning toward me, Selino''s grin widens as she sees my surprised face. "Don''t worry, deary, my Earthen Huntsman Spiders will make short work of this campfire. It will be gone before you know it." - Selino Just as Selino finishes her sentence, the Earthen Huntsman Spider that was patiently waiting beside her, suddenly ms its front two legs into the ground, as tworge golden brown magic circles appear around its legs. Its eyes sh the color of apricots as the magic circles start to shine the same color. Sensing a low vibration in the ground, I reach out to Sylvia, who grabs my arm, stabilizing the both of us as the vibrations start to be stronger. ncing upward, I notice a thinyer of dirt spinning around the spider, move along the ground ever so slowly, disappearing into the forest, before anotheryeres from the other side. Slowly but surely, this thinyer of dirt collects more and more dirt, bes a small wall that spans from one edge of the clearing to the other, separating the spider and us. Lifting its back two legs, it ms it down into the ground creating another two golden brown magic circles, and much like before it shes momentarily before the wall of dirt rises higher. Within seconds, it towers over us, and even the spiders as if it was a giant tsunami of dirt, rising toward the sky. At the top of the wall of dirt, I can see the orange lighting from the burning vige, and just like Selino said before, it really did feel like a campfire. Maybe not a campfire for humans, but maybe for giants or other monsters that are as tall as skyscrapers and mountains. Gulping down my saliva, I step back in awe as I scan from one side to the other. Below, I see Selino raise her right hand, before snapping her fingers and like a tsunami, the dirt wall rushes forward, copsing on top of the vige. As if thunderstruck in front of us, the sheer sound of all the dirt falling onto the ground disables my hearing. Copsing to the ground, I cover my ears desperately, but all was for naught, as I couldn''t hear anything than the thunderous roar in front of me. After the sound came the shockwave, sting into us and lifting us off our feet. Peeking through my eyelids, I see Yor and Celine tumbling off to the side, hitting into a tree and separating, while Sylvia grabs onto my robe, doing her best to not let go, as a wave of dirt washes over us. Pebbles, sticks, dirt, sand, leaves, everything that could be in this environment hits into me, tearing at my skin and clothes, like tiny knives. Unfortunately, Sylvia''s hand couldn''t hold on as I see my body moving along with the dirt, as if I was swimming in the earth. Tossing my body around like a toy, I feel several impact along my back and legs before I eventually stopped. Bruised and battered, I couldn''t move a single muscle in my body, just a numbing and aching sensation. Laying there, I feel like I had made a terrible mistake relying on Selino but at the same time, part of me knew in order to stop the situation from getting out of hand as quickly as possible, I had no choice but to rely on her. Even if Celine might hate her along the way, even if Ian or Kingston condemns me for my choice, even if Yor''s look of disgrace haunts me and even if Sylvia has no choice but to ept my actions. I will do what I believe is the most logical and optimal path for us. With just a bit of sacrifice, there will be so much more advantages in the future. Whether it is the continued use of the forest, or a glimpse at Selino''s power, we¡­ No, I can use that all in the future. "Well, well, well. I didn''t think you or the others would survive that. Especially that girl that was sobbing like a child. I''m quite surprised, deary. Oh! Do you need a hand? Hmm¡­? You can''t hear me? Well, that isn''t much of a surprise. You didn''t even create a barrier. Oh! Wait, you can''t. My, oh, my, what ever will we do with you deary. Here, let me help you out, just this one time, okay? Dark Restore." - Selino Enveloping my body, a dark aura seeps into my skin as I feel my heart pumping my blood stronger, bones creaking together and ligaments attaching to bones. Coughing out a dark red liquid, I check my status, only to see my HP rising from single digits to max, as my body recovers from some sort of healing spell cast by Selino. Lifting my body up slowly with my arms, I see her looking down on my, with her head resting on top of her hand as she smiles in my direction. Her white skin, untouched even with all the dirt and dust floating around in the air, causing me to cough up my saliva every time I breathe. Reaching out to grab my chin, Selino''s grin widens as she draws her lips close to my ear. Whispering ever so softly, she reminds of me the price I need to pay. "Remember, deary, 30 beasts. Honestly, I could have asked for more, but I have good newsing, so I decided to be more¡­ Generous. I also could have left the fire to burn out of control but thinking about all my little babies having to find another home, oh¡­ It broke my tiny heart. So, I will be expecting you to deliver what I asked for shortly. I understand deary, you aren''t in the best condition right now, so I will happily wait. But¡­ I will always be watching you and not just you." - Selino Letting my chin drop, Selinoughs haughtily as she disappears into the forest, her eyes shing scarlet right before she fades away. Quickly, I try to follow her, as I climb out of the sea of dirt, only to finally see the damage from Selino''s ''help''. As if andslide had urred in this location, piles upon piles of dirt, dust, rocks, branches, leaves cover the once tnd, reaching almost halfway up somerger trees. Other trees, were broken and pushed to the ground, with some uprooted in the chaotic dirt tsunami. The vige had disappeared, buried under the dirt, not a single orange light could be seen. Just the light from the moon and stars, illuminating this wastnd. Letting my hands drop to my sides, I stare nkly at the scene. "Where do I even begin to start looking for Sylvia and the others¡­?" - Nina 281 Chapter 281 "Wake up¡­ Wake up¡­ Wake up¡­" - ??? Floating in what seems to be a ck pool. My body stiffened from a cold. Eyes, ncing around from side to side. Cracks along my lips, drier than the Sahara Desert. The sound of my own heart, beating slowly¡­ Slowly¡­ Drifting away like a piece of seaweed. Carried, along, by the waves. Blinking slowly, I let the current take my body wherever it wants to go, as I feel a soft grip around my bony ankles. Shackling them together, as the fine hairs along my legs slice the water, creating ripples all around. Ripples turning into waves, dragging me further, faster. Raging and roaring, changing as abruptly as mood swings. Finally, taking notice of my surroundings, as I see my body following the current straight into a ck whirlpool. However, it was toote, as I try to push my body upward and my feet down, only to realize that I was strapped to a nk of wood. Tied tightly like a present waiting for Christmas. Letting out a scream, only for silence to greet me. Swirling around and around, like a rubber duck in a bathtub, watching my imminent demise as I edge my way closer and closer to the center. Twisting and turning, as the rope burns and scrapes against my skin. Beating like a drum against my chest, my heart goes into overdrive as I draw closer. With bated breath, I plunge into the ck water, closing my eyes and mouth as the water wraps around my skin. Muffled foreign sounds enter my ear, as I shake my head from side to side. Holding in my breath, I try to wriggle free from the rope, only to feel no resistance. Spreading my arms out, and in, I feel my body, touching it, as if it was the first time I have ever felt something. As I do, a warm heat envelops my body. Peeking my eyes open, as the heat intensifies, I let out a squeal, as the sight before me terrifies me. Lava bursts out in front of me, leaping for the sky as molten rock pools around the tiny ck pir that I am standing on. Unbound but trapped, sweat vaporizing the moment it exits my pores. I gulp down what little saliva I had left as I watch a pir of ck smoke rise, wrapping around me. Like a snake, it coils around my body, as more and more smoke cloud my vision. Doing my best not to breathe it in, I hold my breath, but I could only hold it for so long, before having no choice but to breath. Covering my mouth with my hands, I try to breathe in as much ''clean'' air as possible, when I notice¡­ Where were my hands? Burnt to a crisp, revealing pure white bones wrapped tightly with charred ck skin and flesh, were my forearms. Unable to form words or even scream, as I feel no pain in my arms, my eyes shake as the smoke enters my mouth and nose. Coughing aggressively, as my legs give out, the world spinning and swirling. With my forehead, sizzling against the ck pir,va explodes in front of my eyes like fireworks, with a singr molten rock flying straight for me. Unable to move, I stare at the rock as it prates through my eyes. "Wake up¡­ Wake up¡­ Wake up¡­" - ??? Darkness once again and a soft, quiet voice in my ear. Slowly, I look around, observing my surroundings. Checking my body first, to find that everything was there. My hands. My arms. My legs. My chest. Everything was still there. Next, around me¡­ Darkness. But, I can see myself? As if, the only light source was me, but I''m not emitting any light. Breathing slowly, as I try toprehend the situation, searching my memories of the more recent events. What happened? Where am I? Am I dead? Questions pile up, but no answers were given to me as I close my eyes to remember myst memory. I was fighting Devel, locked inbat, while Kingston was engaging with the demon, then¡­ Striking my head like lightning, a splitting headache causes me to grip the side, as I scream out in pain. Falling to my knees, my body trembles as the memory seeps its way into my mind. The curse had activated, making me lose conscious from the pain, but what happened after? Where am I? Did I die from the pain? If so, why aren''t I back in the real world? Am I still alive but unable to see, feel or hear anything from the curse? Maybe this was meant to be the ending of the curse? To give me such inhuman strengths only to take it away at the end of the curse. My body shakes at the thought, as I remember the Queen of Spiders'' grin after she cast the curse on me. Unable to do anything, the next thought I had was to move. Taking a step forward, I feel like I was moving through something, like the air was a thick nket. Each step taking more and more effort to pass through. ncing from side to side, I see nothing but the abyss, darkness greeting me back, as if it was watching me, watching it. Shivering unexpectedly, as goosebumps rise all along my skin, I press on, on what seems like an endless journey, wandering in the darkness, hoping to find the light. Anything to ce my hopes on, no matter what it was. Despite, unable to read the time, I feel like hours, days, or even months or years have passed as my legs continue to move forward. Never feeling hungry nor thirsty. Never feeling cold nor hot. Like a zombie, endlessly pressing forward. Where am I going? Should I stop here? Haven''t I walked enough? Why am I even walking? Where am I even going? I swear I saw that dark patch before. Oh, wait, everywhere is ck. My thoughts speak louder than my heart, as they race and race through my mind. Swaying from side to side, as I finally give up on moving, falling to the side, while mumbling. Falling¡­ Falling¡­ With nothing stopping me, I keep on falling, watching the darkness pass me or at least that was what it felt like, until I realize. I never fell anywhere. Instead, I am just standing still, with a nk face. I''m looking at myself. I am the darkness, that was looking at me looking back. I see myself, wandering endlessly, mumbling rubbish as if they were holy scriptures. I was looking as my legs wade through the thick nket of darkness. Watching as my body is wrapped in smoke, roasting my skin and searing the edges of my hair. Observing as I plunge into a dark liquid, spiraling from above from a ck whirlpool. Looking at myself drifting along space, as if it was the ocean. I was looking the whole time. Thinking. Thinking. Yelling. Screaming. Knocking against this invisible cage. Calling out. To whom? To me? "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" My eyes shoot open and my body springs upward, leaping into the air andnding safely on the ground in front. Taking in the limited light around me, I gasp for air, slowly taking in the surroundings, asking myself the important questions. Where am I? A room¡­ My room? No, the room provided by Sam. Am I okay? Yes¡­ My body is intact. No pain, no blood, no broken bones. I''m fine. What just happened? No idea. Head still a mess. Mouth still dry and body still trembling. Is Reba okay? Yes, still in the game. Nothing out of the ordinary. Calmed down? No but maybe. Releasing all the pent-up tension from my body, I stand up straight, slowly, still cautious of my surroundings, when my neck and back suddenly burns. The smell of burnt flesh permeates into my nose as I cry out in pain, as I feel thousands and thousands of tiny vibrations all along my neck and back. Bursting through my door, I see Adam, his eyes wide with surprise as he watches me squirm on the ground, ripping my shirt off. "IAN! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?" - Adam Replying with only a scream, I m my head to the ground as I feel my whole body crawl. Taking a nce of my right side, I see thousands and thousands of tiny ck spiders crawling along my skin, never passing a halfway point in my body. Immediately, I try to w and scratch at the tiny monsters with my left hand, only to tear my own skin and flesh, spraying blood all over the ground. Approaching me quickly, Adam, sends a fist straight into the side of my chin, knocking my head to the side, as darkness clouds my vision. Adam''s cry and terrified face is thest thing I see before once again¡­ I see darkness. " Find me¡­" 282 Chapter 282 "How is he, doctor? Run me through everything." "Well¡­ I don''t know what you want me to say. Other than a slight concussion, he is fine. I know what happened, I did speak with Mr. Adam, but there is nothing out of the ordinary. His vitals are fine. Breathing, fine. Blood, fine. Internal organs, fine. Other than the tattoo on his back expanding on its own, Ian is just a normal human." "What do you think might have caused such a reaction? You were also there with Kingston''s small ident as well as a few other mishaps." "This is one of the 3 significant reactions I have seen. I cannot say who the other two are, but with your sources, I''m sure you can find out. All 3 cases have been the same, being produced after exiting the game, and I can only say it is due to a close interaction with the other world. We know it is merging with our own, but at what rate? We don''t know. So, these mishaps are telling us that parts of our body are interacting on a deeper level in that world, something that only a few will experience. The broader audience might never experience anything and even if they did, it would be something so minor, that if they tell anyone, it would just warrant craziness. Talking to a few of my colleagues, we found that these experiences, these mishaps happen to what the game ssifies as the ''Top yers'' the most." "So, those who are at the top are interacting with the other world more and in turn, ''merging'' with that world. However, when theye back to reality, they bring part of that immersion over as well, causing these freak idents?" "It is just a theory, but yes. That is currently what we have concluded with the limited research. Only time will tell whether we are right or wrong, and we will always be changing it as time passes on. Oh! It looks like our friend is finally awake. Now, now, stay still, you are still a little dazed, so while you are recovering, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Fiona Cage. I have been monitoring you, for the past 6 or so hours. It is currently¡­ 10:48 am. Now, what is thest thing you remember? And don''t worry, take your time, there is no rush. There is a cup of water beside you as well as a single painkiller tablet. You might want to take it, I''m sure you are feeling a slight headache right about now." Opening my eyes, to a bright white room, I see Sam standing next to a young woman dressed in ab coat with avender sweater underneath and beige pants. Her ck hair, tied up in a ponytail,pliments her fair skin as she pushes her thin red-rimmed rectangr sses up, revealing her deep hazel eyes. With soft pink lips, she speaks to me gently and calmly, instructing me on what I should be doing. Heeding the doctor''s advice, I stay still, breathing slowly as I try to wrap my head around the situation. Much like the doctor said, I feel a sharp pain in my head, prompting me to carefully turn my head to the left, to see the small cup of water and the tablet. Reaching with my left hand, I lightly grasp the cup, carefully taking a sip before picking up the tablet and cing it on my tongue. Gulping down more water, I swallow the tablet, cing the cup of water down right after. Moving next to me, Sam crouches to the side of my bed, letting out a deep sigh. "How are you feeling, Ian? Any pain? Anywhere ufortable?" - Sam "Other than this headache, I''m okay. What happened?" - Ian "Do you not remember anything, Ian?" - Sam "How about we go back to the question I had for you before? What was thest thing you remember?" - Fiona Gazing at the doctor, I try to y back my memories, searching for my answer. "I¡­ Got out of the game. Then, I felt this pain, a super ufortable feeling. Like it was¡­ As if under my skin, there were a thousand and thousands of spiders crawling up and down. Umm, I then remember seeing Adam, before seeing nothing. I don''t really remember much. I just remember feeling like I wanted to rip my skin apart, to let the spiders out." - Ian "Hmm, interesting. The way you describe it was unique. Why spiders? Why wasn''t it just insects or ants? Why was it specifically spiders?" - Fiona "I¡­ I¡­ I don''t know. That was just the thought I had. I mean, I have had a certain experience with a spider." - Ian "The curse from the Queen of Spiders. I have heard from Sam about this." - Fiona "Yes. That curse. I think that is why I thought it was spiders crawling under my skin. I also have had other things happen to me which directly involved the curse." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I see. Well, my job is kind of done here. There really isn''t much I care to talk about. Ian, you are pretty much okay. Stuff happened to you after the gamest night, but Sam and your friends will fill you in on that. As for your body, it is in tip-top shape, just rest up during the day and drink plenty of water. I''ll be going now, Sam. I have to get to someone else who experienced something." - Fiona "Right, thank you, Fiona. Your help is much appreciated. I''ll call you if we need anything." - Sam Standing up to open the door for Fiona, Sam expresses his goodbyes before returning to me. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he shakes his head slightly. "What''s wrong?" - Ian "You have no idea what happened to youst night, do you?" - Sam "Not a clue. I don''t remember much in the game as well. I was fighting Devel if that helps. Interacting with the head yer of Bones and finding out a bit more about the merge was very rewarding. He is also crazy strong, there is likely no way I can win against him any time soon." - Ian "Sigh, I see. How are you feeling? Are you able to walk?" - Sam "Umm¡­ I think I can. Why?" - Ian "Let''s go meet up with everyone else. A lot happened in your areast night and I only heard about it after waking up as well. Rather than me exining it to you, I think it is best for you to hear it from them yourself." - Sam "What-What do you mean?" - Ian "Come. Follow me." - Sam Slowly, I get out of bed, moving my limb one by one as blood starts to rush into every corner of my body. The once tired and unmoving body, starts to function like normal, and with a few slowly small steps, I make my way to the door. Holding it open, Sam waits for me to exit the room first, following closely behind me as he tells me to keep going down the corridor, turning left once I reach the end. Following his instructions, I make my way slowly, as the many paintings and photos catch my eye. Chatting with Sam lightly about the origins of the artwork, he tells me they were all acquired by histe great-grandfather, who had an obsession with bizarre and other-worldly portrayals of the Earth. Reaching the end of the corridor, I turn left to see arge bronze wooden door, with a gold handle. ncing behind me, Sam motions for me to open the door. Grasping the cold handle, I push the door gently, to see Reba, Nina, Kingston, Evan, Sabrina, Adam, and Eve all sitting on soft leather couches. Noticing the door opening, they quickly spring up, as if they were expecting me. Relieved smiles on Reba''s, Nina''s, Kingston''s, and Adam''s faces could be seen, as they see my healthy self. Rushing from her seat, Reba quickly hugs me tightly, kissing me on the cheek as she expresses her concern. Making sure I was okay, though several touches around my body, she nods her head in satisfaction, before grabbing my hand and pulling me to the couch. Ushered to a separate chair, Sam sits down, letting out a deep sigh as Adam and Eve stands next to him. "So, who is going to start? Kingston? Nina? Reba?" - Sam Looking at the three of them, I notice, all three had grim expressions. Raising an eyebrow, I start to wonder what the problem was and if it had anything to do with what happened earlier today. Raising his hand, Kingston nervously gulps down his saliva. "I guess, I can start since I was with Ian at the time. Ian, do you remember anything during the game? Anything to do with when we were in the Glemt, fighting in the Abyss with Devel?" - Kingston "Nothing. I remember reaching the floor with everyone. Talking to him and then eventually fighting him before you went to deal with the demon. After that, I have no memory of anything that took ce, although, I assumed I died." - Ian "Right, you did die. That happened but it was what happened before that. Remember how I went Berserk? Imagine that happening to you, but it was because of the curse." - Kingston 283 Chapter 283 "I don''t think I have to tell you, but that means the curse is near the end of the ''duration'' and something will happen. Of course, other things happened during the time you were ''unconscious'' but I thought I would start off with that first. After all, you should know the curse best out of all of us." - Kingston cing my hands together, as I lean on my thighs, I let out a low sigh. "I see¡­ I was anticipating thest phase of the curse, but I didn''t think it would happen whilst I was in battle. I didn''t even realize that it activated, or maybe I saw the notification, but it was already toote, and I had already lost consciousness, or maybe I was just too distracted with the fight that I ignored it, or maybe-" - Ian "We get the picture, Ian. It''s fine, things happen, don''t worry about it. What matters is that you are technically all better now. Back in the real world, you know what I mean. Nothing can¡­ Technically harm you." - Evan "Reassuring aren''t you, Evan." - Sabrina "Just trying my best." - Evan "What happened after the curse activated from your perspective, Kingston?" - Ian "Long story short, you were a god-damn killing machine. Or at least that is what it could have been if Devel and I didn''t stop you. If we were defeated, then you would have proceeded to killing everyone that participated on the mission to the Abyss. Thankfully, I acquired a second contract with the Demon, Feirna, and with Devel''s help we were able to stop you." - Kingston "Devel, helped us? I thought he was our enemy?" - Ian "Well¡­ I think Sam has a little exining to do with that. Devel already knows of our connection to Sam and the creation of RavenStar. What''s more is that he might have more information about the merge than we do, especially when he was dying, he was speaking to me as if it wasn''t him. Like, my head was hurting from all the information that was being dumped inside it." - Kingston "Devel knowing about RavenStar is understandable. I''m sure it isn''t just him as well as we needed to get a name out there for ourselves in order to interact with the biggerpanies. Mypany isn''t part of the gamingmunity and the only was to break into it is by introducing ourselves and attending meeting, functions and events. A lot of paperwork and other things are included, which other intelligence agencies will be able to find out. As for information about the merge, that is something I am unaware of, and I will need to look into that. My best bet is that there is another force at y here that is connected to both sides, much like how there was a connection with Amelia Watson. I can''t say for sure what it is or what the information that Devel knows about the merge or if there are more people that know about it. Assume all the toppanies knows about the merge and ept it." - Sam "Didn''t you tell us something simr before?" - Nina "I think so¡­" - Sam "Right, because this information is something I had been suspecting for a while now. If we, a small group, even though we are back by yourpany, knows about this world changing event, then I''m surergerpanies will know as well. They aren''t stupid, and they have their own means of gathering information, so it is likely they found out about this one way or another." - Nina "It''s more of, how much do they know and how much they are willing to share, right?" - Reba "Exactly, Reba, a good deduction. We can assume Lotus knows the most about the merge, even if we have interacted with a significant figure, and after Lotus it will be Aqua and Bones, with usingst out of the 4. That is not to say otherpanies don''t know about it either, since the forum has a multitude of ''guild'' recruitments andpanies are hiring in real life as well. I also always thought it was weird how they are employing so many people, but the game has no way of giving thepany money. After, thinking about it some more, I realize they may not be gaining money, but they are gaining ground, territory, status, power etc. This is an investment, for when the merge happens and we, ultimately, have no choice but to live in a different world." - Nina "Okay, okay, I think we are getting off-topic a little here. I understand the need to talk about the merge, but I thought we were here to talk about Ian. Frankly, there are too many unanswered questions about that topic, and we have no means of acquiring them, so it is better to let time figure it out. Answers will show themselves to us, so long we are patient, and we keep an eye out for them." - Evan "Okay, well, I can update Ian about what happened after Devel died and killed him. It isn''t as important. Instead, how about Reba and Nina tell us what happened at the Tamer Vige. The both of you haven''t said anything about it yet, so I''m curious as well." - Kingston cing my hand over Reba''s, I look at her in the eye as a small smile appears on my face. Curiosity brims all over, as the whole events that took ce at the Tamer Vige was still a mystery to me, and also the first time a HavenFall split into two groups to aplish different tasks. "Was everything okay during that part? There were fewer people there, but the strength of all the tamed monsters would have been greater than everyone who went to the Abyss with me." - Ian "Well¡­" - Reba "Reba¡­ Do you want me to say it or do you want to exin it?" - Nina "Sigh. You do it. I already exined everything to you in the game, and I''m sure you will do a better job at exin since the events that took ce are more linked to you." - Reba "Alright, Ian. Let me be straight to you, we seeded in taking down the Tamer Vige, however, the price was extremely high, and the repercussions are likely to affect quite a few individuals. "- Nina "A sess but a failure at the same time? Were there a lot of casualties?" - Ian "A lot, yes, and more toe. Initially, the group sent to attack the Tamer Vige, arrived at the scene, ready to engage in warfare, only to be countered by a monster called Number 88. This monster had tendencies to expand and constrict, with the abilities to morph its body and teleport into the shadows. It could also fly, using a small tornado below its feet, and absorb creatures, gaining part of their ability. Dealing with this monster, the group was able to whittle it down, sending it away while Yor distracts the monster. The Vige on the other hand was found to be empty, not just by them but by me as well. Sylvia and I, infiltrated from the side, and seeing the empty vige, I assumed they had all went to the front to help with the attack. I was wrong, as a second theory appeared when I discover a cave at the end of the vige. This cave had words, lines and sigils, all written in blood, with a pool of the same blood at the deepest part. There, we discovered the Tamer. He was killing and drawing the blood from the monsters he tamed, increasing the amount of blood in the pool, one monster at a time. His strongest monster, the Zivotinja Variant, was different to how you initially describe it, Ian, and I can only assume it was due to this blood pool and a book the Tamer wielded. He must have found a way to increase the strength of his monster, as the book also summoned monsters from within, which included these Crimson Birds, who spat fire all over the wooden vige. With the fire burning everywhere and some of Celine''s monsters killed in the mes, we could do nothing but watch in despair. However, I needed to find a way to stop the mes from spreading, as it would eventually reach the Krepost and destroy the forest. Sigh¡­ The solution I found was to rely on Selino, the Queen of Spiders. She had helped with the escape as you all know, and I was able to ask for her help again but this time at a cost, 30 beasts. I obviously said yes, but Celine didn''t like the idea. Can''t me her, but I had no choice. I''m sure once you are back, there will be someints from her side. Other than that, we haven''t gone back to the Tamer Vige and have been recuperating at the Krepost. If you were wondering where was Gewari and her scouts, she went back to the Krepost in case we were ambushed, but soon rushed back, only to be toote as Selino had already finished her role. Last night was rough for us, mentally more than physically." - Nina Listening to Nina, intently, I felt a rollercoaster of emotions as the whole night seems so crazy. So many things happened and now, new enemies are included in the mix. More worried were added, but nothing was relieved. No, maybe the fact that the Tamer Vige is gone is a good thing, as HavenFall''s growth might be affected by them. "Damn¡­ So much stuff happened at the Krepost. I had a pretty rxing night. Expanded HavenFall''s wall out a bit as Lucina has decided to expand the farm. Knocked down some trees to make some room. Start on paving the path to the Krepost. Nothing exciting, but damn, hearing what you guys went through. I kind of wish I was there." - Evan "Question, Nina. Did Selino say anything?" - Ian "What do you mean?" - Nina "I feel like there was a connection between me and her. I had this life-like dream before waking up to Adam punching me." - Ian "Sorry about that, by the way." - Adam "Don''t worry about it, you just did what you thought was best." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I remember her saying something about you will find her soon. Although, I thought that was because you will be heading back to the Krepost after exiting the Glemt. I''m starting to feel like there is something more¡­" - Nina "Me too. I''ll just have to find out once I get back into the game." - Ian Interrupting the stale atmosphere, Sam ps his hand, turning to Adam and Eve. "Alright, on that note, let''s get something to eat. Ian is most likely hungry. Adam, Eve, please get the cooks to prepare us lunch. Everyone, we can discuss after getting some food in our stomachs." - Sam 284 Chapter 284 Enjoying the food prepared for us by Sam''s chefs, we talked about everyone else''s current situations, outside HavenFall. Sabrina has been busy venturing into the Courtyard, alongside countless other yers as they discover lots of small hidden pathways. Each pathway branches into more, eventually creating aplex and intricate maze with the Courtyard at the center. With so many yers working together in the forum, there have been countless variations of parts of the maze, drawn by the yers. Progress has been slow, however, thetest map of the maze created by a yer in Lotus has revealed that it might be simr to a circle or oval. Some parts of the map haven''t been filled since there has been no exploration in that section, butparing the other known parts, it can be concluded to be circr or oblique. Sabrina, exins to us that the exploration has been slow due to the space within the maze as well as the various enemies that they have encountered. With only enough space for maybe 2-3 people to stand next to each other in battle, it has been difficult for most groups of yers and NPCs to venture too deep into the maze. Resulting in slow progression through the maze. There have been a few daredevil groups who have traveled deep into the maze, exploring it and sharing it with the rest of the yers. In turn, they have found arge array of monsters, including skeletons, zombies, wraiths, banshees, ghosts, specters, and demons. They have faced off against Variants of each type of monster as well, and with their superb disy of skill, have acquired bountiful loot. Compared to the other yers, their weapons and armor looked to have been dropped by the monsters or picked up from ''chests'', with one of them having glowing blue runes along the handle. Sabrina, on the other hand, has been going deeper into the maze, with the help of her NPCs and her tamed ''horse'' monster, with little to no luck on her loot. Her progress has also been halted several times by a specific monster that has been terrorizing the maze. Wielding a long obsidian bow, with spikes jutting out the ends, dressed in leather armor that was the color of the night sky, was a singr skeleton. Its eyes were filled with green mes and its rickety bones shook each time it moved, however, it was faster than any creature that Sabrina had seen before. Coupled along with its terrifying uracy, the monster patrols the Maze, finding victims in every corner. Meeting it 4 times now, Sabrina had to constantly retreat to the Courtyard, waiting hours before going back the same way if she wanted the monster to leave. Otherwise, she would have to exit the Courtyard from a different location. Unfortunately for Sabrina, that was just one of the few difficult monsters. Other parties have encountered ghosts that could hypnotize yers, creating chaotic battles where your ally can turn into your enemy within a second. On the other hand, Sam has had a very fruitful experience, acquiring various equipment that boosts stats. Dressing his Minotaur warriors, with enchanted rings, nes, and armor, he has quickly be one of the more influential yers in the Tower location of the Glemt. Like in the Abyss, they had to climb up a long fleet of stairs, butpared to the small number of levels in the Abyss, the tower had a maximum of 50 levels. Each level had a different group of monsters, or sometimes a singr monster, each stronger than thest with arge coverage of abilities for any scenario. Sam, has been progressing further and further up the Tower, reaching the 48th levelst night, and predicting to encounter thest level tonight. However, Aqua''s most elite team currently''s Sam rival, already encountering and dealing with the monster that is at the top. Both Helioc and SanShiGo, were busy dealing with the monster and in turn, revealed parts of their strengths to the public, as scouts from other teams ventured closer to the leading group, spying on their movements. From Sam''s intelligencework, he was able to gather some information about both of their abilities. Helioc is a dual-wielding assassin, using two karambit knives that look like the cosmos, glistening purple as he slices through the air. Donning a tight, ck suit with a bright red scarf that wraps around his neck, covering his mouth, he creates the illusion of a floating red butterfly fluttering around the battlefield, as he disappears into the shadows. Compared to Helioc, SanShiGo''s presence was more known, as he lights up the surroundings with his pure white robe with golden runes along the edges. The robe emits a white light that illuminates the surroundings, seemly cleansing the stale air, and reinvigorating the surroundings. Wearing a smile so wide, that his eyes are like crescent moons, he showcases a high level of leadership. Commanding the rest of the elite team from behind, SanShiGo, disyed an intellect simr to that of ancient strategists, utilizing his strengths to the maximum while keeping his weaknesses to the minimum. But just because he is amanding figure, doesn''t mean he cannot fight. Underneath the robe, he hides his choice of weapon, a brown book. Flicking open the pages, the scout saw SanShiGo summon a beast underneath him, a giant panda, twice the size of one in the real world. Riding on top of the giant beast, hemands the other members of the elite squad while the panda protects him, fending off anything thates close. Hearing this, I became slightly dumbfounded. The difference between the top 2 of Aqua was like night and day, no, maybe that is because it really is just that different. With Helioc, covering from the shadows while SanShiGo draws the attention, the both of them together could be one of the strongest duos, and this is with the little information we know about them. Scratching my head at the new information, I lean back into my chair. The world is so huge, and I have only really discovered a drop of it. There are still so many things to explore and so many things to experience with so many individuals to talk to andmunicate with and yet¡­ In the grander scheme of things, who knows what side they are on and what their ambitions and goals are? Will we be able to be allies, or will we be enemies? Only time can tell. After a long discussion with everyone, eventually we split up, to do our own things. Reba and I went to the pool, where a long stretch of clear blue water awaits us. Sliding into the pool, after changing into our swimsuits, the both of us enjoyed a rxing afternoon. "Babe¡­ I''m worried about you and I fear that both me and Melody will acquire more power from Fortuna. While, it sounds good and all, that power scares me. What if I see something about you? I¡­ I-" - Reba "I will be fine. I''m as careful as I can be while I''m in the game, you don''t need to worry about a thing babe." - Ian "No¡­ What. What do you mean? You might still be affected by the curse thing when you go back to the game." - Reba "Hmm¡­ I find that unlikely. Each time I had the curse I was fine after a while and yes, this went on for longer, I did die. So, I should be okay? Regardless, if anything goes wrong, Kingston, and everyone is going to be there, and so will you." - Ian "ARE YOU DUMB? Kingston was only able to defeat you in the Abyss because Devel helped him. How do you expect the rest of us to be able to deal with you." - Reba "Well¡­ Okay, I didn''t think of that, but it isn''t like I can''t y the game. There are so many things we have to still do." - Ian "I just don''t want anything to happen to you¡­" - Reba "Sigh,e here. It will be fine." - Ian Hugging Reba close, I kiss her forehead while we float in the middle of the pool, as the sun dips below the horizon and the sky is painted purple and orange. Holding her tightly, I whisper next to her ear my love for her, before we continue to float up and down the pool, watching the stars sparkle in the sky. "Ian! Time for me to tell you what is up at the top of the Abyss." - Kingston Out in the corner of my eye, standing with two sets of towers over his shoulder, Kingston shouts out to me, ushering me back inside. I had wanted some time to myself and Reba, before getting another bombardment of information, since the discussion was too much all at once. Tell Kingston to find meter, I went to rx I guess the time had passed faster than I had thought, and it was already nearing 2100. "Alrighting. Come on babe, let''s get out of the pool." - Ian "Mhm! We can rest in our room while Kingston tells you everything." - Reba Nodding my head, I take the towel off Kingston, drying my upper body and head before entering the shower and washing off the chlorine in the shower. After a nice hot shower, I sat on the bed next to Reba who had also just finished, while Kingston find a chair and sits in front of us. Taking a deep breath, he begins to tell us what happened after Devel and I were killed in the game. Chapter 285 285 - Well, Well, Well "Where do I start¡­? Okay. So, I killed you and Devel dies. Simple stuff, everyone else was at the bottom level away from the fight, so it was just us 3. Well, technically just me and the demons I''m contracted with. There were still the stairs upwards which I took just to have a look at what was at the top of the ce, after all, thest time we were there, we almost died. However, this time it was different. The ce looked like a tornado hade in and left, which I can only assume to have something to do with Fierna, after all, Fierna was the ''heart'' of the Abyss. So, there were pieces of shrapnel everywhere with-" - Kingston "Wait! Back up a bit. Fierna was the heart of the Abyss? What do you mean by that?" - Ian "Oh, well. I mean exactly that. She was what kept the Abyss ''alive''. The beating heart-like sound and veins along the walls and floors that glow purple. It was all her as she was waking up from her slumber. I think the original n was for Mori Calliope, to control Fierna, but our appearance and the appearance of yers in the other parts of the Glemt stopped her from doing that. I also think there was a preset time for when Fierna was meant to appear, so she probably assumed that Fierna was not going toe out any time soon. Regardless, they know that the Abyss has fallen, and we have ''conquered'' it because¡­ Well, I was going to lead into this, but you interrupted me." - Kingston "Sorry, Kingston. I thought you were just going to brush over the fact that you just mentioned something important, and I wanted to know more about it. " - Ian "All good, don''t worry about it. Right, so in the middle of the floor. In the middle of all that chaos, there was a portal. I have no idea where that portal leads, but that was definitely not there before. AND! On the chair where Mori was sitting, on it, there was an item, which I took because no one else was going to take it. It was shaped like a purple heart, and it wasn''t the kind of heart you are thinking of. No, this was like a legitimate heart. Like the organ that pumps blood around your body. That heart. Belial and Fierna both saw it and both immediately told me to take it and use it right away before something happens to the heart, which I found slightly suspicious. However, I brushed it to the side before picking it up, and I found out the reason, why they were so angsty. The heart became bound to me the moment I touched it, and only I could use it, and the description of the item was to double my current vitality. I was visibly shocked, and I probably yelled out too because god-damn was that a good item. Upon using it, I truly felt like I had a second heart beating next to my own. My body felt lighter as well as if the blood being pumped throughout my body was being elerated with fresh oxygen pumping faster and faster inside me. However, only my vitality changed in my stats, but even then it is a huge improvement. Of course, that wasn''t the only thing I found. When I looked more carefully, behind the chair there was a small wooden box with a gold lock on it. Touching the box, it prompts that I needed the corresponding key, a Blood-Gold Key. Not sure what that means since I haven''t seen anything like that before, but I''m sure we will find it eventually. Whatever is inside will be very valuable, maybe something that massively increases our stats or an insane weapon, I don''t know." - Kingston Rubbing my chin, I think about everything that Kingston had just ryed to me. The item that he acquired will help a lot in the uing battles since he will have a lot more Health to work with. In dire situations, he will be a secondary or even the main tank. However, the thing that intrigued me the most is the portal that is now in the middle of the room. Where does it lead to? Why did it appear? "Did you go inside the portal, Kingston?" - Reba "No. I didn''t. I felt like I shouldn''t just waltz in, so I instead avoided it. There was a chance the moment I touched the portal, I would be pulled in immediately. Preferably, I would want to do something when everyone else is there." - Kingston "Smart decision, after all, thest time you were near a portal you and the others were pulled in unexpectedly." - Ian "Exactly!" - Kingston "Was that all?" - Ian "Yep. Well, technically there was the whole thing about Selino, but we already heard that, so don''t worry about it. Although, I think something will happen when youe back into the game tonight. Selino hasn''t left the area yet and with the fact that your curse has progressed further, I''m sure she will have some sort ofment. Nina has found that she has a lot of interest in your current condition and has wanted tomunicate with you for a long time. Just saying, she was crazy as hell before, and she hasn''t changed. Don''t trust her in any shape or form. She is deeply connected to the Horde ording to Nina and Luke is still over there as well." - Kingston "I know. I think I have felt her presence or something, but I''m not too sure. It''s a little fuzzy. There is definitely some sort of connection that I am feeling, and it has to do with the curse. After all, I only felt this after I became unconscious." - Ian "Just be careful, babe." - Reba "Will do." - Ian Kingston nods, standing up from the chair. Waving goodbye, he leaves the room. Pouncing on my unprepared self, Reba, pushes me onto the bed, hugging me tightly. "No matter what happens, it will be okay." - Reba Smiling, I hug her back, patting it softly while stroking her hair. "I know. Nothing bad will happen and even if it did, I have everyone nearby to help me right?" - Ian "Right. If something happens Kingston will be right there to kill you!" - Reba "Uh¡­ I don''t know about that wording but yes, I understand." - Ian We end up chatting for the rest of the night, talking softly as if we were inside a tiny bubble, and we didn''t want it to burst from the sound. A warm feeling spreads throughout my body as I see the ever-changing multitude of expressions that Reba shows. Her warm presence seems to make the world stand still and her smile lights up my life, brighter than the sun. Leaning in unexpectedly, I press my lips against hers, feeling her hot breath as her eyes shoot open widely at my action, but it was only momentarily. Closing her eyes, she kisses back, cing her hand gently on my cheek. Slowly I push my tongue between her lips, wrapping around her tongue as we both take a small breath at the same time. Continuing my kiss, I slowly roll around her tongue, pulling her down while climbing on top of her. With only a couple more hours until midnight, the both of us enjoyed her quiet, or not-so-quiet night. Right before midnight, we made sure to ce on our VR helmets and wait quietly for midnight to hit. "Remember babe, I''ll be near you and so will everyone else. So, don''t be worried at all when youe online." - Reba "I''m not worried. Just slightly nervous, who knows what Selino will do to me the moment she finds me? If everything goes well, then there should be a slight dy between her meeting me and when we all go into the game. During that time, we must prepare for her, so tell Kingston, Nina, and the rest to be ready for any movement from Selino." - Ian "Alright, I''ll make sure everything is ready for you the moment we get into the game." - Reba "Thanks, babe. I''ll see you soon." - Ian The clock hits 12 and we enter the game. Opening my eyes, I immediately, feel something tighten around my chest, and my breath bes short. ncing around as I gasp for air, I realize that the environment was very different from what I had expected. I thought for sure, I would be spawning in the Krepost and if I wasn''t then maybe in the Abyss, but where am I? Rocky cave-like interior with only small cracks of sunlight seeping through the ceiling. A musky scent is in the air, as I desperately gather air into my lung. Not long after, I feel my neck burn as I yell in pain, thousands of tiny little spiders seem to run down my arm and body, stabbing deep into my skin with their tiny legs. Overwhelmed by the sensation, and myck of breath, my body copses. Trembling on the ground I feel someone or something approach me, but I could only quietly scream. "Well, well, well, deary. It seems you are almost at the end of the road. Whatever will you do?" Chapter 286 286 - Selino And Ian Choking on my saliva, as I try to speak, my eyes naturally gaze toward the approaching figure. With light taps on the ground echoing in my eyes, Selino draws near, her silver hair glistening over her chest, as her scarlet eyes glimmer in the dark. Revealing a cheeky grin as she stares at me, struggling in pain, she bends down, bringing her pale face close to mine. So close that I could see the deep maroon pupils diluting as she licks her lips. "I see that you have entered the final stages¡­ With not much left, what are your thoughts, deary? Oh! Wait, you can''t speak, can you? Feeling a little pain at the moment? Don''t worry, deary. Let me help you, just for a bit." - Selino Parting her lips, her pearl-white fangs creep out, as she draws closer to my neck. Panicking at her approach, my heart starts to race faster, as I desperately try to regain enough control of my body to move away from her. However, to no avail. Piercing my flesh, her fangs draw blood on my neck as I feel 4 needles enter me. Like a syringe, I could feel the blood leaving my body, but I also felt something entering my body at the same time. An unknown liquid could be felt pumping through my veins as my muscles rx involuntarily, making my whole body slump down into the ground unmoving. My breathing stabilizes, and I find that albeit slowly, I was regaining control over my limbs. Watching me with caring eyes, Selino rests her head in her palms as a quiet hum could be heard escaping her mouth. Nervous, and still frightened, I think about the pros and cons of moving and interacting with her right now. However, no matter what thoughts I had, they all came back to one dominating thought. No matter what I do, she can kill me at any time. Which is correct, I would die very quickly if she so pleases, so then what is stopping her? Is it really like how Nina told me? The deadly and gorgeous Queen has a¡­ Crush? On me? "Feeling better, deary? I think you should be able to move now. Why don''t you try to sit up, it isn''tfortable on the ground, and you might catch a cold." - Selino Carefully, I tuck my legs in, giving up the thought of even resisting and instead following what I am told to do. Bit by bit, I pull my body together as I sit up straight. During this time, I do my best to observe my surroundings through my peripheral, trying to not look obvious. Realizing that I ampletely trapped inside a small room, with only one exit and entrance, I wholeheartedly let out a big sigh as I nce up at Selino, defeated. "Thinking about escaping, deary? The door is that way, but I don''t know if you will make it outside. My children aren''t fond of people leaving without saying goodbye." - Selino "It-It''s fine. I had no thoughts of running. I was just curious about where I am and why I am here, that''s all." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Right. So, you were just looking around while you slowly get up and that is just curiosity? Do you take me for a fool, deary? I like how brave you think you are. Remember, it is just you here. Oh, and me of course." - Selino "Where is here? What did you do to me? Why have you kept me alive?" - Ian "Asking the real questions right away? Ian deary, you are no fun. Liven up. Rx. Nothing will harm you here. Well, if you really want to know where here is, then I guess I can tell you. You see, the ce where you built your little vige, the Krepost? Was it? Very interesting name for a vige but nheless, however, the forest is right next to it. Has it ever urred to you that the forest hides more secrets?" - Selino "... Yes, I''m sure there is a lot we have yet to discover inside the forest. We haven''t exactly branched too far out, and we are slowlybing our way through the ce, starting with the area between our 2 viges." - Ian "Well, you are obviously not going fast enough as I still have everything that I left here thest time I saw you, deary. I was surprised. I didn''t think you would not find this ce, but I guess I had too high of expectations. This is just one of the little ''secrets'' that are hidden in the Silent Forest. However, at this rate, I doubt you will be able to even discover a fraction of it, after all, you don''t have much time left." - Selino Selino was right, I don''t have much time and I don''t know why. Originally, I should still have a couple of hundred hours left, but now that I am looking at my status screen there were barely even a hundred. [Live on then, Yet Hang: 89:23:14] Barely over 3 days left before the curse finishes, I could only swallow my nervousness as I try to confront Selino about my condition. Since she is the caster of my curse, maybe, just maybe she will reveal to me a way to cure it or at least dy it. "Selino, I-" - Ian "Call me Sel, deary. I like it more when someone calls me by my nickname rather than my full name. Plus, I think it sounds cute." - Selino "Okay then, Sel. I¡­ Was wondering if you could tell me more about what you did to me. Thest time I saw you, you inflicted this curse on me. Why? For what purpose." - Ian "I told you before, didn''t I? You are mine. Nothing more, nothing less. I did what I wanted to do. I gave you a gift. It made you stronger, didn''t it? You might have been in pain before but right now¡­ You don''t feel anything. In fact, aren''t you rxed? Like there is nothing on your mind to worry about? Less of a curse, is it not?" - Selino "How am I, yours? What do I mean to you?" - Ian "So, many questions, but I don''t mind." - Selino Circling around me, Selino taps along the wall, creating a soft rhythmic beat as she speaks to me in aforting tone. "Have you ever fallen in love, Ian deary? I''m sure you have, with how handsome you are¡­ Maybe you even yed with a few girls hearts. Tugged at their strings? Pulled them along? I never fell in love. It was an unknown feeling to me. One that gued my mind as I see even the more grotesque monsters, like orcs and ogres, fall in love. However, that changed. I saw you. A human. Smaller than some of my children. Younger than some of them as well. Less powerful than most but¡­ There was something. Something inside of me just screamed. I want you. I need you. Initially, I thought it was because you looked so delicious. Enough for me to just squeeze you tight as I suck the blood out of you while gnawing at your flesh, but it felt different. Instead of rejecting the foreign feeling, I chose to sit back and try to understand it. So, I gave you my mark, Live on then, Yet Hang. Something that has been with me for a long time. The reason I became who I am today. I spread that to you, in the form of a mark, and to my surprise, you didn''t die straight away. Instead, you assimted the power and drew from it. My surprise grew stronger as I see you transform into an Arachne, yet different from the way I transformed. A slow but gradual transformation. During this time, I was able to converse with a human. You know him, as he goes by the name Luke. He told me many things about how humans interact with each other, however, his knowledge was limited, and his mind was young. There was only so much I could gather from him. It was then I met another friend of yours¡­ Nina. She told me an abundance of things, increasing my knowledge and expanding on it until I realize¡­ Yes, this is it. I truly want you, deary. More than you can ever imagine. My body craves for you. Even now, I am trying my best to control myself from pouncing on you. After all, that wouldn''t be verydylike of me. However, now I see that the gift I gave you has now be nothing more than a curse. You will die if nothing happens, and you will die if you try to do something. But there is a way. A way for you to live on. You will be hanging from nothing but a thread, but maybe you can change that deary. A change that I cannot predict. I have heard from the Horde but you and Nina and many more humans are not what you seem. There is something different something fundamentally different between all of you and the other humans. He didn''t speak much on the topic, however, he said that the time for action is approaching soon. Deary, don''t you want to live? I''m sure the Horde is doing something big and when he does something, he is able to move mountains and part seas. His strength knows no bounds and his intelligence is higher than the sky. You are nothing but a human who is about to kick the bucket. So, if I help you. Will you help me?" - Selino "Help you? What is it that someone as powerful and resourceful as you would need help in? And what can I even do? As you said I am powerless, and weak, I have nothing going for me. So, why ask for my help?" - Ian "Because it is love, my dear. Nothing more than love. I WANT you. I NEED you. Come with me willingly. I don''t want to force my hand and do something that both of us will regret." - Selino Giving me time to think, Selino gently hugs me from behind, breathing softly into my ear as tworge mounds press against my back. However, I didn''t have time to appreciate them. There were more pressing matters at hand. "What do I need to do¡­?" - Ian "Hehe¡­ It is very simple, deary. I''ll apply another mark, establishing a union on your body, strengthening it as well as elerating your transformation. At the same time, I wish to enter the world which you came from. I can tell that you are from a different ne of existence as your body materialized in midair in this location. Fortunately for you, I know of a way to connect us together." - Selino Gulping at the thought, I quietly ask what was the method. "Instead of establishing a union. Let us be one." - Selino Chapter 287 287 - Let Me Help (Kingston Perspective) "Where is he? Like, where is he? Where could he have spawned? Is he not in the main building? This is so stupid. We have god knows how many people here, searching for one person, and we still can''t find him. It''s probably been an hour! How is this possible?! Like what the hell?!" - Kingston Banging my fists against the wall of the Krepost, I curse out loud. Frustration, anger, and worry all pile up inside me as I roll my eyes to the sky. Standing next to me were Gewari, Reba, and Nina, all of them were also frustrated as I see the small crinkle between their brows. "Is it possible that he is in the Abyss? That was where he died right? Maybe-" - Nina "Already checked." - Gewari "Then maybe he is at HavenFall? There might be that chance that-" - Nina "Already checked." - Gewari "Then in the middle of the field? He might have spawned in the forest. Like where else can he be?" - Nina "Gewari, please have your scouts do another check of the forest and the field between here and the portal. I know you have already sent them out, but I can''t think of anything else to do than that." - Reba "Alright. I''ll have them check once more." - Gewari "Wait! Perhaps branch out the search radius. Thest few times you only checked between here and HavenFall, maybe check further out." - Kingston "Will do, Kingston. I''ll have a look. I will also contact Ster''s group and work with her if we are nning to search further away from HavenFall and the Krepost." - Gewari Nodding her head toward us, Gewari moves away silently and quickly, dashing between the houses as several ck shadows follow her closely. Turning back to look at the only 2 other yers here, I heave out a big sigh before slumping to the ground with a loud thud. Hanging my head low, I scratch the top softly. "What''s the situation on Selino? Have we found her yet?" - Reba "Nothing. No sign of her even when I try to call for her. It''s like she disappeared after taking all the tamed monsters away. How-How''s Celine?" - Nina "Celine isn''t doing well. She shut herself inside one of the small barn houses next to where she was keeping all the monsters. No one other than Kumi and the baby monsters has seen her since the incident. I mean, can you me her? All her hard work pretty much got stolen and massacred, even if they didn''t die in front of her, it was more or less the same thing." - Kingston "I know. I''ve tried to apologize to her again, but there was no response." - Nina "That is something you just need to give them time. There isn''t much we can do tofort her in this situation, especially since most of us had no choice but to ept the situation, against her will. Kingston, have you tried tofort her?" - Reba "Of course! That was the first thing I did when I got back, but there was nothing I could do. She didn''t want me to do anything and everything I tried to do to cheer her up only made her more upset or sad. At times, I felt like I was talking to a wall and at other times, I was a punching bag. Yet, I knew I can''t get upset at her because what she just went through was not only unfair but just¡­ Unbelievable." - Kingston "What do we do now? Most of the NPCs here are waiting for Ian. Howard and Gibing are confused as to why he hasn''t shown up yet. However, they have chosen to ignore it for now and are focusing on other areas of the Krepost. Some NPCs are worried about Celine as well as the whole vige since the decision to do such a thing was done by Nina who hasn''t integrated that much into ourmunity. It''s not obvious or prominent, however, there is a bit of concern in that direction and if we were to look at past civilizations, these thoughts turn to discrimination, segregation, etc. Just a lot of bad and not a lot of good. I''m sure Ian doesn''t want these thoughts brewing in HavenFall but looking at the situation it doesn''t look like it will stop unless we can address the situation." - Reba "But, I did what I thought was right for everyone in the long term. We had more to gain than to lose if we had Selino''s help. Can they not understand that? What would happen to us if we weren''t able to stop the fire at all? Then we would be left with the fire attacking the Krepost or even worse the fire would travel all the way to HavenFall. We lose not only our homes but the resources around here and the time it took for Ian to set up everything." - Nina "Nina, I get it. I get what you are saying, but people don''t always look at the long term. Short-term goals and actions effects people harder, and they react to them more so than long-term actions. I understand both your perspective and everyone else''s, but at the end of the day, both reasons are valid and there is no ''winner''. Both are right." - Reba "Yea, okay. But at the end of the day, we need this location especially if this will be our home sooner orter. Both you and Evan were unable to properly create a home despite ying for so long as well. Looking at Sabrina and Sam, they are only able to create a small secure location, whereas we have two locations with our main base in a heavily secured and defendable location. I don''t want to lose any of it." - Nina "Neither do we. We want everything to be okay both for us and the NPCs, it is just¡­ Just an unfortunate event with not many options. Kingston are you okay?" - Reba "Yea, I''m fine. I''m going for a walk." - Kingston Picking myself off the ground, I quickly leave Reba and Nina behind as I walk along the wall. I hear Reba try to stop me, but I brushed her aside, as Belial and Fierna appear on my shoulders in their smaller forms. Both of them have been listening in on the conversation and I can tell Belial has his own thoughts on the situation. However, what were my thoughts¡­? Sighing to myself, I head toward Celine while Belial and Fierna lecture me. "Kingston, why not just find the people who are causing problems and just execute them? Honestly, don''t know why your friends are having so much trouble with what is happening. Just a few monster dying. What is the problem?" - Belial "See, father. You just have no emotional attachment to pets. These monsters were pets to Kingston''s underlings. Of course, they will be sad and upset if someone else offers their pets as food. However, I do agree with that girl. Use a stronger being, kill the monsters, and save everyone. Simple and sweet. Just like her~" - Fierna "Yes, I understand the reason, but I believe there was a way to do it without the sacrifice. These dumb humans don''t reason they could just break the mountain next to the fire and cause andslide, smothering the fire." - Belial "Do you honestly think we have the power to destroy a mountain, Belial?" - Kingston "You would be surprised. That girl is hiding lots of secrets." - Belial "Which one?" - Kingston "The one connected with fate. There is a power within her that she is rejecting. Funnily enough, that power is stronger than the current you and maybe even the current Ian." - Belial "Oh~ Her! I did find her suspicious. However, I thought the god inside the other girl would grant her some more power. BUT! I guess not." - Fierna "Reba has that power?! Why is she hiding it?" - Kingston "Who knows. Power is a strange thing, and you need more of it. Frankly, you are still so weak even with the Heart of a Demon inside you." - Belial [Heart of a Demon 2x Vitality upon use A secondary heart from a demon, used to enhance their life. Some demons have more than one heart and when extracted they can be ced within other lifeforms. However, if there is a rejection of the heart, then the life form will die. ] "I know, but there aren''t many ways to grow stronger." - Kingston "There is! That portal that we saw is a way." - Fierna "What do you mean, Fierna? We don''t even know where it leads." - Kingston "No, we do." - Belial "Yep! It leads to the one you call the Reaper. Although not exactly there either. Just somewhere close." - Fierna "WHAT! How do you the both of you know this?" - Kingston "Just a feeling." - Belial "You don''t want to say? Alright! I won''t talk either." - Fierna "Wait! No. Just tell me. Please." - Kingston "Later, Kingston. I''ll tell youter. I think you should deal with what is in front of you first before anything." - Belial "Make sure to be gentle to her. Just sweet and kind words only." - Fierna With the both of them disappearing, I focus on what was in front. The small shed where Celine was currently holed up in. How many times have I been there? 3? 4? I knock on the door softly, before letting out a small sigh. "Celine? Are you there¡­?" - Kingston Silence. "I know you are there. You don''t need to talk to me right now. I''ll be right here-" - Kingston "Kingston¡­ I have a question." - Celine Perking up my ears as I hear Celine''s voice for the first time in a while. "YES! I mean. What is it?" - Kingston "I would like for you to take me on a journey. I want to tame¡­ Tame an army of monsters that won''t lose to anyone. Not to you. Not to Ian and definitely not to Selino. Will you help me?" - Celine "Celine¡­ What¡­? Are you sure? What about the ones that are left here?" - Kingston "I have spoken to Kumi. She will take care of them as well as tame and breed more around the area. I want to search for monsters that are stronger and more unique." - Celine "I see¡­ I don''t mind helping you but is this what you want?" - Kingston Pulling the door open suddenly, revealing her disheveled clothing and dirt-d skin, Celine stands in front of me with a determined expression. Letting go of the door, she steps forward, looking me straight in the eye, close enough that our lips were about to touch. "I want revenge. Nothing more. Nothing less. But I''m weak and need help. Will you help me?" - Celine "Of course. Let me help you, Celine." - Kingston Chapter 288 288 - Goddess Fortuna (Rebecca Perspective) "Nina, Kingston just left us, and we still have this whole situation on our hands. You are the smarter one, so are there any suggestions that you have on the situation?" - Reba cing my hands on my waist, I look at Nina worriedly. Her eyes were constantly ncing around as if looking for something, distracted from the conversation. However, through her eyes I can see the gears in her mind turning, the engine rolling, and different thoughts both good and bad producing. Biting her lip, she looks at me, directly in the eyes. "Okay. I have a suggestion. I''m not sure if this is even possible or if this is something Ian needs to work out himself, but I''m thinking of creating a government system in the Krepost and HavenFall. An overarching group that makes decisions based on the opinions of each other and the widermunity. A group that isn''t biased and is looking at the good of ourmunity. I understand that there is something simr like that already in progress in HavenFall, with Gobi, Noah, and Evan. Howard and Ster are also figures in that group however, the main driving force is these 3. However, in the Krepost there isn''t anyone that is technically on the top, someone that the rest of the people here look up to or ask for help. Originally, it would have been Kingston, but his attitude to most of the development is quitex. He helps with construction and things rting to expanding the Krepost, but he never makes the decision, constantly looking for Ian before doing anything. Likewise, Gibing and Gewari who have been on this side longer, aren''t suited for this role as well. Both are focused on their roles and don''t look too deeper into other things. In my opinion, we need Yor, Frank, and maybe even Kumi to be the ones that take care of the Krepost. Yor is already an amazing strategist, but if he were to put his mind to developing this location and expanding further, he would be able to follow Ian''s vision or even make his own vision of the Krepost. Frank, on the other hand, is able tomunicate with a lot of people. Mingling with them and understanding them, you could say he has a very high EQ and would be able to understand the needs of themunity more than others. Kumi will be in charge of the tames. Transport between HavenFall and the Krepost is vital, and developing a mode of transport between the two locations is a coborative project between the tames and the cksmiths. I have spoken to Evan already during the day, and he told me some prototype saddles are ready and will be transported to us today, hopefully arriving before dark. Kumi will be one of the leading figures on this, and will eventually expand to military purposes, which is why I think she needs to be part of the government group." - Nina Scratching my head, I blink a couple of times, as I try to process what Nina had just exined to me. "Wait. Stop. So, you are thinking we require a government group for HavenFall and the Krepost? What about Ian? Isn''t he the leader of this ce?" - Reba "He still is, and I''m not saying he won''t be. We can create a Constitutional Monarchy, where he still has power, but the Government also has a say in the direction of themunity. I don''t think there is anything wrong with this kind of thought, and it allows Ian to venture away from HavenFall while it still functions normally. He has fewer decisions to make, and the ce bes self-sufficient." - Nina "Isn''t that too fast? Shouldn''t we discuss this with Ian?" - Reba "The situation is happening because Ian, isn''t here. There is no one to make decisions and the constant gossiping is because we haven''t decided on anything yet." - Nina "I still think we are rushing the decision to create a government. However, the idea is definitely something we can work on." - Reba "Alright. I''ll keep that in mind. Well, there isn''t much for us to do, so I''m going to find Sylvia. Reba, I don''t think I need to tell you, but you need to find a way to get stronger. The world is constantly getting stronger, with new enemies appearing everywhere. If you want to stand next to Ian, then you need to be stronger, whether you like it or not. I suggest you pursue that Goddess, Fortuna." - Nina "Sigh, I know. I know. I already felt it when I was with Celine and the others when we went to attack the Tamer Vige. Just running was the best I could do while I watch all of them attack, defend, etc." - Reba "Then you should know, you need to get stronger. Connect with the goddess and be their apostle. There is a huge upgrade in strength and who knows what kind of skills you will acquire after connecting with the goddess." - Nina "I''ll see¡­ I''ll let you go find Sylvia. I''m going to go find Melody." - Reba "Melody? I thought there was a small rivalry between the both of you. Since she also likes Ian." - Nina "Hrmp, she can''t do anything if Ian loves me. Especially since I have a whole day with him, and she only has whatever little time Ian is at the settlement." - Reba "I see, but that doesn''t stop her." - Nina "I know. It''s fine. The both of us are connected with Fortuna anyway, so we more or less have to interact with each other." - Reba "Alright, well you do you. Talk to youter." - Nina Walking away, while waving her hand, Nina goes off in search of Sylvia. Sighing as I am left by myself, I nce around, wandering where Melody would be, and start walking through the newly constructed houses. Smiling and waving to everyone along the way, I start to notice a warm atmosphere as humans and demi-humans were helping each other secure new walls and cut out the windows. In the distance, I see Melody walking into one of the corner towers. Chasing after her, I quickly jog to the tower as well, climbing up to see Melody kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were closed, and she was grasping a pendant, muttering something quietly. Without turning Melody addresses me, as she lets out a low sigh. "Ba, are you going tomit to the Goddess, Fortuna?" - Melody "You know. I''ve asked that question and I have been asked that question so many times already that I feel like there is really only one answer. Sigh¡­ What do I need to do? I''m already halfway there, aren''t I?" - Reba "She has told me that if you are willing she can start the Apostle Initiation right now?" - Melody "Alright. What do I need to do?" - Reba "Nothing." - Melody Quickly, stepping up, Melody reaches for my neck, pulling her forehead towards hers. The moment our foreheads touch, I feel the world slow down, as my body falls through Melody''s. Unable to stop myself from falling, a scream escapes my lips as I travel through the tower and fall toward the ground but right before Ind on the ground, my body stops in the air. "Hello there, child. It seems you have finally decided to speak to me." - ??? Drifting down in front of me, sitting on a giant wooden wheel with a set of long dark golden brown hair holding onto a rose gold horn filling to the brim with a rainbow of fruits and berries. Covering her eyes is a simple reddish-brown cloth but to me, it seems like she is able to see through the cloth, as she smiles gently in my direction. Wrapping in clothing that resembles the ancient Romans and imaginary wind, flutters the edges making her seem even more godly than she already was. "Goddess Fortuna?" - Reba "Yes, child. I am the one which you call Fortuna. However, I have been called other names as well, but that does not matter. What matters is whether you are truly willing to ept what you must do for me. Much like Melody, you Ba, if you are willing, I can grant you powers befitting of one who is under me." - Fortuna Speaking to me in a soft voice, while she swirls the horn of fruits in her hands, she expresses her interest in making me her Apostle. Floating in the air, I sharply intake some air as I respond to her. "What would I need to do, under you? I know from someone else that there is a mission that I must partake in once I am an Apostle of a God or Goddess. Is this what you mean?" - Reba "Simr but for me, it is more of a request than anything. I do not need you to do this but if you do, I will dly reward you. I only wish to see the end, and whether fate has it or not, be it good or bad. Nothing more. Nothing less. Where do you end up on the grand scale? What actions does your partner take? How will the world respond to the inevitable? So many questions, but only one answer. I wish to see it." - Fortuna "That''s it? To see the end?" - Reba "Child. Even I do not know everything but let me give you a glimpse of what is toe, that is if you ept me?" - Fortuna "Coming here, I have already epted you. It seems you are looking for a verbal or formal eptance. So be it, what do I need to do?" - Reba "Cheeky child. Then, repeat after me. May you bless me, Harbinger of Good Fortune, and give me your sacred blessing on my journey!" - Fortuna [Will you ept the Goddess Fortuna and be her Apostle? Repeat the line if you agree.] [Warning this cannot be changed!] "May you bless me, Harbinger of Good Fortune, and give me your sacred blessing on my journey!" - Reba The moment the words leave my mouth, I feel a surge of energy as the wheel that Fortuna sits on starts to turn, even though she is perfectly still. The fruits and berries in her horn, fly out wrapping around me like coil, bursting one by one, dousing me in their colorful juices. Bit by bit my entire body is covered in their juices, and slowly they prate my skin, changing the colors from pale white to the colors of the rainbow. Within a moment it changes back, and a wheel appears above my breasts. [You are now an Apostle of Fortuna, the Goddess of Luck.] Chapter 289 289 - Apostle Of Fortuna (Rebecca Perspective) [As an Apostle of Fortuna, you have gained skills and stats benefitting your status. +20 all stats, +60 additional Luck.] [Skill: Dice Roll, Wheel of Fate have been acquired] [Fortuna''s Blessing (Passive) has been changed to Lady Luck''s Grace (Passive)] [Fortuna''s Gift (Passive) has been changed to Legacy of Lady Luck (Passive)] [As an Apostle of Fortuna, you gain a special stat, Karma.] [Congrattions on being the first yer to acquire above 100 Luck. You will be rewarded for your efforts.] [Skill: Stroke of Sess (Passive)] Name: Ba Race: Human Health Points (HP): 98/98 Mana Points (MP): 33/33 Karma: 0 (Neutral) Strength: 40 (+4) Vitality: 45 (+4) Intelligence: 60 (+6) Dexterity: 30 (+3) Agility: 47 (+4) Luck: 101 (+10) Skill: Coin Flip, Dice Roll, Wheel of Fate, Lady Luck''s Grace (Passive), Legacy of Lady Luck (Passive), Stroke of Sess (Passive) Dice Roll (Active) 5MP - 2 dice with 6 sides appear in your hand. Rolling the dice will determine what rewards are given. 2-5 will give +10 in a random stat. 6-9 will give +50% in all stats. 10-12 will give +100% in the desired stat. Cooldown 1 hour. Duration 30 min. Wheel of Fate (Active) 50% Maximum MP - cing a hand on the wheel of fate will cause it to appear behind you. Spinning the wheel will generate a random effect. Cooldown 1 hour. Lady Luck''s Grace (Passive) - After sessfullymunicating with the Apostle, Fortuna, bestows upon her grace, gifting the Apostle, +10% of all stats, +50% more likely to gain positive effects from random elements, -50% chance of negative status effects affecting the Apostle. Legacy of Lady Luck (Passive) - Upon praying consistently to Fortuna daily, the user will be granted an award. Next award 7 days. Karma - A special stat only for those who follow the Goddess of Luck. Karma is divided into 3 sections, Bad, Neutral, and Good. If the Apostlemits what the Goddess deems as unworthy, then a negative Karma point will be added, likewise, if the Goddess deems it to be worthy than a positive Karma point will be added. Karma points are added to skills to either enhance or detriment them, increasing the ''power'' of the skill by a percentage equal to the Karma point. "Well then, I will let you be. May fortune shower upon you and may fate guide your way." - Fortuna Clicking her fingers together, I feel my body lunge back upward, back into my real body where my forehead lightly taps. ncing toward my eyes, Melody matches my gaze, and both of us feel a slight connection. A feeling so surreal, I don''t even know how to describe it, as I see her look down slightly, while my eyes were drawn to her waist. Glowing through her clothes is the same wheel that was resonating on my chest. "The goddess has blessed us in the same way, it seems." - Melody "Did you also meet her?" - Reba "The same way you did. However, I think both of us have slightly different powers granted by her. My visions have been enhanced, and I knew you would approach me when I arrived at the tower. However, no matter how much I try to think of Ian. I can''t seem to see anything about him. I thought with my connection to the goddess I would be of more help, but it seems the opposite." - Melody "You shouldn''t put yourself down. There isn''t much we can really do other than to try our best to search for him¡­" - Reba "Ba, I would like to ask you something. How much do you love Ian?" - Melody "What? Of course, I love him a lot. What kind of question is that?" - Reba "Well, I love him just as much. I knew I haven''t been able to connect with him as much as I would have liked but now that I am stronger, my wish is to be able to stand next to him, no matter where he goes. I don''t know if you are the same or not, but regardless, I wanted to tell you this before anything else happens." - Melody "I already know you were in love with Ian, however at the end of the day, it is his decision to love whom, but why do you want to say that now? Something is about to happen, isn''t it? You wouldn''t mention your enhanced vision and something like this without reason." - Reba "I don''t know if it is something soon but, yes. I did see something. It involves both of us, but I can''t tell when it will happen. Both of us are in a location where we are over a deep dark hole, one that looks like it goes on forever. Grasping each other''s hand on top of a rope bridge and on either side of the bridge there is someone, yelling, screaming. I can''t see who it is, and I can''t hear anything, but it looks like it is directed at one of us. The vision ends and restarts at a different location. With us hanging from the rope bridge. I can''t tell who is on the top or on the bottom, but then I see Ian, standing not too far away. He is yelling at what I assume is us, and desperately looking to his sides but all I see is darkness. As if there are ck walls barricading him and the surroundings, but there is still the dark empty hole below, gazing back at us." - Melody "What a spine-chilling vision¡­ But how urate is it? I remember before that the visions were as urate." - Reba "So far everything that I have seen has been true like I am following this thread of fate. Fortuna did say that sometimes fate will guide us and our decisions are just part of that process. I''m starting to believe that is what it is." - Melody cing a hand on her head, I bring Melody close to me, letting her rest her head on my chest. Brushing her hair softly, I let out a soft sigh. "Look Melody, I don''t hate you. I don''t think it is wrong that you like Ian, it is totally understandable, he is an amazing guy. With us both connected to the Goddess herself, we shouldn''t be at each other''s throats. No matter what happens in the vision of yours, I will do my best to save you and I hope you will do the same. At the end of the day, if either of us dies, it will bring a lot of sadness to Ian and I doubt you want that either." - Reba Hugging me back, Melody doesn''t reply, and we stay still for a few moments before she lets go, signally for me to let go as well. Standing up and brushing the dirt off her clothing, she holds out her hand waiting for me to grab on. Smiling at her, I reach out to grab it as she helps me up. "I''ll do my best¡­" - Melody "As will I." - Reba "BECCA!" - Gibing Our bonding moment is suddenly interrupted but Gibing who was shouting from the bottom of the tower. Looking at each other, we quickly turn toward him, leaning over the edge with confused faces. "What''s wrong, Gibing?" - Reba "Did something happen?" - Melody "Oh, good both of you are here. Gewari just came back, and we discovered something that might lead to finding Ian." - Gibing "REALLY!" - Reba, Melody "Yea,e down. Gewari is at the Krepost main building and Howard is trying to find Kingston, but we can''t seem to spot him. Thest time we saw him was near the building that Celine was in, but he isn''t there at the moment. Have either of you seen him?" - Gibing "No, we split up not too long ago. He shouldn''t be too far, maybe spread out? He might just be in some corner resting up. Melody and I will start heading toward Gewari in the meantime." - Reba "Alright. Yor should be there already as well, so you can probably discuss a course of action after Gewari exins everything that she found." - Gibing "On it, we will head over now." - Melody Following Melody''s lead, we start to head over to the Krepost main building, while Gibing continues his search for Kingston. Strange though, I could have sworn he wouldn''t be too far from Celine especially since he has feelings for her. He wouldn''t just leave her in her current state of mind. Regardless, the thought only passes through my mind as we eventually reach the main building to see Gewari, Nina, Howard, Yor, and Frank "Ba, Melody, I''m d you could make it." - Gewari "What''s the general gist of the situation?" - Reba "Well, I haven''t exined much to everyone yet since we were waiting for Gibing and Kingston, but right now it doesn''t look like they are here, so I''ll say one thing. Selino, might be holding onto Ian. There is a spider nest in the forest." - Gewari "God dammit, and we still have the portal thing inside the Abyss to take care of." - Reba "That''s right. Kingston told us that information not too long ago. Unfortunately, helping Ian takes priority, but we have no idea what is the situation inside the spiderir." - Yor "Well Gewari, hit us with the information you know, I see Gibinging back right now." - Reba Chapter 290 290 - Believe Me Now? (Rebecca Perspective) "I''m back! I couldn''t find Kingston at all, it is like he disappeared." - Gibing Rushing back to the group, Gibing told us his unfortunate findings, as his chest heavily moves up and down with each breath. Hearing the news, immediately soured the atmosphere as Kingston was one of the vital members of the Krepost team. However, it was not like we could not function without him. Turning to Gewari, I ask her to continue with her information dump. "Gewari, even though Kingston isn''t here, why don''t you tell us what you and your scouts were able to find." - Reba "Like I said before, we found a location deep within the forest off to the side. We hadn''t explored this direction before because it was quite far away from both HavenFall and the Krepost. Along the way, we did meet different monsters, however, it wasn''t a priority, so we instead ignored them and continued our search until we discovered a cave-like structure. The cave was camouged with its surroundings, and with a quick nce, no one would even know it was there. Dug into a grassy hill with severalrge boulders and trees surrounding it, was a damp mossy entrance into a cave. Its entrance was onlyrge enough to fit maybe a grown adult human, but for us goblins, we were able to easily traverse this kind of terrain. Leaping off the tree tops, several scouts ventured first into the cave entrance, as we were curious if this ce was of any importance. We were right, of course, and the moment theynded they were ambushed. Therge bounders came to life as numerous scarlet eyes gazed at the surprised scouts. Unable to react in time as arge gray web encases them, the scouts were bound together within seconds. Seeing this happen, I immediately ordered them to sh at the web while, getting a few archers to attack the stone spiders but to no avail. Our stone knives were unable to cut through the web and the arrows only bounced off the hard spider skin. Screaming, and wing at the ground, my scouts were slowly dragged into the cave by one of the spiders as we were watching unable to save them. My eyes were locked on all the spiders, watching their movements, but they only stared back at me until the scouts were unable to be seen or heard before closing their eyes and returning to their rocky state. Now, while this doesn''t conclude that Ian is in this location, I have a very high suspicion that he is, after all, Selino is the Queen of Spiders. We have also seen her call uponrge spiders from the ground and from what Nina has told us, she was also able to call uponrge spiders to traverse the grasnd beside us. It wouldn''t be too far off to say that she has spiders that can camouge with the environment and have tough skin. Also, this happens to be only one of the potential entrances to this spider nest." - Gewari "There are more?" - Frank "Yes, there are more. Scattered further passed the first, hidden in a simr manner with only the amount of ''boulders'' and ''trees'' to be different." - Gewari "How many were there?" - Howard "From what my scouts have told me, there are a total of 8 different entrances, but I wouldn''t be surprised if there were more. At least we were able to find some of them." - Gewari "I understand that Selino must have had a base outside the Horde''s castle, but I didn''t expect it to be so close. Then again, it makes sense since she has attacked Ian and the rest of you before. During that time, you saw a cluster of spiders before seeing Selino, and this was when you were moving from HavenFall to the Krepost. This must be the same base she had used before, and she either has always had this ce running or she only started it again recently. Selino has separated from Sylvia, and me a couple of times during the Tamer Vige attack. I can only assume that during that time, she has beening here to make sure her children are fed. When she found out they weren''t she must have thought of the n to take Celine''s monsters as food. Now that she has gotten food, her next target was Ian, and well and behold, Ian was always going to be here." - Nina Panicked as I listened to Nina''s deduction, I hurried to suggest an option. However, I knew my option was foolish as there was no way it would be reasonable to attack an unknown base where we have too many disadvantages. "So, do we raid the spider nest and try to save Ian?" - Reba "No, that would be an idiotic idea. Not only do we have no information on the monsters, but we don''t have a strong enough team to attack them. What if they all disregard defending their entrances and instead band together to attack us all at once? We would have no chance against them and would be eaten within the hour." - Yor "Yor is right, we don''t know anything about them. Besides the spider monster that guarded the cave entrance, what is inside is still a mystery. Even Ian being inside this ce is a mystery because if he isn''t then all the time we spent discussing how to save him and the execution, would all be a waste." - Nina "I still have several scouts in that general location, watching for any movements, however from what I have been told the stone spiders do nothing buty still." - Gewari "That doesn''t mean anything, unfortunately. The spiders will most likely attack the moment an intruder reaches their range, nothing further." - Nina "Then, the next option would be to explore the portal that Kingston has mentioned." - Gibing "Gibing and I have secured a path to the first portal already, positioning our soldiers along the pathway, for added security." - Howard "I also arranged archers to overlook the situation from the towers." - Frank Confused at the sudden shift in conversation, I try to bring it back to the original topic of saving Ian. "Wait, wait, wait. Thank you, Howard, Gibing, and Frank for doing this but are we really abandoning Ian?" Reba "Ba, you must understand that Ian is one of the strongest people here. He is our leader and our second inmand, Kingston, is missing as well, which means our overall strength has been lowered to half in my opinion. We cannot even dream of rescuing Ian if he is really down there in the spider nest because before we reach him, we would have all died. Instead, we should look at the direction he was going in before he got captured. This, in turn, points us in the direction of the Abyss, and the portal that Kingston has mentioned at the top of the Abyss. That portal may or may not lead to somewhere even more dangerous than facing the Queen of Spiders herself, however, it was the direction that Ian and Kingston were pursuing. I believe it is better to move forward and try to grow, beforemitting to the task of saving Ian." - Yor "But-but-" - Reba "Reba, he has a point." - Nina Turning my head to Nina who was gently, twirling the side of her hair as a small crease forms between her brows. Her eyes shift towards me, as he exins the process. "Look at it logically. Ian is a yer. Even if he dies, the worst-case scenario is that we have to deal with something drastic in the real world. So far, Sam and his medical team have been able to handle that quite fast and with little to no errors. Ian will be fine no matter what happens to him. Kingston, is most likely off with Celine, trying to either please her or seek pleasure. We don''t have to worry about him either. Instead, we should be worrying about the state of HavenFall, the Krepost, and the overall state of the game. This is the final week of the third event and a portal appears at the top of one of the portal spawning locations in the game, which means that this portal is very important. Now, I don''t know if there will be any restrictions to this portal, but we did end up killing the ''boss'' of the Abyss, so maybe that portal belongs to us. If it doesn''t belong to us, we need to go to it as soon as possible because we weren''t the only people to reach the top. Devel will be there soon if he isn''t there already. Figuring out the event andpleting it to the best of our abilities in order to acquire as many benefits as possible should be our goal while Ian and Kingston are M.I.A. Do you understand?" - Nina "I understand, but I can''t just leave Ian¡­" - Reba "We don''t even know if he is in that ce at all. For all we know, it could just be a ce where spider monsters live and not necessarily a home for Selino. Ian might be dead by now for all we know." - Nina "Dead? Me? Never. I''m as fit as an ox." - Ian Following the voice, I look up to see Ian sitting on top of the main Krepost building, leaning against the giant arrow. Looking exactly the same as when he wasst seen prior to entering the Abyss, Ian smiles warmly as he overlooks us. Leaping off the Krepost, hends as softly as a feather, ncing around as everyone has a confused and surprised expression on their faces. "What? Something on my face?" - Ian "Ian¡­? What?" - Reba "How?" - Frank "That''s impossible. None of my scouts havee back." - Gewari "Is this a shape-shifter of some sort?" - Nina "There is no way to tell, what do we do?" - Yor "Fight? Defend?" - Howard "Escape?" - Gibing "Now, now, calm down everyone. I can assure you that, I''m the real Ian." - Ian "I highly doubt that. After all, where are your spider legs?" - Nina Nina was right. Where were his spider legs? As part of the curse, he had been growing spider legs from the back over time as the timer dropped but now that he has appeared before us out of nowhere, I realize things looked slightly different. Yes, theck of spider legs was one of the reasons, but it looks like Ian had gotten slightly bulkier. His shoulders were broader, his arms and legs looked thicker, and his skin looked fairer as well. "Spider legs? Ah, you mean these things?" - Ian Bursting out from the leather clothing he was wearing, were 8 spider legs, each glistening in the light as their obsidian sheen mesmerizes us. Standing on two of his lower spider legs, Ian looks over us as he addresses his identity. "Believe me now?" - Ian Chapter 291 291 - This Is Ian (Rebecca Perspective) "It''s not a matter of belief-" - Reba Reaching out my arm, I try toprehend the situation. Why was Ian slightly different from before? His appearance while somewhat different has changed and his personality has be more cocky and arrogant. However, the moment my arm touched the spider legs stretched out in front of me, I feel the wheel on my chest spin. My neck forcefully tilts backward as I feel myself fall as if someone had grabbed my hair and pulled it back. Letting out a small scream, I realize that while I was falling, I also wasn''t falling. Another out-of-body experience as I still see my body touching the spider leg. Time slows as my body falls toward the ground, and unable to move a muscle I could only embrace the situation as my body sinks through the air, gradually making contact with the ground. [Wheel of Fate has been forcefully activated. User will not lose 50% of their HP due to the forceful activation.] [Spinning the Wheel of Fate¡­ The Wheel of Fate has chosen a random effect¡­ A Vision of the Past. User will be unable to move their body during, A Vision of the Past, effect and can only experience what it is they are shown. Preparing A Vision of the Past¡­] Reading the text disyed before me as my body slowly falls, I see the ellipses slowly blink until the moment my head connects with the ground. Like water, the ground sshes around me as my body is pulled deeper. Light from the sun is blocked by the surrounding dirt as it slowly reces my vision, umting into rocks and stones before I''m ejected from the ground. Gasping for breath, as my disoriented self looks around, I do my best toprehend the situation. ncing to my side, my body freezes as a familiar 8-legged monster steps past me. With her silver hair draping over her chest and glistening eyes, Selino approaches someone who is on the ground. "BABE! IAN!" - Reba Calling out her name before I even thought about it, I quickly cover my mouth in an attempt to silence myself but to my surprise, it was like they didn''t hear me at all. Instead, it was like watching a movie, the characters walk about and say their lines while reacting to one another. Bending over Ian, Selino whispers into his ears as I slowly crawl closer to hear what they were saying. Her hairy softly over Ian''s neck as he quietly listens to her voice. Despite his calm expression, I can see his body tremble slightly each time Selinoes closer. Caressing his head in her hands, Selino turns Ian''s eyes toward her as she speaks to him in a soft voice. "Instead of establishing a union. Let us be one." - Selino "WHAT!!!!!!!" - Reba Shocked out of my mind, I stood up suddenly and yelled at the top of my lungs. Grasping my head with confusion, I stare nkly at Ian''s face waiting for his answer, while whispering the answer I want to hear. "You better be saying no. You better be saying no. You better be saying no." - Reba "Why¡­Why not just do the union?" - Ian "OH MY GOD! IAN YOU MOTHERF-" - Reba "Because do you really have the time for it? Deary, while I don''t know everything that goes on in this world. I do know that you along with many, many other humans are currently sieging the Reaper''s territory, the Glemt." - Selino "And how does that rte?" - Ian "Do you have the time to wait a certain amount of time for the union to finish when the Reaper might be counterattacking? Do you really think he will just let you and the other humans just attack him? You might want to hurry back¡­" - Selino "So, you know about the Glemt, and you know about the attack on the Reaper. I can only assume this will only help you, so why not join us?" - Ian Walking straight up to Ian, I look at him with a bewildered expression as my head mentally explodes. "No, no, no. Babe, she is lying to you. Oh my god, you can''t even hear me. What am I doing?" - Reba "Don''t want to. Simple as that." - Selino "Then, how about information? An exchange. A trade. That should be fine right?" - Ian "HAHAHA! A trade? Deary, do you know the situation you are in? Or are you just trying to ignore it? What do you have that is of value to me?" - Selino Throwing her head back while holding her stomach, Selinoughs obnoxiously in front of Ian. "My future. I have nothing to offer you right now, but I can at least give you my future. That should be a good bargain." - Ian "No, no, no. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" - Reba Anger and confusion weren''t enough to describe what I was feeling. Especially since I wasn''t able to interact with the world, I could only scream, and throw my arms around in frustration as I watch this y out. "Fine. Your future you say? Interesting proposition¡­ And what does that entitle?" - Selino "I know about things that will happen in the future. Not only will I tell you the information about them, but I will also work together with you in order for both of us to be safe in the uing battles. Before youugh at me and say why I need your help, understand this, the world isn''t as simple as you think. There are many underlying factors that even the Horde does not know of, and frankly, it runs deeper than you can even imagine." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Interesting. FASCINATING! Ian deary, what you might be truth, and it might be false, but quite frankly, I am curious about the world you see. Noticing the subtle differences between Nina and Sylvia, already brought my attention to a different species of humans but with what you are saying¡­ I''m starting to believe some nonsense the Horde was spouting. There really is a different world out there isn''t there¡­?" - Selino "There is and there isn''t a lot of connection between us and you, at this moment, but, it ising." - Ian "Then, a union. Nice and simple, however, it will take some time. You might bete." - Selino "Don''t worry. I trust my friends." - Ian "HAHAHA! Mikki !" - Selino Snapping her fingers, a rock nearby transforms into a smaller version of Selino, standing next to her, bowing their head. "At yourmand, my queen." - Mikki "Transform into Ian for me deary." - Selino "As you wish, my queen." - Mikki Stumbling over to Ian, the smaller Selino, ces her hand on Ian''s head and within seconds, their body transforms into that of Ian. Gasping in surprise, I blink several times to check if I was seeing right. "It is done, my queen." - Mikki Even the soft subtle sounds of Ian''s voice were portrayed perfectly as, ''Mikki'', kneels to the ground in front of Selino. "That''s the Ian that is in front of us right now¡­" - Reba "A transforming spider. What for?" - Ian "To help your¡­ Friends. It won''t be easy fighting through the Glemt to get to the Reaper. I''m merely, helping you, deary. Making sure you will bemitted topleting the union, nothing more and nothing less. Now then, Mikki, go and y pretend with the humans. As for us, we will bepleting the ritual together." - Selino With a sh of her scarlet eyes, a cluster of spiders rushes from the exit, carrying Ian away as quickly as they came, leaving me dumbfounded by the experience. Selino quietly follows them but as she approaches the exit, she turns and looks in my direction. A small smile appears on her face, as she gazes seductively at me. "Don''t worry, darling. I won''t do anything bad to him." - Selino "What¡­WHA-" - Reba Without a moment to lose, the vision ends and light rushes into my eyes as I feel someone tugging at my clothes. "Ba¡­? Are you okay?" - Frank "What do we do?" - Gibing "Nina? Ba? Yor? ns?" - Howard "..." - Nina "Keep up defensive positions!" - Yor "Ohe on, why don''t you believe me?" - Ian Looking at the Ian in front of me, I could tell, this wasn''t him. It was the spider that could transform, Mikki. Thoughts race through my head, as I ignore Frank''s call. Do I expose him? Do I y along with him? I don''t know what to do. What is the better oue? "Don''t worry. I know this is Ian. I¡­I had a vision as I touched his spider leg. I saw him escaping from Selino. Trust me, this is Ian." - Reba Looking at me with a slightly confused face, Mikki, quickie adjusts their expression as they y along with my words. "Right, trust her. If I wasn''t why would I reveal myself to you?" - Mikki "Right, so instead of questioning if this is Ian or not, we should be focusing on the matter at hand. Approaching the Glemt and figuring out the portal at the top of the Abyss." - Reba Chapter 292 292 - Mikki (Rebecca Perspective) Even though I had reassured them that the new Ian, was the same Ian as before, I could tell there were some doubts in their minds. However, with no evidence and with the new Ian not fighting us, they could only ept it. Although, I could see Nina trying her best to solve this mystery as I catch her ncing at Ian every so often. Quickly, I divert their attention to another topic as I move the meeting inside the main building of the Krepost. Sitting around the wooden table, we start an open discussion of our ns for the Glemt. "Our main concern currently is who do we send into the Glemt, and up the Abyss. Looking at the losses we took from the recent battle, it looks like there will be only elite people going in, and less focus on having arger group." - Yor "Well, of course, that is what it is, you haven''t really addressed anything other than stating the obvious, Yor." - Gibing "Solving a problem starts by stating the obvious." - Yor "Yor is right, we have fewer people who can fight, and we have no idea what might attack us while our manpower is lowered. The Krepost especially lost a lot of its fighting potential as at least 75% of the monster poption that Celine has been taming has died¡­" - Reba "The monsters equaled over 50% of our total manpower, as each monster was as strong as 2 or even 3 goblins and could even rival a hobgoblin." - Frank "Some goblin scouts, unfortunately, lost their lives as well during the fire, so there are fewer scouts altogether." - Gewari "So, fewer eyes as well as fewer reinforcements." - Nina "What about HavenFall? How about asking them for more troops?" - Howard "A usible solution, however, we don''t know if HavenFall will be attacked as heavily as we will be during the expedition." - Yor "Just because it might happen, doesn''t mean it will happen right? Instead of thinking of worse-case scenarios and figuring out solutions to them, how about thinking of solutions for the easier scenarios?" - Frank "What Frank is saying isn''t wrong¡­ We should just send out whom we think will be more than enough to deal with the Glemt and just have the rest stay back. It might be a small number, but if they run into any danger, they will have an easier time retreating." - Reba "In that case, we bring the best of the best while trying to bnce the team." - Nina "And that is¡­?" - Melody "Ian, Sylvia, David, Frank, Reba, and me." - Nina "Wow, wait, right there. Are you sure only 6 people?" - Howard "And why me?"- Frank "I''lle, to help. 6 people sound quite small." - Gibing "ArchWizardo, Nina, what are your thoughts on this?" - Yor "My thoughts? I came up with this number what do you want me to say? Yor, I''m sure you are smart enough to understand the reason behind only these 6." - Nina "It is not for me, but for the others." - Yor "I would like a small exnation if you don''t mind. Ba and I are more or less the same, so why can''t I go as well?" - Melody "I would like toe as well." - Gibing "Alright, if you want an exnation, I''ll give you one. Ian and Sylvia are able to handle themselves in a fight, we all know this. David is strong enough to take hits, while also dealing them back whenever needed, however his strength is in protecting, rather than attacking. Frank''s skill excels in attacking from the shadows, and while Gewari would also work, she is more suited to leading the scout force that is stationed here. Communication between HavenFall and the Krepost is vital if there are any attacks, and the only ones who are the most equipped to fight in that scenario are Ster and Gewari. Meaning she cannot be the one to leave the Krepost when we are low on manpower. Moving on, we have Reba and Melody. Melody, you say that both of you are the same however, I do see a difference. Reba has more courage than you and is able to take initiative during a fight. If we are in the heat of battle, I do not know if you are capable of making your own decisions, since I will not have the spare time to look after you when we are fighting. Reba, can handle this to a certain extent and while she isn''t that much better, she is able to handle it herself." - Nina "Hey! I can definitely do this." - Reba "My point taken, and finally, myself. I am one of the only true ranged dealers in this whole ce. Yes, there are archers and yes, Gewari, Gibing, and Howard are able to use a bow and arrow, but at the end of the day, your strengths are not with ranged weapons. There are more important battle fronts for you, and the Abyss is not one of them. Your strengths are better in different ces. That''s why I believe just us 6 is more than enough." - Nina "But-" - Gibing "No buts, Gibing. I understand ArchWizardo''s point of view, and I agree with it as well. These 6 people who are responsible for the expedition toward the Abyss, are one of the strongest 6 people we have. Unfortunately for us, Kingston has gone missing, otherwise, he would also be part of this 6." - Yor Taking a moment, for the information to process, eventually, everyone agreed to it and with that, we n to depart within the hour. In the meantime, I pulled Mikki, who didn''t say a word during the meeting off to the side. Making sure no-one else was following us, I start to integrate Mikki. "Okay, what is your goal? I know you are not Ian, and that Selino has sent you here but why? Is it just to y pretend and keep and eye on us?" - Reba "Oh, please, you tter yourself too much. I don''t understand how you figured it out to this extent but my queen has her reasons for why I am here. As for those reasons, I cannot tell them to a lower being." - Mikki "I''m. I''M! A lower being? You are an insect!" - Reba "Not an insect but a spider. A superior race called the Arachne. What are you? A human. A lower species that is simr to that of goblins. Pathetic." - Mikki "Remember who saved your spidery ass before. Your cover would have been blown." - Reba "Worry not, my disguise is perfect. Only the queen knows who I am, and for the reason how you found out, I can only believe you have some sort of telepathic powers, like that of a seer or a witch. That, I cannot beat." - Mikki "I am neither, tell me why you are here or I will expose you to the rest of them and kill you." - Reba "Fine, mysterious woman. I shall enlighten you. My queen has sent me here on the request that I will make sure your journey into the Glemt is a sessful one. I will aid in your quest, however, making sure to not directly interfere with anything. In a fight, I will fight them, but it will be slow and I will toy with whoever shall face me, making it so that you and the rest of your pathetic humans deal with the enemies." - Mikki "Great, Selino sent us a babysitter." - Nina Turning behind me quickly, I see Nina, emerge from behind one of the houses. Closing the book that is in her hands, she looks between me and Mikki. "Reba, I don''t know why you didn''t expose this idiot immediately, but now that this is the case, I guess we got no choice but to roll with it. So, what is your name, spyder?" - Nina "Oh, another human woman. Hmm, you are different from this one¡­ My name is Mikki." - "Nina, I-" - Reba "Don''t worry about it, Reba. I''m not upset or anything, but you will have to tell me what you saw. It was already somewhat suspicious that you were standing there for a few moments silent after you touched, Mikki. Vision? Foresight? Something along those lines right? Regardless, my curiosity is not on you right now, but on Mikki." - Nina "I cannot answer to anyone but my queen." - Mikki "No need to answer, just think about it for me. You see, there is something that has been bugging my mind for a while now. Maybe you can enlighten me." - Nina Stepping closer as she talks to Mikki, Nina nces toward me, before locking her sights on Mikki. "A simple question or maybe a simple statement. What is the reason for your existence? What is this world to you? Your queen, Selino, what is she to you? What is she to the rest of the world? What is she to the Horde? Why is she so adamant about a human?" - Nina Smiling, no, grinning like a child, growingrger andrger with each question that Nina asks. As if the monster anticipated that Nina would ask these questions. As Nina finishes asking the questions the first sound thates out of the monster is nothing but a slight chuckle. Slowly it turns intoughter, the kind ofughter that crawls under your skin. Seeing Ianugh like this, makes me want to hurl but I keep calm as the monster stares widely at Nina, bringing its face closer to hers. "What is the reason for my existence? What is this world to me? My queen! What is she to me, you ask? HAHAHAH! You already know, so why ask these senseless questions? I serve my queen. Nothing more and nothing less. I will bend mountains and slice through forests for her. Anything for her. I-" - Mikki "What if she leaves you?" - Nina "Leaves me? Then so be it. It does not matter. That would only mean my job is done and a job does mean a good job." - Mikki "Interesting, it is like you have no personality. No free thoughts. Tell me, Selino are you there? Are you the one that is looking at me through the eyes of this puppet?" - Nina "Unfortunately for you, I am no puppet. However, my life is for my queen. That I can admit to being puppet-like." - Mikki "Hmm¡­ Whatever, Reba. Time to move out and Mikki, no I should call you Ian for now. Ian, make sure you don''t die becasue if you do, I will kill you." - Nina Turning away from the situation, Nina walks past me, ncing slightly toward my direction as if signaling me to follow, and follow I did. Quickly, I rush behind Nina, still slightly bewildered about the experience, but not questioning it. Before I could open my mouth and question Nina on why she did what she did, Nina interrupts me. "Don''t speak. We do not know how many eyes and ears are on us right now. The Krepost has beenpromised by Selino. I''m sure she is watching us and listening to us, one way or another. We need to get out of here before we discuss anything important." - Nina "Alright, I''ll follow you. Let''s head out to the Abyss as soon as possible then." - Reba Chapter 293 293 - Portal To The Castle (Rebecca Perspective) Understanding the situation as best as I could, I follow Nina as she gathers the 6 of us at the gate of the Krepost. Sylvia has changed into leather armor while wielding gloves with small spikes around the knuckles. David, dons his copper armor, holding onto arge tower shield and stone ax, while Frank covers himself in a ck cape, with numerous knives underneath. Mikki still has the armor Ian was wearing during his capture, while Nina and I wore cloth armor. Since we were in the backline most of the time, I made sure to have lighter armor so I could escape danger or help Nina escape as quickly as possible. I could fight, but after talking to Sylvia and Nina, it was understood that my role was to keep Nina safe during a fight. Her firepower has increased since thest time I saw her due to Ares''s blessings. "Alright, let''s head out." - Nina With David leading the way, the rest of us followed him. Without the help of the Zivotinjas, our travel took quite a while before we enter the cave and passed through the portal. There we slowly ascend the stairs until we reach the top, meeting a familiar face to David and Frank but to the rest of us, it was our first time meeting. "Look who is here. RavenStar." - Devel "Devel, we meet again." - David "You must be the tank of the party, I didn''t get your name thest time since we were kind of busy fighting each other. However, Ian. Are you okay?" - Devel Panic spreads through me as this was Devel, the person at the top of Bones as well as the enemy who both Kingston and Ian fought in the Abyss not too long ago. However, this time, it isn''t Ian who is here but Mikki, a mere spider in disguise. "Devel, nice to meet you. I''m sorry about before, hopefully, there are no hard feelings." - Mikki "None at all, but I can''t say the same with my teammates. Travys, Song, and Tsugi aren''t too happy but we can''t please everyone." Devel "Let''s cut to the chase, why are you and some of your members just hanging around here in front of the portal?" - Nina "Since you weren''t in a formation, I can assume that you aren''t here to fight." - Reba "Excellent observationdies, I''m not here to fight RavenStar. Quite the opposite, in fact, I wish to coborate with you. As for the reason, you will find out the moment you approach the portal." - Devel Looking at each other, Nina and I approach the portal in unison. Stretching out our hands the moment we draw close to the portal. [Congrattion, HavenFall for finding 1 of the Portals to the Castle. A great number of contribution points will be allocated to HavenFall.] [Only 10 participants are able to traverse through this portal. However, once through there is no going back. Please be careful as there are strong enemies on the other side.] [Only those acknowledged by HavenFall will be able to pass through. Current participants 0/10] [Do you wish to pass through? Yes/No] When did we acquire this portal? Was it when Kingston found it after the battle? Regardless, this is something of high significance to us and to Bones. However, having 10 people pass through when we only have 6, does this mean it wants us to cooperate with Bones? Although working with them will be beneficial to us since Devel is so strong. Quickly I refuse the prompt while turning toward Nina who was also refusing the prompt. "No." - Reba "This is a ticket directly to the final boss the of event, the Reaper." - Nina "Exactly, and this is why I propose a coborative event between Bones and RavenStar." - Devel "Terms and conditions first." - Nina "You don''t want to be the one making demands, missy?" - Devel "I would like to understand what goes through your mind first before cing my terms and conditions on the table." - Nina "Hmm¡­ I know you. Nina was it? That arrogance is hard to miss, and you are Ian''s girlfriend? Reba? It seems that Ian brought out the hard guns. Where is Kingston? He didn''t feel likeing." - Devel "It''s none of your concern, Devel." - Reba "Feisty isn''t she." - Devel "Just a little." - Mikki "Shut up! Devel, just answer Nina''s question. Stop wasting time." - Reba "Alright, calm down, just trying to lighten the mood. As for the terms and conditions, I don''t have much I want to ask for, other than some of the spots avable for the Portal to the Castle. As for what happens on the other side, I ask for a second pick on the loot, as well as clean cooperation during fights. Thoughts?" - Devel "That really isn''t much. Well, I would like good cooperation between us, especially since we don''t have enough members for the Portal anyways. However, it will be 6 of us and 4 of you, and I will not budge. As for the loot, yes we will take first pick on anything we find and we will cooperate as smoothly as possible on the other side." - Nina "Then, we have an agreement? Ian, are you not going to say anything?" - Devel "I trust her decision, and there isn''t anything I want to add anyways." - Mikki "Alright then, to a happy allied force between Bones and RavenStar." - Devel Holding out his hand, Devel looks at Mikki waiting for a handshake. Without hesitating, Mikki stretches out his hand and gives a strong shake. A small spark of electricity zaps around Mikki''s hand, making him raise his eyebrows. "Alright, so who are the 4 that you are going to take?" - Mikki "Myself, Travys, Song, and Tsugi. Us 4 will be the ones who will go with you through the Portal." - Devel "I would like to know a brief rundown of the skills between the 4 of you, in order to create tactics and strategies for what mighte." - Nina "That I cannot do. If I expose my subordinates and my own skills to you, I will be at a disadvantage. Hmm¡­ How about this, I can tell you the roles which the 4 of us usually take during battles." - Devel "Fine, whatever you want. I just need some sort of information to run off so I can give propermands during battle." - Nina "A little tyrant, I see. Well, Travys is more of a tank, he will do well next to your tank and he also has some healing and taunting abilities. Song and Tsugi are simr to each other, both are nkers that hit hard and are able to retreat quickly. Myself, well, I''m an all-rounder much like Ian is, I''ll go wherever you need me to and do whatever you need me to." - Devel "Alright, done. Are we going soon?" - Nina "Ready whenever you are." - Devel "Everyone? How are we feeling?" - Nina "I''m ready." - Mikki "Same here." - Reba "Ready as I will ever be." - Frank "I''m ready as well, Nina." - Sylvia "I''ll do my best." - David "Great, then let''s go." - Nina "Perfect, let me get my people ready as well." - Devel Devel quickly walks away, moving toward his group of subordinates, while the rest of us huddle around the Portal. Looking at Nina and Mikki, I feel slightly out of ce. There was nothing I could do to contribute to the conversation with Devel, only listening in to his and Nina''s back-and-forth conversation. Clenching my fists tightly, I gaze toward the rest, making a small vow within myself to do a lot of work on the other side of the Portal. "Alright we are ready." - Devel "Good to meet everyone again." - Travys "So this time we are working together?" - Tsugi "Don''t get in our way okay?" - Song "I''ll let us in." - Reba Reaching out, I touch the Portal as a blue screen appears in front of me. [Only those acknowledged by HavenFall will be able to pass through. Current participants 0/10] [4 beings are not affiliated with HavenFall nearby, do you wish to allow them through as well? Yes/No] "Yes." - Reba [Travys, Devel, Song, and Tsugi are now acknowledged by Ba of HavenFall.] [Would you like to pass through? WARNING! Once you pass through there is noing back. Yes/No] "Yes, all 10 of us will pass through." - Reba [Initiating Portal to the Castle¡­] The moment I said yes to the prompt, the Portal starts to glow brightly, spinning around in a vortex as I feel myself being pulled into it. Letting myself go, my body gets sucked into the Portal along with everyone else and after a few moments, I reappear outside. ncing around quickly, taking in the situation and observing my surroundings I start to see why this was called Portal to the Castle. Looming above us, situated upside down a gigantic curved mountain like a frozen wave, was a jet-ck castle, equipped with tens of small spikey towers. Bats and other flying creatures swarm around it, creating a dense fog but all of us could still see the sinister outline of the castle before us. Turning our attention away from the castle, looking down, I see a simple ck fence with a crimson door in the middle. Standing in front of the door is another group of people, who were looking back at us. Stepping away from the group, a man d in ck with a shiny knife in his hand, sparkling like the stars in the night sky, and a red scarf wrapped around his neck approaches us. Devel takes a few seconds to register the approaching person before smiling and walking toward him. "Helioc, Helioc, Helioc, my little friend. it seems this ce connects it to a few other locations. Who would have thought?" - Devel "It''s nice to see you as well, Devel. I did warn you that I would attack you the moment I see you again." - Helioc "Try it." - Devel Chapter 294 294 - Waiting For More (Rebecca Perspective) Disappearing from our sight, the man called Helioc, reappears behind Devel, jumping out of his shadow. Before I could warn Devel of the threat behind him, Helioc shes at Devel''s throat but as if he was expecting the attack, Devel only pulls out the sword on his back slightly, blocking the attack with the hilt of the sword. Spinning around, Devel stretches out his hand to grab onto Helioc, only for his hand to pass through a thin ck mist. Dancing around Devel, a red scarf could be seen appearing and reappearing in multiple ces, as if there were doppelgangers. shes and stabs appear from a multitude of directions, some aiming for the head, others for the legs, and a few on the chest. With pinpoint uracy, Helioc''s attacks aim for any and all vital points, but standing there with a smile on his face, grinning like a child, Devel, blocks all the attempts with his sword. Unable to breach Devel''s defenses, Helioc steps back, spinning his knife around his hand as his piercing gaze, prates through Devel. Small nces could be seen as he finally takes notice of us. "Who are these people with you?" - Helioc "I''m d you asked, albeit a littlete but none the wiser. This is RavenStar. Currently, Bones and RavenStar are allied for the uing event, after all, neither of us knew this was going to happen." - Devel I gently, tap Mikki on the side, signaling for him to y the part of Ian. With a glimpse in my direction, Mikki smiles as he walks next to Devel. Doing a small wave, Mikki beings to introduce himself. "Hello there, Helioc was it? My name is Ian, from RavenStar and HavenFall. We are coborating with Devel at the moment as the near future might require a simple coboration. Looking at that sinister castle behind us, I''m assuming my guess is¡­ Well, correct." - Mikki Scoffing at us, Helioc brandishes his knife, ready to pounce on us once more when, another person wearing a bright white robe with golden highlights ces his hand on Helioc''s shoulder. ncing to his left, Helioc sees the person and gradually lowers his stance, crossing his arms in the process. "No need to get so heated there, Helioc. Nice to finally meet you, RavenStar and Devel. This is the first time we have met as well. My name is SanShiGo, I''m part of Lotus while Helioc here is part of Aqua. We have already met here about 20 to 30 minutes ago when we passed through our respective portals." - SanShiGo "I thought you were in Aqua as well, SanShiGo?" - Devel "I did my time there. I''m with Lotus now." - SanShiGo "Hmm¡­ I see." - Devel Stepping up, Nina examines the people behind SanShiGo and Helioc before inputting into the conversation. "With only 20 people here, and our 10 that is a total of 30 people. Assuming you came from different ces, no, I''m sure you dide from different ces, then that means each major location in the Glemt will have a Portal that leads here. Does that mean we are too early? There are 5 locations are there not?" - Nina "Amazing observation skills there. Truly is quite obvious. Although, I doubt the other 2 locations will reach the end." - SanShiGo "And why do you say that?" - Nina "The level of yers in the other two areas is lower than that of the three that are here already. While there isn''t a mathematical system to show levels and such, from Lotus''s extensive informationwork, I can conclude that they are weaker." - SanShiGo "Nina, he ain''t wrong. The general popce of yers are quite weaker than the elites and with there being so many yers, the pool of weaklings is quiterge." - Devel "I guess that means we only have 30 people to clear this stage." - Helioc "And what is this stage? We have only just arrived. I''m guessing there is a system prompt the moment you go near the gate or touch it?" - Reba Putting myself out there, I converse with the 4 of them, making my presence known. "And this is?" - SanShiGo "Ian''s wife-to-be. RavenStar''s top woman." - Devel "Shut up, Devel. Care to answer my question?" - Reba "Doesn''t matter who you are, we all have to, unfortunately, work together. Come, you will understand the reason once you approach the gate." - Helioc Turning his back to us, Helioc walks toward the gate, merging with his group of people while SanShiGo shrugs his shoulders, retreating to his group of people as well. ncing at each other, Nina, Devel and I quickly approach the gate with everyone else following closely. Right before we even touch the gate a blue screen appears before us. [Wee those who have proven themselves to be strong enough to arrive here. The final stage of the Third Event awaits you but be warned, it will be quite tricky from here on out.] [Past this gate and approach the Reaper''s Castle. The goal is simple. Kill the Reaper.] [Those who make more contributions during the battles will gain more contribution points.] [The Castle is vast, with many rooms and many corridors. Treasure may be found throughout the Castle but so will enemies.] [A maximum of 50 people are allowed through these gates. Currently 30/50] [Do you wish to proceed? Yes/No] "No." - Reba Turning to my left, I could already see the gears in Nina''s head, turning. Figuring out the most optimal n for the uing battle. "Nina, there is no way we are waiting for thest 20 people is there?" - Reba Replying under her breath, Nina looks at me while grabbing a hold of Devel, pulling him close enough to listen in on the conversation. "Judging from who is already here, we can assume that they came from the Tower. Thest time either of those two, Helioc and SanShiGo, was seen was there. As for how there are 20 of them, I can guess either the Barracks or one of the other locations also made it to the end and with some sort of deal, they were able to get SanShiGo through the Portal. Probably, one of Aqua''s members also passed through the Portal with Lotus, and then they swapped once they arrived here." - Nina "Then, in that case, there is a chance Sabrina cane through the Courtyard right? She was close to getting to the end but Lotus might get there first¡­" - Reba "No, I don''t think that will happen. If we are talking about the Courtyard, then Lotus''s members who are there are quite weak. They were only able to acquire strong equips due to luck but they are unable to use them to their full potential." - Devel "Interesting. Then all that is left is one location." - Nina "Then, we should wait?" - Reba "Do you know who is dominating thest location, Devel?" - Nina "The Farnd is dominated by Lotus. I found SanShiGo''s words quite contradicting since he is now part of Lotus, although I can assume he is lying. The man is as crafty as a fox." - Devel "Then we can assume the people from Lotus wille soon as well, I doubt, SanShiGo will just waltz through the Castle at a disadvantage. He seems like the type of person who prefers to always have the advantage in battle." - Nina "Shall we move to the side then, wait for people who might being?" - Reba "I agree with Reba here. No point in standing around tense, we might as well rx while we can." - Devel "Sigh¡­ Agreed." - Nina Walking off to the side, away from the other two groups, we decide to sit around in small circles, conversing with each other. Helioc and SanShiGo asked us if we are going to attempt to go inside the Castle but with Devel''s rejection, they too had no choice but to wait around. However, in my eyes, SanShiGo expected this situation as the corners of his mouth raise slightly. Time passes slowly, but during that time, Travys has be close to David while Song, Tsugi, and Frank were having a heated discussion. Devel sat off to the side with Mikki standing not too far, looking into the distance while Sylvia, Nina, and I chatted with each other. It wasn''t long before two Portals appears around the same area, where we have appeared from, and emerging from the Portal was a familiar face. Wearing a ck and red witch''s hat, with a purple robe and red runes along the edges. She nces around as she surveys the new environment, and to her surprise as well, as she turns her head toward our direction, she sees us. Almost dropping her long wooden staff, as she yells in surprise, I quickly stand up, rushing over to her and giving her a hug. "SABRINA!" - Reba "What the? Oh my god! Reba? Nina? Ian? What is- What is happening?!" - Sabrina "d you could make it! Was beginning to doubt your abilities." - Nina "I-What?" - Sabrina "Wee to the final stage of the third event, Sabrina. Let me get you up-to-date." - Reba Chapter 295 295 - Battle Begins (Rebecca Perspective) Appearing beside Sabrina was a group of people from Lotus whom SanShiGo quickly assimted into his group. During this time, Sabrina''s NPCs were ushered toward us by Sabrina. Her group consisted of 3 archers, 4 spearmen, and 2 magicians. Since the Courtyard was a narrow maze, she took more ranged troops than melee troops, which led to an unbnced team. However, merging with us allowed for a bnce in both melee and ranged. "So, we need a total of 50 people for this part? It is like a dungeon raid in other games. Although, are we partying up with everyone here or are we spitting once we arrive inside?" - Sabrina "Not sure yet since we don''t know what is past the gates." - Reba "If we are going just based on their personalities, then Helioc will lead his team away from us immediately. SanShiGo might suggest a partnership, but he will also most likely betray us whenever he deems it to be to his advantage." - Devel "So, it is just better to split up immediately then." - Reba "We will stay together as a team of 20 and figure out what we need to do in the Castle." - Nina "Alright, lets-" - Reba "Wait, it looks like they are preparing to head." - Devel ncing in the direction of the gate, SanShiGo and Helioc was standing in front of the gate. Noticing our gaze, SanShiGo, smiles toward us and motions with his hand for us toe over. Looking at Devel, I nod in his direction and signal for everyone to follow me as I lead them to the gate. "We have dyed our advance long enough, and I believe it is time for us to finally tackle the Castle before us." - SanShiGo "Before we go, I would like to ask for a simple peace treaty between all of us. Our goal is to kill the Reaper, and whoever kills him should gain the reward, however, I prefer not to have any in fighting if possible." - Reba "Sorry Reba, I cannot agree to that. Devel and I have some unfinished business. In the Castle, should the opportunity present itself I will attack him without hesitation." - Helioc "But-" - Reba "You heard the man, no peace treaty. I''ll do my best to steer clear of any unnecessary fights though. Can''t use up all my strength fighting you guys." - SanShiGo "But there is no point-" - Reba "Reba, stop trying. They have already decided." - Nina "It''s alright. Don''t worry about it. We are still cooperating." - Devel "And I''m here too." - Sabrina "Sigh¡­ Fine." - Reba "We will need you here to open the gate as well as your friend." - Helioc Sabrina and I both step forward, stretching out our hands alongside Helioc, SanShiGo, and another Lotus member. A blue screen appears before all of us. [The maximum limit has been reached. 50/50] [Do you wish to open the gate? WARNING! Doing so will initiate the final stage of the Third Event. Yes/No] "Yes!" - Reba, Sabrina, Helioc, SanShiGo, Lotus Member [Sub Event Quest will now be essible to the 50 members currently in this location.] [Sub Event Quest - Reaper''s Castle Objective - Defeat the Reaper Reward - Unknown ] Dismissing the blue screen in front of us as the crimson gate creaks open, a wave of anxiety and excitement washes over the 50 of us. ncing around, I see a myriad of emotions as we start the final journey of this event. Behind the gate, a menacing wave of miasma surges through, washing over us without a moment to lose, like water rushing out a gap of a dam. [You have been affected by Death''s Embrace.] [Death''s Embrace - Lose 0.5% Maximum HP every 100 seconds ] "What a greeting am I right?" - Devel As the miasma clears, waiting for us like predators watching their prey, was the thousands and thousands of skeletons, zombies, and other first/second wave monsters. Each and every one of them looked at us unmoving. Even though their facial muscles didn''t work, I could feel that they were smirking at us. "Just had to open your mouth didn''t you." - Nina "Well, this is just a warm-up for the true battleter on right?" - Devel Unsheathing his sword, Devel''s look of excitement, scares me as he steps in front of us, crouching down with his sword resting on his shoulder. Licking his lips, he watches the enemy as they took watch us. "Everyone, while I did say we shouldn''t have a peace treaty, how about for this party we aim to just kill what is in front of us? Helping each other as best as we can." - Heloc "I second that thought. 50 of us and to me, it looks like a couple thousand of them. Even if they are the weaker monsters, there is just simply too many of them." - SanShiGo "Do we have an overarchingmander, or are we split into 3 separate groups?" - Reba "Three groups, I''m going left." - Helioc "Taking the right!" - SanShiGo "Guess we go the middle¡­Nina? This is all you." - Reba "Nice and easy. Devel, jump in and go ham, do whatever you want, onlye back if you need potions, which Travys will carry for you. Travys and David, stay close, instead of rushing at them, we will march slowly. Spearmen on the right, Song and Tsugi, on the left, main focus is to protect the sides from any enemies and protect the archers and mages. Sylvia, Frank, and Ian, you three will support Devel, follow him but not too closely, pick up the stragglers near him, and make sure there is always a path back to us. Archers, aim for the closest monsters, and mages aim forrge clusters or bigger enemies. Reba, stay alert for a quick getaway, Sabrina follow my attacks. Potions for the rest of us will be kept by Reba, Sabrina, and myself while the potions on Travys are exclusive to Devel. Understood?" - Nina "Hehe, understood." - Devel Without a second thought, electricity pulsates out of Devel, as heunches himself into the sky, bringing his sword above his head. With a loud battle cry, he envelops his body in lightning, as he ms down into the enemy army, creating a electrical wave that decimates the nearby enemies. Following suit, Helioc dances to the left side, decapitating zombies and skeletons alike, while SanShiGo expertlymands his squadron to the right. "Well, without further adieu, I''m off." - Mikki "Nina, just yell if you need me." - Sylvia Dashing forward, Mikki imitates bursting out the spider legs from the back, jumping straight into the action, while Sylvia coats her fists in holy light. With each punch, skeleton bones shatter and zombie flesh scatters, both of them slowly creating a path toward Devel, who isughing hysterically amidst the swarm of monsters. "David, don''t let me down." - Travys "Don''t let me down? You must have no faith in me already." - David "Hrmp, follow me close. SONG! TSUGI! Keep the left nk stable, don''t get left behind." - Travys "You heard the natural born Viking." - Tsugi "He doesn''t need to worry about us." - Song "Make sure you guys also follow closely behind David!" - Sabrina "Yes, miss!" - Spearmen "I said don''t call me MISS!" - Sabrina "Charming bunch isn''t it." - Nina "I think it is quite cute. It''s like Sabrina is a teacher and her warriors are her student. How cute is that?" - Reba "Stop it both of you. Why can''t they be normal¡­?" - Sabrina It didn''t take long for the swarm of monsters to reach us, with Travys and David engaging them first. Swinging his ax forward, while bashing his shield against the skulls of his enemies, Travys makes quick work of a few monsters. Inparison, David''srge size, and weapons, obliterated the upper bodies of the monsters. Sending them flying with each horizontal swipe. Protecting his sides, the spearmen, made quick work of any monster that tried to swing under his attack. Thrusting their spears into the brains of zombies, or shattering the skulls of skeletons. Song and Tsugi, were the same, bashing the heads of enemies with their dual ax-wielding techniques. If only they had hand axes that would return to them like boomerangs, then their attack power would spike exponentially. Sabrina, Nina, and the mages were busy as well, firing small fire bolts, chain lightning, and ice shards at the enemies, stopping them from piling together too much. While the archers would pick off monsters that were by themselves but what about me? What can I add to the team? Looking around, I feel lost. Am I really just going to stand here in the middle of the battlefield and not participate? No, I''m part of the battle. I''m part of HavenFall and RavenStar. Taking in a deep breath, I look at my options and smile. "Time to gamble right? Coin Flip! Dice Roll!" - Reba Appearing in my left hand, was a coin with the goddess''s bust and in the other 2 dice, with small purple apples representing the number on each side. Flicking the coin upward, while tossing the dice, I expertly catch them to reveal what I acquired. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random stat¡­ Agility has been selected! Agility 51 -> Agility 102. Will you flip again?] [The dice have been cast¡­ Total¡­ 12! Boost desired stat by 100%. Which stat would you like to increase?] "I won''t flip again for now, as for the boosted stat, well since I got Agility then¡­ Boost Agility." - Reba [Agility has been chosen. Agility 102 - > Agility 204] My feet felt lighter than air, and it felt like the wind around me was touching me, gently edging me to take my first step. A smile spreads across my face. Who knew, 101 Luck, it ain''t half bad at all. "Time to test out this insane, agility." - Reba Chapter 296 296 - I’ll Need Some Help Now (Rebecca Perspective) Letting out a deep breath, I get into a running position, pressing my feet down onto the ground, while I unsheath the Poison Fang tied to my waist. While it wasn''t the strongest weapon, it was enough for me since I didn''t anticipate myself to be running headfirst into a horde of monsters. Noticing my stance, Nina calls out to me in a hurry. "Wait. Reba! Don''t run off!" - Nina Turning towards her, I give her a small wink, as a gentle smile spreads across my face. "Don''t worry, Nina. I''ll only be gone for a bit. I can''t do much right now anyways, so let me help the best I can." - Reba Before Nina could refute me, Iunch myself off the ground, squeezing through the gap between Travys and David. Feeling like the wind, I slice through the necks of several zombies before my momentum stops. ncing back, both of them could see the mix of surprise and excitement spreading across my face, as I grip my knife tighter, focusing on the group of monsters that were congealing near the spearmen. As light as a feather, my feet swiftly take me close to the skeletons that gue the spearmen and like a butcher, I slice through the spine and several arms and leg joints of each skeleton. Faster. Faster. My hand and arms move at increasing speeds with each stroke, and before I know it before the spearmen know it, the skeletons were sliced into numerous pieces. Feeling like I was on top of the world, I quickly clear out the rest of the monsters that were near us. Leaping over zombies, dancing between skeletons, like a figure skater blessed by the wind. This is what it feels like¡­ To be strong. To not worry about someone else protecting you. The feeling of my knife slicing through flesh, breaking bones, and the sttering of blood. Nothing else can mimic this feeling. [Coin Flip skill duration has run out. Agility 204 -> Agility 102] "So, there IS more to you." - Devel Landing beside me, with a slight electrical charge, Devel looks at me with a keen eye. Throwing the blood off my knife with a quick swing, I nce up in his direction and smile. "Sorry, but I''m taken." - Reba "AHAHAHA! IAN! She is a keeper!" - Devel Taken back by my words, Devel bursts outughing as he covers his face with his hand. Unable to contain himself, he carries onughing as he slowly makes his way to Travys, who already proceeds to take out a potion for him. Stopping only to drink it, he continues tough as he brushes past me. "Then make sure you keep being useful." - Devel Dashing toward the horde of enemies, Devel charges head first, pulverizing a few monsters with his de. Looking back, I see Nina''s slightly dissatisfied expression, while I chuckle nervously. Falling back to the middle of the group, I glimpse at Nina. "Not even a second had passed and you already disobey, one of themands to make sure this whole operation doesn''t fall apart?" - Nina "Sorry, Nina but there wasn''t anything for me to do. I don''t want to just sit here and just wait for something to happen." - Reba "Sigh, alright, I understand. How much longer on your buffs?" - Nina "Well, I won''t be as fast as I just was unless I Coin Flip Agility again, but I still have over 100 Agility. That ends in another 28-ish minutes." - Reba "Agility 102, is quite fast¡­ Not sure if anyone else has reached that kind of speed just yet. Alright, I got a new request for you. Instead of helping out Devel and the others, I would prefer for you to rush over to either Helioc or SanShiGo''s side. Make sure they don''t die since the final fight with the Reaper will be extremely difficult. If and it''s a big IF, but if they are able to help us in the fight, then it might turn out to be just a little bit easier." - Nina "Are you sure you want me to leave this side?" - Reba "I''m sure, Sabrina and I will figure out a way to protect ourselves in the worst-case scenario, plus the monsters still have to get through our frontline, and Devel or one of the others can always quickly rush back." - Nina "Okay, who is more vital in your ns? I''ll go to them first." - Reba "Helioc. Not only is his side lesser in number, but his skills are more likely to be useful in a fight since he has the ability to move through the shadows. Both he and Frank can easily ambush monsters, so keeping him alive will be more worth it than SanShiGo, at this moment." - Nina "On it. I''lle back before my skill runs out." - Reba ncing in Helioc''s direction, I see the mysterious red scarf floating back and forth, between monsters, never staying still and never getting caught. Quickly, I move toward him, as I get to observe the rest of his team which turns out to also be assassins-like people. Prior to passing through the gate, they all seemed like warriors, carrying short swords and small axes but now that I am seeing them in action, it seems it was just my misconception. Following Helioc''s erratic movement, his team would quickly dissect monsters that he would miss. Copsing on one monster at a time with a few people, aiming for different vital points each. A person might slice at the neck while the other would stab through the chest, followed up by one more chopping off the feet. Their movements were smooth like butter, not a single movement wasted like they had perfected the art of killing. "Why are you here?" - Helioc Appearing beside me, like a ghost, Helioc stands cross-armed as he looks at me disdainfully. His eyes show more emotion than his speech as he stares daggers through me. "Just thought you might need some help." - Reba "I don''t. Leave. You have no use here." - Helioc "Oh really?" - Reba Zipping away, I quickly eliminate two skeletons and a zombie that were closing in on one of Helioc''s teammates. While I wasn''t saving him entirely, I did allow the person to catch his breath, before reappearing in front of Helioc, without a moment to lose. "I can definitely help you. My speed doesn''t lose to anyone here, in fact, I''m sure I outss a lot of your teammates in Agility." - Reba Putting on my most cockiest smile, I try to tempt Helioc in letting me stay here, however, the man is as stubborn as a mule, scoffing in my direction. Ignoring my existence, he disappears, reappearing in the middle of the horde, continuing his killing spree. Unable to please everyone in this world, I shrug my shoulders but before I could continue following him, his teammate, the one which I helped, walks over to me. "Thank you for before. I noticed the monstersing for me but I was unable to move at that time, don''t worry about Helioc, he is always like that. If he didn''t try to kill you already then it means he somewhat acknowledges your skill, so if you want to help him, then I guarantee he wouldn''t mind." - Aqua Team Member [Karma +1] "Don''t worry, I kind of suspected it was like that. His personality is very uh¡­ Open. I''ll be here for just a bit to help out in everyone''s progress to the Castle. In such a short time, we have already gone pretty far forward." - Reba "Understood. We will continue to do our best." - Aqua Team Member As the Aqua Team Member dashes away to his teammates, I look at the new system prompt. This was the first time I had gained Karma since I had acquired the new stat, and who would have thought I gained it while helping the enemy? Looking at this, I guess I can only assume that the more good deeds I do, the more positive Karma points I will receive. Likewise, the opposite also exists, where the bad deeds Imit will bestow negative Karma points. Gripping my knife, I smile to myself as the thought of helping others will also reward me, but then the thought crosses my head. Didn''t I help my own people before when I killed the monsters in front of them? Why didn''t I earn a Karma point there? Before I could get too caught up in my thoughts, I hear several loud screechesing from in front of me. [You have been attacked by Wailing Scream and have been inflicted with Fear for 2 seconds] Appearing from the shadows, were 5 identical monsters. Like a human with its skin ripped away, revealing only the muscles that connect every bone together, these monsters screech at the top of their lungs. Large sharp rib bones jut out from their chest as they snatch onto nearby zombies, instantly bursting them like tomatoes, sending a small shower of blood into the air. Revealing to us a row of disgusting yellow teeth, as a maniacalugh resonates in the air. Each monster smirks, as they look at us. Stepping to the side, they reveal an army of Lickers, as the monsters quickly leap out of the shadows dashing through the horde of zombies and skeletons, knocking them to the side as their pace quickens. "It seems that I, Zabik, need to be here to teach these foolish insects where they belong!" - Zabik Speaking in unison, the monsters screech once more, separating into three groups. 2 to the right, 2 to the middle, and 1 to the left. ncing between the approaching monster and me, Helioc lets out a small sigh. "I''ll need some help now." - Helioc "dly." - Reba Chapter 297 297 - Beating Zabik (Rebecca Perspective) Racing at us was a total of 15 Lickers as well as Zabik, not to mention the already charging horde of skeletons and zombies. Helioc, me, and 9 other assassins with varying weapons were on our side. If this was before I realized the capabilities of my skills, then I might have just run away then and there, and maybe I wouldn''t have even been in this situation. No, I definitely wouldn''t have been in this situation. But now, I am. "Alex, Ricki, and Yoro, focus on the zombies and skeletons, and break open a path for us. P5, Queenie and the rest attack the Lickers, separate them into two groups and force them to the sides. Reba, you are with me. Don''t fall behind." - Helioc "I should be the one saying that. I notice that my Agility is higher than yours during the small exchanges with the monsters here." - Reba "You may have high speeds but nothing can beat a teleportation ability." - Helioc ? Shrugging my shoulders, Helioc''s teammates sprint past him, following hismand. Three of them expertly slice a path toward the approaching Lickers, whereas the other six utilize their skills, creating small tornados in a conical shape. Separating the Lickers from each other, they created a clear path to the slower-moving Zabik, which both Helioc and I instinctively moved toward. Disappearing beside me, Helioc reappears behind Zabik, shing at his feet with both his knives. Distracted by the attack, Zabik attempts to m his fists into the Helioc who was below him, but to his dismay, I already caught up to him. Zooming through the small path, I leap into the air, and pierce the Poison Fang deep into Zabik''s forehead, letting the knife sink all the way to the handle, before somersaulting off. "Pathetic, insects. Do you think just one stab from a puny knife will kill me?" - Zabik "Not at all, but what about multiple shes?" - Reba "Act 1 - Dance In the Midnight Sky." - Helioc Grasping both knives in front of him, Helioc, phases into a ck shadow, as he wraps around Zabik. Only the knives in his hand and the red scarf can be seen, as sh after sh appears on Zabik''s body. Blood gushes out from the torn muscles and deep white grooves can be seen along his bones all the way until it reaches his skull. Appearing as aplete body, Helioc floats momentarily above him as the red scarf sways in the wind. "Act 2 - Piercing the Moon''s Reflection." - Helioc Quietly and calmly, Helioc, falls to the ground, with only one knife held in front of him. A clean cut could be seen on Zabik as even the air felt like it was sliced. However, Helioc knew it wasn''t the end, jumping backward immediately to get out of Zabik''s range. Swiping the air, Zabik''srge white ws narrowly miss Helioc''s chest. Even though all the cuts on his body, Zabik, just smirks as he starts to chuckle at us. Moving ever so slowly, with his back hunched over and his ws dragging along the ground, Zabik approaches Helioc. Narrowing his eyes, Helioc prepares himself for the engagement, when Zabik, turns his head toward me. Bolting to me, as he lifts his ws up, spreading them wide in order to limit my options, Zabik smirks at my surprised expression. The sudden change in direction causes me to hesitate and by the take I realize what was happening, it was already toote to dodge to the left or right. Running backward is also slower than running forward, and I wasn''t sure if I had enough speed to get out of Zabik''s range. "Tsk, desperate times, call for desperate options. Wheel Of Fate!" - Reba Pulling my top down slightly, I press my finger along one of the handles, spinning the wheel clockwise. A bright light appears before me and time seem to slow as Zabik, leaps off the ground, floating in the air in front of me. [Wheel of Fate has been activated. User will lose 50% of their HP due to the activation.] [Spinning the Wheel of Fate¡­ The Wheel of Fate has chosen a random effect¡­ Skill: Blink. User is able to activate Skill: Blink 4 times within the next 10 minutes. No MP will be required to use Skill: Blink.] Blink (Active) - Move through air and space to a location of your choice within a 5m squared space. Once the Wheel of Fate skill finishes time starts to speed up and without a second thought, I activate the newly acquired skill. "BLINK!" - Reba Disappearing and reappearing next to Helioc, I feel my stomach churn, and being unable to keep it down, vomit bursts out onto the ground. Quickly, I wipe away the saliva still around my mouth, as I reevaluate my situation. Looking at my situation, Helioc ces his hand on my shoulder as he steps in front of me. "First time teleporting? Don''t worry that is just something you have to deal with. Although, I guess that monster thought of you as more of a threat since it targeted you." - Helioc "No, I think it was the opposite, it must have thought of me as easy prey. Can''t say I don''t me it though. I can only Blink 4 more times within the next 9 and a half minutes. So, I suggest being able to kill this thing sooner rather thanter." - Reba "Agreed. I still have many skills which I can use against it. The only problem is my damage seems to be on the weaker side against it. Would have been better if one of us was using a blunt weapon." - Helioc "Well, what can you do? I''ll approach from the left, you go right?" - Reba "Done." - Helioc Splitting into two sides, Helioc and I sprint toward Zabik, who was unhappily turning toward us. Thinking back to Yor''s battle with Number 88, I try to emte his movements, watching the monster with every step, ready to change direction at a moment''s notice. I have never been much of a fighter, so this was my first ever major battle and to my surprise, I enjoy it. "Coin Flip." - Reba Materializing the familiar Fortuna Coin in my hand, flick it into the air in front of me. The zap of electricity wrapping around the coin as it leaves my fingers sends a slight tingle throughout my body as I detour more toward the left, letting Helioc make first contact with Zabik. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random stat¡­ Vitality has been selected! Vitality 49 -> Vitality 98. Will you flip again?] "Yes" - Reba [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random stat¡­ Strength has been selected! Strength 44 -> Strength 88. Will you flip again?] "No" - Reba Doubling my Vitality solves my HP issue, giving me more HP and with the second coin toss, I gained additional Strength. I''m sure I''m the strongest person here, and with this added strength, I highly doubt the monster will be able to withstand my attack. Brandishing the knife to my side, I zoom toward Zabik, as the monster elongates the rib bones piercing the ground as Helioc nimbly dodges each attack. "Dagger Toss! Shadow Sneak! Critical sh!" - Helioc Tossing his dagger at Zabik''s head, Helioc reappears along the underside of the moving projectile, grabbing it out of the air as he hops off Zabik''s disappointing attempt to swing at him. Positioning himself above Zabik''s head, a red line could be seen as Helioc shes at Zabik''s neck. In the meantime, I arrive right below Zabik, piercing the Poison Fang right through his chin. "BLINK!" - Reba Immediately, I activate Blink as I sense something was wrong. Reappearing away from Zabik, I nce at my knife only to see that there was only the handle left. Stunned, I forget to keep an eye on Zabik. "So slow. Just like the insect you are." - Zabik Snapping my head in front, I see Zabik''s towering figure, right in front of me. The rib cage opens wide as if inviting me in. "BLINK!" - Reba Using the skill once more, I reappear behind Zabik, but the continuous use, upsets my stomach and I copse to my knees as only water and saliva leave my mouth. ncing up, I see Helioc struggling to stand, as 3 deep red gashes could be seen across his chest. Blood bleeding profusely to the ground. "Tsk, didn''t think I would have to use one of my trump cards here. Reba, blink away from Zabik right now." - Helioc "B-Blink¡­" - Reba With myst usage of the skill, I blink behind Helioc, only to feel the repercussion of using the skill once more. Catching a glimpse of Helioc, before Iy my head on the ground, I see him rhythmically slide his knives against one another as he steps forward calmly. Zabik, responds to Helioc''s provocation by copying him, as Zabik sharpens his ws against one another. The moment, Helioc enters Zabik''s range, instead of attacking with his ws, he opens his mouth, letting loose a violent scream. [You have been attacked by Wailing Scream and have been inflicted with Fear for 2 seconds] However, Helioc had already disappeared in front of Zabik. Reappearing with his knives around Zabik''s neck. "Act 3 - Void to the Moon." - Helioc Chapter 298 298 - Clearing The Monsters (Rebecca Perspective) With a clean cut through Zabik''s neck, Helioc''s knives slice through even the air, as he slowly pushes Zabik''s body down with his gentle leap. Landing softly, Helioc stters the blood from cutting through the muscles on the floor while Zabik''s head falls to the ground before his body could even react to the attack. Blinking in surprise as I didn''t expect the monster to die so quickly, I catch a glimpse of Helioc who was just watching Zabik''s stone-cold body. "G-Good job, Helioc." - Reba "Don''t worry about it. You did great yourself. Let me he-" - Helioc "REBECCA GET OUT OF THERE! THE THING ISN''T DEAD YET!" - Nina Hearing Nina''s scream, I quickly start to lift my body off the ground, while Helioc instantly switches back to a fighting stance. As I get to my feet and turn away, I start to hear a soft chuckle, edging me to look. Gulping down my saliva, and ncing in that direction, I see Zabik''s head, spin around in a circle before magically, lifting itself upright. "Oh? I didn''t think I would get exposed so quickly. You insects, sure think you are smart. No matter, y-time is over." - Zabik Its towering body bends down, grabbing the head as it ces it in the same spot where Helioc cut. Thin muscles start to attach themselves to the head, weaving together and before long, it looked indistinguishable from before. As if the cut never happened in the first ce. Letting out small quick breaths, I start to move away, luckily Helioc''s teammates had already killed most of the Lickers and other monsters behind us, as I retreat past them. Without looking back, I make haste as I start to jog slowly, before sprinting quickly toward Nina and the others. I knew I wasn''t much help in a fight but I didn''t realize how much of a nuisance I would be. Biting my lips, as a tear rolls down my cheek, I shake my head from side to side to get rid of those annoying thoughts but to my dismay, they stayed. Looking ahead, my eyes survey the area, finding Nina and the clothes but once I do, they had faces of concern instead. "Where do you think you are going, insect?" - Zabik Like a ghost appearing by my side, Zabik''srge ws block any hope of my running to the left or right, while his stale breath runs down my neck. My feet naturally slow, as my body trembles. How is he here? What happened to Helioc? What about the people between him and me? In mid-step, ncing over my shoulder, I see his sinister grin, as his arms wrap around the front, and the rib cage wraps around my waist. Like a giant teddy bear hugging me, only this teddy was something from your nightmares. A scream escapes my mouth, as the desperate me, materializes the coin. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random stat¡­ Dexterity has been selected! Dexterity 33 -> Dexterity 66. Will you flip again?] "YES!" - Reba [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random stat¡­ Intelligence has been selected! Intelligence 66 -> Intelligence 132. Will you flip again?] "YES!" - Reba [Unsessful Coin Flip! Reducing all stat gains! Dexterity and Intelligence will be reduced. Dexterity 66 -> Dexterity 33, Intelligence 132 -> Intelligence 66. Cannot flip again for 1 hour] "GOD DAMMIT!" - Reba "HAHAHA! YES SCREAM! SHOW ME, FEAR! AN INSECT LIKE YOU CAN DO NOTHING BUT FEAR ME! SO, SCREAM! SCREAM! SCR-" - Zabik "You talk too much. Zeus''s Lightning Bolt" - Devel Slicing through Zabik''s left arm, and kicking his body away in the process, Devel grab my arm, pulling me away. His sword is reced with a blue lightning bolt, and as I catch a glimpse of his eyes, I see a simr blue lightning racing through them. His eyes notice my gaze, as it follows me slowly, before turning back to Zabik. "Get back to Nina and the others, I have already killed the 2 Zabiks near them. SanShiGo is busy with the other two but they seem fine, so I''m here to help out Helioc." - Devel "O-okay." - Reba Quickly, I walk away from Devel, approaching Nina and Sabrina, who rush out to grab me. Their warm embrace was nothing like Zabik''s close contact and even though my body was still shivering from the experience, I felt it calm down slowly. "How are you feeling?" - Sabrina "Uh¡­ Fine. I guess." - Reba "Don''t run off on your own again, okay?" - Nina "Yea¡­ I won''t" - Reba "Sigh, don''t worry too much Reba, this is just a learning experience. You will get better soon." - Sabrina "I¡­I don''t know if I want to get better¡­ Not after this." - Reba "You will have no choice. You know what the world ising to, so you will have to be stronger. Not just physically or by stats, but also mentally. Ian or even Devel, won''t be there to save you all the time and look¡­ Helioc''s team has been decimated, with himself severely injured. He was only able to survive to a skill he had, which allowed him to swap ces with something, before traveling through the shadows to us." - Nina "Helioc is here too?" - Reba Nina and Sabrina, move to the side slightly, to show Helioc, on the ground with Travys creating a simple dressing over his wounds. In his mouth, was a potion, but I''m guessing that wasn''t enough to heal his wounds or he was under a special debuff. "He got inflicted by Bleed from Zabik, and his wounds are causing his HP to drop quickly. Having dealt with Bleed before, Travys quickly got to work, covering up the wound while also making sure Helioc was still taking some potions. David is busy with the front, and Sylvia moved closer as well to lessen the burden." - Sabrina "Most of us are running low on MP, especially the mages, so we have been using spells very sparingly. At least we can kind of see the end of this horde of monsters, with the majority closer to SanShiGo. It seems he is using some sort of taunting ability to draw the monsters to him. Not that we areining." - Nina "It''s done." - Devel Landing beside us, coated in lightning, Devel changes his sword back to the giant lump of rocks as his gazends on me. "Are you alright?" - Devel "I''m fine. Been better." - Reba "That''s good. How is Helioc?" - Devel "See for yourself. Travys is tending to his wounds." - Nina "Got it." - Devel Leaving us as quickly as he came, Devel walks over to Helioc, kneeling down to look closely. Opening his eyes slightly, Helioc notices Devel''s appearance. "H-H-How is m-m-my team?" - Helioc "Dead. All 9 of them. Zabik got to them after attacking you. They didn''t stand a chance at fighting the monster. Neither did you, but I think that was more of a match-up problem. If you have known that the way to kill him was to destroy his core, which was somewhere in his chest, you would have been able to easily kill the monster. Especially with your third strike, that would have sealed the deal if you have known." - Devel "D-D-Did you know?" - Helioc "Only after fighting them and killing them myself. Plus, it wasn''t me that figured it out, it was Nina. She has a keen eye for these things. After figuring out its weakness, I killed one of them with ease with the other was eliminated by Sylvia. OH! Has someone told SanShiGo about Zabik''s weakness?" - Devel Turning away from Helioc, Devel looks at Sabrina and nces at Nina. Nodding in response, Nina gazes over toward SanShiGo''s side. "I sent Frank over there to tell SanShiGo already, and looking at the situation over there, it seems like they are almost done as well, as there is only one Zabik left." - Nina "Great, that''s great! Then, I''m going to proceed in cleaning up the ce, there are still a lot of monsters rushing at us. Keep Helioc safe, Travys. Make sure he is ready for the next phase of the battle." - Devel "On it." - Travys Devel leaps away, jumping into the approaching horde, killing them swiftly butpared to his previous sense of joy, he had a more serious and stoic expression. Letting out a sigh, I notice Sabrina handing me a potion as well. Thanking her, I quickly down the potion to regain the rest of my missing HP. Instead of venturing out, I opted to stay within the group this time, only helping out slightly when we start to get overrun by the monsters. With the destruction of the Poison Fang, I had to rely on the Goblin Knife which I still had attached to my waist. The only problem was the damage from this knife was a lot less, taking more effort to kill each monster, but that didn''t bother me. My head was still filled with all the events that had just happened to me, and my judgment was still slightly dyed. At least there was no punishment when fighting these monsters. After a while, Frank rejoins our group, notifying us that SanShiGo and the Lotus team, have finished eliminating thest Zabik and are almost finished killing thest of the monsters that are near them. Following the good news, Devel, Sylvia, and Mikki also returned after destroying the monsters near us. Regrouping with SanShiGo''s team, we notice that they also took some casualties, losing 3 yers. It was only the start of the final stage and from a total of 50 people that came into it initially, we were already down to 38. Standing in front of the upside Castle as it hangs in front of us, the question that begs our minds is, how do we get in? Chapter 299 299 - Star Pillar, Black Figure (Nina Perspective) An upside-down Castle. A mountain that looks like a wave, on which it was built. An empty space, where the monsters were stationed. Zabik, the monster which Ian had fought in the cave near HavenFall. No way inside the Castle. At least from what we can see. There is always an entrance and exit, no matter how obscure. I just need to figure out where¡­ "I don''t suppose anyone has a flying ability or a flying mount right? Oh, wait! Devel, you can kind of fly right? And, Helioc, you can teleport too! How about one of you try to get up there, and figure a way for the rest of us to get up there." - SanShiGo "Can''t reach. Too far." - Helioc "I don''t think I can reach it either, and even if I try, I won''t be able tond properly. Look, there a bunch of flying monsters circling the ''towers'' of the Castle." - Devel "We haven''t searched this whole area yet, have we? Maybe there is a way to the Castle somewhere nearby." - Reba "usible. The only problem is what might happen if we spread our forces too thin. There might be more monsters waiting for us here and we just haven''t found them yet." - Nina "Better than nothing. Let''s split up and search for something that might resemble a method to go to the Castle. However, we move in a way that we can still see each other. 2 groups, Lotus and then the rest of us. Agreed?" - Devel "I don''t mind. We will move toward the right. Luckily for us, there isn''t that much to obstruct our view. Someone will give you a shout if we find anything. Come everyone!" - SanShiGo Taking his squad, SanShiGo moves off, splitting away from us in a wedge formation. While he looks like he is always joking around sarcastically, SanShiGo, definitely, has knowledge of warfare. Formations and tactics are just the start of his arsenal, and if what Devel says is true about him, then deceit and betrayal are just a means to an end for him. If only we could keep an eye on him, but with a limit on how many people could be here, we just have to let him be. "Travys, David, Sylvia, Ian, and Devel, secure the front as we march toward the left slightly. The ground slightly slopes upward, so just in case, we need to make sure we can always see Lotus and SanShiGo. Spearmen to the back, Song to the left, and Tsugi to the right. Helioc stay close to us, while the Bleed debuff is still in effect. Rest of us, stick close and be on your guard. How much longer on your increased Agility, Reba?" - Nina "Uh¡­ 10 minutes." - Reba "Alright, don''t worry too much about it. Once your skill goes off cool down, and use it whenever you need it. Otherwise, just chill near us until we can get you a suitable weapon." - Nina Edging ourselves to the left, I start observing the surroundings in more detail. Before entering the gate, we were situated on dry brownish-red earth. Cracks could be seen throughout the ground, but every so often patches of yellowish grass could be seen sprouting out. Now that we have passed the gate, I noticed that the ground had changed from an earthy texture to something that resembles a mix between ck sand and y. With each step, the grains of sand would spread apart but at the same time, melt together sticking to each other like y. Weird as it was, it also reduced any chance of dirt clouds since the ground would stick together instead of spreading in the wind. Furthermore, theck of any flora in this location also made me find it strange. Not even a tree, or grass. Just this sandy y dirt below my feet. Scanning the distance, there wasn''t even a single structure. No houses, pirs, wells, nothing. Just a terrible Castle looming above us, blocking even the clouds in the sky. How can there be such a destend? The moment that question pops into my head, I remember something that was on the forums. The Southern territory of thisnd was gued by ck soil. yers that entered the location would immediately gain a debuff, dying slowly afterward, and the worse part is that the ck soil would grow seamlessly. Stretching its ws deeper into the fertile soil that looks over it, transforming it into this ck mess. This means, that this ck sand, that we are stepping on and moving across is the same ck soil that yers would avoid when they spawned in the South. "I think-" - Nina "FOUND SOMETHING!" Before I could speak my thoughts, a loud shout echoes through the empty space. Snapping our heads in the direction of the voice, we see one of Lotus''s yers, waving their hand at us, pointing in a direction to their right. Unfortunately, we were unable to see what they were pointing at, so we start to march toward them quickly. After a bit, we were able to catch up to them, seeing the spectacle before them. Positioned directly under one of the ''towers'' of the Castle, 5 small stone pirs could be seen, arranged in a shape of a star, as a white star could be seen drawn on the ground. Connecting the 5 points of the stars, was a gigantic circle, with another smaller circle that could be seen connecting the intersections of the lines for the star. Situated in the very middle of the star, surrounded by the pir is a ck figure. Looking closely, it looks like a person wrapped in ck bandages covering everything from head to toe, except for their mouth, where purplish red lipsy. On top of its shoulders, resting across the back of its neck, held up by two skinny arms, was a hammerrger than its body. No, it might even berger than David, who was definitely thergest person here. "We ambush him all at once, okay? No sudden movements until we are all in position, and we all know our roles." - Devel "Mini-boss time right?" - Sabrina "Someone has been ying a lot of games. Just taking a very educated guess, but I think if we kill that thing over there, then we can gain ess to the Castle." - SanShiGo "How do you suggest we go at it?" - Reba "Carefully, of course." - SanShiGo "Nina, what do you want us to do?" - Sylvia "Hmm¡­ How strongest people are Devel, SanShiGo, Ian, Helioc, and Sylvia in my opinion. We need to y around these 5 if we want to even have a chance of winning. Unfortunately, we can''t move from our position, otherwise, I would have suggested that we surround the monster. We have no idea if the monster will move when we try to reposition around it, therefore, it is too dangerous to do that. Instead, we will initiate the attack from here. SanShiGo, now would be a good time to tell me the capabilities of the Lotus team you have here unless you want to wing it and potentially die." - Nina "No, no, I would not want to even dare harm this attempt at the final stage. My team is quite simple, a total of 17 people, 6 warriors, 3 spearmen, 1 full fledge tank, 4 archers, 2 assassins, and 1 mage which is me. Any more you need to know, little tyrant?" - SanShiGo "Should be enough. In that case, we will create 3 frontline groups, taking into ount that the monster has a giant hammer as a weapon, it will be better if we are slightly spread out. Song and Tsugi willmand one group, David the other and Travys as well as your tank willmand thest. We will spread out the spearmen and the warriors evenly as much as possible between the groups as well as archers and mages. Sabrina will be with Song and Tsugi, Reba with David, and I will be with Travys and your tank, whose name is¡­?" - Nina "ManTerror." - ManTerror "ManTerror, alright, I will be with Travys and ManTerror. The 5 of you will start in front of us, ready to attack the moment our range attacks hit the monster. Devel will be the main tank, with Ian supporting him. Sylvia and Helioc will be the main damage dealers while SanShiGo, support them. During this time, we will constantly bombard the monster with range attacks, so there is a very high chance that you will be hit with friendly fire. The only thing I can say to that is to dodge them, or tank them and figure out a way to heal afterward. There is no point in us losing damage because it might hit an ally, so if we constantly attack the monster, eventually we will wear it out. Arrows and magic attacks will beunched in waves, and we will shout them out, giving you ample time to prepare to dodge the attack or to tank it." - Nina "Understood~ I''ll do my best." - Mikki "Ian, you are the secondary tank, the moment Devel is unable to fight or is distracted you muche in and engage monster, even if you can''t ''fight'' it." - Nina "Got it, got it. Don''t worry." - Mikki "So, I''m support? Why can''t I just hang out in the back with everyone else then?" - SanShiGo "Becasue, you are more than just a support yer. Don''t think you can fool any of us." - Helioc "Okay, okay, rx there Helioc. No need to be so angsty." - SanShiGo "What do you want me to do specifically?" - Sylvia "Attack at any given moment. Follow up, Helioc''s attacks since he will be faster than you." - Nina "Alright. Devel, make sure you attract the monster''s attention properly." - Sylvia "Don''t worry. I''m not a pure tank, but I''m good enough to do the job." - Devel "Well then, everyone get to your positions. Each group should be a couple of meters apart and ready to react to the monster if it suddenly charges at us. Let''s hope this battle goes by smoothly¡­" - Nina Chapter 300 300 - Smile (Nina Perspective) ncing in my direction, Sabrina stretches her arms upward, letting out a slight moan as she releases her pent-up frustration. With a smile, she ces her hands on her waist before calling out to me. "So, who attacks first?" - Sabrina "What do you mean? It''s all of us." - Nina "Oh¡­ Strongest moves?" - Sabrina "Nope, weakest. We just need to give the monster a little waking call, nothing more and nothing less. The focus will be on Devel and the others,while we do our best to just damage the monster. Any damage is damage, it doesn''t matter how little we do to the monster, we just need to do something." - Nina "Makes sense. The only problem I can think of is, what if the monster is intelligent enough to bypass Devel and the rest? We are in major trouble if it does." - Sabrina "If that happens, we just have to trust the tanks in front of us to do their jobs and keep the monster away from us as we retreat. Devel and the others will obviouslye back in time and deal with the monster." - Nina "You know, you strangely put a lot of faith in them, despite showing such a cold front." - Sabrina "I got no choice. They are our current strongest yers." - Nina "Yo! Enough chit-chatting. Let''s get this show on the road." - Devel With everyone finally in position, I take in a deep breath as I stare at the ck-d monster. Taking out an arrow from their quiver, each archer readies their bow, inhaling sharply as they take aim. Adjacent to them, each mage readies themselves to let loose their magic attack, including myself as I open my book and take out my wand. "On me, everyone! 3¡­2¡­1¡­ Fire Bolt!" - Nina Following my Fire Bolt, simr magic skills were released alongside a volley of arrows, as they fire across the sky above Devel and the others. Arching down, as gravity starts to take effect, the arrows and magic skills start to edge closer to the unmoving monster, before eventuallynding on it. Unfortunately for us, the arrows narrowly miss, just grazing the monster''s sides while the magic skills create a pitiful explosion on its body. "ELECTRICAL CHARGE!" - Devel Seeing the attacks hit, Devel yells out a battle cry as he coats himself in electricity, zooming toward the monster within seconds. Exploding upon contact, a small ck cloud envelops both of them, as Sylvia, Helioc, Mikki, and SanShiGo position themselves near a stone pir. Cutting through the cloud, Devel''s sword shes with the hammer. Looking at it closely, I originally thought it was just a ck hammer, however, with the electricity zapping off Devel, I could see the hammer more clearly. Wrapped in the same ck bandages, the hammer could be seen connected to the monster, tied around its wrists. Forcing Devel away, with a slow swing the monster slowly stands, looking in Devel''s direction despite having its eyes covered. Grinning wildly from ear to ear, it reveals theck of teeth that grow out of its gums, with only a few disgustingly yellow incisors and canines left. Greenish, white liquid trickles out of its agape mouth, as it sways on the spot, dragging the head of the hammer along the ground. Repositioning his sword, Devel calmly gathers energy as his sword glows brighter and brighter. In the meantime, Sylvia also gathers energy around her fists, as Helioc brandishes his knives. Mikki looks at the situation calmly, unmoving from behind the stone pir whilst, SanShiGo nces around, observing the whole situation. ncing at the other groups, I see that they were ready for another volley of attacks. "Everyone! 3¡­2¡­1¡­FIRE BOLT!" - Nina As another volley of attacks flies across the sky, Develunches himself at the monster, sending a downward sh at its head. Jumping backward, while lifting the hammer, the monster blocks the attack with the long handle but I guess the monster didn''t think things through as Devel ms the monster to the ground, through sheer strength. Stepping on the monster, while holding down the hammer with his sword, Devel nces at Helioc. Dashing out from behind the stone pir, Sylvia follows Helioc''s lead as Helioc disappears from behind his pir. Reappearing, behind Devel, Helioc leaps off his back, doing a low barrel roll as he reaches the monster''s head, stabbing it with both his knives. Tearing through the bandages, and into the flesh of the monster, Helioc sessfully damages it, before rolling onto the ground, and jumping away. Reaching the monster right after, Sylvia''s holy energy-d fists, are sent directly into the torn''s monster''s face. White, yellow, and orange explosions erupt out of Sylvia''s fists as she sends a series of punches at the monster before leaping away after the tenth attack. Noticing something was wrong, Devel also leaps away,nding safely as his eyes narrow slightly. Gripping the handle of his sword tighter, everyone watching notices the strange movements, that the monster was making. Squirming on the ground, writhing in what looked like a mix of pain and pleasure, it continues to smile, even though it had tworge gashes across its face, and it had been punched several times. Before long, a quiet maniacalugh starts to resound in the quiet area. Chills run down my spine as the monster lifts its legs high into the air. Spasming crazily, its legs dance around, as theughter intensifies. Suddenly, like the moment a gun is shot, the monster ms its feet to the ground, lifting its body with nothing more than its legs. The bandages wrapping around the hammer slowly peel off, one by one, revealing a crimson skull with ruby eyes as the head of the hammer. As the bandages peel away, it also separates the twisting obsidian handle with its hands. "HEHEHE! You, cheeky little humans~ OH! Some of you aren''t even HUMAN! HAHAHA! INTERESTING! INTERESTING! Or is it even interesting? WHO CARES?! WHO CARES?! What now? Do I introduce myself? YES! YES! Humans and non-humans have this naming thing, yes? I am¡­? Hehehe~ Smile. Why you might ask? Because I SMILE!" - Smile Pointing to his wide grin, Smile nces at us, turning around so that even Helioc and Sylvia who were behind him could see his grin. However, due to the silent treatment that we gave him, Smile lets out a low sigh, shaking his head in the process. Pointing toward Devel, who was the closest person to him, he speaks in a rtively calm voice. "You. Yes, you with the big sword. How are you? How''s your day? Having a good time, waltzing in here with your friends, killing a zombie here, smashing a skeleton there? Must be FUN, isn''t it? Shouldn''t you be smiling too? What is with the frown? Just turn it-" - Smile Before Smile could finish his sentence, Devel charges at him, shing at his chest. Tilting his whole body backward, Smile narrowly dodges the attack, before letting go of his hammer. Pushing off the ground with his hands, Smile kicks at Devel''s chest, only to be met with Devel''s Thunderous Aura but contrary to Devel''s expectations, Smile''s feet pass through his electric armor. mming into his chest, Devel isunched across the air, smashing into a stone pir, and copsing it. "FIRE BOLT!" - Nina Retaliating immediately, I order another wave of ranged attacks while, Mikki surprisingly dashes forward, stabbing at Smile with Ian''s spider legs. Catching Smile''s attention, as well as bringing a smile to his face, Mikki and Smile, engage in a series of exchanges. Dodging each attack swiftly with the aid of the lower spider legs, Mikki counterattacks with the upper spider legs, controlling the space around them with the rest of the spider legs. Laughing at the attempt to hit him, Smile, and lunges forth, trying to tackle Mikki. Noticing the change in attack pattern, Mikki retreats, letting Helioc who had been hiding in his shadow to leap out, shing at Smile''s face once more. Following his attack, Sylvia sends a hook to his left side, backing off immediately once the attacknds, just in time for thebined ranged attacks tond on his back. "That was a harder hit than I expected." - Devel Crawling out of the rumble, Devel brushes off the dirt and rocks that were on his body. Small scratches could be seen on his face but nothing worth taking note of, as he instantly rushes back into the fray. Dashing away from Mikki, Smile smirks at Devel as he meets him halfway, right next to the hammer. Letting Devel''s downward sh cut across his body, Smile grips the obsidian handle with one hand, lifting the hammer off the ground and swinging it at Devel''s left side at a frightening speed. Quickly changing into a defensive position, Devel stabs his sword into the ground on the left, as the attacknds, pushing the sword and himself away. A deep mark on the ground could be seen as Devel skids to the side. "Insanely disproportional strength, coupled with extreme speed and a durable body¡­ What a wonderful mid-boss we have to fight." - SanShiGo "Hehehe~ Did you think you could attack me from behind? I can see youing from a mile away. OH WAIT! I CAN''T EVEN SEE!! HAHAHA!" - Smile "Can''t see? I call bullshit on that one. You can see me clearly, can''t you?" - Devel "No, no, no. Are you an idiot? LOOK! LOOK! Use those eyes! Can''t YOU see, my eyes are COVERED! Hahaha~ I can''t SEE anything. BUT! You can. You can see my SMILE~ LOOK HOW MUCH I AM ENJOYING THIS! HAHAHAHA!" - Smile "The monster is insane¡­" - Sylvia "Insane is an understatement." - Helioc "Nina, do we keep firing at the monster?" - Sabrina "I think at this point, we just attack whenever we are ready. That monster is too much of a threat to keep alive any longer than it needs to be." - Nina "Then¡­" - Sabrina "Strongest attacks, everyone. Don''t hold back. Kill it, ASAP!" - Nina Chapter 301 301 - Tell Me More (Nina Perspective) "Cage of mes!" - Nina Instead of a projective attack, my strongest skill, without awakening, was also a crowd control skill, creating a simple cage around Smile. The instant the cage forms around him, various skills also connect with the immobile monster, creating arge explosion that sends the ck soil flying in several directions. "Awakening!" - Sylvia "Unseal. Zeus''s Lighting Bolt." - Devel "Act 1 - Dance in the Midnight Sky." - Helioc Dashing right after the explosion, Sylvia, Devel, and Helioc unleash their skills. Gaining the power of Ares, Sylvia taps into her dormant powers as she goes through a small transformation. Her long silky ck hair with blue highlights, magically turns auburn red, fluttering in the wind. 2 raging rubies rece her serene sapphire eyes, as the symbol for Ares appears on her forehead, burning brightly as a me of simr color to her hair covers the symbol. With each step, her body res up, covering itself like a coat of armor. Adjacent to her, Devel''s de bes aplete lightning bolt, as the bright blue shine illuminates one side of the battlefield. Disappearing from his position, Devel travels faster than my own eyes could see, reappearing as his Lightning Bolt collides with the handle of Smile''s weapon. Unable to understand how he was blocked, I see Devel''s surprised expression, as he sends a flurry of attacks, each one creating more and more blue sparks off the obsidian handle. Assisting him from the shadows, Helioc''s fog-like body wraps close to Smile''s backside as several lightning-fast shes appear. However, to Helioc''s dismay, Smile casually lets go of one of his hands from his weapon, using it to expertly block each of his attacks "With both of your hands busy with their attacks, how do you expect to block mine? zing Straight!" - Sylvia The previous energy that was gathering around Sylvia, congeals on her right fist, burning bright like the sun as she punches forth, aiming for the monster''s exposed chest. Instead of aiming for the face, where the monster could narrowly dodge the attack by moving its head, Sylvia decides to aim for thergest target. "Like this, hehehe~ Separate!" - Smile Right before Sylvia''s fist couldnd on Smile''s chest, his head, arms, and legs, disconnect from his torso. As if someone had chopped him up into several pieces, separating at the major joints. Punching the chest, Sylvia sends it flying straight to the stone pir behind it, knocking it down much like how Devel knocked down the first one, but she was still in a state of shock. Laughing at his own body being sent into a pir, Smile''s head floats in the sky, reconnecting slowly with his arms and legs to form something that looked like a mummified octopus. Still being able to hold onto his hammer with just one arm, despite not having a body, sends a chill down my spine as I start to understand how strong this monster was¡­ Pain was probably non-existent to the monster, no, in fact, it probably enjoys it. "My, oh my. That was EXHILARATING! Lighting fast attacks here and there, dodges back and forth. UNBELIEVABLE! Hehehe! But poor little humans¡­ Not one of themnded. OH, NO WAIT! One did. HAHAHAHA!" - Smile Curling its left index finger, Smile''s chest lifts from the rubble, moving faster than Sylvia and the others could react toward Smile. His ''octopus'' form separates, reconnecting with his chest as hepletes a small dance on the spot, chuckling to himself the whole time. Without a moment to lose, Devel dashes forward, attacking the defenseless Smile, only for Smile to separate his body vertically in half, dodging the attack. "What the¡­" - Devel "Hehehe~ Not so fast~ You can''t attack someone when they are dancing. That''s BAAAAAD etiquette. Didn''t your mother tell you that? Oh, unless¡­ No mum? Aww~ Smile is sorry for you. NOT! HAHAHAHA!" - Smile "Hrmp, ASKKNALL!" - Devel Changing his approach of attack, Devel ps his hands together, releasing a wave of electrical energy. Small zaps of electricity run across Smile''s body, as the monster momentarily stops mid-movement. Taking advantage of this, many of the archers and mages let loose another wave of attacks, as Helioc somersaults over Devel''s body, using his shoulders as a stepping stone. "Act 2 - Piercing the Moon''s Reflection." - Helioc However, his attack was obstructed as Smile breaks free of the paralyzing effect of Devel''s attack. Grabbing the knife, mid-skill, Smile gazes deep into Helioc''s eyes, through the bandages. Licking Helioc''s cheek, Smile''s whole body trembles in excitement, as he lets out a scream of pleasure, tossing Helioc to the side. "Now, would be a good time to support, SanShiGo!" - Devel "Alright, alright, rx. I got it. Summon! PanPan!" - SanShiGo Taking out a book from inside his robe, SanShiGo flicks to the first page. Biting his thumb, he lets a drop of blood drip onto the page, as a holy white light, shines out of the book, engulfing SanShiGo''s face. Below him, a blood-red magic circle appears, runes of unknown origin rotate along the edges of the circle as a gigantic panda emerges. Standing on top of its back, SanShiGo, gazes below, looking at the monster with contempt. "PanPan, squash the disgusting mummy." - SanShiGo The panda''s eyes, sh yellow as it moves quickly toward Smile. Watching the approaching beast, Smile''s grin widens even further as he lets go of his weapon, spreading his arms wide as if waiting for a hug. Leaping away, Devel and Helioc retreat to the side, as the panda moves quicker than expected. Despite its ginormous size, the panda was charging at Smile faster than any creature I had seen before. Half expecting Smile to just stand there and take the hit, and half expecting the monster t dodge at thest minute, I decided to take action first. ncing at Sabrina, who happened to catch a glimpse of my movement, turning her head toward my direction. "Attack it with a skill that doesn''t require travel time, now! Ignite!" Nina "Incinerate!" - Sabrina Both the monster''s legs burst into mes as Sabrina and my skills activate, but as if not noticing the mes at all, Smile''s grin widens even further as the panda''s paw rises to the sky. Smashing down with the might of the mountain, the panda''s paw creates a small crater on the ground, sending tremors all around, and making some of the archers topple over. "IT''S NOT OVER!" - Devel "Well, shit. Who would have thought? Sorry, PanPan but I have to move." - SanShiGo Cursing under his breath, SanShiGo quickly turns away, jumping off the panda in a hurry. Chuckling could be heard softly underneath the panda''s paw, like a broken record, causing everyone to tense up, preparing themselves for the worst. Bursting out the other side of the panda''s paw, a ck fist emerges, cracking its disfigured fingers repeatedly, slowly fixing itself to its original appearance. "Don''t move, PanPan!" - SanShiGo Acknowledging the order from its master, the panda softly cries on the soft as the hand slowly caresses the bloodied fur. Forming a peace sign, Smile''s fingers start to move around in a circle tracing the small hole its fist made, dancing along the edge with its fingers. Like a baby, giggling at the mere enjoyment of moving around, Smile''sughter echoes in our ears, like a broken recorder. The sound sticks to the inside of our ears unable to escape and unwilling to move. Sweat trickles down the side of my cheek, as the intense atmosphere rises with every single movement Smile makes. Judging by the small interaction between the monster and us, we could see a very clear distinction of strength. Not only have none of our attacks even fazed the monster, but it has been able to keep up with Devel and Helioc''s lightning-fast attacks. Furthermore, its separation ability allows it to dodge most attacks, with the least amount of effort. Wait a minute, what if that is its weakness? The moment it separates, all the different parts are far from each other to an extent. Even though it could reconnect, there was a period in time, for a couple of seconds when the body parts were separated and unmoving. The chest itself wasn''t able to move until the fingersmanded it to return. Does that mean it can''t reconnect by itself? What are the limits of this reconnection? Is there a restriction on the distance? Restriction on the number of separated body parts? What can be separated and what can''t be separated? My brain starts to move at lightning speeds once these questions start to appear in my mind. I wasn''t 100% sure, but then again, no one is 100% sure on these things, since everything requires a bit of trial and error, but maybe, just maybe there was a way to beat Smile. ncing around, I notice that SanShiGo was running toward us, away from the battle. Smirking, I ditch the protection of my group and dash toward SanShiGo, catching him off guard. "Wow, wow, wow. Sorry, but I can''t do much if my summon is already out." - SanShiGo "I don''t care. You need to go back." - Nina "I ain''t going back if all that is going to happen is me dying." - SanShiGo "Don''t worry, you won''t die. You just need to ry a message to me. I think I have figured out a way for us to beat the monster." - Nina "Oh¡­ Tell me more of this n." - SanShiGo Chapter 302 302 - The Plan (Nina Perspective) "Look, I know you are more than capable of just summoning a monster to fight for you. I''m sure Devel and Helioc also know this but they aren''t saying anything because it doesn''t change the situation. However, what I''m about to tell you might change it, after all, it''s not like you will be at a disadvantage." - Nina "Alright, tell me before the two idiots down there die." - SanShiGo "The monster''s weakness also happens to be one of its greatest strengths, the Separation skill. From what we have seen, the monster can detach parts of his body away from each other but it can also split itself in half, which means there isn''t a limit on the ''way'' it separates. We also don''t know if there is a limit to the number of times it can separate, or why it doesn''t choose to just keep separating instead of taking the attacks. However, we can use this to our advantage. The only time we have seen the body parts reconnect is due to the finger''s directing it to reconnect. It''s just a theory, but if we can separate the hands away from the body and make sure it doesn''t move then we might be able to iste the different body parts. Then, there is the chance that there is a restriction on the distance between the body parts, which might affect the overall oue. What I need you to do, is to get down there and tell the n to Devel and Helioc. Get them to focus on the arms, wrists, or shoulders and make the monster separate. The more times it separates the better. Afterward, Sylva, Ian, and you will take a body part and run. Run in different directions and keep running no matter what happens. If this doesn''t work, then we just need to figure out a different n but at least this gives us some direction." - Nina "Hmm¡­ Excellent observation skills. There is a slight problem, what if the separated parts are strong on their own?" - SanShiGo "Then I guess you lose to just a hand or a foot." - Nina "Hrmp, fair enough. Fine. I will head back down. PanPan might need my help anyways." - SanShiGo Turning away, SanShiGo rushes toward the panda, as Smile suddenly bursts through the small hole in its paw. Retracting in pain, the panda roars desperately, swinging its head around to look for its master. "PanPan,e! Time to show them what we can do. Mascot Fusion!" - SanShiGo ncing at its master, the panda roars loudly as its body shines a bright white light. Scattering into tiny pieces as it swirls around in the area, traveling to SanShiGo, as he continues running toward Smile. As it spins around SanShiGo, it slowly covers him, making a moving white egg as it glows brighter. Bursting out, it reveals the ''new'' SanShiGo underneath, as his skill finishes. Instead of the holy figure we were once used to, the SanShiGo we see now looks more like aedian who lost his job and can only earn money from entertaining children at parties. Wrapped over his head, is a Panda Mascot head, bulging out from the sides with a fluffy texture as its small round ears stand on end. Still wearing his white robe, covering his hand and feet, were simr panda-like paw gloves and shoes, that were bigger by a size or two. "Disgusting¡­" - Nina "What do you mean? It''s so cute! Imagine that on you!" - Sabrina "HAHAHAHAHA! What is that outfit?! EVEN a slug looks better than you!" - Smile "Shut it, monster. PAAAAAAANDA PUUUUUNCH!" - SanShiGo Dashing forward the moment his transformation finishes, SanShiGo appears right in front of theughing monster within seconds. Not giving him time to think, he sends an uppercut to the chest, lifting the monster slightly off the ground, before sending a hook across its face. Following the momentum of the punch, Smile is sent toward the rubble of a broken stone pir, crashing into it headfirst. "Alright, Devel and Helioc, I got a n for you, courtesy of Nina. Attack the shoulder, elbow, or wrist until the monster separates. You can mix up the attacks with attacks to the knees or feet. We just need the monster to separate, and the more it does the better. Sylvia, Ian, and I will take the separated parts away, doing our best to restrict any and all of their movement. During that time, keep beating down whatever is left here. Understood?" - SanShiGo "Understood." - Devel, Helioc, Sylvia, Mikki Leaving SanShiGo''s side, Devel sprints toward Smile, his de still zapping around as the lightning bolt illuminates the immediate area. Attacking the still-immobile monster, Devel sends multiple downward strikes into the rubble. The sword disintegrates the rubble, reaching Smile''s arm, only for it cut through cleanly, or so we thought. Bursting out from whatever remains of the rubble, Smile, spins in the air, mming his leg across Devel''s face. In thest second, Devel tilts his head away, barely dodging, while catching a glimpse of Smile''s right arm reattaching itself in the corner of his eye. shing horizontally, Devel''s lighting bolt passes through the air as Smile separates his chest into two. Smirking at his smart thinking, Smile chuckles to himself, as his other leg swings around to hit Devel on the back of his head. Supporting Devel, Helioc appears at this moment, grabbing onto the upper half of Smile, and pushing it further into the sky, before tossing both knives at the monster. Appearing behind Smile, Helioc grabs onto the flying knives and presses them against Smile''s neck. "Act 3 - Void to the Moon." - Helioc Decapitating Smile, or Smile separating his head from his body at thest second, Helioc proceeds to kick his head far to the side, like a ser ball. Laughter fills the air, as Smile''s hysterical giggling continues even though his head had separated from his body. Reaching Sylvia who was preparing herself off to the side, Smile takes another punch to his face, sending him straight to the ground. With a loud thud, Sylvia continues to beat down the defenseless face, with her Mystic Palms. Unwavering and unmoving, she repeatedly strikes Smile, like a drummer. In the meantime, Devel kicks Smile''s lower half away, shing at the thighs and calves with his sword, searing through the ck bandages and burning the flesh. Helioc stabs the upper half with his knives as they descend to the ground quickly, somersaulting off, the moment the bodynds. Landing softly on his feet, Helioc continues his assault stabbing at the monster as he mounts the chest. Remembering SanShiGo''s little speech, he starts to cut at the wrists, as his knife tears through the bandages and the flesh. Cutting away the hands, Helioc tosses them over his shoulder, letting SanShiGo and Mikki catch them. Smiling, Mikki dashes away, while SanShiGo rushes in another direction. Smile''s body has been separated 5 times, with his hands rapidly getting further and further away from his body. Yet despite this, Smile continues to giggle through Sylvia''s assault. Little by little I start to see the bandages covering his eyes and the top of his head loosening with each hit. Before I could warn, Sylvia of any potential risks of revealing what was underneath the bandages, her right fist intensifies as the mes around it grow brighter. "Sr FLARE!" - Sylvia The moment her fists,nd on Smile''s face, thest of the bandages burn away at the same time, revealing two rubies embedded in its eye sockets. Engulfing Sylvia in a bright scarlet light, her skill gets canceled and she is pushed to the side. "HAHAHAHA! So, EXCITING! WHAT A PLAN! What a n. Take my body parts. Move them away, FAR AWAY! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! BUT, a miscalction. I don''t need any sort ofmand to bring them back~" - Smile Coming from under Smile''s head, several ck bandages zoom out, spreading in different directions as they dodge past us and reconnect with the separated body parts. No matter how far away SanShiGo or Mikki was, the ck bandages reach them, tearing the body part away from their hands. Two ck bandages also retrieve the giant crimson skull hammer as well, bringing it to Smile''s hand the moment his body reattaches itself. "Hehehe~ I guess ytime is over." - Smile Disappearing from the spot, I quickly nce in every direction, to find the missing monster. Hearing a scream, nearby, I nce to my left, to see the monster standing in front of Reba. Pushing her and everyone else there to the side, David steps forward blocking the iing swing. Smashing through the tower shield, David''s body gets catapulted over Devel and Heliding on the ground. Disappearing and reappearing once more, Smile ms his hammer down on Sabrina''s group. Only Song, Tsugi, and Sabrina were able to react in time, jumping out of the way before the hammer mmed into the ground. ncing up, I see the monster''s grin. Its eyes glitter with a scarlet shine as it disappears once more. Without even thinking, I activate Awakening, jumping forward desperately. "TURTLE SHELL!" - ManTerror "LAST STAND!" - Travys "Puny humans~ HEHEHEHE!" - Smile Looking over my shoulder as Ind ungracefully on the ground, I see Travys and ManTerror both try to defend against the attack, only for their defensive skills to be broken. Both of them were unable to dodge the attack, as blood stters out from their mouths, before being tossed to the side. "Now, then. The only human that was SMART enough to think of a strategy. Hehehe~ I think you have to die." - Smile Chapter 303 303 - Keep Smiling (Nina Perspective) Raising the hammer high above his head, as his eyes glitter in delight, Smile''s grin reaches both his ears as a high-pitch cackle resounds in my ears. However, despite the situation, I smile back at him, giggling as well. Stopping his swing halfway as he notices myughter, he gazes in my direction. "Hehehe~ Laughing at your own demise. YOU are as crazy as I am!" - Smile "No, no, no. I''m notughing at the fact, that I''m about to die. I''mughing at the fact that you are going to die." - Nina "What-" - Smile "Shift. Askvader!" - Devel Appearing in front of Smile, shing upward to the sky, Devel projects a bolt of lightning, narrowly missing Smile''s head. Stepping forward, while Devel shes downward, the bolt of lightning returns as another bolt of lightning projects out of Devel''s sword, aiming at Smile''s head. Noticing something was wrong, Smile disappears, reappearing a few meters away, only to see two lightning bolts curve toward him. "Hahaha! Just THIS? Curving bolts of lightning?! HAHAHA! BLAST FROM A PAST!" - Smile Swinging the giant crimson skull backward, the ruby eyes shine brightly, engulfing in red and orange mes. Like a set of rockets, the ruby eyes st the hammer forward, reaching toward the curving lightning bolts, but to his dismay, they curve once more, wrapping above and below the hammer. It wasn''t just 2 bolts of lightning either, Devel had shed the air 3 more times during this moment, creating another 3 bolts of lightning. Spinning around the hammer, the 5 lightning bolts aim for Smile''s head, electrocuting him severely as they reach. Flicking my scarlet hair to the side, I hold out my hand, as it envelops in an orange, yellow and white me. "Holy me!" - Nina Leaving my hand, a ball of holy mes gets sent to the hammer, aiming at the ruby eyes, as Sylvia dashes right past me. Coating her hands in the same mes, Sylvia rushed forward, smashing the ruby eyes, shattering them into smaller crystals. Screaming as the eyes break, Smile swings the hammer around precariously, grasping onto his left eye. "Shadow Sneak. Act 3 - Void to the Moon." - Helioc Slicing Smile''s arms cleanly off, Helioc separates Smile from his weapon. Turning to Helioc, Smile lunges baring his teeth at Helioc''s neck. Blocking the attack with his sword, Devel protects Helioc, kicking him away in the process. Jumping over Helioc, SanShiGo punches Smile, hitting the lower jaw. Coming back after getting hit, David sprints toward Smile, clotheslining the monster as he tramples past. "Quickly! Smash the weapon into pieces! That''s the main body!" - Nina Licking her lips, as she heeds my advice, Sylvia continues to repeatedly punch the crimson skull, breaking it slowly as SanShiGo joins in the mayhem. Stopping Smiles bandage body from moving, Devel constantly shes at it, cutting through the chest and legs multiple times. "STOP! STOP! HEHEHEH~ STOP! I CAN''T TAKE IT ANYMORE! HAHAHAHA! How? HOW!? HOW DID YOU KNOW?! HEHEHE!" - Smile Stepping on Smile''s bandaged face, and looking down at him. Stopping Devel''s attack momentarily as I exin to the dying monster the question it has just asked. "How did I know that this thing that I am stepping on isn''t the real thing? Well, I was already slightly suspicious of you the moment we saw you. Think about it, a singr being in the middle of some sort of magic circle. Doesn''t that just SCREAM, sus? Afterward, the way you battle was also kind of strange. You let us hit your ''body'' over and over again, dealing damage at whatever rate we wanted to but none of that was shown. Even after you revealed to us your separation ability, the damage we did to your ''body'' was frankly insignificant. Then, you bought all of your different body parts back with the bandages, so hang on¡­ You can separate and you can join back due to the bandages wrapped around you as if your whole body is just made of bandages. This means, how do we even kill you if you can just reattach yourself? I started thinking, looking back from the first time we saw you until now, and I realize, it was all bait. This ''body'' wasn''t REALLY the main body. See, this whole time, there were moments when you released your ''weapon'' leaving it on the ground, but never too far from the magic circle, in fact, there was a moment when you made sure to let go. Leaving the hammer at a certain range from the magic circle. Now, anyone seeing this might think, oh, he just let go of his weapon, after all, his body is kind of a weapon already. The hammer was more of just an essory. Wrong, you let go because it was about to leave the radius in which you can maybe exist? Or control the fake body. You control the bandages and, that can leave the radius of the magic circle but, I think there is also arger radius where the bandages can reach, which is why you revealed to us that you could bring them back. Looking at how far SanShiGo and Ian ran, I calcted that they were approximately the same distance away from the magic circle before the bandages reached them. That might be your range or maybe just a little further, regardless¡­ It was just too convenient. However, that wasn''t even the reason why I thought that your body wasn''t the real one. " - Nina Leaning forward, to the point that I was right next to its slightly torn ear, I whisper to Smile. "You know that Ian is Mikki, don''t you? Or while you might not know Mikki, you know that Ian is someone connected to Selino. When you said, that there were non-humans among us, you weren''t looking at David who is a Djinn, but Ian or Mikki, who is actually a spider. You knew, and Mikki realized this during your small exchange. Neither of you was actively attacking the other, and Mikki nced at the hammer during the exchange as well. The only realize that a disguised spider would do anything like that is because you spoke to it during the small exchange. Obviously, I didn''t hear it but it should be along the lines of confirming if Mikki worked for Selino or the Horde. Why? Because I''m sure you do as well or at least did. You don''t match the Reaper''s monsters, in fact, you more resemble Kronos or the Horde, but you are not undead or demonic, which leaves me to think you don''t really serve the Reaper. Maybe you were captured. Maybe you are nothing but a prisoner or a ve, forced to fight for the Reaper under some sort of contract. Regardless, you don''t¡­ Belong. Here. Maybe you asked for some assistance, trying to get out of this sad position. But know, there is only death. Killing you was a lot easier than I thought and you did part of my job for me, killing mypetition. So, maybe I should thank you. Keep smiling~" - Nina Unable to reply, Smile looks at me, motionless as I stand straight, smiling down at the monster. Smile''s grin, fades away, showcasing an expression that wasn''t happiness, glee, orughter but the opposite. Sadness, horror, and fear, as his crimson skull, shatters after Sylvia''s repeated beating. Bit by bit, the bandages that cover Smile''s fake body, turn to ash, breaking away slowly until nothing was left, except for 4 small objects that were left behind. "Did you know how to kill this monster earlier?" - Devel ncing up at Devel, I shake my head. "No, I made a lot of what I said to him on the spot but some of it was true. Mixing some lies with the truth is what makes the lies so much stronger and believable." - Nina "Heh. I''m d I don''t have you as my enemy." - Devel "Oh, but we are. Just not right now." - Nina "I''ll deal with thatter." - Devel Walking toward us, SanShiGo reverts back to his previous appearance, while Helioc brushes the ck soil off his clothes. "Devel, don''t kick me away again."- Helioc "It was to save you, rx." - Devel "SO! 4 items. 4 of us. Let our agreement before, I choose first, then Nina, Devel, and Helioc. Are we still keeping to that?" - SanShiGo "Choose but you can''t touch the item and find out its description. That was the agreement. Still, remember that part?" - Nina "Of course! I didn''t forget." - SanShiGo ncing down at the ground, I observe the 4 different items. A ruby crystal, a tiny ck hammer, a crimson skull, and a skill book. Thinking about the possibilities of the different items, I assume the skill book rtes to one of the skills Smile had, maybe its to do with telekinesis or a teleportation skill. The ruby crystal might be fire-element rted, as I see a hint of mes inside of it. The crimson skull and the ck hammer were something I have no idea about, not even a thought of what they could be. Reaching down while I was still in mid-thought, SanShiGo grabs the skill book, picking it up while raising his eyebrows. "Interesting¡­ Well, Nina, your turn." - SanShiGo Picking the safest of the 4 options, SanShiGo walks away with the skill book happily, leaving us 3 to decide. Sabrina makes her way to us, hugging me from behind as she looks at the 3 items. "Pick the ruby crystal, Nina. It suits you the best." - Sabrina "I don''t know if it is the best one of the 3 though¡­" - Nina "Doubt it matters. None of you know what the other item does anyways, so just pick whatever suits you the most. Which in my opinion is the crystal." - Sabrina "Alright¡­" - Nina Picking up the ruby crystal, the description of the item is disyed in front of me. [Advanced Fire Crystal A crystallized me, filled with condensed fire element magic. If a person were to absorb the crystal they will gain an advanced fire-element-rted skill as well as an additional 20 intelligence.] Smiling at Sabrina, I hug her back as I slowly pull away from Devel and Helioc. "Thanks, Sabrina! By the way, do you want it? You will get stronger if you use this." - Nina "No can do! You earned it. I didn''t do too much during this whole battle other than fire Magic Missile and Tiny mes at the monster."- Sabrina "Then, thank you. I''ll take it." - Nina Chapter 304 304 - Reapers Castle (Nina Perspective) Crushing the fire crystal in my hand, I wince slightly as the heat starts to umte in my palm. A violent me wraps around my wrists traveling up my arm and forcing its way into my mouth and nose until it disappears. Clenching my eyes shut, I quickly calm myself, as the turbulent energy rocks my insides. Breathing in slowly, I feel the mes inside me burst into energy, spreading deep throughout my body, touching my fingertips to my toes. Quietly, I breathe in and out, as I let the mes travel wherever it wants to go. Until I could finally breathe normally. While I still feel like my body was slightly warmer than before, I didn''t think too much about it as the blue translucent screen appears before my eyes, showing me what I have acquired. [Congrations on absorbing the energy from the Advanced Fire Crystal. You have acquired the skill Fire Lance as well as 20 Intelligence.] Bringing up my status screen, I look through it observing the increase in stats as well as the skill''s description. Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 50/50 Mana Points (MP): 71/71 Holy Energy (HE): 20/20 Strength: 10 Vitality: 25 Intelligence: 100 (+42) Dexterity: 21 Agility: 23 Luck: 5 Equipment: Mage Robe, Beginner Fire Mage Book, Woven Shirt, Woven Pants, Little Star Pin, Wooden Wand Skills: Awakening, Mystic Palm, Holy me, Sacred Light, Fire Lance, Blessing of Ares (Passive), Holy Energy (Passive) Fire Lance (Active) 20 MP - Conjure ance made out of mes to destroy your enemies dealing 100(+200% Intelligence) fire-element damage. Conjuring subsequent Fire Lances before the cooldown of the skill will increase MP consumption by 50% while reducing damage by 50%. Cooldown 5 min. With this skill, I finally have a fire-element skill outside of the Beginner Fire Mage Book. Without the book, a lot of my attacking skills were useless, and even if I fight like Sylvia in Awakening mode, there was no chance I will be as effective since my Strength and Agility were much lower. Now, I have the option of using a powerful skill without my equipment, and at the same time, it looks to be quite destructive as well,paring the damage to my other skills. Resting for a couple of minutes, I let everyone recollect themselves as SanShiGo and Sabrina looked over their losses. When Smile attacked our backline near the end, there were a few casualties, with the most significant ones being Travys and ManTerror. Sabrina lost 5 of her people, 2 archers, and 3 spearmen, while SanShiGo lost 4 of his people, 3 warriors, and an archer. Sabrina''s losses were more impactful as the people she brought with her were her own NPCs, while SanShiGo only had yers. Sabrina''s losses were permanent, while SanShiGo''s were temporary, however, there wasn''t much that could be done, since at the end of the day we were able to defeat the monster quite quickly. Smile was strong, but he wasn''t impossible to defeat. Although, I wish I was able to get more information out of him. Nheless, we gradually gather close to the magic circle, looking for the next hint to go up to the Castle. ording to Devel, Helioc, and SanShiGo, nothing happened when they were fighting Smile near the magic circle, so they were slightly dubious of something happening now, but as we approach it, a familiar blue screen appears in front of us. [Congrtions on defeating the monster that guards the entrance to the Reaper''s Castle. Everyone that participated in this endeavor will gain 5 stat points in all their stats.] Name: ArchWizardo Race: Human Health Points (HP): 60/60 Mana Points (MP): 73/73 Holy Energy (HE): 20/20 Strength: 15 Vitality: 30 Intelligence: 105 (+42) Dexterity: 26 Agility: 28 Luck: 10 A sudden boost in stats, strange... It is as if the system is preparing us for a major battle, oh wait¡­ It is. The Reaper should be waiting somewhere with his Castle and I doubt the fight would be as easy as this one. [Are you ready to move to the Reaper''s Castle? WARNING epting will mean that there is no way back to this location. Yes/No] Looking at everyone who was already here, there was only one answer. "Yes." - Everyone [Please step inside the area of the Teleportation Circle.] Despite the rubble that litters the ground, covering the magic circle, there was still a lot of room, enough for everyone to fit inside the area. Once we were all inside, the magic circle starts to glow a faint cyan color. Foreign objects like pieces of the stone pir were disintegrated, leaving nothing left inside but us, as the glowing bes brighter and brighter. A slight feeling of magical energy washes over us, and a cyan ring locks itself around each of our waists, before one by one we get pulsed upward, disappearing before each other''s sights. Is this the method of teleportation that this world uses? Why does it feel like it is going to separate us all? Quickly, I rushed toward Sylvia and Sabrina, who happened to stand next to each other, grabbing their hands. "GRAB ONTO SOMEONE NEARBY! THERE IS A CHANCE IT MIGHT SPLIT US UP!" - Nina "Wait! NINA!" - Reba "OH NO! REBECCA! GRAB ONTO DEVEL!" - Nina "WHAT-" - Devel "NINA-" - Reba Heeding my advice as quickly as possible, everyone that was still left attempted to grab onto one another. The unfortunate people that has already teleported were unable to hear my advice and the slower people were also unable toplete the task, disappearing before grabbing onto someone. Within seconds, I feel something pull onto me, ncing back to the other two, I realize that they were being pulled upwards as well. With a small scream, the three of us disappear as we jet off the ground, flying up to the Castle. One second I was outside, and in the next body experienced a weightless state, as I float in the air for a moment, beforending on top of Sabrin and Sylvia. Crushing both of them under me, I feel Sylvia push me off her. "Ugh, for the love of Ares, what was that teleport¡­ation. Umm, girls¡­ Where are we?" - Sylvia Rubbing my head slightly as I look around, freezing up just like Sylvia as the interior of the Reaper''s Castle amazes me. I don''t know if this is the same everywhere else, but as I look around all I could see were stairs, running up and down, left and right, tforms both horizontal and vertical, and small ck cubes floating in the air. Everything was separated from one another, with a small gap that even a child could jump across but nothing made sense. The way, one tform meets another was otherwordly, someone straight out of fantasy or science fiction. Like gravity didn''t exist in this ce. Worse of all was the number of crimson skeletons and other monsters patrolling from tform to tform. Wandering from a horizontal tform to a vertical staircase, only to jump to an upsidedown staircase descending to an upward slope. Confusion was the only word I could think of, as I watch the monsters walk around, unaware of our presence. Bats and other flying monsters, seem to not be affected by the weird gravitational fields as they zip through the tforms, circling around and flying into small holes along the walls. "That''s impossible¡­ What? How? Wasn''t this supposed to be a Reaper''s Castle? I was expecting undead everywhere or like long corridors of monsters. What is this?!" - Sabrina "Me too¡­ In fact, I feel like the space here is also disorientated. There should be so much space inside this ce, at least from the outside of the Castle it doesn''t look like there should be this much space in one location. OH WAIT! Reba! Where is she?" - Nina "Last I saw of her, she had grabbed onto Devel like you told her but I doubt she is near us. It looks like the magic circle we used separated everyone that wasn''t holding onto one another, putting us all in different locations." - Sylvia "Damn! That means Mikki is by himself as well." - Nina "Mikki? I heard you say that name before. Who is that?" - Sabrina "Remember Ian? That''s a fake. It is really a monster in disguise, sent by Selino." - Nina "WHAT! Why didn''t you say something?" - Sylvia "There was no need, but he said he was only here to observe us while Selino and Ian do this union thing¡­ NOT SURE what that means but Ian was in trouble and they were able to figure out a deal, which was Mikkiing to us for a bit as a recement. This way, none of us will be too concerned about Ian''s disappearance, and instead focus on moving forward, going through the Abyss and attacking the Reaper." - Nina "No wonder, he felt so different when I tried to speak to him. He gave me a smile and says some random gibberish before moving away." - Sabrina "Yea, but now he is by himself. Who knows what he will do or what Selino has nned for him? Finding Mikki as well as finding the Reaper are our priorities right now." - Nina "You mean, figuring out how we are going to move about should be our priority right now, after all, I have no idea what we are going to do or where we are going." - Sylvia "Don''t worry. At least from where we are standing, I see a flight of stairs on the other side, that might lead upward. Let''s start by heading there." - Nina Chapter 305 305 - Just Jump (Nina Perspective) Walking over to the flight of stairs slowly, I start to observe the smaller details about the Reaper''s Castle. Despite us trodding over this hard dark chocte-like stoney ground, not one of our footsteps made a noise. Other than the rattling of bones above us, the pping of wings, and the asional growl and roar, there were no other sounds. As if this whole area was just dominated by monsters, but without hearing their footsteps how would be we able to tell where they are, other than by looking at them? Furthermore, the lighting in this ce is strange, to say the least. There were no windows, no sky, and no electricity, instead floating blueish-white mes dot the air. They travel independently, moving at their own pace, wherever they please, like gravity didn''t affect them, as if there was an independent wind source, pushing them along. These mes light up a small area around them, showcasing the sometimes horrific sights of monsters eating each other. Adjusting my eyes to the limited vision, I carefully scan the edges of the light trying to figure out any usible destinations. In doing so, I figure out that there were multiple doors scattered along the walls of this ce as if it was a honeb. Some of these doors aren''t attached to a small tform, and others could be seen flipped upside down or tilted at an angle. Any sort of possibility could be seen here, without a hint of consistency. Except, at the very top a singr door existed. Instead of themon wine-red doors with a copper knob, this door was blood red. Its edges were covered in bone spikes, and it was split in the middle by a golden line, with a golden hoop on each side. Without even thinking, I can tell that that door either leads to the Reaper or it leads to another important location, maybe the corridor that leads to the Reaper''s location. Regardless, that was our destination. "We need to make our way to the top. I see a door that looks too extravagant to be anything other than the final boss room." - Nina "How are we going to do that? Other than follow these stairs, are we just going to make up the path as we venture forth?" - Sylvia "I think we have no choice. It''s not like we have a map or something." - Sabrina "My thoughts as well. We just need to move forward and try to pick paths that lead upward. There is a chance we might need to go inside one of the doors, but hopefully, we don''t need to do that. Whatever is behind the doors is too much of an unknown variable." - Nina Not longter, we reach the stairs but before we set foot on them, we made sure to check our surroundings. Without any light on this level and without wanting to attract any attention to us, we had no choice but to carefully scout around. Looking as carefully as we can with our slightly adjusted eyes, we didn''t discover any possible traps or tricks that might hinder our journey, so we return to the stairs. Stepping on the first step, I feel my body connect with the stairs like there was a pulse emitting through the smooth metallic material, beating alongside my heart. Checking that sensation, I lift my foot off the stairs and back on the ground, no longer feeling that pulsating sensation next to my heart. Raising an eyebrow at my movements, Sylvia questions what I was doing. "Something wrong, Nina? Why aren''t you going up?" - Sylvia "Ah¡­ I don''t know. It just felt a little weird when I ced my foot on the stairs. I don''t know how to describe it but it feels like the stair is¡­ alive?" - Nina "Weird¡­ I feel the same." - Sabrina Turning to Sabrina, who had just ced her foot on the first step as well, she too questions herself as she must have felt or is still feeling that simr weird sensation. "Is it a bad feeling? Should we try to find another way up?" - Sylvia "No¡­ There wasn''t any other way to get up other than jumping high enough to reach one of the tforms, and obviously, we can''t do that. I guess we just ignore it for now and move on. There is no way to exin it and we don''t know what it will do." - Nina "Alright¡­ Here goes nothing. Wow¡­ That is a weird feeling. Like another heart." - Sylvia "Heart? Wait! I think there might be something simr to the heart in the Abyss. I noticed as we were walking that there were some small crevices in the ground. There might be another ''heart'' in this ce, and it is what controls the floating stairs. This is just conjecture, so I''m not entirely sure but we can''t rule out that possibility." - Nina "Uh¡­ Nina, I wasn''t part of the Abyss team, so I don''t know about the heart." - Sabrina "Ah, neither was Sabrina or me, but from what I heard from Kingston and Ian, is that there was a giant heart at the top of the Abyss, that had ''veins'' along the walls of the Abyss. I''m not sure what it did but it did power up some of the monsters." - Nina "You think it might be here as well?" - Sylvia "I think there is a chance. It isn''t unusual to have multiples of certain objects and if the heart is more useful than useless, then it has a higher chance of being used more. Just basicmon sense." - Nina "Then, we have no choice but to let whatever this heart wants to do to us as we step on these stairs right?" - Sabrina "Right! Onwards!" - Sylvia "Yep, full speed ahead I guess¡­" - Nina Taking the lead, Sylvia, climbs the staircase quickly, reaching the top of it. Right behind her, Sabrina and I quickly catch up to see that the staircase, narrows the higher we go until it only fits a person. With no rails on the side, and peering over the edge, I estimate that we are only one or two stories high. Not enough to kill us if we fall but¡­ Enough to injure us. Stepping forward carefully, Sylvia readies her fists, moving at a slower pace as she nces to the side regrly. With such a narrow foothold, there was a high chance that one of us will fall from an attack from the sides. Sabrina was right behind Sylvia, grasping her staff tightly as she nces at every moving object within her field of vision, while I crouch slightly as I move forward. Having a lower gravity would help with stabilizing myself if I was attacked, and since I had the lowest athletic ability out of the three of us, I had to make sure I didn''t get pushed off. We traverse this long narrow tform, slowly reaching the end of it after a rtively long journey only to be met with a problem at the very end. "Nina¡­ There is nowhere for us to go. It''s a dead-end here." - Sylvia Peeking over, Sabrina''s right, I see that we have made it all the way across to the other side of the area, right above where we had teleported too. Like Sylvia had said, there was no horizontal tform or floating staircase for us to stand on but¡­ There was a tform that was lit up slightly by a floating me. It was like the horizontal tform we were standing on, the only difference was it was on its side. The long t surface where we would normally walk was vertical, leaving the only horizontal part to be the thickness of the tform, but even that was too small for us to step on. Looking at the tform, there was only one thing I could think of for us to do. "Jump. Sylvia just jump, and you will be okay." - Nina "WHAT?! JUMP? JUMP WHERE?" - Sylvia "Umm, just jump¡­ forward?" - Nina "It should be like how the skeletons are moving¡­ Look." - Sabrina Following her finger, we see a crimson skeleton moving nearby a white me. It was approaching the end of the tform and an upsidedown staircase was in front of it. Before it fell off the tform, I did a slight jump, and magically, its body flips horizontally. It''s feet touch the staircase and it moves up the stairs as if nothing had happened. "What the¡­" - Sylvia "See. Just jump. Nothing will go wrong, and even if something did, you won''t die from this height. You will be fine, Sylvia." - Nina "No. No. No. I ain''t jumping." - Sylvia "Sylvia, you are the most athletic person here. Your jump all around in battle, whereas both of us, Sabrina and I, are mages. We don''t do physical activity. You are the only one who can test this mechanism out. Please, just jump." - Nina "I''m afraid. She is right. Sylvia, jump. You got this!" - Sabrina With her mouth wide open, Sylvia looks at Sabrina, before tilting her head and looking at me, who had decided to sit down on the tform. Looking back, I give her the biggest smile I could make, alongside pleading eyes and a finger heart. "Alright. Alright. I''ll¡­ Jump." - Sylvia Taking in a couple of deep breaths, Sylvia calms her rapidly beating heart as she gazes at the sideways tform. Nothing she said to herself could give any valid reasonings as to why she should be making this jump, but it was like there was no choice. If only I had popcorn and a drink, as watching this was quite entertaining. Sylvia would move forward, ready to jump only to stop herself and take more deep breaths. Readying herself, onest time, she takes a leap of faith, angling herself in the air as her feet reach the right side of the tform. Magically, her body turns to the right, and her feet nt themselves on the tform, but the momentum moves her slightly forward, taking a few steps. Her chest moves up and down heavily as she stands still like a statue. Looking over her shoulder, her gaze locks on us. "I did it¡­" - Sylvia Chapter 306 306 - Andud (Rebecca Perspective) After following Nina''s advice, at thest second, I grab onto Devel only for both of us to float off the ground and disappear upward within the next. Moving from the outside world to this new location, I carefully scan the environment. Devel was on the ground next to me, still groggy from the teleportation and it seems like David was with us as well, in a simr condition as Devel. Looking around I notice we were in some sort of square room, with 4 blueish-white torches lit in each corner. The torches lit up most of the room as they shone brightly, illuminating a humanoid figure wrapped in a ck robe with green runes glowing slightly, standing off to the corner. Noticing the strangeness of the situation, I didn''t want to rm the figure and instead crouch near Devel and David, putting a finger to my lips. "No need to do that. I know you three are awake." Snapping our heads to the figure, Devel unsheaths his sword, cing it in front of us while he pushes me behind him. David stands next to me, with only his armor left, he hits his knuckles together, ring at the humanoid figure. "Calm down. No need to fight straightaway. My name is Andud, I am a humble schr who works for my king, the Reaper." - Andud "What do you want? Speak, before I slice you in half." - Devel "An aggressive one aren''t you? Do note that you are in the Reaper''s Castle. You are in enemy territory, and you are threatening an enemy schr without knowing their capabilities. Quite frankly, that is a very poor decision but nheless, there wasn''t much to be expected from such an idiotic bunch. Humans think of themselves as one of the smartest in the food chain, maybe close to the top only to not understand that there are so many creatures, so much more intelligent. Humans mistake adaptability for intelligence. Just becasue they can adapt to different and new environments or sudden changes in their situation, that doesn''t mean they are one of the top species. Your kind, multiple as quickly as goblins and orcs, littering every biome with your seed, but your lifespan is not even a tenth of the higher and more powerful species. I just want to have a nice and orderly conversation with some of my king''s guests. Nothing more and nothing less. So, please. Sit." - Andud Waving his hand in the air collecting a small ck fog, Andud flicks his wrists to us, making the fog travel near us. Tensing at the situation, Devel readies himself to fight at a moment''s notice, but I quickly grab onto his shoulder, making him hesitate as he nces over. The fog merely sits in front of us, before dispersing after a few moments, revealing a small ck circr table and 3 ck chairs with a slight backrest, made out of bones. Still covered in his robe, Andud motions for us to sit once more, pointing to the table and chairs. While Devel and David, were hesitating, I quickly assessed the situation, before squeezing through both of them, and making my way to the table. Grabbing my hand, as I walk past him, Devel gives me a look of worry, as I''m sure he is wary of the figure that was talking to us. "Wait. Let''s not rush into things." - Devel "I''m not rushing and if we stay like this, there is a high chance, that he will just attack us. At least, if he is willing to talk, then we have time to think of more options." - Reba "Ba, I''m not sure if we should just sit down." - David "And if we don''t what are we going to do?" - Reba Sliding away from Devel, I walk over to the closest chair. Touching the ck bones, I feel how smooth they were, with not even a bump despite it being made from several bones, as if they all merged into one. Carefully, I sit down, cing my hands on myp as I nce at Andud, trying to gauge the situation. David follows after me, taking a sit on my left, while the still undecided Devel, reluctantly sits on my right. pping his hands together, as he wanders the edge of the light, Andud chuckles slightly. Waving his hand in the air, another ck fog is created, as it concentrates just on the barrier of the light. Dispersing after a few moments, arge armchair made out of bones could be seen, as Andud, sits down, resting his head on his hand. "So, Andud, what would you like to ask us? It seems you are quite curious about us, to ask us to sit down and have a chat." - Devel "Impatient aren''t you? Well, I might as well humor you, since there isn''t much else to do. I would to ask you, what do you think of the current situation? Now, I''m not talking about your current situation but the situation of this whole ce, the whole of this continent." - Andud "I''m not entirely sure of the continent''s situation, since there are only so many ways tomunicate across thends. Travel is hard since there are no maps, and monsters constantly gue every direction. However, from the little information that I know, the continent is separated into 5 territories, with 4 of them being territories of a King." - Devel "Thest territory is akin to a no-mansnd, where all the kings potentially fight within that area or leave that area alone." - Reba "You in order words, don''t know much. Sigh, humans still haven''t learned to cooperate have they? There are many of you in each time period but not one of you is able to band together to fight the greater cause. Pathetic really. Even cubs know to stick with the pack. Do you even know about the history of your people? Do elders tell you what has happened in the past, make sure history is not repeated?" - Andud "Elders? History? No, tell us. Our uhh¡­ Settlement, isprised of the younger generation. We do not know of our history, but you do? What do you know about humanity''s past for you to speak like this?" - Reba "While we are both humans, we were living inpletely different environments. Only by chance did we meet, so I''m curious as well, how we are tied together by past events." - Devel "Hmm¡­ This is interesting. I''m surprised you know nothing. The girl seems like the smarter of the three of you, yet even she knows nothing of the past. Then, let me give you a small history lesson. Tell me, do you think this continent was always under the rule of the 4 Kings? Or do you think there was someone that ruled thisnd before them?" - Andud ncing at the only NPC between us, both Devel and I look at David. Receiving our gaze, he proceeds to shake his head, as he too didn''t know the answer to that question. "I don''t know anything. As a ve, we were only taught how toplete a task." - David "Andud, we have no idea the answer to your question, but let me take an educated guess. Assuming that thend is currently under the rule of the 4 Kings, then most likely it only happened within the more recent years, maybe 5 to 10. Prior to that, I assume it was more of a wastnd, anyone was free tomit to any sort of action, with no ruling party above them to stop them." - Devel Snapping his fingers together, Andud conjures a bone cup, from which he drinks a green liquid from. "Correct answer. The Kings have only been in this situation for 5 years. Before their rule, there were multiple smaller kingdoms, each trying to wrestle for power until ultimately falling to the 4 Kings. Originally, humans were at the forefront of the wars, due to their affinity with the elements as well as martial arts. They could be anything they wanted, whereas all other races were restricted. Beastmen were unlikely to be attuned to the elements, whereas elves had lower strengths. Dragons were unable to popte as quickly as other races and even though they were mighty, if they were hunted by groups of other races, they would fall quite easily. Humans were able to capitalize on theirrge numbers and their various strengths to attempt to conquer thesends but the 4 leading parties banded together to stop them." - Andud "The 4 kings?" - Reba "Yes, they made an agreement and did their best to eliminate smaller threats first, creating a name for themselves before making a small part of the continent theirs. Together, they attacked human settlements in waves, and unable to adapt quickly enough to the changing battles, humans eventually fell. They would one day be attacked by golems, only for the next to be attacked by a horde of skeletons. The day after that, aquatic creatures would venture out of the water, attacking in quick bursts. Humans while the master of adaptation, were unable to adapt to such orderly warfare and since they didn''t cooperate with each other at the start, they were unable to fight back. You see, why they were at war with the other species, they were also at war with themselves. Attacking each other for resources, and people. They were the only race that would enve their own kind, which from my viewpoint is still a smart decision, as they are just so many of them. Regardless, the human nations eventually died out, and recing them were the Kings, each taking a portion of the continent as their own, leaving a small gray area in the center. Since then, there have been small skirmishes between them, as resources on thisnd are finite, but nothing big enough for them to eliminate each other. However, now they have a new problem. The sudden rise in humans. You are their problem. You, humans, have suddenlye out of the hole you have been hiding in and have been frantically attacking everything everywhere. The start was more tamed, but now, look at you¡­ Attacking the Reaper''s Castle. One of the King''s home. There is not much else for me to say, other than how stupid this situation is for you. What in you god-forsaken minds made you think attacking the Castle was a good idea?" - Andud "Before we reply, I would like to ask something." - Devel "Speak." - Andud "Who are you to be asking these questions? Why are you so curious about our endeavors to the point that you would allow us to sit down and have a chat? We are deep in enemy territory, and each second could be dangerous for us. So why?" - Devel "Becasue¡­ I was one of you." - Andud Chapter 307 307 - Different Views (Rebecca Perspective) Standing up and flicking the hood of his robe off his head, Andud reveals to us his face, orck of it. A smooth shiny white head, mes for eyes, and not a single tooth remain on his face. ncing down, I realise it was the same for his fingers. Andud was a skeleton¡­ "AH! So, that''s why you are called Andud, because you are undead." - David "Yes, I know. A poor naming choice. I can only me my previous master for that." - Andud "You were once a human? Is that why you speak of our actions with such¡­ Disgust?" - Reba "It''s not so much as disgust but more of disappointment. Despite, the many years, humans haven''t changed their way of thinking. Maybe¡­ It is for the best since this is the only method that has worked. Humans are weak, and what higher race would want to cooperate with a weaker race? None of them. They would rather enve them." - Andud "I think, your train of thought is wrong. There are many instances of demi-humans and monsters cooperating with humans." - Reba Circling us slowly, Andud clicks his fingers together making a slow rhythmic beat. "Demi-humans, yes. Monsters, yes. However, these aren''t higher races. I think you have misunderstood something. I said Beastmen before, didn''t I?" - Andud "Yes¡­" - Reba "Beastmen are different from demi-humans. Demi-humans retain a lot of human qualities, with only minor beast qualities. Maybe they had different ears or a tail. Or maybe they have ws or some part of their body has scales. However, it is the opposite with beastmen. They retain a lot of their beast qualities, with their human quality mainly to do with their posture and intellect. Humans are smart, and beastmen took that intelligence andbined it with their superiorbat strength. That is why beastmen are a threat to a lot of races since there are an ungodly number of different types of beastmen. The Horde for one is a beastmen himself. Although, I can''t say which race he is from as I have no information about it." - Andud "But still, there are races helping each other. Humans are helping others as well." - Reba "Helping? Or enving them?" - Andud "Enving¡­? No! Look, David and I are friends. We fight together on the same battlefield, we sleep together in the same vige, and we eat together. We have elves, goblins, hobgoblins, and demi-humans all working together to create a better ce." - Reba "And how sure are you that that is happening everywhere? Maybe your friend wants to speak¡­ Although, it does seem like a cat has caught his tongue." - Andud Turning to Devel while raising my left eyebrow, he gives me a sorrowful nce before letting out a deep sigh. Leaning back in his seat, while resting the tip of his sword on the ground, looks away, gazing at Andud who had alreadypped around us. "Reba, it isn''t like what you say in other ces." - Devel "What? What do you mean¡­? I heard on the forum that there were some¡­ You know. BUT! There wasn''t anything serious and other yers have made like a-" - Reba "Reba! It isn''t all sunshine and rainbows out there. This ga-ce is more than it meets the eye. Freedom is what attracts yers and there is a lot of freedom." - Devel "Then¡­" - Reba "Whatever you are thinking of, it probably has happened or worse. Most of the biggerpanies do their best to restrict other yers with contracts, but with how big this world is, there are bound to be things we can''t keep track of. I for one have banned any sort of mistreatment in my own vige but who knows for the rest of the poption." - Devel "What are you both talking about¡­? Do you know people who have mistreated others, Devel?" - David "David, don''t worry. I don''t know anyone who has but I have heard of it happening. Unfortunately, I don''t have a way to stopping these things from happening, so¡­ It hasn''t stopped." - Devel "That''s-That''s outrageous. Why are people hurting others? Sure it can be a little scary at first. Gobi and Gibing were goblins who frightened me at the beginning but, they showed me that they were the same as us. Just doing their best to survive." - David "David, I know how you feel. I haven''t been in HavenFall for long, but I saw the harmonious atmosphere everyone portrayed. The love we have for each other was so great and heartwarming, and everyone was epting of me and Evan when we first came." - Reba "It is quite sad to see the dichotomy of humans. One side has seen a harmonious nature while the other has been exposed to the dirty and disgusting nature of humans. Which is why I gave up on that race. I am as you can see, an undead. Maybe not by choice but, it is what it is, and I have epted that this was the better oue." - Andud "If that is what you believe, then why speak to us? Why educate us on your views? What is the point in this conversation?" - Devel "Oh. There was no point in this conversation. I was just bored and the Teleportation Circle below the Castle happened to transfer me a couple of guests. Taking the opportunity I wanted to see your views and have a friendly discussion. I''m still a schr after all." - Andud "You say you are a schr, what do you mean by that?" - Reba "Hmm¡­ Interesting question, and valid as well since you know nothing of me. How about I tell you a little about myself before we ultimately have to fight?" - Andud "So, the conclusion will lead to us fighting?"- Devel "Yes. You are the enemy and I follow my King''s orders. This is just a small loophole, in which I am engaging in a verbal battle first. Anyways, let me talk about myself. I was a human, about¡­ 10 years ago¡­? It has been quite a long time, forgive me for forgetting. During my time, humans were at the top of the food chain. We could go wherever we want to with little danger. During that time, I was a schr for one of the Kings, much like now. I researched history, monsters, and nts but the one area which I strive to understand the most was death. What happens after you die? What happens to your body and your soul? Does your soul leave this world? Or does it get reborn in another creature or nt? So many questions and these questions intrigued me, until the time I met my previous master, necromancer Rickard. He served the underground cult, Parade Of Death, but that doesn''t matter much. Following him for a couple of years, I understood a lot of the underlying natures of humanity. Before I was seeing the world through rose-tinted sses, only seeing what I want to see and never really searching. As a schr, I couldn''t believe myself for only looking at the surface and so, I cast my humanity aside, to be able to see humanity from a different perspective. Enlightening experience it was. I was able to see the disgusting nature of humans but I also saw the good. I understood that the higher the rank of a human, the more likely they would fall prey to their desires but the same could be said for the opposite. The lower they were, the more likely they too would fall prey but there was a small section, in between them where I saw the good in humans. Following my master, I observed this group of humans. They interacted with a human girl, or maybe she wasn''t so human. Even now I find it hard to believe she was human, but at the same time, I think she was. She was called Mumei, the guardian of civilization. Helping this small group of humans, she created a force to be reckoned with, attacking the current 4 Kings, in hope of winning this war. As you can see failed, and ever since I have only heard of reports of her, never seeing her figure again. Now, I research and research trying to find her. Why you might ask? It is quite simple. I want to ask her a question. Why humans? Why help this race?" - Andud "That''s it? You woulde to the Reaper''s side and help kill so many humans and other races only for that-that question?" - Reba "Yes. That question is something that has gued me for 10 or so years. I want to know the answer to that question, before seeking a new task." - Andud "I can''t tell who is the real idiot. Us or him." - Devel "Think what you want. Reality hasn''t changed much since her appearance." - Andud "Don''t worry, this era of humans will change it. ELECTRICAL CHARGE!" - Devel Bursting off his seat, Devel lunges at Andud who had his back turned to us. "Bone wall. Summon Skeleton Soldiers." - Andud Without even looking at Devel, a giant wall of bones blocks Devel''s attack. The electricity sparks off Devel as he shes at the wall, only to break some of the bones. At the same time, emerging from the ground, 5 white skeletons each with either a sword, an ax, or a spear attack him. Fending them off quickly, he retreats to us, as we ready ourselves forbat as well. Grasping the goblin knife in my hand, I look hesitantly at Devel. "Are you sure we can handle him? I initially thought we could stall until someone we knew wandered into this ce but¡­" - Reba "I doubt something like that will happen. Don''t worry. I''ll handle Andud. David, protect Reba, just do your best to survive." - Devel "Discussing a n of attack while in front of the enemy? Bold move. Oh, well. I had fun. First time in a while I had a conversation with a human. Thank you for your time, and I hope you will die quickly. Summon Skeleton Mages. Summon Skeleton Giant." - Andud "Retreat to one of the walls. I got this. Alright?" - Devel "Just be careful. You aren''t invincible." - Reba "I can''t lose here. He isn''t even the final boss." - Devel Chapter 308 308 - Bone Breaking (Rebecca Perspective) Appearing from the ground, next to Andud, towering over the bone wall, is a white skeleton giant. Grasping onto a simrly gigantic femur, the giant slowly stomps around the bone wall. Two green mes burn brightly within its eye sockets as it gazes in Devel''s direction. Trailing in front of the giant, and regrouping with the skeleton warriors, were 3 skeleton mages, dressed in ck robes and holding onto long wooden staffs. As the bone wall disintegrates, Andud could be seen sitting on his armchair once more, resting his head on his hand. Even without being able to see his facial features, I could tell he was bored and disinterested as he looks at this battle. However, we couldn''t show the same disinterest. Devel steps off the ground, making a small indent with his feet as he charges at the nearest skeleton. Defending itself with its sword, the skeleton braces for impact as Devel quickly shes at its torso. In the meantime, the mages behind each hold out their staffs as purple magic circles appear in front of them. Purple electricity sparks around the magic circles, as dark indigo balls, shoots out, zooming through the air, locked onto Devel. Seeing the iing projectiles, Devel hesitates for a moment, before jumping headfirst into them. Surrounding himself with the skeleton warriors, Devel brings his forearms in front of his face as the monsters proceed to attack him. Swords and axes, aim for his neck and face whilst the spear attempts to pierce through his chest, but to the monster''s dismay, Devel stands still, unmoving. With each blow, cut, thrust, or strike, Devel''s body glows blue slightly, growing stronger with each subsequent blow. Reaching the battlefield finally, the skeleton giant lifts his weapon up high, bringing it down onto Devel. Seeing the approaching bone club, Devel braces himself for impact, tensing his body as the attack smashes into his head, however, instead of breaking his body from the attack, Devel lifts his arms up, stopping the blow. At the same time, the glowing of his body peaks. "COUNTER PULSE!" - Devel Sending a translucent blue shockwave outward, Devel''s skill eliminates the skeleton warriors that were surrounding him, while knocking back the giant, making it fall to the ground with a thunderous thud. Quickly, Devel elerates to the skeleton mages, holding his sword to the side as he dodges the iing indigo balls. Reaching them within the time it takes to breathe, Devel smashes his sword through their torsos, killing each one swiftly. Watching the fight unfold from his chair, Andud, remains the same. Unmoving and unflinching at the sorrowful sight of his summons dying, ncing between Andud and the giant, Devel hesitates as he decides on his course of action. "Devel! Go for Andud, David and I will handle the giant!" - Reba "Okay! On it." - Devel "Come, David. Let''s help him out." - Reba "Stay behind me still okay, Ba? I don''t want anything to happen to you. Ian would kill me if something did." - David "I will don''t worry." - Reba Sprinting toward Andud, Devel''s sword glows brightly, revealing the insides of the sword slightly as the rocks surrounding it juts out, connected by the electrical strings that bound it together. Waving his bony hands in the air, purple magic circles appear in front of Andud. Emerging out of them, were simrly dark indigo balls, but not only were theyrger, but they were also faster. Zooming toward Devel at lightning-quick speeds, he narrowly dodges the first few, as they explode onto the ground, creating a small purple shockwave, but there was a group that blocked his escape route. Bracing himself, Devel swings downward as the indigo balls fly to him, creating arge purple explosion. In the meantime, the skeleton giant stands up, staring at Devel. Grabbing its Femur Club, it proceeds to move to Devel, however, David and I stood in its path. Banging his knuckles together, David charges at the skeleton giant, engulfing his body in mes. Burning as bright as the morning sun, David leaps off the ground, dodging the iing attack as the skeleton giant ms its club onto the ground. The sheer force of the attack, rocks the ground, making it hard to stand but, that didn''t affect David as his fist mmed into the giant''s skull. A small crack forms, bursting into mes and searing the area ck before David carefullynds on the ground. However, his mistake was stopping, as the skeleton didn''t feel any pain from the attack, and instead follows David, swinging the club along the ground. Tearing through the ground, picking up pieces of the floor along with the club, the skeletonnds a decisive blow on the unsuspecting David, but I knew he will be okay. Instead, I start to sprint toward the skeleton, making a pair of dice appear in the air as I do. Casting it forward, I let it bounce in the air, waiting for the good news as I trust in my Luck stat. [The dice have been cast¡­ Total¡­ 10! Boost deserted stat by 100%. Which stat would you like to increase?] Smiling to myself, as I read the result, I calmly exhale, as I speak quietly. "Boost Agility." - Reba [Agility has been chosen. Agility 51 -> Agility 102] Feeling the wind behind my back, I elerate toward the skeleton, looking for any weak points I could take advantage of while ncing at David to make sure he was okay. Seeing him, grabbing onto the club after the small explosion urred when it hit him, a small wave of relief washed over me. While I trusted his ability to tank damage, there was a little part of me that was still worried about his safety. Gritting his teeth, David yells at the top of his lungs as he yanked the club from the skeleton''s arm, taking the hand along with him as he tosses the club to the side. Observing this interaction, I realize that all the joints in the skeleton can be disconnected, of course, it might require a huge force to do it. However, I nce near the ankles and the wrists looking carefully, to see thin light blue strings connecting each bone. If I wasn''t looking carefully, I was sure I would have missed it, but now that I was it was like looking at a whole new world. A web of blue strings, stretches over each bone, connecting everyrge and small bone together, like muscles. As they were slightly transparent, anyone could have easily missed this detail, but with this newfound knowledge, I realize that it was the skeleton''s weakness. "David, there are blue mana strings that attach to each bone. When you pulled on the club before, you tore the mana strings that connect the wrist and the hand. We can defeat the skeleton giant, by just tearing it apart!" - Reba "How do you want me to go about that? I don''t have a weapon anymore." - David "You don''t need it! But first, we need to topple the giant! Aim for its left leg, I''ll grab its attention. You push or pull on the leg to make it fall to the ground." - Reba "On it!" - David Holding onto the goblin knife tightly, I circle around the giant, to the front, while David circles to its back. Its eyes were still locked onto David as it starts to turn around. Seeing this, I quickly change directions, rushing to the giant as quickly as possible. Leaping up, I grab onto its kneecap, and using the remaining momentum, I pull myself up further, grabbing onto its rib cage. Stepping off one of the ribs, I bounce up to its head, stabbing its cheekbone with the knife. While I knew the knife wouldn''t do any damage to the skeleton, I saw that the mes in its eye sockets turn to me. Smiling at my sessful taunt, I flip backward,nding softly on the ground below. ncing up, I saw the monster lift its right leg preparing to stomp on my body, but this presented us an opportunity of a lifetime. Dashing from behind, as he notices the giant lifting its leg, David crashes into the left leg, knocking it off the ground. Unable to bnce itself, with both feet off the ground, the skeleton copsed to the ground below. Sprinting forth, I yell at David to start the attack on the monster. "Pull on its feet! Try to tear it apart from its ankle! I''m going to see if I can cut the strings near the head!" - Reba "Why don''t I just try to pull the head from the neck?" - David "Good point! Come!" - Reba Both of us quickly rush to the head of the skeleton, reaching it within a matter of seconds. The mes in its eye socket move slowly to us, as it attempts to lift itself off the ground, but David, quickly jumped onto its shoulder, cracking the bone and pushing it to the floor. Seeing that thework of strings was darker around the back of the neck, I slide to the ground, flicking a coin up at the same time. [Sessful Coin Flip! Doubling Random Stat¡­ Strength has been selected! Strength 44 -> Strength 88. Will you flip again?] "NO!" - Reba I wasn''t even sure if it will work, but instead of thinking and nning I thought why not just try¡­? Cutting the mana strings would work to separate the neck and the head but on the off chance it did nothing then I guess I gave the skeleton a good scratch along the bone. Sliding underneath the head, I slice upward, as I see the nest of blue strings, but to my dismay, the goblin knife phases through it, creating a deep white mark along the bone. Disappointed, I exit from under the skeleton on the other side. Seeing my failure, David hurriedly, grabs onto the chin of the skeleton, pushing it upward while kicking its neck. Each kick created more and more cracks along the bone, which sparked another idea. BRUTE FORCE! With my increased strength, I was somewhat sure that my strength would be simr to David''s, and meeting my expectation, my fist punches a small hole into the bones of the skeleton giant. Time to break some bones! Chapter 309 309 - Transcendence (Rebecca Perspective) It took some time, but eventually, the skeleton giant was defeated. Broken into pieces. Compared to Nina''s thought-out n, David and I went very primal in our approach. Unable to find a weakness, and unable to think of a better n, I resorted to using the increased strength and agility which I gained from multiple coin flips. Over the course of a couple of minutes, we eventually defeated the skeleton. In the meantime, Devel was still struggling with Andud. Throughout the whole fight with the skeleton giant, I asionally caught a glimpse of the action between the two, and it felt like it was a whole different world. Various magic circles appeared in front, behind, and around Devel and Andud, creating balls, spears, bones, and walls. Each attack was brutal and quick, with explosions to apany them, but each time, I see Devel either dodge the attack or block it,ing out with only scratches. I thought that Devel would have to retreat slightly in order to heal up, but looking at him, it seems to me that he has barely sustained any damage throughout the fight. Shocked at this result, I start to understand how powerful Devel was, and that sometimes, he can''t show the true extent of his power when fighting certain enemies. After all, he was able to quickly eliminate 3 Zabiks and fought against Smile in closebat for a long time. Were his close-quarterbat skills improving with each major fight? Or was he just gifted at fighting? Regardless, his fight against Andud was reaching a stalemate, as the both of them separate slightly the moment the skeleton giant perished. ncing at David and me, Andud slightly tilts his head, as if he was contemting the reason behind his summoned skeleton giant''s defeat. "It seems your friends aren''t useless after all. Although, they are quite slow in defeating the pitiful giant of mine." - Andud "Their strengths lie elsewhere. Not everyone can be strong on the battlefield." - Devel "Oh, but that is where you are wrong. You need to be strong on the battlefield, or else you die. Just like my poor giant. He was weaker, therefore he died." - Andud "And does that change anything between us?" - Devel "Not at all. I can always summon more, but the fight between us was quite boring. You didn''t once give it your all, and in turn, neither did I. As if we were both just dancing in front of the other, looking for searching for an opportunity to give our best. Only to never find the moment. What a pity." - Andud "Is it really? Even though you lost your facial expressions with the loss of your skin, I could still feel a sense of boredoming from your actions. You don''t really care too much about this fight, do you? Is it just because you are a General for the Reaper?" - Devel "Someone is smarter than I thought. Yes, this is my job, but my hobby takes priority over my job. Quite silly, I know, but I enjoy researching more than I do fighting." - Andud "Then, let us leave. You get to enjoy your time researching whatever it is you are researching, and we get the chance to leave and explore the Castle." - Devel "If only it were that simple. I cannot let you leave this ce unless I leave, or you kill me. That is how the Reaper''s Castle works. Then again, I doubt you had knowledge about this ce prior to entering. The Reaper''s Castle is a space made up of numerous rooms, too many to bother counting. Each room has a lock and that lock can be defeating the guardian of the room, orpleting whatever trivial puzzle or task. This is the room my King ced me in when you humans attacked the Glemt. You attacked several ces of the Glemt, and once we realized that was the case, we thought of just pulling more of you in, since you were also our food source. However, that n backfired on us, as we start to discover that there were more of you than we anticipated. We thought we had a good number of the humans that were left on this continent, however, we were wrong. The estimated number wasn''t even half of the current number of humans, so we had no choice but to attack. Send out our troops. When that failed, and you attacked us en masse, we devised a n. Eventually, you would be led to the Reaper''s Castle, so we created the conditions. Nothing I can do about it, unfortunately. I was hoping that no one would show up through my teleportation circle, but, oh well. Maybe I should just end this now? Get back to researching¡­ Yes, perhaps I will do that. Shadow Resonance! Phantom March! Soul Link!" - Andud A single ck magic circle appears below Andud, stretching out further as it spins slowly, reaching Devel. Leaping back in a hurry, Devel retreats to us, with a worried look on his face. Turning back, he faces Andud, as a shadowy mist covers the ground, creeping along as if it were small arms reaching for anything living. One by one, indigo specters appear beside Andud, reaching out from the shadowy mist. Some had ck translucent armor covering their bodies, as they stood still next to Andud clutching a spear in their hand, while others rode on ck horses, with Prussian blue bones and mes as their hair. An army of monsters had appeared out of the shadowy mist, and as I see them form one by one, my heart sinks deeper and deeper into my chest. "What-What do we do?" - Reba "Ba¡­ I think we might be dead this time. I''m sorry." - David "No. I''ll handle this. I still had one more move up my sleeve. I just didn''t think I would be using it here." - Devel Stepping forward, Devel drags his sword along the ground. Slowly he ventures into the mist, wading through it. His eyes locked on Andud and his unmoving army. Stopping within a couple of steps from the closest monster, Devel lets out a low sigh. "Are you surrendering? Or suiciding? I doubt it is both. So, tell me. Which one do you choose? As the only human I have truly talked to and fought in quite some time, I will at least let you have that privilege." - Andud "How about a third option? I decide to fight you. To the death. Or whatever it is you consider after death, since you are merely a skeleton." - Devel "A shallow attempt to poke fun at my race. So be it. Die." - Andud "Unseal. Zeus''s Lightning Bolt. Transcendence!" - Devel At the same moment, Andudmands his troops to charge at Devel, Devel activates two of his abilities. One of which we have seen multiple times before, but the other, is his trump card. Gripping onto his sword, he quickly shes it forward, in a burst of blue light, as it unseals, revealing the lightning bolt underneath the sword. However, the burst of light didn''te from us his sword but also from Devel''s body. From his obsidian ck hair, it changes as lightning zaps between each hair follicle, as the cobalt blue hair sticks up, defying gravity. His previous chest armor, torn apart, was reced with a gigantic lightning bolt symbol along his back, parallel to his spine. Tiny sparks bounce off his body, charring the ground and around him as his eyes sh blue. Licking his lips, he disappears leaving behind a small sh of blue light. Reappearing in front of Andud, with his lightning bolt touching Andud''s bony neck slightly, Devel lets out a deep breath. Behind him, several blue shes of lightning apanied by eruptions of thunder as every specter that was Andud''s army, vanishes in the bright light. Shocked by the situation, I could only leave my mouth agape as I watch Devel virtually teleport a short distance while also killing everything along his way. "I guess you will be the one dying." - Devel Slicing Andud''s body into a thousand pieces, burning his robe in the process, Devel looks down on the gray ash, as if it was nothing more than an ant. However, it felt a bit too easy. Andud showcased so much of his power, but for him to be killed just like this, felt a little unsettling. Devel had the same thought, as he nces around constantly, teleporting to different parts of the room, in search of an answer. "You won''t find anything. I''m no longer there." - Andud Andud''s voice appears behind me, turning around I see a small human skull on the ground not too far from my leg. Appearing instantly from somewhere in this room, Devel grabs onto the skull, lightning zapping the sides, turning it from white to gray within an instant. "Destroying this skull will do nothing for you. This is merely a puppet. I''m quite surprised though. You have tapped into the god''s power quite deeply. That is an interesting research topic that I don''t have much information about, as gods don''t look too favorably on the undead. I guess it wasn''t a waste to transfer my soul during the spell cast before. I did think you were connected to the god, but not to this extent. Interesting, very interesting." - Andud "You ran away before the fight even began." - Devel "Yes. I have no shame in admitting it. After all, look at the result. You killed the Phantom March troops within a second. What hopes could a lowly weak schr like me do to you? Oh well, I have other means and one of them is the King himself. Since I couldn''t do it, someone else will. You, humans, are quite the lucky bunch. The door to this room is now open, and it didn''t take that long." - Andud "I''ll find you. Mark my words." - Devel "I''ll look forward to it. Be even stronger. Let me see the extent of your connection with the gods." - Andud Chapter 310 310 - Out Of The Room And Into The Platforms (Rebecca Perspective) Shattering in Devel''s hands, the skull that Andud was using to speak to us fades into dust. At the same time, Devel reverts to his previous appearance, with the lightning bolt on his back disappearing and his hair bing ck once more. Copsing to one knee, Devel starts to cough aggressively as blood spills out of his mouth. "DEVEL! QUICK TAKE A POTION!" - Reba Rushing to his side, I take a potion out of the pouch on my waist, handing it to him in a hurry. Desperately grabbing it, Devel gulps down the whole thing, wiping away a small amount of the liquid on his lips. "Thanks¡­ I only had about 10 HP left. The Death''s Embrace would have killed me if I didn''t drink a potion." - Devel "It''s fine. I''m d you are alright, after all that fighting. Sorry, neither David nor I were of any help. We are just dragging you down." - Reba Waving his hand to the side, Devel shakes his head in response. "Don''t say that. You aren''t dragging me down, it is just the situation was more dangerous than either of us anticipated, and it is not like the danger has gone away. Andud is still out there, and who knows how many more dangerous beings are in this ce. We need to be careful when we start moving out of this room and be careful when entering new rooms. If what Andud said was true then, we need toplete a certain task each time we enter a room. Truth be told, I hope we don''t need to enter any more rooms." - Devel "Who knows¡­ We don''t even know what is beyond the door of this room." - Reba "Do you need some time to rest, Devel? There isn''t any rush to leave this ce now that Andud has left first." - David "I think we can leave at any time, I don''t need to rest or anything. How are you feeling David? And what about you, Reba? Do either of you need to rest?" - Devel "I''m fine. I didn''t do much anyway, so there really isn''t any point in me staying here. David and you did more work in the battles, so if you need to rest than by all means." - Reba "Don''t worry about me! I am alright. I can keep going for a lot longer before I need to rest up." - David "Well, on that note, we can leave this room right now then." - Devel ncing to the side, Devel grabs onto his sword, propping himself against it to stand up. The weapon had already returned to its sealed state after Devel also reverted. Covered in stone, the sword hums slightly as Devel lets out a small sigh the moment he gets to his feet. David walks ahead of us slowly, looking side to side as curiosity, guides him. All of us can see the door on the far side of the room, but none of us knew what wasing. "Devel, what was that skill you used at the end? It looked simr to Sylvia''s and Nina''s skills but also different. I know people don''t usually reveal details about it, but I am curious. Is there anything you can tell me?" - Reba "Ah, you are talking about Transcendence. Hmm¡­ Normally, you are right. I wouldn''t say anything but Sylvia and Nina, both being apostles will eventually achieve this skill anyway, so I don''t mind saying it now. Transcendence is the next skill in the skill chain after Awakening. I have seen them both use Awakening, and it is only a matter of time before they are able to achieve Transcendence. Transcendence is a state where they gain more power from whatever god they are an apostle to. The god bestows them with greater power for a shorter period of time, and however they use that power, will determine the consequences. I used it to elerate my speed, reaching an Agility that I shouldn''t be able to reach, and in turn, I hurt my heart and lungs, which led me to take so much damage after the skill ended. I have only used the skill once prior to this and thest time I did it, I used it to block a dragon''s breath, with the Lightning Bolt plus Transcendence. The consequence there was the inability to move my limbs for a while. Both my arms and legs felt like lead after the skill and I couldn''t move a muscle. I had my team carry me to safety, and luckily the dragon left after using the one attack, otherwise, we would have all died. Understanding the pros and cons of the skill, I knew I could only use it in extreme circumstances, where none of my other skills worked. While fighting Andud, I started to realize the difference in skill level between him and us, and I thought if the guy ever used a big skill, I need to counter with my strongest. There was no other method I could think of where we defeat Andud, after all, both David, and you aren''t the strongest either." - Devel "I see¡­ I did feel like we were doomed until you activated that skill. However, it isn''t just Sylvia and Nina who are apostles of the gods or goddesses. I''m an apostle of the Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, and I don''t have an Awakening skill or a Transcendence skill. I thought it was weird at first since I didn''t have the skill, but then I didn''t see you use Awakening either so, I thought maybe it is exclusive to their god. However, you just have a more advanced version of the skill." - Reba "Ah¡­ I don''t have an answer to that, unfortunately. The first time I met another apostle, they didn''t showcase all their skills either, so I don''t know how it works. Perhaps you will acquire the skill after some time. Or maybe, the skill isn''t part of what your goddess gives to you since the skills we gain are all parts of the god or goddess''s skills. The system is still a mystery for every yer, and even with our extensive research team, we haven''t understood even a fraction of it." - Devel "Hmm, I see. I guess I will just have to wait and see." - Reba We made our way to the door slowly, talking to each other about the recent event. Dangerous as it was, with Devel on our side, I did feel very safe. Not as safe as having Ian nearby, but still safe. Plus, I was starting to understand why Devel was able to be the type of person he was, through this interaction. Being at the top of Bones, there was a certain amount of responsibility Devel had to carry. While I initially thought he was just a battle addict from what Kingston told me, I''m starting to realize he isn''t only a battle addict. Devel has been thinking of ns since the moment he joined up with Nina and the others, and with it, there were many discussions between the two. Even if I couldn''t keep up with it, I knew that Devel and Nina were able to discuss future scenarios at a high level. Maybe I should start talking to Nina more about these things¡­ "Do I open the door?" - David Snapping me out of my thoughts, David ces his hand on my shoulder, looking at me with a worried expression. Giving him my best smile, I nod my head, ncing over at Devel who also nods his head. In front of us, a wine-red door with a copper knob standing in our way. An unknown environment waits for us behind the door. Grasping the knob carefully, David slowly turns it clockwise pushing the door forward gently. Waiting with bated breath, Devel grasps his sword tightly in case something rushes through the door, while I stand off to the side. Quickly pushing the door open at thest second, David readies his hand as well. Seconds pass and nothing happens. Lowering their guard, David and Devel rx their tense muscles as we peer outside. Observing the surroundings, we see numerous tforms of different shapes and sizes, each angled differently as well as stairs connecting in various ways. Swallowing the saliva that was collecting in my mouth, I pull Devel''s arm, pointing to all the different doors that were pressed against the walls. "I see it¡­ Each and every room there is some sort of challenge behind it. Everyone that was teleported from outside will have to face these challenges but, unlike us, they might be by themselves. I''m sure some of SanShiGo''s people will inevitably die, as they are stronger as a group than individually. What about everyone else from RavenStar?" - Devel "They are strong by themselves, each with their own perks. However, if they are all separated, and they have to fight someone on the same degree as Andud, I have no idea if they wille out okay. I still believe in them though!" - Reba "Frank might have some difficulty if he does fight against one strong enemy. Talking to him while we were back at home, he told me he feels morefortable fighting inrger groups. Hopefully, he will be okay¡­" - David "I''m sure he will be fine, David. Frank is a strong person as well, he grew at the same time as you, so you should know him best!" - Reba "I know! He will be fine!" - David "What should we do?" - Devel "Ahh¡­ Well, it looks like monsters patrol these tforms, I can see a few in the edges of those floating mes. I''m sure there are more above us too. Hmm¡­ The problem with this is we don''t have any direction. I don''t know where we are meant to go. If going down is the right path or going up. In fact, what is down and what is up? The tforms look like there is a type of gravity of their own so who is to say the doors aren''t the same too?" - Reba "No, wait, look up. It is a little hard to see, but I see a door that looks different from these. The light isn''t near it anymore, so we can''t see it but, I suggest we head upwards. Worse case scenario, we just jump down to the lower levels." - Devel "Alright, let''s follow your suggestion." - Reba Chapter 311 311 - Union "Congrattions deary~ The Union was a SUCCESS!" - Selino [Queen of Spiders, Selino, and yer are now sessfully bounded, however, the consciousness of the Queen of Spiders, is still inside the yer and cannot be removed, yet. Due to the unstable unison, the yer and the Queen of Spiders may unexpectedly switch to control the body. Specific skills and stat bonuses will not travel over to the yer due to the Queen of Spiders'' consciousness.] [As the first yer to be bound with another being the yer will be rewarded. +20 in all Stats. Skill gained, Peace at Heart (Passive). ] [Transferring some Queen of Spiders'' Stats and skills to the yer¡­ +20 in all Stats, except for Luck. Skill gained, Steel String Skill gained, Royalty Presence (Passive) Skill gained, yful Webbing (Passive) Skill gained, Advanced Control (Passive) Skill gained, Dark Vision (Passive) ] [Be warned! Do not lose control of your humanity, yer Ian.] Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 9412/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 50 ( Happy ) 950/5000( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 310 / 950 ( Reach 900 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 170/170 Mana Points (MP): 48/48 Strength: 85 Vitality: 85 Intelligence: 95 Dexterity: 70 Agility: 95 Luck: 56 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Bone Totem, Extreme Speed, Steel String, Eye of the Roc (Passive), Predator Instinct (Passive), Limb Regrowth (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive), Miasma Protection (Passive), Royalty Presence (Passive), yful Webbing (Passive), Advanced Control (Passive), Dark Vision (Passive) Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring, Vomva Bronze Trident, Sk Mail, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Code of Hammurabi, Night Gloves, Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem Steel String (Active) 1MP - Create a sticky string that is as hard as steel from your fingertips (all 10 fingers can create the string). The current limit on distance is 10 meters, however, it can improve with the user''s continued use. Cooldown 10 seconds. Royalty Presence (Passive) - In front of other spider monsters, they will receive a debuff of 10% in all stats as well as a 20% chance to feel Fear within a 10-meter radius of the user. yful Webbing (Passive) - Advanced control over the usage of strings. Able to create an abundance of shapes or use the strings creatively without any restrictions. Advanced Control (Passive) - A higher level of control with the spider legs. Able to use them to a higher degree, as well as being more flexible in their usage. Dark Vision (Passive) - Able to see in the dark, up to 50 meters. The number of notifications I received from the system, bombard my weary sight as Iy on the ground on top of pieces of rocks and web. My limbs feel like metal, and the seducing voice of Selino resonates in my ears, as I realize she is no longer near me. ncing to my sides, I only see my equipment ced neatly on a stone b, however, I refuse to move to grab it. Instead, I close my eyes and breath in and out slowly trying to understand the situation that I am now in. The Union was sessful, both the system and Selino were telling me that. Currently, she is within my consciousness, wandering about in my mind, looking around like a child arriving at a toy store. However, what was the Union? From the very limited information that Selino has told me, the Union was a way for two beings of different races or the same race tobine into one. Different from merging both entities together, and more like transferring the soul into another soul, in order to control the same body. The advantage she was talking about,bining with me was to learn more about the world outside of Settlement. As for the possibility of her evening out with me, I have no idea, but it was better than endlessly dying at her hands since she was able to find me as I respawned into the game. What''s more is that I also gained quite a lot from forming the Union with her, in the form of stats and skills. It looks like to me that it is simr to the Demon Contract that Kingston has with Belial, except I don''t know which one is more dangerous. My body is still mine, but there is a chance that Selino can control it as well, which terrifies me. What if she uses my body tomit mass murder? What if she just kills me? No, wait¡­ That would kill her as well. Gulping down my saliva, the thought of dying without any control over my own body, sends shivers down my spine. "So, how do you feel, deary?" - Selino Hearing her voice inside my head, makes my heart race. Clenching my fists tightly as I think of a reply to her. "F-Fine. How are you feeling?" - Ian "Oh my! Someone is shy. You know, I can feel what you are feeling right? The two of us are now bounded together, like the red string of fate." - Selino "I-" - Ian "Don''t worry! I won''t be using your body for any¡­ Naughty, things. I''m quite the wholesomedy. So, deary, what do you n to do? I''m curious~ I have already spoken to Nina, but you are the big boss. Aren''t you?" - Selino "Before I tell you anything. I want to ask you something first. Are you on my side? Or the Horde? Will you be helping me or will you be hindering me?" - Ian "Hmm¡­ I''m on neither side. I am on my own side, doing what I want to do. As for helping you¡­ Of course, deary. I will help you, but sometimes I will be helping myself." - Selino "What do you mean by that?" - Ian "You remember my dear spider, Mikki? You see, I let him infiltrate your little vige, impersonating you." - Selino "YOU DID WHAT?!" - Ian "Ow~ Don''t yell, it echoes in here. It''s fine, he was found out almost immediately by Nina and the other girl, Reba. By the way, she is very cute. Good job, deary. Mikki has been busy helping your group attack the Reaper''s Castle, and I can swap ces with him. See? Helping aren''t I?" - Selino "So, we can go to them right now, if we need to?" - Ian "Yes, but not with you in control. I have to be the one in control. After bing one with you, I have noticed you have the aid of a higher being. Very interesting isn''t it, deary? You call it a system, and it provides you with hints and clues. I guess now that we are one, I can see it as well. Some of my abilities are locked, and only avable when I am in control of the body. Funnily enough, I thought I would be the main body or main mind, but it seems like you are." - Selino "I have to let you take control of the body? I thought it was a random thing. Something that happens without any of our control." - Ian "Maybe. Deary, this is a first for me as well, but I assume you can let me take control." - Selino "Will you give back the body?" - Ian "Of course! Why? Do you think I will just keep control until the foreseeable future?" - Selino "... I don''t know. Frankly, I was kind of forced into this situation." - Ian "Then, how do you n on joining your friends? Let me tell you first, you can''t join them under normal conditions." - Selino "That doesn''t mean letting you take control of my body is going to help, is it? I don''t know anything you are about to do." - Ian "You will. Much like how I am slowly starting to understand your thoughts, you will understand mine as well. Deary, let me show you. You can trust me." - Selino Slowly, I stand up, walking over to my equipment. cing them, one by one. My reflection shines on the breastte as I pick it up, revealing to me the changes to my body. Ones that I had to see to believe. Diagonally above my eyes, were 6 small horizontal slits, and my hair has grown slightly longer, parting in the middle with one side ck and the other silver. At the same time, I notice that my spider legs aren''t protruding out anymore. Yet I still feel them behind me, attached to my back. Gritting my teeth, I put on the rest of my armor, grasping onto my trident. "... Sigh. Once again, I don''t have much choice. What do I need to do?" - Ian "Just say you want to swap with me. I don''t know if there is a certainmand but try anything and just think of it." - Selino Closing my eyes, I think of Selino. Seeing her look back at me, inside my head, I feel a spark connecting us. Closing her eyes as well, as if she was reading my mind, we say the same word together. "Switch." - Ian/Selino Chapter 312 312 - Switch [Queen of Spiders, Selino, has taken control of your body. Duration 00:59:59] Opening my eyes, the notification from the system appears in front of me, informing me of the current situation. Selino has taken control of my body, but it is only for an hour. Surprisingly, there wasn''t a skill name or anything of that sort under my status screen about the switching ability, which makes me wonder how this was going to work, but it looks like it was not even a concern since we have now swapped. ncing around, I notice that my surroundings are different from when I was looking into my mind and observing Selino. A nk white space with nothing but a single dark indigo chair. It wasn''t even a luxurious chair, benefiting that of a queen, but a rather simple chair, something that could be built with a couple pieces of wood. Drawn to the chair, I make my way slowly toward it, hearing nothing along the way. Not even the sound of my own footsteps. Glimpsing down, I realize that there wasn''t even a shadow underneath me. I am walking on a white surface, with nothing indicating that I am even walking on something, other than the feeling of my feet touching the floor. Reaching the chair, I didn''t immediately sit down, instead, I wander around it. Touching its cool surface, and feeling a surge of purple lightning sparking off the material. Gulping down my saliva, I sit on the chair, as the purple lighting wraps around my body, sparking around like little tentacles. The feeling of weightlessness washes over me as the world spins, before a sudden change in my environment. I start to see, the cave again, but this time I wasn''t moving around it, Selino was moving around, just in my body. "It seems you have found the ''chair'' deary. You can finally see what I am seeing." - Selino Her voice resounds and echoes around me as if I am trapped in a room filled with speakers. Yet it wasn''t loud nor soft, it was just right. "This was different from when I was watching you move around." - Ian "I guess there isn''t much on my mind. I prefer to do rather than think. Well, deary are you ready?" - Selino "I can''t, not be ready, can I? You have control of my body now and all I''m doing is sitting here and watching you." - Ian "I know, I still wanted to ask. MIKKI! Can you hear me?" - Selino Sitting down on a rock, Selino rests my head on my right hand, as a small white ball filled with fog appears in her hands. The fog clears, and I see myself in the ball, or at least my appearance. I knew who that really was, a spider under her control with the amazing ability to disguise itself. That ability is not only remarkable but also dangerous, potentially having the ability to start wars with nothing but a word. "My queen, it seems the Union was a sess." - Mikki Seeing myself bow almost 90 degrees inside a ball, felt surreal enough, without mentioning that someone else was in my bodymanding that other version of me to do the action. Grasping my head, I feel a wave of dizziness as my thoughts muddle together. There were too many, different ''me''. "Yes, it has, and our n needs to be set in motion straight away. I don''t have much time, after all." - Selino "n¡­? HEY! Selino! What is this n you are speaking of?" - Ian Shouting at the white space around me, I start to hear a soft chuckle, reminiscent of the first time I had seen, Selino. "Don''t worry, deary. I''m just helping. We need to get to the Reaper''s Castle, don''t we? I''m just doing that, right¡­ Now. Mikki?" - Selino "As you wish, my Queen." - Mikki Confused and distraught, I carefully observe Mikki while gritting my teeth. There was nothing I could do now that I had swapped ces with Selino. Whether I should have or shouldn''t have done it, there was no turning back. Instead, I should use this time to see what she can do as well as the abilities of her subordinates. Mikki looks to be someone who is quite close to Selino, which means he should hold a lot of power¡­ Wait¡­ What? Looking through the ball held in Selino''s hand, I see Mikki pierce through his chest. Blood spurts to the ground and down the side of his mouth, but he still shows an expressionless face as he calmly bows once more to the ball. The moment he straightens up, his hand rips out a small red beating heart, wrapped in spider webs. "May you achieve your goals, my Queen. Sacrificial Transfer." - Mikki Crushing the heart in his hands, Mikki faints to the ground, at the same time, my vision blurs alongside Selino''s as I faintly see my body copse. Rubbing my head, as I feel a sharp jolt of pain, I start to panic. What just happened? Did Mikki just kill himself? Was that supposed to be some sort of teleportation? Trying my best to remember thest words, Mikki said, I figure out that the method Selino was talking about must be recing Mikki with my body through some sort of contract or skill. However, Selino is unconscious and I can still see this white space. Suddenly, a faint light shes and my visiones back alongside Selino. A pool of blood surrounds us, but the queen merely shakes it off before ncing at a copy of my body on the ground with a hole through its chest. Crouching next to it, Selino ces my hand on the head of the corpse, causing its body to glow white faintly, before bursting into small glittering stars. Recing my corpse, a small ckish-brown spider can be seen floating in the pool of blood. For an unknown reason, I feel the strings to my heart tug tightly, my breath unable to escape out of my mouth as the spider is slowly picked up by Selino. "You have done well, Mikki, my beautiful dear spider." - Selino While I couldn''t see Selino smiling with my own eyes, as our vision was shared, I could feel it. A faint soft smile spreads across my face, as she looks fondly at the small spider. Brushing the top of Mikki''s head, she holds him up in her palm, before letting him fall¡­ straight into my mouth. "WHAT THE F- SELINO!" - Ian Jumping out of the chair suddenly, as my body couldn''t even react fast enough to her actions. I hold my head in such distraught, unable toprehend what I just saw. She just ate, Mikki¡­ After looking at him like how a mother looks at their child. Sitting on the ground, in disbelief, as I lean against the leg of the chair, I stumble through my words, trying tomunicate with Selino. "What? Why? Selino¡­ What the? How? I¡­ I don''t understand." - Ian "Don''t be caught up with every death, deary. He had aplished his job. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I''m proud of Mikki for getting here. Come we need to finish the job he has started, or at least the job that you need to finish." - Selino Replying with a nonchnt attitude, Selino brushes the blood on my hands against my clothes. Despite her loyal subject dying in front of her, she has nothing to say or feel about it. Did she really think nothing more of Mikki than just a tool? Wait¡­ Why am I even surprised about that? Did I start to humanize her, after conversing with her for a while? At the end of the day, she is still a monster who has served the Horde, killing other monsters and humans alike. Why would I even think she would care about one of her subordinates dying? "... What is it that ''I'' am meant to be doing?" - Ian "Have you stopped thinking deary? Or was me eating Mikki too much for you?" - Selino "I-" - Ian "Regardless, I thought you would have figured it out already but no matter. We have traded ces with Mikki, meaning we are in the Reaper''s Castle. Have you not looked at the blue screen thing? Ah, right. I''m in control of your body, so you can only see what I see right? Here you go deary." - Selino [You have entered the Reaper''s Castle through unconventional means, recing a current raid member. You will now gain ess to the Sub Event Quest.] [Sub Event Quest - Reaper''s Castle Objective - Defeat the Reaper Reward - Unknown ] "Defeat the Reaper¡­ Selino, be honest with me. There is no way we can kill the Reaper as we are right now. What is your n?" - Ian "Nothing special. Just maybe a chat. Although, I will have to reach Skelly deary first." - Selino "Skelly?" - Ian "The Reaper, of course." - Selino "Sigh¡­ Lead the way then." - Ian "First, we need to get out of this room, it seems Mikki forgot to clean up the ce before he transported us." - Selino ncing around through Selino''s eyes, I notice that blue spectral creatures had started to slowly surround us. They had various forms, some being orcs, wolves, kobolds, goblins, skeletons, birds, and bats. Blue mist slowly drifts off their opaque body, as they silently step closer toward us. "These monsters need to learn some manners. Deary, let me show you how royalty fights. KNEEL BEFORE ME! Queen''s Presence!" - Selino Chapter 313 313 - Eavesdropping The fight didn''t take long at all, the moment Selino used her skill, Queen''s Presence, all the surrounding specters froze on the spot, unable to move even a centimeter. Her skill was different from my set of skills which means whenever she takes over my body, she must be utilizing her own skills before the Union. A hint of jealousy rises inside me as she disys a dominating force over monsters outside of her race. Compared to Royalty Presence which is also a passive skill, Queen''s Presence must affect all monsters that are below her in terms of status. In addition, it is an active which means she can use it whenever she wants to, strategically damaging her victims. Walking past the monsters, Selino nces around until she finds a door. Advancing to the door, the monsters around us give way, creating a path. "Do you see deary? Without lifting a finger, I can tell them what to do, however, I do need to tie up the loose ends." - Selino Standing in front of the door, Selino snaps my fingers, turning around to look at the trembling specters. "Begone from my sight, Shadow Thorn." - Selino Piercing through each and every specter in the room, multiple murky ck spikes lunge from the ground, walls, and ceiling. Like the inside of a cave filled with helictites, I could do nothing but gulp down the nonexistent saliva in my throat as I look at the grotesque scene. Moments after piercing through the monsters, the shadow engulfs them, wrapping around them like a cocoon before squeezing them tightly until there is nothing left, disappearing as quickly as they came. "W-well, aren''t I d you didn''t do something like that to me when we first met." - Ian "Oh, deary. I could have done a lot worse." - Selino "My point taken." - Ian "Let''s leave this pce shall we?" - Selino Turning back around, Selino opens the door, revealing to us a myriad of tforms scattered in the air. Monsters could be seen walking along them and with the Night Vision, passive, we also notice that there were a few humans jumping from tform to tform. Surveying the area, I start to notice that the humans were all gathering near the top, with some already there, sitting on a tform, beside a rather extravagant door. "Selino, go to the top. I''m sure Nina and the others are up there." - Ian "Oh? Nina deary is up at the top? Well then, don''t mind if I do." - Selino Instead of jumping from tform to tform, Selino leaps into the air, grabbing onto the wall. Surprisingly she was able to make my hand stick to the wall, and in turn, started to climb up as if she was a spider. Wait, she was a spider, so I guess it makes sense that she has some sort of passive that rtes to wall climbing. Climbing up the side of the wall feels like cheating as everyone else that was inside the Reaper''s Castle most likely had to traverse through the tforms to reach the top. Nheless, I wasn''t exactlyining about Selino''s method of choice as it made the journey a lot faster and easier. As she got closer to the top, I was able to make out the voices of the people that have already arrived, however, I didn''t want to join them just yet. The duration of the switch wasn''t even close to finishing, and I didn''t know if Selino has some sort of n yet. In order to waste some time, I have to make her stop, even for a moment. "Selino, don''t meet up with everyone. Stay a little below them, so we can eavesdrop on their conversation." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Alright." - Selino Edging our way closer, we eventually got to the point where we could clearly hear the conversation. At the same time, I was able to make out who was there, as well as some unfamiliar faces. "Do we just head inside? Or are we going to wait for more people?" - Reba "Honestly, either choice is usible. We have no way of knowing where the others are or if there is anyone left. The teleportation circle was meant to separate and eliminate us as efficiently as possible. Look at us, out of the 20 or so people that we had before the teleportation we only have 10 people left, Reba, Sylvia, Frank, David, Devel, SanShiGo, Helioc, Sabrina, and one more member from Lotus." - Nina "My name is Ester, by the way." - Ester "Sorry, I didn''t know your name but regardless, I''m not exactly sure we are able to beat the Reaper with ourbat strength cut by four-fifths right before the boss fight. Even if the ones that have survived until now are the strongest of our 50-man raid team, it is still concerning that we are going to fight a boss like this with no n." - Nina "Sigh¡­ Well, let''s start brainstorming now. Does anyone have any information on the Reaper? Even if the information is vague it doesn''t matter at this point." - Devel "The ruler of the undead, the Reaper. I would assume he will have a summoning ability, some sort of necromancy. Maybe even a way to summon demons and ghosts since that has been a monster that hase through the gates earlier in the event." - SanShiGo "He would most likely be weaker in closebat in that case. A summoner and a mage, generally have lower defenses, but they will have some sort of barrier skill or wall skill to prevent us from attacking him." - Helioc "I doubt he would be alone as well. He might have a couple of Generals nearby him which we will need to fight first before reaching the Reaper." - Reba "I suspect the being known as Mori Calliope will be there as well. She did mention that she was the apprentice of the Reaper." - Frank "And her abilities were?" - Devel "Summoning was all we saw when we encountered her. However, her arrogant and oppressive nature shows that she has more up her sleeve." - Frank "In other words, we have nothing on the Reaper except for the concepts of what a Reaper should be able to do. We have more information on the potential generals than we have on him. I say we make up a strategy on the fly, after observing the Reaper. The best we can do is create a formation with the members here." - Nina "Looking at everyone here, I''m guessing David, and I will be at the front. Sylvia and Ester will be right behind us, while SanShiGo, Sabrina, Nina, and Reba will be further in the back. Helioc and Frank will be on the sides, ready to nk as well as pick off any enemies that might be alone. Hmm¡­ Unfortunately, it seems like our frontline and our backline are the exact same number which isn''t as ideal when facing an unknown enemy. David, I''ll be the main tank, and you''ll be the off tank. Ah, wait you probably don''t know what that means. Stand close to me, but not next to me. The moment I''m unable to stick to the Reaper, I''ll need you to step in and gain his attention. Sylvia and Ester, both of you will be responsible for protecting the backline while David and I deal with the front. On the off chance that we are overwhelmed by numerous monsters, then you will need to step up front as well. In that scenario, the backline will have to defend themselves. SanShiGo is our joker card at that point since he can also be a close-range dealer. Reba, as well, since you have a chance of attacking at lightning-fast speeds, however, your frailness holds you back. Only jump in when the opportunity arises. Any questions? Or does anyone have anything they want to add?" - Devel ncing around, Devel observes the reaction of each individual, gauging their response to his suggested n. After seeing the various nods of agreement, I notice that his tense shoulders loosened. I guess even someone as strong as Devel, would be tense when making a decision for a group with various leaders. "Deary, I think we should head in after them. I kind of want to see how they will fare against Skelly. Of course, we will jump in if they are in any danger." - Selino "... Alright. I don''t mind watching them. I haven''t seen them fight for a while and there are a few people there who I don''t know. Learning about their abilities will help in the future, but we MUST rush in if they are in any danger, okay?" - Ian "Understood, deary. Don''t know, I''m quick on my feet." - Selino "Quickly then, it looks like they are about to head inside. Devel just opened the door. I''m not sure if the door will be unable to open after it closes, so we need to be right behind them." - Ian "No need to be so impatient, deary¡­ We will be right behind them." - Selino Chapter 314 314 - Meeting The Reaper (Nina Perspective) With Devel and David in the front, we push past the door. Even without anyone saying anything, we all knew that we were nervous. Each step took us closer to the Reaper, an unknown being capable of conquering arge territory on this continent, rivaling the other 3 kings. Nervousness was probably the least of our concerns, but while I don''t know what the others are thinking about right now, my own thoughts were racing. There were too many possibilities and too many unountable problems that could rise up during this final boss fight with the Reaper. After hearing about Andud, from Devel and Reba, it seems like there is another high-tier general after Mori Calliope. Another necromancer, with a bundle of magic tricks that can be used. Then there is the disappearance of Mikki. I know that creature that is disguising itself as Ian isn''t dead. There is no way, right? To be able to replicate another person''s skills to a high degree, as well as retaining whatever skills they already had, to die before getting to the boss fight, feels too absurd. Even if he were to be unlucky enough to be teleported into a room with a General, I''m sure he would have a trick or two to stay alive. Then that begs the question, where is Mikki? Is he disguised as someone in this group and merely ying along? Or is he still trapped somewhere in a room? Or¡­ Is he behind us? Following us. Watching us. Turning around, with bated breath, I see the door slowly close behind us. Nothing was behind us. Gulping down my saliva, I turn back to the front, as I notice everyone had stopped moving. Catching a glimpse of my surroundings, I notice the numerous tall ck pirs, each with a purple trident at the top. The pir were only a meter or so apart, creating a line all the way to the other side of the room, where seated on a throne made out of the bones of humans and monsters alike, was a hooded figure. Holding onto a long obsidian ck scythe with a white bony hand, the hooded figure tilts its head toward us, as the crimson skull on the top of the scythe shes red. Unable to see their expression, we stood our ground, with Devel and David in the front. ncing around, I try to see if there were any other people nearby, in case of an ambush, but I didn''t see anyone. While they could be hiding behind one of the pirs, I wasn''t too sure, and I wasn''t going to n around such uncertainty. With my mouth slightly agape, as I am about to speak, the hooded figure interrupts me. Speaking in a low, slow, monotonous voice, the hooded figure addresses us, as if we were nothing more than insects. "So, you were the ones who entered my domain." "If this is your domain, then I can assume you are the one called the Reaper?" - Devel "Yes, I am, and since you are here, I assume you are looking for death. Rise, Skeleton Army." - Reaper Banging his scythe on the ground, the Reaper extends his shadow outward, covering the area in front of him. Reaching out from the shadow were the bony hands of skeleton warriors. Their rusty and broken swords, spears, axes, and shields, emerge with them, as their chattering jaws resonate with each other, creating a chilling symphony. "Ah, shit, It''s already starting. How many are we looking at?" - Sabrina "Too many. Kill what is in front of you, and call out if there are any anomalies. Back off and slowly retreat to the back wall, at least that way we won''t be surrounded." - Nina "Our original formation will have to change. Sylvia, Ester, Helioc, and Frank, guard the sides. SanShiGo and Reba, support Helioc and Frank the moment they start feeling overwhelmed by the number of skeletons. DON''T dy it." - Devel Walking slowly to the back, we cautiously watch the skeleton army''s movements, as they stood still in front of us, waiting for the Reaper''smand. Pressing my back against the door, I feel a slight sense of security, but that didn''tst long as the Reaper stretches out his hand. Enveloping his hand in a dark-purple aura, he signals the attack. "March forward, Skeleton Army." - Reaper Stepping forward as if they were one unit, the Skeleton army advances toward us. Each step booms in our ears, resonating through our bodies as theye closer. Raising their weapons high, the skeletons start to bash their shields, in unison, intensifying their horror. Licking my dry lips, I grasp my wand tight as I open the fire book, resting it on my left hand. I notice everyone else doing the same, as cold sweat drips down their neck at the approaching monsters. The moment they were only a couple of steps away, their eye sockets ignite brightly shining like a pair of rubies as the skeletons in the front lines leap at Devel and David. Brandishing their weapons, they collide with Devel''s sword and David''s fits. Pushing them back easily, the two of them stand their ground against the onught of enemies as they start to quickly curve around, meeting Sylvia and Ester. "These skeletons are as strong as the ones that have appeared from the Portals at the start of the event, the only difference is the weapons!" - Devel "Well, having multiple weapons stabbing or shing at you would make a difference! Not sure if you have noticed, but the skeletons aren''t just attacking randomly." - Sylvia "Interesting, it is like they all have some sort of knowledge ofbat. Attacking only at our most awkward or weakest points, despite their weak and slow attacks." - SanShiGo "Annoying. We just need to eliminate them as quickly as possible." - Helioc "Take the shields! They may break after a hit or two, but it can help you when you need to catch a breath." - David "I don''t think there is much point wasting my MP on these monsters. I can only use my weaker spells if we want to save the stronger ones for the Reaper." - Sabrina "He hasn''t made any movements sincemanding the Skeleton Army to attack us. Although, that doesn''t mean he doesn''t have any other tricks up his sleeve. Maybe he thinks we will just die to the skeletons?" - Reba "Highly doubt it, Reba. He is just observing our responses. Seeing what our abilities are and what are our limits. Maybe he can kill us with just the skeletons, but he isn''t doing it because he wants to see how strong we are first." - Nina "Great observation, Nina. ANY thoughts on solving the immediate issue though? While David and I can keep this up, I rather finish this as quickly as possible. I''m assuming this is just phase one of the boss fight." - Devel "Thoughts on solving this?! Are you stupid? What thoughts are there? It''s just killing them or being killed. No. WAIT! I got it!" - Nina ncing over his shoulder, Devel looks at me with a slightly confused face. Smiling back, I point past him, at the horde of skeletons that were rushing at us like a tsunami. "Jump into the crowd and use your counter-attack skill, aim for the left side. At the same time, I''ll use one of my skills to deal with the right. Helioc, Frank, and Reba, eliminate the rest of the monsters as quickly as you can, once we finish our skills." - Nina "Wait! That skill has a rtively high cool-down. What about the boss fight? I''m pretty sure I will need it for then." - Devel "You might be right, but if you want to slowly kill these skeletons without Sabrina and me, using too much MP on our weaker skills, then this should be a good alternative solution. If you have a better idea, I''m happy to hear it." - Nina "Why not summon the Panda, SanShiGo?" - Devel "Summoning it is a one-time thing only. What if it dies straight away? I lose a lot of my potential fighting power. I would rather summon it when it truly matters. Plus, it is not like PanPan will kill all the skeletons for us. PanPan will be able to help, but it would be as if we just had another ally." - SanShiGo "No other AoE?" - Devel "Too much MP!" - Sabrina "I can use my final attack?" - David "No, it is too useful to be wasted on these skeletons." - Nina "I can awaken? My attacks will do more against these skeletons, once I do." - Sylvia "Not enough to tilt the scales in our favor quick enough." - Reba "Alright, I''ll do it. It should be fine." - Devel After a short back-and-forth conversation, with everyone, Devel decides to follow my n. Gripping his sword handle tightly as he bursts through the crowd of skeletons, like a bolt of lightning. Taking his ce, Helioc defends with David, while Reba, takes Helioc''s position. Through the small gaps in the skeletons'' movement, I see Devel, tanking hit after hit, as his body slowly glows blue. Gradually bing brighter and brighter with each subsequent hit. After a moment, Devel releases his skill, with a shout, blowing the skeletons nearby away, instantly eliminating the skeletons surrounding him. Smiling, I hold my hand up in the air as I concentrate on my skill. Feeling the warm surge of energy flow through the book and into my hand, I cast my newly acquired skill. "Fire Lance!" - Nina Chapter 315 315 - Bael Conjuring the firence above her head, Nina proceeds to fling it towards the crowd of skeletons that weren''t near Devel, creating an explosion in the area of impact. The skill did tremendous damage to the skeleton army, decimating a good portion of it, while also creating a small zone of mes that wrapped around the white bones, turning them gray and then eventually ck. However, it wasn''t like all the monsters were killed by the two AoE attacks. Knowing this, it seems like Nina and Devel already had a n as I see Helioc, Frank, and even Reba, dart out of the formation. Flipping a coin in the air, I notice Reba''s speed elerating briefly as she quickly sprints to the back of the skeleton army, smashing the necks of several skeletons, before grabbing their weapons. Helioc''s daggers dance around the skeletons, darting back and forth, eliminating the lone monsters. On the other side, Frank pounces on the monsters, breaking their skulls with his bare hands, while using the various dropped weapons avable to him to continue his rampage. Dispersing from their formation, everyone went to destroy the skeleton army, as quickly as possible while conserving their strength, as I see them nce at the Reaper several times. Their worries were as in as day. "I''m quite surprised about their capabilities. While I knew they wouldn''t die to a simple small wave of skeletons, I didn''t expect them to be able to eliminate the threat with such ease. I have to give credit to these humans, deary." - Selino Breaking my train of thought, Selino speaks her thoughts out loud, waiting for my response. "I''m more surprised about how we weren''t discovered by them when Nina looked back. Did you use a skill that camouges us? Or did she simply not see use in right before the door closed?" - Ian "Not camouge, but an illusion. A simple skill known as Illusion Bubble, creates a small bubble around us, reflecting the light that passes through to make it seem like we are invisible. However, while Nina deary didn''t see us, the Reaper already knows we have entered his domain. He shot a nce at us, before but went back to focusing on Nina deary, and the rest of the humans as they were more of an immediate threat." - Selino "If he can see us, why doesn''t he do anything? In fact, why isn''t he doing anything right now? Nina and the rest are already destroying most of his skeleton army." - Ian "Deary, do you think that was the whole of his skeleton army?" - Selino "Uhh¡­ Well, nothing else spawned out so¡­. Maybe? Why wouldn''t he just overwhelm them with sheer numbers then?" - Ian "The Reaper is a cautious individual. While his army isrger than all the other Kings, he never invades their territory with more than a tenth of his army. What you see is probably a small battalion or even a squad of skeletons under hismand, and I assure you, there are more than just skeletons, deary." - Selino "What do you suggest we do then? Wait and watch?" - Ian "Yes. I''m curious about your friends'' actions, after all, they just finished cleaning up this batch of skeletons." - Selino Looking back at Nina and the others, I see Frank breaking thest of the skeleton''s skulls, flicking the pieces of the skull to the side as he backs off, rejoining the group. Following their gaze, I observe the Reaper and his nonchnt attitude, as he rests his head on his hand. His hood still blocked his face, making it impossible to read any emotion or expression on his face. Suddenly, the room drops in temperature as the Reaper slowly stands up from his throne. Everyone grips their weapons readily, as the Reaper slowly descends the pyramid of bones. Each step he makes tightens the tension in the atmosphere, as his scythe bangs on the skulls on the ground, crushing them to dust. After making his way to the ground, he stops. Looking toward us, he points his bony hands to Devel, who was at the front of the group. "It seems that you have been blessed by one of the gods. No¡­ It isn''t just you. You. You. You, and you as well, have been blessed. Have they finally started to take action on the world, or are you merely their ythings as they try to escape their boredom." - Reaper Addressing, Devel, Nina, Sylvia, Reba, and SanShiGo the Reaper questions their gods'' intention. While I knew Devel, Nina, Sylvia, and Reba were apostles, I didn''t know SanShiGo was also an apostle. Looking at his attire, it could be some sort of god rting to light, but without him telling me, I have no idea. "I don''t understand your question. Can you please rephrase it in a way that we will understand? What is it about our gods that you know about?" - Nina "Poor souls, not even your gods tell you about their intentions despite making you their apostles, their ves. Bound to a contract much like that of demons and humans, yet retaining more information than a demon. I wonder, which is worse? Appear before me. Grace these lowly creatures with your presence. Bael!" - Reaper. Stretching out his free hand, a dark aura gathers around his body, concentrating on his hand as a ck sigil appears on the back. Spelling out the letters for Bael clockwise, with an intricate image in the middle. Appearing behind the Reaper, looming above him was a figure of a scarlet-skinned man, smirking while showcasing his pearly white teeth. Emerging out of the sides of his head, was a midnight ck cat with two amber eyes, and an emerald green toad with sapphire eyes. On top of all three heads was a crown of different sizes and colors, starting with a small bronze crown on top of the cat, then a silver crown on top of the toad, and finally a gold crown with various jewels embedded on top of the human. Dressed in a scarlet red tuxedo, with gold embroidery showing angelic-like beings as well as cloud-like images. Speaking in a hoarse voice, as he leans close to the Reaper, Bael addresses us, calmly as if he was part of the conversation from the beginning. "As the Reaper has told you, the gods are simr to demons, if not worse. We prefer to give knowledge while the gods prefer to retain the knowledge, saying it is to protect the greater good. The only reason why people trust in the gods is due to their angelic nature of them and the stories centered around them. Otherwise, demons would be trusted just as much. Sadly, our tales have nothing but sadness, bitterness, and death. Here is a question for you all, why are you here? Because a higher being has told you toe here? Because there will be a reward for you if you kill the Reaper? Have you ever wondered, why you must be doing these things?" - Bael ncing at each other, I see Nina and Devel silently discussing who will speak, with Devel nodding his head to conclude the short conversation. "Even if we are just blindly following a higher being''s will, what is to say that the demons are not the same? Or if the Reaper is not the same? Why must we follow your word over the gods? Is there a reason?" - Devel "Answering a question, with another question. An excellent tactic to move the conversation in a favorable direction. Fine, I will entertain you, if that is okay, Reaper?" - Bael "Speak. For I will not be speaking... Just yet." - Reaper "Excellent~" - Bael Dashing forward instantly, Bael closes the gap between him and Devel, looking down at Devel with a devilish smile, fitting for a demon. Even though Devel is a rtivelyrge person, Bael still towers over him, so much so that Devel needs to look almost directly upward in order to look Bael in the eye. "The gods are waiting for something. They are just killing time for now, and while you may or may not have noticed but time is slowly running out. The merge ising closer and I doubt you are ready. I wonder¡­ Did the gods tell you to defeat the Reaper?" - Bael "...Yes." - Devel "What do you know about the merge?" - Nina "More than you do, child, but telling you will be no fun. Watching you struggle and squirm will be much more entertaining. However, the one I want to y with right now isn''t you insects, but someone who is most certainly an insect. Why don''t you join us¡­ Queen of Spiders, Selino." - Bael Snapping his fingers together, as the eyes on the cat sh yellow, the Illusion Bubble that was covering me shatters. Cold disdainful eyes, observe me. No, observe Selino as she confidently struts forward in my body, walking all the way up to Bael, constructing a throne out of string, reaching eye level with Bael as she sits down. "Well, isn''t it great to see you again, Bael? My! Did you lose some weight? OH! Maybe it was your master that lost some weight? There does seem to be less meat on those bones, although can''t say there was much there in the first ce." - Selino "Pleasure to hear your sarcasticments once again, Selino. Wee to the Reaper''s Castle." - Bael Chapter 316 316 - A Kind Gesture "Selino? Not Mikki or Ian? Nina, what''s going on?" - Reba "I don''t know. Just¡­ Just wait and see." - Nina It wasn''t strange to hear the two of them question the situation, after all, thest time they saw me would have been the disguised monster, Mikki, impersonating me. However, now Selino and I are now one individual, although, hearing the demon speaking to Selino has been the most surprising thing so far. This means, not only does the demon know of Selino but also the Reaper. How far do her connections extend and to what extent is her power? "d to be back, Bael deary. Is Skelly still okay? The sun hasn''t shone in his direction for a while now, right? I do believe¡­ It is unhealthy to be trapped in a location without any sunlight for an extended period of time. Maybe~ Taking a walk will brighten hisplexion. What do you say, hmm?" - Selino "Your silvery tongue still disrespects the master all the same. Why don''t I slice it off? I highly doubt you still need it." - Bael Banging his scythe on the ground, drawing our attention away from the confrontation between Selino and Bael, the Reaper raises his monotonous voice. "I do not need advice from an insect. Stop the useless chatter. What does the Horde want with me? I''m sure it isn''t because my army is disturbing hisnds, and if it is then him wiping them out shouldn''t be much of a task." - Reaper "I''m here on my own ord, Skelly." - Selino "Then disappear. I have wasted enough time on you. Bael!" - Reaper "Yes, master. I will get rid of these insects and cleanse the castle of their presence." - Bael pping his hands, Bael smiles sinisterly as numerous ck balls wrapped in a dark purple aura appear around him. Purple lightning sparks around them, zapping the area as a deep indigo miasma is exuded from Bael''s body. David and Devel, get into a defensive position, protecting the rest as they quickly bunch up together, anticipating the attack. "SELINO!" - Ian "Still so impatient, Skelly. Silver Cocoon!" - Selino Leaping off the throne of webs, Selino stands in front of the group, spreading my hands out as a silvery thread starts to weave a cocoon quickly around us, forming a barrier as the ck balls start to collide with it. Each ball shakes the cocoon violently, with some even creating small holes in it, only to be mended immediately. "Selino? What are you doing in Ian''s body?" - Nina Turning around, I see Nina approaching me cautiously. Her hand still gripping onto her wand tightly, with Devel standing guard right behind her. It wasn''t just him, everyone else was on edge as they observe my movements. However, I still had another 30 minutes before the switch can ur, which means Selino can still do whatever she wants during this time. "Oh, Nina deary~ How are you? I''ve missed you." - Selino Grabbing onto Nina''s shoulder quicker than Devel''s reaction, Selino pulls Nina in for a hug, grasping her tightly before releasing her. "It really isn''t Ian¡­" - Devel "Yes, deary, I''m not Ian, although I do look like him, that is because this is still Ian''s body." - Selino "It isn''t Mikki, right?" - Reba "Nope! This is Ian, as well as I, the Queen of Spiders herself." - Selino "You still haven''t answered my question. Why are you in Ian''s body? And while you are at it, exin what you are doing here." - Nina "My, oh, my. You and Skelly would get along so well. Both of you are just so impatient sometimes, gosh. I''m just here for fun, while Ian is here for his task. Afterpleting the union with him, I have found a lot to do with my own world which I have never thought about or seen before. The excitement just keeps on rising! Especially since the task is to defeat The Reaper himself. OH! I can''t wait for us to fight him properly, though I must say, everyone here is quite weak. How do you even hope to defeat him?" - Selino "Wait! That was a lot of information, and a lot of questions popped up because of it. Care to exin what you mean by the union? How you can see the notifications? And what do you mean we are weak? We-" - Nina "Nina. Stop. We can figure that outter. I would like to ask you one thing. Are you here to help us or to hinder us?" - Devel Stepping forward in front of Nina, Devel looks Selino right in the eye. Putting on the most intimidating aura he could, Devel faces us, waiting for our answer. Before Selino could answer him, I spoke first, giving Selino insight into my thoughts. "Selino, we are here to help them, okay? Defeating the Reaper is the task we mustplete. Although it seems extremely difficult, we must do it. Tell Devel we are going to help." - Ian "Ian deary, let me enlighten you for a second. It is impossible for us to defeat the Reaper. What we see right now is merely a puppet. The Reaper hasn''t shown himself in front of the Kings before and while it seems like he needs to be the one to summon the Demons, he is able to momentarily pass power through the puppet to summon the Demons. The Bael in front of us isn''t the real Bael either, but only a fraction of his power. Surely you didn''t think that this skill of mine would be able to hold up against an attack by one of the strongest demons? I only have a fraction of my own power while inside you, which means I am already significantly weaker than myself from before the Union, yet I am barely defending against this onught. Your task, given to you by the higher beings of this world is to eliminate the puppet that is residing in the ce of the Reaper. What happens after it, well¡­ Let''s just hope we don''t see the real Reaper." - Selino "If that is how it is then all the more reason for us to kill the ''Reaper'' in front of us. Completing the task will allow us to grow stronger to the point where we would be able to defeat the real Reaper." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Is that so? Then I guess I will lend a helping hand." - Selino Reaching out to Devel, Selino ces my hand on his shoulder. "Hmm, deary. I''m here to help. Although, you guys are weak. OH! I know. Nina, deary~ You and the rest of the humans will deal with Bael here. I''ll run off to Skelly and deal with him. Okay?" - Selino "WHAT?! What do you mean, deal with Bael? Shouldn''t you deal with him?" - Nina "Oh please deary~ You guys don''t stand a chance against Skelly as you are now but this deary here¡­ Might be able to do significant damage to Bael." - Selino Licking my lips while eyeing Devel, Selino''s gaze eventually falls to his sword. "The Lightning from Zeus¡­ Deary, you haven''t unlocked its full potential yet, have you?" - Selino "What do you know about it?!" - Devel Jumping up at Selino''s interest in his sword, Devel grabs my shoulder''s tight, looking deep into my eyes. cing a finger on his lips, Selino winks at Devel. "That is for you to find out~ My cocoon will be destroyed soon, so let me give you a bit of information on how to deal with Bael. The Demon has 3 heads as you have already seen, each having a different role. The cat head excels in illusion magic and dark magic. Be careful with what you may see, as it may not be as it seems. The human head is the main head, being able to expel magma out of its mouth as well as several other types of magic breath attacks. The toad head houses an extremely long tongue, capable of snatching and holding onto its prey at lightning-fast speeds. Even when you think you are outside its range, it will find a way totch onto you. However, despite having 3 heads, it doesn''t mean Bael is 3 times smarter. The two heads on the side act mainly on instinct while the main head tends to think too much. He is intelligent, but at the same time unintelligent. Attacking with multiple different skills will invoke a more instinctual response, so attacking slowly with few skills will make him think deeper into your actions. Combine the two, and he may find it difficult to deal with you. ALTHOUGH~ That is just my thoughts of Bael since thest time I have seen him. He may have changed his approach as well as acquired more skills. So take what I just said with a grain of salt, deary. Don''t worry too much about Skelly, I''ll deal with him off to the side, so just focus your attention on Bael." - Selino "... Fine. Thank you for the information." - Devel Turning away from Devel, Selino walks to the front, my trident appearing in her hands like magic. It seems she had a way of transporting it without carrying it, like an inventory system in other games. The thought did cross my mind when I realized she didn''t grab onto my trident before swapping with Mikki. Hitting the butt of the trident on the ground, Selino smiles at everyone else as she tilts her head back. "Well, then my sweet little babies~ Deal with the big bad Demon in front of us." - Selino Chapter 317 317 - Fighting Bael (Nina Perspective) Within a single moment, Selino, inside Ian''s body, saves us and at the same time pushes us into the deep end. In front of us, a wave of destruction cast by a demon of unknown origin and strength, and yet the strongest person in this room is about to leave us? Before she could give us enough time to think, Selino releases her skill, and the silvery cocoon disappears around us, giving Bael a path to destruction. "I''ll only help you out this once~ Thousand Threads!" - Selino From her fingertips, thin snow-white threads exude out, spreading far and wide in front of us, like a giant hand covering the sky. As the threads touch the numerous balls that Bael had thrown at us, multiple small explosions ur. An endless stream of purple smoke and white dust fills the area above us, rocking the whole castle as I see Reba, tumble to the ground. Looking back at me, Selino gives me a wink, sending chills down my spine before dashing forward, past her wall of threads. "NINA! SANSHIGO! THOUGHTS?! RIGHT NOW!" - Devel Standing before everyone, Devel grips his sword as lightning sparks around him. However, there was too much to think about. What do I say? "Ah-" - Nina "Looking at the information given to us, Bael shouldn''t be as strong as we think he is, not only does this Selino person say he isn''t but also the state of the game. This is only the third event, and the objective was to defeat The Reaper, which means by conventional gaming standards, Bael is nothing but a mini-boss. There should be some sort of weakness we can take advantage of, other than that, no other thoughts right now." - SanShiGo With a slight grin on his face, SanShiGo voices his opinion first. His thoughts align with mine, however, there is a slight difference. No, not a difference, I can add more. "Wait-" - Nina "GET READY!" - Devel Ripping the smoke in half and emerging with a sinister smile on the human head, Bael licks his lips as he ces one hand on top of the other. "Well, well, well. It seems only insects are left. The Queen of Spiders herself has left you poor fools to fend for yourself. A terrible disy of leadership, if I must say so myself." - Bael "We weren''t under her in the first ce, so there isn''t a sense of leadership that you are speaking of. How about her settle this another way¡­?" - Devel "HAHAHA! To think even insects would think to negotiate when their lives are on the line. It seems you have evolved in the small-time I have left this ne, but no. You will die. Dark Spear." - Bael "DAVID! DEFEND WITH ME! THUNDEROUS AURA!" - Devel "On it! me Body!" - David Appearing above Bael''s head, a dark purple spear appears, conjured from the sinister aura that seeps out of Bael''s hand as he holds his arm up. Steeping forward, Bael throws the spear down aiming for the small gap between Devel and David, however, Devel intercepts the attack blocking it with his sword. David dashes around Devel, enveloped in mes as he charges at Bael. Clicking my tongue, I can only do what I do best, after all, Devel and David are the greatest shields I can have. "Frank and Helioc, attack from the sides! Sylvia, Ester, and Reba be ready to switch with either Devel or David, while SanShiGo, I know you have some sort of healing powers, so I suggest you use them. Sabrina and I will aim for the two heads on the side. Sabrina, attack the cat head, while I deal with the frog." - Nina "You don''t have to tell me twice." - Helioc Dashing away the moment I finish telling everyone their roles, Helioc makes his way to the left side, while Frank gives me a nod before rushing to the right. Sylvia pats my shoulder, before putting on a serious face as she joins Devel and David. Standing in front of Sabrina, Reba, and Ester cover for her as she begins to cast small-scale spells at the feline head. Walking over to me, SanShiGo gives me a curious look as he asks me a question. "So you know about my healing powers you say? What gave it away? Or did someone say something about it?" - SanShiGo "Nothing much, other than Ester''s clothing. Parts of her leggings are torn, but there aren''t any wounds. While that could have been done by just moving around, I have a slight suspicion that you could heal." - Nina "I thought I said I could use buffs and what-not. Not healing abilities. I thought that should cover myck of skills, after all, the only significant skill I used with summoning PanPan. Nheless, I would have used them if I needed to, like¡­ Right now. I ask Hygieia, the goddess of health, for her blessing. Let mypanions feel your strength, course through their veins. And may their bodies be your spear and shield. Power Harmony!" - SanShiGo [Power Harmony: +100% Strength, Intelligence, and Agility. 4:59] "Now then, shall we focus on defeating Bael?" - SanShiGo "Of course. What else can we do? Fire Bolt!" - Nina Turning back to the problem at hand, I observe Devel dashing forward right behind David who had just taken a Dark Spear to the face. Gripping his sword tightly, he jumps on David''s back, stepping off him and reaching Bael quickly. Swinging his sword down, Devel initiates the first attack on Bael''s body, however, with a small sh of yellow light from the feline''s eyes, a thin translucent ck shield appears in front of Bael, protecting him against Devel. At the same time, Sabrina and my Fire Bolt spellnds on the cat''s head, creating a small plume of smoke, hindering its vision for a split second. Enough time for Helioc, to blink close to Bael. "Act 1 - Dance in the Midnight Sky." - Helioc With his skill, Helioc masterfully slices at Bael''s lower body, blocked by the small shield that is blocking Devel, however, instead of stopping with the first attack, he continues to dance around the demon, slicing quickly like a ck storm. Apanying him on his onught of attacks, Devel and David quickly try to deal as much damage as possible to the shield, attacking from various directions. On the side, not too far away from them, Frank slices the inside of his palm with a small goblin knife. Letting the blood drip to the floor, creating a small circle with an eye in the middle, he ces his hand in it, speaking out while closing his eyes. "Heed my call, my blood servants. Appear before me. Serve me. Die for me. Come, before me." - Frank Lifting his hand off the ground, as the blood shines a deep scarlet, Frank smiles as he licks the blood from his palm. The blood pools seemingly increase and morph into 5 separate bodies. Each one was familiar to those who lived near HavenFall or the Krepost. A Xabaril, Zivotinja, Crinzanna, a giant python, and a goblin. Each monster instead of its natural color looked like they were dyed in blood, with rubies for eyes and pearl-white teeth and fangs that could be seen as they grinned. "Bleed for me." - Frank With Frank''smand, the blood-red monsters sprint toward Bael, reaching him within a couple of seconds while dodging the elongated tongue from the frog head. Each monster expertly maneuvers around the attack, even the bulky Xabaril was able to elegantly dodge it, barrel rolling to the side. Once they were in range, they attacked Bael as well, alongside Helioc, Devel, and David. Frank not too far behind them, attacks Bael with a Mind st whilemanding his blood servants. Opening my book in one hand, and pointing my small wand in the other, I activate the strongest skill I had while signaling to Sabrina to attack with all her might. The both of us, cast our strongest spells, aiming for the human head, as Devel breaks the magic barrier with his sword. "FIRE LANCE!" - Nina "LIGHTNING BOLT!" - Sabrina Our spells explode on Bael''s head at the same time, creating a plume of smoke as the explosion rings in our ears. SanShiGo grabs onto both our hands, with a serious expression, as a thin white bubble wraps around us. Seeing SanShiGo''s movements, Ester quickly casts a skill enveloping her body in the earth, while Reba quickly tosses a coin in the air, dashing to the side and Sylvia activates Awakening. Multiple purplish-ck spears rain down from the sky, jabbing into the white bubble only to barely crack it. Yellow runes could be seen floating about on the surface of the bubble as it slowly repaired itself, ejecting the ck spear away. "So, it is targeting the back line? Even though Devel and the others are attacking it." - SanShiGo "Why? Wouldn''t it be more beneficial if it kills whoever is in front of it? Devel is obviously applying more pressure." - Sabrina "It must think we are more dangerous¡­ We can use that to our advantage! Hear me out. I got a n." - Nina Chapter 318 318 - Engaging With The Reaper The moment her cocoon skill deactivates, Selino dashes past Bael without even ncing in his direction. Maybe she knew time was running out in the switch skill, thus making her want to engage with the Reaper faster. Strangely, I have felt so many emotions during this hour of swapping bodies, but this was the first time when I feel a mix of anxiety and excitement. A nervous grin spreads across our faces, as Selino leaps off the ground lunging forward at the Reaper. "Bone Shield." - Reaper Slowly putting out his hand, a purplish red magic circle forms in front, as numerous types of human bones emerge collecting together to form a circr shield. A small explosion rings out, as the tip of our trident connects with the shield. However, without missing a beat, 8 spider legs sprout out from my back, stabbing forward around my body and the shield aiming for the Reaper, who was hiding behind it. "A pitiful disy." - Reaper Parrying all 8 attacks with a spin of his scythe, the Reaper sends out a wave of energy, pushing us away slightly. Confidently, Selinomands the two lower spider legs to support our body, as she nonchntly shrugs her shoulders. Stepping side to side using the spider legs, she engages in conversation with the Reaper. "I wonder, Skelly. Why did you invade the continent? You know, that was on my mind for a while, even when I was still rxing next to the Horde. Oh, it wasn''t just me that is wondering about that. The Horde was also confused, since your invasion was so, sudden and yet so weak at the same time." - Selino "Queen of Spiders, do you think you have the liberty to ask questions?. Circle of Death." - Reaper Banging the butt of his scythe on the ground, the Reaper creates arge magic circle below our feet. Instantly noticing the danger, Selino activates Extreme Speed and sprints to the side. "So impatient, Skelly! Why the rush? It is not like a bag of bones should be in a hurry." - Selino "Pathetic. To think the Queen of Spiders has to resort to cheap words. Rise. ck Skeletons. Feast on the flesh of this poor fool." - Reaper Seeing his spell fail, the Reaper chooses a different approach, summoning a small toon of 10 skeletons. However, each skeleton was armed with a different set of weapons. Some were close-range, with gauntlets attached to their bony hands, or small knives, while others were mid-range, showcasing a thick whip or a long halberd. There were even skeletons holding onto crossbows and longbows, each equipped with a set of arrows ready to be fired. "What are you doing, Selino? Why are you talking to him? Are you trying to provoke him, because if you are, it ain''t working." - Ian "Quiet, deary. I was genuinely curious about his thoughts on the invasion, but it doesn''t look like he wants to tell me. Hmm¡­ I only have 5 minutes left. Why don''t I go all out? Hehe~ Now then deary, watch me closely, this is something all Arachae should be able to do, although your body can only handle up to the second stage. Athena''s Curse.." - Selino While I was looking through my own eyes as Selinomands my body, I could still sense the small changes around me. A tingling sensation sends goosebumps throughout my whole body, as my back tenses. The tattoo on my back quakes, and I feel thousands of tiny pricks along my body. I know this feeling, yet at the same time, it feels foreign. Where¡­? The time I went out of control. Embracing the sensation, I start to focus on the changes happening to my body. Tiny spiders start to spread across my body, covering my arms, legs, chest, and face, only leaving small gaps between them. A surge of power washes over me, a freeing sensation could be felt as if I was reborn. Despite it happening without my control, I¡­ I didn''t mind it. Like watching someone perform an insane unrealistic act, leaving only shock and awe, that was me. My heart pounds against my chest, rapidly. I can sense the pure adrenaline pumping through my veins as Selino''s excitement infects me. "Now then¡­ Let''s get rid of these distractions." - Selino With a burst of speed, Selino bolts into the skeletons, and before they could even react, a string of explosions envelops her surroundings, sting the skeletons away and shattering them in the process. ncing over at the Reaper, Selino smirks, darting over, taking the straightest path to the Reaper''s head. Blocking the strike with the de of the scythe, the Reaper''s hood flutters vigorously in the wind is caused by the explosion from our trident. Hurriedly, he twists his body away while tucking the top of the hood down with his free hand, as if he wanted to hide his face. Even though I was just watching through a screen and focusing all my attention on it, I couldn''t make out his face. Twirling around, the Reaper begins to exchange rapid blows with Selino, as both parties attempt to kill one another. However, we had 8 more potential methods of attack, each with its own pattern. Standing on our own two legs, Selino barrages against the Reaper, inflicting small cuts on his robe as the intensity increases. The Reaper, on the other hand, continues to furiously defend while also incorporating his own attacks in the process. A swing could defend against a stab, a spider leg or two while also slicing at our feet or neck. Inhaling a sharp breath, I sit on the edge of my seat while I observe as carefully as I can Selino''s spearman-ship and the Reaper''s responses. "This is going nowhere, Skelly deary~ I''m only hitting that thin cloth that covers your body. Why don''t you go easy on me?" - Selino "To think you can activate the cursed mark while inhibiting a human. Impressive. However, that is as far as you go. No more fooling around. Demonic Outburst! Nightmare ve!" - Reaper With a burst of demonic energy, the Reaper envelops himself in a deep dark red aura, as multiple clones of himself slowly materialize, surrounding us in the process. The aura radiant the most around his scythe, extending the de until it was twice the size. Raising their scythes above their shoulders, the Reapers prepare for their attack. Selino tenses up, as she anticipates the attack. Seconds passed and with just a blink, all 10 Reapers'' scythes shed either with the spider legs or with our trident. Countless slices and shes, appear before us, each colliding with the spider legs more and more as Selino uses them to defend against them, counterattacking as much as possible with the trident. However, as if the Reapers were like phantoms, our attacks were hitting nothing but air or the clones, slicing and stabbing through¡­ Unable to do any damage. At the same time, unable to take any damage either but not for long. One by one, the spider legs broke and shattered. Leaving us more and more vulnerable. Attacks were connecting, I could feel the aura de slicing against my skin. The burning flesh permeates into our noses, and a searing pain is all I can feel, but Selino doesn''t give up. "I guess this is why they call you the Queen of Spiders. You are truly hard to kill." - Reaper "Well, Skelly deary~ I just kind of like to stick around." - Selino "Selino! We need to retreat!" - Ian "It seems even the human inside of you knows better." - Reaper "He can hear me? Why? How?" - Ian "He can''t. Well¡­ I thought he can''t. That is beside the point, deary. I don''t think we can beat the Reaper. Not right now at least. Deary, I''m going, to be honest. You are too weak and time has just about run out, so I''m passing the torch to you." - Selino "Wait? What?" - Ian [You have regained control of your body. Switch can not be activated for 1 month.] "Oh? It seems the human is here. Pity. You have to die." - Reaper A single Reaper moves forward, cing the scythe around my neck slowly. Unable to move from the gigantic presence in front of me, I instead tried to speak to him even if it was for only a short while. "Reaper. Before you take my life. Tell me, why did you invade us? For what wrong did we do?" - Ian "Nothing. You have done nothing. DO you think I need a reason to squash ants?" - Reaper "So the Horde is also an ant to you?" - Ian "No. He, Kronos, and Cornelia. There is another reason for invading their territory, but you do not need to know." - Reaper "Unfortunately not." - Ian "Well, you won''t be dying today. Protection of the Heavens." - SanShiGo The moment the Reaper''s scythe moves to cut off my neck, golden energy envelops my body, creating sparks around my neck. Knowing I only have a few seconds at best, I act quickly, quietly thanking SanShiGo for this opportunity. "Steel String!" - Ian Looking upward, I cast one of my new skills, attaching itself to the ceiling and pulling myself up the string quickly, just in time to escape death. ncing over to SanShiGo, I notice that Bael was locked inbat with Devel and David while the others were moving towards the Reaper. However, the Reaper wasn''t happy with the situation. Engulfing the whole room in his aura, the Reaper, and his clones stand side by side staring at those that were approaching. "Insolent fools. BAEL! YOU WORTHLESS DEMON! COME TO ME!" - Reaper "As you wish." - Bael Sinking into his own shadow, Bael reappears beside one of the Reapers, most likely the real Reaper standing in the middle of the line. "You have disappointed me. To think you cannot even kill a bunch of insects." - Reaper "I am sorry, let me-" - Bael "SILENCE! I do not need to hear your excuses. DEMON TRIGGER!" - Reaper [URGENT UPDATE] [Sub Event Quest - Reaper''s Castle Objective - ESCAPE! Retreat from the Reaper''s Castle. Reward - Unknown ] Chapter 319 319 - Escape! Dropping from the ceiling, I see the system notifying us of the change in objective. Reading it quickly, I join everyone else with a worried expression, especially since the dark ominous auraing from the Reaper bursts forth behind me. No longer wearing a robe, he equips a lustrous ck armor, with thin red highlights entuating the metallic exterior. On his two shoulders sits an obsidian ck cat bust and an emerald green frog bust, with amber and ruby eyes respectively. However, the most frightening scene was the human mask that sits on the Reaper''s face. A grin that never drops and eyes as small and sharp as the scythe in his hands. Wearing a golden crown that glitters endlessly like the night sky, he twirls his scythe around his head and sides like a magician''s wand, cutting the floor and walls around him. "We all read the system prompt right? Any thoughts on escaping him?" - Reba "How''s the door behind us looking?" - Helioc "Closed. At least thest time we checked. It''s not like we rattled the door knob before advancing this close to him." - Sabrina "Fight?" - David "No David. We would get killed instantly." - Ian "Wait. Are you Ian or Selino?" - Nina "Ian and does it matter right now? We don''t have a way to beat him at least from what I can tell. That''s why the objective changed from defeat to escape. How did you guys even get here in the first ce? I know I didn''te here through conventional means so¡­" - Ian "Teleport circle, right below the Castle." - SanShiGo "That circle also transported us to various different ces, which means we can''t rely on it. Did anyone see any windows on the way up? From what I remember from the outside, there were windows." - Devel "Nothing, of that sort." - Sylvia "Neither." - Frank "Bust a hole in the wall then? Devel should have more than enough power to do that." - Ester "My attacks barely make a scratch on the ground in this ce, so I doubt I have the power to break through the wall." - Devel "Damn, we are running out of options. The Reaper isn''t going to just stand there and wait for us. Devel, David, Sylvia, and I will hold him off for as long as we can. Nina and SanShiGo, think of a solution. Helioc and Frank, looking along the edges of this room for a potential way out. Ester and Reba, run to the door at the other side and see if it is possible to break or open it." - Ian "It seems like you are ignoring me and making ns in front of my face now. Do you not feel death quickly creeping by your side?" - Reaper "MOVE! NOW! SHIFT! COUNTER PULSE!" - Devel Blinking in front of the group, Devel intercepts the Reaper''s deadly swing, sending a shockwave around him at the same time. Naturally seeing the dangers in front of them, everyone splits off to do their tasks while David sprints toward Bael, coating himself in mes in the process. Still, in an awakened state, Sylvia nces toward me and nods, before following David closely behind. Letting out a deep breath, I see Devel release the seal on his sword, as he catches a glimpse of me approaching beside him. Pointing to the left, he gives me a small nudge of the head, in which case I respond with a slight nod, while I point to the right. A short exchange of signals, not a word between us, but we understood each other, I mean it wasn''t that hard. Acknowledging our wordless conversation, Devel leaps forward, approaching the feline bust at lightning-fast speeds. Sensing that Devel was the fastest threat, the Reaper''s attention turned toward him. The amber eyes on his shoulder sh brightly, as several gold and purplish-ck balls appear around the airborne Devel. Surprised by the sudden appearance of the balls, Devel quickly kicks off the air, jumping higher. However, the balls follow him, floating up rapidly before each one, shining their respective colors as a ray of light emits out from them, targeting Devel. At the same time, a ruby light shes from the right, as three pink tonguessh out from the frog bust. Each one as fast as a cheetah as itnds on David, Sylvia, and me, square on the face, dealing considerable damage. Unfazed by the attack, David grips tightly onto the tongue as it catches alight from his passive skill, Ifrit''s Favor. Leaping up from the ground, David lets the tongue whip him back to the source, as he flies through the air, reaching the frog bust within seconds. Hovering in front of the frog bust, slightly off the ground, staring daggers into the ruby eyes, David lets out a battle cry. "HHHAAAAAAHHHHH! JAHANNAM NAAR DIRE!" - David "Miasma Coat." - Reaper Condensing a fire st at the frog bust, at close range, David attempts to deal massive damage, however, his n was thwarted as quickly as he reached the Reaper. A dense fog of miasma, wraps around the Reaper instance, swallowing David''s fire magic. Shocked by the result of his efforts, David, falls down backward as the pressureing from the Reaper sends him flying. Before hends with a loud thud, Sylvia uses his shoulders as a tform, leaping into the clouds of miasma. Her body shines a holy glow, as she pierces through, standing next to the Reaper. Turning his head slightly at Sylvia, he merely swings his scythe in her direction, uninterested at all in her presence. Annoyed by theck of respect, Sylvia dodges under the scythe, rolling forward, and coats her fists in the same holy light, radiating brighter as she punches the Reaper''s lower body. However, her fists meet with the ck armor and a loud thud could ring in our ears as the holy power covering Sylvia instantly disperses. "What¡­?" - Sylvia "SYLVIA! GET BACK!" - Ian Finally reaching the action, I lunge forward grabbing onto Sylvia''s shoulder, pulling her back as the Reaper cuts the surrounding area with his scythe, spinning it around his body. Luckily I am able to block part of the swing with my trident resulting in no injuries. However, I no longer had my spider legs, since Selino used them to block the earlier attacks, and the special curse-like skill she used is also unavable to me. Devel appears right beside me, stabbing at the Reaper with his lightning bolt, only to be parried by his scythe. Pushing it away, the Reaper slices at our feet, forcing us to jump backward hurriedly, but leaving us open to his second attack. A much faster swing aiming for our neck. Covering for the three of us, I put my body in front of Sylvia and urately position the body of my trident to intercept the tip of the scythe, narrowly blocking it. "Earth Spike." - Ian Casting my skill right in front of the Reaper''s feet, I force him to take a step backward, cleverly dodging the attack. Taking this opportunity he repositions himself as he steps around the right side of the spike, swinging the weapon at a much faster speed. This time, Devel dashes forward, intercepting the attack mid-swing, while Sylvia punches at the Reaper''s face and I Cleave at his legs. "Shadow Block." - Reaper The feline''s eyes sh once more, creating two separate shadowy magic shields that block both of our attacks at the same time. Gritting my teeth at yet another unsessful attempt to do anything to the Reaper, my brain gears itself up, thinking of ways to survive this ordeal. Surprisingly it seems like my prayers were answered as an explosive crash could be heard above us. "HAHAHA! FINALLY! I HAVE MADE IT! Friend, LOOK! It''s the Reaper." - Mumei Standing at the edge of a gaping hole, I see Mumei, the Guardian of Civilization,ughing while hugging the floating paper bag. Seeing the Reaper distracted by the appearance of Mumei, I grab onto Sylvia''s arm while ncing at Devel and David before dashing away as quickly as possible. "Another thorn by my side. I guess the saying is true. Where there is one cockroach, there are many." - Reaper "Friend, it''s time to do our job! Down we go!" - Mumei Leaping down from the hole, Mumeinds directly beside the Reaper, but he wasn''t going to let her off that easily. Swinging his scythe multiple times at her, I expected Mumei to be hit, as she had justnded on the ground, however, Friend instead floats between the two, creating a bubble made out of small transparent teal hexagons. The scythe ingrains several deep ck marks into the bubble, before the bubble bursts, however, by this time, Mumei was parrying each attack with her small dagger. ncing around, I survey the area, looking at everyone else as I hope for them to have found an exit but to no avail. Gulping down my saliva, I knew what that meant. The reason Mumei had arrived at this specific time was to give us a way out. Our escape route was the hole she had created in the ceiling, but the problem was the main fight was happening right below it. Gathering together once more, as Mumei and the Reaper were engaged in a heated battle, I point directly at the hole, while addressing the solution. "That hole is our ticket out of the Reaper''s Castle as well as thepletion of our objective as well as the Third Event. However, I''m not sure how to get there, safely." - Ian Smiling, SanShiGo steps forward. "I know how. Summon! PanPan! HAHAHA! The n is simple. Ride PanPan to the hole and escape!" - SanShiGo Chapter 320 320 - End Of The Event "Right. We climb on the big panda and we just waltz on over to the hole and we jump up. Super simple, and super easy. Are you an idiot, SanShiGo? I thought you were meant to be one of the smart ones here." - Nina "Well, do you have another idea, einstein? From what I can tell at least, the door behind us is immovable. Ester was unable to do anything and Helioc mentioned that there were no weren''t even grooves alongside the wall. What we see is just an illusion. Fight Bael was the best we could and even then it was mainly Devel keeping him in check. I don''t know who thatdy is that is currently fighting the Reaper, but she is currently distracting it and we are losing time. This is an extremely simple solution to our problem." - SanShiGo "SanShiGo is right, Nina. While it might be dangerous going over there, there isn''t any other option. Plus, I know Mumei is on our side at least. Our only hope is that she can distract the Reaper when we arrive at the hole." - Ian "Alright. I understand. Let''s get on then." - Nina Acknowledging the n, we all climb on top of PanPan, with SanShiGo in the lead. ncing over to Mumei, I see she was busy attacking and defending against the Reaper. Small spells were exploding against magic shields, while the ground seemed to shatter and break with each second. The sheer intensity of that fight was nothing like what I have seen before, and with Selino being quiet, there was no one who could tell me if that was normal or abnormal. "PanPan, we march! As quickly and as silently as possible." - SanShiGo "I''ve never heard of a gigantic creature being silent before." - Devel "I think SanShiGo mispronounced loudly as silently." - Sabrina "Hahaha! I doubt it matters too much. It will only take us a couple of seconds to get there. Mumei is pushing the Reaper to the side." - Ian Catching her taking a glimpse in our direction, I sense our eyes meeting and a sight wave of confusion washes over her. However, it was only for a moment, as the Reaper suddenly elerates, grabbing onto Mumei''s neck. Jolting up, I grip my trident tightly, ready to spring into action, but Reba grabs onto my wrist before I could do anything. "Babe? It is you this time right?" - Reba "Yea¡­ It''s me, not Selino." - Ian "Really? I''m so d¡­ I''ve-I''ve been so worried you know. There has just been so much going on after you disappeared today. And-And I''ve just been feeling so overwhelmed. I''m so d you are back." - Reba Pulling me down, Reba wraps her arms around my neck loosely as a couple of tears roll down her cheek. Giving her a soft kiss on her right cheek, I slowly pull away while caressing her head. "Don''t worry. I''m here now, but Mumei needs our help as well." - Ian "What? No! She can handle it just fine." - Reba "She is right, we aren''t that far away from the hole, why make it harder?" - Nina Nina crawls over to us on PanPan''s back. With a serious expression, she questions my choice. However, her question was answered by the Reaper''s actions. Tossing Mumei to the side, he turns toward us. Our eyes, staring into each other and before anyone else could stop me, I activate Enhanced Agility, shing with the Reaper right beside PanPan. In the short moment that I leaped off PanPan, the Reaper had already crossed half the room but I still made it just in time. Any secondter and I doubt, PanPan could survive even a hit from the Reaper. "IAN! WAIT! NO!" - Reba "Sorry, babe. Reaper you are going to have to deal with me. The others will escape without fail." - Ian "It won''t be just you, Ian! I want to join in on the fun as well." - Devel Jumping off PanPan, Devel takes a swing at the Reaper''s head, making the Reaper lean backward while disengaging with me. The three of usnd on the ground, and with a quick nce, I could see PanPan reaching the hole. Knowing this, I felt somewhat reassured that we will still manage to ''escape'',pleting the Third Event. "... I see. I should have tried a little bit harder to kill everyone here. However, what is done, is done. I will just have to massacre the three of you here to quench my thirst. Pity, it will just be too easy." - Reaper "Ah¡­ I wouldn''t want to be held ountable for that. Transcendence." - Devel "What the-" - Ian Standing next to me, Devel activates a skill that reminded me of Sylvia''s Awakening skill, however, this time it felt stronger. It was as if Devel became lightning himself. His de and himself felt like they were one and the same. "A party trick at best. Soul¡­ Slice." - Reaper Enveloping his scythe in the same aura that was enveloping himself, the Reaper slices horizontally at extremely quick speeds. Activating Quickstep, I dodge the first slice, only to be meant with 2 more behind it. My senses were telling me to not get hit by them, and with great difficulty, I was able to slide my body in between the attack as I dove forward. Pushing myself off the ground with my hands, I roll forward slightly as I sweep at the Reaper''s leg the moment I get back up. By this time, Devel had already zapped through the Reaper''s attack and was pressuring him with multiple quick strong overhead and diagonal attacks, making the Reaper focus on defending his upper body. However, it wasn''t enough as the cat eyes sh brightly multiple times, creating a rectangr barrier around the Reaper. Thinking it was because the cat predicted my attack, I clicked my tongue, only to see Mumei standing behind the Reaper. Her knife was creating purple sparks as she attempts to break through the barrier. However, to no avail, the knife bounces away. Counterattacking straight away, the Reaper spins his scythe around his waist, slicing through our armor and drawing blood. I knew his attack was going to affect me and Devel but to think even Mumei''s barrier that Friend made also broke at the Reaper''s normal attack. How strong is this guy?! "I''m sorry hoomans, you two but you will have to leave. He is too strong for you to face!" - Mumei "Wait, but you can''t defeat him either!" - Ian "No. I can beat him." - Mumei "Denial is but the first stage of grief. However, you should just ept your defeat, pitiful human. I know who you are. A relic of the past. You were unable to do anything before, what makes you think you can do something now." - Reaper "IAN! GRAB ON!" - Devel "WAIT!? WHAT?" - Ian "You never faced the real me. SUPERBIA!" - Mumei Devel grabs onto my arm and with a sh of light the two of us teleport to the hole. Looking back down, I see Mumei envelop herself in a golden light as gold sparkles float around her like stars. Friend turns into a golden version of itself, while its eyes change into the color of obsidian. [ Prideful Presence has lowered your overall stats by 50% so long as, Mumei, is within your line of sight. ] Looking away quickly, I nce around as both Devel and I search for the others, only to see them leaping down the side of the castle, reaching the ground one by one. "Come on, let''s follow them. We are nothing but insects to the Reaper, that guy can easily kill us if he wanted to. The only question I have for him is why didn''t he. It didn''t feel like he was ying around with us, yet one moment he could easily kill us and the next we are just exchanging blows as if it was a spar." - Devel "I don''t know. I definitely felt like it was different. He was saying all these things and putting pressure on us with his presence and aura, yet it didn''t seem like he was here to kill us. I''m confused but I also think there won''t be any answers here. It is better for us to just regroup with everyone." - Ian Nodding his head, Devel and I were about to jump down, when a loud crash could be heard behind us, as Mumei''s fragile body is tossed into the air, apanied by dust and stones. The Reaper flies out of the hole as well, traveling directly to Mumei as his scythe swings down aimed for her petite neck. Friendes in between them, creating a golden barrier, protecting Mumei but forcing them to be sent to the ground. Gulping down our saliva, Devel picks me up as we quickly jump down the castle arriving at the same time as Ester and Reba who were thest two to jump off the castle andnd on the ground. Mumei crashes into the ground not far from us, but so does the Reaper as he indents the ground with hisnding, standing in front of Mumei and us. Coughing up blood, Mumei''s body shines brightly as Friend reconstructs a barrier around us and Mumei. Turning toward us, Mumei limps over, as Reba and Sylvia grab onto her weak body before she could copse. Rushing to her side with frantic expressions, Sabrina and Ester bring out their respective potions, only for Mumei to wave them away. "Don''t worry about me hoo¡­mans. I''m sorry I was unable to defeat the Reaper." - Mumei "Mumei, don''t worry about it. Do you remember me? I was with you when you were fighting Zabik." - Ian ? "I''m sorry, hooman¡­ I don''t remember you. However, I feel a strong love from the gods and goddesses within this group. It seems my duty is to protect you once more and allow you to escape." - Mumei "What about you?" - Devel "I¡­ I will be fine. Friend is here¡­ I''ll always be fine. Hoomans¡­ Listen to me. The 4 kings are moving. Danger is afoot. Seas will churn, mountains will tumble and the skies will grow dark. However, there is hope. In each territory of the Kings as well as the Center, there is an artifact of the ancients. Find them. It will help you, Hoomans." - Mumei "Artifact? A weapon? No, maybe something else¡­ Interesting." - SanShiGo "Now, my hoomans. Let me send you off. Golden Send Off." - Mumei With a snap of her fingers and a faint smile, Mumei activates her skill, enveloping us in a simr golden aura before our bodies start to turn into golden dust. Unable to say a word during the skill, I reach out to grab onto Reba before our hands had already disappeared by that point. ncing around, I nod my head to everyone as we part ways abruptly. Chapter 321 321 - Leaderboard For The Event [Congrattions onpleting Sub Event Quest - Reaper''s Castle. ] [Congrattions onpleting the Third Event - Attack of the Reaper''s Army. ] [Rewards will be processed soon! Settlement will be going through an update as well. Stay tuned. ] [There will be additional rewards for those who actively participated in the Event and Quest.] [Congrattions to all yers to have been ying Settlement for these 6 months. Please be sure to check your emails as we are excited to give you a reward for your efforts. ] [Leaderboards will be announced shortly¡­] After dematerializing due to Mumei''s skill, I eventually noticed my sense of sight returning to me alongside the bombardment of notifications. Reading each notification, it seems we had indeed finished the third event as well as the sub-event inside the Reaper''s Castle. ncing around I realize I am standing in front of the Portal to the Abyss, with Reba, Nina, Sylvia, David, and Frank next to me. Reba and Nina were busy looking at the notifications, while Sylvia, David, and Frank started to approach us in worry. After a casual conversation with them, I was able to relieve them of any worry and asked them to wait on the side as I checked the Portal for any information. Reaching my hand out to touch it, I sigh in disappointment. I thought this was going to happen, but I still tried to believe there would still be a way. [The ownership of this Portal no longer belongs to you. You can not ess it.] "I''m pretty sure it is due to the event being over, otherwise there would be a very easy way to reach the Reaper''s Castle from all around the continent. It wouldn''t make sense for us to be able to ess a Portal like this afterward. I''m sure the correct method now is to force our way toward the Reaper''s Castle bynd." - Nina "I know¡­ I just wanted to see if it was true or not. Regardless, we should head back to the Krepost. If we leave now, we should make it back by the time before the game period ends for the night." - Ian "We should hurry in my opinion. It has been a long time since we started the game. So many things happened to all of us, and the moment we return I''m sure there will be an onught of information we have to crawl through." - Reba "Ugh¡­ You''re right, Reba. With the Third Event over, there will be so much talk about the next patch as well as the next step in the main events. With the Reaper doing so much, I''m sure the next event won''t be any more generous. Plus, I feel like with the introduction of yers finally meeting more yers, there will either be a lot of tension between us or there will be a lot of open cooperation between the yers." - Nina "There are a lot of theories you can suggest and specte, Nina, but right now I say you give your little brain a chance to rx. You have done rough thinking. Babe, let''s start moving too." - Ian Giving Nina a small head pat, I turn to Reba who dly wraps her arms around my other arm. Seeing Nina ept the head pat, I chuckle a bit before calling out to the others to leave. It didn''t take us too long before we arrived at the Krepost, but by the time we were there, the sun had already risen over the horizon. Weed by the cheers of our fellow vigers, we held a short celebration asughter and chatter filled the air. I notice that Kingston and Celine weren''t here and after mentioning this to Gibing and Yor, I was told that they have been missing since Reba and the others went to the Portal. Apparently, Celine wasst seen rushing off to the Emerald ins with Kingston right behind her, and I can only assume it was too tame stronger monsters after the unfortunate ident with Selino and her previous tame. However, the monsters are being looked after diligently, even without Celine. Other than that small piece of news, nothing else happened within the day we were gone, at least to the vigers. To them, it was just another day''s work, but to the 6 of us who went to the Glemt, the Reaper''s Territory, it was like going through months of fighting. For me, I had to experience Selino''s magic entering me and then her taking over my body. At least right now, it seems like she is asleep. The sun slowly rises higher and higher as time passes, and I took the liberty to just rx for once. Not a thought of fighting crossed my mind, instead, I went around and took in how much the Krepost has grown since I first created it. Now it truly feels like a second home, with HavenFall not too far away from it. I know I will eventually need to create more footholds around this area, in order to strengthen my forces and in the process find ways to increase the manpower. Ideally, I would want to create another vige closer to the mountains where we had visited before, as it would be an ideal ce for minerals and ores to be located. While the Krepost will be extended into an agricultural city, utilizing all the empty grasnd as farnd. Wheat needs to be grown in higher quantities for it to be a staple resource to feed my people, and using that food, I will energize workers to mine resources in the third vige. Standing on top of the wall, my mind wanders in the direction of advancing my ''civilization'', but snapping me back to reality, were the notifications. [Congrattions once more to the yers who actively participated in the Third Event. After taking some time to calcte the contributions of each yer as well as Travelers who have associated with a vige. We will be disying the top 10 Viges/Solo Travelers within New Oceania. HavenFall - Lord Ian Bone City - The Great Devel Lotus Flower - The Pious SanShiGo Aqua Corp - Consul Helioc Shining Finger Nocto_or_Octo BabyPenPen28 Pa Kaua - Lord SAMurai Drago Saint Holy Vatican - The Pious ArchiBishopi Those who are a Solo Traveler, they will receive a different reward,pared to the yers who are the leaders of their respective viges. ] [All yers who have contributed to the event will gain a Normal random gift box, as well as a special skill. Pioneers of Settlement (Passive). The Normal random gift box is simr to the one given due to server maintainence.] Pioneers of Settlement (Passive) - Reward to the yers who have strived to survive in a new world and have grown stronger by adapting to it. +5% Cold Resistance. +5% Heat Resistance. +5 to all stats. [To the yers who participated in the final Quest, they will gain an additional Rare random gift box as well as a Unique random gift box. Both random gift boxes will have a higher chance of gifting a rarer item or even an artifact. ] [These rewards will be distributed right now, allowing for yers who are still alive to be able to use them straightaway, however, there is only 1 hour left before the game shuts down. After the game shuts down, we hope yers will be understanding as there will be a short wait as the update process may take some time. During this time we hope yers will keep up-to-date with our activities as there will be posts on our website.] [As always, thank you so much for supporting Settlement. We hope you are enjoying your time and continue to have fun!] A lot of information was disyed and reading through it all took some time, but at the end of it, the rewards materialized in front of me, floating down slowly for me to catch them. For a total of 3 gift boxes, I observe them each have a different ribbon tied around the box. Silver, gold, and purple with gold edges. I didn''t need to read them for me to know which was which, but before I could open them, I hear my name. Reba and Nina were calling out to me from below, waving their hands as they showed off their own gift box. However, before I could jump down and greet them, another notification pops up in front of me. [As one of the top 10 yers, who is also currently a leader of a vige, you have been rewarded with a random unique building¡­ Palgum.] [As one of the top 5 leaders you have been given an Altar of Life. Please set a location for the Altar of Life before the game shutdowns or the item will disappear.] "Hey! Ian! Get down from there! Let''s open up the random boxes!" - Nina ncing down, after reading the notifications, I choose to discuss what I have received with Nina and Reba, after all, it is better for me to discuss with the only two other yers here, then decided everyone by myself. "Coming,ing." - Ian Chapter 322 322 - So Many Rewards! Landing on the ground, I see Reba and Nina grinning ear to ear as they hold onto their random gift boxes. Who doesn''t love a bit of gambling am I right? "Hey! No fair, you got 3 boxes!" - Nina "Yea, it is because I''m the Lord of HavenFall, so I receive the most benefits when we get a high ranking. Especially since HavenFall has received first ce!" - Ian "Well, who wants to go first?" - Reba Both Nina and I look at Reba, the moment she asks the question. "Aren''t you the luckiest one here? Goddess of Fortuna''s apostle." - Nina "Ah¡­ Hahaha! You''re right! Then¡­ Let''s open it up!" - Reba Pulling the ribbon, Reba casual look starts to make me nervous, as I lean in a bit, edging closer to the box. Even though I can''t see anything, it felt like I was able to see the object just by going closer. The moment the ribbon is untied a golden light appears from the box as the lid flies off, but then suddenly the golden light starts to have purple highlights. The ribbon twists and turns around the box as it starts to turn purple much like my unique random gift box. "Wait¡­ NO WAY!" - Ian "High luck stat¡­ Disgusting." - Nina The light recedes into the box, and Reba picks up an emerald four-leaf clover. It glitters in the light as a faint emerald aura wraps around the four-leaf clover. Checking out the description of the object, Reba smiles to herself before passing it to Nina and then to me, so that we could all have a look. [Four-Leaf Clover Brooch +10 Agility +10 Intelligence +10 Luck Skill: Lucky Leprechaun (Passive) An emerald four-leaf clover brooch with a golden pin behind it to secure itself to most clothing. It was a symbol of status with small humanoid beings, depicting the wealth of the wearer. Made by Lucky] Lucky Leprechaun (Passive) - Upon using a skill where there is a ''Chance'' of sess, boost the chances of a positive result by 20%. Also, boost the chances of better results upon opening/finding/using ancient ruins or treasure chest, by 20%. "Guess, I''m just going to be more lucky am I right babe?" - Reba "Funny. Very funny. You know I used to think my Luck stat was pretty high, but then I see yours and I want to cry." - Ian "Don''tin, Ian. Your Luck stat is definitely in the top 5. Rebeca is just in a different league. Whatever, time to unbox my gift. Although it won''t be as amazing as Reba''s, I doubt all 3 of your gift boxes will be as amazing as hers, Ian." - Nina Nina starts to pull the ribbon off her random gift box as well, and despite theck of confidence when she was just talking, you can see the visible excitement on her face. With bated breath, the lid of the gift box is lifted and a golden lift shines out. This time it stays golden, as it shines brightly before revealing a book. "A skill book?" - Nina Reaching inside the box, Nina pulls out the book, while look at the description, and to her surprise it was something that was just as good if not better than a skill book. Letting out a whistle, she hands it to Reba and I to have a look and I gave her a good nod as I read the description of the item that she received from the random gift box. [Intermediate Tome of Session An item used by mages in order to upgrade a Magic Book to Intermediate grade. It can be used on any Magic Book that is of Beginner grade. ce the Magic Book on top of the Tome of Session to upgrade. 1/1 Uses] "Are you going to use it right now?" - Reba "Why not right? No use dying something that will always happen." - Nina Bringing out the Beginner Fire Mage Book, Nina ces it on top of the Tome of Session. From my understanding of her current magic book she has unlocked 3 out of the 5 spells, Fire Bolt, Ignite, and Cage of Fire. There was no set method to why the spells were unlocked, but maybe after this item upgrades the Magic Book she will gain more skills. A zing bright crimson me engulfs the books, swirling around in a spiral before slowly dispersing into the air revealing the new look of Nina''s Magic Book. Previously it looks like a run-down bred book, with yellowish white pages, however after the upgrade its appearance was also upgraded. Fashioning a bronze rim with a brighter, crimson cover, the book houses a rough white paper containing the destructive fire spells that Nina wields. [Intermediate Fire Mage Book (Bound - Nina) (Upgradeable) This book is bound to the user who touched it first and allows for more advanced fire spells to be cast. Fire Ball (Active) 3MP - Cast a watermelon sized ball of fire that fires towards a stated direction. The ball of fire can be curved slightly to an extent and deals 50 (+100% INT) fire-element damage. Cast time is 3 seconds. Cooldown 10 seconds. Incinerate (Active) 5MP - Turn a target aze, igniting and causing damage 100 (+50% INT) every 10 seconds for 1 minute. Cast time is instantaneous. Cooldown 3 minutes. Prison of mes (Active) 20MP - Encase a 5¡Á5x5m area with powerful mes. Anything within this prison will burn taking 250 (+100 INT) fire-element damage every 10 seconds, it is trapped. Passing through this prison will deal the same damage. Cast time 30 seconds. Duration 1 minute. Cooldown 30 minutes. zing Shield (Active) 10MP - Create a shield out of mes to protect the user. The shield can absorb up to 1000 (+200% INT) damage and heal the user for 10% of damage dealt to the shield. The shield is created in front of the user and can not be moved after activation. Cast time 10 seconds. Duration 1 minute. Cooldown 10 minutes. ??? ??? ] The new and improved Mage Book showcases improved versions of the spells Nina had used previously. Not only do the spells deal proper damage now, but she also acquired an additional spell, that not only protects her but also heals her. This spells will be vital in battle where she does not have the support of other people around her, or during ambushes when the enemy catches her off guard. Nina looks at me while unting her newly upgraded item, grinning from ear to ear as she proudly struts around me. Shaking my head from side to side, as both Reba and I giggle at Nina''s behavior. Sometimes she still acts like the child she still is, making us forget her real age. cing her hand on my shoulder, she nudges her head to the 3 random gift boxes in my hand. "So, are you going to open them or what? Time is ticking is it not?" - Nina "Right, babe. I''m curious to see what you will get." - Reba "Same here babe, and I''ll do it right now Nina. I also received 2 additional items from the system for cing high in the leaderboard. I''ll have a look at the both of them as well, after opening the boxes." - Ian Instead of waiting for each box to open individually, I opened all 3 of them at once, producing 3 separate lights, silver, gold and purplish-gold. As the light fades a way I look inside to see what items I received from the gift box. From the silver box, I received a thin silver ring with a light-blue gem. From the gold box, I received a cursive M-shaped bow, and finally from the purple-gold box I received a small white badge with a crane origami engraved in the middle. [Shining Blue Ring +2 Intelligence A small ring crafted to fit a nice shining light blue gem. A simple delicate design for themon folk. Made by Unknown Jeweler] [Simple Composite Bow Required 30 Strength Attack: 30 +5 Agility +5 Dexterity A simple finely craftedposite bow. It seems to be made by fusing many thin wooden strips, held together by a strong adhesive. The bow string is held taut, and is quite difficult to pull back, however an arrow shot from this bow will achieve greater air time, flying much further than shot from a primitive bow. Made by Unknown cksmith] [Badge of the Chinese Use in an open space to create a Paper Maker. Make sure there are no obstructing objects when using the badge. Also, designate a yer or NPC who will learn the ways of Chinese papermaking.] [Palgum An ancient building ced on top of a moving body of water to separate it into smaller canals to feed nts that are ced on top and on the sides of the building. It is a unique building belonging to the Babylonians. nts and crops that are being watered using the Palgum will grow at an increased rate of 100%.] [Altar of Life An altar gifted by the gods and goddess up above to the potential ''Civilizations''. This altar will be used as a spawning location for new yers in the uing patch. Please make sure to ce this down AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.] The new items acquired from the gift boxes bbergasted me but after reading the description for the Altar of Life, I knew there wasn''t any time to lose. "Both of you. Follow me. I''ll exin along the way." - Ian Chapter 323 323 - Future Plans With The Altar "WAIT WHY?! We haven''t even had the chance to see the things you got from the boxes, or the two extra gifts for that matter and WAIT UP! YOU ARE TOO FAST!" - Nina "BABE! WAIT!" - Reba After sprinting away at full speed to the Krepost gate, I start to slow down to a slower pace so that I could match Nina and Reba''s pace. I guess I was a little too hasty with my decision¡­ Once they caught up, we start to run down the paved path toward HavenFall, while I exin my thought to them. "Sorry for running away so fast, but I have an item which needs to be ced down before the end of the game tonight. Nina, remind me how much time we have left before we are ejected out of the game." - Ian "I don''t know, maybe 40 minutes? 30 minutes? Not a lot of time left." - Nina "Right, but you can''t reach HavenFall within that time." - Reba "I know, I can''t reach HavenFall, however that isn''t my objective. Have a look at the item, after you see the description, I''ll tell you my thoughts." - Ian From my pouch I take out a small rectangr object, which was the Alta of Life. While it is small now, I can only assume the moment I use it, it will be muchrger. Giving it to Nina and Reba, I could see their shocked faces as they nce at each other. Passing the item back to me, Nina was about to say something, but I spoke up first. "Wait, listen to my thoughts. You both know the item will be used as a spawning point for yers, which means Settlement will be having an influx of yers. If they are giving me this item, then they are also giving it to 4 other yers who are also leaders of their respective vigers. Devel, Helioc, SanShiGo and Sam will be the other leaders who have received the item. Unlike them, I''m quite far away from our capital, or at least that is what I think. Since I''m not at HavenFall, and I can''t reach it, I have another idea. I''m going to use the item somewhere around the halfway point between HavenFall and the Krepost. Then, we will create a smaller vige there, with the Alta of Life at the center. Basic items will be provided, such as food, water, and weaker equipment to the newer yers. Afterward, we will point them in the direction of either HavenFall or the Krepost, letting them decide on their own path. That way, we don''t impede in their way of ying the game." - Ian "Okay, okay. Interesting thought. However, how do you expect us to create a small vige in what¡­ 30 minutes? A vige doesn''t just appear." - Nina "I think it is a fine idea. We also create a middle point between HavenFall and the Krepost, so the people who end up travelling back and forth with supplies will have a ce of rest. I remember talking to Ster, when she was watching over a carriage that was traveling from HavenFall and the Krepost. She was worried about the goblins and demi-humans who were pulling the carriage. Even though they had 2 Zivotinjas to help the carriage, because of the wounding path and the several uphill battles, they were tired and out of breath. Resting on the path was the only they think they could do and luckily for them, Ster''s team was able to eliminate any potential enemies before they could attack the carriage. Having a halfway point where safety is assured, will be good for those who are traveling from one vige to another to provide supplies to one another. It will also serve as a rest point, not only for them but for Ster''s team as well, since they work the hardest in keeping the forest clear of monsters and enemies." - Reba "Wow, babe. I didn''t think you were thinking so deeply about this¡­" - Ian "Hey! Are you calling me dumb or something?" - Reba "Well, I had the same thoughts¡­ What about the other items that you received from the gift box? I remember seeing a ring, a bow, a badge, and a small squarish object." - Nina "The ring just increases some stats, I''m thinking for either Gyumi or Lynn to have the item since it boosts Intelligence. The bow is an improved version of the simple bow, I read about it online briefly. Compared to the traditional bow, theposite bow is stronger and more sturdy. However, it requires a higher strength to use properly since the draw strength is quite high. I''m going to give this to Hus, to reverse engineer and slowly rece the older bows. As for the badge and the box, the Palgum. These two objects will be used in HavenFall since they both create buildings. The Palgum will be used to increase or agricultural gains, most likely for the medicinal nts, the Lucina looks over. Since I want to eventually create arge plot ofnd just for farming the wheat, at the Krepost. This way, we separate both our medicinal nts and our edible nts to two different viges. The other building is a Paper Maker building, and well ording to the name, we will be able to create paper. I''m not sure what will be inside the building, but it says for me to designate someone will be receiving the knowledge of the Paper Maker, which means there should be some equipment already there. Reading up on the method to create paper, I know it uses wood, water, and a lot of time, but I didn''t go too deep into researching it. Since paper didn''t have much use before, I disregarded it, but I have a couple of things I want to use the paper for, including properly recording events, creating books, spreading knowledge to the NPCs and finally, spells." - Ian "Spells? Are you thinking¡­ Wait, we don''t even know if it will work or not though?" - Nina "Right, but now that we will be getting a Paper Maker, we will eventually be creating lots and lots of paper. Lots of paper means lots of chances to experiment." - Ian "cing spells into paper and creating a book, you want to eventually create our own Magic Books. Now, that is an exciting idea." - Nina "Not just Magic Books, what if we can create one-time-use Spells? How much more useful would that be in battle? Or even summoning talismans?" - Ian "It would vastly increase our fighting power, of not just troops and soldiers, but even civilians would be able to do something in a fight with one-time-use Spells." - Reba "It would also start to be more dangerous, especially with the addition of yers. They wouldn''t care about the impacts of their actions." - Nina "I know¡­ If only I have more time, I could talk to Ster, Gobi, Noah, Yor and Howard about creating a police group as well as currency." - Ian "Currency? I know making a police group would help with public safety of the NPCs but what would currency do?" - Reba "It is to put a value on everything we give yers right?" - Nina "Yep. This game, no this world still does not have a currency system, at least to our understanding. If we are able to create a currency system we will be able to ce a value on objects such as food, water, and weapons. This would make it easier to control what we can give out to yers as well as control the flow of money. We can also instigate yers by rewarding them with money forpleting quests, making them do things that we need, such as building houses, gathering resources and even hunting monsters. Creating a task board as well as a building to handle quests will allow yers and maybe even NPCs things they could do to past the time, without us ordering them to do things. Makes it seem like there is freedom in their actions when there is not, since we are controlling their movements through the quests." - Ian "Speaking like a true Lord, HAHA! In that case, I know a ce where it would suit your needs in creating a small vige. It will be in a rtively t area, not too far away from the river and will have a small overhang on one of the sides. Follow me!" - Nina Jumping off the path, Nina motions for us to follow her, and after a quick run through the forest, I reach a small clearing. Like Nina had mentioned, the river was not too far away, in fact we could see the river below us down a slight slope, while on the other side, was a rocky overhang. It apparently used to be one of the small wolf dens, in the forest ording to Nina. The path wasn''t too far away either, and could be easily extended to this location. Taking out the Altar of Life, I think about how I wanted to position the building. There were two options that were on my mind, in the middle of the clearing or on the side, underneath the overhang. The middle would be good, since houses and buildings would be built around the Altar of Life to provide for the yers, but cing it off to the side would also be good. This is because I can section out the yers and the NPCs, giving a little buffer area. The yers will be able to approach the buildings from the Altar at their own pace, rather than being surrounded by buildings. After a small moment, I decided to go with my second option, since the n for the vige is to be a starting location for new yers. I want the buildings created for the yers to have enough room around them to amodate the potential influx of yers. Walking over to the desire location, I ce down the Altar of Life on the ground, and I am prompted with a system message in the process. [Are you sure about the cement? You can NOT change it afterward.] "Yes." - Ian A bright shine of light covers the Altar of Life, blinding me and the girls behind me. Taking a few steps back to give it some room, and as the light fades, I see arge white building made out of a marble like substance. It had only 3 walls, just the back and sides with the frontpletely open and luckily for me, it wasn''t too big, as it didn''t reach the top of the over hang. From what could be seen inside the Altar of Life, I see a statue of the Goddess of Luck in the middle, exactly like the one that at HavenFall. The only difference between the two statues was this one was muchrger, and a rectangr box was ced in front of it. Stepping inside the Altar of Life, I am greeted with a couple of system messages. [Congrattions in creating an Altar of Life for the Goddess of Luck, Fortuna. She has decided to bless you with additional Faith,pleting the requirement of Faith needed to select a Religion. ] [An Altar of Life has been ced, and a definitive territory has been created for HavenFall. The territory will expand from the capital, HavenFall, outward to the second known vige under Lord Ian, the Krepost. Lord Ian''s territory will include parts of the forest, ins, and canyon. ] [With the Altar of Life now ced within Lord Ian''s territory, new yers will have the option to join Lord Ian''s side, spawning from the Altar of Life, upon entry.] After reading the notifications, and before I could even select a Religion, the game ends and I see the ceiling of our room. Chapter 324 324 - Out Of The Game, With An Additional Package Taking off the VR helmet, I wake up from the game. Thatst session felt longer than just 24 hours, maybe it was due to the small¡­interaction with Selino. That Union¡­ felt like an eternity. Swimming in an endless ocean, surrounded by many¡­MANY¡­ Crawling things, objects¡­ I didn''t even know what it was but at least¡­ It was over and I came out? Selino is inside of me in the game. Forever, speaking into my mind so long as I am in the game. "So this is your world, deary~" - Selino Shooting up from my bed, gasping for breath, as my skin pops up with little bumps. ncing around, I see Reba, taking off her helmet. Turning her head towards mine, with a confused expression. "Babe¡­? Are you okay?" - Reba "Did¡­ Did you hear that?" - Ian "Hmm? Hear what?" - Reba "Oh, deary~ She can''t hear me. Remember¡­ Union." - Selino Her voice, was ever so seductive inside my ear, speaking to me as if she was right next to me. However, wasn''t she part of the game? Part of the other world¡­ Unless. "Yes. We are now one, so what you are thinking is right, deary. I am no longer bound to MY world. This. THIS is amazing." - Selino "...Reba, babe. Uhh¡­ Where was Kingston''s room again? I need to talk to him for a moment." - Ian "Uhh¡­ At 6? Don''t you want to wait a littleter? Like after breakfast or maybe during breakfast. What is it anyway? Do you want to talk to me about it?" - Reba "Well¡­ You know Selino?" - Ian "OHHHHH~ DEARY!! You are going to talk to little sweetie pie here about me?" - Selino "Yes, of course. Queen of Spiders. Took your body. Mean, well not really mean, but you get what I mean. Uhh, kind of friends of Nina. Maybe knows Luke¡­? I don''t know but yes, I know of her. Just not personally." - Reba "Okay, great you know the bare minimum. Well, I¡­ Uh¡­ Did this Union thing with her¡­ And, well. I''ll just say it straight up. She is inside my head. Quite literally and maybeee metaphorically?" - Ian "What?" - Reba "Sigh¡­ It is hard to exin. I can hear her. I can see her inside my head. She speaks to me. She sees what I can see. Just like in Settlement. WAIT! WAIT! I see that confused look on your face. I don''t know why she is here, but I can only assume there is something to do with the merge. I-She is here, with me. In my head,ughing right now as she looks at me tell you about her. I wanted to talk to Kingston since he said he can speak to Belial." - Ian "What the¡­ Like for reals? Like in your mind? Uh¡­ Okay, okay. Wait. I don''t understand. You know what. I got it. Speak to Kingston. Solve¡­ This. Whatever this is. Ah, don''t worry, I''m still here with you. I don''t think you are crazy or anything. Just, you know. Maybe some time with Kingston will help." - Reba "Oh¡­ Thank you, babe. I''m going to go find him. I''ll ask Eve, or Adam." - Ian Giving her a little kiss on the cheek, I walk out of the room while picking up a shirt that was on the ground. Looking around, I see one of Sam''s staff members, Mary,ing down the corridor with a trolley. Noticing me, she waves over to me, while I slowly walk over to her "Hello, Mr. Ian. How are you feeling? Do you need a drink of water? I was just about to visit your''s and Ms. Reba''s room." - Mary "Thank you, Mary. I''m fine. Although, would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of Kingston''s room? I just need a word or two with him." - Ian "Oh, of course. Mr. Kingston, however, is not in his room right now. He is currently on his way to the lounge room. I have told him that the chefs prepare breakfast between 0600 and 1000. I''m sure you will meet him there." - Mary "Thank you, Mary. Please ask Reba if she needs anything. She has already woken up from the game." - Ian Saying goodbye to Mary, I make my way to the lounge room, where I see Kingston sitting at the countertop, watching and chatting with a kind petite, girl. The same girl who was cooking him his food. Her fiery red hair, braided behind her matches not only her eyes but also the mes below the cast iron pan. Turning her gaze away from Kingston, she locks on to me. Giving me a smile like an angel''s, she quickly calls out to me. "Hello, Mr. Ian. My name is Alice. I will be your chef this morning. I have already introduced Mr. Kingston, to our menu. It will be a simple, creative take on the ssic Loco Moco, a cuisine Mr. Sam has grown up eating. It is made with a homemade beefmb pattie, on top of a small bed of fried rice, and a sunny side egg next to it. Quite simple really. I''m sure you could have made this with yourself." - Alice "No, no. I wouldn''t be able to do this, thank you for cooking by the way. Kingston, how are you? I heard that you left the Krepost. What happened?" - Ian "Ah¡­ That. Yeah, I have to apologize to Reba and Nina about that, since they were going to go into the Glemt and I kind of ditched them to follow Celine. After what happened with Selino-" - Kingston "Wait, wait. Before you continue. Let me tell you something important. I have merged¡­ With Selino and is currently in my mind as we speak. Just like how you have Belial in your mind. I want to just tell you that before you say anything." - Ian "Wait, what? Did you do a demon contract? But Selino isn''t a demon. I''m so confused." - Kingston "Not a demon contract, but maybe something simr." - Ian "Alright, well, hello Selino, don''t kill me, please. Like seriously, please. Anyway, back to why I left. After Selino did¡­ That. Celine, was upset about her own powerlessness. She thought with all the monsters she had tamed she had grown stronger but in reality, it didn''t. Maybe a select few monsters grew stronger but at the end of the day, she herself has not grown. Her thought process was skewed by anger and frustration and her conclusion was to go on a journey to find better monsters to tame. She thought the monsters that she tamed like the Zivotinjas or the Xabarils, were great to start off with but ultimately weren''t strong enough to protect her and or the Krepost. Having an army of monsters will never be strong enough against one singr alpha monster. That''s what she told herself, and convinced by her own thoughts she set off on a journey toward the mountains. I didn''t want to just leave her to her own devices, so I followed her, as quickly as I could, forgetting to tell anyone about what I was doing. It doesn''t take a day to reach the mountains, so we are still on the way, but at the same time, she has be more proficient at taming monsters as well as gaining stronger control over them. Compared to before, where she used kindness to tame them, this felt more forceful. Using intimidation or strength to tame the monsters. It wasn''t wrong, but it also didn''t feel right but whenever I try to bring it up, she would shoot me down. I''m trying to fix it at the moment, but¡­ I need more time. " - Kingston "I understand. You just need to be with her. Don''t worry too much and let her release some stress. On that note, what do I do now that I have someone in my head?" - Ian "What? Are you worried Selino will barge into you and Reba''s time? Don''t worry too much about that. I ignore Belial and Fierna unless there is something important or life-threatening happening. They tend to just enjoy what they see. After all, the technology here is very different for them. Maybe let Selino watch some television through your eyes or something? Or take her on a walk. I know Fierna like that, so maybe Selino will." - Kingston "Right¡­ I''ll keep that in mind. I just¡­ It feels weird you know?" - Ian "That she is probably saying something to you right now, but you are actively ignoring it? Yeah, don''t worry about it. You will have to just get used to it. Alice is the food ready, I''m starved." - Kingston "Yes, Mr. Kingston, both you and Mr. Ian''s food is ready, here we go. For Mr. Ian, while I don''t mean to pry, I feel like whatever Mr. Kingston is saying is false. Selino is a girl as well, and doing all those things he has said, may make your girlfriend jealous. Keep it to a minimum at best or try to work it out with Ms. Reba." - Alice "Hey! What? Why is it what I said was false." - Kingston "You just don''t know how a girl thinks." - Sabrina Turning around, we see Sabrina walking in, with a loose gray top and ck shorts, yawning a little before taking a seat beside me, Sabrina nces at the both of us with a disapproving face. "Both of you are idiots. Listen to what Alice is saying. She is 100% more reasonable." - Sabrina "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. What did you guys do? Were you the ones who ended up finishing the Event?" - Kingston "That''s us. Finishing the Event without one of our major damage carry. I heard from Nina and Reba that you were meant to be an additional member." - Sabrina "I came in halfway." - Ian "Oh! Nice. So what now?" - Kingston "Now? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! There is already a post on their official website. The game will be back in a week or two, which means we got nothing to do but wait. The official date is still not announced, but I think the three of you need to check your emails." - Sam Walking in with a booming voice, Sam notifies us about one of the system messages that was shown towards the end ofst session. Following his advice I take out my phone and bring up my email app. Chapter 325 325 - Email And Meeting [To all Settlement yers, I hope this email finds you well, it is great to see that you all are enjoying and ying, Settlement, to the fullest. In light of your active participation in our game, we are rewarding everyone with one of Lotus''s recent technological advancements, the VR Capsule. The VR Capsule is already sent to your current mailing address and will be delivered within the week. This is the reward we at Lotus have decided to gift our yers. More information will be avable on our website regarding the new VR Capsule, as well as the terms and conditions. Please let us know, on the website Help page, if there are any concerns or queries that may arise during this process. Best wishes from the Lotus Team.] Even though the email was short and concise, I still reread it a few times in amazement. When was this even developed? How did they develop it? What would it mean for the game? What will be changing? How will this affect the old and new yers? "Looking at everyone''s expressions, it seems like you have read the email. Since Nina, Evan, and Reba are not here yet, I won''t go into too much detail, especially since we are still digging up the information as we speak. However, the initial yers who had the chance to acquire the game prior to today, they will be receiving a VR Capsule. This VR Capsule has been designed forfort and long hours of gamey, which might imply that the game will be running for longer than 6 hours a day. There is a small capsule within the machine that will be containing a nutritional liquid for yers who will be ying for extended periods of time. From what we have found, Aqua''s pharmaceutical chain, Turquoise, is thepany producing the nutritional liquid, N1, in New Oceania. I will be going around shortly along with some of my trusted staff to the headquarters of Turquoise. Ian, I would like for you toe with me, especially since the other leaders, Devel, SanShiGo, and Helioc, will also be at Turquoise." - Sam "Umm, I''ll be d to go but what about everyone else?" - Ian "Unfortunately, the meeting is with some of the more important people in eachpany, buttttt don''t worry. It doesn''t mean we can''t ry the information back to everyone once we are done. Hmm¡­ It is kind of a formality and since you and I are part of the top 10 in the recent leaderboards, they will be looking at us more. Despite that, Nina, Reba, and Sabrina have both been extremely active in thest Event so, they will already know about them. Our hidden cards are Kingston and Evan, best to keep them hidden." - Sam "But I already met Devel¡­" - Kingston "Ah¡­ HAHAHA! That is right! I forgot about that. EVAN! WHERE IS HE? Sigh¡­ He isn''t even here for me to share the excitement with." - Sam "So, what do you want us to do until the game starts again?" - Sabrina "Just rx, enjoy the facilities. Spend some time outdoors. Anything really. We will have a more in-depth meeting once more information arises or when both Ian and I return. Adam and Eve will also help provide anything you may need. So, are you ready Ian, although I can''t have you dressed like that. Alice, please get Adam to help Ian with his fit." - Sam "Yes, Mr. Sam." - Alice Once Alice finishes ting the food for everyone that has currently arrived, she picks up her phone and dials a number. After a short conversation, Adam is seen walking into the lounge. During this time, Sam and I had to quickly eat our breakfast, while Sabrina and Kingston were leisurely watching us struggle. Evan, Nina, and Reba eventually join us not too muchter as Sam and I finish eating. "What''s happening, babe? Did you get your thing¡­ Sorted?" - Reba "Yes, I''m fine. I''m currently choosing to ignore the voice in my head. So far it has just been a lot of exmation about the world and the taste of food, nothing substantial. By the way, Sam was going to take me out to a meeting, so I will be gone for a bit." - Ian "Oh, higher-ups?" - Reba "Uhh¡­ Yeah. Why?" - Ian "Well, you aren''t leaving looking like that, and I know your wardrobe doesn''t do you any good either." - Reba "Adam is uhh¡­ Here to help me." - Ian "Oh, he can be here to help, but I''m the one styling you. ADAM!" - Reba "Yes, Ms. Reba? I was told by Mr. Sam to help find some clothes." - Adam "Yes, I know. However, I''m going to have to override his and your say in what Ian wears. Tell me what were the ns?" - Reba "Uhh¡­ Well, to match Mr. Sam''s attire, it was going to a dark navy suit with a ck tie and white undershirt." - Adam "No, no, no. Sam will look great in it, but I have a better idea. We need Ian to be presentable right? However, he is also one of the top 10 yers, so there needs to be more pizzazz. Get him a long gray overcoat, a beige, or light brown scarf, a silky ck button up, and pants. Also, we need to style his hair a bit, and make it more full and puffy. After that, some cologne, make it musky but light, something that doesn''t stick for too long. Then-" - Reba. "Wait, wait, babe. Are you sure we need all this?" - Ian "YES! I can''t have you go out looking unpresentable, that would be preposterous. Adam, make it quick. I need to make sure he looks amazing before he has to go." - Reba "Understood. I will acquire everything within the next 15 minutes." - Adam "Can''t get out of this one can you, Ian?" - Sam " I guess so¡­" - Ian After 30 minutes of Reba, changing how I look and dress, we were finally ready. Stepping outside to a private helicopter, I said goodbye to everyone as Sam, Eve and I left. Keeping the door open, I gaze down, seeing the blue ocean below us and the houses small enough that it looked like ants lived in there. For a first-time flier, I thought I would be terrified, but maybe it is because I have experienced much more life-threatening events in Settlement, that I don''t find this scary. Maybe a little closer to excited than anything. The ride only took an hour or so, but we quickly arrived at an airstrip, different from the one Inded here in. Sam tells me this was his private airstrip, and he had to build it away from home so that the noise wouldn''t interfere with his daily life since he doesn''t need to fly as much anymore in recent years. Take a small private jet, and we eventually arrive at our destination after another hour, in New Straya. Eve leaves the private jet first, returning soon after in a ck sedan. The car was pleasant with the three of us casually chatting about the recent events, as we quickly arrive in front of Turquoise. Much like the name, the exterior of the building was very blueish green, with a simple yet effective logo at the top, of just thepany''s name. "Are you ready?" - Sam "Ready as I will ever be." - Ian "Good. I like that. Remember it isn''t just us and the other 3panies that we have beenpeting with. It will also include 5 other guilds, each while not as big as these super-powers, still rtively well off." - Sam "I know, you told me on the ne ride. Partnered with Bones, Knights of the Round, a mid-sized guild consisting of many yers from previous VR, RTS, and MOBA games. Eden, partnered with Lotus, a guild consisting of a lot of female yers, a jewel in the gaming society. Alongside Aqua is Blood, a guild of yers who primarily y strategy games, as well as a house for current and retired athletes. Finally, the two casual yer guilds, Infinity and Adventure Alliance." - Ian "Good, we are about to meet all of them." - Sam Following one of Turquoise''s staff, we go through several security checks, before being given temporary passes. Using them, we pass through a small gate, before heading to the elevator. Reaching the 50th floor, the staff member kindly instructs us that the room we are headed to is at the end of the hallway. Strange enough, this floor had no other doors than the one we were told to approach. With Eve in the lead, Sam and I walked side by side as we drew closer to the door. Giving us a nod, Eve opens the door for us, letting Sam inside first before me. Weing us, was a brightly lit room, with thick panels of ss on all 4 sides and a singrrge circr wooden table. Each seat was already taken, with small name tags on the table to indicate who sat at what seat. It only took a second, but I could tell, all eyes were on us now. ncing around, I could see the familiar faces of the ones who had helped at the end of the event as well as some new faces. Sitting directly in front of us, looking at us with a wide smile, was Helioc, who gives us a nod before signally us to sit down. On his left was the leader of Blood, then Devel and the Knight of the Rounds. Whereas on his right, was SanShiGo, Eden''s leader, Infinity''s leader, and Adventure''s Alliance''s Leader. Sam and I sat down at our designated seat, and the moment we do, Helioc ps his hands, bringing the attention back to him. "Well, then since everyone is now here. Shall we start?" - Helioc Chapter 326 326 - Top 10 Guilds "Wee, SAMurai and Ian, to Turquoise''s Headquarters. As you may have noticed on the name tag in front of you, we will be using the username in-game to address each other. Some of us have met each other, while others have not, so before we get to the core of the meeting, let''s introduce ourselves. As the head of Aqua''s team, my name is Helioc, leader of Aqua Corp." - Helioc After introducing himself to everyone, the leader of Blood, a young adolescent girl, with a short ck hair and red highlights, leans forward, cing her elbows on the table. Her cropped ck leather jacket hovers slightly above the table as a deep crimson tank top covers her growing chest. Licking her glossy purple lips, which were the same color as the surrounding eyeshadow near her almond-shaped eyes, she addresses the room. "Hey, everyone~ Following Helioc here is me, Vanessa, leader of Blood. Yes, my name sounds like my real name, but I assure you it isn''t, though I can''t say the same for the guy over there called Ian. Kind of feels~ like it is his real name but whatever! Uh¡­ Helioc, what else am I meant to say?" - Vanessa "That much should be fine, Vanessa." - Helioc "Sweet~ NEXT!" - Vanessa Leaning onto the table, while turning her head toward the side, her gaze falls upon Devel, who was next. Letting out a small cough, Devel cracks his neck before scanning the room. "Nice to meet everyone here, I''m Devel, leader of Bone City, affiliated with Bones." - Devel A short message, suited to his serious personality outside of battle. Nina and Reba told me about Devel on the way to the Krepost, informing me of his actions in as much detail as possible. From the information gathered, I realize Devel is someone who takes care in his actions much more than he lets on. Without so much as a look, the person next to him stands up and bows toward everyone. "Good morning everyone, I am K_Arthur, leader of Knights of the Round, and an affiliatedpany and guild to Bones. You may simply call me Arthur. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with everyone here today, and I hope to connect with everyone on a deeper level." - Arthur With a bed of gray hairs on his head, a sleek ck tuxedo, and white gloves, thiste middle-aged man, speaks to us politely while bowing. His back as straight as a ruler, and his voice as deep as the ocean, but at the same time, it felt warm, like a father speaking to his favorite child. After bowing for a few more seconds, Arthur takes a seat, his deep azure eyes, survey our reactions, before turning them to Sam. "Well, I guess it is my turn, HAHAHA! Happy to meet everyone here, I am SAMurai, leader of Pa Kaua, one of the founding members of RavenStar and ally to HavenFall. Pleased to make everyone''s acquaintance." - Sam With his booming voice, Sam attracts all the gazes in the room, and brimming with confidence, he smiles widely as if he nned for this. Patting me on the back, Sam nudges his head forward, waiting for me to speak. Casually, I observe everyone''s expression, after all, I dide first in the recent Leaderboard, but my presence has always been known since my name hasn''t left the top 10. "Like SAMurai has said, I am the leader of HavenFall, as well as, one of the founding members of RavenStar, Ian. I''m sure everyone has seen my name in the top 10, so there isn''t much for me to talk about." - Ian I decided to act a little more cocky and overconfident than normal, different from my usual personality, after all, only Devel and maybe SanShiGo, has met me. Helioc met Mikki, who was impersonating me during the event, but whose to say he hasn''t exchanged information with one of the other two. Passing my gaze over to the young man, dressed in hoodie and jeans, next to me, I nod toward me, signalling his turn. Acknowledging my gesture, he nods back, smiling cheerfully as well. "What''s up peeps, I''m Bleu, the guild master of the Adventure''s Alliance, a guild consisting of mainly casuals. We are allied with Infinity, and are looking to expand our influence to more yers. You may or may not remember, but I used to be in the top 10 during the first event. Since then, I''ve hovered just below the top 10, but that may change soon~" - Bleu p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§® With his light-hearted attitude, Bleu eased his way into the more serious atmosphere of the room. A refreshing person to have a nice conversation over a couple of drinks, was the impression he gave me. Someone fun to be around, and didn''t take things too seriously. In contrast, the youngdy next to him had a stoic expression on her face, as she leans back in her chair. Sporting a light navy suit, a simrly colored miniskirt and white button-up, her light blue wavy hair drapes over her shoulders, as her brightly glossed red lips moved slowly. "I''m Infinity''s guild master, Crystal, allied with the Adventure''s Alliance, to help the smaller groups of yers." - Crystal A short introduction, fitting for someone that gives off such a cold personality. Nevertheless, the more I observe her the more I feel like she is the same as Nina, expect she is most likely able to make certain decisions that Nina can not. While both of them look like strategists, Nina tends to still ount for the opinions from the people around her, however, Crystal looks like she rules with an iron fist. As if the direct opposite to a cold ice queen, wearing a floral light green summer dress, with straight hazelnut shoulder-length hair, is the leader of Eden. Her bright smile rivals that of Bleu, as if they were suns trying to warm and liven up the room. "Good morning, everyone! My name is MoonPrismPower, but you can call me Moon. It is much simpler and shorter that way. I''m the leader of Eden, a guild consisting of primarily those who identify as a female, but we aren''t shy to diversify. We are working with Lotus, and are proud to be one of the top 10 guilds. ANDst but not least we have-" - Moon, "SanShiGo, leader of Lotus Flower. I hope everyone is well." - SanShiGo As if it was scripted, Moon and SanShiGo, y off each other, showing off their alliance more so than everyone else. Being here, I am starting to realize that there were alliances between each guild that weren''t said. Spotting small nces between, Crystal and Devel, Helioc and Bleu, I was starting to feel like we were underestimating the strengths of our rivals, after all, Sam''s vige is still within raiding distance of Bones. If we aren''t careful, then there is a good chance that some guilds here will invade us, or try to find more information about us in game. With their already partnered natures, I can only be hopeful that we aren''t on their radars just yet. "Great, we have introduced each other, so let''s get to the reason for why I have sent out an invitation to everyone here." - Helioc "Finally~ I was getting bored of waiting." - SanShiGo "Quiet, SanShiGo. Let Helioc speak." - Devel Shrugging his shoulders, SanShiGo turns to Helioc with a bright smile, mirroring that of Moon who was next to him. Except this smile, felt more sinister than cheerful. "Everyone should be aware of the new VR Capsules that was just released by Lotus, to all yers that have been ying Settlement until today. This was a project that started at the same time as the development of Settlement, in order to ''beta'' test the game. VR Capsule were always going to be the ''correct'' way of experiencing Settlement. In conjunction to this, Aqua and Turquoise, were tasked to create the nutrient solution, N1, for yers'' health. N1 is a solution that reces eating and drinking, directly inserting nutrients into the body, simr to how IV drips are used for patients in hospitals. However, during the creation of N1 we were also able to create another variation of the solution, N2. N2, is a higher concentrate of N1, boosting faster recovery times as well as maintain the body at a healthier level. We at Aqua and Turquoise would like to auction the N2 solution. Now, before you ask how, what, why, etc., let me inform you first, that we have gained some insider information on the patch of Settlement. They will be introducing an auction house function to all those who have created a vige, meaning the auction will not take ce in real-life but in game. As for the currency and what is bid, we do not know yet, but our team has theorized that the auction will be done via, items, rather than currency. In light of this, Aqua will ce up for auction 3 useless items, that will be ceholders for the N2 solution. We will be auctioning 100 vials of the solution 3 times, as this is all we have produced at the moment. Afterward, a general price range will be created, in which not only can everyone here buy but also the public. Now this is just one of the two reasons for why I have gathered everyone. The second, is the territory given to us the moment we received the Altar of Life. I believe some of us has received it, and already used it, as specified by the game. My proposal is for a peace treaty, between everyone. Not a permanent one, but a temporary one. 1 month is my proposal, before we allow PVP. This way everyone has more than enough time to solidify their territory. PVP is most likely one of the next big factors to Settlement, but at the same time, I believe there will be a big element of PVE. The Kings will definitely be moving, especially since we have wrecked havoc in the Glemt, the Reaper''s home. Those were my reasons for everyone to be gathered. Thoughts?" - Helioc Chapter 327 327 - Discussing With The 10 Guilds A moment of silence lingers in the room. I can hear the gears moving in everyone''s brain, turning faster and faster, digesting the information, Helioc has given us. Who would have thought there would be a better quality of the N1 solution already made and prepared by thepany, but then, why decide to sell it? Why not monopolize it, after all, increasing one''s strength is vital for theing days. What benefit does Helioc, an Aqua gain by selling N2? Hm¡­ Thinking about it, he has hinted it will be auctioned with items. Maybe they are trying to amass higher quality weapons or materials, or even a higher quantity. The N2 is a limited resource until it can be mass-produced, but by then what is stopping Turquoise from developing an N3 or an N4? Wait, then this auction is an borate n to gain as many resources from other locations as quickly as possible since there isn''t a method of trading in-game yet. Sure, smaller vigers may have found each other or even therger ones, but ultimately all 10 guilds here could be weeks perhaps even close to months apart by travel. With no reliable fast transportation, the world feelsrger than ever, but with the auction, they can use real-life resources in exchange for high-quality or quantity in-game resources. This way they don''t lose anything in-game or in real-life, but instead are always profiting. N1 is sold in real-life for the masses and then N2 is sold in-game, for a fortune. Plus, they could be lying about the amount of N2 they have, waiting for us to offer an even higher deal to profit off of us. Then, Helioc offers a month-long peace treaty as a way to soften the load of giving us the N2. He would be free from any attacks or attempts of invasion if his vige is discovered or is already discovered, protecting his interests and creating a public enemy if we choose to break the treaty. The peace treaty is less of a peace treaty but a method to monitor the guild''s potential actions after the auction. "An interesting proposal¡­ Can I ask, what is the minimum you are looking for in the auction for the N2?" - Arthur Breaking the silence, Arthur, speaks softly but confidently, resting his chin on the back of his hand as his eyes carefully scan Helioc''s reaction. "If we are going with items or materials for the auction, it will end up as a bartering auction. Prices and values of the items will be skewed in favor of the host of the auction. Especially since we have no way of telling or showing the value of the item we want to put up. What if the item we have is of great value to us, but no value to you?" - Sam Before Helioc could respond to Arthur''s question, Sam inputted his thoughts first. Looking at this like a business, he was trying to gauge if there was a way to connect the items to a numerical value, whether it is in-game or real-life. "I understand your concern, SAMurai, and as for Arthur''s question¡­ I, unfortunately, cannot reveal the answer. This is not because I do not want everyone here to know the answer, frankly, I wish it was just that easy, but it is because I do not know what everyone has to offer. I do not know the materials in your viges, I do not know what kind of resources you have, what kind of weapons or armor, or what types of artifacts you have obtained. Since I know nothing, of your situation, the only answer I can give you is to present the most valuable object you can think of, in exchange for the N2 solution. It can be anything, from weapons, armor, potions, foods, resources, minerals, etc. I don''t have a limit, I just don''t know what will be of use until I see it." - Helioc Like a hammer hitting the table, it felt like everyone went silent. Helioc was pretty much saying, impress me and I will give you what you want. There was nothing else to be said since he was the one that gave us this knowledge. "What if there is a universal currency?" - Crystal "Would you care to exin?" - Helioc "What if we use gold, silver, and copper to create a universal currency in the game? Everyone here isn''t an idiot, so they must have thought about creating currency in their vige, however, with ack of resources it might have been hard or even impossible. What if we create one that is acknowledged by everyone here, then we can use that as the auction currency." - Crystal "Wow¡­ Someone is thinking smart. Makes sense, when you know you don''t have anything of value topete with everyone else." - SanShiGo "A childish remark." - Crystal "But a true one. Both Infinity and Adventure''s Alliance, don''t have much going for them right? Did you even get far in thest event? Oh, wait you didn''t. In fact, I don''t even remember anyone from either of your guilds in the various locations inside the Glemt." - SanShiGo "No need to taunt us, SanShiGo. You will be gaining anything from it, although if you keep going then I will have no choice but to just smile and wave in your direction." - Bleu "I guess it is true¡­ What a pity." - Moon "Silence. I understand the idea behind creating a currency, however, what about the viges that do not have ess to gold, silver, or copper? Do you not think that it is too much of a disadvantage?" - Helioc "Then we will just have to determine a value prior to the auction, or else-" - Crystal "Do you mind if I say something?" - Ian Turning her attention away from Helioc, Crystal looks at me curiously. Prior to this, I only spoke during my introduction and even then, I didn''t say much. I wonder¡­ What is her opinion of me? "Go ahead." - Crystal "What if it is something everyone can readily acquire without much trouble?" - Ian "And what would that be?" - Helioc "I don''t know, but I''m just saying. We all know there is going to be a patch soon, so we can always wait for that before discussing this issue again." - Ian "What is the point of your opinion if there was no solution?!" - Crystal "Now, now, Crystal. I understand what Ian is suggesting." - Devel "And what is that? He just said he didn''t know. What can everyone readily acquire?" - Crystal "Is it monsters?" - Vanessa "Ah¡­ I see, what Ian is on about then. However, that would require us to be quite lucky on what the patch will be right?" - Arthur "Monster parts? Instead ofpleted weapons, armor, or even potions and natural resources, but monster parts. Interesting." - Helioc "So what? A horn from a monster? A w? Some hide? Is that worth the N2?" - Crystal "Maybe. Maybe not. No harm in looking right?" - SanShiGo "Hmm¡­ I quite like that idea. It will show the different kinds of monsters we are all facing as well as give Helioc here lots of options for things he might want for Aqua." - Moon "Right. It isn''t a universal currency, in fact, it is quite far from it, but we should be able to ssify types of monsters by the monster parts. After all, each monster has its strengths and weaknesses. Goblins will be worth less, and if someone were able to offer a dragon bone or something of that value, then we can all agree that it is worth more, correct? Goblins are weaker creatures than dragons, thus dragon parts are worth more." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Alright, I understand what you are saying now. Sorry for my slight outburst." - Crystal "It''s fine. No need to apologize. I wasn''t quite clear about it anyway." - Ian "Hmm¡­ I understand what everyone is saying. Monster parts do sound quite viable, but I will have to see what it is you offer for the N2, but it is also promising. What about the peace treaty that I mention before? What are everyone''s thoughts on it?" - Helioc "Perfect, Helioc. I hate fighting, you know that." - SanShiGo "I second that. There shouldn''t be a reason for us to fight." - Moon "Be quiet, SanShiGo. I know your true nature, and thank you, Moon." - Helioc "I''m in favor of the peace treaty, and so is Arthur. The both of us aren''t looking for a fight anytime soon." - Devel "We are good with it as well." - Crystal, Bleu "So are we. There is no harm in creating a peace treaty between us for a short duration. However, I want to establish some rules if possible." - Sam "Sam?" - Ian "What rules are you thinking?" - Helioc "Since we have territories right now, then I would like to enforce the rule that we can not enter each other''s territory. If the yer is affiliated with one of us and tries to enter, then I would like to enforce a warning first for them to move, and if they refuse, immediate elimination. Another rule is to create a boundary from the edge of the territory, that way there isn''t a standing army at the edge of our territory, waiting for the peace treaty to finish." - Sam "Afraid are we?" - Devel "Just taking precautions." - Sam "That sounds like fair rules to me." - Bleu "So long as there are no sneaky business." -SanShiGo "I acknowledge those rules. Everyone must follow it. Understood." - Helioc "Understood." - everyone "Alright, thank you for your time. If you like, there is a small function hall on the 10th floor. We have prepared some food for everyone. Otherwise, if you decide to leave, just notify one of the staff members on the first floor. Thank you." - Helioc Chapter 328 328 - Alliances Leaving the room first, Helioc nces over to Vanessa who smiles and leaves with him, giving a small wave to everyone before closing the door behind her. Smirking, SanShiGo, leaves next, with Moon catching up to him with her little legs. The scent ofvender drifts over to me, as she passes next to me to exit. A quick nce could be seen from her, as she looks down with a slightly agape mouth. Crystal walks over to me, stretching out a hand while I was getting up. Shaking it firmly, she gives me a quick nod before leaving with Bleu cheerfully saying goodbye to everyone who was left. Once they were gone, Devel and Arthur walks over to us. Sam slightly worried about the situation puts up a defensive posture, standing tall as he uses his height to appear domineering. "Rx, SAMurai. I''m not here for any sort of conflict, however, I am sorry about the constant attack by Bones''s yers. I will do my best to restrict their movement in the direction of Pa Kaua." - Devel "Thank you for acknowledging it, and I hope to see your efforts take effect immediately. I was struggling slightly at times, due to the constant harassment. However, I have killed a fair share of yers as well, so I apologize for that." - Sam "No need for your apology. They died in your territory." - Devel "What brings you here Devel?" - Ian "Ian, it is great to see you. Thest couple of times I have seen you, well let''s just say you weren''t quite yourself." - Devel "I was a bit much both times. Sorry about that. Arthur, it is a pleasure to meet you as well, I hope we get along." - Ian "No, it is my pleasure to meet the both of you. Devel, maybe you should get to the point of this conversation. I am quite starved, and I know these two fine gentlemen are too." - Arthur "Right, sorry for going on a slight tangent. The purpose for why I waited until everyone had left was to get a chance to talk to you in private. I would like to form a friendly rtionship between Bones and RavenStar. I understand that SAMurai, is the one who established RavenStar but Ian, you also have a lot of influence as well. Which is why I wanted to ask the both of you at the same time." - Devel "A friendly rtionship, you say? Go on." - Sam "I want to establish a trade route between Bone City and Pa Kaua, for starters. It allows yers to create friendly rtionships inside both cities and expand our resources, making it open to others. I also want to create a road between us, that way it will be easier for us to travel to one another, in an event where we need to help each other. Establishing a trade route is one of the things I would like to have with you, as it would also establish a connection between Bones and RavenStar. See, after the peace treaty finishes, I would like to still be allied with RavenStar. Forming a militaristic allied front with each other, as well as, a cooperative trading tform." - Devel "So you want to trade, create a stable path to Pa Kaua and create a joint military, in case of unexpected circumstances?" - Sam "Yes, I would like that. Of course, you wouldn''t be getting just Bones as an ally, but also the Knights of the Round. In addition, there isn''t much for you to lose on this alliance, I will get started on the road toward you, and you can set up a trading post. My traders will start bying to you first before you send your traders. That way you can have a peek at the goods I would like to offer." - Devel "The Knights of the Round isn''t too far away from Pa Kaua as well. We are only a 14-day journey on horseback from Bone City, and from the information from yers, it is estimated that it is somewhere between 7 and 10 days away from Pa Kaua. We will also start building a road toward Pa Kaua, creating a triangle between the three viges. A constant stream of traders can travel between all three viges, boosting trade as well as the spread of different types of items and specialties." - Arthur "Hmm¡­ Ian, any thoughts? Or things that I should add to this? I hope you don''t mind me asking Ian, of course. Since he is part of RavenStar." - Sam "Of course not, by all means, ask for his opinion." - Devel "If you are going to conduct trade in each other''s vige, I suggest creating an embassy of some kind. Much like how we have embassies in real life, they will be created so that the traders will always have a safe ce to go to, in case of idents. If all three of you agree, then a select group should be used to guard and protect the embassy. Additionally, a militaristic approach to the alliance should include targeting amon enemy. If one of you has trouble with a group of monsters or another group of yers, then all three should work in unison to settle the problem. This way, there is a constant cooperative approach to keep the surrounding area safe. It helps traders, as well as casual yers, who happen to be nearby. Think of it as an international police of sorts. Furthermore, depending on how deep you want the alliance, there is the option of defensive pacts and research agreements. My thoughts are if another guild wages war, then the other two MUSTe forth to help in the defense of the victim guild. For research, then groups of scientists, cksmiths, alchemists, etc. Can work together from all three guilds in order toplete something that will be of value, not to the individual guild but to the world as a whole. That is just my thoughts on alliances, at the moment, with what little time I have to consider them. Of course, small kinks in the contract for an alliance between us 3 will have to be sorted out soon. Speaking of that, howe Helioc didn''t present a contract for the peace treaty? It would force all of us toply with the contract during the month period." - Ian "I see your points and I will ry them to my secretary. They will sort out a contract for us soon and give it to your secretary, SAMurai. As for your question Ian, the answer is simple. Instead of a contract, he is letting us all know about the conditions, so if one of us fails toply, it is a very simple act to dere war on us. Plus, since there is no contract, spying, infiltration, assassinations, etc. Is all still viable? Yes. I''m sure he has a few spies in the viges that are close to Aqua Corp. There is no point in disadvantaging himself when he can just state the things that are necessary to the peace treaty. It is like there is a big gray area between Peace and War, and almost all the guilds here are already swimming in it, including myself and SAMurai here." - Devel "Exactly. There is no need for a contract when you have to follow it as well. Just making the demands known is more than enough. Since we can just iste them in real life and in-game. Alright, thank you, Devel for this chat. I will have someone look into the contract once you have sent it over to us. After that, I wee a happy and friendly rtionship between RavenStar, Knights of the Round, and Bones." - Sam "Likewise." - Devel "It will be our pleasure." - Arthur "To a happy and friendly rtionship." - Ian Shaking hands with each other, we quickly depart to the room, Helioc mentioned for something to eat. Eve follows behind us, giving both Sam and me, a quick update on the situation while we were discussing the alliance with Devel. It seems like only SanShiGo and Moon, left the building. Everyone else was currently downstairs, enjoying the food and casually chatting with each other. Joining them, Sam and I, decided to separate in order to build rtionships with the other guild leaders. Our n was to see if we could build a friendly rtionship with them, while at the same time try to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Sam followed Devel and Arthur as they went over to Helioc and Blood, leaving me to mingle with Crystal and Bleu, who approached me with a small te of desserts. "Yo, you should try these small chocte cakes and the Earl Grey macaroons. It''s SO good! Crystal was devouring them too quickly, but I was able to save a couple for both of us. By the way, it is nice to meet you, Ian. We didn''t really have a chance to speak up there, and I hope you don''t mind how much I chatter." - Bleu "Hey! You didn''t need to tell him that, Bleu!" - Crystal "Haha! I don''t mind you speaking so much. It''s the opposite in fact. Your cheerful manner of speech makes some of the dreariest and most serious atmospheres, lighten up. Also, it is nice to meet the both of you, I''m sorry if I spoke out of turn earlier, Crystal." - Ian "No, it was me, don''t worry about it. Since we are here, I would like to ask for your opinion on both the auction and the peace treaty." - Crystal "Both are fine. Although the problem with what is being offered for the N2 can''t be solved anytime soon. As for the peace treaty, since you mentioned it, was wondering what you thought about extending the peace treaty for longer than a month?" - Ian "Oh, what do you mean?" - Crystal "I would like a more substantial rtionship between Infinity, Adventure''s Alliance, and RavenStar. If you understand what I mean?" - Ian "Done. We are in." - Bleu "Bleu!" - Crystal "What? I know you were thinking the same thing, and between RavenStar, Lotus, Aqua, and Bones, I know you choose RavenStar. Your impression of them has always been high, since Ian is constantly in the top 10, yet he doesn''t unt it. Even today, not once did he try to unt his rank, meaning he is humble and is constantly thinking about the surrounding situation. That''s good enough in my book. Ian, I''m in." - Bleu "God, what do I do with you? Yes, Ian, I would love for an alliance between the three of us. In that case, do I contact you? Or do I go through SAMurai?" - Crystal "It would be SAMurai, he uhh¡­ Manages this sort of thing more than I do." - Ian "Understood. I''ll let him know, through an email." - Crystal "ALRIGHT! Since we are done with that, take this te ande with me. I want to try those small sandwiches over there. FOLLLLLLOW ME!" - Bleu Chapter 329 329 - Which Village To Start? Entertaining Bleu''s antics throughout the small time we had left together, I got to understand both Crystal''s and Bleu''s personalities. Of course, Bleu was the cheerful young man he portrayed during the meeting, but I also got an insight into his childish nature, fitting his age. He felt like a friend, a brother, a cousin, and a colleague, all at the same time. In contrast, Crystal felt like a mother, as she kept Bleu under control. Her stern attitude to everyone, made her actions seem cold, but underneath it, was a warm individual. There wasn''t much left to discuss since Sam was going to handle all the alliances, I instead started to indulge myself with the food, following Bleu''s example. There were numerous kinds of cuisines that I have never tried before, as well as a variety of drinks, which I ended up trying as well. Who would have thought cocktails taste pretty good? I know I never got the chance to try a lot of cocktails in the past but now¡­ I quite like them, maybe I will develop a type of cocktail in the game to share around. In all due time, we eventually left Turquoise, heading back to Sam''s abode. During this time, we simply rxed, I even took a nap on the flight back. Once we were home, Sam told me he had to take care of a few matters, mainly the contracts for the alliances. Waving goodbye, he heads inside talking in a serious manner with Eve, while I head towards the lounge room. Reba had already messaged me that everyone was in the lounge room, with only me and Sam missing. "Yo! Look who''s back!" - Evan Walking inside the room, I see Evan spinning around on one of those table counter chairs. Next to him, Sabrina was drinking a ss of juice, giving me a small wave as I enter. On the other side, Kingston was lying on a chair, his legs over the armrest while his head was resting on the other. I wasn''t sure if he was sleeping or not but chose to ignore it anyway. Nina and Reba were sitting next to each other on the couch, with Reba patting the seat next to her, signaling for me toe. To my surprise, Alice and Adam were sitting opposite Reba and Nina, wearing casual clothing instead of their work attire. Walking over to Reba, I nce at both of them, confused by their presence. "Yes, Evan I''m back. Is it alright for the both of you to be here?" - Ian "Don''t worry about it~ Sam told me to keep you guyspany." - Adam "Adam! It''s Mr. Sam. Eve would smack you if she heard you say that, however, what he has is true, there is no need to worry about our presence. Instead, you should wee it. I''ll be one of the new yers in Settlement." - Alice "Oh, is that why you are here? Are we going to discuss the game now?" - Evan "Most likely. I was only told to inform you of my joining the game once ites back online. Any other information is unknown to me." - Alice "That''s alright, Alice. You don''t need to worry too much about it. EVAN! Bring up what you found on the forums." - Nina "YES MADAM!" - Evan Spinning out of his chair, Evan steps into the middle, pulling out a small remote from his pocket. Pressing a button, a screen appears out of the ceiling, slowly making its way down as it covers a wall, and with another press, we see the game forums. "Ahem! Everyone here is aware, that a patch is going to drop, exining some new things we should be looking out for in the next phase of the game. However, that doesn''t stop us was analyzing some of the information that is already present to us, and with the helpful yermunity, minus the trolls, we were able to gather quite a lot of new and helpful information. Firstly, we need to talk about the capsules. Some of us are already aware of it, namely Ian and Sam, but for the rest of us that don''t know, it is a new generation game capsule, designed to make the game feel more immersive. I''m assuming~ It is a gateway for the merge, to prepare our bodies, but correct me if I''m wrong. After all, we have no way of knowing what is inside the N1. With the increased immersion, we will be moving our bodies at a much faster and smoother rate, making certain moves feelpletely different to us. Simple actions such as running, stabbing, and even feeling the environmental effects around will be heightened. All 5 of our senses will be enhanced to a higher degree, and apparently wielding magic/mana will be easier. I''m not sure how that works, but there was an in-depth theory online, which I will not exin. Secondly, the storyline. Where is it going, and what do we know about it? Let''s turn back time, shall we? Prophecies. This was huge a while back, but it kind of died after a while when there was no new input of information. BUT! That was before the game ended for the patch. For some reason, there was a bunch of people that just decided to info dump more prophecies, and they are from different races from the ones we have heard about before. From the leopard demi-humans, we were able to obtain a single sentence that was passed down to that certain tribe. Run to Heaven as Mother Nature weeps. From the Eagle demi-humans, we were able to obtain 2 sentences. With the vanishing of the sun and the stillness of the wind, Our feathers tremble as the earth shakes. From the porcupine demi-humans. As the world quakes, and mountains crumble, Our homes will copse, as the Earth falls, and the seas rise. These extra prophecies, in addition to the ones we already know, are telling us that the continent that we are on is going to go through an extreme transformation. This patch is an optimal time for the next event to hint at the destruction of the world as we know it. The increase of yers, plus the Kings attacking everyone, plus potential natural disasters seem like the most likely scenario. Thirdly, the additional yers and what they are going to do. I heard from Reba and Nina, that Ian you received an item called the Altar of Life. Is that correct" - Evan "Uh, yea. I got it. It''s going to a spawning location for yers. That was what the description on the item said." - Ian "RIGHT! Spawning for yers. THAT¡­ It is going to be a huge impact on the game. Like Alice, there are going to be swarms of yers going to the game, and most likely it was only the top 5 guilds that received this item as well. When yers log into the game for the first time, they will be prompted with a choice, HavenFall, Bone City, Aqua Corp, Pa Kaua, and Lotus Flower. THIS CHOICE IS VITAL FOR THEIR OWN SURVIVAL! Where they choose will determine, how they will grow as a yer and their connections. Looking online, and with the information from everyone here, I have a general list of advantages for yers, depending on their choice. This list was also already spread on the forum, by a user called TheBananaMan. Amazing work he did,piling it all into an easy-to-read document. The only problem, with his work, is that he doesn''t cover HavenFall, due to theck of exposure. The fault can only be put on Ian since his location is just in one of the most obscure locations in the game, the middle of the continent. [ For starters, Bone City. Amazing defensive structures, and walls. Provides security to any new yers. Additionally, there is a team of Bones yers, constantly patrolling the area to keep it safe. Wide range of monsters is already sectioned out in a general map for yers to read, as well as a generic ''level/route'' mentioned Weapons and Armor, are plentiful mainly specializing in close-range weapons. There are also three ''schools'' that are mentioned in reports, Swords, Axes, and Spears Armor is mainly of the leather kind, there is not a lot of metal used in this location Large agriculture businesses are already being constructed Multiple locations for ''housing'', however, houses are very basic and are prone to fire as everything is constructed with very mmable material Dangerous monsters sometimes lurk in ''low-level'' fields, including The Hordes''s elite team The openness of the map provides little shelter to yers but also helps as there are fewer chances of being ambushed until the yers venture deeper For Aqua Corp, Amazing view of the ocean, one of the best starting location if yers are looking for a holiday Multiple kinds of edible fish, with yers and NPCs who are skilled at cooking/preparing them Wide range of aquatic monsters, and swamp dwellers, however, the danger of water bodies is extremely high, with monsters capable of pulling yers into the depths of the ocean, rivers, or swamps A rough map of dangerous ces has been created, however, there is not a lot of detail, due to the randomness of the appearance of monsters capable of killing yers instantly inrge bodies of water Potential sea transportation has been created, but not perfect Weapons and armor, are created by underwater materials, boosting water magic and resistance to water spells and ice spells, with a preference for spears, bows, and magic Small viges are always under constant strain from attacks from monsters, however, provides greatbat experience, if yers are able to survive Lots of potential ambush locations, be wary Has a thief-like guild as well established by Helioc For Lotus Flower, Beauties, lots of beauties Adjacent to Eden, showcasing multiple gorgeous female yers, also has a lot of attractive demi-humans The home to one of the most religious viges, with multiple shrines to wee lots of different gods and goddesses, including Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Protection, Salus, and the God of Healing, Apollo. There are rumors to be more. Extremely adept with magic, including healing, support, light, and fire. There may be more left undiscovered Multiple small viges have been constructed The location is bare, however, with not a lot of materials. yers will need to travel awhile in order to transport material back to the main vige Lots of monsters that are in groups rather than alone, as well as, lots of fast-moving monsters. For Pa Kaua Excellent location for a great homely feel Demi-humans treat everyone like family, there is no such thing as racism, and they will do their best to protect everyone at the expense of themselves Strong weapons and armor, mainly dealing with leather and bones, and close-range weapons Axes seem to be the strongest and most used weapon in this location, most likely due to the influence of the NPC demi-humans. It looks like they are masters of one trade and aren''t well-versed in others Has multiplend transportation in terms of horses and horse-like monsters, making it easier to travel Monsters are at a more ''medium-level'' difficulty, inexperienced yers may struggle at the start but with the help of the NPCs it should be smooth sailing Housing is quite advanced, with homes that look more like small huts and tents. There doesn''t seem to be a risk of damage to the homes Previous instances of PvP have been noted, however, it lessened after the NPCs showed their strengths yers that are looking for PvP might want to still join this vige as there is a higher chance of finding other yers from different guilds ] And while TheBananaMan doesn''t have information on HavenFall, he has added a smallment on it. [ For HavenFall Location is in the middle of the continent Most likely surrounded by strong monsters, exining how Ian is constantly in the top 10 Strong base, most likely in a great or hidden location. Must be easily defendable in order tost against strong monsters Highly likely that NPCs are strong as well, most likely able to learnbat from NPCs Not a lot of interaction with other yers, feels more like a solo grind or a small group grind Rmend to those who want a challenge, but not a casual game ] To be honest, he isn''t wrong. HavenFall is in a great location with a lot of stronger monsters nearby, and the NPCs are strong. However, the only downside is he isn''t confident in the information. It feels like he is guessing which means new yers will also feel like he is guessing, which in turn might make them reluctant to join HavenFall. In addition, HavenFall has almost no online presence,pared to everyone else. Even Pa Kaua, has a name, with Sam''s face on it, which allows yers to look into the Leader''s personality and potential character. I think HavenFall will have the least amount of yersing in, but that doesn''t mean it will be a small amount. It has been rumored that a minimum of 1 million yers will be joining our server. With the current amount of yers only barely reaching 100 thousand, there is going to be a LOTTTTT of yers" - Evan Chapter 330 330 - Small Chat With Selino Evan eventually finishes his presentation, clicking a button to turn off the screen. At the same time, Kingston had just woken up from his sleep, dazed as he only caught a glimpse of the screen he slowly speaks his mind. "Damn¡­ That was a lot of content. I''m so d I slept through that all." - Kingston "Don''t worry, you didn''t miss anything." - Sabrina "So, who should be I joining?" - Alice "Isn''t it Sam''s, Pa Kaua? Like he is our employer¡­" - Adam "I thought that didn''t matter to you?" - Alice "Uhh¡­ It''s called loyalty." - Adam "Shut up, Adam. You ain''t fooling anyone." - Sabrina "MY GOSH! Who hurt you?" - Adam "Anyway, looking at it objectively! The best ces for a new person to start would either be Bone City, or Pa Kaua. Both ''look'' to be the easiest ces to start, with a lot of help from NPCs and yers that are already there." - Nina "And with the alliance between Devel and us, it will be even better." - Ian "Alliance? What alliance?" - Evan "Ah, I forgot to mention, but at the meeting over at Turquoise, we had a good run-in with Devel, and an alliance was mentioned. We took the offer and also formed an alliance with Crystal and Bleu, Infinity, and Adventure''s Alliance." - Ian "WAIT! You met THE Crystal?" - Evan Rushing over to me faster than a cheetah attacking its prey, Evan grabs onto my shirt and pulls me close to him. "What? What? What about Crystal?" - Ian "DUDE! ARE YOU SERIOUS? IT IS THE CRYSTAL!!! One of the TOP female gamers of the century. A cold ice queen, that would freeze you with her gaze, and if you got unlucky or lucky enough to approach her, she would shut you down and step all over you, JUST like the dominatrix she is. An unbelievable sight to behold. A GODDESS, to us peasants. Plus I have a few posters of her in my old room. BUT, you are saying you saw, talked, and met up with her?" - Evan "Uh¡­ Yea? She was nice. Maybe a little cold at first, but once she opened up she was a warm and kind person." - Ian "She was nice¡­ huh?" - Reba "Bad choice of words, Ian." - Kingston "STOP! STOP! STOP! I DIDN''T HEAR THAT! CRYSTAL IS MY ICE QUEEN!" - Evan "Ignore that idiot, Ian. What is the alliance supposed to achieve?" - Sabrina Turning to Sabrina, who had gotten off her chair to pull the fan-crazed Evan back to his seat, I notice she had a slightly jealous look on her face. Her mouth was pouting a bit as she snuck nces at Evan. "The alliance between RavenStar and Bones is vital for Sam''s growth in the game. We already know that he was having some difficulties with Bones''s yers attacking him or his NPCs. Even during the event, there were instances where there would be some conflict. This alliance will prevent that, giving Sam some time to reinforce his troops and his vige. Furthermore, there was an agreement to conduct a trade route between Bone City, Pa Kaua, and the vige containing the Knights of the Round. A trade route will help with resource management, both importing and exporting. It will create a road structure between the three viges, and create a more stable territory, after all, all three viges are in the range of the Horde. More yers will be able to travel between the viges, constantly eliminating any threats, and eventually, they will expand their area of influence further and further outward. As for the alliance with Infinity and Adventure''s Alliance, it was just myworking. Talking to them, and eventually, the topic of an alliance popped up, taking advantage of the time, I epted it. They are both located in the South, fighting off Reaper''s army in real-time,pared to us having to be transported into the Glemt. While we have no way ofmunicating in-game, there mighte a time when we do eventually meet them. It''s better to be friendly than to be enemies in my opinion." - Ian "Understandable. I guess I have to find a way to be connected with Sam soon then, I want to reap the benefits as well." - Sabrina "If you can make a trade from your vige, Sabrina, to Sam''s then the trade route will be connected to 4 viges." - Nina "Exactly. I think that was what was going through Sam''s mind too, even though he didn''t mention it." - Ian "There is more to this game than I thought¡­" - Alice "As I said, Alice, don''t worry about it. Just follow orders. It will be easy." - Adam After a bit more discussion, eventually, it was time to have some food, and with Alice nearby, she went ahead to prepare our meal. The rest of the day passed by quite quickly, with everyone doing their own things. I even had some time to myself to talk to Selino, as I walked along the perimeter of Sam''s abode. "Selino. Are you there?" - Ian "..." - Selino "Selino¡­ I know you are there. Just say something." - Ian "Deary~ You were the one that ignored me first." - Selino "I know. I know. I did it, so I didn''t need to think about another person inside my own head, but I gave it some thought, throughout the day. Well¡­ I can''t ignore you forever¡­" - Ian "That''s right, deary~ We are connected as one being now. So, entertain me. What did you want to talk about?" - Selino "It''s about our situation, and well, what are your thoughts on this world,pared to yours? I''m curious about what is going through your head as you look through my eyes, experiencing what I am experiencing." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Our situation is unique, to say the least. I didn''t expect that to you my world is a game, but at the same time, I understood that there was a different world out there, after all, I know about the merge. What blew my mind the most was the difference in culture between our two worlds. While yours is built by only humans, for humans, my world is divided into so many different smaller worlds, built for that specific race. Your advancement in technology is far greater than anything I have seen. Even dwarven creations may pale inparison but, there is no mana in this world. No magic. Which is the defining difference. Mana in our world is what gives it life, whereas here, technology gives the world life but also takes it. There are pros and cons in both worlds. OH! Maybe~ that''s why there is a merge, tobine both pros and cons." - Selino "An interesting theory, Selino. I never thought of it like that. I''m d you are enjoying yourself, and discovering all of this." - Ian "Oh, don''t worry deary. I am having my own fun here." - Selino "Ah, huh. Is there anything else you have to tell me?" - Ian "Not really~ Oh maybe~ But don''t worry, I''ll tell you when the timees." - Selino "Right, right. You never want to tell me anything." - Ian "Well, did you know this saying, Ian deary~ A secret makes a woman, woman. Maybe you need to do some research ondies~ I''m going to sleep now! Talk to you in the morning, deary~" - Selino "Sigh¡­ Goodnight." - Ian Using that as a cue, I made my way back to my room, where I saw Reba already preparing the bed. Talking to her for a bit before sleeping, I found out she was feeling excited about all the new things that were about to happen in the game. Like a child, she talked and talked until eventually, she fell asleep next to me. Giving her a kiss on her forehead, I tucked her in and went to sleep next to her, holding her tight. The next morning, after breakfast, Sam calls everyone to an underground facility. Following Adam and Eve, we walked into an elevator that took us to B5. The moment the doors opened, we were greeted with a small corridor, leading to a singr pair of steel doors. Tapping a card on the side of the door, Adam leads us into the room. At this point, neither of them had told us anything, even with Evan pestering them all the way down, but I guess they didn''t need to. Once the doors opened, standing in the middle of arge enclosed white room, was Sam. Leaning on a metal rack, he had an enormous smile on his face, as he motions us toe over. The sheer size of the room wasparable to a football stadium, and all of this was underground. "WELCOME! EVERYONE! This is our training room. Today, everyone here will be training to use their weapons. Why, you may ask? Especially since you didn''t need to do it prior to today. WELL! That is because, our intelligence team has unearthed some information over at Aqua''s headquarters. They have a specialized team, working with their yers to develop martial arts skills. Even if it is a basic sense of it. I wondered, why are they doing this, but then I realized. The capsule¡­ They must connect more with our brains and our motor actions. Which means you should be able to use real world skills in the game, or at least replicate it enough to help with in game battles. WHO KNOWS! BUT! I don''t see any harm with just having a good work out session while we wait for things to be delivered. SO! Take your weapons!" - Sam Chapter 331 331 - Training Underground "YO! Secretir! Sam this is amazing!" - Evan Walking over to Sam quickly, to grab his hand, and giving a quick handshake, Evan''s excitement expels out, infecting everyone else in the room. Following him, Kingston gazes over at the metal rack, seeing a myriad of wooden weapons. Spears of different sizes, swords of different kinds, there were so many kinds of weapons, with some I didn''t even know the name of, and they were all here, neatly packed away in this metal rack. "How big is this rack¡­?" - Kingston "It''s quiterge, and rather than height, we focused on length and width. Most weapons aren''t that muchrger than the length of an arm, with the only exceptions being variations of spears and staffs." - Sam "I don''t even know what to pick¡­? There are just so many." - Reba "Shouldn''t we just pick what weapon we are used to?" - Kingston "That''s a problem in itself. Nina and I are mages in the game, what weapons would we be using? Reba here pretty much uses a knife, and just pure stats to fight. What do you expect us to train with?" - Sabrina "We thought about that already. Adam! Eve!" - Sam "Yes, Mr. Sam!" - Adam, Eve Grabbing a staff and sword respectively, Adam and Eve stood next to Sam, their eyes locked on the three girls. "Since Nina and Sabrina won''t need the weapons the next best thing would be to practice dodging. Reba, as she hasn''t had muchbat experience yet, will be practicing dodging as well. She may only use a knife, but to get into position and dodge iing attacks, she will need to be quick on her feet. Adam and Eve have both been trained in material arts, and they will be helping the three of you." - Sam "Don''t worry, I''ll do my best not to hit you too hard." - Adam "You better make sure you do it properly, Adam. Nina, Reba, and Sabrinae we are going to that side to train." - Eve The three girls, look at each other nervously but ultimately follow Adam and Eve to the side, their training has already begun. Meanwhile, Kingston picks up a spear that was simr in size to the one he was already using in the game. Twirling it around in his hand, he gets a feel for the weight of the spear, the corners of his mouth perk up slightly as he nces toward the rest of us. Evan, picks up an ax, while Sam grabs a small shield and a one-handed sword. They both lookfortable holding onto the wooden weapons, as they casually swing their weapons from side to side, doing the same, I move over to the rack to grab a spear as well. "Wait, deary~! I don''t think a spear suits you." - Selino "Huh? Selino? Why? I have always used a spear." - Ian "Did you use a spear because you knew how to use it? Were you good at it? Or was it because there was no other option, and you just stuck with it hmm~? I personally, think you aren''t suited for the spear." - Selino "Is there a reason? If so, what weapon should I be using?" - Ian "No weapon at all. I think using a weapon is a waste since you have 8 weapons on your back already. Or have you forgotten? You are no longer a human, deary~" - Selino "I¡­" - Ian Selino was right, ever since the first time I felt the pain in my back after she cursed me, I have slowly be less of a human. Maybe it was just me trying to deny the inevitable, but I still believed I was a normal human. That was¡­ Until today. Without even mentioning it, I already knew that I was different the moment I woke up. Sound, sight, and smell felt enhanced, but that wasn''t what made me think it was different. It was a feeling, creeping along my back. It didn''t take much effort, but I could feel 8 individual spots on my back, and without even looking in the mirror, I understood it was the location where the legs of the spiders were in the game. Gulping the saliva in my mouth down, I try my best to resolve myself, to try to ept who I am, even outside the game. "Selino. Am I that different now that I am an Arachne?" - Ian "Not at all deary~ In fact, you aren''t a pure Arachne, which can be seen by your appearance. Most Arachne, are like me. The torso of a human, with an abdomen of a spider. However, you have the body of a human with just the additional legs of a spidering out from your back. This in itself, should not have happened, so I don''t know what kind of Arachne you are or why you are like this. I just know you aren''t like me, deary~." - Selino "Then¡­?" - Ian "Deary~ You can use both human''s and Arachne''s advantages. One~! Of these advantages is the spider legs we have. Its strength is on par with weapons made by cksmiths, and it has the ability to regrow after being destroyed. It is sharp and quick, much like a knife or a rapier, yet as flexible and ever-moving as a spear. SO~ Deary¡­ Tell me. Why use a weapon? Why not focus on learning how to use what you already have?" - Selino "Then what do I do with my hands and arms in battle?" - Ian "Don''t you already know the answer?" - Selino "...Magic and skills?" - Ian "Wow~ Ian deary~ So smart~." - Selino "Is that how Arachne''s fight?" - Ian "Maybe. Maybe not. I just think this is how you should fight." - Selino "I see¡­ Is there something else I have yet to unlock? You say all this as if I''m still missing something." - Ian "OH! My, oh, my~ I''m feeling really hot right now, Ian deary~ I didn''t know you are such a smart human. YES! You are still missing something very essential for an Arachne." - Selino "And that is?" - Ian "Your eyes~ Deary. Your eyes~" - Selino "My eyes? How so?" - Ian "Arachne, have 8 eyes right? But those 8 eyes are just used for vision. In fact, it would be pretty stupid to just have 8 eyes just to see. Our eyes each have their own uses, but it is different for each Arachne." - Selino "I see¡­ Wait! Howe you didn''t use any of your eyes?" - Ian "Because your body isn''t ready yet. BUT! Don''t worry, deary. It may be ready soon, who knows~" - Selino "Alright¡­ So, how do you want me to train?" - Ian "Fight. Just fight, and keep fighting. Feel your legs and make them your own. There is nothing else you can do, other than to practice using it, deary~" - Selino "Sigh¡­ Alright." - Ian Moving my hand away from the spear, I look at Sam, Kingston, and Evan. Matching my gaze, they look back at me. Kingston starts to smile in my direction, as he grips his spear harder, slowly getting into position. Taking note of Kingston''s subtle movements, Sam grins from ear to ear as his boomingughter spills out of his mouth. Clicking his tongue, Evan readies himself as if predicting the next events. "So, no weapon, Ian?" - Kingston "Must have a lot of confidence, right?" - Evan "HAHAHA! I''m shaking with excitement! Are we doing this as a 4-way battle or something else?" - Sam "No. All of you against me. And Kingston¡­ I got a weapon right here." - Ian "Really? I don''t see IT!" - Kingston Dashing off the ground, with the head of the spear pointed towards my heart, Kingston leaps into action. His movements feel so familiar to the game, with the only difference being the speed. Of course, the game has enhanced stats after all, but I guess, even Kingston is slow, despite the movements being the exact same. Standing perfectly still as the spear draws closer to me, I let out a small sigh as I rx my shoulders. There was a feeling on my back as if it was an itch, but I knew it wasn''t an itch. Like something poking at the muscles along my back, knocking on it like a door. Rolling my shoulders back, in front of Kingston, I let loose the feeling I have kept to myself throughout the whole day. Piercing through my shirt, and wrapping around my sides, 8 obsidian ck spider legs met together at a singr point. Right at the tip of Kingston''s spear. "You¡­" - Kingston "HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE F-" - Evan "HAHAHAH! I did not predict this." - Sam "Like I said, all of you against me. I need to get used to using them before the game starts again." - Ian Stepping back, Kingston''s bewildered expression slowly changes to that of excitement and pleasure. "Sam, you and Evan should practice together or with the girls. Ian and I will be too busy with each other." - Kingston "What do you m-" - Evan "Belial! Demon Trigger!" - Kingston "HAHAHA! What is with everyone hiding their strengths? Evan! Hurry, this way!" - Sam Sam, pulls Evan away from us, as Kingston showcases a familiar set of armor. The wooden spear, coated in darkness resonates with a metallic sound, each time Kingston softly bounces the butt on the ground. "Well, then. Shall we?" - Ian "Lets." - Kingston Chapter 332 332 - Cataclysm Trailer A week passes by with little to no drama, and with Sam at the helm, we started our daily routine. Our training session continues every day, for 3 hours in the morning, and another 3 before dinner, with our only break in between the two sessions being lunch. Alice woulde down the elevator with 2 trolleys of food, and after eating, she would join in to help Evan and Sam train. On the other side of the training room, the girls have been improving as well. At the start, Nina could barely even dodge one or two of Adam''s and Eve''s attacks, but now she was able tost in a fight with them for 15 minutes straight. Likewise, the other two have be faster at making split-second decisions,sting longer and longer in each fight. However, it wasn''t just sparring that they did. Adam and Eve taught the girls generalbat advice in between fights, introducing them tobat against multiple opponents or against opponents who were physically stronger than them. One of the key pieces of advice that they made sure the girls understood was to always be watching all the attackers. Situational awareness is a saving grace in fights against multiple opponents, and understanding where the enemies are at all times, will help when defending, escaping, or even attacking. Against stronger opponents, it was advised to bring the opponent to an area where they were at a disadvantage. Of course, this doesn''t always work, which means, the next best thing might be to escape, and create some distance. Since Nina and Sabrina use a lot of skills and magic in fights, it was important to be able to dodge to the side or to create space between them and the attacker, before retaliating. Nina and Sabrina, even received books and wooden sticks to emte the magic books and wands that were used in the game. Even if the weapon wasn''t made to be used as a melee weapon, there could be times when they will have no choice but to use what was around them. Taking in that same notion, Reba starts to utilize different weapons, including a small hand ax, short swords, spears, gauntlets, ws, and even whips. While some weapons she had no idea how to use properly, she felt that some were easier, and some she preferred. With such a wide range of weapons readily avable to them, there was no harm in trying out different weapons and understanding the small nuances of each weapon. She told me that she was doing this because there might be a time when her weapon breaks, and she has to pick up a weapon from an enemy. Preparing for that time mighte in handy. And then there was Kingston and me. We were constantly fighting each other for as long as we can, using Kingston''s Demon Trigger to its fullest each time the cooldown was finished. His speed and strength increase exponentially once he activates Demon Trigger and since we weren''t in a game, I could barely dodge or counter-attack him, at the start. However, Selino would provide me with small tips during the fight, allowing me to grow quickly, to catch up to Kingston''s strength. That didn''t mean it got any easier. Even without Demon Trigger, he was still quite strong as he practices his technique against my aggressive attacks. Using a spear for quite a while myself, I understood one of the weaknesses is its range. Pressing against the spear user will make it harder for them to use the spear to its full capabilities. In order to help Kingston ovee this weakness, I never let up my attacks, pressing close to him quickly using the spider legs, over my own legs, followed up by lightning-fast stabs. We yed a game of Offense-Defense, switching each time Demon Trigger was active, attacking each other to the point of injuring the other. Blood stters across the floor and walls, and bruises would umte, but that didn''t stop us. In fact, I was enjoying it, and I was sure Kingston was enjoying it as well. Until today, where we had to do a small intervention during lunch. Gathered in a circle around Alice''s food trolley, Sam mentions some new information. "Alright, everyone! Good news and great news. Which one first?" - Sam "GOOD! I chose GOOD!" - Evan "Sigh¡­ What are you a CHILD!? God¡­ Just take Evan''s word as ours, Sam. Makes our lives easier. I think." - Sabrina "HAHAHA! Alright, Sabrina. The good news is the VR Capsules have been delivered already, and are being set up in your rooms at this very moment. There was also a truckload of N1 supplies already delivered as well, and I will distribute them shortly, once we do a stock take." - Sam "And the great news?" - Ian "The new patch has just dropped on their website, and it is apanied by a trailer, called Cataclysm. It also mentions that the game will begin tonight for everyone that has previously yed but will begin tomorrow for new yers, saying that it will give old yers time to adjust to the influx of yers." - Sam "A patch and a trailer? Are we able to see it here? Or do we have to go up?" - Nina "It will have to be us moving back above ground. Is everyone okay with that? Otherwise, we can have a lookter." - Sam "I would like to go up and take a bit of a rest, after discussing the patch." - Kingston "I second that. 1 week of strenuous exercise is a lotttttttttttt." - Reba "Alright, let''s move up. Adam, and Eve, clean up the ce. Alice, lead the way. We will be going to the lounge room, and please set up the screen." - Sam "Yes, Mr. Sam." - Adam, Eve, Alice Following Alice with everyone, we arrive at the lounge room, and within moments Alice sets up the screen with the Settlement website filling it up. As we could see on the front page, there was a trailer as well as a link to the patch notes. After a quick debate, we decide to watch the trailer first, but as we go to click the video, there was a prompt saying for a better experience, to use VR to watch the trailer. On that note, Samughs loudly and asks his staff to fetch everyone their VR helmets. After 5 mins we all had our helmets and were connecting to the website. Smiling to myself, I realize that this was kind of where it all started. A trailer for a new game, and a spark of curiosity. [Loading Settlement Trailer, Cataclysm¡­3¡­2¡­1¡­ Start!] The green grasnd stretched out as far as the eye could see, basking in the warmth of the sunlight. A gentle and warm breeze flowed across the open space, carrying with it the sweet scent of blooming wildflowers. The blue skies above were a perfect canvas for the white fluffy clouds that slowly drifted by. The rustling of the grass in the wind and the distant songs of birds created a peaceful harmony that enveloped the senses. This idyllic scene offered a much-needed respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, allowing one to simply breathe in the fresh air and revel in the beauty of nature. That was if the stench of death didn''t permeate and taint the environment. Within a single moment, the luscious grasnd disappears, reced with dry, cracked red earth and an orange sky, with a deep navy blue sea creeping along it, covering it bit by bit. One could see, without even looking around, that there were pearl-white, jet-ck, and deep crimson skeletons surrounding them. Thunderous marching could be felt, as the earth vibrates underneath my feet. Enclosing me, one step at a time, leaving just a small open space around me, free of the tainted atmosphere. Darkness befalls the world. The moon reces the sun and only a silver light could be seen peeking through the gaps of the fluffy white clouds. Standing only an arm''s width away from me, skeletons of different sizes and shapes, chatter with their bony jaws. Unable to move since it was just my consciousness in the trailer, I could only feel the creeping fear and anxiety slowly fill my body. Suddenly, a cold sharp metallic presses against my neck. Warm rich blood drips down, and a familiar voice could be heard. A low, slow monotonous voice. "So, you thought¡­ You could invade me and leave. So, you thought¡­ No one else will move. I wonder¡­ What made you think that¡­? Regardless¡­ It is time." The dark atmosphere warps and wraps around within it, as the space below me falls below me. Darkness embraces me, holding me tight like a nket, until I loud thud could be felt, as I crash to the ground. Arge figure, hidden in the shadows grabs onto my head, covering my eyes with theirrge hand, as they pick me up. Dangling in the air, their booming voice pierces through the ringing in my ears. "To think, you thought you could do as you, please. I''ll y along with you¡­ Reaper." Smashing my head down into the ground, crushing it as I fall through the floor like a piece of ss. Only a single phrase could enter my ears, as I feel the world spin. "As thend trembles¡­" Water reces air, as breathing bes impossible. Struggling for breath, I feel my body il about, dragging myself down slowly. As my brain slows, and my vision fades, a cold embrace, wraps around my neck, pulling me from the depths. Coughing out mouthfuls of water, as waves crash against the side of my face, I hear the seductive voice of a youngdy. "As the seas churn¡­" Thrown into the air like a rag doll, flung around by the ever-increasing raging winds. My body rips and tears. Even water droplets were like little knives against my soft baby-like skin, but it only took a second before I was above the clouds, and on a cold hard rocky table. Unable to speak, I could only see someone walk over to me wrapping a blindfold over my eyes. Their cacklingughter resonates inside my head. "HeheHEHEHEH! As the SKY ROARS!" Suddenly, something rips the blindfold off my face. I''m back¡­ The green grasnd. The warm embrace of the sun. The gentle breeze¡­ But it wasn''t just me. A metallic object pressing against my neck, a gigantic hand pressing down on my head, a cold wet grip wrapping behind my head, and an insaneughter. The mix of all 4 voices, echoes in my mind, bouncing back and forth, as the environment shes before my eyes, showing me everything I had just experienced, over and over again. "We will move. We will appear in front, beside, and behind you for blood is our water, and flesh is our food. WE WILL MOVE!" Chapter 333 333 - Patch 1.4 A ck screen. The end of the trailer. Yet I could do nothing but stare into the abyss. What kind of trailer was that? Even though there were no pain receptors, I could feel each and every blow, as if they were taking me. They¡­ They were the 4 Kings. The Reaper at the start, then the Horde, afterward Cordelia, and then finally, Kronos. Having only heard of Reaper''s voice, hearing the others sent chills down my spine. The Horde felt like an over-abusive father, and even though I couldn''t see his eyes, it felt like it was staring into a hollow shell. As if I was nothing more than a pebble in his path. Cordelia''s voice felt simr to Fierna, except much more chilling, like a queen looking down on her subjects. Speaking seductively only when needed, before switching to a more domineering approach. Kronos feels as crazy as he seems. The mad scientist atmosphere sent goosebumps all around me, as he cackles next to my ear. Terrifying to say the least. Luckily it was just a trailer, showing to the yers what there is toe, otherwise, I would have died a hundred, no, a thousand times over just by being near them. "Well¡­ That was a rush¡­ Wow¡­" - Sabrina "You took the words out of my mouth, Sabrina. I really felt like I was there. At one point, I think I stopped thinking, and just only experienced the trailer." - Evan "It was DEFINATELY more than what I was expecting." - Sam "... They are strong." - Kingston "What was it that they said at the end? I don''t think I caught thest couple of words." - Reba "As thend trembles¡­ As the seas churn¡­ As the sky roars¡­ We will move. We will appear in front, beside, and behind you for blood is our water, and flesh is our food. WE WILL MOVE! That was what they said. Looking at it briefly and without going into detail, it looks more like a speech a general or a king would say to their army. Unless¡­ That was the point? The Reaper''s army was surrounding us in the trailer, and he was the one to initiate the speech. Is he preparing for another invasion but this time with the help of the other 3 Kings?" - Nina "Wait¡­ Doesn''t this also remind you of the prophecies that have been mentioned?" - Ian "Hmm¡­ They both rte to nature and impending doom. The name of the trailer also hints it as well. It wouldn''t be a wild guess to say that they are both hinting at the same thing. However, does that also mean whoever said what is responsible for it?" - Evan "The Horde mentions thend. Cordelia mentions the sea or the ocean. Kronos mentions the sky, and if we look at technicality, the Reaper mentions their army." - Reba "Then¡­ Volcanoes, earthquakes, storms, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. May happen and the Kings may be responsible, after all these 3 Kings do look like they are responsible for each part of nature. Even the Reaper, since he is talking about the flesh and bones of their army, which corrtes to the monsters/demi-humans/humanoids that represent the world." - Ian "So, we are more or less confirming that the Kings will be one of the main focal points of the next patch. Less of one King, and more of all of them." - Sabrina "Hmm¡­ Not necessarily but usible. It feels more like they are preparing for war, the moment the ''natural disasters'' strike. Think about it, the first three phrases are them saying ''As something happens'', which is simr to saying ''When this happens''. The moment the ''event'' happens, then they will branch off and invade most likely from all angles as well. Looking at how they are positioned, I''m confident that they will attack from all 4 directions." - Nina "An attack from all 4 directions¡­ THAT MAKES SENSE! The Reaper from our understanding has already attempted to invade everyone via mass teleportation. Since his n failed, rather than spreading his forces thinly throughout the whole continent, he can focus on moving through thend and the skies to attack us." - Sam "It won''t be the skies, since Kronos has control over that, right?" - Reba "Maybe, but they will be attacking bynd for sure. There are lots of small viges in each territory, and with more yers about to join, then recapturing their territory will be much more difficult. Even if the yers are only spawned in a few locations." - Evan "AHHHHHH! This is making my brain hurt." - Sabrina "Shall we move on to the patch notes then?" - Sam Everyone was a bit taken back by the sheer intensity of the trailer. Stiff shoulders and sweaty palms were just the start, but Sam hurriedly moved on from that subject, letting us think about it in our own time. Instead, he focuses on the next task at hand. The new patch notes. [Major Patch Notes HELLLLLLOOOOOOO, GAMERSSSS!!! How have we been? Excited about the new patch? Or maybe bored since there hasn''t been much to do during the past week? Regardless, we at Lotus are here to present to you some amazing news, both for old yers and new. NOW! We know that there have been rumors trickling about in the forums and other onlinemunities, and right now, we are going to tell you, maybe they were true. Maybe they are not. BUT! What we can guarantee, is that everyone will be having lots of fun in the uing days. From what we have seen in the previous patch and event, there have been a couple of major groups that have risen above and beyond other yers. Whether that is because they have substantial backing or not, is not the point. The point is, they are ahead, and we reward those that are ahead. SUCH is life. Our interpretation of the direction of Settlement stems from both cooperation andpetition. yers should help each other develop their vige into a town, and then eventually a city. At the same time, there might be ack of resources, so what should yers do? Well, we are sure you already know the answer BUT let''s tell you anyway. Attack. Raid. Pige. Anything goes, and yes, it might sound like a terrible idea, ethically, but wasn''t that how civilization evolved in the first ce? Form allies. Understand who are your enemies. Keep them close, but¡­ Not too close. Expand your territory. Seek new resources, even if¡­ It may cost you. Explore thends. Settlement is huge. There is still so much to discover, and to those who seek treasure, well¡­ You may be surprised because it might just be right under your nose. Without further ado, we present to you the next patch of Settlement and a new chapter in the game. Patch Highlights 1.4 Increasing Game Time We all love to y games right? So, instead of the original 6 hours of gamey, what if we double it? Lotus has been able to create arger server to hold more yers and in the process increase the amount of time yers are able to be in the game. This does mean, that the yers will need to get substantial rest in-game, otherwise their health will deteriorate. Due to the increase in game time, we are running the servers from 1800 to 0600, for a total of 12 hours. This time frame may be subject to change, and we will see how it goes through the next couple of weeks. With the longer game time, the amount of time also changes in the game. From 24 hours to 48 hours, we hope yers will be able to achieve more, with this change. Respawn and Safe State Now that we have increased game time, what happens to those who die early? We have thought of a solution, that will benefit everyone. We understood the variousints of yers that identally die early. Unable to y the game until the next day, they were upset and angry not just at themselves but at the game as well. To solve this issue, we have introduced a respawn timer. Upon death, a yer can rejoin the game after 6 real hours. This allows yers to be able toe back, after researching why they may have died, or if they are in a prolonged fight, a chance for them to return. yers that are respawning will be in a Safe State for 5 minutes, allowing them to gather their bearings and reorganize their thoughts. Logging and Logging out Alright, now that respawning has been mentioned, what about the opposite? What if a yer wants to join the game at ater time? Or leave the game early? Previously, we didn''t have a log-in or log-out function, that yers are more familiar with. Instead, it was just booting up the game at the same time as the server opens in order to y. We have realized that this was a major issue, and have finally fixed it. Calling out status will also bring up a log-out button on the side, giving the yer a chance to log out of the game. Likewise, when a yer wants to log in to the game, they will simply just need to connect to the server, like how it has always been done. Compare to before, there will be no issues with logging inte. When a yer logs into the game, their body will be in a Safe State for 5 minutes. However, the yer cannot log out of the game unless their body has been in a state of inactivity for 15 minutes. This means the yer cannot be ''fighting'' in thest 15 minutes. Actions that are simr to crafting, procuring, building, etc. will be treated as active, and the yer will need to cease such actions before logging out. New yers Okay, a section for all the newbies! For all new yers logging into Settlement for the first time, after character creation, they will be prompted to choose a location to spawn. There are a total of 6 potential locations they can spawn at, HavenFall, Bone City, Aqua Corp, Lotus Flower, Pa Kaua, and random. Each of these 5 locations has an Altar of Life, which yers will spawn in front of after their character creation. However, for those that want to enjoy a little spice in their lives, there is the option of spawning randomly. The King''s Army Alright, alright, some lore time~ Who is ready for some lore? Because we are! What happened in thest event? For those who have little or no idea, there are forum posts created by our lore experts in themunity. These posts are created purely from a third perspective, by other yers and may or may not be how we foresaw the story to y out. Regardless, this is the story we as lotus and you as the yers will have to work with, after all, anyone can interact with the story. Following this, we are able to inform you of certain actions. We advise yers, both old and new to look at the new trailer as there may be some surprises. To those who have seen it, thank you! We are d you have put in the time to watch our work. Our advice to all yers is to prepare themselves. Why? Well, because the 4 Kings are preparing their army. This does not mean the army will stand still, no, it means they will be active. Some Kings may seek out yers to defeat quickly, while others will spread their forces far and wide. Their actions may be different depending on the terrain, and maybe they will attack each other. Be warned though, they will show no mercy. In this regard we advise yers to form groups, even a small group is better than being alone. Auction House Here we are, with so many viges but so little interaction. This we understand becasue everyone is so far apart. To make it so it feels like everyone is closer, we have created the Auction House. Every Leader, will recieve an Auction House Building, and the Auction House will function with a shop function, and anyone who is associated with the vige can ce items in the Auction House. Mana Stones Andst but not least, Mana Stones. You may be wondering about the purpose of introducing this feature to Settlement sote into the game, but we assure you there is a very important reason, and while we are introducing this feature, some have already discovered it. Initially, this feature was going to stay hidden, only for those who wish to pursue this path, but in recent light, we have decided against that, and wish to spread the information. A Mana Stone is embedded in a monster''s heart. This gives monsters native to Settlement, a method of using Mana, much like how yers use mana for skills. Their source of poweres from the Mana Stones and this item will now drop from monsters upon death. The size and purity of the Mana Stone will be dependent on the monster. For those who wish to understand in a more arithmetic sense, then the higher the Mana, therge the stone, and the more evolved the monster is, then the higher the purity. This means, monsters that are easy to defeat like themon goblin or slime, will house a smaller and lower quality Mana Stone,pared to a monster like an orc or an ogre. Understanding this, some yers are probably wondering why we didn''t do this earlier. You see, Mana Stones were already used by other native tribes as well as a certain King everyone might be familiar with. Kronos is an individual who has dabbled greatly in the Arcane, using Mana Stones to his advantage and creating a golem core. This information has been researched by multiple individuals in themunity and there are various forum posts highlighting this. Due to the sheerplexity and amount of information, we have decided to add this in as a permanent feature, allowing others to collect, trade, and research the Mana Stones. Alrighty then, that is all we have for this patch notes. Did you like it? Do you find it interesting? Maybe, maybe not. We at Lotus, want to thank everyone that has yed Settlement up until this point, and at the same time wee those who are about to step into a new world. We hope that everyone enjoys their time, seek new adventures and go on new journeys. The world of Settlement is vast and there is so much time. Thank you and have FUN!] Chapter 334 334 - Getting Ready To Go Back It took us a while to digest the information from the Patch Notes, especially since it was a major patch. During that time we were all quietly reading it off the screen. Once I finished reading it, I sat back in my seat, waiting for another couple of minutes before speaking. "There is a lot of new information in this patch, and it looks like they aren''t making it so that there are more monster spawns and increased monster activity, like how the previous patches were. Instead, they hint that the Kings are going to be more active, which means they may attack nearby viges." - Ian "It is not may, it is most definitely that they will attack nearby viges. It will start with small-scale skirmishes, and then eventuallyrge-scale invasions. Looking at it objectively, this period of attacks will be involving siege weapons. What kind of siege weapons will we be facing? I don''t know. I don''t even know if they have the means ofing close to HavenFall, but we need to prepare for potential siege warfare. For viges out in the open, like Sam''s and Sabrina''s, there is a high likelihood, that rams or catapults will be used. That is if they are still on very primitive siege equipment. There is the chance they have some sort of magic cannon or something of that simr destructive capabilities. It may even just be a team of mages, who can castrge AOE attacks instead of weapons. Who knows¡­" - Nina "Hmm¡­ I understand your concerns, Nina. Pa Kaua is vulnerable to siege attacks. If we were to be surrounded, I doubt we couldst for a long time." - Sam "I can''t do much either. It''s just open ins where I am at, with little to no cover." - Sabrina "What can you do? It is just how the environment is, the best you can do is fortify yourself and attack outside the vige. The moment they reach the vige, then you are at an extreme disadvantage." - Evan "Well, enough of that! Aren''t we excited about the fact that we can y for longer?" - Reba "Yeah, a longer y time means we can achieve more in the game. Especially since all old yers are starting one day ahead of new yers. The extra 24 hours will help us prepare for the influx of yers." - Ian "What is the n for that anyway, Ian? I know you have arrived at the Krepost and you ced down the Altar at a mid-way point toward HavenFall, but what are we going to do? I''m still at HavenFall, and the two girls are with you." - Evan "I''ll tell you the nter, I still need to work out a few of the kinks of it." - Ian "Understood. Tell me before we go into the game, so I can ry everything to Gobi, and Noah." - Evan Gathering everyone''s attention, Sam ps his hands. With a serious tone, he starts to talk to us, slowly, as if carefully nning each word. "Another major addition is the Mana Stones." - Sam "I didn''t expect for them to mention this, especially since we have used a type of Mana Stone, previously." - Ian "YOU DID?!" - Sam "Our cksmith was able to create a spear that had a golem core embedded near the tip. With the help of the elves, we were able to create a weapon that uses the golem core to create explosions." - Ian "Interesting¡­ But looking at how they worded it, it wasn''t you that pushed Lotus over the edge to make them make Mana Stones more public. I''m assuming someone else has done more research and created more weapons or used the Mana Stones more frequently." - Sam "Well, I''m looking at the forums and there is a cksmithing guild that is located near Lotus, called Iron Chapel. There is also a guild, near Aqua, that is focusing on magic and the arcane, called Arcane Brotherhood. Both guilds have stated that they are working with magic, or with magical items, so¡­ There is a possibility, that one of these guilds is the reason for the Mana Stones." - Evan "Hmm¡­ Maybe. What if it was just an individual yer?" - Reba "Then it would be impossible to find out the reason." - Ian "However¡­ This does make the auction better." - Sam "Auction?" - Sabrina "The N2. Now that we are using the VR capsules, we need N1 to help us through the night. It is used to revitalize ourselves and keep our bodies healthy. However, Aqua also has another version of the N1, which is the N2. Aqua is going to auction them in-game, and now that there are Mana Stones, I''m sure they will use that as the currency." - Sam "Then the first week of the game will be focusing on gathering Mana Stones." - Ian "Wait, wait, wait. Then we are at a disadvantage. Bones, Aqua and Lotus have so many employees under them. They would be able to collect way more Mana Stones than us, through just the sheer manpower." - Evan "Well, we will just have to figure it outter." - Ian "Is that all? Because if it is, I''m going to get some rest, before tonight." - Kingston "That should be it. Kingston, there is a manual on your bed for the VR capsule. It is already set up, but give it a read." - Sam "Understood, boss! See you guys!" - Kingston With that, Kingston leaves the lounge room, dark circles could be seen underneath his eyes. Although, all of us knew why he was so tired, especially me, after all, the both of us have been sparring more and more in the past couple of days. Kingston had told me during one of our breaks, that the reason he was trying so hard was for Celine. At first, he couldn''t tell why he cared so much for her, and even now he wasn''t sure, but he wanted her to be happy. For that, he needed to be stronger. Not much else happened afterward, with everyone just rxing and enjoying their time since the game will be starting at 1800. With only 3 more hours to go, we were excited and ready. Wandering around the perimeter of the estate with Reba, Evan slowly approaches from in front, waving his hand high in the air. Behind him, Nina was holding onto a novel with a pair of sunsses on her head. "YO! IAN! There you are. I just found Nina as well over there, but I''m here because I was wondering what was the n for the next 48 hours in the game. We have a lot to prepare for the new yers." - Evan "That''s right. We did need to n for it, didn''t we? Evan here just took me from my reading spot without exining anything." - Nina "True. Well, let''s walk around while I exin what we are going to do tonight. Firstly, we need to be fast. The moment we go back into the game, we need to get moving. Ster and Gewari will be vital in passing information around. Their team will be responsible for reaching out to both HavenFall and the Krepost. They will need to gather people, and resources, since the ce where the Altar of Life is ced, is in the middle of nowhere." - Ian "That''s right because it is in the middle of nowhere, there isn''t anything there for new yers. Wait, wouldn''t we be building a new vige?" - Evan "That''s the n isn''t Ian? A new vige in between HavenFall and the Krepost. The current road that connects the two ces takes approximately 3 to 4 hours to travel. I know that Ster had been revising the path bit by bit, to improve the travel time, since the first time we created the path it took 6 hours. With the instation of the Altar of Life, only 15 minutes away from the path, we will be able to connect both viges with an in-between, only an hour to two away. Having this in between will be essential forter if there are any invasions on HavenFall or the Krepost. We can and will be storing food, water, medicine, weapons, and armor at this new location. Plus with the new yers, we can provide them with all of these, and send them in a direction to help us expand our influence and territory. I''m not sure if this is what you have nned Ian, but this was my interpretation." - Nina "As expected, nothing gets past you, Nina. This is the basis of my n, but I have more in mind. The new yers, we need to make them want to stay in our territory. I want to create a quest system for them, reward them for their efforts, and make them want to stay. Different from employing them, and making them work for us with a contract, I want yers to work with us of their own free will." - Ian "Will people even do that? Usually, you would need a good incentive for people to want to stay at a location." - Reba "It might be hard, but I have a n. New yers will receive a simple gift from us. A small portion of food and water, and a simple goblin knife. Everything else will need to be paid for, using Mana Stones. Yes, we are going to use Mana Stones as our currency. Not only will this allow us to gather more stones, but it will help solidify a currency. Food, water, weapons, and armor will cost a certain amount of Mana Stones, have Noah decide on the price. Afterward, point them in the direction of a simple quest bulletin. Have some simple quests, like gathering a herb or type of food, and have Lucina make a list of herbs and nts that will be useful to her. Quests that include defeating monsters, and having Gobi and all monsters under our banner wear something to differentiate them from normal monsters. Finally, a quest where they are gathering resources to help build the vige, HavenFall, or the Krepost. This way we can find out if there are yers who prefer, fighting, gathering, or building. Section them out, reward them properly, and keep this cycle going, even if they branch out of the new vige to the Krepost or HavenFall." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Alright. Once I''m back I''ll talk to Ster, Gobi, and Noah as soon as possible. Get them up to date with the n." - Evan "I''ll head back to the Krepost, and inform Howard and Yor." - Nina "I''ll stay at the new vige, and help clear the area, as well as mark out ces where things will be kept" - Reba "Alright, we understand what we need to do. I''ll see everyone soon." - Ian With that small discussion, Evan and Nina head off, while Reba and I return to our room. The manual was on our bed, like how Sam told us, and flicking through the manual I understood what needed to be done. Helping Reba, I found the small drinks fridge near our bed, where the N1 was kept. Opening the door, I found it was filled with N1 tubes. Each tube was as long as a ruler, housing a glittery blue gel. Each VR capsule, needs one N1 installed in the side of the capsule before it can be used. With that knowledge, I pick out two, before moving to the VR capsule. Inside our room, there were tworge silver capsules, much like a lounge chair. There is a green button on the side to open up thepartment for us to sit in, and next to it, is a blue button for the N1. Pressing it, opens a sidepartment, where the tube is ced. Ready, the both of us, get inside the capsule, small goosebumps could be seen along my arms. I wave to Reba as we both close the VR capsule and close our eyes¡­ A familiar screen appears and after a week-long absence, we return. Chapter 335 335 - Trust Me (Luke Perspective) As I sit here, chained to the cold, stone wall of this dark damp cell, I can''t help but long for the familiarforts of home¡­ The stench of mold and decay overwhelms my senses, and the sound of dripping water echoes through my chamber. Closing my eyes and trying to focus on the memories of Ian, Sylvia, Lucina, Howard, and everyone else, I whisper to myself, protecting my memories. However, fear crashes into my mind. shes of iron, blood, sweat, and tears, send a violent shudder through my body. It wasn''t just Casper. Two? Three? I can''t even tell how many demi-humans have entered through those rickety wooden doors but¡­ It wasn''t just me here. Tugging at my chains, I feel the rough metal dig into my skin. I try and I try. But the echoing screams of others ride along these stone walls, wrapping around me like an endless tornado. Slumping down to the ground, my eyes barely open and my lips cracking with every small movement, I look at the moldy half-eaten bread in front of me. Stretching my dry tongue out, I lick the side of the bread, covering my tongue with bitter dusty crumbs. A single beam of light filters through a crack above, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air as if showing me the way out. Thinking back, I wished I never left on that journey. I wished I wasn''t as cocky and arrogant, as I was. Why couldn''t I be humble? Why couldn''t I have just followed everyone else? I could have just protected everyone. Be the warrior I should have been. Yet¡­ What was I? An arrogant fool, blinded by the small disy of power that he hadpared to others. And where did that arrogance lead me to? Here. Away from Sylvia''s touch. Away from peace. Away from¡­ Freedom. Regret. Despair. Just a few words to describe it all. I wonder¡­ What are they doing now? Fighting goblins still? Building a house? Maybe Ian and old man Hus came up with another invention? Or did Kingston go out and discovered a new monster to fight? Gobi could be right next to me, sparing lightly. I could be hearing Sr and Ster chatter in elvish. I hate it. Myself. The Horde. Casper. I hate it. ncing at the door, my heart starts to race faster. Goosebumps rise. The cold sweat that stopped, starts once more. A rhythmic vibration resonates along the ground. Footsteps. One by one, edging closer. Is it one person? Is it two? Pressing my forehead to the ground, I can only pray and hope it isn''t for me. Closing my eyes, I wait and wait. Bracing myself for whatever torture and punishment they had nned for me. The door creaks open. Blinking my eyes open, while I stretch my neck slightly, I see one of the Horde''s henchmen, an alligator demi-human with a sneer on his face, showcasing the rows of yellowish teeth along the side of his face. Tensing my body, as he approaches me I prepare for the worst, expecting him to strike me with the thorny whip on the side of his belt. "W-Why are you here?" - Luke My voice, hoarse from disuse, barely makes out an audible sentence. Smirking the demi-human, crouches beside me, grabbing onto my disheveled hair, as he lifts me slightly off the ground so that his face was right next to mine. Holding my breath, I try not to breathe in the stench of raw meat that emanates out of his mouth. "I just came over to remind you who is in charge here. You see, after your ''escape,'' the Horde hasn''t been very pleased. PLUS, I''m your friend, aren''t I? You and I, have shared bountiful experiences here." - ??? "Sh-Shut up, N-Nero." - Luke "Shut up? SHUT UP?! I GUESS YOU DO NEED A REMINDER!" - Nero Smashing my head into the ground, with a loud thud that echoes through the halls outside the door, Nero steps back whileughing haughtily, as he grabs onto his whip. Cracking it along the walls, I curse myself and my mouth, but I don''t regret it. Closing my eyes, while I tense my whole body, I anticipate Nero''s attacks. A sharp sting spreads across my back, as heshes the whip at my body. Again and again, like a drummer doing the beat to a song, while my cries of pain were the vocals. The sound of the whip cracking fills the room, louder and louder, as Nero''sshing intensifies. Hisughter harmonizing with my cries, as the blood trickles down my body finding its way into the several cracks in the ground. I know these wounds will leave scars, in fact, I already have all too many of them, but what can I do? Chained here like a doll¡­ Eventually, he runs out of energy, luckily before I run out of blood. Finishing it off with his urine sshing all over my freshly cut body, he ms the door shut, leaving the room. Here I am. Left alone in a pool of blood and urine. Nothing but my pain and thoughts to keep mepany. It would have just been better for me to have died. To have been killed. Why haven''t they just killed me? How many times do I have to be tortured like this? Why do they always stop right before I feel like thest speck of my life is about to vanish? Trapped. Alone. Helpless. Am I nothing more than just a pawn in their game? A stress outlet? Why am I even here? Why do I even exist? Was wanting to run from here, to escape, to follow Selino, Sylvia, and Nina, that big of a deal? I just¡­ I just¡­ Want to leave. As the days roll on by, my spirit withers away, bit by bit. A constant reminder of my foolish mistake haunts me with each scar along my body. Oh, how I long for the day when I can be free once more. When I can see all those who were waiting for me. Who knows how many days have passed? The only thing that marks the passage of time is the sound of the wooden door, creaking open, as one of the Horde''s many subordinateses inside andshes out at me, sending their frustrations directly into my body. Every so often, food and water would be ced in front of me as well, directly in front of my face, so that I only need to stretch out my tongue to ingest anything. One day, in the many days I have been here, Nero drags in a new prisoner. A young woman, barely conscious with nothing but a rag to cover her bruised body. Fear can be seen in her still-alive eyes, the opposite of my lifeless shell. I didn''t know who she was but her fiery red hair reminds me of someone. Who was it? I can tell she has suffered greatly. To what extent did the Horde''s henchmen torture her? Was it more than what I had experienced? Was it less? Over the next few days, she would try to talk to me, with what little energy she had left after being beaten and raped. At first, I was surprised she even had the motivation to speak to me after what she has been through, but I didn''t respond. I couldn''t even if I wanted to. They were watching me. My every move. Enjoying the taste of my helplessness. Why would I increase my pain by humoring another captive? But maybe¡­ Just maybe it will be okay to say something. When was thest time I had a proper conversation with someone? I don''t count my cries of pain and my curses at Nero and the other demi-humans'' conversations. Perhaps I should try. Give it a go. It wouldn''t be that hard right? Just speak. Can I even speak? What if she hits me for ignoring her all this time? I don''t want more pain than what I already get. Should I¡­ Try? "W-what''s¡­ Y-your¡­name?" - Luke "Y-y-you can speak? Oh my god, finally! I thought all this time, you were mute, and I was just speaking to myself. M-m-my name is Cil Va. I''m¡­ A ve¡­ What is your name?" - Cil Va "L-luke." - Luke "Luke? It''s good to meet you, Luke. I thought I was going to be here alone, you know? Especially since you never spoke. I just-just thought there was nothing left for me here. Except for death¡­ BUT! I found a way. We can escape!" - Cil Va "Es¡­ cape?" - Luke "Yes. Yes. Escape! Run away! We can do it. I just need your help with it. I can''t do it alone. Don''t worry, Luke! Let me tell you the n first. You remember Nero?" - Cil Va "Ne¡­ Ro¡­ NERO! AAAAAHHHHH!!" - Luke "No, no, no. I''m sorry. I''m sorry! Don''t think of him, don''t worry. Don''t worry. Umm¡­ Well, he gets distracted when hees to¡­ see me. I''ll keep himpany¡­ You. You. Just need to hit him on the back of the head, Luke. Look, look. If you can do that. We can escape. Don''t worry. I know what to do about the chains that are holding us together. I-I know a bit of magic, you see. Just a bit. Watch! Mystic Palm! See? See? Fire cane out of my hands. I''ll free you. Trust me. Trust Cil Va" - Cil Va "Trust¡­ You? O¡­Kay. Trust." - Luke "Okay? Great! Come closer. Yes! Just like that. Mystic Palm! See? Now you are free. Free!" - Cil Va "Free¡­ Trust¡­ Cil Va." - Luke "Yes. That''s right, Luke~ Trust me. I''ll make sure you are always free." - Cil Va Chapter 336 336 - Everbloom Preparation "Alright, the weapon store will go over there, right next to the armor store. Make sure we have at least 3 people around each store, just in case we have some extremely energetic people. WAIT! Did someone ask Gewari to make a map of the area yet? I need that map on this board as SOON as POSSIBLE! Old man Hus! Is the equipment here yet?!" - Ian Crunch time. I only had a couple more hours left in the game before it shut down for the night, but there were still things I could do to polish up the look of our new vige, Everbloom. Noah suggested the name since this vige will be the center point of our territory, as well as the center of our two viges. A ce where it is always in a spring-like season since the forest never changes and with the constant flow of yers, it bes a ce of growth and rebirth. Originally, I was going to name this vige as well, after all, I named HavenFall and kept the name for the Krepost after the building, but I decided against that. Looking over every potential person to look after this vige, I was stuck between Howard and Noah, as they were one of the two people who took care of HavenFall during my absence. While Gobi, was also an option, he had already told me that he preferred to stay in HavenFall and teach the newer goblins and hobgoblins. Thus, the options became Howard and Noah, and after confronting the two, I decided to let Noah take the role of Chief of Everbloom. While Howard became the Chief of the Krepost, and Gobi the Chief of HavenFall. Their authority was directly below mine, giving them the power to change things in their respective viges. With that, I also let Noah choose the name and within a couple of moments he came back and dered this ce Everbloom. Even though Noah is the Chief of Everbloom, at the moment, we were extremely busy preparing for the uing yers, so we both agreed to take on different roles for now. In charge of mapping out the cement of each building and making sure each building has enough ''staff'' to manage the yers, is me. Noah on the other hand is in charge of bringing all the resources to make all the buildings. "IAN! Gewari will be back within the hour, she is mapping out the area in the forest, but I have part of the map she has already made. Look, it shows Everbloom, HavenFall, the Krepost, and a bit of the surrounding area." - Ster "Don''t worry boy! The equipment just got here! Weapons and armor galore. HAHA! I haven''t felt like this in such a long time." - Hus Ster brings me a map made out of animal skin and charcoal, which we pin to a wooden board. This wooden board serves as the ''map'' of the area, and while it was very rudimentary, with only small icons to indicate, mountains, trees, and the three viges. Even with this map, it only shows the bare minimum, so I do wonder what is Gewari doing. With Ster''s help, we move the wooden board to the middle of the vige, right in front of the Altar of Life, but enough distance away so people have enough space to crowd around. Further away, along the edges of the vige, were the ''shops'' which I had Gibing, Ken, and Kaede set up with the help of other goblins and demi-humans. The shops which I had set up were Weapon Shop, Armor Shop, Potion Shop, cksmith, and Cafeteria. Each shop was constructed using y bricks and wooden logs, prepared quickly by the construction crew in HavenFall. Furthermore, to secure the shops and make sure they wouldn''t tumble over or be destroyed by a stampede of yers, we also constructed a makeshift twoyered fence using therge boulders and sharpened branches. Creating a defensive barrier around the shops took priority once they were set up, boulders protected them against any shoving and pushing and the sharp branches were a deterrent for any yer who had thoughts of just rushing into the shops. Each shop had 3 employees, behind a small counter in each shop, with an additional 2 guards in the front to protect them. Of course, all the employees were either, hobgoblins trained by Gobi and Frank, or demi-humans trained by Robin and Gibing, so even if yers want to rob or raid the shops they had to get through some tough opponents. That being said, I did my best to select hobgoblins and demi-humans who give off a friendlier vibe. Mana Stones were the currency we decided to do aftering back into the game, and I was only able to make my decision after talking to Ster and Sr. Even though I knew I had to make Mana Stones the currency, I still wanted to know about the reasons other tribes had used them, and ording to Sr, the elves used them as mediums for spells. Currency didn''t mean much to elves as they were one big family, helping each other out in any way possible, but that didn''t mean they didn''t know the value of the Mana Stones. Used throughout their history, the Mana Stones that were harvested from monsters became a vitalponent in their offense and defense. Mana Stones could store spells, ording to their size and purity, making them excellent materials for staves, wands, and essories. Other races would trade Mana Stones with each other for better material, and it has already amon form of currency. However, themon folk didn''t use the Mana Stones, until now that is since all the yers will be using Mana Stones as a universal currency. Using this knowledge, I had the wolves, and everyone who would be better at hunting goes out and collects Mana Stones for the vige. Sending numerous goblins, demi-humans, and wolves into the surrounding areas, I was able to understand which Mana Stones were in the area and which we needed to search for and collect. Monsters around the same size as goblins but a bit smaller than wolves dropped a small low-quality Mana Stone. These were the mostmon, since numerous monsters were small and agile, but weren''t hard to kill like the jackalope. Once they got to the size of a wolf the Mana Stones changed to medium low-quality Mana Stones. This was the size difference that the patch was exining. However, I wasn''t able to find anything bigger or of higher quality. Regardless, with this, I was able to gauge an appropriate price for our equipment and items. I didn''t know about other viges, but I thought with the difficulty from killing a goblin versus killing a wolf, I also needed a way for yers to exchange their small low-quality Mana Stones for better. Initially, I thought maybe 10 small for 1 medium, but I was shot down by Nina almost immediately since that would end up making small low-quality Mana Stones redundant. Instead, she suggested we have 1 medium low-quality Mana Stone be equal to 50 small low-quality Mana Stones. This way yers who end up just hunting will be able to gather a lot of low-quality Mana Stones and eventually be able to buy better gear, without making them rich too quickly. Afterward, if we discover higher quality Mana Stones it would just be the same as before, with the next increment being 50 of that Mana Stone type. 50 medium low-quality Mana Stones for 1rge low-quality Mana Stone. 50rge low-quality Mana Stone for 1 small rare-quality Mana Stone. 50rge rare-quality Mana Stones for 1 small excellent-quality Mana Stone. Ster had only seen a small excellent-quality Mana Stone once in her life, and using this we had created the currency used in HavenFall, Everbloom, and the Krepost. The Weapon Shop supplied basic weapons of all kinds, bows, arrows, wooden swords, wooden axes, wooden spears, goblin knives, and small wooden shields. These were going to cost 5 small low-quality Mana Stones, which means if someone wanted to swap out their gear, then they needed to hunt at least 5 wild goblins or monsters of simr size. I also added some ''higher-quality'' weapons to the shop, like the Orc Club, Stone Headed Ax, Stone Spear, and Stone shield, for a price ranging from 15 small low-quality Mana Stones and 1 medium low-quality Mana Stone. I did the same with the armor shop, showcasing basic wooden armor, with leather and stone armor costing substantially more. In the Potion Shop, I priced the low-quality potions made by Lucina''s apprentices, at a base price of 25 small low-quality Mana Stones. This way it wasn''t extremely expensiveter, but for those starting off, it would be one of the dream items yers would want to acquire. The cksmith shop was managed by Lime. At this time, old man Hus had allowed her to learn firsthand, by managing not only her own cksmith but also apprentices who will learn under her. Teary eyes, she hugged and thanked old man Hus, promising to not let him down and with that, she took under her wing 2 demi-humans, a human and a goblin who wanted to learn the ways of cksmithing. The price of her service is decided by her, meaning if she wants to she could charge yers an exorbitant amount. However, I doubt she would do that. Finally, the Cafeteria. While it isn''t a sit-down-and-eat cafeteria yet, Lucina had one of her apprentices, Maria, who she vouched was an excellent chefe down and serve boxed lunches. Her idea was to provide at a cheap price, basic food consisting of vegetables, herbs, and protein found in the river, the forest, and grasnd for the yers. Starting at a low price of 5 Mana Stones, she would eventually escte the price ording to the menu selection. I was one of the first few customers, and I ordered a vegetable stew, with jackalope meat on the side, for 10 Mana Stones. Each item was only 5 Mana Stones, but the portion size that came out wasrge enough to feed three maybe even four depending on their appetite. Dumbfound, I asked Reba and Nina to help finish the food, and I almost regretted it with how delicious it was. Knowing the value of the food provided by Maria, I didn''t even question how much it cost, and that was just the start of the Everbloom tour. Chapter 337 337 - Forest Wardens With the shops in ce, there were still a couple of things we need to look out for and one of those is the yers themselves. Therefore, Evan suggested creating a police force. Without some sort of symbol for justice and order, there was a high chance that a lot of different crimes would happen in a short period. Crimes like robbery, or yer killing might bemonce without a proper police force. Out of everyone who I could think of to be the leader of the police force, I somehow envisioned Robin at the head. Telling Evan, Noah, and Nina my thoughts since they were nearby, and they also somewhat agreed with my thoughts of making Robin the Police Commissioner. This was due to the actions Robin has taken after losing Oscar on that fateful day. Ever since then, she has not stopped training herself and others. Self-discipline came first, and she would exercise early in the morning as the sun rises. Noah had seen her a few times, running down the canyon to the cave and back, before shooting a quiver full of arrows at a still target and then at leaves falling from a tree. Every single day she would do that, even when they were busy fighting the hordes of skeletons and monsters. It didn''t stop then but instead inspired her students to do the same thing. Now every day in the morning the rhythmic sound of arrows thudding against a wooden nk would be the waking call for other citizens of HavenFall. This also meant that her social standing in HavenFall was quite high. A popr figure would help out in creating a stronger image for the Police Commissioner. However, we couldn''t decide without asking the one who we were nning to promote. Luckily for us, Robin was part of the crew that helped bring in some materials from HavenFall. Finding her was easier than I had thought as she was helping with the construction of the barriers around the Cafeteria. Walking over with Evan, as Noah and Nina separated from us to focus on other details for Everbloom. "Robin! I got a question for you, are you free right now?" - Ian "Oh! Ian, and Evan, how are you? I just finished setting up the barrier around the Cafeteria. Although, Maria says it ruins the atmosphere, I couldn''t agree more. Are you sure we need this?" - Robin "To be honest, I hope we don''t need this, but it''s better to be safe than sorry." - Ian "That is true. You never know what might attack us¡­" - Robin "Ahem, well. Robin, we have a question. No, more of a proposal." - Evan "What is it? I''ll do anything that you both need if I can help." - Robin "We were discussing having a group of people whose role is to protect and uphold justice and order. After a bit of thinking, we thought you would be an excellent candidate for this, and looking at how people in HavenFall view you, we feel like you are the only person we could be in this role." - Ian "Sure! If you say so, Ian. What do I have to do? Is there anything specific?" - Robin "Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought. You don''t even want to think about it, Robin? Are you sure you just want to do it?" - Evan "Hahaha. Please don''t insult me. If both of you are sure I''m fit for the job then I will do it. Plus, I''m sure it wasn''t just you two. Noah, Nina, maybe even Gobi and Howard, might have been part of this discussion and if you are stilling to me then, it must mean I''m one of the few people who can do this." - Robin "Excellent mindset Robin. Now I''m more reassured that you will do a superb job. The role is called Police Commissioner, the head of the Police Force, that will take care of HavenFall, Everbloom, and the Krepost''s safety. There will be a sudden influx of peopleing soon, and we don''t want them to mess with the current happy life that we have, whether it is the goblins, the demi-humans, or the humans. We all live here happily together. I don''t want to ruin that. So, I need you to construct a team, make itrge enough to manage all three viges, and work with Ster and Gewari. Their team, Shadow, will be working behind the scenes with you. Don''t overthink the number, and keep increasing the team bit by bit. Situations will arise when you will need to have arger number than the ones who are causing trouble." - Ian "So, you want me to make a team of people, goblins, hobgoblins, demi-humans, and humans alike to manage our safety?" - Robin "Precisely. Make a team, that will act immediately when a conflict happens. The team needs to be strong enough to handle most situations, and with you at the front, we will get support from the public. Everyone~ Loves a hero!" - Evan "It isn''t just when something happens. Your presence and your team''s presence will act as a deterrent for those who want tomit crimes. Furthermore, it will act as a shield to those who wish for peace and want to just get along with everyone. The nicer and friendlier everyone appears the more likely there will be fewer crimes, right? At least, that''s what I hope. I doubt that is what it is going to end up being, however, we can''t be too safe." - Ian "Alright. Don''t worry Ian. I''ll get a team ready, Since I''m called the Police Commissioner, does that mean the team is called the Police?" - Robin "We can use that title, unless you had a different idea?" - Ian "I''ve never heard of the world Police before until today, but I had heard of the term guard being used as terminology to describe a group of people protecting something. I''ll be protecting HavenFall, Everbloom, and the Krepost, but that is just the start, isn''t it? From the time we met, Ian, you have done nothing else but expand our home and brought more people under your wing. I know this is still just the beginning of whatever you have nned, but eventually, just me protecting and being the leader of something will be toorge of a responsibility. So, how about I make it easier for you? I''ll be protecting HavenFall, Everbloom, the Krepost, as well as the surrounding forest, canyon, and grasnd areas. It won''t just be where we live but the surrounding space. The main area of protection is the forest, so how about the Forest Wardens? I''ll be Chief Warden of the Forest Wardens. I''ll find a deputy and the rest will be called watchers. I know you had a name already sorted out for me, but I don''t really understand what Police means or stands for, instead, I''ll make a name for myself. Spread it from person to person and let it be known that from today onwards, protecting our peace and livelihood will be the Forest Wardens." - Robin "She got us there, Ian. We never really asked about naming the force but hey, Forest Wardens has a nice ring to it." - Evan "Hahaha. You''re right. Robin, let''s call it the Forest Wardens. Make sure there is a good amount of people underneath your banner, and make sure they can distinguish themselves from each other. Have Lime make you something simple for now, that represents the Forest Wardens and the Watcher." - Ian "On it. Talk to you soon then." - Robin Patting my shoulder, Robin swiftly heads toward Lime''s cksmithing shop, with a smile on her face. Maybe it was because she has always worn a serious expression on her face, but seeing her smile was like feeling something warm wrapping around me. Turning to Evan, I see that he was smirking mischievously at me. "ANDDDDD that''s a police force done. Hopefully, Robin will be able to control the insane amount of yers that may being through the Altar of Life. You know, what if there are not a lot of yers that choose our ce as their starting location? Like hypothetically, what if there is only a small selection of yers that decide on this ce? Wouldn''t that mean everything we have done will be a waste? Like¡­ I understand it will still be helpful for the ones that doe here, but what if we over-prepared things? There are a lot of resources put into this ce and a lot of manpower that was moved from both HavenFall and the Krepost to quickly build what we have here. I don''t want everyone''s efforts to go to waste." - Evan "Wow¡­ Look at you being so sentimental, but I understand your concerns and I already thought about it as well. So what if there aren''t a lot of yers that decide to join us. Did that ever stop us from doing what we wanted? No. It didn''t. So what if it feels like a waste of resources and manpower to start something new here? To be honest, Nina was right. We do need a buffer point between HavenFall and the Krepost. Things to be able to be transported from one end to the other quickly and having this as a middle point will hasten that process. If there are just a few yers that do join, then we focus our resources on them. Make them understand us and slowly gain their loyalty. Let them showcase their skills, whether it is in fighting or constructing. With fewer yers, there will be lesspetition. Isn''t that a plus in its own right?" - Ian "Hmm¡­ I get it. Maybe I''m just worrying too much." - Evan "Maybe. Come on, we still need to sort out some other things before we run out of time." - Ian Chapter 338 338 - Technology And Religion ? "Some other things?" - Evan "Yep, previously everyone just gave each other what was needed. If Lucina required some wood or y, then someone would help her obtain them. Likewise, if someone was injured, then Lucina would rush to help them, even giving them a potion if needed. Instead of bartering and having a cost on the services or products, everyone was happy to help each other. This will need to change as yerse into the picture. We have already set up a price here in Everbloom, and I already had a pair of goblin scouts rush to both HavenFall and the Krepost to share the news of creating a price tag on everything. Whether it is weapons, armor, or cksmithing, there needs to be a price for everything. Once that happens, a basic market will be created. I''ve seen online that the tech tree will open up once a market is created. However, a market is just the start. It is what happens after a market is created." - Ian "And that is?" - Evan "Businesses and banking. There will be yers and NPCs alike who may understand the value of businesses and with it, will be a time of innovation. Some yers will be implementing ideas that have already been proven ad tested in real life to improve general living, while others will try to innovate using the resources avable. However, NPCs will also be doing that as well, because they are the ones who understand this world the best." - Ian "I see¡­ And that will end up requiring a bank of some sort to store the Mana Stones and to protect those who are unable to keep their Mana Stones at home. Like the soldiers or the scouts who end up going to battle. They will need a reliable ce to store their Mana Stones before going out to battle." - Evan [ Currency Technology Completed ] [ Technologies to be Completed Philosophy Drama and Poetry Guilds Iron working Technologies already Completed Currency Sailing . . .] "And there we go. Currency Technologypleted, just as we were talking about it. I guess, it needed a few more transactions of some sort since I''ve used Mana Stones to get food. Either way, the next step on the agenda is the Religion." - Ian "Alright, alright. You know what I''m going to head out and do some other things. It seems like the rest of what you have to do is more of ''city'' management. Not for me. See ya, Ian." - Evan "Huh? What?" - Ian Before I could even react, Evan already sprinted away to help someone else. Whether it was because of his reasoning or not, I didn''t mind, after all, he was right. Religion is something I need to decide by myself, and while I could have asked for his advice, ultimately I have to decide. Name: Ian Race: Arachne Faith: 10,000/10,000 ( Reach 10,000 to pick a Religion ) Happiness: 75 ( Happy ) 1575/5000( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 450 / 950 ( Reach 900 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 170/170 Mana Points (MP): 48/48 Strength: 85 Vitality: 85 Intelligence: 95 Dexterity: 70 Agility: 95 Luck: 56 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Bone Totem, Extreme Speed, Steel String, Eye of the Roc (P), Predator Instinct (P), Limb Regrowth (P), Buffalo Horns (P), Miasma Protection (P), Royalty Presence (P), yful Webbing (P), Advanced Control (P), Dark Vision (P), Pioneers of Settlement (P) Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring, Vomva Bronze Trident, Sk Mail, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Code of Hammurabi, Night Gloves, Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem Upon opening the status screen, I''m prompted with the notification which I ignore previously since I was busy. The Faith has been filled when I left the game before the patch, and now it is time to finish it. [Would you like to select a Religion? Yes/No] "Yes." - Ian The moment I select yes, a small list could be seen in front of me showing a selection of gods and goddesses, as well as a religion title next to them. [Goddess of Luck, Fortuna. Roman. Sun God, Ra. Egyptian. God of War, Ares. Greek. God of Hunting, Woden. Anglo-Saxon. God of the Forests, Tapio. Finnish. Goddess of Rivers, Mambo. Zulu. Goddess of Fertility, Mokosh. vic. Goddess of Settlement, Ariel.] Looking at the selection, it seems I am unable to see the perks of each god or goddess, unfortunately, that makes the decision harder since I don''t know what would happen after choosing the religion. Between the 8 choices, I only knew of Fortuna, Ares, and Ariel through settlement, whereas Ra, I knew from history videos online. However, Woden, Tapio, Mambo, and Mokosh, I had no idea. Why did the system give me these options in the first ce? I understand, Fortuna and Ariel since I have a statue of both of them in HavenFall. Ares is most likely due to Sylvia and Nina''s presence. Ra, Woden, Tapio, and Mambo, are they options due to where I am located? Maybe Mambo is due to the influence of the Zulu, and in that case, Mokosh is probably influenced by the Krepost. Then who should I pick? A god that has already been with me? Fortuna was my choice for the Pantheon but¡­ Perhaps selecting someone else will be more beneficial. Although¡­ Ariel being a choice tempts me. Why is she there? And what could she possibly give to me? Her statue was the first object that produced Faith and from it, I''ve gained enough to pick a Pantheon and a Religion. "I''ve decided. I''ll pick the Goddess of Settlement, Ariel." - Ian [You have picked the Goddess of Settlement, Ariel. As the first yer to follow her religion, she has given you the opportunity to name the religion.] "A name? How do you even name a religion?! Uh¡­ Hm¡­ Well, since we are now going to be followers of Ariel then¡­ How about, Children of Ariel?" - Ian [Ariel smiles upon the name of her newly founded religion. A great prophet will appear shortly to help the spread of the new religion. HavenFall has been designated as the holy capital of the Children of Ariel. Everbloom and Krepost, have been influenced by the Goddess, Ariel, and have been blessed. Residents of all 3 vigers will be more inclined to believe in the Children of Ariel until they are fully converted. ] [A symbol for the new religion, Children of Ariel, is now needed.] A list of different symbols and icons appears before me, showcasing familiar symbols of religion like the cross or yin and yang. However, there was one symbol that I felt matched the most with Ariel. It was a simple pair of angel wings with a halo above. Looking at it closer, it reminds me of Ariel, since the statue at HavenFall has her wings wrapped around her and a halo floating above her head. [Wings and Halo symbol has been chosen for Children of Ariel. This symbol cannot be chosen by another religion and will symbolize themitment to the Goddess Ariel.] [Please select the Founder Belief for Children of Ariel, Ceremonial Burial - +1 happiness for every vige/city that follows this religion Church Property - +10% Mana Stone gained with the surrounding areas of viges/cities that follow this religion. Initiation Rites - +100% Mana Stone gained within 24 hours of viges/cities that recently follow this religion . . . Pilgrimage - +10% Faith gained per day for every Foreign vige/city that follows this religion World Church - +1 Culture for every 100 followers of this religion in Foreign viges/cities] There were a lot of choices for the Founder Belief, and after looking through them carefully, I decided to get Church Property. While options such as Pilgrimage or World Church might be better if there were more yer viges around HavenFall, I decided to look at the immediate gains. New yers will be joining us soon and having them obtain more Mana Stones nearby will help them increase their strength much faster. While I wasn''t sure what it meant by 10% Mana Stone gained, since every monster we have killed so far dropped Mana Stones, I''m sure there will be some sort of change. Perhaps there is just an increased chance of obtaining Mana Stones right now since today is the day before the new yers start. However, I believe it is the right choice for the immediate benefits. "I will choose Church Property, for the Founder Belief." - Ian [Please select the Follower Belief for Children of Ariel, Asceticism - Shrines will provide +1 Happiness every 50 prayers made by different individuals. Cathedrals - Use Faith to create a Cathedral within the vige/city (Cathedrals require 25% Max Faith, +1 Happiness, +7 Culture, +2 Faith) Choral Music - Temples will provide +1 Culture for every 100 prayers made by different individuals. . . . Mosque - Use Faith to create a Mosque within the vige/city (Mosques require 25% Max Faith, +1 Happiness, +2 Culture, +7 Faith) Pagoda - Use Faith to create a Pagoda within the vige/city (Pagodas require 25% Max Faith, +4 Happiness, +3 Culture, +3 Faith) Religious Community - Labor workers have 1% increased productivity so long as they follow this religion. Swords into Plowshares - Vige/City growth will increase by 1% so long as the vige/city is not at war] The Follower Belief showcases an even longer list than the Founder Belief, as well as,plicated exnations. Racking my brain to see what would be the best choice, I started to lean toward Religious Community and Swords into Plowshares. While obtaining a new building would have been a great addition to all the viges, it needed 25% of max Faith, and with no idea how much Faith is the next limit I didn''t feelfortable choosing them. That left the two beliefs that were more passive. While the gain is a mere 1% making it seem next to nothing, wouldn''t it slowly increase the growth of our viges significantly over time? Workerspleting tasks will slowly increase, and if there are more workers then, the overall production isn''t an increase of 1% but maybe more depending on the number of Labors. Likewise, growing the vige isn''t stagnated at an increase of 1%, but is dependent on the actions of every individual. Does that mean picking Religious Community actually means that whenever an individual works on a task that is more inclined to construction, cksmith, plowing, etc, be increased by 1%? Then with 100 individuals doing something it is an increase of 100%? In other words, vige growth means expanding the vige. When expanding the border or territory, it would increase by 1% more than a foreign vige. My brain starts to fume up as these ideas collide with each other. I didn''t even know what I was talking about at one point, but I take a deep breath and truly started to think about the options. Religious Community is about the residents of my vige. Swords into Plowshares is about the territory. Which is more important right now? The residents. "I will choose Religious Community as the Follower Belief." - Ian [The religion, Children of Ariel, has now been founded. Followers of the Children of Ariel will believe in the Goddess of Settlement, Ariel. With the symbol, Wings, and Halo, representing the Children of Ariel, HavenFall will now be pronounced the Holy City of the Children of Ariel. As the founder of the Children of Ariel, you will receive a title as well as a special skill.] [Title: Founder of Children of Ariel] [Religious Faith (Passive) - Followers of the Children of Ariel will gain a 10% increase in stats so long as the Founder of the Children of Ariel is within 100 meters.] Name: Ian Title: Founder of Children of Ariel Race: Arachne Faith: 0/50,000 ( Reach 10,000 to Enhance the Religion ) Happiness: 75 ( Happy ) 1575/5000( Reach 5000 for a Golden Age ) Culture: 450 / 950 ( Reach 900 to choose the first Social Policy in Tradition ) Health Points (HP): 170/170 Mana Points (MP): 48/48 Strength: 85 Vitality: 85 Intelligence: 95 Dexterity: 70 Agility: 95 Luck: 56 Skill: Enhanced Agility, Quickstep, Cleave, Charge, Stealth, Emerald Gaze, Earth Spike, Bone Totem, Extreme Speed, Steel String, Eye of the Roc (P), Predator Instinct (P), Limb Regrowth (P), Buffalo Horns (P), Miasma Protection (P), Royalty Presence (P), yful Webbing (P), Advanced Control (P), Dark Vision (P), Pioneers of Settlement (P), Religious Faith (P) Equipment: Lucky Goblin Totem Ne, Araneae Ring, Vomva Bronze Trident, Sk Mail, Copper Chest te, Copper Arm Guard, Copper Leg Guard, Code of Hammurabi, Night Gloves, Hoplite Bodyguard Emblem And with that, I am now the founder of a religion, just before the game closes the night. A new story will await us. Tomorrow will be a new beginning for many yers. Chapter 339 339 - Starting The Game (Alice Perspective) ? "My name is Ariel, I will be your guide as you experience this new world. You may change your appearance slightly, up to 15%" - Ariel Interesting¡­ How life-like and holy this NPC is. I never would have guessed that I am in a game. She is more beautiful than celebrities in the real world, especially with her smooth baby face and her glittering blue eyes. The silvery white hair floats gently around her shoulders as her wings and halo glows softly. "I''m fine the way I am, thank you." - Alice "I see. What should I call you human female?" - Ariel Smiling softly, her eyes narrow as she simply parts her hands, cing them along her side. "Hmm¡­ My name shall be Phoenix, but you can still call me Alice." - Alice "Then Alice, starting from here is where you will select your destination. You have 6 options, HavenFall, Bone City, Aqua Corp, Pa Kaua, Lotus Flower, and Random. Would you like me to give you a small description?" - Ariel "Yes, please. I''m curious about what the descriptions will be." - Alice With a wave of her hands, a small screen is disyed in front of me. Like a mini television, it starts to show me a small video of each location. "Of course. Let me start off with HavenFall. HavenFall is a territory set up by Ian and is currently housing 3 viges. You will be transported to Everbloom, which is situated in the middle of the other two viges. Everbloom is surrounded by forest, and within the forest are several weak monsters such as goblins and jackalopes, but is also home to wolves. HavenFall is also isted from other territories, making it a wonderful location to develop skills away from prying eyes. Bone City is a territory set up by Devel and is currently housing 5 viges. You will be transported to Bone City, which is currently surrounded closely by the other 4 viges. All are within a day''s journey, giving you ample time to move across different viges if needed. Bone City is surrounded by open ins, and is home to arge variety of monsters both weak and strong, making it an amazing location to start a warrior''s journey. Aqua Corp is a territory set up by Helioc and is currently housing 4 viges. You will be transported to Aqua Marine, which is a vige set up adjacent to Aqua Corp, it only takes an hour to travel to and fro. With both viges being near the ocean, it gives you a chance to experience this world''s seas and the Aquatic Creatures. Pa Kua is a territory set up by SAMurai and is currently housing 2 viges. You will be transported to Pa Kua which is situated only half a day''s journey from the other vige. Pa Kua is surrounded by ins but is home to the powerful Bison demi-human tribe. Monsters nearby are quick and nocturnal, but alsorge enough to ride, making this location a dream for those who want to ride monsters. Lotus Flower is a territory set up by SanShiGo and is currently housing 10 viges. You will be transported to Lotus Flower, which is a vige surrounded by 9 other viges, each within a day or two''s journey. Lotus Flower houses a strong religious power, spreading their religion far and wide despite theirck of resources. It is a great location to learn more about religion, and you might feel enlightened as well. Thest location is Random. I will send you to a random location within the continent. It could be within someone else''s territory, or it could within a dangerous territory. That is all the information I am able to part with you. Now then, Alice, Phoenix, where will the start of your journey take you?" - Ariel Quite a bit of information was divulged by Ariel, and even though Evan, Ian, and my boss, Sam, have told me details of each location, I was still surprised at what was told to me. None of them had information about how many viges other people had, and who would have known that Lotus Flower, had 10 viges? However, despite all this new information, I had already decided prior to starting the game which starting location I was going to select. "I''ll go to HavenFall." -Alice "Then Alice, Phoenix, starting from here is where you will create Civilization. I wish you luck." - Ariel Ariel presses her hands together, and a golden light shines out of her body. She mutters some words but I was only able to capture a little of what she said. "Thank Ian for me." - Ariel The moment the sh of light fades away, I''m greeted with the sound of constant chattering and shouting. Numerous people of different sizes can be seen, talking to each other in excitement as they point and jump. Looking around, I see a luscious forest surrounding everything, with a couple of wooden stores in ce. Hastily built signs were also set up to indicate the purpose of the store. "EVERYONE! QUIET!" A booming voice quickly silences everyone in the area, and my attention snaps to the voice. Standing on top of a signboard that shows a map of what seems to be the area, is a man dressed in light leather armor. His cheeky smile reminds me of someone but I can''t put my finger on it¡­ "ALRIGHT! Now that I have everyone''s attention. Let me introduce myself. My name is Elves_Or_Nothing, I am a yer just like you. Ian, our lord, is currently not in Everbloom but he has asked me to represent him as the yer representative. For the NPC representative, we have NOAH! Come up Noah, show them your face." - Evan Lifting up a simrly dressed man, Evan and Noah stand next to each other, towering over all the new yers. "Hello everyone, my name is Noah. I want to thank our Goddess Ariel for the opportunity she has given us, blessing HavenFall with new followers. You may feel distraught being in a new location but fear not, we have already prepared for your arrival." - Noah Pointing to a stand on the far side of the clearing, Noah draws our attention to the cksmith shop, where a girl covered in dirt and soot, rests a hammer on her shoulder. A look of annoyance can be seen as it looks like Noah had interrupted her. "Over there we have the cksmith Shop, managed but Lime, Everbloom''s Master cksmith. Please form an orderly line to receive a simple cloth bag containing some essentials for your journey. After that, on the other side of Everbloom is a ''Quest Board''. Residents of Everbloom have ced a quest there. Each quest is different and may require you to venture outside of Everbloom. Do not worry, what we are standing on right now is a simple map of the area. It points out HavenFall, our capital, and Krepost, the second vige. There will be a simr ''Quest Board'' in each location and quests may be interconnected. When epting a quest, please take it from the ''Quest Board'' and keep it safe. The reward for the quest will not be given if you do not have the physical quest with you. As for everything else in Everbloom, you will need to pay with Mana Stones. Mana Stones can be acquired by simply killing monsters outside of the viges. HOWEVER! Be warned. Violence within the viges will not be tolerated. Robin, Chief Warden of the Forest Warden, and her Watchers will punish any evildoers. Any demi-human or monster race that has allied themselves with HavenFall will have a green bandana on their body. Please watch out for them before attacking, otherwise, they will show no mercy and most likely kill you." - Noah "ALRIGHT! Thank you, Noah, for the valuable information you have shared with us. Alright, everybody, hurry! Form a line, we had no idea how many yers will be joining us, so I don''t know if there is a limit on the ''Starter Pack''. It will definitely help you and get you started, otherwise, maybe you have to fight a goblin or two with your bare hands." - Evan Jumping off the board, Evan and Noah, quickly escape behind the Forest Wardens. Peering my head over the other yers, I see that some of the ones in the front seem to want more information, however, were pushed back by therge cat demi-humans at the front. Silently, I make my way to the cksmith, to see only a couple of people had already lined up to get their ''Starter Pack''. It seems the rest were still interested in what was happening at the front. "Sigh¡­ That Noah interrupted my train of thoughts earlier. Ah, here you go miss! Take care. No, I can''t give you more. If you want more I will need Mana Stones." - Lime I wonder how can people already be demanding more after getting what they were promised. Even trying to pester this young girl¡­ Pathetic. I move up in the line and finally, it was my turn. "Hello, Lime. I''m here to receive the ''Starter Pack''." - Alice "Oh? Someone with manners. It seems all of Ariel''s followers aren''t just rude men and women. Here you go, and let me tell you a small piece of advice." - Lime Leaning in closer to my ear, Lime whispers her advice to me. "You should be quick with gathering Mana Stones, especially if you want to get ahead early. The quests give you some Mana Stones but hunting for yourself is quicker and easier." - Lime "I see¡­ Thank you for your advice, Lime." - Alice "Don''t worry about it. Gotta help a sister out, right? Take care. Don''t die on me." - Lime Smiling as bright as the sun, Lime hands me the ''Starter Pack'' and I quickly walk away. Making my way off to the side, I open the small cloth bag. Chapter 340 340 - Starter Pack And Quests (Alice Perspective) ? A small knife, a cloth shirt, a few fruits, a waterskin, and gloves. This is a ''Starter Pack''? Isn''t this too rudimentary? A scam even? Maybe Ian didn''t have enough resources to give out so he had no choice but to lower the quality, but this might start an outrage on its own. Oh well, what can you do? This is what I got. [Lime''s Goblin Knife Attack: 3 A simple knife made to replicate those wielded by goblins. It is mass-produced by hand, however, is sharper than those used by goblins. Through the cksmith''s hard work, she was able to perfect the simple knife, capable of cutting through the flesh of the wielder''s enemy. Simple it may be, you don''t want to be on the other side of this knife. Made by Lime] [Cloth Shirt Defense: 2 Cold-Resistance +0.5% A simple woven shirt made out of thin fibers. It is hand-woven, with the love and passion of the seamstress overflowing during the creation. It does not provide a lot of defense but is warm, and will surely help against the cold. Made by Rei] [Woven Gloves Defense: 1 A simple woven pair of gloves made out of thin fibers. It is hand-woven, with the love and passion of the seamstress overflowing during the creation. It does not provide a lot of defense but will protect our hands to the best of their abilities. Made by Rei] I knew when the previous batch of yers started, they didn''t have a lot going for them but could it be they had it worse? Attack 3. Defense 2 and 1. Pathetic as it is, it is still something, so I quickly put on the cloth shirt and gloves. Tying the cloth bag around my thigh, I grip the knife tightly. Just think it is a kitchen knife. Same thing right? Uh¡­ Where to first? Lime did say the quests are a bit of a bait, but I still want to check them out. Making up my mind, I start to head over to the ''Quest Board''. However, it was only now that I really felt the overcrowdedness of this ce. yers were constantly appearing at that building where I came from, with Evan and Noah now nearby exining probably the same thing over and over again, but this time with a couple of Wardens beside them. yers were frantic, moving back and forth, some rushing to the cksmith to join the line, others just talking casually with one another. It''s simr to a business district in any major city, where you have people rushing to work, people hanging with their friends and some just minding their own business. Everbloom feels and looks just like real-life, with the only difference being the atmosphere and environment. "Extraordinary, isn''t it?" Looking beside me, I see a young man with dark blue hair. Simr in height with a cheerful grin, he nces at me before cing his hand forward. "I''m sorry, I couldn''t help but notice you standing there admiring the world before us. My name is Pluto, or at least that''s the name I chose while ying this game. A pleasure to meet you miss?" - Pluto "Phoneix. Nice to meet you too, Pluto. And yes, it is quite extraordinary. Compared to real life there is a sense of tranquility, even in this chaotic mess of yers." - Alice "Right?! I always found that when people start a new game, there is always just a chaotic mess at the starting vige. People running everywhere, trying to rush ahead of the person standing next to them but the part that interests me the most is those who stand and watch. Much like yourself, Phoenix. Dare I ask, what seems to be your n? And is there a way for me to join you?" - Pluto "n? I don''t have one just yet. Maybe looking at the ''Quest Board'' will help me. As for your second question. I don''t mind somepany for now." - Alice "Excellent. Follow me, I''ll guide you through the sea of yers." - Pluto An interesting guy seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Speaking both formally, and informally at times, he gives off the air of a rich kid that had just found something new to y with. Then again, this game is new and there are infinite ways to y it. Following Pluto, we manage to squeeze our way to the ''Quest Board''. There were a total of 10 different potential quests that can be acquired, each with severalrge stacks of¡­ Is this¡­? Paper? Reaching out, I touch a yellowish coarse material. It is paper, but not like the paper used in the real world¡­ But it is paper. "Unbelievable¡­ Paper? In this time period? In a fantasy world?! Even though it is brittle and can be easily torn apart, this is still paper! Can it fold¡­? YES! It can! Amazing. And here I thought it was going to be sticks, stones, swords, and magic. An amazing invention. Is this how people felt when they first discovered paper?" - Pluto "Enough of that. Let''s see which quest we should pick up." - Phoenix "Right! Right! Sorry about that. Got carrrrrried away." - Pluto Shaking my head slightly, I look again at the ''Quest Board''. On it is the same type of paper that was neatly stacked and contained in tall wooden boxes. Each quest had a name, description, and reward written in charcoal. While it seems paper has been produced, ink was still on the chopping block. [Goblin Knives - It seems like cksmith Lime needs more materials to work with. Give Master cksmith Lime 5 goblin knives, to aid in her crafting. Reward: 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Goblin Hunting - There is trouble with goblins around Everbloom. Stressed and worried about the situation, Noah wishes that these pesky goblins would just disappear. Give Noah 10 goblin ears, to show that you have helped in the extermination of wild goblins. Reward: 15 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Forager - Even though our Chef has a lot of food, she is always in constant need of more, especially with the growing poption. Give Chef Maria 10 pieces of food, to support her restaurant as well as her passion for making food. (Fruits/Vegetables/Herbs/Meats are epted). Reward: 5 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones] [Medicinal Help - Potion making is hard and there never are enough herbs to use to make them. Help Apprentice Mae with acquiring 30 Cooling Purne. Reward 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [More Medicinal Help - Potion making is hard and there never are enough herbs to use to make them. NEEDING even more help, Apprentice Mae requires you to obtain 30 Paveso. Reward 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Woodcutting - The vige of Everbloom is still in its early stages. More room is needed with the increasing poption. Head of the current construction team, Gibing is in need of wood. Provide help by cutting out 25 logs of wood for Gibing. Reward: 5 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones] [Pesky Monsters - Jackalopes are constantly being an annoyance to Chief Warden Robin, always chewing on the wooden structures. Assist in the extermination of Jackalopes by providing Robin with proof of your help. Give Chief Warden Robin 10 Jackalope Horns. Reward: 15 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Enemy Pack - In the depths of the forest surrounding Everbloom, there seem to be packs of wolves threatening the residents of HavenFall. Protect them by defeating the wolves. Contribute to the protection of HavenFall by presenting Noah with 5 wolf fangs. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Transporting Goods To HavenFall - While Everbloom needs resources, so does HavenFall, our capital. Help Ken by taking 15 pieces of already chopped wood to HavenFall and delivering it to Oscar. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.] [Transporting Goods To Krepost - Likewise, Krepost also requires resources. Aid Kaede by taking 10 y Bricks to Yor. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones. ] "Well, Phoenix¡­ What do you want to do?" - Pluto "We can do almost all of them, except for Woodcutting and the transporting quests. Might as well take all the other quests and see what we can do." - Alice "Alright! Let me get one for each of us¡­ Okay! Where do we start?" - Pluto "Umm¡­ I remember when we passed by the map there are two technical pathways we can take. We can take the predetermined path to HavenFall and Krepost, or we can venture the other direction into the forest. I''m sure people are going to slowly follow the path so the best bet toplete the quests while also finding more monsters is to go into the area away from the paths." - Alice "I see. Less yer traffic, more monster traffic. Let''s go, Phoenix, I''ll lead the way once more." - Pluto "Do you even know where you are going?" - Alice "Of course not, but a little adventure can''t hurt!" - Pluto Letting out a small sigh, I look at Pluto''s optimistic face and couldn''t help but wonder¡­ I''m ying with a child that changed his height, aren''t I? Shrugging my shoulders, I reluctantly nod my head, giving Pluto the sign to lead the way. With his bag in his left hand and his knife in the right, he leads the way into the forest. Our first adventure in Settlement. Chapter 341 341 - Foraging (Alice Perspective) ? "PHOENIX!!!!!! Do we just suck or something?! I CAN''T BELIEVE IT TAKES SO LONG TO KILL A GODDAMN RABBIT! LIKE WHAT THE HELL???!!! IT JUMPS WAY TOO MUCH!" - Pluto "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ They are quick fast for rabbits and hurt quite a bit too." - Alice Pluto and I have been wandering the forest for the past few hours, finding monsters, herbs, and food. Going into this forest, I thought it was simr to the real-life ones. Having been part of Sam''s culinary team, I had ventured into different rainforests and jungles in search of ingredients that would change the cuisine we served, however, this forest was different. At times, it would be silent. In others, I would hear the soft rustling of leaves and branches. It would be bright in a spot as if a streemp was overlooking it, but dark nearby like the abyss. Monsters would appear unexpectedly, jumping from bush to bush. Sometimes, they would take interest in us, but other times they would rush away faster than we could react. On the off chance we find a goblin, there is a chance we will get caught in a trap devised by them. Small pitfalls, trip traps, and the asional spikes were moremon than I thought, to the point where I started to think that the goblins were more like human hunters. Every yer was just another type of prey to them. Fortunately, we were a team of two. If we were alone, who knows what would have happened? Dying might have been the best option if that was the case, but with the two of us, we were able to cover our weaknesses. With my previous understanding of tracking, I was able to search for monsters as well as other signs of life, throughout all the wandering we have done in the forest. Pluto, despite his appearance, was a more exceptional hunter than I thought he would be. Perhaps he did a sport in real-life or was trained in a martial art, otherwise, why else is he so skilled with a knife? On a one-on-one with a goblin, he was able to swiftly disarm them and kill them, eliminating the threat as quickly as possible. However¡­ He was quite clumsy. Many times right before they would fight he would trip over a rock, or maybe it was his own foot, I couldn''t tell at that point, leaving enough of an opening for the goblin to escape. Even after apologizing and promising he wouldn''t do it again, it happens again. I can''t me him too much though, because he has been the only person to kill monsters between the two of us. We managed to kill 5 goblins and 1 jackalope, during thest few hours. Now, to me, this felt kind of low. Especially since the loot drops we acquired from them were 4 goblin ears, 1 jackalope horn, 1 goblin knife, and 4 small low-quality Mana Stones. I haven''t been able to kill even one of those monsters. The best I could do was engage inbat with a goblin for a bit before the danger rms fired off in my head. Luckily for me, Pluto was still nearby, so he could help, however, I need to slowly change myself or else I''m going to be useless in battle. "Are you alright? It seems the rabbit gave you a couple of scratches near your calves." - Pluto "I''m fine. I can still walk, and looking at my HP, I only lost 5 out of 10 HP. Half of my health is gone from that one monster." - Alice "Well, you are looking better than me. I''m on 1HP." - Pluto "1hp¡­ 1HP?! Wait¡­ WHAT?!" - Alice "Yea, I''ve been on 1 HP since thest goblin. I still felt okay though, so I didn''t say anything." - Pluto "You do know once you lose all your HP, you get forcefully logged out because you died right?" - Alice "WHAT?! I DO?! I CAN''T LET THAT HAPPEN! Phoenix! It''s time to head back to Everbloom. I can not afford to die here!" - Pluto "Sigh¡­ I think we should head back as well. The sky is turning slightly orange which means the night will befall us soon. Most ces be more active at night and by going off that logic, goblins, and wolves are most likely going to be more active the moment the sun drops below the horizon." - Alice "Alright! Lead the way! I have ABSOLUTELY no idea where we are." - Pluto "Don''t worry. I know roughly where we are, especially since I didn''t veer too far away from the river." - Alice "The river?" - Pluto "Yea, the river is a good indicator of our location. The map in Everbloom shows that a river runs between it and HavenFall. If we keep the river on our right and follow it, then we either see Everbloom or the path that connects Everbloom and HavenFall." - Alice "Ohhhh, I see. I didn''t even notice that." - Pluto "I know. Just follow me, I''ll get us back safely." - Alice "HAHAHA! Of course, you will." - Pluto With Pluto following me closely behind, we made our way back to Everbloom. ording to my calctions, we did eventually see signs of life as the chattering of yers echoes in the quiet forest. Following that noise we eventually reach Everbloom, however, it wasn''t the happy scene that I thought it was going to be. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO SLEEP OUTSIDE?" "WHY AREN''T THERE ANY HOUSES OR AN INN WE CAN SLEEP IN?" "I can''t sleep on the ground! It''s too cold!" "I''M SO DIRTY!!! WHERE IS THE SHOWER?! Or a bath¡­ I don''t mind a bath too." "PEOPLE! PEOPLE! Please be quiet. I understand your concerns, however, Everbloom is more of a trading hub. A ce for yers to receive equipment and items, not a rest spot. There are several bedding options in HavenFall and Krepost, however, they do cost Mana Stones. Otherwise, the option to sleep on the ground is still there. Make a simple shelter with what nature has given you. It has been done before, it can be done again." - Evan "SHUT UP! YOU ARE ONLY SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU CAN SLEEP IN A BED!" "YEA! WHAT HE SAID!" "YOU SNAKE!" "It seems people are displeased with the fact that they have to sleep on the ground." - Alice "Woah¡­ Some people are privileged. Some of us find a soft bed a luxury¡­" - Pluto "Pluto¡­ Were you brought up in less fortunate circumstances?" - Alice "Hmm¡­ You can say it is something like that, haha¡­" - Pluto "QUIETTTTTTTTTTTTT!" - Robin Roaring above all the yers, standing on top of the map in the center of Everbloom, Robin silences the crowd the best she could. Some whispering persisted but she refused to let them carry on. Drawing her bowstring and pulling it taut, her arrows whistle through the air, mming into a tree nearby the whispering. "How shameless all of you are. Is this what the followers of Ariel havee to? Begging for a bed? Screaming at a singr person? Unbelievable. Some of us didn''t even know what a bed was until recently. The best we ever got was the moss or the branches we found ourselves, piling them together in a neat bundle. The warmth could only be found in each other''s bodies. WHAT do you think would happen once it got colder than normal? A fire? No. Fires attract monsters. SO what did we do? Shiver. Tremble. Warm each other up the best we can. Otherwise, we would die. No¡­ Some of us did. AND HERE WE HAVE EVERYONE HERE! How many people are here? Tens? Maybe hundreds? Throughout the day, I saw some people venture off to HavenFall or even to the Krepost. I''m sure those people have found a bed and if they didn''t, they are huddled in a corner. Why is that? Because they still need sleep. Sleep regardless of the conditions. Everyone here is lucky. You have us, the Forest Wardens to protect you. You can sleep with your back to a tree and wake up the next day unharmed. You don''t need to worry about the potential monsters that may sneak up on you in the night. Take that privilege. Rest your weary minds and bodies. Do not get upset. Instead, innovate. Find ways to create shelter. Gather people together. Combine your strengths, and live on in this world to see another day." - Robin While her speech was long-winded, it struck a nerve in some yers. Realizing their mistakes, they started to cheer, yelling our Robin''s name, and getting together with the yers nearby. A wave of positive energy washes throughout the crowd, invigorating them, and like a tsunami, yers were leaving the area, in search of their shelter, whatever it may be. "Wow¡­ What a powerful individual, right Phoenix?" - Pluto "I guess." - Alice "What do you think we should do? Should we rest up as well?" - Pluto "Hmm¡­ Maybe after I hand some things in." - Alice "What do you mean?" - Pluto "Well, during the whole time, we were wandering around the forest, I picked up a few things that might be useful." - Alice "Ohhhh, let me see?" - Pluto "There is no description on them, so I''m not sure if they are even viable, but I found what looked to be fungi and some herbs. I also found nuts, seeds, and flowers that might also be herbs. Since these things look different from their real-life counterpart, I''m not sure if they are edible. Instead, I gathered them regardless, and I''m going to show Maria and Mia and get an analysis." - Alice "WOWWWW! THAT''S AMAZING! I didn''t even see any of these during the whole time I was with you. I only noticed the monsters. PHOENIX! You are amazing!" - Pluto "Hahaha! Thanks, Pluto. Come let''s find out what they are." - Alice Chapter 342 342 - Herbs, Nuts, Flowers, Apprentice (Alice Perspective) ? Despite it already being night, Everbloom still had sources of light. Smallmps could be seen hanging along the sides of the buildings. Their mes weren''t thatrge, but it was enough to illuminate the small space around them, letting people know which building was which. Hurriedly I make my way to Maria first, since I was unsure if she was going to close her restaurant anytime soon. Squeezing my way through the crowds of yers with Pluto stuck right behind me, I eventually make it to Maria''s Restaurant. Compared to earlier in the day, the restaurant had a mini makeover as an outdoor seating area has been ced around the front. Several circr tables and stools can be seen neatly arranged in rows with a couple of Watchers nearby. A tall woman with a brown low ponytail, wearing a tight brown shirt and pants with a leather apron covering them, walks over to a table wiping it down as she clears the tes. Her bright smile seems to shine brighter than themp that illuminates her shop. "Excuse me, you are Maria, right? The one that has the quest for Foraging?" - Alice Speaking in a polite tone, she ces a hand on her hip and directs her smile at me. "Yes, I am Maria, and who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" - Maria "My name is Phoenix and this is Pluto. Together we found a couple of items that may fulfill the quest requirements." - Alice "I see, and you are unsure of them?" - Maria "Yes. I''m not quite familiar with this world''s food sources. If possible I would like for you to educate me on what is edible and what is inedible." - Alice "Hmm¡­ Well, first let''s see what you bought for me. Follow me inside." - Maria "Yes, Madam!" - Pluto Following Maria, we head inside her restaurant, passing through a wooden door and into the kitchen. The kitchen was simple, with two copper pots on top of y bricks over a firece, with a chimney that directed all the smoke up and out of the house. Several knives of different shapes and sizes were hung up as well, filling up the empty spaces along the walls. Arge wooden table with a few small stools was ced in the middle of the room, with a couple of baskets of herbs, fruits, and vegetables on top. Maria quickly grabs the baskets, while calling over one of the Watchers to take them to Noah, before returning to us. She motions for us to sit on one side of the table while she silently sits on the other side. Her smile bathing in the soft orange hue produced by the flickering mes, as she ces her hands together, eagerly eyeing my bag. "You aren''t the first person to attempt to finish the quest and you most definitely won''t be thest. However, out of all the people who have shown me potential food items, you are the first to want to learn about them. Before I ask to see what you have to show, I would like to ask why?" - Maria "There isn''t anything special behind my reasoning. I am a bit of a chef myself you see, and I''m curious about the culinary nature here. I''m sure there are simrities between our two cultures, but from what I have seen, there are so many herbs, fungi, and even vegetables that I have not seen or heard of before. I want to take this opportunity to learn, even if it is only a bit." - Alice "Interesting¡­ What about you Pluto?" - Maria "Oh. I''m just here because Phoenix is here. Nothing more, nothing less." - Pluto "That is alright. Now then, shall we see what you were able to forage in the forest?" - Alice Nodding my head, I start taking out all the things I had found that were potentially food. Fungi, herbs, nuts, seeds, and flowers were neatly arranged on the table between Maria and us. Scanning the items slowly, the corners of Maria''s mouth curl up higher. She grabs a few of them and starts to sort them into a left pile and a right pile, with the majority of the food items on the right. "Okay for starters, the left pile are items that are slightly-dangerously poisonous to humans and some demi-human races. There are a few fungi and herbs here that shouldn''t be consumed by anyone just in case. You can tell they are dangerous by the color. Red, yellow, and ck colors usually signify danger, but in the case of fungi, some white colors are also dangerous. The ones you have brought here today, are called Anjoshrooms and Iluzieshrooms. The Anjoshrooms are poison upon consumption and aremonly mistaken for Engelshrooms which are edible. Their appearance is simr which is what tricks people, however, if you look closely at the Anjoshroom, there are no small ''wings'' along the stem. Whereas the Engelshrooms have two distinct ''wings''. The Iluzieshrooms are hallucinogenic fungi, which will create both visual and audible illusions after an hour of consuming them. The effect onlysts for another hour, but I have heard from the unfortunate few that had ingested them, that the nightmares they experienced were terrifying. These can be easily spotted by the ck dots on the cap which resemble a spiral. As for the ''herbs'', you found a couple of different variations of poisonous nts instead of herbs. At least you have a bigger edible pile of food, and I''m quite surprised that you found some of these." - Alice [Viridian Victuals A lush green herb that can be found surrounded by weeds. Its vibrant shade of green gently switches color to mimic the surrounding weeds to protect itself. The tender brown shoots can be ced in a soup broth, enriching the broth with its earthy taste, whilst the leaves can be used as a garnish, alleviating minor headaches.] [Jade Jewels Small jade-colored nuts which give off a minty taste and smell the moment they crack. They can bemonly found at the tops of certain trees, however, every so often they will fall to the ground.] [Ferny Fares Creeping along the forest floor, their sharp razor-like leaves protect it from predators, however, the same leaves can be used to enhance the taste of food. Adding a myriad of herbal tastes to most foods, the Ferny Fares are one of this world''s delicacies. Unfortunately, there aren''t many of this nt left.] [Whisper Wind +1 Agility for 5 minutes A small purple flower simr to a lc that grows where the wind blows. Consuming the flower will give anyone a small boost in speed.] [Earth Root +5% Earth Resistance for 5 minutes Dug out from the ground, this root that resembles ginger is imbued with the power of the earth. Consuming it will give anyone a small defensive boost toward Earth-element attacks] [Verdant Vine Wrapping around trees as they grow, these vines are strong and can substitute for rope. Their thick bodies are made up ofyers of fiber with a thin tube that contains water, allowing it to continue to grow even when it is a drought.] [Star Daisy A small bundle of yellow joy is found within a star-shaped flower. It will wilt quickly after it is plucked from the earth, however during that time, pheromones are emitted from the flower, heightening any sense of joy one may have.] "I''m quite impressed with this collection, and I feel that you have satisfied the quest. In fact, you went above and beyond. 5 Viridian Victuals, 3 Jade Jewels, 1 Ferny Fares, 3 Whisper Wind, 4 Earth Roots, and a Star Daisy. The quest was only to being back 10 food items, but you went and brought me 17 things. I will give you the reward stated in the quest, but for the remaining, I would like to buy them off of you." - Maria "No, Instead of buying them off me. How about I continue to search for more potential ingredients, and bring them back to you? In exchange, you allow me and my friend, Pluto, to dine in your restaurant, free of charge. I would also like to learn from you the applications of the ingredients, and how they can be used to enhance simple dishes." - Alice "Ah, I see. Alright¡­ Let''s do it this way. Here is the reward I promised first." - Maria Reaching into the small sack beside her waist, Maria brings out 5 small low-quality Mana Stones, cing them on the table. She also proceeds to take away the quest paper, folding it up and sliding it into the sack. "Now, I want to ask you something. Would you like to be my apprentice?" - Maria "Apprentice?!" - Alice [Chef Maria of Everbloom has taken a high interest in you and has asked you to be her apprentice. Upon epting you will receive the skill: Apprentice Chef (Upgradeable). Yes/No] Apprentice Chef (Upgradeable) (Passive) - Food created by this individual will have a small chance to produce a bonus effect. All bonus effects willst for 1 hour and cannot be stacked or reactivated again for 24 hours. "Yes, Phoenix. I would for you to be my apprentice. I will share with you my skill and at the same time take care of both you and your friend whilst you dine in my restaurant." - Maria "Yo, just say yes." - Pluto Patting my shoulder while giving me a big smile, Pluto encourages me to make the decision, but I know even without him telling me my answer to Maria''s question. "Yes. I would love to be your apprentice." - Aliceh Chapter 343 343 - Notice of the Fourth Event

Chapter 343 Chapter 343 - Notice of the Fourth Event

"Come sit, Gewari. You''re thest person to arrive." - Ian Nodding towards me, Gewari pulls a chair towards her as she sits in between Ster and Noah. It wasn''t just these 3 here, I called Nina, Howard, and Yor to the Krepost for a meeting. The objective of the meeting is to understand the yer''s movements, goals, and overall opinion of Everbloom. Nina suggested this meeting yesterday since most of the important figures of HavenFall will be split during the day when yers arrive. "Alright, time for a report. Where do we even start? Noah? Ster?" - Ian "I''ll start since I was with the followers of Ariel the whole day. Looking at how they are at the moment, it seems like most of them are just exploring thend, with some exceptional individuals who are trying to help either with eliminating monsters or with the vige. From a rough guess, it seems that only a few thousand followers have appeared, with the majority venturing to HavenFall, rather than the Krepost, but Ster can reaffirm this fact. Robin had to stop a few troublemakers here and there, throughout the day, as well as, manage lines and overall space, since this was an unprecedented amount of people. She suggested that there needs to be an increase of Watchers, which I quickly reassigned to a team of goblins and hobgoblins. This helped with defusing situations before they happened, however, there is still the underlying factor of ack of Watchers. Hmm¡­ Other than that, there are a few individuals for whom I rmended a course of action as per your instructions. I told them to seek out monsters in the area instead of doing the quests we put up, and to help them I told them to form a team. From what I could see, they understood the underlying meaning of my words quickly and sort out a team ranging between 3 and 5 people. Right before I left toe here, I saw a few talking to Lime and Maria. Ster do you want to add to this?" - Noah "Of course, Noah. I''ll talk about the ones who were within the vicinity of Everbloom, while Gewari will talk about the ones who tried to traverse to HavenFall and the Krepost. If you are looking for a more urate number of followers that arrived at Everbloom, then it is closer to 2381 followers. However, I found it strange because the moment it started to crowd, individuals started to leave Everbloom. Thergest amount of people leaving was during the speech that was given by Noah. A lot of the Shadows saw them moving from Everbloom all around, without regard for their safety. Funnily enough, they were smart enough to make basic weapons out of sticks and stones, with some of them even teaming up with each other along the way. I told the Shadows to keep an eye on their movements, and it seems like they were traveling in a random direction." - Ster "Sounds like they might either just be very overzealous yers or spies from the other guilds. " - Nina "Even if there are spies, we shouldn''t worry too much about that. Looking at where they are, we shouldn''t be influenced that greatly by them until we branch out more. Was there anything else to mention?" - Ian "Nothing from my end. It has only been 6 hours, I''m sure there will be more information within the next day." - Ster "Same here. Don''t worry, I''ll get a goblin scout to notify you the moment somethinges up." - Noah Looking around the room after confirming Ster''s and Noah''s actions, I see Howard with his hand slightly raised. "Ian, something did happen over at HavenFall." - Howard "Something bad¡­? Or good?" - Ian "Oh, it is something good, don''t worry. Let me bring it in." - Howard Returning quickly, after leaving the room, Howardes in holding onto a small silver haired wolf cub. Standing up in excitement, I identally knock the chair was I sitting on to the ground. "IS THAT-!" - Ian "Yes it is. The first Silver Moon Wolf from the Golden Wolf Den." - Howard "Aww~ It''s so cute." - Nina "It has one shiny coat and a look of nobility." - Yor "This¡­ This¡­ This little thing hasn''t appeared for all this time. Howard, how did it appear?" - Ian "From what I recall, Lucina was tending to the newborn cubs in the den, when the ray of moonlight envelopes the whole cave blinding her. After the light fades, resting its head in its front paws was this little fe. Why don''t you give it a hold? Just be careful with its head, it''s sleeping right now." - Howard Howard passes the Silver Moon Wolf to me, and a few notifications appear at the same time. [Congrations for obtaining a Variant. ] [Variant of the Golden Wolf, the Silver Moon Wolf will appear more frequently from your Golden Wolf Den.] [The currently limit of 1 Golden Wolf / 5 Days has been changed to 3 Golden Wolves / 5 days, with a 33% chance of a Silver Moon Wolf appearing.] "Does it have a name yet, Howard?" - Ian "I believe Lucina has named it already. ta, is its name. I believe it is a female wolf? But I''m not too sure. You will have to ask someone else about that." - Howard "Look no further, Howard. I can confirm ta is a female." - Yor "Thank you, Yor. Hahaha!" - Howard Name: ta Race: Beast (Wolf - Variant Silver Moon) Health Points (HP): 10/10 Mana Points (MP): 20/20 Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Intelligence: 40 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Luck: 10 Skill: Moonlight Renewal, Pounce, Selene''s Grace (P) Selene''s Grace (Passive) - Given the grace of the Goddess of the Moon, Selene, the individual will grow stronger under the influence of the Moon. Upon reaching adult hood, this passive will change into either Selene''s Blessing or Selene''s Protection. Selene''s Blessing (Passive) - Receiving the Blessing of the Goddess of the Moon, this individual will gain strength depending on the Moon''s Phase. Increasing the stats of the individual, by 0% (at New Moon) and 100% (at Full Moon). Inbetween these two phases the individual will gain partial stats, 25%, 50%, and 75%, depending on the Moon. Selene''s Protection (Passive) - Receiving the Protection of the Goddess of the Moon, this individual will be forever cared for uner the influence of the Moon. Attacks upon this individual has a chance to be blocked by the Moon''s powers, 0% (at New Moon) and 50% (at Full Moon). In between the individual will have a 10%, 20%, and 30% chance of having the protection of the Moon. "Amazing¡­ Once ta is of age, she will be one of the leading figures of the Silver Moon Wolves, just like how Luna is for the Golden Wolves. Howard, tell Lucina to find someone who will care for ta, during the night. I believe it would be good for her to be exposed to the moon as much as possible." - Ian "Understood." - Howard "How about over at the Krepost? Anything happen, Yor?" - Ian "Nothing to make note of at the moment. We still haven''t found where Celine and Kingston have gone, but then again we haven''t sent too many scouts off too far from the Krepost in case of an emergency. Raising the monsters has been good as well, with their poption increasing bit by bit ever since that unfortunate ident with the Queen of Spiders. However, they are still young and are not fit for battle." - Yor "That''s fine. We don''t need them to bebatants at the moment. Focus on keeping them healthy and developing a sense of loyalty to the Krepost before anything." - Ian "Understood." - Yor After Yor''s report, it seemed like there wasn''t anything else to discuss, meaning that the meeting was over. Slowly I ask everyone to go back to their respective stations but as they were leaving, a singr notification appeared in front of Nina and me. [ Hello everyone, how have you been? Have the newer yers adjusted to the game yet? Have the older yers paved your path? Regardless, it is time for the next event!! Are you ready? Maybe? Maybe not? Well, you will soon have to get ready because this event is going to knock your socks off!!!! Have fun!!!] [Fourth Event - War of the 4 Kingdoms! Objective - Defeat all the 4 Kings Reward - The top 10 Leaders will receive a Pce. The top 50 Travellers will receive an Artifact of their choice from a selection of 3. Sub-objective 1- Defeat The Horde Sub-objective 2- Defeat Cordelia Sub-objective 3- Defeat Kronos Sub-objective 4- Defeat The Reaper Reward for Sub-objectives - All participating yers of the battle with the respective King, will gain either an active skill, a passive skill, equipment, or an artifact, that rtes to the respective King that has been in. ] [WARNING!! WARNING!! Warning to all yers!! The 4 Kings have decided to go to war against the yers and one another. Their army and soldiers will appear more frequently in areas that they control, but will also be in neighboring territories.] [They will attack upon sight, whether it is a yer or a vige. Be careful!]! Chapter 344 344 - Plans for the Event

Chapter 344 Chapter 344 - ns for the Event

"Ian." - Nina "Yea¡­ I just read it. Everyone, go back to your respective positions. I''ll send a scout if I need something." - Ian "Understood, my lord." - Noah, Howard, Yor, Ster, Gewari The rest quickly leave, leaving just me and Nina to discuss the fourth event. However, before we could even talk about anything Gewari returns with a slightly stressed expression. "What''s wrong?" - Ian "There is movement down to the south of Everbloom." - Gewari "What do you mean? I thought you just left, how can there be something happening already?" - Ian "I''m not sure as well, but upon leaving a goblin scout approached me gasping for breath. They had apparentlye from the South of Everbloom, along the river, after following a group of 3 people. The 3 people looked well-equipped, wearing what seemed to be thick woven dry grass armor around their bodies and holding onto sharpened sticks. They aren''t up to the same ss as any of our people, but they are better than most other followers. Following them, the goblin scout noticed that there was an approaching party of 5ing from in front of them. Paying close attention to what will y out with the two parties meeting, the goblin scout watches from above, however, he wasn''t expecting that the new party wasn''t even human." - Gewari "Not human? Since he mistook them for humans, maybe hobgoblins?" - Ian Shaking her head, Gewari corrects me. "Skeletons. 5 skeletons using either bone swords or spears appeared in front of them. From what the goblin scout saw, they were simr to the skeletons that once attacked HavenFall. Noticing this, he immediately retreated to tell us the news and has only just returned. I happened to intercept him as I was leaving, and knew you needed to know this information immediately." - Gewari "Thank you, Gewari. And thank the goblin scout for me for his hard work and quick thinking. Give him 10 small low-quality Mana stones, and tell him to notify Ster, Howard, Noah, and Yor as well as give him this message to ry to them. Make defensive preparations, and increase the patrols. The faster we find out any enemies approaching us the better." - Ian "Understood, my lord. I will make haste." - Gewari Disappearing into the night with my message, Gewari leaves us and I let out a sigh as the tension releases from my body. "It''s going to be difficult." - Nina "I know. We only just got the message and there are already traces of the Reaper''s army here. Is it not too soon? And how did they reach this area already? There should be several viges to the South of us between the Reaper''s castle and this forest." - Ian "I doubt it is anywhere close to the main force. If there is a party of 5 skeletons and all of them are melee, then we can assume they are just a scouting party. They have no purpose other than to gather information for the Reaper, and I''m sure he sent several parties in different directions to scout out where the most usible direction for him to attack. However, this gives us a good chance." - Nina "A chance?" - Ian "Yes, the quest board we have is extremely basic with just the bare necessities. Now that we are sure that there are skeleton troops potentially approaching us, we can add something simr to that to the quest board. Get yers to eliminate the immediate threats but also have quests for gathering information. It won''t just be normal skeletons, there will eventually be skeleton mages, skeleton beasts and maybe even a Zabik or two, who knows but if we get the yers to search for this, and report back to us, then we don''t need to expend manpower for it. We can instead use our manpower to strengthen our defensive and offensive capabilities. It won''t be long before we have arge supply of saddles for the Zivotinja and for the wolves, and once we do, we will be able to have a Calvary of our own. The goblin scouts will be goblin wolf riders, and information will be passed between viges faster, and reinforcement will arrive faster as well. Attacking a location will be done at a faster pace as well, with the Zivotinjas allowing us to travel longer distances at a faster speed. Once we have all of that ready, we can n an assault on one of the 4 Kings, or at least in the direction of their territory. I do want to avoid approaching the North and the West, and prefer to focus on the South or the East." - Nina "I understand what you are saying. The North has too muchpetition, even if Devel is currently in an alliance with us. There is a chance he may also backstab us if we are all gathered at the North." - Ian "It is not just that. ording to the forum, the North is quite mountainous and hilly, with various pockets of forests scattered around and the Horde''s army, consists of a lot of beasts and demi-humans. They will be able to traverse the terrain a lot quicker than we can, as well as, that area being their home ground. Meaning they know the terrain better than we do and can ambush us from ces we never thought to look. The East is made up of a lot of ins and while we know that Kronos will be up in the sky, there is still a chance that his fortressnds on the ground for a duration of time. To The South is the Reaper''s army and while there are numerous monsters, most of them shouldn''t be too hard to face. We have done it before for the whole of thest event and can easily achieve the same result this time." - Nina "Ah! So, even with the yers being weaker right now-" - Ian "They can still defeat a couple of skeletons and reap the rewards." - Nina "You''re right. The skeletons won''t be too hard to fight, and if they can''t at the moment it won''t be long before they can fight them. Their actions are simple, and their damage is low, so long as you are not hit in a critical location. Their drops might even be bone swords, spears and if they are lucky armor or shields, making their gear stronger, quickly." - Ian "Exactly!" - Nina "Then I''m happy to focus our attention mainly with the South, and defeat the Reaper once and for all, but there is something we can still achieve while we are in the Center." - Ian "What''s that?" - Nina "Don''t you remember? Mumei, said that there is an artifact in each territory. We should search for the one in the Center while bolstering our ''yer Army'' with the weaker mobs around us. It will give us a bit of a breather in terms of fightingrger battles, as well as, give us a better understanding of the area beyond our current search radius. Plus, we can''t fight the Reaper''s Army without an army of our own. For arge scale war, we need ranged troops, melee, Calvary, and even siege weapons. We kind of have both ranged and melee, but most of our potential is all in a few selected individuals. The rest of our troops aren''t even close to being strong enough to take on some monsters by themselves, so they need to be stronger. Of course, this is also speaking for the yers. Calvary is on its way with the saddles, but siege weapons¡­ I doubt we can get any significant siege weapons down South, especially though the Forest. We need to find a specific route downwards that can amodate siege weapons and arge army. Seek out a route with food and water that can be quickly obtained and most importantly a route that will not kill us as we are approaching the Reaper''s Castle. Being ambushed along the way is not optimal and will lead to many unfortunate deaths, which can be potentially avoided." - Ian "Hmm¡­ Alright. I understand. So, how do you want to approach this? There is a lot to do both internally, with the new yers, and externally with the objective of the event in mind." - Nina "Sigh¡­ It''s going to be hard, but we should start off with the quests. We need to have a few focused on exploration and information gathering, as well as, have some focused on defeating monsters that can be part of the Reaper''s army. After that, we need to find out the time frame for the saddles to bepleted, and then push the construction of siege weapons. While they are being made, we should have a party search to the South, and enter the Reaper''s territory. Figuring out the topography and the route will be key for this team, and only when we are sure of the route will we be proceeding with an invasion. How does that sound to you?" - Ian "Sounds good. In that case, let''s get Kingston to search North or East since he probably is already traveling in that direction." - Nina "Yea, I spoke to him before, and he said while he doesn''t know exactly where he is, he has been traversing through some rough mountains." - Ian "Sounds like the North. Good! We can have him enjoy his little date with the Horde and Celine." - Nina "Hahaha! True. So, very true." - Ian Chapter 345 345 - Skeletons vs Newbies

Chapter 345 Chapter 345 - Skeletons vs Newbies

After a small light-hearted conversation with Nina, she turns to depart to the Krepost to finalize their defense alongside Yor. However, before leaving she suggests that I should head toward the South and figure out the scope of the Reaper''s army, even if they are just the scouting party. Heeding her suggestion, I make haste following the river while also speaking to Selina, since she is the only person that has any information about the other Kings, including the Reaper. "Selino, if the Reaper is attacking us¡­ No, if every King is going to war, what do you think will happen?" - Ian "Oh~ Deary, if that were the case, then I have to say most ces will be doomed toplete and utter destruction. However¡­ It also depends on how much they are willing tomit to the attack. You see, Ian deary~ Who out of the 4 Kings do you think is the strongest?" - Selino "I don''t know. The Horde? I''ve seen the Reaper, but the Horde has Rautt and Casper, two powerful individuals." - Ian "Hahaha~ Ian deary¡­ You are just too cute. Did you think just because you saw the Reaper once, you saw his power? Unfortunately~ You are very mistaken. The Reaper could have killed everyone there, including me in your body. BUT! He has a bad case of wanting to toy with his victims and watching them grow stronger only to¡­ Kill them again. As for the Horde¡­ Well~ Let''s just say we would die just by being in his presence at the moment." - Selino "Then¡­ Who is the strongest?" - Ian "Hmm~ In my opinion, it would be Cordelia. That QUEEN has a disturbingly powerful army, coupled with the fact that her castle is under the ocean, makes attacking her extremely difficult. Ugh! I remember meeting her once with Casper. Her pale glossy skin wasn''t fit for someone with that much power." - Selino "Oh? What kind of power was she wielding? Magic or weapons?" - Ian "Both. Deary~ Imagine, if you could wield magic alongside your spider legs. Your attacks will always have the danger of both close range and long range, pressured from not just in front of you but the side, above, below, and even behind. Water and ice magic will just appear while she lunges forward with a spear. Earth magic may attempt to hinder your movements while a hammer falls down from the sky, aiming to crush you.? Sigh~ I never want to see her again. It was¡­ Not the best experience." - Selino "Well, lucky for us she is off to the West. We shouldn''t be interacting with her a lot right?" - Ian "That''s the n isn''t it, deary~? However, she is probably the most ambitious out of the 4 Kings. She never stopped being at war with us but never wanted tomit to a full battle. Skirmishes would happen daily¡­" - Selino "Hmm¡­ I see. Thank you for sharing this information with me, Selino." - Ian "Aww~ Come on, deary~ You know. I don''t mind telling you¡­ Anything~" - Selino A nervous chuckle escapes my lips as I follow the river, running along the banks. Stopping suddenly as a familiar sound could be heard in the distance. Slightly to my right inside the forest, I could hear it¡­ The recognizable sound of a fight. Despite it being in the dead of the night, I could hear several individuals yelling. Was it the Reaper''s army? Or maybe just monsters¡­? Regardless, the choice was obvious, I bolt in the direction of the sound, leaving the river and entering the dense forest. Increasing my speed, my spider legs burst out of my body, with the lower two legs pushing me off my feet. Jumping up, I use my spider legs to climb up the trunk of a tree, before leaping from branch to branch, eventually arriving at the edge of a small clearing. There I see the culprits of the sound I heard from the river. A group of skeletons and a group of yers. It was quite easy to tell they were yers and not NPCs due to thenguage they were using while engaging inbat with the skeletons, however¡­ It looks like they are in a bit of trouble. Leading the group of 5 yers, is a ratherrge bulky dark-green-haired male, grasping a goblin knife in one hand and a sharpened rock in the other. He stood in front next to a red-haired man who was holding onto simr weapons, while behind them were a purple-haired girl, a ck-haired girl, and a light blue-haired teenager. The two girls were nervously shaking as they were gripping the teenager who while trying his best to keep a poker face, was also scared of the situation before him. "I told you we shouldn''t have left Everbloom at night! Isn''t that right, Yuri?" "Right, Indiana! Scott, why did you even want toe out, in the first ce?!" "Shut up! Both of you! I thought we agreed to try and get ahead of everyone by finding some more goblins to fight! Terrance! Come forward with me and Louis, we need to fight before we get killed!" "Oh, no, no, no. I didn''t agree to fight skeletons. I agreed to fight goblins. How do you expect me to fight something that is undead? I got nothing but a rock in my hands!" "AHHH! MAN UP, TERRANCE! JUST FIGHT WILL YOU?" "Nah, man! Why don''t you just run into them and kill yourself, Louis? I''m sure they LOVEEEEE redheads." "GOD DAMN IT! I''LL KILL YOU MYSELF BEFORE THE SKELETONS EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO KILL YOU!" "SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! HERE THEY COME!" Rushing to the party with their bony legs scraping against one another, the 4 skeletons all raise their bone swords into the air, aiming at the live humans in front of them. Clicking his tongue, Scott pushes Louis to the left, while jumping to the right, avoiding the first strike as all 4 skeletons bash their swords into the ground. Screaming at how close they were to being attacked the girls, push Terrance in front of them while escaping into the forest. Cursing at them in disbelief, Terrance stumbles forward barely keeping his bnce by the unexpected betrayal. However, the moment he looks up the skeletons seem to grin with their unmoving jaws. Raising their arms up once more, as if raising the guillotine of death. Grabbing onto his cor from behind, I quickly enter the fray, pulling him back while letting my spider legs block the skeletons'' attack. "Are you alright?" - Ian "What? Who? What?" - Terrance "It seems you are alright." - Ian I quickly pull Terrance behind me while I push the skeletons away. Stepping forward begin to stab forward with the spider legs, breaking each skeleton''s leg joints and arm joints as fast as lighting, making them copse to the ground within seconds. Looking down at the skeletons, I begin to understand how much stronger I have be¡­ It hasn''t been that long since the start of the third event, where I fought in the waves of skeletons and back then, while they were still quite easy to defeat, it took longer than just a few attacks. Eliminating the threat to the newer yers, I break each and every skull with a pinpoint strike with the tips of the spider legs. Looking around me, I see the utter disbelief in Louis''s, Scott''s, and Terrance''s faces, as they stare at me standing on top of the pile of bones. It seems like the two girls, Yuri and Indiana have left this ce too fast for them to see the defeat of the skeleton party. "Is everyone okay?" - Ian "Dude¡­ What¡­? Who¡­?" - Louis "I already said that Louis¡­" - Terrance "Yea. But-" - Louis "Umm¡­ Thank you? I think we are okay. Right, Louis? Terrance?" - Scott "Yea. Right¡­" - Louis "Right¡­ Umm¡­ I know we are saying this for the third time but who are you?" - Terrance "Me? I''m Ian. Nice to meet everyone here. Don''t worry I got your names already. Scott. Louis. Terrance. I got a question for all of you though." - Ian "Ask-Ask away." - Louis "Why are you here? This ce is quite far from Everbloom, and not in the direction of HavenFall or Krepost." - Ian "Well¡­ We-" - Louis "We thought we could get ahead of other yers." - Scott "I understand that, but why here? In this direction?" - Ian "It was one of the only directions with left people heading in. Most went toward HavenFall or Krepost, which means monsters along that way may already be cleared. Above Everbloom and below Everbloom were ces we knew not too many people went to and if we did see someone in this direction, they were usuallying back after beating a few monsters." - Scott "I remember seeing a duoe back from this direction and then immediately go to the Weapon shop. I told Scott and we gathered a party to seek out some goblins." - Terrance "Is it just you 3 that know each other?" - Ian "No¡­ Just Terrance and Scott. I don''t know them irl." - Louis "Right¡­ Well. I would advise you three to head back to HavenFall and rest up for the night. You guys got the Event notification, right? I''m sure it will only get more dangerous. Skeletons aren''t meant to be part of the monsters that you guys were supposed to face so early on." - Ian "Okay¡­ We will head back." - Scott "WAIT! I want to go with you." - Terrance "TERRANCE! NO!" - Scott "No, Scott! Think about it. Ian is the guy that made HavenFall into how great it is. A TOP PLAYER! What a better time to get some help to grow stronger!" - Terrance "Top yer? One of the top 10 you were telling me about?" - Scott "Wait, a minute. YOU ARE RIGHT TERRANCE! HOLY SHIT! HOW COULD I NOT HAVE NOTICED!" - Louis "PLEASE IAN! HELP US GET STRONGER!" - Terrance "Sorry, Terrance¡­ But I-" - Ian "Don''t worry it won''t be a waste of time. We got a quest from the system." - Terrance "A quest? Not an event?" - Ian "We got the event, but also a quest. It''s called Beginner''s Help." - Terrance "And how would that help me?" - Ian "Because the reward is a hint to an artifact." - Terrance Chapter 346 346 - Beginner Quests and Some New Recruits

Chapter 346 Chapter 346 - Beginner Quests and Some New Recruits

"A hint to an artifact?! What artifact?" - Ian "I don''t know about that, but I know artifacts are super duper rare right? It''s all over the forum, that there aren''t that many confirmed artifacts in the game so far, with the most well know artifact being Devel''s Sword. We don''t even know its name but one of the yers from Bones confirmed it was an artifact that Devel found inside a cave expedition." - Terrance "And all of you got this quest?" - Ian "That''s right. All of us, and I''m pretty sure it was all the new yers that received the quest." - Scott "Doesn''t that mean you will all get the same hint? Sounds pretty stupid for a quest no?" - Ian "But the condition forpleting the quest is different between the three of us, and it isn''t just one quest but a series of quests." - Louis "Tell me. I''m curious. After listening to what you have to say, I''ll make my decision to help you or not." - Ian "REALLY! PROMISE US!"? - Terrance "TERRANCE! Have some manners!" - Scott "I promise to give you guys a fair chance. I won''t unfairly leave the moment I hear the quest description." - Ian "DONE! That''s good enough. Let''s all tell him our quests." - Terrance "Alright." - Scott "HELL YEAH!" - Louis Terrance''s Quest [Beginner Quest Event 1/3 As a new yer, you must be strong enough so that you can enjoy your new life in Settlement to the fullest. The best way to do that is either training together with a group or venturing forth as an individual, however, both will be difficult. Due to such, the first step is to be stronger! Objective - y 50 Monsters not allied with a King/Territory as a group or y 25 monsters not allied with a King/Territory without any assistance of any kind Reward - 10 stat points that can be ced wherever the yer wants + a small hint to an artifact within the territory the yer finishes the quest (Hints will differ from person to person) ] Louis''s Quest [Beginner Quest Event 1/3 A new yer, a new life, but there is danger ahead. You need to be strong enough to defend against any danger that will approach you soon. To do that, either team up with like-minded individuals or seek out strength within yourself. Draw out the hidden power and be stronger! Objective - y 30 humanoid monsters (Small and/or Large monsters) as a group or y 15 humanoid monsters without any assistance of any kind Reward - 10 stat points that can be ced wherever the yer wants + a small hint to an artifact within the territory the yer finishes the quest (Hints will differ from person to person)] Scott''s Quest [Beginner Quest Event 1/3 Within this new world, you must strive to be someone stronger than before. Seek out new challenges and adventures either as a group or by yourself, but be warned¡­ Danger lurks at every turn. Protect yourself and your allies by bing their strength, and press forward, onwards! Objective - Protect an ally 50 times from an iing attack or pinpoint the weakness of 25 monsters and inflict critical damage upon them Reward - 10 stat points that can be ced wherever the yer wants + a small hint to an artifact within the territory the yer finishes the quest (Hints will differ from person to person)] Looking at their quests as well as contemting the situation, I start to realize that the system behind Settlement has so cleverly integrated the movements of the new yers into the already established system. Making the Beginner Quests was one way they wanted to fast forward the development of the new yers, simr to how we made up our own ''Quests'' and rewarded yers for their achievements around the three viges. Giving them an objective and a reward entices them to be more proactive, whether it deliberately pushes them into a more dangerous situation than they could have been wouldn''t matter. After all, most people are driven by profits. Just like these three people here¡­ Seeing their quests, I can probably see through their thoughts. Terrance just needs to be with a party, killing monsters regardless of their strength. Louis would want to be with a party seeking out goblins, which is probably why he was willing to tag along with 4 other random people. As for Scott, he would be fine with just blocking as many attacks for Terrance as possible while they seek out the 50 monsters. Easy quests, that could bepleted in a group at little to no risk. "So? Can you help us? I''m sure Scott and Louis wouldn''t mind giving you information on the artifact. Right guys?" - Terrance "Sigh¡­ Terrance is that any way to ask someone for a favor? But yes, you are right. I don''t mind exchanging information for your help, Mr. Ian." - Scott "I don''t know these two guys that well, but from what I can see, it isn''t unfavorable to trading information about my reward for your help. Heck, I feel like we are getting the better end of the bargain since we have no idea if the hint even helps you find the artifact." - Louis "Hmm¡­ I can see why you would want my help. It would makepleting your quests extremely easy, and the exchange isn''t that bad either¡­ Alright, how about this? The quests look to be in three parts, for each part, I will revisit helping you depending on the objective of your quests. Of course, I will judge it fairly, however, if I refuse, you cannot beg for me to change my mind. Once I refuse. I refuse. Understand? Otherwise, I am willing to help the three of you for now." - Ian "GOT IT! YES!!!!" - Terrance "Thank you, Mr. Ian." - Scott "Yea, thanks for helping us out! Otherwise, we would be running around again and maybe be ambushed by skeletons." - Louis "Speaking of that, I did want to ask you about your encounter with the skeletons. Was that your first experience? And what was happening prior to my arrival." - Ian "I''ll speak for us. Prior to your arrival, we were traveling by foot from Everbloom, seeking out goblins, jackalopes, or wolves, since they were themon monsters described on the quest board. However, we noticed some movement ahead of us and decided to check it out in case it happened to be monsters we were capable of defeating in a team of 5. Approaching the clearing we evidently see a group of yers fighting against skeletons a total of 8 of them. They fought for a while and managed to defeat 4 of them before dying, and while it may seem cowardly of us, we decided to wait until they died before fighting. After all, I wasn''t sure if they would mistake us for monsters attacking from behind and attack us. However, I also underestimated the pressure the skeletons gave off on the rest of the party, which was the disorganized mess you saw right as you saved us." - Scott "It wasn''t that bad¡­" - Terrance "I don''t know about that, Terrance. We definitely could have or maybe even should have died there. Especially with those 2 girls leaving us behind." - Louis "I guess you are right¡­" - Terrance "Hmm¡­ I see, so you weren''t the first group to encounter the skeletons. Alright, that is fine. How are the three of you feeling right now? Are you capable of moving? Can we progress deeper into the forest? Or should we head back to Everbloom and regroup." - Ian "I''m fine! Let''s go deeper." - Terrance "I''m fine as well, only slightly winded when Scott pushed me out of the way." - Louis "No damages here. I''ve been through worse in the army, so I''m quite acquainted with lots of movement." - Scott "Yo! You were in the army?! That''s crazy cool." - Louis "Thank you. However, I only served for a year, so don''t expect too much." - Scott "Don''t say that, Scott. Any experience is experience. I didn''t have any survival experience when I started, just gaming experience but it would have been great to know even just the basics. After all, with just the basics you can do a lot." - Ian "What do you mean?" - Scott "I''ve seen videos, so I''m not 100% sure about this information, but when you are in the army, you must have been through some survival courses right? What would you do in a forest with no weapons?" - Ian "Yes, there is something simr to that. One of the more renowned ones would be from a good long while ago called SERE. A survival course for military personnel, where they are dropped into isted locations to be told to return. While I have done something simr, I still had gear for that but I would sometimes have to make spears out of branches when I encounter something with a longer reach¡­ Wait. Are you saying I can make my own weapons?" - Scott "Exactly that. Isn''t the rock in your hand before a weapon as well? Why can''t you get a branch and make a spear?" - Ian "I see. I see! I understand now, Mr. Ian. No. SIR! Thank you for this insight. I will get to making some suitable weapons now." - Scott "Wait, what?" - Terrance "Damn. Military mode in a second¡­ What can I do?" - Louis "Why don''t the two of you help out Scott and learn a bit? I''ll give you 30 minutes to an hour before we head out toplete the quest. Don''t worry I won''t leave you." - Ian "Understood, Ian! WAIT UP SCOTT!" - Terrance "If you say so, wait up Terrance! Scott!" - Louis Chapter 347 347 - River Monster

Chapter 347 Chapter 347 - River Monster

After letting the three of them create their new weapons, they came back holding onto two branches with sharpened rocks tied to the end with thin vines. Not only that, it seems Scott made some makeshift wooden armor out of several branches tied together by vines. Wrapping around their forearms and calves were this makeshift armor, and to see how sturdy they were I whacked them with the body of their spears. Satisfied by their prep I told them to follow me as we wander deeper into the forest, heading further south while keeping the river on my left. I had no idea if there were going to be any monsters this way, but I doubt that matters since I nned to head South anyway and scout out the area for myself. I could have left this job to Gewari or Ster''s Shadow, but where is the fun in that? Exploring is part of the game right? "So, Ian¡­ I was wondering but does your spider legs just like you know¡­ Grow out of your back whenever you want it? It''s a skill right?" - Terrance "Hmm¡­ Something like that. I can control if I want them out like before, or inside my body like how it is right now." - Ian "That''s so COOL!" - Terrance "Is it hard to be as strong as you?" - Louis "Uhh¡­ Hard isn''t the right word I would use, Louis. How strong you grow is determined by how much you push yourself in my opinion. There were several choices I made that ended up in me having this¡­ Skill." - Ian "Ahh¡­ I see. Interesting." - Louis "I''ll get stronger Sir. Don''t worry." - Scott "Hahaha. I''m not worried at all Scott." - Ian "So, do you know where are going, Ian?" - Terrance "Hmm¡­ Not exactly. It''s not like I know where monsters will be, however, from what I can tell from the Fourth Event, that is taking ce right now, there should be monsters if we keep going South. The river that is adjacent to us flows South for the most part, but we haven''t explored too far down in that direction either, so we can''t be sure where it leads us." - Ian "We should be traveling rtively South, Sir." - Scott "Why do you say that?" - Ian "From what I know about rivers, they tend to flow North to South in a general setting. This is not ounting for terrain, elevated ins, waterfalls, and just general topography. It could be moving South-East or South-West if the river is traveling along a sloped terrain, after all, water still follows gravity. However, from where we are and where the river is, it looks like we are at a higher elevation than it. Everbloom is the same, it is situated above the river, and there is a sloped path toward it, which would mean that the river is in a sort of trough. Unless the terrain in front of us severely changes, then I would assume we are traveling in a Southern direction." - Scott "Holy¡­ Where do you learn this stuff!?" - Louis "Ah¡­ I just paid attention when my superiors talked about this kind of stuff. Nothing too fancy on the type of information though." - Scott "No, that''s still good information. It helps those that don''t know about this kind of thing, like me. I didn''t about that." - Ian "Neither did I." - Terrance "Wait¡­ What is that?" - Louis Louis stops suddenly behind us while pointing towards the river. Following his finger we all peek through the leaves of the bushes and trees near us. At first, it didn''t look like there was anything but on closer inspection, in the middle of the river several dark green rocks were floating upstream. Whispering near me, Terrance asks the question that was sitting in my mind. "What are those? Rocks?" - Terrance "Do you think rocks can move?" - Louis "Or upstream for that matter." - Scott "Alright, sorry. That was my bad." - Terrance "A new type of monster? I haven''t fought against a monster that moves in water before, so I don''t know what kind of monster it will be." - Ian "What do you suggest we do then, Sir?" - Scott "Hmm¡­ We can approach it slowly from behind. Wait for them to pass us and then move down to the bank. If we had ranged weapons we could attack them from here, but since we don''t it''s better to approach them. Plus, they shouldn''t be that much stronger than skeletons or goblins, so we can work on your quests as well." - Ian "Why not just fight them right now then? You must be stronger than them right, Ian?" - Terrance "I could, but I don''t know anything about them either. Just to be safe it is easier to ambush them than to attack them straight on." - Ian "That does sound more reasonable. I don''t know about you Terrance, but I don''t want to die, especially to a bunch of swimming rocks." - Louis "Hmm¡­" - Scott "Something wrong Scott?" - Ian "No¡­ Not really. I was just thinking about what it could be. I''ve yed my fair share of games with Terrance, and when you think of monsters in the water, you usually think about monsters in an ocean setting. However, rivers? Aren''t they typically fishmen or lizard folk? Maybe frog monsters? Snake monsters? Crocodiles? Alligators?" - Scott "Oh! You''re right, Scott! They have rock-like heads right? Maybe lizard folk, snakes, or reptiles then." - Terrance "In that case, we don''t want to be too close to the water when we fight, or else they will have the advantage. Especially if one of us gets dragged into the water. We are definitely dead if that happens." - Louis "Then we should fight now, Sir." - Scott "Alright¡­ Interesting. Okay, I''ll make first contact and be the main tank. Scott, you will be right behind me, with Louis and Terrance behind you. The focus of the battle will be on Scott defending an attack from the monsters and then Louis and Terrance you are to attack the monster that he blocked. I''ll hold the majority of the monsters away, so they don''t overwhelm you. Note, that we have no information about the monster and their skills so be mindful of any changes in the situation." - Ian "Understood." - Scott, Terrance, Louis Activating Enhanced Agility, I dash down to the bank while popping my spider legs out. Cautious, I don''t get too close to the mysterious rocks and make sure to stand a bit away from the edge of the river, while I hear Scott, Louis, and Terrance follow behind me hurriedly. As they were still on their way, I keep my eyes on the river as the rockse to a slow halt. Their unmoving bodies seem to blend into the environment and if I didn''t know that they were moving before, I would have been fooled. However, I already their secret. They were some sort of monster, and I wasn''t going to be fooled by them. Casting Steel String on a couple of pebbles on the ground, I start to spin them in the air until they were moving at a fast enough speed before releasing them at the floating rocks. Shattering upon impact, the pebbles merely be dust that floats down the river. Hearing Terrance''s audible gulp, I ready myself as I had just made the first move upon these creatures. Prepared for battle, I lower myself closer to the ground while spreading my spider legs out in front. Suddenly, like a geyser rushing to the surface, a spear appears in front of my eyes, as the creature lunges out of the water towards me. The distance between me and the river was something close to 5 meters, yet this creature made that jump easily as it leaps out of the river. Just barely blocking the attack with the front spider legs, I grind the monster to a stop moving back far enough that Scott was hugging me. Desperately he jumps backward to give me space but crashes into Terrance and Louis who were behind him, causing the three to copse to the ground. "Get me Scott!" - Terrance "I''M MOVING! I''M MOVING!" - Scott "OH NO! WE ARE SO GOING TO DIE!" - Louis Taking into ount the situation, I realize that there was something off about it. There was only one monster in front of us. The rest haven''t left the river yet, and even if they did, I would have activated Extreme Speed to deal with them. Looking carefully at the creature as it expels its putrid fishy breath, I find that it was simr to one of the monsters that the others had mentioned, a Lizard man. Different from a demi-human this looked more simr to a reptile that had stood up on two feet, while also growing to the size of a human, no. Even bigger. Its muscles were hidden by mossy scales, but I could see them budge out as it tenses its arms trying to overpower me, and its long pink tongue licks the air in front of me to intimidate me. Breathing out, as I push back I can feel that I am stronger than this monster on stats alone, and while it may have higher Agility, I feel like I can still deal with the monster. However, the first thing I have to do is to control the situation with the three behind me. Shouting out loud, while focusing my attention on the monster before me, I call out to them. "Keep calm! It''s only one right now. The rest are still in the river. Stand up! Ready your weapons! This is going to be your test run." - Ian Chapter 348 348 - Lizardmen

Chapter 348 Chapter 348 - Lizardmen

"What do we do!?" - Terrance "How is that staying calm Terrance?" - Louis "Shut up Louis! What do you want me to do? I wasn''t ready to fight whatever that is!" - Terrance "WHAT DID YOU SAY?! GET UP TERRANCE! I''LL BEAT YOU FIRST!" - Louis "Shut up! Pick up your weapon Terrance! Both of you get up! Sir! At your orders!" - Scott A smirk appears on my face as I hear the small chaos behind me. Would this have been how I would have been if I started Settlement at this time? Arguing with random people, scrambling on the ground trying to get up, and panicking at the first scene of danger. What a rxed attitude¡­ "Earth Spike." - Ian Activating Earth Spike between me and the monster, I create a small window of opportunity for myself to retreat to the three of them. Unpleased with the unfavorable situation the monster stomps its spear on the ground whilst shouting at us. "?¦Ò¦Ö?¦Í ¦Ð¦Å¦Ñ¦É¦Å¦Ð¦Ï¦É?¦Ò¦Á¦Í¦Ó¦Ï ¦Ö¦Ñ¦Ç¦Ì?¦Ó¦Ø¦Í ¦Ó¦Å ¦Ð¦Ñ¦Ï¦Ò?¦Ä? ¦Ê¦Á? ?¦Ë¦Ë¦Ø¦Í ?¦Ñ¦Ö?. ¦ª¦Á? ¦Å?¦Ä¦Ï¦Í ¦Ï? "I guess not? Terrance, how''s Louis?" - Ian Turning my head back I see Terrance helping Louis up from the ground, the makeshift armor he was wearing crumbles as he stands. Fortunately, it did its job and Louis survived this fight but with him wobbling forward even with Terrance''s help, I doubt there is any more fight in him. "I''m¡­ Fine. Just a little bruised." - Louis "Fine is kind of an understatement." - Terrance "Sigh¡­ Shut up, Terrance. I know my body best. I''m fi- ARGH!" - Louis Gripping his side, Louis kneels down as his whole body trembles in pain. "Here. Take this potion. It will help, and Terrance, find some vines or something. We need to tie up this monster." - Ian "On it." - Terrance "Thank you¡­" - Louis I toss the potion to Louis, before bending down and releasing Scott of his duty as I grab the Lizardman''s arms. Making sure he wouldn''t be able to escape I pierce his feet and tail with my spider legs while holding onto his arms from behind. Not before long, Terrancees back with a bundle of vines. "Let me." - Scott Scott presides to tie the monster''s wrists and ankles together, making sure to do a couple ofyers since the monster can potentially break free. Even with the vines holding him down, I made sure to keep a hold of the monster. During this whole time, it seemed it had epted its situation and kept quiet. Maybe it is nning an escapeter or maybe it has just given up but regardless, it was now our prisoner. "Umm, Ian. I was wondering¡­ But while did we tie this monster up? Shouldn''t we just have killed it? Like the other 2?" - Terrance "Uhh, well I wasn''t nning to kill the other two Lizardmen, it just happened like that. As for why I''m keeping this one alive, I think it might prove to be useful. After all, it might respond to another race, or to some persuasion. Plus, I hope to find out why they were so close." - Ian "A little torture should suffice." - Scott "Torture? To a monster? Hrious." - Louis "Regardless, we go back. Oh! As for your test, you all pass. I''ll help you, even though the 3 of you couldn''t kill 1 Lizardman. I see some potential. Come. Follow me." - Ian With a prisoner in the form of a monster in my grasp and 3 potentially strong new yers, I smile to myself as I look forward to the future. There is still so much more to do, and who knows how much time we really have. We could all die by some world-ending event by tomorrow for all we know. It didn''t take long for us to retrace our steps and make it back to Everbloom. There I sought out a goblin scout to signal for Ster and Noah, while also telling Scott, Louis, and Terrance to get some rest. For them, it would have been an intense time, especially during the fight and the best thing for them right now is time to adjust and think. Training, questing, fighting, and more can be der. Right now, let''s find out more about this Lizardman. Chapter 349 349 - Following the River

Chapter 349 Chapter 349 - Following the River

"What do we have here, Ian?" - Ster Plopping the unconscious lizardman in front of Ster and Noah, I let out a small sigh as I realise what will be happening in the uing days. "Wait, Ste. I think I can answer that for you. Hmm¡­ It looks like a reptile¡­ Yes, yes. Male reptile humanoid. Hmm¡­ Quite tall and muscr. It-" Noah "Noah." - Ster "Sorry. There has been so many serious things to deal with, I haven''t had much of a break." - Noah "Haha, it''s fine, Noah. I found it and a small group of them in the river that eventually will lead to Everbloom. Which means there will most likely be more of them in theing days. I n to intercept them first, and attack them on their journey to Everbloom rather than fight a defensive battle." - Ian "But you don''t even know where you need to go. These monsters could have traveled days upon end to get to here. There shouldn''t be a need for you to travel so far out when we should be solidifying our forces here." - Ster "On the contrary to that thought, Ster. I think we are doing quite okay even with the new influx of people. There are more than enough tasks for those who are just wandering around between all 3 viges. Even more for us who are residents of each respective vige. There are tons to do, but that doesn''t mean we need everyone here. A few gone for a scouting mission won''t be missed. So, who will you be taking with you?" - Noah "I''m thinking Sr, Frank and Gyumi. Just us 4 should be more than enough." - Ian Looking at me with a face of disbelief, Ster shakes her head and firmly refused. "How can the 4 of you be enough? You should take more people. At least a few of the Forest Warden''s with you." - Ster "No, I want to move in a small group. Plus, Frank is technically an army on his own. I''m excited to see how much he has grown with his newfound powers." - Ian With that, the decision had been made. Ster shook her head as if she was still reluctant about my departure, but ultimately called the Wardens to ry the rendezvous with Sr, Frank, and Gyumi. Noah, on the other hand, just shrugged his shoulder with a slight smile, as if he knew this was going to be the end result. During the time I waited for them to arrive, I decided to walk around Everbloom and take a moment to rx. An hour or soter, the whole team had arrived at Everbloom, and they were sporting different equipment than before, then again, I haven''t seen some of them for a while. Dressed in an emerald robe with bronze highlights and bright yellow engravings, Sr smiles gently in my direction, while holding onto a long wooden staff with a red jewel at the end. Next to her, in tanned leather armor from head to toe with a forest green scarf wrapped around her neck, is Gyumi. Sparks zap across her pupils as she nods toward me. Finally, Frank dressed in all ck with tight fitted leather armor, and a ck cloak with a blood-red underside. Name: ??i?lo? (Sr) Race: Elf Health Points (HP): 80/80 Mana Points (MP): 50/50 Strength: 15 Vitality: 40 Intelligence: 100 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 25 Luck: 15 Skill: Shield of the Sun, Haste of the Sun, Touch of the Sun, Ball of Light, Illuminating Beam, Radiant Cross, Wooden Pir, Elven Arrow, Elemental Gathering, Blessing of the Sun (P), Grace of the Forest (P) Name: Frank Race: Vampire Variant (Psychic) Health Points (HP): 100/100 Mana Points (MP):?40/40 Demonic Energy (DE): 20/20 Strength: 35 Vitality: 50 Intelligence: 80 Dexterity: 39 Agility: 52 Luck: 11 Skill: Mind st, Soul Leech, Walk of Shadows, Bat Transformation, Blood Pool, Whish, Bronze Skin (P), Vampiric Offspring (P), Taste of Blood (P), Belial''s Gift (P), Dark Gathering (P) Name: Gyumi Race: Variant Hobgoblin (Electric) Health Points (HP): 96/96 Mana Points (MP): 44/44 Strength: 46 Vitality: 48 Intelligence: 88 Dexterity: 56 Agility: 78 Luck: 12 Skill: Backstep, Discharge, Electrical Pulse, Lightning Bolt, Thunderous Storm, Thunderp, Zip Dash, Electric Field (P), Breath of Lightning (P), Speed of Light (P) Radiant Cross (Active) 25MP - Create a 5x3m cross made out of light to inflict 500(+120% Int). Cooldown 30 min. Wooden Pir (Active) 5MP - A wooden pir of 1x1x10m will emerge out of the ground. Anyone struck will take 100(+80%Int). Cooldown 1min. Eleven Arrow (Active) 10% Maximum MP - Shoot an enchanted arrow made out of light and the will of the elves. It will pierce through most objects and deal 5% of their maximum HP. Cooldown 1 hour. Elemental Gathering (Active) 10MP - Gather the most prominent elemental power in the surroundings within or around the user. Duration 1 hour. Cooldown 6 hours. Grace of the Forest (Passive) - While inside a forest, the user will gain temporary power. All stats +10%. Blood Pool (Active) 10% Maximum HP and 10% Maximum MP - Be a pool of blood that can move around slowly. Duration 5 min. Cooldown 3 hours. Whish (Active) 5MP - Create a ck translucent whip made out of Mana. Striking an enemy will deal 100(+50% Str and 80% Int). Striking an ally will give them a temporary boost in stats (+10% Str and +10% Agi) for the remaining duration of this skill. Duration 15 mins. Cooldown 30 mins. Dark Realm Gathering (Passive) - Create a space in a different dimension for any Vampiric Offspring. Lightning Bolt (Active) 5MP - Shoot a bolt of electricity in the direction of the user''s hand. The bolt of electricity will spark around, damaging anything within a 1x1m radius from the point of impact for 100(+50% Int). Cooldown 10 min. Thunderous Storm (Active) 25MP - Create a storm cloud above the user''s head with a maximum radius of 10x10m. It will periodically shoot lightning down around the user. Anything hit by the lightning has a 50% chance to be stunned and take 300(+100%int) damage. Cooldown 3 hours. Thunderp (Active) 10MP - Release a sound wave around the user to deal 50(+80% Int). Cooldown 5 mins. Zip Dash (Active) 5MP - Blink in a direction for a maximum of 5m, and upon arrival a burst of electricity will be produced dealing 100(+10%int). Cooldown 1min. Breath of Lightning (Passive) - Any lightning based damage will only do half their intended damage to the user. Speed of light (Passive) - Each time the user uses a lightning based skill, gain 10% Agility for a total of 5 times. If the user gets hit or damaged, remove all Speed of Light stacks. "How is everyone, I know it is a littlete, but I''m sure none of you are too tired right?" - Ian "The night is usually when I go out on patrols, so this is pretty normal for me." - Gyumi "I wasn''t doing too much beforeing here, so I''m fine as well. I''m excited about a new adventure, though." - Sr "Things have been fine, my lord." - Frank Nodding back to everyone, smile and introduce them to the task at hand. "Alright, I asked Ster to give you a brief overview upon asking for everyone''s help, but I will go through it once more. I believe that Everbloom may be attacked soon, and if we get attacked at Everbloom then HavenFall and Krepost will be in danger. To reduce as much of the potential danger as possible, I will need us to seek out the source of danger first. From whom has currently tried to attack us, the lizardmen, I believe it is safe to assume, that they are going to be traveling via the river. If we follow the river, I''m sure we will find out who are our attackers. We are going to be a small group, but I believe we are more than enough to deal with the potential situations that will arise. Are we ready?" - Ian "Yes, my lord." - Sr, Frank, Gyumi "Alright, then here is the strategy I have thought of for our travel. However, before that, I do need to ask Frank something." - Ian "What do you need my lord?" - Frank "How many Vampiric Offspring are currently under yourmand?" - Ian "At the moment, I have about 20. With 5 of them being Elite Vampiric Offspring." - Frank "Elite, you say¡­ Good. Then we should be fine. I will need you to send out the fastest of your Vampiric Offspring to scout along the river first. They will be the scouting party, and their task will be to identify any and all potential dangers. Have 2 on our right and left at all times, and have another 5 behind us. The rest can stay with you. Gyumi, you will be above us in the trees. While you won''t be near the river as much as we are, your task will be to be our eyes, in case something approaches us, and Frank''s Vampiric Offspring does not catch them. Sr, and Frank will be on standby until battle or until we need to rest." - Ian "Yes, my Lord. Appear! Heed mymand¡­ Spread out and be our eyes and ears." - Frank With Frank summoning his army of Vampiric Offspring, the rest of us start to head out, following the river. Chapter 350 350 - Foggy Grove

Chapter 350 Chapter 350 - Foggy Grove

Unknown to Sr, Frank, and Gyumi, I already somewhat knew where we were heading and who had attacked us. The lizardmen had been sighted various times in the past and other yers have shared information about them, however, this information would only matter to you if you were in the West. Lizardmen were monsters that dwelled in the swamps in the West, with them venturing deep intond or out in the ocean. It seemed that they were able to thrive in different water conditions, and they were equivalent to the goblins that were roaming around HavenFall in its earlier days. However, the difference between the goblins and the lizardmen is that the lizardmen were constantly evolving and growing. They grew stronger over time, to the point that there were many variants of the lizardmen roaming around. I can only imagine what it would have been like if countless hobgoblins were roaming around HavenFall and the Krepost. Assuming that they came from the swamps in the West, that means this river that cuts through Everbloom, connects to the swamps and in turn connects to the ocean. The geography from this point on has a couple of key points. On the forums, they talk about two deadly zones that haven''t been properly mapped. The first is the obvious swamp area that covers most of the nd'' in the West, currently dubbed as the Toxic Hole and the second is closer to the Center, Foggy Grove. The swamp is called Toxic Hole due to the toxic gases that fill the environment,ing from the murky muddy slow-moving sludge that is the swamp. yers who have ventured into the Toxic Hole have experienced severe cases of nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and then some. Yet, despite this obvious downside, yers continue to venture into the swamp, because many treasures lie await deep inside. Toxic fumes and a disgusting river system aren''t enough for the yers to reconsider diving headfirst into the swamp. Moving from the West and towards the Center is the Foggy Grove. ording to the forums, there is a piece ofnd that divides the West and the Center, and with it being covered in a thickyer of white fog, there hasn''t been much documentation on it. However, that doesn''t mean there hasn''t been any documentation. Inside the Foggy Grove is abyrinth made out of twisting and turning dead trees. Their branches are as hard as steel, and they wrap around each other forming small paths that bend around and around. To the lucky few yers who have walked along the edge of the Foggy Grove or slightly inside of it, they have found items and equipment that were better than their peers. Going past the Foggy Grove will be essential to reaching the Toxic Hole. Once we arrive at the Toxic Hole, we will need to search for the lizardmen''s nest or maybe¡­ It''s not just the lizardmen that we are fighting. Maybe, just maybe, it is Cordelia. Moving at a fast pace and following along the river, eventually, Gyumi reports back to me, along with the scouting party from Frank. "My lord, there seems to be a cloud that has fallen From the sky. It is in our current nned route, and around it are mountain ranges." - Gyumi "The scouts in the front have also told me that it seems eerily quiet. There doesn''t seem to be any sound around us. Not even the sound of the wind." - Frank Gyumi is right, even though I saw the ever-growing mountains loom in front of us, I half-heartedly assumed that the Foggy Grove would just be after crossing the mountain range. While it pains me to say it, I was hoping it wouldn''t be the case of splitting the mountain in half and bing a choke point. Though, the more worrying part is that there haven''t been any monsters throughout this whole journey. "For now, stay alert, and we move towards the cloud that Gyumi is speaking of. I believe it is not a cloud that has fallen from the sky, but a foggy area, one that is formed most likely due to the terrain. The fog will slow our progress, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Frank, have the scouting party stop at the edge of the fog and wait there until we arrive." - Ian "Understood, my lord." - Frank With a wave of his hand, the Vampiric Offspring dash ahead of us, returning to their prior position of scouts. "My lord, for some reason, I''m feeling an energy that feels simr to mine the closer we get to this fog ce in front of us, but that shouldn''t be possible, right? I thought only Ster and myself were thest elves¡­" - Sr "Hmm¡­ I don''t know Sr. Maybe there are more elves than you thought?" - Ian "Maybe¡­" - Sr Like with knowing the general direction we are heading, there have been sightings of other elves. The forum has shown increasing interest in elves, especially when there were many sightings in the West, but that didn''t mean they were only on that side. There were a few sightings in the North and even the South, but the elves in the South looked drastically different from the beautiful depiction of elves. What Sr must have felt were the presence of elves in the West, and looking at how close she is feeling this ''energy'', there must be a group or even a small vige inside the Foggy Grove. Will they be friendly, or will they be hostile to us? There is no guarantee that, even with Sr, they won''t be hostile to foreign parties that enter their territory. However, there isn''t much we can do but press forward. It didn''t take us much longer to reach the edge of the Foggy Grove. Waiting for us was Frank''s Vampiric Offspring. They have not seen any movement from the Foggy Grove or the surrounding areas while they were waiting for us. At the moment it feels like a safe area, but that might change in a split second. Calling back the rest of the Vampiric Offsprings that were covering our sides and behind, Frank awaits my nextmand. "Alright everyone, from here on there is a chance we may get separated. This ce will have low visibility, and we have no information of what is inside of it. From what we can see, there are a lot of dead trees,pared to the lush forest that we have just passed. The river also goes into this ce, so we will follow it and use it as a guide. Frank, have your Vampiric Offspring scout ahead of us, but just far enough that we can still see them. As for the others, spread them out around us, but keep it a tight circle. Gyumi, stick with us for now, don''t go anywhere else. If we are attacked, focus on protecting Sr, and keep close together. If we are separated, then try to find the river and follow it. Looking at the current¡­ We will follow the flow of the river. Understood?" - Ian "Yes, my lord." - Frank, Sr, Gyumi Speaking directly to my mind, Selino, informs me of potential dangers. "Ian deary, be careful. Through all my years of being alive, not once have I ventured into this ce. In fact, I only knew of its existence through my spiders. I never came close and didn''t want toe close." - Selino "Hmm¡­ Well, there is no choice but to go through it." - Ian "I know, deary~ Don''t be so coy. OH! By the way, deary~ There is something I do need to tell you¡­" - Selino "What is it? Be quick." - Ian "My oh my, is that how you ask? Someone didn''t teach you manners. By you know, that is something I do~ Like from you." - Selino "Selino." - Ian "Hehehe~ Well, the thing I need to tell you is that very soon¡­ You will be able to use more of my powers." - Selino "What do you mean?" - Ian "You can''t possibly think that all I''m good for are my legs and spider web? There is sooooo~ Much more for you to uncover. Eventually, you will be fighting like how a King of Spider should be fighting." - Selino "Is that the way you told me to abandon the spear?" - Ian "YES~ Deary is so smart. I''m sure you will be able to tap into the different powers soon, but for now~ You will just have to be satisfied with what you have." - Selino "... Alright. Not much I can do but heed your advice." - Ian "Hehehe~" - Selino "Everyone. Let''s head inside. Frank, send out your Vampiric Offspring and we will follow them." - Ian "Yes, my lord." - Frank Frank''s Vampiric Offspring leap into the fog, disappearing immediately. Letting out a small sigh, I take the first step into the Foggy Grove, letting the cold fog wrap around my body as I proceed forward. Following me were Gyumi, Sr, and Frank, as we wade into the fog. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!