9 The New Toy
I'd taken a while to find shelter, but in the end, I found a gigantic tree that had to the size of about ten men linking arms in a circle. The sheer size of the tree was breathtaking, with Royal's help I'd climbed into the tree.
With that we watching the sun sink down into the sky, I had no idea how long I'd been in this minigame, but it felt like a lifetime. The constant threat of death was enough to make my stomach turn.
Settling into the tree with Royal's body wrapped around mine, it felt like I was in a giant and warm cocoon. With my free time, I decided that I would look through the ring that I had gotten from Matthew.
Twisting my hand, I had no idea how to open it in the least. However, it didn't take long to get what I wanted.
「Storage Ring Opening」
「Content of Ring: Fire Spells, Guidebook: Mayhem Wonderland, appraisal contacts x2, Clothes x5, tent, stove and etc. 」
After looking through most of the content of his ring, it was obvious that the first couple of things are the most important things in the storage item. A lot of the other stuff, I had in my own pack that I'd been gifted.
However, I didn't have a guidebook. It also appears that this guidebook was specific for this world that I was in. Then the next thing I found was called to be useful was the appraisal contacts.
Just judging by the name of the item, it was safe to say that it was something that could let me appraise things.
With a thought, I pulled the appraisal contact's out of the storage ring. A tiny black case with golden eyes on it appears in my hand, it had some weight to it. It couldn't see that much, I needed light, but if I used light, I would give away my position.
This was just not the best position for me to be in right now. I send the contacts back into the ring and lean back into Royal. It seems now that night has fallen all that I can do is sit back and relax and wait for the morning.
I run a hand through my hair and my finger is basically running through the grime of the day. Between the dirt and the blood, I was a hot mess for sure.
Just what in the world had I found myself within?
I couldn't help myself; tears began to run out of my eyes, everything was just so serial. I tried my best to be quiet, Royal wraps himself tighter around my body.
He moves his head atop of mine and he makes a soft hissing sound, I think he was trying to comfort me. That made me feel a little better, I still had someone with me, even if it was a huge snake.
I raise my hand and clack my cheeks. There was no time for me to feel sorry for myself, I was still in a do or die situation.
I decided to open my status and take a look at the new pawn that I'd gotten.
「Level: 8」
「Skill Points: 25」
「Intelligence (MP): 290(+120)
Strength:35
Luck: 35
Health: 433/1055
Agility: 15 」
My health was so low, I only had 433 left of it. It was safe to say that if I took a strong hit then I'd be dead. A shiver ran down my spine at that thought. Other than that, I'd gotten an increase in skill points and my HP and MP.
My HP and MP both had risen by forty points. That was defiantly a good increase, however, at the moment it wasn't enough. From first-hand experience, I knew that these monsters we're hard-hitting, and they didn't hold back.
I could use my twenty-five points and convert them into HP. That would only give me one hundred extra HP points. That wasn't enough of an increase for me to use them in that way. It was safe to say that I should put my points into my other stats.
「Unique Skills:
1. Samurai's Determination
2. Loved By Darkness
3. Sharpshooter (new) 」
Reaching a hand forward, I press on my new skill menu.
「Flavor Text: Like any good bow's man, you have to have sharp eyesight. The eyesight is the key to a hunter's success. With this, you've obtained the eyesight of a great hunter. 」
That was probably how Matthew was able to nail the clown in the head with such clean precision. This was a good skill; I'd have to get a good bow. When I was searching through the storage ring, I hadn't found a bow.
I think that the bow had been destroyed when Matthew got knocked back by the clown. A good skill yet not a bow insight, that was a little disappointing. Not wasting any time, I scroll down to look at the description.
「The player has obtained eagle-like eyes that allow the player to see with crystal clear vision up to a hundred meter. Increasing agility will also increase the distance that you can see. 」
For the time being, I wouldn't be able to use this skill to the best of my ability. I had no bow, and I wasn't sure I was going to pour a bunch of points into agility. At the moment, I think I'd sit on that for a bit, I didn't want to throw my points willy nilly.
I'd decide on that later, for now, I decide to look at the new monster that I'd obtained. I open up my special skills and head down to the monsters. Like last time a new monster was underneath my acquired monster.
「Special Skill:
1. Summon Familiars
a. Serpent of Night
2. Acquired Monsters
a. Basic Clown (8)
b. Clown Rider (17)
c. Mental Clown (new) (23) 」
He wasn't too expensive to summon. This monster was a humanoid monster and a relatively strong monster. It might be possible that he could speak… if he could speak, he could tell me about the other monsters that are inside the castle.
I knew at some point that I would have to venture into the castle. I already knew that the Queen Clown was a unique monster, that was something that Matthew had told me. He knew a lot about the minigame, but that might be partly due to the fact that he had the guidebook for this world.
"Mental Clown," I say softly.
With that in an open part of the branch in front of me, a golden circle appears on the ground and black smoke began to pour out of the golden circle in on the branch. It was very similar to when I first summoned Royal.
A figure began to appear in front of my eye, and the black smoke began to congeal in front of me. Soon a full-fleshed monster was sitting in front of me.
I was a little shocked at what appeared in front of my face.
A little boy that had round cheeks sat in front of me. His hair was long and in soft curls that frame his round golden-brown cheeks. Huge round golden eyes stare back at me, and within the eyes is a magic circle design. His eyebrows are both round and that same golden color.
His body was covered in a thin black shirt and pants, that was embroidered with a golden outline. His shoes are completely solid gold, he had a similar color pattern as the clown I killed, however, he looked nothing like the clown that I had killed.
He didn't look as scary as before, I reach a handout and press it into the face of the little boy sitting in front of me. A smile breaks out on his face when I poke his cheek.
"Mistress?" A soft cherub voice float through the air. The whole vibe surrounding this monster had changed, where had the aura of fear gone.
I felt puzzled at the development in front of me.
"You can speak and understand me?" I ask him after a moment of deliberation.
"Yes, Mistress," he says.
He scots closer to me and I felt my stomach flip flop. It was weird, I hadn't summoned any other monster's other than Royal. Plus, he came along with my special skill, this monster was one that I'd picked up from killing…
That didn't mean that it was loyal completely to me.
"Are you angry that I killed you?"
"No, not at all, Mistress!"
"Then you're only loyal to me?"
"Of course, Mistress, you're my Mistress. No one else," he explains with a stressed look on his face.
A wave of relief washes over my body. It seems that these monsters are mine and no one else.
"Then can you tell me a little bit about your skillset?" I ask him.
He kept moving forward and a sweet smile, almost like honey that wafted up from him. It was a little strange, it was a comfortable feeling that seemed to rise up from him.
"Mistress, I'm skilled in mental attacks. I can manipulate fear especially well. It's my best form of attack, but I can also use mental skills that can brainwash people. I can manipulate people; I have a charming skill.
The charm is easy to use on weak-minded people or people that are lower level than myself," he explains to me softly.
At this point, he had basically pushed his way closer into my body. It seems that this little boy was pretty attached to me.
"Are you trying to charm me?" I ask the small golden child in front of me.
A bewildered expression crosses his face.
"I wouldn't dare, I just want to be close to Mistress. Mistress is beautiful before I was yours, I was the Clown Queens underling," he tells me.
I felt my ears perk up at that.
"You mean that you worked directly underneath of the Clown Queen?" I couldn't mask my excitement.
I might have lucked out with the monster that I'd gotten. Maybe that Luck stat was going into play now.
"Yes, I was her personal attendant. She's a greedy woman," he says with a sullen expression.
I couldn't help myself; I reach my hand out and grab his face.
"I need you to tell me everything about that Clown Queen and anyone else. I need to know what I'm up against, when I make my way to conquer the castle," I tell him.
He quickly nods his head and I drop my hold on his face. His cute childlike features look up at me with a mixture of admiration and fear.
"Outside of the Queen, you've killed the Jack. But you've got the Princess, Prince and the Knight, and of course the King. There are other minion clowns, but they're nothing more than soldiers and magicians who are easily taken care of with your strength Mistress.
The Prince and Princess are bound to be together, they're like two sides of the coin. The Princess is capable of manipulating light and the Prince is capable of manipulating shadows. The Prince will try and attack you underhandly, while the Princess will attack you straight out.
However, the Princess and Prince are directly linked, if you can take one of them out, you'll cripple the other as well. I'd say that you'd have an easier time dealing with the Princess since she attacks more head-on. The Prince is slippery as an eel," he says.
I nod my head. It was going to be an uphill battle to clear this game.
"You mentioned that there is a Knight as well, what can you tell me about him?" I ask.
"The knight is loyal to the Queen, he's envious of the fact that the Queen's married to the Knight. He's able to also use mental attacks, and charm people. Outside of that, he's strong, he's good at what he does. I don't know much about him or the King to be honest with you.
The King isn't seen by anyone other than the Queen. The Queen basically runs the day to day of the castle. She's got the unique characteristic of Greed, she's able to steal your skills, with her Greed. She'll use her minions to try and bog you down," he finishes a wide look in his eye.
He was looking up at me like a puppy dog. I pat his head and mull over the information that he'd given me.
I had my work cut out for me it would seem.
At this point, I couldn't do anything else at this point in the night. I decided that I would just sleep on it.
"Was that helpful?" He asks me.
"Very, but I'm tired so it's time to sleep. I want you to keep a look out for me and make sure to wake me up if you see anything," I tell him as I lean backwards settling in for the long haul.
It might be dumb to just blindly trust this child in front of me. However, I got the odd feeling that he was being truthful, something about his aura just made me feel like he was being truthful.
