Chapter 44
Many days had passed in peace, as Nathan anticipated the arrival of their target, but in the meantime, he decided to use the pills he looted from the Spatial Ring of the ones who attacked the orphanage, after he made sure that they were safe for digestion. There was a total of 12 pills, which he split up by giving 4 to Sophie, and 4 to Nitis. They all had worked hard so far, and a little reward was appropriate.
Nathan heard from Grandpa that these were body strengthening pills, but their grade was not that high.
Nathan sat down, and put one of the pills in his mouth, which as soon as he swallowed it, turned into a stream of energy that spread around his body!
[EXP Gained!]
[Strength +5, Stamina +5]
Nathan looked at the notification, 'Not bad. Although, judging by the number of Stats it gave, it won't be enough for a level up, it's still a welcome increase in strength.'
Without hesitation, he ate the rest of the pills,
[EXP Gained!]
[Strength +5, Stamina +5]
[EXP Gained!]
[Strength +5, Stamina +5]
[EXP Gained!]
[Strength +5, Stamina +5]
'Whew' Nathan felt the energy rush around his body, making him feel relaxed.
He also took out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone,
'Since these can be used for cultivation, let's see how effective they are…'
Nathan decided to absorb the Spirit Stone by enveloping his Soul Force around it, slowly extracting its Energies and absorbing them into his body,
[EXP Gained!]
[EXP Gained!]
[EXP Gained!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulation! You have reached Level 12! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]
Nathan watched in surprise. He actually managed to level up in such a short period of time! He looked at the Spirit Stone in his hand, and noticed it had lost some of its luster, but it still contained a lot of Energy!
'No wonder he had so few of them on him! They are actually precious!' Nathan figured that with enough Spirit Stones, he could directly reach his Second Evolution!
He calmed down his excited heart, 'Slow and steady…'
He returned to absorbing Spirit Stones,
[Congratulation! You have reached Level 13! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]
[Congratulation! You have reached Level 14! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]
[Congratulation! You have reached Level 15! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]
[Congratulation! You have reached Level 16! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]
Nathan finally ran out of Spirit Stones after leaving a couple aside for emergencies,
'With one more quest, I can finally Evolve! But, I don't think that is a good idea right now… my accumulations are too little. I will strip the cult down to its bones! That should provide me with enough resources for a while…' Nathan's actions were never charity. He had his own plans for their treasury!
'Soon… very soon!'
***
One week later, Nitis came to Nathan with a letter,
"Your Highness, Ezra asked me to deliver this to you, claiming that it is of vital importance." Nitis kneeled down in Nathan's room, as he was busy Cultivating his Soul as usual. Cultivation was a very slow process, and to make progress required time and resources, hence why it cannot be rushed.
Nathan opened his eyes, and looked at the letter for a moment, before opening it. Within, there was only one sentence,
"The moon has risen!"
Nathan turned to Nitis, "Inform Grandpa. Call back all our Assassins, except those on intelligence duty. He is to meet me at Aunty's office in an hour."
"At once, Your Highness." Without another word, Nitis disappeared.
Nathan put the letter in his Spatial Ring, 'The time has come.'
Nathan looked at his System, 'I should power up one last time, just to be safe.'
Nathan began using his Skill points,
[Accuracy (Lv 3) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 2 Skill Points!]
[Strengthened Tissue Structure(Lv 1) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 4 Skill Points!]
[Increased Blood Circulation(Lv 1) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 4 Skill Points!]
[Improved Bone Density(Lv 2) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 3 Skill Points!]
[Enhanced Reflexes(Lv 2) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 3 Skill Points!]
[Enhanced instinct(Lv 1) has been upgraded to level 5 (Mastered) at the cost of 4 Skill Points!]
After upgrading some Skills that would directly increase his strength, Nathan decided to also evolve one skill,
[Accuracy (Mastered) has evolved into Greater Accuracy (Lv 1) with the cost of 10 points!]
He also tried to upgrade his Bloodline or Divine Abilities, but they cost way too much! So he set them aside for now, and took one last look at his status,
[Name: Nathan Netherstar]
[Species: Juvenile Royal Dragonborn]
[Title: Crown Prince of Darkness]
[Level 16]
Energy Cultivation Technique: None
Soul Cultivation Technique: Unchained Abyssal Reaper Manual
Rank 3 (Infant Soul Stage)
Divine Abilities: [Eighteen Gates of Hell](Locked), [Arise (Lv 1)]
Bloodline Abilities: [Partial Transformation (Lv 1)]
Secondary Professions: [Apprentice Curse Master]
[Stats]
HP: 1600/1600
Strength: 160 >>> 240
Agility: 140 >>>200
Stamina: 140 >>>160
Toughness: 90 >>> 120
[Skills: Trial of Darkness (Lv 2), Stealth(Lv 4), Soul Absorption(Lv 1)]
[Passive Skills: Blessing of Darkness (Lv Max), Enhanced Senses (Mastered), Focus (Mastered), Greater Accuracy(Lv 1), Reaper's Gaze(Lv 1), Strengthened Tissue Structure(Mastered), Increased Blood Circulation(Mastered), Improved Bone Density(Mastered), Enhanced Reflexes(Mastered), Enhanced instinct(Mastered)]
Stat Points: 150 >>> 0
Skill Points: 50 >>> 20
[Items: Moon Rock Necklace, Eye of Odin, Soul Essence Droplets 30x]
[Soul Bound Items: Sigil of Authority(Crown Prince), Mark of Inheritance(???)]
'Perhaps I'm being paranoid… but I get a very bad feeling about this cult… I do not think it is a mere small cult causing trouble…' He knew that he was being overcautious, and he was probably wrong, but he hoped that would be the case.
Nathan stood up, and left for Aunty Solina's office.
A storm was coming…
***
Nathan, Sophie, Grandpa, Aunty Solina and a few of the Assassins gathered in the office, where they usually held meetings,
"The person we were waiting for has arrived. We need a plan, and we need to act fast, before they can carry out whatever schemes they have behind the scenes." Nathan placed the letter on the table.
"I suggest we gather all our forces, and attack them tonight. We shouldn't give them time to prepare." One Assassin suggested.
"It is too risky. We do not have any information on how many people have come, and how strong they are…" Another Assassin pointed out.
"How about we use this information against them?" Everyone's attention turned to Sophie, who was standing beside Nathan, with Nitis standing on his other side.
Sophie stepped forward, "I say, we send a seizable group in for an attack, but have them run as soon as they are 'accidentally' discovered. This way, we can either lure the real enemy out, or lure most of their fighters away."
"Hmm. Little Sophie's plan is a sound one. There are many risks involved, but we should be able to pull it off." Grandpa nodded in agreement.
"I agree, but it has one flaw… if the enemy has a trap prepared that our Assassins cannot escape from, then we will suffer heavy losses." Nathan pointed out.
"Instead… we will have the same Assassins attack them directly. So far, all our operations have been covert. Then we will change tactics. We have one problem however…"
"The Royal Guard…" Aunty Solina said seriously.
"Yes… I believe they won't sit back as we fight in The Capital. We need to be swift. If we are unlucky, even a Fourth Stage Cultivator may get involved."
"Nothing we can do about that, I'm afraid." Grandpa said.
"Yes. If there is nothing else, then everyone should start getting prepared. The target is staying at The Silver River Merchant Company's Headquarters. We will strike at mid-night." Nathan said.
Soon, everyone left, leaving Nathan and Grandpa alone, "What do you think?"
Grandpa smiled, "I think that as long as you are here, then everything will work out, Your Highness."
Nathan chuckled, "What about the strength of our Assassins?"
"2 Mid-Level , 5 Low-Level Third Stage and 27 High-Level Second Stage Assassins. The rest are busy with different tasks." Grandpa announced proudly!
"… That is a lot stronger than I had anticipated. 27 High-Level Energy Gathering Stage and 7 Meridian Opening Stage Assassins… That's a relief." Nathan sighed.
"Grandpa, I'm leaving the strongest enemy to you. If you can't capture them alive, do not hesitate to kill them. We will capture the second strongest."
"Even though, the second strongest might not have the information we want?" Grandpa raised an eyebrow. Surely, his young Prince was aware of this issue.
Nathan nodded his head without hesitation, "Yes. This entire operation is because of my selfishness. If anyone has to pay a price for it, it must be me."
Grandpa nodded slowly, but then shook his head, "Young Prince, know that every ruler must be selfish and ambitious, else those under their rule will suffer. It is up to the ruler themselves, to pick their selfishness, and their ambitions."
Suddenly, a sword and four daggers appeared in front of Nathan, hovering gently,
"This is a gift to you, Your Highness. I hope they can help you in our battle ahead."
Nathan looked at the gifts in awe…
The sword was made of a special kind of ore that was pitch black. Along the blade, there were silver lines akin to lightening, and the handle was carved intricately, along with a silver hand guard. The sword was so sharp, Nathan felt it could cut his hand without touching it!
The daggers were of the same design as the sword.
Nathan switched his hidden daggers for the new ones, and put the sword in his Spatial Ring.
"These are Artifacts that I had ordered specifically for you. I hope you like them." Grandpa said.
"Thank you Grandpa, for this amazing gift." Nathan was grateful. In his last battle, he realized that a mortal weapon was no longer suitable for his current strength. On the contrary, it even prevented him from unleashing his full strength. But now, he was ready.
Nathan and Grandpa left the room as well, preparing for the night ahead…