Chapter 261. Completing the Altar collection

The party focused next on the Altars numbered 1, 2, and 3, two of which Michael had previously activated near Nevesk.

After some back-and-forth and clearing some more undead, the group found number 3 hidden upon a cliff in the Eastern Pass.

"Where next?"

[Hmm... let's move in order since I have them numbered. Number 4 is relatively close. From there, we can go to the Nostrava area and continue.](Neyrelle)

With Tia and Evelyn happy that they got to grind monsters into fine dust, they ventured to the following location.

As one of the first locations he visited after coming to Kyovashad, Michael helped the girls dispatch more bandits and undead as they activated the Altar. 

When it was finally his turn, all they had to do was collect the drops as they waited. 

Surprisingly, they also found a Silent Chest, dropping Michael's Whispering Keys down to four.

[When we return to Kyovashad, I'm buying 10 Whispering Keys. It's better to have them and rot in my inventory than not have them when exploring...](Tia)

[Yes, yes!](Evelyn)

Riding on horseback, they took the northern path to Nostrava, and Neyrelle led them to the Altar numbered 6.

It was very well hidden among the trees and vegetation, and the exhausting presence of Ice Clan goatmen and berserk wildlife didn't help either.

In Michael's mind, for every couple of steps they had to take, there were at least five goatmen they must first clear.

[Whooowhooo! Where next, Neyrelle!?](Tia)

[Let's enter Nostrava first. There's actually a hidden Altar behind one of the houses.](Neyrelle)

"Oh, I know that one. I found it with Helen when we helped clear the Stronghold Event. Let's go, I'll take you there."

Moving throughout the region, Michael took his time to explain what he experienced in each area during his Quests or Dungeon dives.

Furthermore, it also helped him strengthen his grip on his memories. That way, he wouldn't sound suspicious if someone asked him about his past.

After paying five gold coins each, the owner of the house allowed them to visit the hidden Altar, prompting a strange look on the Necromancer's face. 

Business geniuses are hidden everywhere, it seems.

The number 5 was southwest of Nostrava, on the road to Nevesk, so they claimed it also while planning their next 'scenic route.'

Moving further north, they dispatched all the monsters they came across - though the numbers were less than expected due to the other Wanderers repeatedly slaying them this past week - and reached Melnik's Hill, where another Altar was activated: number 7.

The eight was further east from their location, so they quickly grabbed that and then traveled north where number 9 was hidden.

"It looks like numbers 10 and 27 are near and in the Kor Dragan Stronghold. Let's go. I know the locations."

It was surprising to see the Kor Dragan fortress still infested with Vampires and undead, but Michael understood that the church had other priorities at the moment; therefore, they couldn't maintain the entire Fractured Peaks clear of monsters.

Shaking his head inwardly, he led the group further toward the 11, 15, and 17 Altars, which were clustered in the same relative area.

From the Deep White to the Kylisk Plateau and then descending the cliffs into the Oylam Tundra, the girls appeared to enjoy themselves terribly.

Not only were they exploring areas they'd never been to before, but they also had the chance to wipe the floor with various types of monsters.

The 'Mother's Chosen' Elites kept popping up around some Altars and appeared to be the girls' favorites since they yelled the loudest while getting the beatdown of their lives.

The horses also seemed to enjoy themselves as they rapidly galloped through the vast expanse of land, enjoying the slightly cold air.

Snow was already melting everywhere, with Spring being on the horizon.

Numbers 16, 18, and 20 were hard to find, but the trio managed to locate them before noon.

What posed a problem was the second Silent Chest Michael found and opened under the jealous eyes of the three girls, prompting them to kick up a fuss about stopping at a nearby city to buy some Whispering Keys.

Fortunately, all cities were pretty far away, and they compromised in the end. Leaving the Shivering Wilds behind, they continued their exploration of Fractured Peaks.

While taking his time to brag and explain how he had alone cleared Malnok of a Stronghold Event, he brought the girls to activate Altar number 28, which was also hidden in one of the houses.

Luckily, this time, they didn't have to pay, as the previous owner vacated the house since he was a highly religious person.

From Malnok, they traveled east back into the Shivering Wilds and found number 19.

"Looks like for the 23, 24, and 25, we'll have to enter the Serac Rapture. That's the church's territory since they've been using it to train lately. Let's play it safe. Don't engage or provoke them."

[[[Got it!]]]

Number 24th was the closest, and it took them about 20 minutes to get there by riding on horseback at a pretty fast pace.

The trio almost cried upon seeing another Silent Chest but immediately rejoiced upon seeing that the items were only Rare-grade.

Furthermore, even Michael only had 2 Whispering Keys left, so they took pleasure in his misfortune since they couldn't open any by themselves.

Moving through the familiar Fields of Judgement and the Serac Rapture, the Necromancer told them of his 'pilgrimage' before meeting the famous angel, Inarius.

The stories helped lessen the annoyance of riding and constantly stopping to deal with monsters, especially since number 23 was hidden in the far north of the MAP.

"Looks like that's the last one in this area. As for the others... It took us almost an hour to get to this one, and the next closest is in Yelesna. I say we quick-travel to Yelesna first; otherwise, we'll just waste time."

After getting consent from the trio, he watched them use the portals to Yelesna and used his to follow only after he confirmed that all three had safely left.

Numbers 21 and 22 were quickly located, and Michael explained how he found Neyrelle in this area.

He also talked about the other Side Quests he had completed here, except for the one with the masochist lured into the forest by a Succubus.

After all, the girls were relatively young, and certain R-18 stories were unsuited for their ears.

Returning to Yelesna, the party took the Waypoint back to Kyovashad, content with their activities today.

Upon opening their Region Progress, everyone saw a 28/28 for the Lilith Altars.

Michael's renown also increased to 2,990, seriously bothering his slightly OCD side.

Closing the interface practicing an 'out of sight, out of mind' method, he engaged in a conversation with the trio again, asking about their Kyovashad's Herald following edition to distract himself.

With the girls insisting on visiting the Purveyor of Curiosities to stock up on Whispering Keys, Michael had no choice but to follow them and do the same.

After his Murmuring Obols dropped to 418/515, the group next bothered Orzen and his wife, dumping all their 'hard-earned' equipment on the man.

The Necromancer was satisfied upon seeing his gold reserves increase by an additional 428,222, bringing his grand total to 531,733.

He was well on his way to becoming a millionaire again.

Returning to the Pink Palace, he couldn't help but think of the two Legendary items he got from the Silent Chests.

It wasn't that they were terrible... but even if the overall levels of the items he found were higher, the affixes on the ones he wore were much better.

For example, the amulet he found compared to his currently equipped one.

[ Undying Necklace (+4)

Legendary Amulet

558 Item Power (+20 from upgrading)

-----------------

* +20.4% Resistance to All Elements

------------------

* +7.8% Damage

* +14.7% Ultimate Skill Damage

* +13.3% Total Armor

* +1 Rank to All Corpse Skills 

Legendary Aspect: When you cast a skill, you heal for 2.6% of your Life Points. Double this bonus while below 50% Life Points. 

+170 Armor (Skull slotted) ]

[ Chain of Accursed Touch

Legendary Amulet

577 Item Power 

-----------------

* +14.9% Resistance to All Elements

------------------

* +94 Maximum Life

* +4.5% Attack Speed

* +1.7% Resource Cost Reduction

Legendary Aspect: Lucky Hit - Up to a 43.5% chance for your Skills to inflict Vampiric Curse on enemies. Enemies afflicted with the Vampiric Curse are also Vulnerable.

Vampiric Curse's stored souls deal 57.0% increased damage.

Empty Socket ]

While the new Legendary Aspect was quite intriguing, he wasn't very interested in it at the moment.

Furthermore, he could wait until Level 60 to swap his equipment since, according to Helen, that's when he would get better drops.

As for when he'd hit Level 60... seeing his experience bar stop at 1,374,238/1,666,350, he sighed and decided not to bother.

Fortunately, he had earned an extra paragon point after crossing 75% of his current level, which he immediately... decided to keep for later.

After all, he wasn't sure if the direction he took was good or not.

'Seems like I must plan a meeting with Natalia and ask her for some advice. There's also the preparation for my Second Class Awakening. Those crappy Quests don't even show on my interface anymore... I wonder if it's bugged.'

Sighing, he asked the system to recall the two Quests he had been issued before.

[ Paragon Page Quest has been issued - Walking Alone

Objective 1: Clear 2 Strongholds alone

Objective 2: Clear 10 Nightmare Dungeons alone. 

Description: The Sanctuary is preparing a path specifically for you. To walk it, you must prove your commitment. 

Special note: The unique Glyp Experience gained through Nightmare Dungeons will be stored until the Paragon Page Quest has been cleared. ]

[ Class Awakening Quest has been issued - Master Necromancer

Objective 1: Complete 10 Side Quests

Objective 2: Reach Level 55

Objective 3: Upgrade your minions

Description: The Sanctuary strongly suggests you walk the Path of Rathma, The Firstborn, Master of Death. To do so, your Class must remain pure, and you must become more entuned with the Essence of Death. ]

Fortunately, after participating in the 'Closed Beta' of the new Nightmare Dungeon experience, his Paragon Board had already been opened.

Not only that, but he was also rewarded with two random Rare Glyphs he could unlock once he reached a Glyph Socket when distributing his points on the board.

As for the second Quest...

'*Sigh* I am still a bit over three levels away from reaching the second requirement. The first one is easy to handle, and Natalia will sort the third out soon. All the more reasons to contact her later today and ask her for an update and some advice for my Paragon build.'

Overall, he was a bit worried since he wasn't sure how to proceed. For example, the second Legendary item he found today in the Silent Chests was a helm.

The helm had crappy affixes when compared to his current one; however, it did provide more Armor.

[ Adventurer's Helm of Exploding Mist

Legendary Helm

432 Item Power

-----------------

540 Armor 

* +16 Willpower

* +7.0% Total Armor

* +6.0% Barrier Generation

* +14% Cold Resistance

Legendary Aspect: Blood Mist triggers Corpse Explosion on surrounding Corpses. When Blood Mist detonates a Corpse, its cooldown is reduced by 0.2 seconds (Necromancer Only).

+2.5% Maximum Life (Rubby Slotted) ]

[ Blood Getter's Boneweave Helm

Legendary Helm

580 Item Power

-----------------

725 Armor (+185 when compared to the currently equipped item)

* +101 Maximum Life

* +29 Life per Second

* +4.0% Lucky Hit Chance

* +14% Cold Resistance

Legendary Aspect: Your Skeletal Priest now also empowers you at 56% effectiveness (Necromancer Only).

Empty Socket ]

It was yet another new type of Aspect he hadn't seen before. However, he wasn't sure if he could fit it in his skill build just yet.

'In the end, I need some advice. No matter how much I experiment on my own, hearing from someone with more experience than me in this domain makes more sense. Let's contact her.'

As he found only Sophia, the head maid, in the garden waiting for them, he quickly inquired about the situation of the other four girls. 

[They have yet to return. Would you prefer to get some food now, or do you want to wait for them?](Sophia)

"We'll wait for them, but if you could, please prepare some sandwiches for us in the meantime. I am okay, but the girls haven't eaten anything since morning."

[Oh, my! I will see to it.](Sophia)

After handling the food and seeing that the rest of the girls were still out, he operated his Ring of Communication.

For the first time, he took a good look at how it was actually working but couldn't figure it out.

Imbueing some of his Essence into it and thinking of Natalia, the ring automatically connected to her 'frequency.' 

As for its more intricate knowhows, they were nothing but rocket science to the current him.

[Michael?](Natalia)

"Hello. I'm sorry to bother you, but it looks like I might require some extra help from you."

[Hmm? What's going on?](Natalia)

Briefly explaining the conundrum he found himself facing, Natalia agreed to meet with him in three days.

According to her, the materials needed for his minions' strengthening were also ready.