27-29
[ARC 1] CHAPTER 20: THE LORD OF EVIL'S TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
Zzzzz... I'm awake! Alright, yesterday, I explored the castle, aka, the Ruins of Rebellion, and then... I got enough EXP to evolve!
Did it work? My body feels a little heavier than before... especially my chest. As for my limbs... only two legs and two arms. And they're human arms! They're kinda white... no, pale is better to call it. The nails have a faint purple color and look a little sharp for a human, but not so much as for the nails of an ogre. Or, what I imagine an ogre's nails would look like.
I took out a full-length mirror I had taken from the castle so I could see myself as a whole.
...Gyaaa!! Scary! What the f*ck!?
What reflected in the mirror was a white-and-black-haired girl. Notable traits include black and purple horns, red-purplish eyes with black sclera, and black markings that looked like dried-up blood that flowed from her eyes once. She almost looks like a... "fresh" devil-zombie.
I took a better look at myself after the initial shock and saw that I'm... pretty good-looking. Except for those tears-of-blood tattoos. There's a single line on the right eye and two on the left. Hm? There are some turquoise eye shade-like marks on the left eye.
Oh, that's the Evil Eye. It did say this could appear for some races. But wasn't the Evil Eye on my right? The Kigal-Note's did say that evolution could make some changes such as with your dominant hand switching from right to left, but to think that's also true with Evil Eyes...
When I activated it, my left eye turned turquoise in color. When I turned it off, I noticed that my eyes already had slits in the pupils, not just when the skill's in use. It gives them quite a demonic appearance.
Same with the ears. They're more pointy than a human, but not so much as an elf. Kinda like the ears of an imp? Not that I've seen either one of them, but it feels like that.
As for my hair, it reaches my shoulders and is pure white. There are also some black highlights on the front and the sides. It seems like it would be a pain to take care of if it was longer, not to mention getting in the way for stuff, so this length's good.
My teeth... are the sharp kind, but nothing too weird. And it seems I can still make use of that [Poison Fang] skill~...*sigh*.
As for the rest of me... gotta blame it on [Golden Ratio]. I mean, an ogre shouldn't have such a dynamite body. Just gotta ignore that it followed my ideal...
To summarize, the rest of my body looks almost no different from a human woman. The Albino trait has colored the skin just like someone that's stayed too much of a shut-in, but thinking about the other alternatives, this is more acceptable.
There are some black marks on my body that look like wounds if I had to name them. Some fancy tattoos for the lord of Rasetsu Ogres?
I don't know if it's related to the marks, but my body's feeling a little stiff. You know, when your limbs are asleep? It's kinda like that at half strength, but across your whole body. I'm gonna need to get used to this feeling. No more unnecessary movements here.
As one could guess, I've got no clothes. Good thing I stole so many from the castle. What clothes do I-*clink*-hm? What's this? There's some kinda jewelry on the floor, right next to where I was asleep. An earring? Not the pierced type.
A piece of a Darkness attribute gem refined with the aura of Demonic Beasts.
This piece of jewelry can only be used by those who master the dark arts of magic. It is also seen as a symbol of status among demon magicians.
Oh? This is one of those Evolution Bonuses that the goddess talked about before I reincarnated? But to give me a magician-related item... and I need to increase [Darkness Element] to use it...
Let's hope for the Skill Growth potions to land on that. In the meantime, this one's grounded in the Storage until the skill reaches Lv.20.
While I dress up, let's see what the System Messages have to say.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Evolution completed.
Due to having reached racial rank S (E+), the amount of Skill Point value has increased to 0.3 Points.
Due to evolution to an Extra Race: additional bonus to stat values acquired.
Through evolution, lost trait: Arachnid. Skills lost: none.
Through evolution, trait: Low Demon has advanced to trait: Demon
Through evolution, acquired trait: Royal Monster
Special conditions cleared.
Trait: Empty Demon Vessel has evolved into trait: Dark Demon Vessel
Through evolution, acquired skills: [Mana Burst (Darkness) Lv.1], [Energy Warfare Lv.1], [Presence Perception Lv.1]
Through evolution to an Extra Race, acquired skills: [Shapeshift (Humanoid) Lv.1]
Through Promotion Evolution, acquired skills: [Evil Royalty Lv.1], [Royal Authority Lv.1]
Acquired title: [Lord of Evil]
...Hm? Hhhmmmm??? Common Sense-san, are you slacking here?
What's all this about!? There are 6, count them, SIX new skills here! And those titles... I'm just gonna ignore them for now. They feel too broken.
I was thinking I would get something outta this royal evolution, but this much...
Ehm, the "advanced" Demon trait has made it easier for me to lose Karma Value, given my Darkness- and Chaos attribute-related abilities a small EXP-boost, plus giving me the same weakness to the Holy attribute as before. Oh, and an increased chance of inflicting the Fear ailment, along with improving the Fear-effect itself.
Royal Monster is giving Leadership Skills a proficiency boost too, along with higher charisma abilities? Oooookay?
As for Dark Demon Vessel, it has adapted to my Darkness-playing style, I guess. Including its previous abilities, it now makes it easier to obtain Darkness attribute skills, and for some reason, I'm now taking passive damage from sunlight!? Am I a vampire or something!? Now I seriously need that resistance skill... And the Message said it had "evolved" and not "advanced" like the Demon trait. What's that supposed to mean?
The skills are easier to understand.
And the title... I think I'm gonna ask Gust about that. Check what the public thinks about that one. And I wanna raid the castle again. These clothes aren't the best out there, even if they do the job for now. A simple shirt and pants, plus some leather shoes... wonder if I could weave clothes with my threads?
As I was thinking about that, I stepped out to find Gust and the mole crew.
"Garami, did you wake---GYAAAA!! ZOMBIE!!!" - Gust
At least mention the demon-parts, you scardy-bird.
---
"Seriously, give a warning the next time." - Gust
Really? Because the moles didn't freak out. But I'll keep it to myself. The raven's turned so pale it's visible through his feathers.
I gave him a quick rundown of the changes from the evolution.
"I expected that much. As for the Evil Lord, it is a title obtained by having the [Evil Royalty] and [Royal Authority] skills. The title increases your likability with evil-type creatures, meaning demons, undeads, vengeful spirits, and all that." - Gust
Ahh, they are a species that hunts Dread Spirits.
"Better said, they are a species designed to hunt them. That Mana Burst skill must be used to drive off the Spirits, and [Presence Perception] is to locate them." - Gust
If that's the case, then the Shapeshifting skill must be for making them look like a possible victim for the Spirits, rather than a hunter? No, that can't be it. At least, I can't imagine the Dread Spirits stopping just cause their prey looks strong. Speaking of strong...
I'm stronger than I thought! 5 stats have breached the 200-line, and the rest is close behind. Except for VIT. And I've yet to max the MAG enhancement skill as well.
While we're at the subject, time to upgrade another skill. The more high-tier skills I have, the higher chance for at least one of them to be affected by those Skill Growth potions. As for the one I want...
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired skill: [Parallel Processing Lv.1]
It's this one. [Parallel Processing] goes one notch higher than Thinking, to the point where one could expect one had multiple minds. The further evolved skill does that for real though.
Now that's outta the way, time to chug down this sucker!
"...Hey, is that..." - Gust
*Glug, glug, glug... glug?*
N-n-na-na-na-na-
"Na?" - Gust
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Spider Thread] skill level has reached Lv.Max
Skill, [Spider High-Thread] has been unlocked.
You have earned 0.6 Skill Points
Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.6 Skill Points were earned.
Special requirements fulfilled.
Skill, [Spider Lord's Thread] has been unlocked.
You have earned 1.5 Skill Points
Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 1.5 Skill Points were earned.
"Na-naaastyyyyy!!" - Garami
"Ah, she spoke." - Gust
What the heck's this!? It feels like drinking sludge mixed with soft cream, water, expired milk, yogurt, jalapeno-and-chili extract, candy floss, soda, acid, gasoline, and a hint of lemon and lime. It also feels like it has chunks of fruit, olive, coffee beans, meat (cooked, grilled, AND raw), ice cubes, garlic, onion, and-!
"Oi, you alright?" - Gust
"Do I look alri-*Chomp*-ow!" - Garami
My dondue. (My tongue.)
"First off, do not speak so fast when you do so for the first time of your life." - Gust
Uuuhh... I have nothing to retort to that...
"And for the second, did you not know about the 'lethality' of Skill Growth potions?" - Gust
Only got them as Quest rewards...
"Not sure if you could call it a 'reward'. From the looks of it, you got lucky." - Gust
"Just how!?" - Garami
"Nice tsukkomi. What I mean is that nobles all over the world finance the research for a more 'useable' version of the potion. Word is that every result turned out worse than the next. Some rumors even say that one could fell a dragon by having them swallow one of those trial versions." - Gust
A dragon!? ...I'm gonna be more careful what I put in my mouth from now on. And to think I was complaining about the frog meat before...
"Didn't you say that you got more of those from rewards?" - Gust
No, I didn't.
"Yes, you did. Bottoms up, miss battle potential~." - Gust
You, you Ooogggrrreeeeeee!!
---
*Urgh*
My, my stomach...*bleargh*
Tha-*ugh*-that demon bird... he forced that rainbow-colored sludge down my throat... I'm feeling sick... As for the result...
Why did I get [Lockpicking]... getting some levels on [Discovery] and [Discern] is a good thing, but why didn't [Darkness Element] get some love? My current Skill Point value is 8.0, but I'll be saving them in case of an emergency.
Despite my nausea, I keep on mapping the castle. I even commandeered a Battlemage's Robe, which is an easy-moving piece of Light Armor. Turns out there's leather sewn into it.
Think of it as a magician's robe that's been remade for a martial artist, or a scout. It even gives a small boost to magic... and the hood on it is making me relax~. The only downside is that I've gone from a Grey Demon to a Brown Demon with this robe and my pants. The shirt's luckily black... or if I went all brown, would someone mistake me as an Earth attribute? Damn it, I should have thought of that!
I've also taken one of the better daggers I found. It's not like I'm gonna become a master with weapons just 'cause I've got opposable thumbs. I'm not confident enough to swing those Steel Swords. Besides, they require me to have Lv.10 in [Swordsmanship] to equip them.
The dagger's just a safety measure. My threads remain my best weapons even now. They're still being produced from my fingers, so I can't equip any gloves except fingerless ones, but that's a small price to pay.
Also, I'm serious about the "equip" thing. Just check this out!
Equipment Page:
Battlemage's Robe (Old)
DEF: 25 MDEF: 35
Abilities:
Wrought-Iron Dagger (Old)
ATK: 28
Leather Shoes (Old)
DEF: 11
Stone Defense Ring (Poor)
Abilities:
Clothes without any notable abilities, such as the shirt and pants, aren't registered on this thing. DEF and MDEF are defensive power against physical- and magical damage respectively. ATK is attack power. There's also a MATK value for weapons that enhances magic.
As for the ring I picked up, the status boost isn't registered on the Status Page. A PVP player (so to say) that relies on [Identification] to probe his opponent must remember to also check their equipment. It also means I can't cheat evolution requirements that require certain values of a stat or two.
Now that's outta the way, let me say this: the whole castle's damn empty!! I can't even find the E in Enemy! But I don't know if this is true for the whole castle, so I can't make the moles search the place!
Since I'm feeling somewhat stiff with the current evolution, I've been more careful with my search. Such as using threads to open doors from a distance, making use of the armor-puppets to look at suspicious boxes for Mimics, having my eyes (and [Discovery]) open for any traps or secret doors, everything that I could come up with.
If there was some kinda map or explanation of this place... therefore, I'm in search of the library. Castles should have something like that. But if I'm right in that this is a fortress instead, then maybe not...
I kept on walking through the empty corridors until I found a big door with a sign on. This is either a big chance to get treasures or another one of those Quest Challenges.
[Kitchen]
...Well, good food can be considered a treasure? Not sure if anything here's still fresh enough to be eaten.
I slowly opened the door while having my puppet knight ready to enter-
"Stop wasting so much time and get in already!!" - Manly voice
Eep! Huh? There's someone inside? Hm? My body's moving on its own? Hey, wait! Don't go in there without a plan! But I can't even shout in the despair!
After entering the kitchen, I regained control of my body again. It's pretty big, but there was no one at the stoves or the kitchen benches. There was enough kitchen equipment lying around.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen was a burly man, more fit for the gym than the kitchen. Another Living Spirit. I could see the black spots on the roof like with the general from the graveyard. His skills are a mix of high-level fighting skills and mediocre-level cooking types. Another battle?
"Now, what are you waiting for?" - Macho man
Even if you tell me...
Quest Challenge!!
The Remnant of Rebellion is being kept by the main chef for safeguarding.
Voyager, show that you are not a brute that solves every problem with force.
HUUUUH!? Hey, who're you calling a brute?
"Hmph. Seems like you're finally ready to begin. Now, change out of those rags and get working." - Macho man
As if I have anything to change into! These are my best clothes just so you know!
Before I noticed it, a magic circle had started shining below my feet. When the glow disappeared, I had...what the f*ck's this!?!?
Equipment Page:
Little Imp Maid's Headdress
DEF: 10 MDEF: 15
Abilities:
Little Imp Maid's Dress
DEF: 25 MDEF: 15
Abilities:
Little Imp Maid's Armbands
DEF: 10 MDEF: 5
Abilities:
Little Imp Maid's Underwear
DEF: 5 MDEF: 15
Abilities:
Little Imp Maid's Skirt with Garterbelt
DEF: 15 MDEF: 10
Abilities:
Little Imp Maid's Shoes
DEF: 10 MDEF: 10
Abilities:
Who came up with this maid uniform!? No maids with respect for themselves would wear this moe-uniform! Glad the skirt's not the mini-type. But why's the chest part so boldly open? I like the dark purple color scheme, but even so...
"Hmph. You demons always have a wacky sense of style." - Macho man
Excuse me, but I didn't pick this you know!? Not that I told him that. Not because I was ashamed, but because biting my tongue before has made me more careful about opening my mouth.
Wait, I'm not feeling ashamed over this moe-maid uniform? Not one bit? I wasn't agitated when I first woke up with this body. Hmm?
"Well, get to work already! Wash all the utensils and place them where they belong." - Macho Man
That's the assignment? Some dishwashing? Is that really allowed?
Questions kept on popping up as I decided to make quick work of the macho doofus... wait a sec. Isn't this a good opportunity?
---
"Wow! That is some fast, but strange-looking, piece of work. Good going, wimp." - Macho man
Yeah, I know... did you just call me 'wimp'?
I finished the cleaning in record speed by using my new [Spider Lord's Thread] and [Parallel Processing] to work on multiple posts around the kitchen at once. The new threads can become so hard and resistant that they chipped the iron sword I tested them out on before. Using them for some dishwashing all over the place is nothing.
As if signalizing that my work was done, the magic circle from before reappeared and changed me back to my old clothes.
"Guess I have to reward you then. Now, where did that piece of scrap go to... ah, here. Catch" - Macho man
Whoa!? Don't throw stuff around!
Quest Challenge cleared!!
Why did I get the last one!?
"You should go to the library left after you exit the corridor. They complained about someone missing one of the legs to that scrap heap before. Then, take care." Said the macho man before fading out. Did he ascend or something?
He mentioned a library, so I'll go there next. Hopefully, I'll get some more info there, and another Remnant.
And hey, since some of these Living Spirits seem to be able to converse to, despite this time being completely one-sided due to me, maybe some librarian could tell me more about the castle?
As for the rewards: Slam Dunk Storage Seal!!
---
I followed the instructions of the macho chef and managed to locate the library. This better not be a trap... let's use Mr. Puppet Knight to check.
"Wel...welcome? Can I help you?"
From the sound of it, an adult female. The calm, collected type, even if she's surprised by the puppet knight first.
I entered after the puppet and saw one heck of a library. Shelves on shelves ON SHELVES with books were lined up. This single room's got enough space to hold the whole castle.
At the crank by the entrance was what appears to be the librarian of this place. Tall, neatly dressed, long hair, dynamite body, and... a Living Spirit. DAMNITALL!!
"Oh, hello. Can I be of assistance?" - Librarian
I Identified her, and she's close to no battle skills. And those she has are only because they can ALSO be used as such. Heck, one of the moles could defeat her if they had to. Gust? Never a chance.
"Ehm, hello?" - Librarian
Crap, I have to respond. Then... why am I hesitating? Just say "Hand over the Remnant!" and be done with it. Yeah, let's do that...I can't do it.
I-it's not because talking to someone's scaring me or something. I've got Fear Res at max, you know? And I'm perfectly fine with Gust and the moles, you know? And the macho chef handled all the talking before, so it's not like I was scared of talking back then either, you know!?
J-j-j-j-ju-just calm down, me. I-i-it's simple, don't freak out, just ask about that piece of armor (?) and be done with it. Stop acting all shy and stupid just 'cause she's your first, real partner in a conversation since you were reborn...
"Are you alright?" - Librarian
Now, say it! Ask about the damn Quest Challenge!
"Q-q-quesh..." - Garami
...I FAILED! I failed, big time! No, don't think of that. Just retry and get it right. Like, NOW!
"Ehm, are you looking for the Quest?" - Librarian
!?!? She got it!? I nodded to tell her she was right.
"Then, we have this Quest Challenge that was recently applied, along with the ordinary library-related Legacy Quests." - Librarian
That's it! I pointed to the Quest Challenge, which took the shape of a scroll this time.
"Then, here you go. I would recommend that you ask some allies to help you with this." - Librarian
Quest Challenge!!
The Remnant of Rebellion is hidden inside the library of the castle.
Voyager, show your endurance and locate the Remnant. Ask the Eternal Librarian for any clues if needed.
Finally...did she just say "library-related Legacy Quests"?
Those Quests, aren't those the Quests you can take on anywhere at any time, as long as the requirements match? The one that can unlock classes, skills, and even evolutions?
"Is that all?" - Librarian
Ugh, the Living Spirit is looking at me like I'm a weirdo.
"D-Dread-*Chomp*-!?" - Garami
My tongue! Again!? Even when talking normally!? And here I was going to ask-
"Oh, the Dread Spirits? They cannot enter the castle, so the promoter of these new Quests has them as the first challenge for their new Quest... but you have already slipped through them, so I guess that is of no concern. Except for that, then I think it is only the Quest Challenge related to general Woodfoot? In any case, the inside of the castle is safe for your companions to travel." - Librarian
She understood that!? Wait, why-
"In case you are wondering, I am not a Living Spirit created to serve the new Quest that takes place in this castle. I am an Eternal Librarian, a special kind of Living Spirit, created to safeguard this Grand Library, its content, and its visitors. Helping all guests of the Library is my duty." - Librarian
...She's talented enough for that title. She's understanding my stumbling speech after all.
I looked quickly at the "Eternal Librarian" page, and according to it, I should be able to trust this woman. Let's have Gust and the others come over here through that walkie-talkie-like magic item. It's a single-use, but whatever.
"...Other Quests?" - Garami
Jippie! I didn't fumble this time!
"The other Challenges related to the new Quest, or Legacy Quests you can complete in this library?" - Librarian
"...Both." - Garami
"Then I will prepare a map over the castle that shows where all the Quest Challenges should be located. As for the ones you can fulfill right now, take a look at this list. Anything else?" - Librarian
"...Darkness... and Heretic... attribute... demons. Evolution... and requirements... mostly." - Garami
The librarian started to find books related to those themes. 'Why not try to figure out some common points between those demons to make it easier to figure out what Kur Kigal needs?' is my idea here. The one who's gonna do all the hard work is not me after all. Go moles, go!
Still, I must be the only person in the world needing [Parallel Processing] to tell such a fragmented sentence. I'm not crying. I'm just sweating...*sniff*.
I sat down by one of the tables meant for the visitors of the library while waiting for the librarian to find my books. I looked over the list of Legacy Quests, which I only accepted on the spot.
There's a lot of different Quests available here. What's this? "The Tome of Undeads"? Hmm...*grin*.
Greydra
Kigal-Note: Legacy Quest
Legacy Quest:
A Legacy Quest is a special type of Quest that can be completed by anyone at any time, but one can only complete the same Legacy Quest a single time in their life. Registering for the Quest is not needed, meaning that the moment they fulfill the assignments of the Quest, they will have cleared the Quest, even if they did not know about the Quest beforehand.
Legacy Quests act as special requirements that are needed to acquire special skills, classes, or evolutions. Some Legacy Quests may be locked for everyone except those who own specific skills, classes, or is of a specific race.
These types of Quests can be roughly divided into two types:
Action-based Legacy Quest:
The most typical Legacy Quest. Just performing a specific action will clear the Quest in question. These types of Quests are usually completed by obtaining a special title to grant a special reward that cannot be granted with the title alone.
Location-based Legacy Quest:
A Location-based Legacy Quest refers to a Legacy Quest which one needs to be in a special location to fulfill. As long as the minimum requirements are fulfilled, one can access the Quest anywhere they want.
A Priest-line class limited Quest that requires to be fulfilled in a church can be completed whenever it is in an established church or one located in a ghost town. As long as it fulfills the requirement of "being in a church", then the Legacy Quest can be accessed.
Gust's comment: Libraries are known as the holy grounds for Magician-line class Quests.
[ARC 1] CHAPTER 21: THE EVIL LORD'S TRICKS AND TRAPS
"Thank you for your visit. It was a pleasure having you as visitors." - Librarian
With a polite bow, the librarian gave her farewells. The moles and Gust who had arrived after me waved back to her as the doors were closing.
...Quite a lonely fate. Having to stay down here for who knows how long, not even sure if anyone else is coming to visit. Maybe that's why it's a Living Spirit, rather than a real person, that's placed with that job?
She must have thought the same, as she allowed me to take with me as many books from the library without worrying about delivering them back. Due to that, I figured out the limits of [Spatial Storage]: 50 + 5*[Skill Level] amounts of items can be stored at once, plus that you can store up to 99 duplicates in a single "slot". Weight hasn't anything to say, but liquids are counted as 1 liter = 1 item.
Since each different volume was classified as a different item, I couldn't store them under the "Book"-slot. I even tried to store the books in self-made bags made out of spider thread, but that didn't work. Then there's that I needed space for other items I may find, meaning even fewer books for me...damn...
I walked towards the next place of interest written on the map, trying to walk away from my failure with the books.
"Hey, where are you going? Are you not going to say something about our performance this time?" - Gust *Smug face*
...Thanks for being of use for the first time.
"Yes, yes, just as you- hey! What's that supposed to mean!" - Gust
Whoops. Guess telepathy isn't working well with keeping the truth a secret~.
I ignored the babbling bird and used the Skill Scroll that I had obtained with this Quest. No bonus requirements were fulfilled this time.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired skill: [Magic Ability Lv.1]
I wanted this one. Especially after clearing "The Book of Undeads". That's a Legacy Quest that partly unlocks the Spectermancer class. It's one step away from the all-too-famous Necromancer class, which is an Advanced-Rank class. It will also work wonders with my new nobility. However...
"...What?" - Gust
'What' indeed. Spectermancer has the opportunity to upgrade the [Tame] skill into [Undead Servant], which is limited to taming only undeads, but I can do so with a large number. 2 for each skill level!
And that's the problem. It only works for undeads, not birds. Unless it's an undead bird, but as expected, even I can't do something that heartless.
...Better come clean about it now rather than later. I told Gust about my plans for the Spectermancer class, and...
"That's all? Then why not wait until the taming contract expires?" - Gust
Eh? We can do that?
"You did not know? The contract will be broken whenever the tamed monster dies, or undergo an evolution. I think the last one is because creatures can evolve into a different genus that does not match the taming skill, so the contract has to be renewed with each evolution." - Gust
Ah, that sounds legit. Then, what happens to those who treat their tamed monsters like slaves?
"Probably eaten? The low-tier taming skills only work on those with a lower racial rank than your own." - Gust
Scary thought. Keeping a horde of undeads sounds better by the second. Quantity over quality. Numbers can beat anything. Even I would have fled if I saw hundreds of Greycave Rats charging at me. Of course, if their teamwork was nonexistent, then it wouldn't be so scary.
Then, do you have any plans of evolving then?
"Hmm, it was more of a dream back at the Grand Library. I wanted to become a Sage like my owner." - Gust
Oh, that's a big dream. Then, are you going for that after we escape the Dungeon?
For some reason, I couldn't ask him if he was planning on leaving.
"Hmm, Master's a dunce about the norms of society, so I guess there is no other choice than for me to guide you~." - Gust
I'm fine with that, even if you're just sticking around for the books we were allowed to take with us, but that tone of yours's gonna go.
*Squeeze*
"AIIEEE!! MY HEAD! AT LEAST NOT MY HEAD!!" - Gust
I gave the bird a good iron claw for his bad behavior. I'm not gonna tell him I'm secretly happy about his decision though.
---
The fourth Challenge was located in the castle garden. A huge glass roof covered it, preventing the Dread Spirits from entering the garden. As for the Challenge itself, it was a clean-up of the place. Getting rid of weeds and such. As one could guess...
Quest Challenge cleared!!
We had the moles finish the whole deal. We even got 66 Skill Scrolls with the [Herbology] skill, which improved your knowledge regarding herbs. The moles were happy about it, but I and Gust simply stored our copies in the Storage until we figured out if we needed them or not.
The [Cultivation] skill, which is a better alternative to their [Planting] skill, was given to the mole leader. Oh, but it's not an evolved skill. It is a better alternative, with [Planting] being a 1 Skill Point skill and [Cultivation] needing 3. The former skill got integrated into [Cultivation] when the leader got the skill though.
Speaking of which, I bought the [Linguistics] skill at the library, which is the improved-but-not-evolved variant of Gust's [Reading]. That one is a skill students would kill to get.
With the left leg Remnant in our bagpack1Storage, we walked to the training grounds, the location for the fifth Challenge.
Quest Challenge!!
The Remnant of Rebellion is being guarded by the knight captain that oversees the tryouts for the guards.
Voyager, show your shrewdness and obtain the Remnant from the knight captain.
Waiting there was a handsome man, even in the cheap metal armor, complete with a helmet. Needless to say, he is a Living Spirit. I could see the black spots again like with the general, macho cook, and the old man that tended the garden. Only the librarian lacked them, probably because she already existed without the addition of the Quest.
"Welcome, lovely lady. May I ask if you are here for the auditions for the Guard-tryouts?" - Handsome knight
"...What's he talking about?" - Gust
I kept my mouth shut and faced the handsome knight in the middle of the training grounds. That's easier than talking after all. Robbery, I mean.
"I see. One of the silent types. Could the small animals please stay at the audience space?" - Handsome knight
The moles and Gust did as he said after I glared at them.
The knight drew his sword and took a stance. Not that I knew of stances or such myself, so I was just standing there, ready for anything.
"Well then, ready...GO!" - Handsome knight
*Bong*
The bell by the wall made a sound as the knight started the fight. He didn't do anything, probably waiting for me to make a move first. Seeing that I also took the wait-and-see approach, the knight lunged himself towards me with his sword ready to slash towards my abdomen.
Such a telegraphed move. Not that an ordinary man could see it unless they had [Thought Acceleration] like me. I crouched to escape the slash, and while I did, I used the Dark Grasp spell underneath the knight.
The spell created arms made of darkness to constrain the knight, but he shrugged them off like it was nothing. Seeing that, I used the Blow Wind spell from [Magic Ability] to blow the dust on the training ground towards the knight's face.
It looked like the knight reacted to the sudden wind, but... yup. He got dusted.
I swiftly got behind him, caught his free hand, and pinned him down by binding him with my threads. The knight was left helpless on the ground, but his sword arm was still free, so I slapped some goopy threads on that one too, sticking him fully on the ground. And now-
"That's enough." - Handsome knight
*Bong*
The bell signalized the end of the fight before I could strike the final blow. Then, the knight brushed off the thread as if it was dust!? What the hell!? Those are Spider Lord threads, you know! They aren't meant to be brushed off like that!
"Thank you. That was perfect! You have by all means the right of being a member of the Guards." - Handsome knight
Tch, he's handsome even when covered in dirt. Die already. Then it wasn't just my imagination back then. He could have evaded that blast of dust before. Then this really was a test. The knight 'acted' as someone weaker than himself... well, not that an army or whatever wouldn't have recruited someone as strong as a knight captain. This guy must have lowered his strength so that potential recruits wouldn't be disillusioned by the sheer difference in abilities.
More importantly, how am I supposed to snatch the Remnant from him? It's not for certain, but after this performance, I'm not so sure if I'm able to rob the Remnant from this guy. Heck, I don't know where he has it stored even.
"But could you tell me why such a fair maiden would want to join the guards?" - Handsome knight
Urgh, I'm gonna be sick. But I can use this. Now, [Parallel Processing], full throttle!!
"...My mother... she is sick... the medicine... too expensive... normal works... not enough..." - Garami
I used all of my mental abilities to weave a story that would pull the heartstrings of this handsome bastard. I also used the Shapeshifting skill to change some of my facial features, making them look more like a heroine in distress rather than a vicious ogre-demon.
I peeked up from my hood and looked at the handsome bastard with the best melancholic expression I could make. Oh, a good reaction from him. Heck, now he's starting to cry? What a sucker.
"What a tragedy! Please, let me help your poor family! Here, take this. Selling them will give you more than enough money to save your poor family. And do not worry, I will tell the commander that it was a bonus for our recruit." Handsome (sobbing) knight
The handsome bastard used a Storage skill of some sort to retrieve a Skill Scroll, a slender sword in its sheath, and the Remnant piece, for then handing it over to me.
Quest Challenge cleared!!
"Now go and help your mother, oh kind and noble lady." - Sobbing (previously handsome) knight
Yikes, he's got snot and tears all over the place now. I made a small bow for then retreat towards Gust and the moles. When we exited the training grounds...
"...Scammer." - Gust
Oh, shut it! That was the only thing I could think of!
Damn rude bird. I didn't waste time on him and rather focused on the Skill Scroll. The skill allows any type of armor to work even better than before. Even my battle-robe.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired skill: [Armor Lv.1]
There we go. As for this thing... a rapier? Its blade looks kinda dark, and its edge looks damn sinister. The hilt was a silver-colored crossguard, with the grip sharing the color.
A slender sword made with Blackiron. It is equally specialized in slashes as it is with stabs. Despite its frail appearance, it is extremely durable.
Not bad. It's weaker than the ATK 110 Steel Swords, but this one got more effects and is lighter to boot. Probably because it's of a higher quality even if it's the same rarity. Not to mention that it's leagues above the dagger I'm using. Oh, and yes, rapiers can also cut. They're not solely stabbing weapons.
I attached the rapier with its sheath so I could pull it with my right hand and moved the dagger so it would fit my left. Thinking about it, isn't it a practice for rapier users to have a parrying dagger or a buckler to help the rapier... not exactly roguish, but hey, why not be a gentleman rogue?
"Looking good there." - Gust
Why thank you.
"But there's something I was wondering about: what was that move you did against the knight guy? Your speed when you pinned him down was incredible." - Gust
That was due to the [Blink] skill.
[Blink] allows you to rapidly move from one location to another. A "Movement speed up" skill, so to say. I could buy it for 3 Skill Points since I had the Rogue class, but many other classes can buy it.
"[Blink], is that not a Light attribute skill? What happened to the Heretic ones?" - Gust
I found out I wouldn't need them.
At the library, I read about a creature called a Lilim. It's a C-Rank Heretic- and Darkness attribute demon, and a special evolution of the Succubus line.
The E-Rank Lesser Succubus can evolve into either a regular Succubus or a Lesser Lilim. The condition for the second evolution is for the Lesser Succubus to have consumed something called "Essence of Darkness", which is obtained through a certain Legacy Quest. This "Essence"-item encroaches the Lesser Succubus during the evolution, transforming it from the sole Heretic attribute demon it was to the Heretic- AND Darkness attribute Lesser Lilim.
Finding this funny, I looked up more regarding evolutions where the evolving party gained an additional racial attribute. And guess what, around 90% of all the evolutions needed such an "Attribute Key Item", as I have coined it.
By taking the Lilim as a reference, I have deduced that the Kur Kigal evolution requires some Heretic Attribute Key Item, cloak-and-dagger skills, and high proficiency in the Darkness attribute.
The first one's gonna be a pain in the butt, even if I can delay evolving until I find an item like that. The second requirement is something I'm already doing. Same with the third.
Due to the only problem is the Key Item, I decided to focus more heavily on skills that would help me survive the Dungeon. And the first point of business is to get another main attribute, so to say. And my eyes were on the Light attribute. I mean, a demon commanding both darkness and light? Isn't that something too cool to not aim for?
Therefore, I was filling out my skill portfolio with Light skills. As for the third attribute, I'll let that come by itself. Whenever it's Heretic due to skills obtained from evolution, Death or Undead due to Spectermancer, or something completely different, just come on!
I explained it all to Gust, except for the chuuni-parts for why I aimed for the Light attribute, saying it was to gain some well-needed speed moves.
"Hmm, I did not know about that 'Attribute Key Item' as you called it, but it does sound logical. Obtaining another attribute is way more difficult than changing the one you already have." - Gust
Phew. Managed to trick him.
"And obtaining the Light attribute is a smart move. If you are lucky, you may overcome some of the light-related weaknesses that creatures of the Darkness attribute have." - Gust
!? Y-yeah, obviously...
Crap. I never thought of that...
The talk continued until we reached the location for the next Challenge: the castle's smithy.
---
" 'Elcome. What can I do for ya?" - Smith
The smithy consisted of a workbench, several shelves with a few weapons and armors on them, some anvils the smith must be using for his work, and a ginormous hearth.
The smith himself didn't have any notable features. Not bad-looking, but not handsome. Not old, but not young either. A smith who looked like the very concept of "average". Except that he was a Living Spirit, but I've grown used to it. I could see the black spots on the wall from the light from the hearth. This guy's gonna be a pain like the rest.
Quest Challenge!!
The Remnant of Rebellion has been granted to the blacksmith as payment for a job he did.
Voyager, obtain the Remnant but do not harm the blacksmith in any way possible.
Uh-oh. There goes plan A-to-K.
Just gotta follow the rules. Brute-force didn't seem like the right way with the captain before either. It's not guaranteed that the items in his storage-like ability would pop out if I killed him.
"So much violence!" - Gust
Yeah, yeah. Gust, time for plan L.
"Eh, why do you say that to me?" - Gust
Because it's the plan: "Leave everything to Gust".
"Why me!?" - Gust
You haven't done anything today except for riding the mole's tailcoat in the library. Now, get busy.
"Fiiiine," said Gust, while walking forward to the smith.
"Excuse me, good sire. Could I have the honor of borrowing some of your time?" - Gust
"Hoo? A talking crow's something ya don't see every day." - Smith
"Yes, you see, I am a raven-" - Gust
"Then, what's ya wishing from me?" - Smith
Wow. Completely ignored.
"...Is it true that you are in the ownership of the left arm of a certain armor?" - Gust
"Sure am! Wanna buy it?" - Smith
"Eh, ah, yes? How much?" - Gust
Just like that? No assignments, tricks, or traps? That's new.
"Just some 1.000.000 Sols' enough." - Smith
"One million!? That's highway robbery!" - Gust
It is? I've yet to encounter money in this world, so I don't know. But it doesn't sound like Sols are an inflated currency.
"Sorry. Either pay or scram." - Smith
"The only thing here that's scrambled is your head! For what reason should we pay that ridiculous fine?" - Gust
"I don't know? It's ya who wanna have this rusty piece of garbage." - Smith
And the bird's out. Gust looks like he's clueless about what to do next. This calls for a lifeline.
Hey, repeat after me.
"Eh? Ehm, then how about we barter that "rusty piece of garbage" from you?" - Gust
With that, I retrieved a certain something I had stolen from the kitchen.
"Sure, as if you have somethi---oiiii!! Where did you get that!?" - Smith
What I had placed on the smith's workbench was an expensive-looking bottle containing something called "Millenium Rum". Apparently, some of the most highly exclusive and delicious alcohol there is.
Repeat after me.
"Then, have we captured your interest? One of these fine bottles in exchange for the piece of armor?" - Gust
"Eeeh? Just one bottle?" - Smith
As expected of your average smith. Alcohol gets their gears moving.
Repeat after me.
"If that is not enough, how about three... wait, three!?" - Gust
Hope he said that last part to me on the private channel rather than through speaker telepathy.
"Three!? Sir, ya make a hard deal, but I accept! Here, take ya piece of thra-piece of armor. No refunds. Ta-ta!" - Smith
The smith grabbed the three bottles of rum after dropping off the Remnant and left the place in a hurry.
Quest Challenge cleared!!
Challenge, cleared~. No extras? That's what I get for following the rules? The Skill Scroll appeared on top of the Remnant, so that's enough for me.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired skill: [Swordsmanship Lv.1]
"HEY! What was the deal about that just now? Don't you know the worth of that alcohol?" - Gust
It sounds pretty expensive when you put it like that.
"Yes, it was! Then why did you gave him three!?" - Gust
Because if he didn't accept that final offer, then I was planning on having him show us the Remnant as to prove he deserved more payment, for then stab him in the neck and steal it then and there.
The raven started to look more like a white pigeon when I explained my backup plan to him.
"B-brutal... but that still doesn't explain-*Thud, thud, thud*-...oh. That's why." - Gust
The bird shut up when he saw me taking out several barrels filled with the same type of rum. In total, I managed to snatch 20 barrels of these, plus 35 smaller bottles, including the three I used as payment just now. When I think about it, why are the barrels and the rum counting as one item when the books and the bag didn't? Do I need some special skills to make containers?
"Anyway, that's six out of seven. Just one more to go! And that is..." - Gust
The throne room.
"Well, aren't someone prepared." - Gust
It's pretty easy to imagine, as long as you know what this Quest is based on.
"...It is based on something?" - Gust
This.
I showed him one of the books from the library. Legendary Figures of the Past: Ulrit Avalar.
"I know this guy! He's the one who founded the biggest human kingdom on the Invidia continent. What about him?" - Gust
See that coat of arms in the book? And the ones decorating the walls?
Slow but steady started the bird to understand the situation. This Ulrit guy was one of the greatest kings in Terra Sol's history, and this Quest is based on one of the episodes in his life. More precisely, his downfall.
Ulrit Avalar created a massive kingdom in his life, something that irked one of the other big kingdoms on the continent. They sent a spy undercover to take Avalar down, something that succeeded in a rebellion that the spy initiated.
That's probably why the armor pieces are called the Remnant of Rebellion. Another fact that led me to this conclusion is that the Challenges all are based on events that the spy was the main character of, according to a study on the downfall of Avalar.
The kingdom itself is still standing, around the time the book was printed, but that's not important now. The important thing is...
"Wait... does that mean that the Challenge in the throne room is..." - Gust
To steal the sword of the king like the spy did to kick off the rebellion? Oh yes, it is.
And if my guess is right, then we have a guest actor for this last bit. One who Gust never wants to see again... Please let me be mistaken here!
Greydra
Kigal-Note/Monsters/Arachnids: Glavras Aquarect
Description:
A spider monster that was first seen in the Dungeon: "The Water-Knot of Glavras". It is one of the most unusual monsters of the Dungeon by not only being a derivation from the norm of reptile monsters in the Dungeon but they are also a deviant amongst spider-type monsters due to their lack of webbing and their water attribute.
They act as an army and swarm on their enemies without fearing death. It is believed that evolved species act as sergeants and generals for the basic soldiers.
Appearance:
The Glavras Aquarect is a 60 cm high spider with a small trunk in navy colores. Its legs have a more aqua-green color.
Abilities:
The Glavras Aquarect lacks certain strengths typically found in spider monsters, such as threads and poison, but it makes it up with its abilities to shoot blasts of water strong enough to crack boulders when used at maximum power.
These spiders have an incredible sense of unity. Add a bunch of them together with a leader, and they can face D-Rank monsters without problems. There would be casualties on both sides though.
Gust's comment: Even now, Garami's more of a spider than these guys.
[ARC 1] CHAPTER 22: THE DEMON VS THE PRIMEVAL ADVENTURER
Peek-a-boo...
"...And I'm the type who likes being right normally..." - Garami
"T-th-th-then h-he's t-th-there!?" - Gust
He's there alright. Behind the massive doors that led to the throne room sat the King of Ghosts himself. Or should we just call him King Avalar at this point?
I wanted to Identify him, but he's right by the throne, meaning out of the skill's range. Even so, aether oozed outta the kneeling knight king. It was so much that I thought that the first floor was covered in mist when we descended from the second floor. It was so dense that the moles were scared back to their tunnels.
Ah, a little late, but the throne room's on the first floor. All the other challenges were located on the second. The secret entrance is, of course, on the third floor. We even found other "backdoors" on the second and third floors.
...Then the main entrance packed with Dread Spirits is just a fake? No, rather than that, maybe the Quest had already started by then? You have to act like the spy in the story and sneak into the kingdom(castle)?
"...Then maybe we should..." - Garami
"You said something? Rather, you said something!?" - Gust
"...Training...for the big city." - Garami (Sulky)
"...Sorry. Just go on." - Gust
I explained how I believed that the King was impossible to defeat through normal means. All the odds are leaning to him after all. Home-field advantage, extra batteries with the hordes of Dread Spirits outside, not to mention he's probably one of the strongest Kings of Ghosts out there. At least, if his tales of heroism are true.
The spy didn't face the king either. Instead, he stole the Sword of Selection, which is pretty much the same as Caliburn in Arthurian myths back on Earth. This time, however, the sword we're stealing is that of the spy himself. Meaning the last piece of the Remnant puzzle.
I've even confirmed its location: right in front of the King, stabbed in what used to be the throne~.
No way. Are you kidding? Isn't this impossible?
And there's no way to mistake it. There's even a magic signature that looks like roots attached to it, making it easy to notice it with [Magic Sight]. What the roots are for? No clue and I don't care. The goal here's to snatch that thing.
Quest Challenge!!
The Remnant of Rebellion is living up to its name by piercing the symbol of the King.
Voyager, show your might and retrieve the sword that ignites rebellion.
See?
"Hey, you got a plan?" - Gust
A plan...finding a plan's more difficult than finding the goal after all...
"...Gust charges in...snaps the sword before the King...notice?" - Garami
"What's up with that half-assed plan!? It's just going to end with me crashing and burning!" - Gust
He has heard that saying? Or rather, that saying exists in this world?
I read through "Legendary Figures of the Past" again, more precisely, the last chapters...
This could work..., right? Better make some tests before seeing if I'm right here.
---
The king sat solemnly before the throne. He showed no sign of anger or lust of vengeance as he looked on the sword that once was owned by his nemesis. No, he would not show anger even if that person appeared before him.
He only felt bitterness.
The man known as Ulrit Avalar was too righteous for his own good. If someone was in trouble, he would drop anything but the people he is already helping to assist the newcomer. He hunted monsters, retrieved hidden medical herbs, anything in case someone was in dire need of it.
To fulfill his wish of helping people, Avalar had even created his own organization based on the Merchant Union that consists of many smaller Merchant Guilds. The people in this organization would fulfill requests for people while training themselves to become stronger to face potential stronger threats towards humanity. This organization would later become the Adventurers Union.
Avalar himself became known as the "Primeval Adventurer", and people flocked to him, either out of admiration, or less honorable reasons. So many that they had to turn Avalar's home village into a town. Then a city. Then, again, to a whole kingdom.
However, while the Adventurers Union's increasing popularity was accepted by many countries, there were not so many that welcomed the Avalar kingdom.
One of these countries sent a spy into the castle guard that obtained enough information and connections in the kingdom to initiate a coup d'etat in the form of a rebellion. The incident ended with the first Avalar castle being burned to the ground, with the king alongside it.
The massive grief from being betrayed by his subjects turned the king into a King of Ghosts. If the flames had not been magically enhanced to burn even the soul, then he could have ended up as a type of Wraith. Then how about a Skeleton or a Zombie? Not possible. The flames burned the corpse to ashes.
The King of Ghosts did not have a lair, as it did not need rest or food, an ability it wanted to have while alive, but it did stay around the monumental castle the citizens had created to honor king Avalar. The King did not consider the castle as its own, but the goodwill of the people towards king Avalar warmed its non-existent heart.
One day, however, that castle was stolen. The King could not believe its own eyes. Suddenly it stood there, then the next, it was gone.
The culprits were easy to figure out, as they were there at the scene of the crime. A man dressed in black military clothes commanded metallic golems, and a large, snake-like water dragon. The King tried to stop them, but the two parties escaped too fast.
The King of Ghosts then started to hunt down those two, but the hunt gave no results for 17 years. Turning into a Dread Spirit had eliminated all of its skills after all. Then, a small stroke of luck came for the King when it searched a certain Flying Continent.
"Yes, with my brains, even the biggest and complex mystery is solved in less than a minute!" - Gust (bragging)
A group of ravens was talking loudly to each other with [Telepathy]. The King, half-crazed due to desperation, kidnapped the raven that had told its friends of its incredible deduction abilities. The King tried to make sure that the raven came to no harm, protecting it from the Dread Spirit with a special cloth on the cage it had found during its search for the two criminals.
The assignment turned out too difficult for even the brilliant raven. The King, however, did not blame the bird. After all, the King lacked any means to converse with the bird, except for the written language the King knew of, which was several centuries old by now. Not to mention that the King had never kept a bird, nor did he know how to keep one either. Keeping the raven in its cage and feeding it was all the King could do for it.
Three years later after kidnapping the bird, and a solid clue appeared. A Dungeon had been discovered in the Velantas region on the same continent as the Avalar Kingdom was one. The King could not believe its goal was so close, but he hurried to the Invidia continent.
As a King of Ghosts, it could appear wherever there was a Dread Spirit, but the Dungeon was strange. It somehow blocked the King's transportation ability, as if rejecting any outside forces. Despite the strangeness and novelty of the situation, the King was able to breach the Dungeon due to the rejecting force weakened for some reason.
After entering the Dungeon, the King was caught up in a cave-in, most likely due to a conflict between a snake monster and a group of cockroach-type monsters. A single slash enhanced with the power of the Dread Spirits was enough to blow away the collapsing rocks.
The raven that was with the King got caught up in the attack, so the King used most of his time to look after the raven. Only after seeing the raven and sound, welcoming a spider-like creature into a set of tunnels, made the King continue the hunt. There were some doubts in the King's mind, such as how the spider-like creature could go into the mist made of Dread Spirits, but they seemed alright. The King also knew that they would be better if the King did not appear before them.
After that, the King finally found what it was looking for. The memorial castle. It was lodged into the Dungeon for some reason, with more Dread Spirits flocking outside it than one could count.
The King could easily enter the castle grounds, even if it looked like the Dread Spirits were prevented from doing the same. The King then noticed a disturbance in the throne room.
The King was shocked. In the back of the room stood a sword, stuck into the remains of what should be the throne. Several aether circuits were attached to the sword and the rest of the Dungeon.
The King remembered something from long ago. Dungeons were constructs that gained their traits from the Dungeon Core used to form it, along with the traits of the owner of the Dungeon, and the neighboring area around the Dungeon itself.
'Has this Dungeon obtained the trait of this castle?' That was the King's first thought, but a closer look allowed him to get a better understanding of the situation. The Dungeon had forcefully been added the trait of the sword stabbed into the throne. The sword of the rat that had caused the rebellion in the Avalar kingdom. The sword of the rebel.
'Then, the Dungeon has obtained the trait of rebellion?' The idea was not too farfetched. To add additional traits to the Dungeon was something done even when the King was 'alive', but the god Chaos had always punished those who tried to cheat that way.
Wait, if the Dungeon is rebelling, does that also mean it is not under the gods' jurisdiction?
That was a scary thought. A single Dungeon could spell the end of a whole country if it grew too large and therefore needed to be supervised by the god of Chaos and its followers. What would happen if the Dungeon was free from those shackles?
Just when the King was thinking that a giant creature appeared before it. It was a black spider, big enough to cover the whole throne room. It looked like an oversized spider, but its face was wrapped to look like a human with eight, black eyes.
"*** **** **" - Spider
The massive creature spoke something, but the language was so bizarre, something so far from anything on Terra Sol, that the King could not comprehend it at all.
Before the King could attack the monstrosity, black spiderlings, not bigger than one could see them as black spots on the wall, captured the King with their threads. The King could do nothing but submit to the spider's will, forcing him to stay in the throne room until someone challenged him for the sword there.
As the King wondered about his current situation, a change suddenly happened. A faint burned smell reached the King. At the same time, the bindings that hold him weakened. His body could move, but it was not him that moved it. The body ran outside to see where the smell came from.
After exiting the throne room, the King was met by the sight of the castle burning. And boy did it burn. It was as if someone had poured oil over the place. Was it some kind of fire magic again? The King's nonexisting stomach started to hurt from the trauma.
Then the King recognized a certain smell from the inferno. Rum, vodka, gin, many different types of alcohol. The culprit must have used that instead of oil to get the stone castle so flammable.
It was like the tragedy from so many years ago. The King's body moved on its own to extinguish the fire, while the King's mind wondered who was responsible for this.
Whoever they are, they sure are lucky that my body is controlled by someone else now, thought the King, as he witnessed his body's futile attempt to extinguish the fire. I did always have a weakness against fire-types...
---
Garami's PoV:
Burn, burn, burn it all!! Mwa-hahahaha!
I'm so glad I got rid of that fire weakness! Or else this barbeque party would have killed me already!
After finding more burnable goods (booze) in the different kitchens around the castle, I drenched the whole place, making it stink worse than the lowest of the low-grade bars there is. Not to mention more burnable than the SNS for a trash-game company.
I even threw a torch down to the Dread Spirits outside the castle. The result: running and burning Spirits. Guess any type of energy is bad for those guys. Or was it due to me using Ignite, the Fire attribute spell of [Magic Ability]?
Either way, this proves that the King of Ghosts can't use the Dread Spirits in the castle if I set it alight. They'll go up in flames. So much for that potential second form of the boss.
As for Gust, I made him wait with the moles in the tunnels. I don't want him to turn into fried chicken, er, raven.
After igniting the booze spill with Ignite, I quickly took position above the doors to the throne room, holding myself to the wall through the strings from my fingers.
It took some while, which felt even longer since I had to endure the smoke rising from the fire, but his majesty caught on to what was going on in the castle.
The King rushed outta the throne room like a storm. During that moment, I increased the length of the threads and successfully took a reverse somersault into the inner sanctum.
The door closed the moment I landed. Probably a security measure to prevent someone from sneaking in while the King's on duty somewhere else. Something I would have thought of, therefore this little stunt.
I turned around to get a better look at the room. It's as big as an auditorium, with pillars on rows from the entrance to where the throne the sword is. Wasting no time, I ran up to the sword. I mean, who would put traps in the throne room... that's a good idea. Better be more careful.
So, after running with caution, I reached the sword in the throne... this seriously feels Arthurian-ish. The sword was shabby, even broken at some points. Except for the serious need of seeing a blacksmith, the sword looked like a one-handed sword you could find everywhere, with some additional ornaments. Whoever owned it must have had bad taste.
Heave... and... ho!!
*...No result. It is as if pulling a mountain.*
Stupid inner game monologs aside, this thing's f*cking stuck! I'm even using threads and [Thread Control] when I pulled it.
Is it that? The thing where you have to crush the base to get the sword? I tried to smash it with [Impact Thread], weaken it with [Aura of Darkness], even carving it loose with the Steel Swords, but nothing worked.
Did my stinginess for brute force come back to bite me?
*Crash!*
It's biting, alright. And today's catch is a smoked King of Ghosts!
---
The King looked furious, and a little scorched, when he saw me trying to pull out the sword. Ehm, this is not what it looks like?
He didn't buy that. Instead, the King came lunging towards me, greatsword in hand, ready to cut me down. I planned to run, but then I got a better idea.
I waited for the King to come closer, and right when he raised his sword, I used [Blink] to get away in the split-second before it connected. Remembering that this move wouldn't work on the knight captain if he was serious, I made an additional jump after the skill ended.
I looked back after landing and saw the King coming chasing after me. And that the sword had been knocked loose, due to the King smashing the ground with that slash. I was worried that he might straight out cut the sword along with the ground... hey, why isn't the ground cut open instead of smashed? It is a sword, even if it looks like a blunt weapon.
I threw some sticky threads and used the Darkness magic, Black Fog, to distract the King while I Identified him.
Ah, it showed. I only half-believed it would. The parts where it's got no levels and stats are the same as with the general and the other Living Spirits, but its classes are present too... even if they're greyed out. And no skills at all... that's lucky for me.
And its race is "Wild Hunt Lord"? Not "King of Ghosts"? Isn't there someone that has managed to Identify one of these before? They must have died before releasing the information... not good.
And the break's over! The King used a circle slash to throw off the fog and threads, then started to go after me again.
I dodged by jumping backward to escape his greatsword. His swordsmanship is first-class, despite the lack of skills. But he's only using large swings, making it easy to notice flaws in his defense. After the King did a large swing, I dived into his abdomen by using [Blink] whose cooldown-time had ended, for then giving the King a slash of my own.
*Clang!*
Hard! He's wearing armor, I know that, but let me at least be mad at him for that. I slashed his back to get some more damage in, but the King ignored the attack and backed towards me for a reversed bodyslam.
Seeing the opportunity, I quickly crouched down and tripped the King, for then webbing him as he fell to the ground. He broke loose in less than five seconds. Seriously?
Our game of cat and mouse continued for some while, with me being able to land a few hits on the King. The unfair difference in that my attacks barely scratch him, while I'll be insta-killed by his, has slowly driven me to a bad position.
I need SP to dodge his attacks, create threads, and use [Blink]. MP is being used on [Aura of Darkness], some Darkness spells when I got the chance, and even the Evil Eye, since it slows him down somewhat. Guess he has some hidden status values? Or do the Eye work on those "outside the System"?
The King, however, seems to have an unlimited amount of energy of any kind. The aether that makes up the King should go down as we keep this going, but I can't even imagine when he's gonna go empty.
I, on the other hand, am soon out of gas. I even threw a few of the weaker poisons at the King, but those didn't work at all~. Snatching the now free sword and run away with the Quest reward would be ideal, but the King keeps on getting in the way! If only [Heresy Modification] worked on this guy like the mob Spirits...
Slashes at his side, wrists, back of the knees, neck, the King just tanks them all without caring. Dark Grasp can't hold him, he rips off the threads, poison's not effective, and even enhancing my attacks with the Mana Burst skill can't penetrate his defense.
I've been forced to use the Parry Art of the skill with the same name several times already due to the King catching up to me before [Blink]'s cooldown time ended. [Guard]'s Arts would be broken in one blow.
I moved behind him to strike his back-gwagh!!
*Bang!*
*Cough, cough*, damn, he got me. I'm even coughing up blood here...
Who calls themselves a knight but does a roundhouse kick!? My HP reached 0 there for a sec! Hadn't it been for [Battle Survivor], I would have died there! I got too conceited with all the successful sneak attacks. Damn...
The King decided to end this with a shoulder charge. I used a rubber thread to jump up the wall for a quick escape, making the King crash into the wall. Ugh, my stomach hurts... You know I'm technically a woman?
While the King was occupied by being stuck in the wall, I looked at my skills for some way to stop him while throwing a thread towards the sword... that's it!!
Before retrieval thread could reach the sword, the King had already gotten out of the wall and threw his greatsword at the thread to cut it. Thanks for throwing your weapon away!
By the time the King turned his attention to me again, my next attack was already ready to go. From my Storage, I had retrieved two large barrels with the alcohol that I didn't use as a gasoline replacement. Using [Thread Control], I threw the first barrel at the King with an incredible speed thanks to [Throwing]. [Whipsmanship] and [Threadsmanship] may also have helped.
The King took the barrels head-on like with the rest of the attacks, but this time, the blow was too much for him, making him fall on his back. Then let's keep them going~.
Three more barrels were thrown from the Storage, making the King smell like a rum factory. The King looked pissed off, even with the helmet, and threw his scabbard at me. I jumped off the wall and dodged the blow. While in-air, I turned my body around and aimed at the King with a magic spell ready.
"Ignite!" - Garami
The fire-starting spell hit the alcohol-drenched King, setting him on fire before I had reached to land. Man, that's some hot flames.
The King let out a soundless scream while he was scorched...hmm? Why did I feel like he was laughing a moment there?
Whatever it was, the King fell a few moments after being set on fire. The "body" then turned into black smoke, kinda like how the Dread Spirits disappear after you kill them.
Thank god. All of my Life Stats are dangerously close to zero. There was almost no time for potions even. Except when the King crashed into the wall, but I was busy preparing the booze barrels, so...
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired title: [Hero Killer]
Acquired skill: [Mind's Eye Lv.1]
Karma Value has dropped significantly.
Acquired title: [True Chaos]
Title [Giant Killer] has advanced to [Titan Killer]
Acquired skill: [Strength Increase Lv.1]
Acquired skill: [Vitality Increase Lv.1]
Skill: [Strength Increase (Small) Lv.50] has been integrated into skill: [Strength Increase Lv.1]
Skill: [Vitality Increase (Small) Lv.50] has been integrated into skill: [Vitality Increase Lv.1]
[Jumping] skill level has reached Lv.Max
Skill, [High Jump] has been unlocked.
You have earned 0.6 Skill Points
Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.6 Skill Points were earned.
Special requirements fulfilled.
Skills: [Sky Jump], [Acrobatics], has been unlocked.
Legacy Quest, [Hunt the Wild Hunt], Cleared!!
Quest reward can be selected from the Quest Log.
Oooh!! As expected of his majesty! But, "Hero Killer"? "True Chaos"? Not to forget that Giant Killer advanced... I was this close to ending up in limbo again, wasn't I?
The Legacy Quest? Kinda predicted something like that. Gust mentioned something like that called the "Ancient Dragon Slayer" Quest once. Never wanna face something like that. Seems the reward can be picked up whenever you want instead of popping up like the rest. Weird.
Now then, I gotta scram this grill party-!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Acquired Blessing: [Proof of Chaos].
Acquired skill: [Chaotic Concurrence Lv.1]
...Eh? Wait, what was that? Is this, you know, one of those, Champion-related stuff?
N-n-no matter, first the Quest. The Quest!
I hurriedly picked up the sword that lay on the remains of the throne.
Quest Challenge cleared!!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
You have earned a total of 10.0 Skill Points
Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 10.0 Skill Points were earned.
Quest Clearance EXP acquired.
Finally! [Sunlight Resistance] is mine! I was about to pick up the Skill Scroll that just appeared when I noticed the black piece of cloth underneath it started to move around on its own. Is this some living cloth? I'm not wearing it.
As I was about to check if the cloth could go into the Storage, with the real reason being to see if it was alive or not, the cloth assaulted the Remnant sword in my hands! I dropped the sword from the fright, allowing the cloth to wrap itself around it before it stormed into the opening I had made to my Storage. Hey, get outta there!
I checked the Storage contents and saw that all the 6 other Remnants had disappeared and replaced with something called "Material of Possibilities". I used [Identification] on it (you can still use it even if it's stored in [Spatial Storage]), but I only saw the description calling it a "material that can realize dreams". Do I need to let a blacksmith look at it? Or a weaver, since it's cloth? Wait, isn't it also the Remnant parts (metal armor)?
Yeah, this isn't something an amateur should decide. Better keep it sealed. Time to get...huh? The King's sword... it's still there? I looked over where the King perished and saw only burn marks... plus the scabbard that he had thrown away. Are those drop items?
They don't look cursed... but [Identification] won't tell me anything except their names and item ranks. The King had classes such as Sword Saint and Heavenly Knight, so must I be the same to even see their information? They're both Go-ranked (Godly). Serious? By the way, the sword's called Deathcaliber, while the scabbard is the Sheath of Deathcaliber...
Well, if no one's gonna have them, then I'll take them! Yahoo!
Greydra
Kigal-Note/Passive Skills: [Battle Survivor]
Description:
The [Battle Survivor] skill is a 2nd-tier skill, evolved from the [Battle Continuation] skill.
Not only does it gives more protection than [Battle Continuation] at the same skill level, it also protects the skill user from death once per day. It also recovers the skill user's HP according to the skill level.
However, fatal wounds such as losing your head, die from blood loss, having once whole body disintegrated, or die from old age will not be prevented by this skill.
Smaller damage such as broken bones or cuts will be healed.
Garami's comment: So glad I evolved this one!! It's a lifesaver!