Chapter One- Hundred and Fifty-Seven: No Choice

[You have defeated Tyrant Ant Prince - Braxor Trikk [F Rank] Level 29] [Experience Earned, 5,000,000 TP awarded]

[Congratulations, you have increased to Elemental Miller level 23] [40 Free Points have been awarded]

Drake loomed over the now dead body of the Prince, his breath ragged as he continued to throw fist after fist into the corpse.

"Dr.ak… D..ke!"

"M… L…rd?! Cea..e! My Lo-"

Drake had gone into a stupor, his body going on autopilot after facing off with the Prince. He had beaten the monster handedly, but like several times before his body had reacted in a way he could not control.

It was instinctual. Drake only saw red, only saw the feeble creature in front of him challenging him and his authority as the stronger being. Something deep inside him wouldn't allow it. It wouldn't allow this pitiful creature pretend to be royalty.

"My….. L..o..r…d…!"

"Drake! Stop! You are killing him!" a voice screamed in Drake's head.

Drake blinked, the feverish stupor he had entered fading away slowly, as he heard his own heavy breathing. His arms raised, holding a familiar person in his hands by the throat.

"T-theo..?!" Drake stammered, releasing him immediately.

Theodore dropped to the floor, his breath coming in chaotic coughs and heaves, as he held his neck. Drake's hands imprinted around it.

Drake quickly brought out a health potion and held it for Theodore to take, but his face was quickly becoming blue and his eyes hazy.

"Fuck! Is his windpipe crushed?! He can't breathe or swallow! What do I do!" Drake panicked, "Natto! What is going on!" Drake shouted.

"I-i do not know… But we have to save Theodore first. You need to force the potion down his throat or somehow get the liquid inside his body," Natto explained warily.

Drake gripped the flask in his hand, looking at Theodore hesitantly, but finally came to a decision.

"Theodore! Can you hear me buddy?" Drake shouted.

Theodore nodded weakly still gripping at his neck.

"This is going to hurt," Drake said tersely before throwing his hand into Theodore's side, opening up a small finger sized wound.

Theodore gave a muffled scream of pain as he dropped to his side on the floor, but Drake was forced to ignore him as he uncorked the flask, pushing the potion into the wound.

Within seconds, Theodore's neck returned to normal color along with his face as he began to breathe. Drake pulled the flask from the wound and sprinkled the remaining fluid on the injury, closing it up.

"M-my Lord… Art thou alright…?" Theodore asked in huffs.

"Shut up you idiot. I nearly killed you twice and you're worried about me? There's something wrong with your head…"

"Loyal to a fault, is the way of a gentleman, my Lord."

Drake was angry, furious even, but he couldn't help smirking slightly before the anger returned.

"What exactly is going on Natto? I knew I was having problems and the skills even with the resistance some of them gave, was deteriorating my personality. But this… This was something else! I nearly killed Theodore!"

"I am unsure… There should be no reason you are having these personality switches. You have not consumed a legendary stone, and you are human… I suppose it is possible that keeping the Legendary Stones in your personal inventory could be resonating with you. But that is an extreme and should not be possible…" Natto explained pensively.

"Then I'll just get rid of the stones. I don't give a shit about them anyway. Especially if it's making me nearly kill someone close to me," Drake growled, pulling the stones from his inventory.

Drake reeled back his hands ready to throw the stones, but was interrupted by the loudest chime he had heard in his head yet, so loud apparently even Natto could hear it.

[Attention! Urgent Quest!]

[Individual Urgent Quest!]

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

[Reward: Meeting with the Sponsor]

"Susmaryosep, why was that so loud? A meeting? As if I give a shit about a meeting!" Drake shouted, his hair changing to crimson red as he launched the stones into the air.

But the unexpected happened. There was no crashing of the stones into the cavern wall, instead a flash of light covered the stones as they left his hands, another pair of lights materializing next to Drake, dropping the stones at his feet.

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

Drake bit his lip, picking up the stones and throwing them again as hard as he could.

"I don't care what you want! I won't hurt those close to me because of some fucking glass rock!"

Again motes of lights covered the stones as they left Drake's hands, appearing at his feet.

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

"No damn it!"

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

[The sponsor of the tutorial implores you to retain the Legendary Necromancy Skill Stones until the end of the tutorial period]

[The sponsor of the tutorial implors you to….

Drake grounded his teeth as he gripped the stones in his hands with all of his strength, unable to crush the shining pieces of glass.

"So I don't get a fucking choice?! You can't do this! Isn't this interfering with the rules or something?! Hey! Are you listening to me you fucking piece of shit loser?! You think I'm going to do what you want when you can't even talk to me face to face?!" Drake roared pointing into the air.

Drake was furious. Looking at Theodore who was still recovering from the injury that Drake had inflicted on him. Drake dropped the stones to the floor.

"I would rather sit here and do nothing, waiting for the tutorial to end then. I won't do what you want. If they aren't in my inventory that probably means they won't come with me when I leave. So you lose," Drake sneered into the air.

"Drake… this is foolish. Do not argue with a sponsor. As far as we know it is still a Primordial Race like we imagined!"

Don't care. I've reached my quota of being jerked around this week. And if what you said about the stones is true. I want no part of holding on to them. I won't risk hurting people I care about for some piece of glass. Drake explained as he crossed his arms.

"That is hardly what those stones are and you know it! Those Legendary Skills are things entire worlds and Systems would wage wars for!"

Are you saying they're worth more than Theo? Than Bjorn, Claire, Sherry, Harley, than everyone on the surface? I was this close to snapping Theo's neck Natto. Drake thought angrily, shivering slightly at the thought.

What happens the next time I snap? The next time I black out in a violent rage because of it? Will I kill someone and not even know?

Natto was forced into silence. But Drake could tell she was uncomfortable with not speaking. He knew she was pragmatic about things of this nature. She wanted him to keep the stones. It was the best course of action for their future. But Drake didn't care. He wouldn't put his friends and loved ones in jeopardy.

"If that is what you wish," she said finally.

Thank you. Drake thought honestly.

Turning around Drake sat down in front of Theodore, leaving the stones where he dropped them, only for them to move in a flash of light at his feet again.

Drake smiled.

"So you can't put them directly in my inventory? Check-mate idiot," Drake sneered looking up.

"My Lord, doth thou think it best to antagonize whoever it is thou is provoking…?" Theodore asked gently, rubbing his sore neck.

"Nope. But that's tomorrow Drake's problem. Right now, I just want to make sure you're alright. I'm sorry I did that Theo… I-I don't know what happened."

"This one would like to ask that my Lord please refrain from nearly killing him in the future," Theo smirked, his mustache twirling upwards, "But it is of no matter. Thou hast saved my life countless times. This one thinks it only right that my Lord put it in danger now and again."

Drake looked blankly at Theodore as he sat down to get eye level with him, then began to chuckle.

"You have to have something wrong with you, Theo."

"Perhaps. But only someone as insane as this one could follow such an eccentric Lord."

Drake sighed, pushing the Legendary Stones on the ground away from them.

"Got me there…" Drake agreed.

Drake and Theodore continued to sit and wait, as Theodore recovered from the muscle pain of his injury. Theodore was a mage class, and his recovery was not nearly as fast as Drake's. Theodore may have had a recovery skill but it only pertained to his mana recovery.

For an hour, Drake was pestered by the sponsor. The stones appearing on his lap, as he brushed them away, again and again. Until finally a new quest appeared.

[Urgent Individual Quest!]

[Accept to hold the Legendary Stones until the end of the tutorial]

[Reward: Skill Stone Container [S-Rank]

Drake scoffed at the quest as he picked at his ear trying to reduce the ringing from all of the forced notifications.

"Trying to bribe me now?" Drake said looking up as he leaned back on his arms, "How about fuck off."

"What bribe, my Lord?" Theodore asked.

"Sponsors want me to hold onto those stones, the legendary ones I mentioned a while back," Drake explained using his chin to point to the stones, "Gave me a quest to do it. But I won't, from what Natto said, the stones are the reason I'm having such violent changes in personality… and almost…. Well almost killed you."

Theodore looked over at the stones pensively, obviously thinking over what Drake had just explained.

"What is the reward for such a quest, my Lord?" Theodore asked.

"A meeting with the prick. And they're offering a 'skill container'."

"You should ta-" Natto tried to say.

No. I'm not doing anything for some asshole just to meet the bastard face to face…. Drake scoffed.

"My Lord," Theodore said, picking up the stones, "Thou should agree to it."

"W-what? I nearly killed you because I was holding those on me, and you want me to go ahead and keep them just because some sponsor is asking me to?" Drake asked incredulously.

Theodore nodded, "This one understands better than most that my Lord cares for those around him. And would go to lengths to do so. But this one also trusts my Lord. This one would not be able to forgive oneself if the reason my Lord was not able to take an opportunity to reach the top where his Lord belongs."

"Theo, no. I won't take those stones," Drake said firmly.

Theodore's eyes dimmed slightly after hearing Drake, going distant for a moment.

"My Lord…."

Drake frowned, knowing what just happened.

"They didn't…" Drake growled looking up, "How slimy can you get!? You can't get me to do it, so you give him the quest?! Are you just going to do that for everyone until you find some schmuck that accepts it?!"

Drake was thrown into a state of rage again, snatching the stones from Theodore's hands.

Wrestling with what to do, Drake went back and forth on if he should accept the responsibility himself.

But the decision was made for him.

"M-my Lord… The quest is saying… The quest is saying if this one does not accept… I-It will kill Harley…"

Drake's eyes turned to points as his face twisted into fury. Drake gave a guttural scream of frustration.

[Drake Wallen]

[Race: Human] [F Rank]

[Profession: Miner P5(0%) [F Rank], Jewler P5(0%) [F-Rank]

Tutorial Alias [Shot]

[Elemental Miller] [Unique] Level 23

[Vitality] 399 (10+ 15%)

[Strength] 575 (50 +10%)

[Dexterity] 315 (40 + 20%)

[Intelligence] 759 (15+15%) +(70)

[Wisdom] 401 (10 + 15%)

[Endurance] 309 (30 + 25%)

[Free Points] 40