Chapter 58 - Parting Ways

Magic Bag (Rare)

Enchantment Slots: 02

Magic Storage (Apprentice): Allows you to store things in a space of three meters cubics.

(Empty)

Durability: 10/10

I sighed in relief when I finally had two of those. I felt like I was about to die… I never wanted to do something as stupid as that again. Overarching definitely would cause my death one day.

When they received the magic bags, Nimir and Vincent looked quite surprised. While I said that I would make them, they still looked like they didn't believe that I would pull off. How rude of them. Regardless, I was too tired to care.

I slept for half a day before finally waking up and feeling well-rested. I also woke up because I was being carried… the shaking was rather uncomfortable. It made me recall the time I was a toddler. Feeling such level of powerlessness was simply agonizing. Things were different now, but they made me recall the looks of disgust when I was being fed… sometimes, I wasn't even properly cleaned for several hours.

"Put me on the ground…"

"My apologies."

Vincent was carrying me on his back and since he was a centaur, the trip didn't make my body feel that sore. It made me feel weird, though. I tried to get rid of all those annoying thoughts in my mind. I was really serious when I talked to Nimir that I didn't have time to waste being angry or anything the like it.

"We were planning to leave in the middle of the night as soon as possible, so we couldn't have waited any longer."

I looked around and confirmed that we were in the first section of the dungeon. Considering that I was feeling good and without the debuffs, it should be close to midnight as well.

The complete group of fugitives was right behind and ready to escape the empire's hands once and for all. In any case, when I landed on the ground, Nimir greeted me with a smile.

"Have you gotten used to the skills?" 

"Yeah, I can basically see everything in the dungeon. Everything is only dark or blue, though."

It was just like I had read… a dungeon was a place rich in mana, so he would be able to see the aura of everything, even stones on the ground. Still, after leveling up those skills a few times, he should be able to have the same kind of result outside. Everything had mana in this world, but it was just a bit less obvious outside dungeons.

"What are your plans, Regulus?" 

"I told you not to use that name… my father is someone famous, so they should know all of his sons and there is only one Regulus out there who is a half-vampire."

"So, what are you going to do?" 

"Travel around to gain power and then use that power to gain even more power. Rinse and repeat."

"It is hard to imagine that you're one of those guys. Anyway, I guess secrecy is your way of life."

Nimir was talking differently than usual. It was probably because he got used to the people around him and they were very different from me. That was a good thing, aside from the fact that some of them were rough around the edges, despite being part of some moderate faction.

"I will spend some time clearing the dungeons in Felynor. Look for me if you head there."

"I am not sure if I will. I am not into walking that much and crossing the territories of people who would hate my guts just because I breathe."

I was curious about Elves. Even in this world, they had that characteristic of being ethereally beautiful. Still, you can be a 10/10 in terms of looks, but if you look at me in disgust, you automatically lose half of the points.

"We are almost there. Raul, go check the entrance."

The wolfman, who was always suspicious of me, nodded and then dashed to the entrance of the dungeon. It was about time for us to part ways, so I felt relieved and satisfied. Relieved because I didn't have to be responsible for a kid anymore that just staying close to me would put him in danger, and satisfied because I did everything I could for him.

I wondered if I should use that time to enchant another bag… those take a heavy toll on my mind, after all. Getting used to it was easier said than done as well. I decided to wait until I had rented a room at my next stop… I had to keep myself at my best at all times during those trips, after all. Fortunately, that had been the right call since Raul returned in no time. 

"There is only one guard there."

"Good, this is our chance… let's follow the plan."

The plant was simple. One of them would come out from the dungeon and knock down the guard. Then they would drag him with the bait group, heading Northwest. The others would head Northeast.

"I guess this is goodbye, then."

"I told you, don't make this more awkward than it has to be."

I finished my preparations… I had to head to the next location as soon as possible. I equipped the Swiftstep boots with that in mind… the people in the town will probably forget about us when they hear about the fugitives, but it was better to be safe than sorry. At the same time, I had to work on my disguise a bit more. 

"Thank you, Regulus."

Nimir suddenly hugged me tightly. That was a bit awkward… in the end, I returned the hug a bit and patted his head. No need to make this into an unpleasant memory for him, after all.

"Take care."

Nimir moved away and showed a large smile. His face was filled with tears, though. After that, he joined with the others and Vincent nodded while looking at me. I nodded back and their entire group moved to the entrance of the dungeon.

I followed them after five minutes and reached the entrance. It was completely dark outside and there were no traces of guards around. I could see some traces of their footsteps in the snow. I was heading west now and I couldn't leave traces of my steps around either, but I had prepared for that as well.

"Hehe, this is pretty cool."

The weird mood soon dissipated as soon as I grabbed my new toy. It had the shape of a crossbow, but it wasn't one. I pointed at a random tree and then pulled the trigger. A bolt made of bones flew while pulling a rope behind it. Before long, it hit the tree fifty meters away. I pulled another trigger, and then the crossbow began to pull me toward the tree. I pulled the bolt and then landed on a branch below.

"Not the fastest traveling method, but it won't leave any traces behind."

I had the idea of making this even before becoming an adventurer, but I didn't have the skills. Now I had them… it worked in a simple way. There was half of the hook that was enchanted with wind magic and fired the hook, and the other half worked to propel me forward to the hook by using Swiftstep. As it turns out, that effect makes me lighter and by enchanting the rope with earth magic, it would withstand the pull.

I knew how the hooks of some characters from comics worked on Earth and some of them were based on real engineering, so I used the same logic without the same technology. I basically used wind magic instead of using compressed gas or an advanced mechanical system to launch the hook at high speeds. 

Instead of using high-strength retractable cable made from durable materials like titanium or carbon fiber, I used a rope enchanted with earth magic to make it more durable. Since the hook was also enchanted with earth magic, it pierced deeply during the impact, and reeling myself in was easy with the Swiftstep effect on the other trigger. It still could be improved, but it was usable.

I used the trees around to gain experience while doing that, but it soon began to hurt my arms. I increased my strength with that in mind as well, but it wasn't enough and I was pretty light.

In any case, after crossing a couple of kilometers like that, I felt that I had gained enough experience and had also put enough ground between me and the dungeon. They wouldn't just look for random footsteps close to the dungeon when they had two other groups of them to follow.

Using my boots, I landed on the snow and then began to run pretty fast… when I activated the effect, I could easily cross thirty meters in a moment. I could only use it every ten seconds, though. The effect was at the adept rank thanks to my skills, so at the absolute rank, it would make someone cross 240 meters in a single moment. That should hurt, since they would collide with countless particles in the air along the way. Regardless, with such thoughts along the way, I kept moving toward the West. I had a long journey ahead…

… …

The night was arriving again when the two groups reunited close to the border. They were surprised by the fact that they were completely fine and unharmed… they had imagined that they would have to fight a few times, but thanks to the Camouflage enchantment on the bows and the Muffled Step on the knives, they managed to avoid anyone that they found along the way.

"It is a bit weird that he added those effects on weapons instead of gear… Regardless, the guards chased us for a while, but they soon ran away after getting some arrows in their legs."

Vincent put his bow on his back and then checked the condition of the second group. They looked a bit tired, but they still could keep going. Night was their ally, after all. Before moving, Vincent saw Nimir looking back in the direction they came from. It was obvious what he was thinking.

"He will be fine. He isn't a normal kid."

"I don't think that at his age, he is considered a kid."

"He is definitely a kid, Raul confirmed by talking about his smell earlier. He is just too tall. I heard that vampires are beanpoles, but his father is that Rayner Dawnshield, so perhaps he won't be that thin."

"I know that he will be fine. He has been alone for over two years without being found. But he is my first friend, and I can't help but worry."

Vincent didn't know what to say. He had heard about the fact that Regulus told him that they would split paths after the dungeon. He didn't treat Nimir like a burden, but he wasn't willing to take chances either. He would only take chances when his life only was in danger.

In the end, Vincent couldn't help but wonder what kind of life a kid like that had lived to develop that kind of mindset and behavior to decide to live by himself at his young age. He didn't look traumatized or anything the like, but it was certainly curious.

"His journey is just starting, just like yours. I am sure you will eventually meet someday. If nothing else, you will hear about him since he is definitely the kind of person who stands out. Still…"

"Still?"

"Well, you have a goal, but I am not sure he has a clear one, the end of the line of his journey. For now, he is just roaming around, trying to get stronger to protect himself. He might find himself lost without a more concrete goal to follow."

"He will be fine."

Author's Notes: 

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