Ch. 121..130

Chapter 121 Faunus Battle Regalia

"Um, you don't have to do this, you know?" Lux said to the Dwarf Captain that was escorting them back to Leaf Village.

"It's fine," the Dwarf Captain replied. "It's the Commander's orders. This is to ensure that you won't get ambushed by Kobolds again."

Lux could only reluctantly nod his head as he allowed his Mount, Jed, to travel at the center of the hundred-men escort that was prepared for him and his friends by the Commander of Norria, Thoram.

The Dwarves who were chosen to be the Half-Elf's escort would glance in his direction from time to time. Admiration and respect could be seen in their faces. Clearly, they only had goodwill towards the man that had given them a great boon in their strength, as well as helped improve the growth of their territory.

Lux endured the stares that the Riders of Norria were giving him.

'Is this the effect of having high reputation points?' Lux thought as he looked at the reputation points that he had for the Riders of Norria.

—--

Riders of Norria Reputation Points: 2,500

Relationship Status: Benefactor

– Gives you the privilege to enter the Stronghold of Norria and explore the services available there.

– You will get up to a 50% discount on all services inside the Stronghold.

– You will be able to gain their assistance if you wish for it. Every time you ask for their help, your reputation points will be decreased by 500 Points.

Points will not be deducted when you ask for their help, as long as the task will benefit the Territory of Norria as a whole.

—--

'Benefactor…," Lux mused as he looked at the current relationship he had with the Riders of Norria. 'I guess this is a good thing.'

The Stronghold of Norria was the main army that was stationed in the territory of Norria. Several villages, similar to the Leaf Village, were under their protection. In short, they were the strongest Faction within the Beginner Zone, so having them as an ally was a good thing.

When they arrived at the village, the residents were surprised to see so many Riders of Norria all at once.

"Did a big shot arrive?"

"Maybe Commander Thoram is doing an inspection?"

"Are we under attack? Is there some kind of outbreak headed our way?"

The residents talked among themselves as the Riders of Norria continued to ride into the Plaza.

Boreas, the Rider Captain that was currently stationed in Leaf Village, gave his comrades a salute before looking at the Half-Elf with a big smile on his face.

"Lux, my boy, you've done well, Lad," Boreas said as he walked towards the Half-Elf who had just dismounted from his Warg.

"How about you share your story with me in the tavern later, will that be fine?" Boreas asked.

"Of course," Lux replied.

Boreas laughed as he patted Lux's leg before returning to his duties. Thoram had already sent a messenger bird to Boreas, his message informing the latter that if Lux ever needed any kind of help while he was still in Leaf Village, they would do their best to accommodate him.

—

"So, it was you!" Cedwyn looked at Lux in disbelief after Boreas had reported everything to the Village Head of Leaf Village.

"Hahaha! That's my boy!" Randolph said with a smug expression on his face. "The moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew that becoming my Disciple would make him an amazing person."

Grandma Annie snorted after hearing the Blacksmith's words. The Elders of Leaf Village had gathered together to talk to Lux and his friends about what had happened in the Stronghold of Norria.

It was not only the Stronghold that gained great benefits from Lux's completion of the Hidden Quest. All the villages within the territory also received the temporary buffs that increased their production rates.

Randolph had bragged to Lux that his chances of creating Unique and Mythical Weapons had greatly increased thanks to the 10% success buff that had fallen upon his head.

Grandma Annie, who was also an alchemist, was also quite thankful to Lux because her experiments had also benefited from his success. Aside from creating candies, the old Dwarf was also known to create potions that the defenders of Leaf Village used during emergencies.

"As a reward for all of your hard work, we decided to bestow upon you the 'Leaf Village Equipment Set (Mythical),'" Cedwyn declared. "This is the least we can do for your help."

Lux's eyes widened in shock because he didn't expect that he would be the one to receive one of the rewards from the Mythical Quest that could only be obtained inside Leaf Village.

What most foreigners (Solaians) didn't know was that each Beginner's Village had a Mythical Quest. Leaf Village had a quest that was almost impossible to clear because of the strict requirements that needed to be met before the quest was cleared.

—--

< Mythical Quest >

(Birth of a Legend)

– Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Aspiration Plains.

Carbuncle (1/1)

– Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Leaf Village Cemetery

Ghoul Beast (0/1)

– Defeat the Alpha Monster of Figaro Garden

Red-Eyed Terror Mantis (1/1)

– Defeat the Field Boss of Heartwood Forest

Forest Wolf King (0/1)

—--

< Rewards >

– 500 Skill Points

– 50 Body Constitution Points

– 50 Stats Points

– Leaf Village Equipment Set (Mythical)

– One random Mythical Item exclusive to the Leaf Village

Note: The Mythical Item reward will depend on your overall performance. So you better do your best!

—---

In order to complete the Mythical Quest of Leaf Village, all the Alpha Beasts, in addition to the Field Bosses, must be killed.

A team of Apostles could defeat the Carbuncle, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as the Ghoul Beast that appeared at midnight in the graveyard area of Leaf Village. The real challenge was fighting against the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King.

Orobak was weaker than that Field Boss, but he was already hard to kill. Any party who had just stepped into the Rank of Apostle would find it impossible to defeat the Orc Chieftain, let alone the Forest Wolf King, who was Final Boss of Leaf Village.

This was why no one had cleared the Hidden Mythical Quest of Leaf Village because they would always fall short of their final goal.

However, Cedwyn had just said that he would bestow upon them the Mythical Armor Set that could only be obtained after clearing the Quest that Lux had once thought to be impossible.

"Wait!" Randolph immediately stood up from his chair and pointed at Cedwyn with a reddened face. "You bastard! You didn't tell me anything about this!"

"I just did."

"Fool! Do you think crafting Mythical Armor is easy?!" Randolph's spittle flew in every direction as he glared at the Village Chief who had given him extra work. "Right now, we only have 3 sets of the Faunus Battle Regalia! Do you think I can craft them all before these kids leave the village?! Even with the blacksmithing buffs, at most, I can craft one armor set in ten days!"

"Ah, don't worry," Boreas replied. "The Riders of Norria will personally deliver them to these kids. As long as they are within the Kingdom of Gweliven, we can easily send them the armor once it is done."

Randolph snorted, but no longer said anything. He didn't mind crafting the Battle Regalia of Leaf Village for Lux and his friends. He just didn't have enough time before the kids left the village.

Just like everyone else inside the room, he could sense the power of Apostles radiating from Colette and her friends. This meant that they had already crossed the threshold and would be leaving soon.

"Let them have the first batch," Lux said with a smile. "I'll be staying here in Leaf Village for a little while longer, so you can prioritize them first."

Cedwyn nodded his head. "Since there is no problem with the delivery, all of you can rest assured that you will receive the best equipment that we can offer. Isn't that right, Randolph."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, Old Fart," Randolph waved his hand dismissively before leaving the room. Knowing that he needed to finish crafting the Faunus Regalia, he decided to start working on it before the kids left the village.

Lux patted Colette's and Matty's shoulders before glancing in Cedwyn's direction. "Give them two of the three sets you have in your possession. We will be going to the Figaro Gardens later to challenge the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis."

Cedwyn nodded his head. "Of course. The two of you, please, come with me."

The Village Head led the children to the treasury of the village, while Lux decided to stay behind. Since they would be challenging the Alpha Monster of the Figaro Gardens, he needed to upgrade Eiko to make her stronger.

He also still needed to choose which Rank 3 Skill Book he wanted from the Orcs' treasury in order to give himself an edge against one of the strongest Alpha Beasts in the Beginner's Zone.

 

Chapter 122 Eiko’s Upgrade

Lux took out his Soul Book and opened Eiko's Page, so that he could upgrade her before their battle against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis.

Even after so long, the Half-Elf still couldn't believe that the Monster he got from the egg was a Blue Slime. At first, he was disappointed because he was expecting a Dragon, or any other legendary creature. However, after spending time with Eiko, Lux found the baby Slime quite loveable, and no longer wished for something else.

—--

< Eiko >

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: E

– Progress ( 20 / 2000) - [Ready to Upgrade 3x]

Health: 3,850 / 3,850

Mana: 7,500 / 7,500

Strength: 17

Intelligence: 150

Vitality: 77

Agility: 17

Dexterity: 17

Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX]

Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All.

Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge, Very Tough

Title: Mama's and Papa's Girl

Note: This baby slime will someday rule the world.

—--

'As expected, Eiko surpassed all of my summons' abilities by an incredible margin,' Lux thought. 'Although her rank is still low, her growth potential is scary to say the least.'

Lux no longer hesitated and clicked the upgrade button near her progression bar. Immediately, several rows of text appeared, giving Lux several options to choose from.

—--

< Select two options from the list to bestow upon Eiko. >

– Health +2000

– Intelligence +100

– Underwater Breathing

– Lava Walking

– Dig

– Summon Metal Slime

– Summon Fire Slime

– Summon Water Slime

– Summon Rock Slime

– Summon Aero Slime

– Summon Saber Slime

– Summon Berserker Slime

– Summon Hunter Slime

– Summon Shadow Slime

– Summon Devil Slime

– Summon Angel Slime

—-

Lux chose the second option to add +100 to Eiko's intelligence and the Dig Ability in order to make her stronger, as well as give her the ability to escape underground if need be.

Eiko, who was currently perched on top of Lux's head, smiled after she felt herself grow stronger.

—-

You have chosen the skill Dig.

—--

Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]!

– Target Lux Von Kaizer.

– Successfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]!

—--

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

< Since the Skill is Dig not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >

– Dig has successfully been upgraded to Dig [EX]!

—--

< Dig [EX] >

– Allows Eiko to dig a hole and move underground. This skill consumes twenty Mana Points every thirty seconds.

– This skill has no cooldown and can be used as long as Eiko has mana.

– Eiko will be able to dig even through the hardest of rocks, metals, and crystals. There is nothing that this baby Slime cannot Dig!

—--

"Oh, this is unexpected," Lux muttered as he looked at Eiko's current stats.

—--

< Eiko >

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: E+

– Progress ( 20 / 4000) - [Ready to Upgrade 2x]

Health: 4,600 / 4,600

Mana: 12,500 / 12,500

Strength: 32

Intelligence: 250

Vitality: 92

Agility: 32

Dexterity: 32

—-

Lux clicked Upgrade once more and was given the same choices as before. He chose the second option once again, which added +100 to Eiko's intelligence. However, for the second option, he decided to choose the Devil Slime as Eiko's summon.

The Devil Slime was a monster that had a shadow property. All of its Skills were of the Shadow Element, which was useful when doing missions that required stealth. Just like the mission in which Eiko infiltrated the Orc Stronghold to drug their food supply.

—-

You have chosen the skill Summon Devil Slime

—--

Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]!

– Target Lux Von Kaizer.

– Successfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]!

—--

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

< Since the Skill is Summon Devil Slime is not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >

– Choose one among the three options available to you.

Option 1: Summon two Devil Slimes instead of one.

Option 2: Upgrade Devil Slime, to Arch Devil Slime.

Option 3: Give Eiko's first Devil Slime a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Eiko's named creature will always be one rank higher than her.

—-

"Oh? This is quite interesting," Lux rubbed his chin as he read the third option.

Unlike Diablo and the rest of his Summons, which he needed to manually upgrade, Eiko's Summons would automatically upgrade themselves every time she ranked up. For Lux, this was a wonderful thing. This feature allowed him to save on a huge amount of Beast Cores that he could've needed to upgrade Eiko's minions.

"Eiko, you will have a new subordinate," Lux said. "Um, this Slime is a male, so give him a guy's name."

Eiko glanced at Lux's Soul Book and saw the Devil Slime's picture in it. It didn't even take her ten seconds to give her Devil Slime a name.

"Blackie!" Eiko said.

Lux chuckled, thinking that Eiko's naming sense was quite simple. Since the Devil Slime was black, she just called him Blackie to make things easier.

As soon as Eiko gave the Devil Slime a name, it glowed briefly in Lux's Soul Book, proving that it had successfully been named.

—-

< Eiko >

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: D

– Progress ( 20 / 6000) - [Ready to Upgrade 1x]

Health: 5,350 / 5,350

Mana: 17,500 / 17,500

Strength: 47

Intelligence: 350

Vitality: 107

Agility: 47

Dexterity: 47

—-

Lux shuddered upon seeing the number of points required for Eiko's next Upgrade. Fortunately, he received three Upgrades for free, or else he would not have had a chance to upgrade his baby slime until he reached the Apostle Grade.

"One last time, let's do this!" Lux clicked the last upgrade and chose to add another +100 points to Eiko's intelligence, as well as another Summon for her. This time, he chose the Angel Slime to complement the Devil Slime. They made a great pair that would protect Eiko at all times.

The same three options appeared, and just like Lux expected, Eiko named her Angel Slime, Whitey, making Lux chuckle.

"It's like naming a pet dog or cat." Lux could only shake his head as Eiko's new Summon, Whitey, glowed briefly in his Soul Book.

—---

< Eiko >

– Named Slime Monster

– Rating: D+

– Progress ( 20 / 8,000)

Health: 6,100 / 6,100

Mana: 22,500 / 22,500

Strength: 62

Intelligence: 450

Vitality: 122

Agility: 62

Dexterity: 62

Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX], Dig [EX]

Summon Skills: Summon Blackie, Summon Whitey

Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All.

Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge, Very Tough

Title: Mama's and Papa's Girl

Note: Prepare for trouble! And Make it Double!

—-

Lux pinched the bridge of his nose after he saw the required points that Eiko needed in order for her to reach Rank C. It was a staggering 8,000 points, which made his head ache.

"Iris must be incredibly rich for her to upgrade four Mythical Creatures at the same time," Lux muttered. "If I remember correctly, Hanz (White Tiger), Astra (Unicorn A.K.A Eiko's enemy), and the others were all Rank B+."

Lux didn't know if Iris' Beast Companions were as powerful as Eiko. But, he felt that Eiko would give them a surprise, once she reached their rank.

'I almost feel sorry for Astra,' Lux thought as he remembered the Unicorn, who was also Eiko's rival for Iris' attention. 'I'm sure that Eiko will ask for a rematch the next time we visit Barbatos Academy.'

The Half-Elf lightly patted the baby Slime who had moved to his hand asking to be spoiled.

"Eiko, let's give Iris a surprise when we return to the academy, okay?" Lux said with a smile.

"Pa!" Eiko replied with a bigger smile on her face.

Soon the Half-Elf and the baby slime chuckled together. Now that Eiko's upgrade was finished, it was now time for Lux to choose a Rank 3 Skill, which was one of the rewards he had received when he completed the hidden mission inside Orc Dominion.

 

 

Chapter 123 Birth Of An Apex Beast

Lux activated the Rank 3 Skill ticket he stored in his Soul Book, which allowed him to choose one skill from. among the many skills that were exclusive to the Orc Race.

—--

Rending Strike - (A cleaving Strike that Orobak used)

Berserk

Primal Slash

Last Stand

Thick Skin

Primal Instinct

Close Combat Mastery

Might over Magic

….

….

….

Warrior's Luck

….

….

….

—---

There were over a hundred skills available, ranging from Rank 1 skills up to Rank 3 skills.

Lux didn't ignore the Rank 1 and 2 skills, and read all of their descriptions. For him, as long as the skill was useful to him, it didn't matter even if the skill had a lower rank. Since he had the ability, Skill Evolution [EX], he could easily get a stronger version of his chosen skill, once it was upgraded.

After pondering for several minutes, Lux was left with two choices which were the two passive skills Might over Magic and Warrior's Luck.

Lux could have chosen an active skill that could deal damage to his enemies, but he was someone who had the end game in mind. Since these two skills gave a bonus to him, his allies, as well as all of his summoned creatures, they were more useful than a powerful attack that he could only use for himself.

As the name suggested, Might over Magic gave Lux, as well as his summons, increased magical resistance, reducing the damage of spells that were used against them.

This was quite a balanced skill and would still be effective even when he and his summons had achieved a higher rank. Also, most armors had features that decreased both physical and magical attack damage, which could be stacked with this ability, making them more resistant to magic attacks.

The second skill, Warrior's Luck, was an interesting skill because it focused on increasing the chance of the activation of certain effects during battle. For example, Lux's Void Arrow that could blind opponent doesn't always trigger the blind effect. If he had the passive skill, Warrior's Luck, the chances of blinding enemies would be higher.

This was also a good addition to his summons' special abilities, like Pazuzu's normal attacks, which had a chance of inflicting Fear on his foes, making them run away. Ishtar's normal attacks also had the chance to slow down and freeze her opponents when her attacks hit them.

This was why Warrior's Luck was quite appealing to Lux. It made any ability that relied on Chance and Luck more likely to activate.

After a long internal struggle, Lux decided to choose the Rank 2 Skill, Warrior's Luck.

—

You have chosen the skill Warrior's Luck.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

< Since the Skill, Warrior's Luck, is not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >

– Warrior's Luck has successfully been upgraded to Warrior's Luck [EX]!

< Warrior's Luck [EX] >

– Greatly increases the chance of activating abilities that rely on Luck and Chance.

—--

Lux smiled in satisfaction after seeing the information of his newly upgraded Skill. Although he didn't know how much the chances had increased, he still felt that it was a worthwhile skill to have because it was an all-rounder.

"Big Brother!"

Colette's shout made the Half-Elf, as well as the baby Slime, look in her direction.

Right now, Colette, Matty, and Helen were wearing light-weight, dark-green armor, with golden platings along the edges. Just a single glance was enough to tell him that this was Leaf Village's exclusive Mythical Armor that was called the Faunus Battle Regalia.

"Welcome back," Lux said as he patted the adorable Dwarf, who had run to hug him with a big smile on her face, on the head.

"Sis!" Eiko also crawled on Colette's shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek as a greeting.

"How do I look?" Colette asked as she puffed up her chest proudly with her hands on her waist.

Lux chuckled before giving her his answer. "It looks good on you. With this, I'm sure the chances of beating the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as your sister's record in the Bronze Crypt is assured."

Lux was unable to use his appraisal skill on races and creatures that possessed Soul Books. Because of this, he was unable to see the stats of the Mythical Armor that had been bestowed on his friends by Cedwyn, who was the Village Head of Leaf Village.

Colette blushed after Lux praised her, which made Matty grab the adorable Dwarf's hand and pull her away from Lux.

"Let's go to the Figaro Garden," Matty said as he tried to come up with a good reason for dragging Colette away. "We only have ten days to remain in the Beginner's Zone. Every moment counts."

Colette didn't find anything wrong with what Matty said because she was feeling the same way. She felt that now that she had become an Apostle, time was something precious to her because she only had ten days to spend with her Big Brother, before she left him behind.

"Big Brother, let's go!" Colette shouted. "What will we do if someone is already fighting the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis? We will have to wait for a week before it respawns again!"

"Alright, I'm coming." Lux smiled as he followed behind Colette and the others.

He didn't intend to summon all of his minions to fight against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis because it would defeat the purpose of the graduation ceremony.

'I'll just summon Pazuzu, and Ishtar,' Lux thought. 'They should be enough to provide support as they fight against that Alpha Beast.'

—--

Figaro Gardens…

A five-meter tall Mantis let out a deafening shriek as soon as it appeared inside the Figaro Gardens.

Its entire body was crimson in color, with golden platings near the edges, giving it a formidable and deadly appearance.

Its golden eyes glowed faintly as it scanned its surroundings to look for its prey. It had just respawned inside its Domain, and it was feeling incredibly hungry.

A wandering Ant glanced in the Red Mantis' direction before hurrying away in a mad sprint. However, before it could get away, a crimson slash, made from condensed magical energy, split its body in half.

As the Ant's life force faded away, its eyes gazed at the approaching Crimson Mantis in front of it. The five-meter tall monster was very different from the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that was considered to be the Apex Beast of the Figaro Gardens.

Several creatures who saw the scene also madly escaped, in fear of being the next victim of the Red Mantis that they were seeing for the first time in their lives.

 

Chapter 124 Search For The Mutated Monster

Lux and his friends headed to the Figaro Garden in high spirits. Their goal was to defeat the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis as a graduation ceremony for Colette and the others for reaching the Apostle Rank.

However, just as they entered the Garden, over a hundred dwarves could be seen near the Garden's entrance.

There were some Dwarves with injuries, a few of them already passed out. A grim expression was across their faces as they discussed with each other. All of them were Solaians and, from what Lux could tell, something major had happened. Otherwise, there was no reason for all of them to gather near the entrance instead of exploring the garden and hunting for monsters.

"Did something happen?" Colette asked one of the Cleric Dwarves that was tending the injured.

The Dwarf nodded and told her about the appearance of a mutated beast that they had never seen before.

Lux's and the other's expressions immediately changed after hearing this news. They had encountered a Mutated Carbuncle in the past, and it was quite troublesome.

"A five-meter tall red mantis now wanders around the Figaro Gardens," the Cleric explained. "A party that had just recently reached the Apostle Rank discovered it first. However, they didn't dare fight it because it was the mutated version of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. According to their estimate it was a peak Rank 3 Alpha Monster."

Colette frowned when she heard this news. The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis was only a peak Rank 2 Monster, and yet, it was powerful enough to threaten newly ascended Apostles. In fact, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis' threat would explode exponentially when it entered a Berserk Mode.

During this state, all of its stats would increase by 50%, making it a very deadly monster to fight against.

Most parties would focus on defense when the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis entered this phase. As long as they survived its onslaught, it would soon revert to a weakened state, making it an easier opponent to defeat.

However, a Rank 3 Peak Alpha Monster was simply bad news for anyone in the Beginner's Zone. If that Monster activated its Berserk Skill, it would immediately jump to the Mid-stages of a Rank 4 Alpha Beast, making it a threat that was almost impossible to defeat for all Solaians inside Leaf Village.

"Where was it last seen?" Lux asked. "Do you know?"

The Dwarf Cleric shook his head. "When the Apostle Grade party discovered the beast, they immediately warned the other Dwarfs inside the Figaro Garden to escape to the entrance. Even now, they are out there looking for the others who are still in the garden."

Lux was quite surprised at how amazing the Apostle Party was. Not only did they decide to immediately warn others of the new threat that appeared in the gardens, they even went as far as to find every Dwarf that was currently inside the Garden in order to prevent them from encountering the Alpha Monster by accident.

"Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, Come!" Lux ordered as he summoned his Named Creatures. "Scour the Garden and find the Mutated Mantis. Do not engage it. Once you find it, tell us its location immediately."

The three Named Creatures nodded as they headed in different directions.

Diablo and his Mount, Airon, headed towards the North, Pazuzu flew towards the West, and Ishtar ran to the East.

Lux knew that the Garden was a big place, so he also summoned the rest of his Skeleton Minions and asked them to scatter in different directions.

Eiko, on the other hand, summoned her Devil Slime, Blackie, and her Angel Slime, Whitey.

"Blackie! Whitey!" Eiko shouted. "Go!"

The Devil Slime flapped its wings and flew to the North East, while the Angel Slime flew towards the North West.

Lux wanted to go to the nearest Ant Nest to ask them if they knew where the Red Mantis was located, but he couldn't leave his friends unprotected.

For now, he just crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He was able to see and hear what his Named Creatures could see and hear, so he decided to observe the surroundings with Pazuzu who was currently in the sky.

Twenty minutes later, the Demonic Protector noticed several giant flowers falling to the ground in the distance. Lux urged Pazuzu to investigate it and the latter flew towards the place where the commotion was happening.

A few minutes later, Lux was able to see a Red Mantis fighting against a couple of Dwarves, who were desperately trying to protect three Dwarf children behind them, who were seriously injured.

Just as the Dwarves found their situation more and more desperate, a blue tower shield descended from the sky and slammed into the body of the Red Mantis, sending it rolling across the ground.

"Run!" Pazuzu shouted as he faced off against the Alpha Monster, using his Shield Wall ability.

The Dwarves broke out of their daze and immediately supported the three younger Dwarves and ran away as fast as they could, while the Demonic Defender held the Red Mantis at bay.

A minute later, the Blue Tower Shield shattered and Pazuzu was blown away by the Red Mantis' powerful slash. In anger, the Mantis fired several red blades made of condensed energy towards the Demonic Defender who faced them head-on with his shield.

Due to his extremely high defense, Pazuzu was able to endure the blows. However, the other party's attacks were coming too fast, so he could do nothing else aside from defending.

Several minutes passed as Pazuzu entangled himself with the Mutated Alpha Monster. His health was almost depleted, but he stood firm.

Suddenly, two fire lances landed on the Red Mantis' body, pushing it to the side. The Alpha Monster glanced in the direction where the attack came from and saw a Black Knight riding on top of a flaming black horse.

Just as it was about to attack, several ice arrows landed on its body, making it take a defensive stance.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Holy Blast!"

Two balls of light collided with the Red Mantis body, making it take a step back.

Ishtar, Blackie, and Whitey arrived at the scene and encircled the Alpha Monster.

The Angel Slime used its healing ability to replenish Pazuzu's health, raising it back to half. Although they outnumbered their enemy, they knew that they would not be able to defeat it with just the five of them.

The Red Mantis shrieked at its enemies showing its anger. It was about to engage them in a battle when it heard the sound of several four-legged beasts in the distance.

Two minutes later, Lux, Colette, and her friends arrived at the scene while riding their Warg Mounts.

They then looked at the monster in front of them with a burning determination in their eyes. This was their graduation ceremony, and for them to graduate, they needed to beat the Mutated Alpha Monster in front of them.

"Battle Formation!" Colette ordered as she and Matty took the vanguard, while Andy, Axel, and Helen positioned themselves on the rear. "Clover, assist me!"

The baby mutated Carbuncle appeared beside Colette and moved towards the back. It was a supporting monster, so its combat abilities weren't the best.

"Arise!" Eiko shouted as she used her ability to copy her Papa's Skills and summoned several Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Grand Archers.

Lux did the same as he summoned all of his minions to fight against the monster in front of them.

To their surprise, the Apostle Party also returned. The injured Dwarves had been rescued by the Dwarves who had followed Lux's group when they headed towards the Red Mantis.

Now that they no longer had anything to worry about, they decided to join Lux and his friends to fight against the Red Mantis, as part of the tradition of the Dwarf Solaians, who had ascended to the Apostle Rank.

 

 

Chapter 125 Double Trouble

The Red Mantis narrowed its eyes as it scanned the crowd of weaklings that had the intention to fight it.

Ten Skeleton Fighters and eleven Skeleton Grand Archers. That was the number of Lux's Summons aside from his Named Creatures. Since Eiko was around, that number doubled, making it a force that could threaten ordinary monsters in the Beginner's Area.

Unfortunately, they were dealing with a Mutated Monster that was known for its powerful attacks that could slice monsters in half.

Lux then activated the Elysium Compendium which had merged with his Soul Book to check what kind of monster they were facing. Half a minute later, a frown appeared on his face after reading its information.

—--

< Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis >

– Figaro Garden Apex Creature

– Mutated Monster

– Rank 3 Alpha Monster

Health: 84,000 / 84,000

Mana: 30,000 / 30,000

Strength: 200

Intelligence: 50

Vitality: 140

Agility: 200

Dexterity: 200

Skills: Crimson Slash, Double Fury Slash, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter's Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace.

Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind.

—

'Sh*t!' Lux thought. 'Those skills are bad news, especially Doppelganger and Coup the Grace.'

—

< Doppelganger >

– Create an almost perfect clone of the target (Self).

– The Doppelganger will be able to use any of the target's skills freely. It will also have 50% of the target's overall stats, and will last for thirty minutes, or until they are destroyed.

Cooldown: 30 minutes.

—--

< Coup De Grace >

– Deals 500% additional damage to any target that is in a helpless or incapacitated condition.

– Targets who are knocked unconscious, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, or in a crippled state, would be dealt with greater damage from this attack.

– Any target under a negative status buff will also receive additional damage from this attack.

Example: Fear from Intimidation.

—--

"Colette, Helen, please help restore Pazuzu's health," Lux said. "We need him in full health. This is one troublesome enemy and we need him to tank it."

"Understood, Big Brother."

"Okay."

Lux then informed everyone, including the Apostle Party that had come to help them deal with the Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis, about its skills and abilities.

Just like he expected, they also had grim expressions on their faces when they heard the effect of the skills that their foe possessed.

"Here is the plan, my Demonic Defender and Skeleton Rider will take turns in taking its aggro," Lux stated. "Once it enters its berserk state, all of us will run away. I repeat, all of us will run away and wait until its Berserk Phase ends. A single slash from that monster can cut all of us in half, so unless any of you want to die, it will be best to let it enter a weakened state before we go in for the kill."

After hearing the strategy everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Go, Pazuzu!" Lux ordered.

The Demonic Protector, who had recovered his health, used Shield Charge to engage the Crimson Mantis in close combat.

After dealing the first blow, all range attackers bombarded the Alpha Monster from a distance. Lux's and Eiko's Skeleton Fighters took a defensive stance, ready to protect everyone from any surprise attacks from the Crimson Mantis.

Lux didn't dare underestimate it since it had the Skill Quick Assault, allowing it to increase its movement speed as it attacked its designated target.

After receiving the bombardment from the different range attackers, the Mantis was enraged and slashed Pazuzu, knocking him aside before unleashing a barrage of Crimson Blades at the Dwarves, who were attacking it from a distance.

The Skeleton Fighters immediately positioned themselves to block the attack with their shields. Their defensive stance succeeded at the cost of the Skeletal Fighters collapsing into a pile of bones after blocking a single attack.

The Crimson Mantis' passive skill, Razor Wind, infused its attacks with the Wind Element, making its attacks extra sharp. This allowed it to overcome defensive equipment like armor and shields and cut deeper into its target, thereby dealing lethal damage.

Lux and Eiko didn't bat an eye as they resummoned the Skeletal Fighters that died in battle. The Half-Elf could feel his liver ache due to the damage that was done to the equipment that his Skeletons were wearing.

The shields that were used to block the Mantis' attack were now dented, proving just how problematic the Alpha Monster's attack was. Fortunately, Lux could ask his master, Randolph, to repair his minions' equipment for a discount because he was his Disciple.

'I just hope that the loot is worth it,' Lux thought as he ordered his Skeletons to take a defensive stance.

Eiko's Summons were different from Lux's because they weren't wearing any equipment. This made them significantly weaker to her Papa's summons, but they were still decent enough to act as meat shields when things got out of hand.

It was at this moment when something unexpected happened. The Crimson Mantis entered a Berserked State even though it still had 80% of its health remaining. But, that was the least of their worries.

Right after activating its Berserk Skill, raising its stats to the middle stages of Rank 4, it activated its skill, Doppelganger, creating a copy that was half as strong as its berserked state.

"Run!" Lux immediately ordered when he felt the intimidation aura of the two Monsters stacked together, making Colette and the other dwarves stiffen due to how scary the two Monsters were.

"Diablo! Pazuzu! Hold them back!" Lux ordered as he grabbed hold of Colette's and Matty's hands, forcefully dragging them away from the frontlines.

Blackie and Whitey had been affected by the Monster's intimidation, making them unable to react as several Crimson Slashes flew in their direction.

Both slimes were instantly annihilated, making Eiko shout in anger. However she also knew that she couldn't fight against the Crimson Mantis in its current state, especially without her Papa's help, so she remained perched on top of Lux's head while firing several elemental spells at the two monsters as they moved further and further away from the battlefield.

Some of the Skeleton Grand Archers carried the members of the Apostle Party who had also been affected by the Intimidation Skill of the Crimson Mantis, and ran alongside their Master, Lux.

Although they had already run a good distance away, the explosions still shook the battlefield, so Lux opted to summon his Warg, Jed, and ordered his friends to do the same.

The members of the Apostle Party also rode the Wargs with gratitude as the distance between them and the Alpha Monsters increased.

At least, that was what they thought until they heard the buzzing of wings that was slowly getting stronger with each passing second.

Lux didn't want to believe it, but he knew that what they were hearing wasn't a delusion.

A single glance at the map function of the Elysium Compendium was enough to confirm his suspicion. The Alpha Monster, as well as its Doppelganger were right behind their backs, and shortening the gap at an incredible pace.

Clearly, it had decided to leave the group of Skeletons that didn't have an ounce of flesh or blood on them, and run after the Half-Elf and the Dwarves that would serve as its nutrition, in addition to it getting payback because they had gotten in the way of its meal.

 

Chapter 126 Dwarves Are Scary

"Everyone, scatter!" Lux ordered as he rode his mount forward.

Colette and the others headed in different directions in order to decrease the number of targets that the two Alpha Monsters were aiming at.

A few seconds later, Lux wasn't able to stop himself from cursing because the two Crimson Mantis were hot on his heels.

"Jed, go to the right, now!" Lux ordered as he urged his mount to make a sharp turn, to evade two Crimson Blades that flew in the location he was a few seconds ago.

The Half-Elf used the plants as a natural barrier against his pursuers, but it was of no use. The two Alpha Beasts only unleashed another barrage of Crimson Blades and cut off everything that stood in their path.

Lux knew that Pazuzu and Diablo wouldn't allow the two beasts to escape them that easily, so there was only one reason why they weren't here. Both of them had already used their taunting skill, which was Duel [EX], yet the monster still chose to ignore them and run after Lux's group in order to kill them.

As for why the two Crimson Mantis' were targeting Lux, the answer was really simple. It was because he had red hair.

The Crimson Mantis was attracted to the color red, and the Half-Elf's hair stood out from the rest, making him a suitable target. Although it sounded absurd, it was the reality that Lux wasn't aware of. He just thought that since he was bigger than the Dwarves, he was a more delectable target to feast on in the eyes of the Crimson Mantises.

Knowing that he couldn't keep running forever, Lux decided to take a gamble and urged Jed to another location. A minute later, he arrived at a place where an underground hole was located. The Half-Elf then ordered Jed to dive at the hole without batting an eye.

The two Mantises were almost upon him, and he barely managed to escape a slash that took a few strands of his hair.

The two Mantises flew past him, but immediately turned around to follow him inside the hole.

​ Suddenly, several Horned Army Ants (Rank 1) appeared in his vision, the tight group that was blocking the way made a narrow path that would allow Lux to pass through if he dismounted.

Understanding the Ants' intention, Lux unsummoned his Mount and hurriedly slipped through the blockade that was meant to defend the Ant Nest from the invaders.

The Ants were a pacifist race inside the Figaro Gardens, but that didn't mean that they didn't know how to fight back. As soon as the two Mantis appeared in their visions, they hurriedly unleashed a barrage of Formic Acid at the two Mantises that didn't even decrease their running speed.

Since the underground passage was too narrow to fly, the Crimson Mantises crawled down the passageway just to hunt Lux down, which meant that they had already marked him as their prey, using their Hunter's Mark skill.

This meant that no matter where Lux went, they would follow him without fail.

The exoskeleton of the Crimson Mantis was thrice as hard as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis', who was considered to be the Apex Creature of the Figaro Garden. Although the two Mantises' bodies were covered in Acid, the Acid posed no threat to them whatsoever.

They bulldozed through the blockade, leaving only sliced up ant bodies behind, as they pursued Lux deeper into the Ant Colony.

The Rank 2 Defenders of the Ant Colonies known as the Armored Jaws also joined the battle. They had powerful mandibles and their bodies were as hard as steel.

Although they managed to deal significant damage to the Mantises, they were simply no match for Rank 4 Alpha Monsters whose claws could cut through steel.

Lux knew that he could no longer trouble the Ants when it came to dealing with the two Alpha Monsters so he decided to head to the nearest exit in order to bring the two Monsters to the surface.

When the two Mantises exited the Ant Nest they found themselves being bombarded by arrows, bone spears, and fire lances.

Perhaps due to its already low health, or perhaps the skill's duration had ended, the Doppelganger of the Crimson Mantis disappeared, which made everyone shift their attacks to the enemy that remained in front of them.

It was also at this moment when Lux's Demonic Defender descended from the sky, and smashed its Tower Shield against the Mantis' head, making it cry out in pain.

However, due to the rage Pazuzu felt for failing to hold back the Alpha Monster, it swung its mace and gave the Crimson Mantis an uppercut. Although his strength stat was low, and the damage he could dish out was very little, his passive ability triggered, making the Mantis enter a state of Fear.

"Coup!" Eiko shouted as she copied one of the Monster's skills and fired a Crimson Blade at its head, making it shriek in frustration due to the increased damage it received.

But, just like Pazuzu, the Baby Slime wasn't finished just yet.

"Doppel!" Eiko created a clone of herself, which jumped down onto Lux's shoulder.

"Blackie! Whitey!"

The Devil Slime and the Angel Slime appeared, but this time, they were not alone. Another pair of Devil and Angel Slimes appeared, which immediately bombarded the two Mantises with their Dark and Holy Magic.

Eiko's dopple also summoned its own Skeleton Minions, bringing Lux's Skeleton Army to over sixty in number.

"Attack!" Lux ordered the Skeleton Fighters, who had taken a defensive position earlier, to charge at Alpha Monster and hack it with all of their might.

Naturally, they didn't last long because a single sweep of the Mantis Claws killed three to four Skeletons at once.

"Hydro Ball!"

"Fire Lance!"

"Divine Zap!"

Three spells flew out of nowhere and collided with the Mantis' head making it stagger.

"Big Brother, we are here!" Colette shouted as she charged at the Alpha Monster, while riding on her Warg.

Colette swung her Mythical Mace fearlessly. At the same time her Warg Jumped towards the monster's head, in order to help its Master deliver a crushing blow to their enemy.

A metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings as Colette gave the Alpha Monster a mace uppercut, powered by her Smite Skill, which added additional Holy Damage to her attacks. Unlike Lux, Paladins were capable of mounted combat, so fighting with her Warg wasn't a big deal to Colette.

"Cross Slash!" Matty sent a cross-like slash towards the Mantis' head, drawing crimson blood.

"Charge!" The leader of the Apostle Grade Party threw caution to the wind and charged at the Monster with his shield raised high. He was a Shield Warrior and his role was to always be at the front of his party, protecting his allies from the enemy's attack.

The Dwarf smashed his shield on the Crimson Mantis' front leg, breaking its defensive stance.

Just like wild monkeys that were off to a gang war, the Dwarves attacked the Alpha Monster simultaneously, like a gang beating up a single individual.

Naturally, the Alpha Monster wasn't a punching bag, so it also counter-attacked the Dwarves. However, due to Pazuzu's and the Shield Warrior's tenacity, they were able to block its attacks, and keep the Dwarves and their allies safe.

The Skeleton Fighters also used their shields as an extra wall, to prevent casualties from happening.

Although the Dwarves received injuries during the battle, including Colette whose left cheek was bleeding after getting grazed by the Mantis' Claws, as well as Matty who received a deep cut on his left arm, after exchanging a blow with their enemy, none of them faltered.

"Dwarves are scary," Lux muttered as he continued to use his Mana Drain to siphon the Alpha Monster's mana, preventing it from using its skills in battle, Eiko and her Doppelganger did the same, which left the Crimson Mantis helpless.

After several minutes of intense combat, the Mantis' movement became dull, and the glow in its eyes diminished by a good margin.

"Its Berserk Phase is over!" Lux shouted. "Smash it with everything you got!"

If the Dwarves were fearlessly attacking the Crimson Mantis before, now their attacks increased in ferocity as if they had all been injected by chicken blood. The Crimson Mantis was pushed into a corner as it received blow, after blow, after blow, each coming from a different direction.

Without any Mana remaining, and its Berserk Skill spent, it was now subjected to a devastating beating by infuriated Dwarves, Skeletons, Slimes, as well as the Ants, who had come out of their Ant Nest to get revenge on the bastard that dared to invade their territory.

The Armored Jaw Ants bit on the Alpha Monster's legs and pulled hard, with the intention of cutting them completely off its body. Over thirty of these ants emerged from the Ant Nest and pinned the Crimson Mantis in place, allowing Colette and Matty to repeatedly hack its head without mercy until the Mantis' eyes were smashed to a pulp.

"Pa!" Eiko who was about to jump in and fight at close range was held firmly by her Papa who could only shake his head at the one-sided beating that was happening in front of him. Not one part of the Crimson Mantis was spared as the Dwarves hacked, smashed, and slashed its body.

Even Andy, Axel, and Helen were using their staffs to whack the Alpha Monster's body with angry expressions on their faces.

Clearly, they had been infected by the battle lust that permeated the air that was also affecting the baby Slime who struggled to get out of Lux's hands in order to give the Crimson Mantis a piece of her mind.

"Settle down, Eiko," Lux said. "It's already dead, see?"

"Pa?" Eiko tilted her head as she stopped struggling.

Just like Lux said, the Crimson Mantis had stopped its struggle and remained motionless. A few seconds later, its body turned into particles of light, leaving four pairs of Crimson Claws—that were as long as a spear, a red exoskeleton, and a Rank 3 Beast Core behind.

The Armored Jaw Ants returned to their nest after the enemy was eliminated, leaving the Dwarves and the Half-Elf to share the spoils of war.

"Please, take this pair of claws with you," Lux said to the leader of the Apostle Grade Party as he pointed at two of the four claws that were lying on the ground. "All of you fought well. That was an incredible graduation ceremony, don't you think so?"

"Thank you," the Dwarf replied with a smile. Although he felt that Lux and the others should receive everything, he still appreciated the gesture and took the two Crimson Claws that he believed were enough to be crafted into a mythical weapon.

"If you guys don't mind, I'll take the Beast Core," Lux said as he negotiated with Colette and her friends. "You can take everything else."

"Okay, Big Brother!" Colette replied with a big smile on her face.

Lux knew that if he didn't take anything from the loot, Colette and the others would force him to take it all. Since he didn't want this to happen, he settled for the Beast Core that held great value to him.

In truth, after the Mantis died, he received a series of notifications, which were similar to the ones he got after defeating the Mutated Carbuncle. But, since he couldn't tell this to the others, he could only smile as he watched his friends celebrate their successful graduation ceremony.

 

 

Chapter 127 Your Journey In Elysium Has Just Begun, Right?

< Special Quest >

– Encounter with a Mutated Monster

Mission Rating: A

Status: Completed!

< Quest Objective >

– Kill the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis

< Rewards >

– 100 Free Stat Points

– 100 Skill Points

– 100 Body Constitution Points

– Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis Claws (2 pcs)

– Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis Claws Exoskeleton

– Rank 3 Alpha Beast Core (Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis)

< Bonus Reward >

– Choose One of the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis Skills

– Any skill that you learned from this reward cannot be duplicated, and will not be part of the random skill that you will obtain after using the Beast Core of the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis.

< Skills that can be chosen >

Skills: Crimson Slash, Double Fury Slash, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter's Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace.

Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind.

—--

'Jackpot!'

Lux couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the Bonus Reward that he had obtained from the Special Quest after the Mutated Monster had been slain.

In truth, the Half-Elf wanted to acquire the skill Doppelganger so badly that he stared at the Beast Core in his hand with a very serious expression on his face. He thought that since he had two Beast Cores in hand, he had a two out of ten chances of getting it.

Since he could now freely choose a skill that belonged to the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis, he was determined to choose Doppelganger as his reward.

—-

You have acquired the skill, Doppelganger.

—-

< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >

– Since the skill, Doppelganger, is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Doppelganger [EX]

< Doppelganger [EX] >

– Create two almost perfect clones of the target (Self).

– The Doppelgangers will be able to use any of the target's Skills freely, with the exception of Named Creatures. They will also have 50% of the target's overall stats, and will last for thirty minutes, or until they are destroyed.

Cooldown: 1 hour.

—--

Lux did a fist pump out of happiness when he saw the evolved form of the skill Doppelganger. He had seen how Eiko copied the Alpha Monster's Doppelganger skill and created a clone of her own, which also summoned Undead Skeletons and two slimes to fight for her side.

'It's quite unfortunate that my Doppelgangers can't summon Diablo and the others.' Lux chuckled internally at the thought of having three Diablos, three Pazuzus and three Ishtars. 'I can somewhat understand why the Doppelganger can't allow such a thing. The Skill would just be too OP if even Named Creatures can be replicated that easily.'

The Half-Elf was in a very good mood as he and his friends returned to the entrance of the Figaro Gardens. The hundreds of Dwarves that had evacuated in that area all cheered after hearing that the Mutated Monster had been killed.

All of them looked at Lux, Colette, and her friends, as well as the Apostle Grade Party who fought tooth and nail to defeat the Monster that terrorized the Figaro Garden after it had spawned.

Colette and her friends weren't used to the looks of admiration from the Dwarves who cheered for their victory.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Lux said as he patted Colette's head. "Although your sister is indeed good, never belittle yourself. Your journey in Elysium has just begun, right?"

"Un!" Colette nodded her head happily as they headed back towards Leaf Village with smiles on their faces.

They didn't expect their graduation ceremony to be that intense. In truth, all of them were happy to overcome such a hurdle without having any casualties on their side.

When they entered the village, they headed straight to the Plaza, so that they could return to Solais. Colette told Lux that she wanted to tell her parents that she was now an Apostle.

Of course, this wasn't her only purpose. This would also allow her Big Sister to make preparations for their reunion in Elysium when they meet up in the Intermediate Town later on.

Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen also had the same thoughts, so they bid their goodbyes to Lux and told him that they would return in two days time after meeting their families and sharing the good news with them.

Lux waited for the Dwarf children to leave before lightly tapping the Arondight Ring on his finger. Since his friends would be staying with their parents for a day, he thought that this was also a good opportunity for him to go back home and spend some time with his Grandma.

"Let's go home, Eiko."

"Pa!"

—--

As soon as Lux appeared in the training room, he immediately heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming in his direction.

A moment later, the door opened and a young lady with light-blue hair jumped into his arms while shouting, "Welcome back, Big Brother!".

"I-Iris?" Lux stuttered after taking a good look at the beautiful lady in his arms. "What are you doing here? Where is Grandma?"

Iris raised her head and gave Lux a look filled with injustice.

"Why? Am I not allowed to visit?" Iris replied with a pout.

Lux chuckled as he lightly patted his step-sister's head, which immediately put a smile on her face.

"Of course you can," Lux commented. "It's just that, I wasn't expecting you to be here."

Just as the Half-Elf was about to say more, Eiko happily jumped over to Iris' head, and crawled down to the side of her face, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Ma!"

"Eiko! I missed you."

"Ma!"

The mother and daughter pair rubbed their cheeks against each other's, while Lux could only look at them with a smile.

"Welcome back, Lux," Vera said as she walked towards her grandson and gave him a hug.

Lux felt the warmth and security of his Grandma's embrace and smiled. "I'm back, Grandma."

Vera pulled back and cupped Lux's face. "Are you hungry? You came at the right time. Iris and I were just about to eat. Let's have dinner together."

"Okay." Lux nodded.

Iris then held onto Lux's arm and stuck to him like glue, as they followed behind Vera.

Although he didn't know why Iris came for a visit, he was still happy to see her. There were some questions that he wanted to ask her in regards to Beast Companions, and he was hoping that his brocon-step-sister would be able to answer the questions that were bugging him back in Elysium.

 

Chapter 128 My Brother Is The Strongest!

"Eiko, say aah…"

"Aah…"

Lux watched as Iris fed Eiko some rice porridge that Vera had prepared.

The red-headed teenager wanted to eat something light, and since Vera spoiled him silly, she cooked some rice porridge just for him.

However, since Eiko liked to eat what her Papa liked to eat, she went to him and asked to be fed.

When Iris saw this, she immediately took a bowl of rice porridge and started to spoon feed the baby Slime who had a big smile on her face.

As the family of four ate together, Vera updated Lux about the things that had happened in Wildgarde Stronghold while he was away. According to her, Lux's childhood friends were now close to becoming Grade A Apostles.

Grade A Apostle was the rank before the Initiate Rank. Although it would take a few years for the children to reach the next rank, they were still greatly praised by their faction because they were the seeds that would strengthen their foundations.

"Who is the one that is the closest to reaching the final stages of a Grade A Apostle?" Lux asked out of curiosity.

Vera eyed Lux for a short while before answering his question.

"Nero," Vera replied. "Among the members of the young generation, he is the closest to reaching the peak stage of a Grade A Apostle."

Lux frowned after hearing the name of the boy who had a bad history with him.

Nero was not one of the children that lived in the Wildgarde Stronghold. He was one of the children with high potential that was discovered among the villages that were under the Stronghold's protection. Because of this, he was allowed to use the Stronghold's Gate that connected to Elysium, without paying any fees whatsoever.

Perhaps due to his background, Nero disdained the children of Wildgarde Stronghold who took things for granted. For him, they weren't like the children in the villages who had to do their best in order to impress the Stronghold's Elders, so that they could get sponsored and allowed passage to Elysium.

Among other things, Nero hated Lux with a loathing.

The brown-haired teenager hated Lux's good luck of being adopted by Vera, in addition to being cared for by the people inside the Stronghold despite his weak constitution. There had been more than one occasion when Nero openly ridiculed Lux for being useless, and they were usually whenever he returned to the Stronghold in order to report on the progress of the younger generation that belonged to their faction in Elysium.

Iris arched an eyebrow after hearing Nero's name as well. Nero had treated her nicely and even mentioned in passing that he would like to serve as one of Iris' personal guards in Elysium.

Barbatos Academy's Faction belonged to the empire that bordered the kingdom where the Faction of Wildegarde Stronghold was located. Both rulers had good ties with each other and were allies.

Because of this, collaboration between the elites of Barbatos Academy and those of Wildgarde Stronghold in Elysium were very common. This was how Nero met Iris.

Although he tried hard to hide it, he liked the young prodigy very much. Nero liked Iris not only for her beauty, but because of her background. She was Vera's granddaughter, and the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy's only daughter.

With such a solid backing behind her, it was impossible for someone with great ambition like Nero to ignore the beautiful girl, who was being treated like a princess by the countless students of Barbatos Academy.

Unfortunately, Iris was a brocon who only had eyes for Lux.

This made Nero hate Lux even more and, at some point, explicitly told the latter that aside from his handsome face, the Half-Elf had nothing to offer to the girl that Nero wanted as his lover.

"I met him in Elysium the other day and that bastard even had the audacity to tell me that he would win the tournament in order to become my fiance," Iris gnashed her teeth in anger. "I hate to admit it, but among the young generation, his chances of succeeding are very high. But, don't worry, Big Brother. Even if he wins, I will not marry him! Grandma, help me elope with Big Brother when that time comes, okay?"

"Rest assured, I'll tie him up really well, so that he can't escape even if he becomes a High-Ranker," Vera replied with a smile.

​ The two ladies shared a knowing glance at each other and smiled.

'Peak Stage of the Apostle Grade…,' Lux thought with a serious expression on his face. 'Looks like I need to work harder when I get back.'

Right now, aside from Iris and Vera, no one else knew that Lux could now go to Elysium. They kept this a secret from everyone, especially to Iris' father, Alexander, who didn't think much of Lux.

In truth, Alexander had a higher chance of choosing Nero as Iris' fiance than Lux, whom he deemed to be a weakling in his eyes.

Vera and Iris wanted to give the stubborn man a surprise during the tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy, where they would force Lux to participate.

"Don't worry about him, Iris," Lux said with a smile. "I will not let him marry you."

The blue-haired beauty's hand froze mid-air as she was about to feed Eiko.

The baby Slime, who already had her mouth wide open, looked at her mama in confusion. Since Iris wasn't moving, Eiko thought that they were playing a game, so she decided to jump and eat the porridge that was hanging a few inches above her head.

As the baby slime happily chewed the porridge in her mouth, Iris looked at Lux with sparkling eyes.

"Un!" Iris nodded. "My brother is the strongest! Only he has the right to marry me!"

Vera nodded her head in agreement. This was her long-cherished wish, so she was giving Iris her full support. She was already looking forward to the grandchildren that she would hold a few years from now.

Lux could only scratch his head due to Iris' and Vera's reaction. Although he knew that both ladies were just teasing him, he vowed to himself that he would not allow anyone to force his step sister into marrying someone she didn't like.

 

Chapter 129 Everything He Ever Wanted In His Life

After dinner ended, all of them went to the living room to drink some tea and relax.

Iris noticed that Eiko had grown more lively in the short time that the baby Slime had been in Elysium.

"Big Brother, can you let me see Eiko's stats?" Iris asked.

"Sure," Lux replied as he summoned his Soul Book. he then gave Iris permission to only check Eiko's Status Page, while preventing her from seeing the others.

Although he didn't mind sharing his full information to her brocon-stepsister, he wanted to wait until the tournament began.

Only Vera had full access to Lux's Soulbook, because for the Half-Elf, his grandmother who raised him was the most important person in his life.

"Wow! You managed to upgrade Eiko three times?!" Iris exclaimed after seeing Eiko's Personal Page. "Big Brother, thank you for loving our baby! You must have spent a lot of resources on her. I knew that you would be a good father, but I didn't know that you were going to be this good!"

"You exaggerate too much," Lux replied as he casually waved his hand. "This was all due to Eiko's effort. I didn't do much."

Lux didn't know if he should tell Iris that Eiko ranked up three times due to the reward she received from a Hidden Quest.

"Eiko, did you make many friends in Elysium?" Iris asked the baby Slime that was on her lap.

"Ma!" Eiko nodded her head.

"Can you tell me who they are?" Iris asked. She was using speech training on Eiko in order for her to be able to communicate properly after ranking up a few more times. This was something very basic, and all Monster Breeders, Beast Tamers, and similar professions did this to train their monsters at an early stage.

Iris was a Beast Tamer, and her subclass was a Monster Breeder. She specialized in raising monsters as well as taming them to fight for her in battle.

Eiko nodded as she attempted to name the friends she had made in Elysium.

"Sis Colette! Sis Helen! Bro Axel! Bro Andy! Simp Matty!"

Lux chuckled after hearing Eiko say Simp Matty. He gave his baby Slime two thumbs up in his heart for getting Matty's title right.

Iris giggled as she lightly patted the peppy Slime that was jumping up and down on her lap.

The scene was so endearing that Lux and Vera felt as though their hearts were melting.

'I'll ask Iris my questions later,' Lux thought as he picked the cup of tea on the table. 'Eiko is happy, so I'll let them bond for the time being.'

Iris thought that this was a good opportunity to learn more about what Eiko did in Elysium so she decided to ask her more questions.

"You're now very good at talking, Eiko." Iris praised the baby Slime whose smile became wider. "Did you learn many words in Elysium?"

"Ma!"

"You did? Then can you tell me what words you learned?"

Eiko nodded her head happily before opening her mouth to tell Iris what words he learned in Elysium.

"F*cker," Eiko said and looked up at Iris waiting for her praise.

"Pffft! Keho! Keho!"

Lux spat a mouthful of tea that he had just drank after listening to Eiko and coughed repeatedly, while pounding his chest.

Iris tilted her head to the side as she held up the baby Slime in her hands.

"Sorry, Eiko, can you repeat what you said earlier?" Iris inquired. "I didn't hear you properly."

"F*cker." Eiko repeated as she once again looked at Iris in anticipation. She wanted to be praised for learning new words.

The corner of Iris' lips twitched. She lightly squeezed Eiko's cheeks, making the baby Slime giggle.

"Eiko, don't say those words again, okay?" Iris said with a serious expression on her face. "They are bad words. Little girls shouldn't say them."

"Bad?"

"Yes. Bad words. Only bad girls say them. Eiko is a good girl, so she shouldn't say bad words, okay?"

Eiko nodded. "Eiko, good girl!"

"Yes, you are a good girl, so don't say that word again, okay?" Iris said as she patted Eiko's head.

"Un! No bad words!"

"That's right."

Iris then glanced at Lux's direction and gave her beloved stepbrother a glare that said "What have you been teaching our daughter in Elysium?!"

Lux could only raise his hands in surrender. Although he wasn't at fault, he should have made sure that Eiko understood that she shouldn't say such words because she was young.

Iris shifted her attention to the baby Slime in her hands and smiled.

"What are the things that Papa taught you in Elysium?" Iris asked. "He must have taught you a lot of things, right?"

"Un!" Eiko lightly jumped on top of Iris palms.

"Then what did he teach you?"

"Stealing!"

"Excuse me?" Iris blinked as she looked at Eiko in a dumbfounded manner. "Stealing?"

"Un! Stealing things!" Eiko replied. As if thinking that she didn't explain it properly, she added another word, which made Lux feel a strong urge to leave the room. "Steal many things! Steal Here! Steal there! Steal everywhere!"

Vera covered her lips and chuckled. Although she knew that Lux would never really teach Eiko these things, she found her grandson's reaction very funny, and decided to just observe from the side.

"Papa, I think you better start talking," Iris glanced at Lux with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "What are you teaching Eiko in Elysium?"

Lux knew that he needed to correct the misunderstanding so he decided to explain the entire mission to his step-sister.

Vera, who was also very curious about Lux's progress in Elysium, listened patiently to his explanation. She could tell that Lux had somehow gotten stronger, but she didn't know to what extent.

Although she could easily look at his Soul Book to check his stats, she wanted to give her grandson some privacy. She appreciated Lux's love for her, but she wanted to let him know that she trusted him completely.

When Lux's story ended, Iris had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Although she knew that Lux could now go to Elysium, she thought that he was somewhere in the Empire where the Barbatos Academy faction was located.

Since the territory that the Humans controlled was vast, she thought that Lux was just in one of the hundreds of Beginner Villages that could be found in the Human empires. She had no idea that Lux's starting point was in a Dwarven Kingdom, whose location she hadn't heard of.

Iris was very curious and asked more about Leaf Village.

Lux answered her questions, but made sure to omit Colette's intention of getting him to marry her Big Sister. The red-headed teenager knew that if Iris got wind of this, she would definitely want to meet the girl personally, which was currently impossible due to the vast distances that separated their Domains.

"I see, so that explains it," Iris nodded in understanding as she lightly patted Eiko's head. "The resources to raise Eiko to her current rank are enough to bring someone to the Apostle Rank. Since Big Brother still hasn't stepped into that stage, it is impossible for you to collect that many resources to upgrade Eiko three times."

"Right," Lux had no choice but to agree to Iris' deduction because it was true. Eiko's upgrade requirement was enough to bankrupt him three times over. So, he didn't really have the resources to raise her up to her current rank.

Just as Iris was about to ask more questions, a knock was heard on the door.

Vera stood up in order to see who it was, leaving Lux, Iris, and Eiko in the living room. A few minutes later, a beautiful lady entered the living room with an apologetic smile on her face.

When Iris saw the familiar face, she hurriedly stood up and sat beside Lux, burying her head in his chest, and pretended that she didn't see her father's secretary, Alicia.

"Lady Iris, it's time to go back," Alicia said with a sigh. "Your father promised that he would not scold you if you returned with me."

It was also at that moment when a handsome boy with light-brown hair and hazel eyes appeared beside Alicia.

Lux frowned as he gazed at Nero, who was looking at him with a calm expression on his face. The red-headed teenager knew that the handsome boy who liked Iris was doing his best to restrain himself from ridiculing him in front of Iris and Vera, who was Iris' grandmother.

Nero had always been well-behaved in their presence and hid his disdain for Lux, whom he hated to the core.

"Lady Iris, the Hundred-Men Dungeon that our guilds are targeting will open soon," Nero said. "If you don't return in time, the other guilds might take the first clear in Nightmare Mode. We can't allow that to happen. We need your power to ensure that no one will look down on our two guilds' positions in Elysium."

Iris didn't even bother to reply to Nero and only hugged Lux tighter.

The Half-Elf smiled and lightly patted Iris' head, while wrapping his arm around her.

"You can go back," Lux stated. "My Grandma and I will escort Iris back to Barbatos Academy. You can just wait for her in Elysium."

A flash of hatred passed through Nero's eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. Over the years, he had learned to control his emotions better for the sake of his ambition. He knew that if he said anything to Lux, he would offend Iris and Vera.

In order to prevent that from happening, he decided to not move from where he stood and to keep his silence.

Alicia knew that Nero was aiming to become Iris' fiance and become one of the Top Contenders in the Grand Tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy. All the eligible members of the young generation that were ages eighteen and below and from the six kingdoms that made up the Alliance would be participating.

So, it was not only Nero who was aiming to become Iris' fiance.

Alexander was one of the strongest human Saints in existence. More than anything else, forming a connection with him would ensure that their own kingdoms would prosper.

This meant that the tournament that was going to be held in Barbatos Academy would be the highlight of the year. It was a once in a lifetime chance for them to form a strong connection with Alexander through his daughter, Iris.

The funny thing was that the championship match would be held on the same day as Iris' birthday. It was the day where she would turn sixteen, and finally be eligible for marriage.

Alexander had planned this tournament very well, even going as far as to announce that Iris would become the fiance of the tournament's champion. Vera opposed this plan, but Alexander was firm in his decision.

This made Iris want to rebel, so she decided to run away from home and hide in her Grandma's house.

Unfortunately, her father didn't have to be a genius to know where she went. He could have gone personally, but since he didn't want to offend his daughter and his mother to the point of no return, he decided to send Alicia as a proxy to bring his daughter home.

Since Nero refused to budge, Lux decided to stand up, and carried Iris to his room in a princess carry.

Eiko felt that her Mama and Papa didn't like Nero, so she looked at him and mouthed the word "F*cker" without giving it any voice.

A crack resounded inside the living room, as Nero clenched his fist. Sparks of lightning pulsed around his fist, but he didn't do anything else. He simply stood and watched Lux take away Iris in his arms.

If looks could kill, the Half-Elf would have already died a thousand times over due to his bone-deep hatred towards the red-headed teenager, who had everything he ever wanted in this life.

 

 

Chapter 130 Sealed With A Kiss

After firmly closing the door behind her, Lux gently put Iris on his bed and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, he can't get inside this room," Lux said as he sat beside her and held her hand.

"Un," Iris nodded as she lightly squeezed Lux's hand. "Actually, I planned on sleeping in your room tonight, Big Brother. I just didn't expect that you would also return from Elysium today. It seems that the Gods have blessed me with the opportunity to see you, before I am taken back to the academy."

Eiko slid down from Lux's head and crawled towards her Mama who was feeling depressed.

The baby slime kissed Iris' cheek before resting her head on her Mama's neck, as if to assure her that everything was going to be fine.

"Then stay here for the night," Lux replied. "Grandma Vera will accompany you back to the academy tomorrow. I'm sure that she's already negotiating with Alicia right now."

"You won't come with us, Big Brother?" Iris inquired.

Lux shook his head. "No. I plan to return to Elysium when morning comes."

Iris became teary-eyed as she looked up at her stepbrother who had taken good care of her while growing up.

"The reason why I can't go with you is not because I don't want to," Lux explained himself because he felt that Iris misunderstood him. "The reason why I want to go back to Elysium is because I don't want you to get married to someone you don't like. Iris, I promise you this, I will win that tournament for sure, and protect your happiness."

,m "Big Brother, have you decided?"

"Mmm."

Lux smiled as he squeezed Iris' hand back. The red-headed teenager and the blue-haired beauty stared at each other for a long time and smiled. There was no need to say anything, because the warmth that was spreading in their intertwined hands was enough to tell Iris what she wanted to know.

The Half-Elf laid beside Iris and held her in a protective embrace.

"Sleep," Lux said as he kissed her forehead for the second time. "You'll be safe here."

"Un." Iris closed her eyes and hugged Lux back.

Eiko, who was sandwiched comfortably between her Papa and Mama, closed her eyes to sleep. The beating of Lux's and Iris' hearts were like a lullaby to her, making her feel safe and loved.

A few minutes later, Iris' and Eiko's soft breathing echoed inside the room as Lux stared at their peaceful sleeping faces.

'Nero…,' Lux thought as the image of the teenager that always looked for trouble for him flashed inside his head. 'The pain and suffering I endured back then… I will make sure to repay it in full!'

After silently vowing to himself, Lux closed his eyes to rest. Although he would be returning to Elysium a little earlier than scheduled, he decided to use that extra time as an opportunity to head inside the Bronze Crypt so he could get a better understanding of what its Hell Mode looked like.

Dungeons inside Elysium usually had two levels of difficulty.

Normal and Nightmare.

However, there were dungeons who had three, which were Normal, Nightmare, and Hell Mode.

The Bronze Crypt only had two difficulties and they were Normal and Hell Mode.

An hour later, the door of the room creaked open as Vera peeked at her two grandchildren who were sleeping in each other's arms.

A smile appeared on her face as she closed the door quietly to return to her room to rest. Just as Lux had anticipated, Vera successfully convinced Alicia to let her personally escort her granddaughter back to Elysium the next day.

However, in order to not make things difficult for her son's secretary, she proposed that she accompany them on the return trip.

Nero was planning to say that he also wanted to escort Iris back to Barbatos Academy, but Vera's stare made him shut up.

He felt like he was a little mouse staring at a viper who was looking down on it with its predatory eyes. In the end, he made the right decision and stepped down, telling Alicia that he would return to Elysium first and wait for Iris to rendezvous with their guild at the Dungeon's entrance.

In truth, Vera didn't dislike Nero. She could tell that the boy truly wished to reach greater heights by relying on his ability, resources, as well as the connections he had built over the years. The Elders of Wildgarde Stronghold were not stupid.

Since they knew Nero's desire to claw his way up to the top, they would support him because they needed people like him to usher in a new era and bring the members of their young generation to greatness.

But, there were things that Vera wouldn't allow no matter what. Lux and Iris were her reverse scales. She didn't care if she was up against a Saint or not. Anyone who dared to harm them, would be ripped apart by her hands, even if she had to sell her soul to the devil to make it happen.

"Alex," Vera muttered her son's nickname with a sad expression on her face. "You should know better than to get in the way of your daughter's happiness."

—---

Iris slowly opened her eyes and gazed sleepily at the handsome face that was right in front of her.

As the cogs in her brain started to turn, the memory of what happened a few hours ago flashed inside her head.

Soon, the beautiful young lady was fully awake and looking at her Big Brother's sleeping face with an infatuated look on her face.

She didn't know when exactly she had started to feel a strong attraction to her step brother who had been with her almost all her life. The only thing she knew was that her world seemed to be more colorful whenever Lux was around.

Her heart would beat wildly inside her chest and she would feel like she was walking on clouds. That was how intense her feelings for Lux were, and even when they were separated by a great distance, her feelings for him didn't wane.

In fact, they even grew stronger. The saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," fit her feelings perfectly. This was why she wasn't able to stop herself from kissing Lux when he appeared in Barbatos Academy to visit her after a long time.

Iris gulped as she gathered all of her courage in her heart.

'Now is the perfect time to do this while Brother is asleep,' Iris thought. 'If I miss this opportunity, who knows how long it will be till I see him again.'

Iris then moved closer to Lux and kissed his lips.

The kiss only lasted for a brief moment because she was afraid that he was going to wake up.

Iris' heart was beating wildly inside her chest as her breaths grew ragged. She was painfully waiting to see if Lux would wake up after she had kissed him, but after a minute had passed, her raging emotions finally calmed down.

As if emboldened by her first success. Iris once again raised her lips and kissed the sleeping Lux for the second time. This time, the kiss lasted longer, as she pressed her soft lips over his.

In the middle of kissing her Big Brother, she felt his lips move to kiss her back. It was an unconscious move on Lux's part, because he was still truly asleep. The Half-Elf didn't know that what he did almost turned Iris' mind to mush as her mind turned blank, after getting kissed by him.

When the kiss ended, Iris felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest from its rapid beating. Although the kiss didn't last long, it was long enough for Iris to ingrain it in her heart.

'I really like you, Lux,' Iris said in her heart as a tear fell down at the corner of her eyes. 'I like you so much that it hurts.'

Eiko, opened her eyes because she felt something warm and wet fall on top of her head. When she saw Iris crying, the baby slime moved to wipe her tears away, which made the young beauty cry more.

"Eiko, your Papa is bullying me," Iris said as she lightly pinched the baby slime's cheeks. "How can my step brother be this handsome?"

"Ma?"

Eiko tilted her head in confusion. She didn't know why her Mama was unreasonably pinching her cheeks, while crying with a smile on her face.

"Just look at your papa, doesn't he look amazing," Iris whispered in Eiko's ears as she turned the baby Slime to look at the sleeping Half-Elf beside them.

"Pa," Eiko replied in agreement. Her Papa was indeed amazing.

"Eiko, if you find any girl who is pestering your Papa, make sure to report it to me at once, okay?"

"Ma!"

"You're such a good girl, Eiko. I love you."

"Ma!"

Eiko giggled after Iris kissed her cheeks. The two then spent half an hour more looking at Lux's sleeping face, before the Half-Elf opened his eyes to look at them in a daze.

"Good morning, Brother!"

"Pa!"

Lux smiled as he greeted the two girls who were looking at him with smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, Eiko, Iris," Lux replied as he yawned and propped himself up on the bed. "Let's go, Iris. I'm sure Grandma is awake by now."

Lux reached out to offer his hand to the young lady who was looking up at him with a reddened face.

"Un." Iris nodded as she offered her hand to Lux, which the latter held firmly.

Eiko moved on top of her Mama's head as the three of them left Lux's room. Although the two of them would part ways after breakfast, the promise that was sealed by a kiss, would bind them for the rest of their lives.