Ch. 41..50
Chapter 41 Fishing In Troubled Waters [Part 1]
As everyone ran for their lives, the ground under their feet trembled and several monsters joined their exodus.
Ants, ground beetles, bees, flies, ladybugs, wolf spiders, butterflies, and several other insects—that Lux was seeing for the first time—all fled in the opposite direction of the approaching swarm.
A single Red-Striped Predator Mosquito was a monster that was far from being a threat. However, a swarm that numbered in the thousands was a different matter.
It would only take ten bites to paralyze a Dwarf for an hour. In the face of thousands of mosquitoes, no creature in the Figaro Garden, no matter how strong and whether they were alone or in a group, would be able to resist their inevitable demise.
For now, the Dwarves and beasts ignored each other and focused on looking for a safe place to hide.
"Follow the Ants!" Lux shouted. "Maybe we can hide in their nest or something."
Colette and her party subconsciously followed Lux's orders, with the exception of Robin. Even so, after seeing that his friends were now following the Half-Elf's orders, he decided to not say anything and ran after them.
Shrieks and screeches could be heard in the surroundings, mostly from the insects that had been overtaken by the mosquito swarm. Although the Dwarves were small, they were one of the fastest runners in the world of Elysium. Sometimes, they were even faster than Beastkins at running away!
As chaos ensued, the group of Ants headed South East to return to their nest. Lux's party and several other Dwarves, who had realized what they were planning, followed behind them.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Ant Nest where several Ant Guards were patrolling the area.
"Diablo, Skeleton Warrior, come forth!" Lux ordered and his two Undead Warriors appeared beside him. The Half-Elf had thought of an idea while they were fleeing the mosquitoes and decided to give it a try.
Colette and the others looked at Lux strangely, but the Half-Elf only told them to follow the Ants inside the nest.
Surprisingly, none of the Ant Guards stopped them and allowed the Dwarves to enter their colony.
After giving his two Undead subordinates orders, Lux also entered the safe area, Ant Nest, alongside the other fleeing Ants that were coming from other places of the garden.
Only after the last Ant had entered the nest did the Guard Ants closed the entrance, which made the Dwarves and a certain Half-Elf breathe a collective sigh of relief.
"Damn, I thought I was a goner." Andy pressed his palm over his chest to calm his wildly beating heart.
Axel nodded his head in agreement. "Still, it's a bit of a shame. If the mosquitoes didn't come, that graduating party would have been able beat the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis without a problem.
Colette, Matty, Helen, and Robin nodded their heads in agreement.
The Dwarves that had followed their party inside the Ant Nest shared the same thoughts. Only the Half-Elf didn't because he was not paying attention to their discussion. On the side, he silently sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Right now, he was testing something that he had never done before.
In his mind's eye, he looked at a gray world with no other colors in it.
Suddenly, a group of mosquitoes appeared in his vision. Diablo stopped moving, and the mosquitoes flew past him without even bothering to give him a second glance.
Clearly, a skeleton deprived of blood was something that they were not interested in.
It was at that moment when a smile appeared on Lux's face. After testing to see that his theory was correct, he ordered Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior to look for traces of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis.
He shared a special connection with his Named Creature that allowed him to communicate with the other party on a deeper level.
It allowed Lux to see and hear what Diablo could see and hear, which made his personal bodyguard the perfect chess piece to take advantage of the chaos that was currently happening inside the garden.
Lux saw several dried up corpses of insects littered in the surroundings, which made him realize just how devastating the sudden mosquito attack was.
Fortunately, he still hadn't seen any Dwarf corpses, which gave him some peace of mind. The Half-Elf wasn't fond of seeing dead children, whether they were Dwarves or Humans.
Suddenly, a loud shriek reached Diablo's ears. Lux immediately ordered his Named Creature to run in the direction where the shriek came from, and take a look at what was happening.
As soon as Diablo arrived in the area, he heard an intense buzzing sound in the surroundings.
Giant flowers were strewn across the ground alongside countless mosquitoes that had been sliced in half.
In the distance, he saw a weakened Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that was being swarmed by the mosquitoes.
The Terror Mantis' exoskeleton was very hard, so the mosquito bites couldn't make it past its defenses. However, that didn't stop the mosquitoes from trying to find an area they could penetrate with their blood suckers in order to incapacitate the strongest creature in the Figaro Garden.
After letting out a resounding shriek of frustration, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis opened its wings and flew upwards. It then created powerful gusts of wind, which blew the mosquitoes away.
Within the dense swarm of mosquitoes, a dozen black mosquitoes, that were two times larger than the normal Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes, appeared.
The Half-Elf had read all the monsters living in the Figaro Garden from the Elysium Compendium and quickly recognized what they were.
"Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes," Lux thought as he observed the Rank 1 Monsters from afar.
Their bloodsuckers were very sharp and strong enough to penetrate the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis' exoskeleton.
After seeing them, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis immediately flew away. Its berserked state had already ended just a few minutes ago, and it was now in a weakened state. In addition to its poor condition, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis also had a wound on its chest, which had been caused by the spearman of the party that had fought against it earlier.
When the mosquitoes were attacking its body, it made sure to cover its wound with its bladed claws, to prevent any of the mosquitoes from targeting a part where they could penetrate with their bloodsuckers.
Naturally the mosquitoes didn't let their prize get away and chased after the Terror Mantis.
On the ground, Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior followed them persistently.
The chase lasted for ten minutes, until the weakened mantis finally crashed into a giant flower to help it break its fall.
Knowing that it was backed into a corner, the Terror Mantis screeched and raised its bladed claws to fight to the death.
The Obsidian Mosquitoes didn't attack it right away. Instead, the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes swarmed towards the Alpha Beast who was about to fall on its last legs.
Chapter 42 Fishing In Troubled Waters [Part 2]
"Big Brother, what are you doing?" Colette asked. "Are you tired from running?"
,m Lux opened his eyes and smiled. "A little bit. Let's stay here for now. The Mosquito Swarm is still active outside. I'm using Diablo to check the current situation. Once the coast is clear, we will leave immediately and return to the Leaf Village for the time being."
"Un!" Colette nodded her head in agreement.
After reassuring his party members, Lux once again closed his eyes and strengthened his connection with Diablo.
The fight was currently getting more intense. The Obsidian Mosquitoes encircled the Terror Mantis and applying hit and run tactics, using the ordinary mosquitoes as cannon fodder.
Their goal was to leave a paralyzing venom inside their prey until it no longer had the ability to resist.
After cutting over a hundred mosquitoes, the Terror Mantis' movements gradually turned sluggish due to exhaustion. The stack of mosquito venom was starting to spread inside its body.
The Obsidian Mosquitoes didn't waste the opportunity and embedded their sharp suckers into any unprotected area of their prey.
Several more minutes had passed when the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis screeched for the last time. Its screech was filled with unwillingness and frustration as its body collapsed to the ground, paralyzed.
After sending a few more ordinary mosquitoes to probe the fallen mantis, the Obsidian Mosquitoes finally went in to claim their prize.
Lux watched as a dozen Obsidian Mosquitoes impaled the Alpha Monster's body with their sharp suckers and began drinking its blood.
Their bodies glowed as they absorbed the high-quality blood of their prey, similar to how the Dwarves leveled up after reaching the limit of their experience bars.
After who knows how long, the feasting of the Obsidian Mosquitoes finally ended. They then issued a series of buzzing sounds and flew Northwards, followed by their underlings.
Only after Lux was certain that all the mosquitoes had left did he order Diablo to move towards the corpse lying on the ground.
Lux gazed at the once proud Apex Monster of the Figaro Garden, which was now only left with a dried up husk, bereft of blood. The Half-Elf didn't feel any pity for the Alpha Beast's demise. Instead, what he felt was excitement. He hurriedly ordered Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior to drag the corpse back to the Ant Nest where they were currently hiding.
Since the Mantis no longer had any blood on its body, it had become much lighter and the two Undead didn't have any problems dragging it back to the nest in accordance to Lux's wishes.
When the two faithful Undead arrived at their destination, the entrance of the nest opened and Lux hurriedly came out to claim his prize.
Colette and the other Dwarves, who had followed the Half-Elf outside, gasped in shock when they saw the Alpha Beast's body laying in front of them.
"B-Big Brother, isn't this the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis?!" Colette wasn't able to contain her surprise as she poked the dead Alpha Monster with her finger.
"Yes," Lux replied. "The mosquitoes killed it a while ago, and I asked my Undead to drag it back here."
Lux couldn't hide the smugness on his face as he approached one of the strongest monsters in the Beginner's Zone.
As he gazed at the dead beast in front of him, he had a feeling that if the Alpha Monster wasn't injured and in a weakened state, the Mosquitoes wouldn't have dared to fight it head-on.
Fortunately, it was. Lux even got its corpse, which was filled with treasures, for himself.
The Dwarves that had been with them weren't able to hide the envious looks on their faces as they stared at the Terror Mantis on the ground. The Bladed Claws of the Terror Mantis could be given to a Blacksmith and crafted into a Pseudo-Unique Weapon.
Its exoskeleton could also be used to create an extremely rare armor that was durable enough to withstand most attacks from most of the existing beasts that could be found in the Beginner's Zone.
The true prize, of course, was its Beast Core, which gave people additional Stat Points and a chance to acquire one of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis' skills.
The Alpha Beast had three skills, which were Fury Slash, Gust, and Berserk.
Any of those skills would prove useful even in the late Apostle Ranks. This was why most Dwarves performed the Graduation Ceremony before leaving. It would be helpful for their future journeys to acquire the Beast Cores of the Alpha Monsters in their respective Beginner Zones.
Seeing the envious and greedy looks coming from the Dwarves around him, Lux decided to use the ring that his Grandma Vera had given him before he left Wildgarde Stronghold.
The ring was called "Enchanted Beast Ring", which allowed him to store the corpses of monsters of any size. The only downside was that it could only store ten monsters at a time.
Even so, it was still a wonderful item that allowed its owner to carry their quarry back home, without worrying about hiring manpower for transport.
Lux pressed his hand over the monster's corpse and activated the ring. Immediately, the Terror Mantis disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
The Half-Elf was quite satisfied because he was able to take advantage of the current situation and even profited a lot from it.
This reminded him of what his Grandma Vera had told him about fishing in troubled waters.
Although he felt a little bad for the party that had challenged the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis earlier, he didn't feel guilty about taking the Alpha Monster for himself. After all, he wasn't the one responsible for the mosquito swarm, nor was he the one that killed their prey.
He was merely a bystander that happened to find the corpse, pick it up, and take it back home. No one could find fault in what he did because if other people were in the same shoes as him, they would have done the same.
Unfortunately, things didn't go the way Lux had planned after returning to the Leaf Village.
The Dwarves that had seen his exploits had spread the news to their friends. Naturally, this reached the ears of the Dwarf party that had fought tooth and nail with the Alpha Monster before the mosquito swarm invaded, which gave Lux a headache. After all, he now had to think about how to deal with the aftermath.
Chapter 43 Let’s Get This Duel Started [Part 1]
In the Plaza of the Leaf Village, Lux stood still as he faced the group of six that fought against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis.
Their leader, Frederick, had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up at the Half-Elf who was taller than him.
"I heard that you brought back the corpse of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis after it was killed by the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes. Is this true?" Frederick asked.
"Yes," Lux answered. "However, the ones that dealt the killing blows were the dozens of Obsidian Mosquitoes which were all Rank 1 Monsters."
Frederick nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I know that you were not in the wrong, and simply took advantage of the situation, but it still didn't sit well with us. We can only stay here in Leaf Village for a little more than four days, but the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis might not spawn again before we leave this place."
"You can keep the Beast Core if you like, but we need the Terror Mantis' bladed claws and its exoskeleton. Can you give this to us as a sign of friendship?"
"And, if I refuse?" Lux asked.
He didn't mind giving them the Terror Mantis' bladed claws and exoskeleton because he was sure that he could farm these items before he left the Leaf Village. However, the hateful glares that Frederick's party members were giving him, which made it seem as if he was someone that had killed their family members, were ticking him off.
"Hah? You dare refuse?" the Shield Warrior of the group shouted. "We are being civilized with you even though you stole our prey. If you are really an upstanding individual, you should hand the Beast Corpse over to us along with an apology!"
"That's right!"
"Augustus is right. The Terror Mantis is rightfully ours, you thief!!"
"Give us back what is rightfully ours!"
Although Frederick didn't say anything, he still didn't stop his party members from voicing their complaints. His gaze remained calm as he just stared at Lux, waiting for his answer.
Because of the commotion that had happened in the Figaro Gardens, some of the Dwarves who were in Leaf Village turned to look at the disturbance in the Plaza. Soon a crowd formed and watched this scene with great interest.
Dwarves were known to be a rowdy race, especially when it came to drinking. They were also not afraid of a brawl, so the other races had learned not to tick off the stubborn Dwarves, who were known to raise their war hammers at the first sign of conflict.
"How about you buy them from me?" Lux asked. "I'll give you a fifty percent discount on the market price. How about it?"
Before Frederick could give his reply, the Shield Warrior, Augustus, immediately raised a ruckus.
"You've got guts I'll give you that!" Augustus shouted with a sneer. "Selling something that originally belonged to us? Is this how Half-Elves operate?"
"Bastard!"
"Scum!"
"Thief!"
The Dwarves in the crowd that had encircled them were starting to murmur to each other.
Colette's group had also arrived at the scene and looked at the Half-Elf and Frederick with frowns on their faces.
"Frederick, are you bullying my Big Brother?!" Colette immediately stepped forward and stood between Lux and the party leader of the Shadow Tempest with her arms crossed over her chest. "Although you were the ones that fought against the Terror Mantis, the ones that killed it were the mosquitoes. Meaning, it no longer belonged to any of you! How dare you gang up on Big Brother like this?"
"Oi, little girl from the Goldenslayer family, it is best if you stay out of this!" Augustus didn't back down as he glared at Colette.
Both of them were children of Ducal Families in Solais. Although their territories were far from each other, the World of Elysium allowed the dwarves from Solais to appear in the Dwarven Lands ruled by the Dwarven Kings.
This allowed these families to get to know each other, and form strong connections even though their territories were far apart.
"Hmp! You think you can scare me, you pig?!" Colette shot back. "Come. I'll smash your face with my mace!"
Lux hurriedly grabbed the little girl who had already taken out her weapon and was raring to fight against the Shield Warrior who was looking down at her in disdain.
Clearly, Colette wasn't a match for the Shield Warrior, but she still made her stance known because she couldn't just sit and watch on the side as Lux got bullied by other Dwarves.
"Calm down, Colette," Lux said as he tried to pacify the adorable girl whose cheeks were puffed up like a hamster. Deep inside, he felt very touched because the other Dwarves in the crowd were looking at him as if he was their common enemy.
After spending some time with Colette and the others, Lux had almost forgotten that he was the only Half-Elf in this Beginner Village that was filled with Dwarves. In a conflict between two races, it was only normal for every race to back their own.
"How do you want to settle this?" Lux asked Frederick who had kept his silence from the start of the conflict.
Frederick gazed at him with a serious expression as he unsheathed his sword. "A duel. If we win, you will give us the Terror Mantis' bladed claws and exoskeleton."
"And, if I win?" Lux asked.
Frederick didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at his party members to see if they had other opinions. All of them nodded their heads at the same time. Actually, he had already told his party about his plan to duel Lux if the negotiations didn't turn out the way they wanted.
Naturally, since this was a duel, they also needed to give something in return to make it fair in front of everyone.
"A favor," Frederick replied. "We will owe you one favor that you can ask of us when you meet us again in the future."
According to his Grandma, Dwarves were known to honor their promises. This was why, when dealing with other races, most people would use Dwarves as intermediaries in negotiations. They knew that the Dwarves would uphold their part of the bargain.
"A favor? What if I ask you to explore a dungeon with me and I get all the loot, you're still willing to do that favor?"
"We are Dwarves. We will honor our word without fail."
The Dwarves who were watching from the side all nodded their heads in acknowledgement of Frederick's words.
"Fine," Lux said as he patted Colette's head. "Since you want a duel, I will give you one. What are the rules?"
Frederick smiled. "All you need to do is defeat me…"
"And me!" Augustus interjected. "I also have a say in this. So you need to defeat me too!"
Frederick and Augustus were both Apostles now, which meant that among the Dwarf children in Leaf Village, they were the strongest. They also did an investigation about Lux's history and background and found out that he had only recently arrived in the Beginner's Village.
Since that was the case, there was no possible way for Lux to win against them in a one-on-one battle. After all, they were stronger than him.
At least, this was what they believed, so they decided to go with a duel to make it look fair to everyone. Also, they were technically on the moral high ground, so no one would bat an eye and call them bullies.
"Big Brother, you can't beat them," Colette grabbed Lux's hand and looked up at him. "They are already Apostles. They're way stronger than you."
Lux smiled as he crouched down and whispered something in her ear. "Don't worry. I fought the Dark Draugr, remember? I can handle them just fine."
Colette's eyes widened in shock because she had almost forgotten about Lux's bodyguard, Diablo.
Although the Skeleton wasn't as strong as an Apostle, a two-versus-one battle would still prove difficult for someone that had just become an Apostle.
"Okay!" Colette nodded as she returned to where her party members were. "Don't lose to them, Big Brother!"
Lux gave her a thumbs up as he stood up. He knew that the majority of the Dwarves didn't like him, but that was fine.
Duels that were held in town were quite safe because there was a universal law that prevented deaths from happening. This was one of the safeguards that the God of Games, Eriol, had made to settle disputes over disagreements that might lead to brawl.
Of course both parties must accept the duel for this feature to work.
Anyone who started a fight in any of the villages, towns, and cities without declaring a duel, would be treated as a criminal and captured by the guards that patrolled these territories.
Frederick declared a duel invitation directed to Lux, and almost immediately, a small orb of light appeared in front of him.
The young swordsman pricked his fingertip with a dagger and dropped a drop of his blood on the floating orb to signal his intention to start the duel. After receiving his blood, the orb flew towards Lux.
Summoning Oathbreaker, Lux did the same and dropped his blood on the orb, signaling his agreement to the duel.
"I recognize this duel," a voice filled with Divinity said. "The fight will begin in thirty seconds. Make your preparations."
A countdown timer appeared on the surface of the orb signaling that the duel was about to start.
Lux equipped his Relentless Warrior Armor, which made Frederick and Augustus arch their eyebrows. They had not seen this set of armor before.
When the countdown reached ten seconds, Lux pointed Oathbreaker towards Frederick and smiled.
"Don't get surprised when you lose, okay?" Lux said with confidence.
"I won't be surprised," Frederick replied as he pointed his own weapon at Lux. "That's because I won't lose."
Chapter 44 Let’s Get This Duel Started [Part 2]
"Duel Start!"
As soon as the glowing white orb declared the start of the duel, both fighters swiftly clashed against each other.
They exchanged exactly three strikes before backing away, as they appraised the ability of their opponent.
'How can this be!?' Frederick was shocked after exchanging blows with Lux. 'He's almost as strong as me!'
Just like everyone else, the leader of the Shadow Tempest thought that since he had already stepped into the Apostle Rank, the battle would easily end in his favor.
However, after gauging the strength of his enemy, he realized that although he was still stronger than Lux, the gap between them wasn't that big.
'As expected, I can fight him head-on.' Lux smiled as he scanned the Dwarf in front of him. 'This kid needs to be taught a lesson!'
The Half-Elf stomped his right foot on the ground, preparing to charge at his opponent. However, before he could even take another step, he felt a magical fluctuation coming from Frederick's left hand, seemingly aimed at him.
"Stone Bullet!" Frederick shouted as a fist-sized stone flew towards Lux, which forced the latter to dodge to the side at the last second.
Having his attacking stance broken, the Half-Elf had no choice but to evade the barrage of stone bullets that Frederick fired in his direction.
p 'Crap! He is a Magic Swordsman!' Lux cursed internally as he was left with no other option but to equip Dawne to block one of the Stone Bullets that he was unable to dodge.
A resounding metallic sound spread across the plaza as Lux skidded a few meters away from where he stood.
"Sorry I underestimated you earlier," Frederick announced as more magic circles appeared around him. "I will now fight you seriously, so be prepare–."
Just before Frederick could finish his words, Lux picked a random rock on the ground and threw it at Frederick to stop his chanting.
"Stone Bullet!" Lux shouted.
Frederick tilted his body to the side to dodge Lux's unexpected attack. This also interrupted him from casting the spell "Stone Bullet Barrage" which was the machine gun version of Stone Bullet, firing bullets continuously at a rapid pace.
"You're not the only one who can cast magic," Lux declared as he pointed his thumb at his chest. "I can do it too!"
The lips of the Dwarves watching the duel twitched as they looked at the Half-Elf who was feeling proud of himself.
'Bruh… you just picked up a rock and threw it. That's not how magic works. Aren't you feeling embarrassed for yourself?'
That was the general summary of everyone's collective thoughts in the plaza.
Colette, and her party members, on the other hand, covered their faces in embarrassment except Robin.
He only glanced at his party mates and purposefully took a few steps back as if telling the other Dwarves that he didn't know any of them.
Frederick shrugged off Lux's words and decided to close the gap between them. He only used a ranged attack earlier to test and see if his enemy had any long range spells that could be used against him.
Of course, he already knew that Lux was capable of summoning the Undead thanks to the Dwarves that were on the site the day. They all said that it was how he retrieved the body of the Alpha Monster.
The only thing that confused Frederick was that the other party wasn't using any of his summons. Although he wasn't afraid of the other party's summoned monster, the lack of it made Frederick think that his opponent wasn't taking him seriously.
The two fighters once again clashed against each other at close range. This time, each of their strikes sent sparks flying in the air.
"Tempest War Art First Form…," Frederick shouted.
"Kaizer Sword Art Second Form…," Lux declared.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
"Crescent Slash!"
A powerful gust of wind erupted at the center of the plaza, creating a thick dust cloud which blocked everyone's views from the two combatants.
However, Lux and Frederick didn't falter and unleashed several lethal sword strikes that could seriously injure their opponent.
Within the dust cloud, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard. Several flashes of light could also be seen as both fighters fought toe-to-toe at point blank range.
Both combatants were losing their Health Points at a rapid pace every time their attacks grazed each other. With one powerful slash, Lux sent Frederick a few meters away from him, after the Dwarf had blocked his attack.
What Lux didn't know was that the Leader of the Shadow Tempest had planned this all along. He used the strike of Lux's slash to gain momentum in order to distance himself from his opponent.
Switching his grip on his weapon, Frederick stabbed his sword to the ground and shouted.
"Stone Spikes!"
Lux's sixth sense kicked in, prompting the Half-Elf to summon his Skeleton Warrior in order to deal with the Dwarf's unexpected move.
Several two-meter spikes jutted out of the ground around where Lux had initially been standing a moment ago, piercing their target from all directions.
As the dust cloud settled, Frederick saw the Skeleton Warrior's body collapse in front of him, but the Half-Elf was nowhere to be found.
Augustus, who used his detection skill, immediately located Lux and shouted to warn his leader where the enemy was.
"Frederick, above you!" Augustus hollered.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The Skeleton Warrior had propelled Lux high up in the air before the Earth Spikes hit it. This allowed the Half-Elf not only to escape the attack, but also initiate a counter attack of his own.
'Kaizer Sword Art Fourth Form!' Lux pulled his sword back in order to prepare his family's special attack that he had practiced, while jumping off the tree on their property.
He had practiced this move so many times when he was twelve years old, to the point that he fainted every one out of three attempts.
Now that he was no longer worried about fainting, Lux unleashed the attack that had made his Grandma Vera spank his bum numerous times for repeating this move over and over again until he fainted.
"Phoenix Descent!"
A screeching sound that was similar to that of a phoenix, spread across the plaza as Lux's sword shone brightly.
The crowd watched as the Half-Elf brushed through the Dwarf's body and skidded across the ground with his sword at his side.
Phoenix's Descent was the only attack that his Grandma Vera had taught him that could be used while he was mid-air.
It was also an attack that put great stress on the body due to the difficulty of its execution. But, the current Lux was now strong enough to execute this move without fail.
Frederick knelt on the ground clutching his chest with his hand. He didn't expect that not only would someone survive his Earth Spikes, but also manage to counterattack against him.
Although they didn't actually receive any injuries when Duel Mode was activated, they could still feel the pain of each attack. Lux's last strike made the dwarf feel as if his body was sliced in two.
"Duel Over!"
"Winner, Lux!"
The Orb of Light announced the victor of the duel before fading away.
Colette, who intently watched the battle, immediately ran towards Lux and jumped into his arms. The Half-Elf stored his weapon and caught the ever-lively little girl with both hands, and swung her around, and around, making Colette shout in joy.
The Dwarves stared at the Half-Elf in disbelief because they hadn't expected this outcome. As soon as the dust cloud settled, the battle had also come to an end.
Augustus clenched his fist, because he couldn't believe that Frederick had lost against the Half-Elf. Now that his leader had lost the battle, it was now his turn to fight.
"You did well, Half-Elf," Augustus said as he stepped forward. "Now, it's my turn. Don't worry, I'll give you a few minutes to rest."
Lux put Colette down on the ground as he looked at the Shield Warrior who had a serious expression on his face.
"There's no need to rest," Lux said. "I don't want to waste time. Let's just duel now."
This time, Lux was the one that initiated the duel and summoned the Orb of Light.
After giving it a drop of his blood, the orb flew towards Augustus.
'Although I'm not as proficient as Frederick in fighting, I am confident in my defense,' Augustus thought as he dropped a drop of his blood on the Orb of Light, signaling his acceptance to Lux's challenge. 'No matter what kind of attack he makes, I can block them all!'
"I recognize this duel," a voice filled with Divinity said. "The fight will begin in thirty seconds. Make your preparations."
Augustus smirked at Lux, and the latter smirked back at him. When the timer ended, Augustus raised his shield and held his ground.
As a Shield Warrior who specialized in defense, he had decided to use the counter-attack strategy on Lux, believing that he would be the last one standing between the two of them.
However, the smile on the Dwarf's face stiffened when Lux raised his hand and summoned Diablo and his Skeleton Warrior to fight by his side.
He had completely forgotten that his opponent was a Necromancer who didn't need to fight one-on-one battles with him!
Chapter 45 Let’s Get This Duel Started [Part 3]
Augustus had equipped his full-plate armor that covered his entire body.
He couldn't afford to lose, so he decided to go all out and prove to the Half-Elf that he was a tough cookie to crack.
Diablo summoned the Forest Wolf, making it a four versus one battle. Even so, Augustus wasn't worried. In his eyes, the only threat was Lux. Once the other party fell, the others would follow, so he decided to focus all of his attention on the Half-Elf.
Lux charged at the Shield Warrior as he brandished Oathbreaker to check how tough the little Dwarf was.
After executing Slash, a metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings after Augustus successfully blocked his attack.
Diablo, the Skeleton Warrior, and the Forest Wolf also took this opportunity to attack the Shield Warrior from all sides.
Aside from the shield in his right hand, the dwarf also had a peculiar looking short sword in his left hand, which he used to block Diablo's strike.
For some reason, Augustus' instinct told him that Diablo was a creature he couldn't afford to look down on.
After successfully blocking Lux's and Diablo's attack, the Forest Wolf's jaws clamped down on the Shield Warrior's head. At the same time, the Skeleton Warrior slashed at the Dwarf's body.
The Forest Wolf's teeth weren't able to penetrate through the helmet it had bitten on. The Skeleton Warrior was no different as its attack didn't even put a dent on Augustus' armor.
One mighty roar suddenly sounded from the Shield Warrior, causing Lux and his subordinates to get blown a few meters away. Augustus unleashed his AOE Skill, Shield Warrior's Roar, which had a knockback effect.
Although it didn't deal great damage, it was effective when it came to pushing enemies away especially when the user was getting mobbed.
"No matter what you do, you can't pierce my defense!" Augustus declared.
Lux smiled as he took a fighting stance. "We'll see about that."
This was the first time that the Half-Elf had seen a Shield Warrior in action, so he was quite curious about its abilities. From what he could tell, the Forest Wolf and the Skeleton Warrior practically did no damage to Augustus because of his full-plate armor.
Lux was sure that this armor was something that couldn't be obtained from Leaf Village, so there was only one explanation. It was an armor that was given to the Dwarf before he entered Elysium.
Seeing that Augustus focused on blocking his attacks, Lux knew that there was only one tactic he could use in order to breach the dwarf's solid defenses.
Lux took a fighting stance and the sword in his hand glowed as he prepared to unleash one of his family's sword arts.
"Kaizer Sword Art First Form…," Lux shouted as he charged at the Shield Warrior who had already raised his shield up to meet him. "Piercing the Heavens!"
Augustus shifted his body in order to deflect Lux's attack and weaken its momentum. However, just before he could properly block the Half-Elf's attack, a moan of pain and pleasure escaped his lips.
Diablo had positioned himself behind the Dwarf and stabbed Augustus' bum. Although the Dwarf was wearing a full-plate armor that covered his entire body, Diablo's attack dealt Ethereal Damage.
It was an elemental damage that was similar to a spiritual attack that ignored all defenses.
Diablo's attack had penetrated Augustus' weak spot, which made the latter cry out in pain and pleasure.
Lux didn't continue his attack because the Dwarf had already collapsed on the ground, with his hands covering his backside.
"I concede!" Augustus said as he rolled on the ground towards his party members.
"Duel Over!"
"Winner, Lux!"
All the aspiring Shield Warriors, who were watching the battle, unconsciously covered their backside. For some reason, they could feel Augustus' pain. All of them shuddered as they looked at Diablo, who was looking at his sword in a weird manner.
Augustus had already unequipped his plate armor and returned to his normal attire. Beads of sweat could be seen in his forehead as he endured the pain that persisted in his backside.
It was at that moment when a black shadow covered his body.
The shield warrior looked up only to see Diablo looking down on him. This made Augustus' body unconsciously shudder as he backed away while shielding his backside with both hands.
"The battle is already over!" Augustus stated in shame and embarrassment. "What do you want?!"
Diablo ignored him and simply walked toward the panicking Dwarf who was frantically hiding behind Frederick.
Without another word, Diablo reached out to touch Augustus robe and did the unthinkable.
To everyone's surprise, the Skeleton who was wearing a Black Armor used the Shield Warrior's robes to wipe its sword.
Although it was hard to tell the facial expression on the skeleton's face, everyone could vaguely feel the trace of disgust in Diablo's face, as he wiped Tranquility's tip zealously.
Lux didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his Named Creature's actions. Just like everyone else, he was also caught off-guard by Diablo's act, which showed that it was a very intelligent creature.
After making sure that his weapon was now clean, Diablo patted Augustus' head before walking towards its Master, Lux.
The Half-Elf knew that he had to diffuse the situation, so he decided to settle things in a peaceful manner.
"That was a good fight," Lux said with a smile. "Although we all started off on the wrong foot, everything can be settled if we all sit down and talk in a civilized manner. Since you want the Bladed Claw and the Exoskeleton, I am willing to sell it to your party at a 90% Discount of the market price.
"You can buy the Bladed Claws for five gold coins and the Exoskeleton for three gold coins. How does that sound?"
Frederick knew that Lux was trying to settle things peacefully, so he readily agreed to his condition. Although they still had to pay a total of eight gold coins, it was already a very low price considering that these materials could be used to craft a high-quality weapon and set of armor.
"You have a deal," Frederick said as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Lux held the Dwarf's hand and shook it firmly. For him, the Terror Mantis' Bladed Claws and Exoskeleton were not a big deal to give up. Anyway, he could simply hunt the Terror Mantises at his leisure when Diablo, and his other summons, achieved a higher rank.
Making the Dwarves his enemies for materials that he could hoard in the future was simply not worth it. This was why he decided to take a step back and give Frederick and the Shadow Tempest Party a way to resolve the issue without escalating things.
After the successful trade, Lux took Colette and her party members to the inn to eat.
Robin politely declined, using the excuse that he still had things to do, and left without waiting for anyone's reply. Colette and the others watched him go with a sigh because they were used to Robin always doing things at his own pace.
Lux didn't think much about it and herded the Golden Slayers off to eat and drink to their heart's content.
—--
In a house located inside Leaf Village…
"Find any information that you can about the Half-Elf," Robin ordered the Dwarves who were kneeling in front of him. "I want to know everything about him. Now, Go!"
""Yes, Sir!""
All the Dwarves left the house and headed in different directions. Since their master had given them an order, they would fulfill it to the best of their abilities.
"Lux Von Kaizer…," Robin muttered. "Just how did you arrive here in the Kingdom of Gweliven? Just what is your goal?"
Robin was very wary of Lux because his father had warned him that associating with children from other races would just lead to trouble. Of course, he didn't believe this advice completely because he hadn't met any other races in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven.
But although he didn't know if other races could be trusted or not, he was still very curious about the Half-Elf who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"I'll find out your true colors soon," Robin said softly. "If you are a threat to this kingdom… I will make sure that you will never be heard from again."
Chapter 46 Lux’s Business Partners
Three days had passed since the duel between Lux and Shadow Tempest Party. A commotion happened in the Figaro Gardens, which made all the Dwarves leveling in the area abandon it completely.
According to the report of those who managed to flee in time, the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes and the Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes were regularly conducting swarm raids in the Figaro Gardens.
Because of this, most of the Dwarves decided to boycott the North Zone of the Beginner Village in fear of getting themselves surrounded by thousands of bloodsucking mosquitoes.
The Adventurer's Guild had also issued a Class B Extermination Mission to clear the pests that were becoming a threat to the outer area of the Beginner's Village.
The Village Chief, Cedwyn, was also worried that if things continued to get out of hand, another Monster Outbreak would occur and, this time, they would be fighting against swarms of mosquitoes that thirsted for blood.
The Elders of Leaf Village believed that the threat the Mosquito Swarm posed had even surpassed that of the Undead Army that had raided their village not long ago.
Grandma Annie, the old woman that had fought alongside Lux during the Monster Outbreak, had a grim expression on her face as she voiced her opinion.
"I think we need to stock more food in our underground shelter," Grandma Annie proposed. "Unlike the Undead Army, these mosquitoes can get past our defenses because they can fly. Also, the paralyzing effect of their bites can cause countless casualties on our side. It is best to not fight them, and just wait until they leave the village."
Cedwyn and the Elders of the village nodded their heads.
"Fortunately, all the houses and other establishments of our village have underground basements," Cedwyn said. "If going to the shelter is impossible, hiding in the underground basement is also an option. As long as the mosquitoes don't see any live targets, they will leave on their own."
One of the elders rubbed his beard as he made his concern known. "Has there been any news from the Stronghold of Norria? We sent someone to inform them of the current threat we are facing a day ago. We should have gotten an answer from them by this time."
Cedwyn sighed. "I'm afraid the Stronghold is busy right now. Our neighboring village, Lindow, was attacked by a notorious bandit group. The Warriors of Norria are scouring the nearby areas to find their main camp, but the bastards are like slippery eels that couldn't get caught. It will take a while before they can spare us some manpower to handle this threat."
Grandma Annie shook her head in disappointment after hearing the news, but there was nothing that they could do about it. They were not the only villages that were under the protection of the Stronghold of Norria. Other people needed help from them as well, so they needed to handle the situation on their own for the time being.
"Tell the Adventurer's Guild to issue an announcement to the villagers, as well as the Foreigners, that going to the Figaro Garden is forbidden," Grandma Annie stated. "Although it is impossible to close off the entire area, giving a warning to everyone should at least have enough effect."
Everyone in the room nodded their heads as they concluded their meeting. They set out to do their assigned tasks to ensure that their village would not suffer many casualties if another Monster Outbreak were to happen.
—--
East Zone, Aspiration Plains…
"It's too bad. We can't go to the Figaro Gardens," Colette said. She was sitting on top of a carriage.
"I heard that there have already been two casualties due to the Mosquitoes Mob Strikes in the garden," Matty commented from the side. "It is better to stay away from that place for the time being."
Helen, the Cleric of the group, nodded. "Let the adults handle this matter. This is something that is beyond our abilities. By the way, where is Big Brother?"
Helen had started to imitate Colette, calling Lux Big Brother as well. It didn't seem wrong either since he was the oldest and tallest in their party.
"Big Brother said that he still has other things to do, so he can't accompany us on this escort mission." Colette pouted. "I wonder what he is up to…"
The Goldenslayer Party had taken an escort mission to protect a merchant caravan from bandits and wild monsters. They were headed to a village called Lindow Village, which was one of the trade partners of Leaf Village within the territory of Norria.
Robin, who was also seated in the carriage, had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked outside the window.
The investigation about Lux's identity was not proceeding smoothly because they couldn't gather any information about how he appeared in Leaf Village.
Although Foreigners could visit the Kingdom of Gweliven from their homeworld of Solais, all of them were Dwarves. There had not been a single instance where a different race had appeared in the Dwarven Lands, which was why Lux's case was being investigated critically.
Even the Stronghold of Norria had been keeping an eye on the Half-Elf's movements through the men that they had stationed in Leaf Village.
As Colette's party continued their journey, the Half-Elf who didn't accompany them was busy getting chummy with the Ants inside the Figaro Garden.
Using the Elysium Compendium as a translator, Lux communicated with the Ants while he hid in their underground colony. He asked them of the latest news of what was happening inside the garden.
According to the information he gathered, the number of Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes was growing at a fast rate. This was due to them drinking the blood of stronger monsters as they terrorized the ecosystem that had lost their Alpha Beast.
According to the Elysium Compendium, it would take a week for Alpha Monsters to spawn after they were killed. This prevented newly ranked Apostle Parties from hunting them indiscriminately.
Also, the Ants told him some information that made him frown.
The dozen Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes that had feasted on the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis had all evolved into Iron Scaled Torment Mosquitoes, which were Rank 2 Monsters.
In the Beginner's Area, the strongest monster was the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, followed by the Alpha Monsters.
The tiers below them were Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters.
For a party that had just arrived in the Beginner's Village, they could at most handle common monsters like Horned Rabbits, Skeletons, Lady Bugs, and Forest Wolves.
After they became stronger, they could then challenge Rank 1 Monsters.
After they get used to fighting strong monsters, they could then challenge the Rank 2 Monsters, which would help them level up faster.
This would also allow them to gain enough stat points in order to deal with the Alpha Monsters in each zone of the Beginner's Village.
In the absence of the Alpha Monster, the current big boss of the Figaro Garden were now the Mosquitoes. No creature within it would dare to poke their noses out while these bloodsuckers were becoming more and more active in their territory.
While Lux was chatting with the Ants about mundane things, Diablo gave him a mental message which made the Half-Elf grin.
'I knew it!' Lux thought as he gave an order to his Named Creature. 'This is the perfect opportunity to farm points!'
Lux was different from the Elysians and Solaians.
He didn't get experience points through killing monsters. He received points directly after absorbing Beast Cores and finishing quests. Right now, no Dwarves were loitering in the Figaro Gardens, which made this the perfect spot for him to loot the goods that the mosquitoes left behind.
The mosquitoes only cared about blood. They would immediately leave the body of their prey once all of its blood had been sucked out of its body.
What did this mean? It meant that Lux could get Beast Cores without having to do anything!
Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior would scout the areas where the Mosquito Swarm had just passed through. He got the information about the monster raids from the Ants, who shared information through their colony.
With such a powerful information network, which covered the entirety of the Figaro Garden, aiding him, Lux could collect Beast Cores without any problems, even if the mosquitoes were still active in the area.
After all, Diablo and the Skeleton Warriors were just walking bones. As long as they didn't actively attack the Mosquitoes, the Swarm would just leave them alone.
This created the perfect opportunity for Lux to collect Beast Cores and materials which he could sell back in Leaf Village to earn coins.
Of course, the Ants also got some benefits from cooperating with Lux. They had agreed into a seventy-thirty split.
Seventy percent goes to the Ants, while thirty percent goes to him.
The Figaro Garden was a very big place, and Lux understood that he couldn't cover them all. This was why he had made the Ants his business partners for a win-win scenario.
His Skeletons would scout the area to tell them if the coast was clear. After that, the Ants would then send their scavenging parties to haul the dead bodies of the Monsters back to their colonies.
This partnership allowed the Ants to safely stock up on their food sources, without worrying about being targeted by the troublesome Mosquitoes that could poke them to death.
Lux would then get thirty percent of the Beast Cores of Rank 1 and 2 Monsters, as well as their materials after the Ants had collected their bodies.
Although the number of Rank 1 and 2 Monsters only numbered about a dozen or so, having two to five Beast Cores a day was something that Lux wouldn't dare pass up.
—-
(A/N: In case I haven't mentioned it before, the people in Solais that go to Elysium can level up to become stronger. Likewise, the people of Elysium also level up by fighting monsters and using Beast Cores.
Once their combined stat points reached a certain threshold, they would be able to break through the Rankings.)
Chapter 47 I Just Did What Was Needed To Be Done
A week had passed since Lux had holed himself up in the Figaro Garden and he was still conducting his business with the Ants.
Although the Adventurer's Guild had announced that going to the Figaro Gardens was forbidden, some stubborn Dwarves would still secretly go there to kill monsters and collect herbs and other ingredients.
Due to the decrease of people visiting the place, the Dwarves didn't have much competition in herb collecting, monster killing, and foraging.
This made them bolder, so most of them decided to go deeper inside the garden, which was a big mistake on their part.
"Run!"
A party of Dwarves had ventured too deep in their exploration, and came in contact with one of the mosquito swarms that were active in the area.
The buzzing sounds of the mosquitoes' wings became louder as they closed their gap between the Dwarves who were rich in blood.
While they were running away, the healer of the party suddenly tripped on one of the roots of the plants that was on his way.
"Help!" the healer cried out, but his party members only gave him a side-long glance before running away.
"Nooooo! Stay away!" The healer screamed as the mosquitoes pierced his body with their bloodsuckers.
His blood curdling screams spread across the garden, which scared those who heard it increase the pace of their running.
The ranger of the party, a girl with long brown hair, had been enduring the sudden pain in her ankle as she ran with all of her might, but she had finally reached her limit.
She fell face first on the ground as tears streamed down her eyes. The Dwarf girl knew what fate awaited her, but there was nothing else she could do.
"No, I don't want to die!" the girl shouted. "Mama! Save me, Mama!"
It was at that moment when her body was grabbed by something, making her scream with all of her might. Her screaming only lasted for only a brief moment, before it disappeared completely.
'Sh*t! We shouldn't have come!' the Leader of the party cursed internally. 'We should have only stayed on the outskirts. I have been too greedy!'
No matter how much he cursed himself, it was already too late. Another scream echoed in the garden which made the Leader subconsciously shudder. He had asked his teammates to spread out in order to increase their chances of survival.
However, the screams he just heard sounded close to his location. It only meant one thing and that was that the Monster Swarm was hot on his trail.
Using everything he had, the Dwarf ran as fast as he could like there was no tomorrow. Even though he could already feel a stinging pain in his chest, he ignored it and only ran as fast as he could. This allowed him to widen the gap between him and the Mosquito Swarm.
A few hours later, he would come to discover that he was one of the only three survivors of his party of six.
—--
The Dwarf girl, who had sprained her ankle earlier, hung limply in Diablo's arm.
He had discovered her crying when he was exploring the area where the mosquitoes were currently active. Naturally, Lux ordered Diablo to save her, as well as one of her companions that was nearby.
After running for a few minutes, Diablo saw the Skeleton Warrior carrying an unconscious Dwarf boy in his arms.
The two immediately headed to one of the Ant Holes that were scattered around the Figaro Gardens to hide from the Mosquito Swarm that was still hunting the members of the Dwarf party.
Although they wanted to save more Dwarves, there were only two of them, and the things they could do were limited.
After running in the underground tunnel for half an hour, the two Undead Finally arrived at a wide cavern where Lux was waiting for them.
Unlike the unconscious Dwarf boy, the ranger was awake and saw everything that had transpired.
After arriving at the cavern, Diablo handed the ranger to Lux, while the Skeleton Warrior laid the unconscious boy to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Lux asked.
The ranger nodded. "Just a sprain, but I'm mostly alright. Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome," Lux replied as he gently laid her on the ground to tend to her injuries.
The Half-Elf deftly removed the ranger's boots from her feet, before taking out a healing potion from his storage ring. He poured half of the bottle's contents on the swelling ankle before checking the other Dwarf's condition.
The Dwarf girl watched Lux tend to her companion and felt gratitude welling up in her heart. Deep inside, she felt relieved that she was able to survive this incident. If Diablo hadn't come to her rescue, she might have already turned into a dried husk right about now, and would never see her mother ever again.
After delivering the two Dwarf children, Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior once again left the Ant Nest. They would look for the girl's other party members and bring them here to see if they could still be saved.
Even if they were dead, Lux ordered them to bring their corpses back inside the Ant Nest, so that he could return them to Leaf Village. Later, they could be taken back home to Solais, to be given a proper burial.
A few hours passed, before Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior returned.
The ranger girl turned pale after seeing the remains of her companions, who were bereft of blood.
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Lux watched this scene with a sigh. The Figaro Gardens was currently an off-limit zone, and this Dwarf party thought that they were strong and smart enough to survive it.
Unfortunately, they thought too highly of themselves, which led to this tragic ending.
Half an hour later, the unconscious boy awoke from his slumber. What followed next was a screaming fit after he saw what remained of his companions. It took a while for Lux to calm the panicking Dwarf. Fortunately, in the end, he regained his composure.
"Stay here for the time being," Lux said to the two surviving Dwarves before placing the remains of their companions inside his Black Coffin.
The coffin could store dead and dying humanoid creatures inside them, but Lux couldn't use its main ability because he hadn't met the necessary requirements.
Also, he didn't want to do it as well. If he were to turn the Dwarves into Undead, he was sure that every Dwarf in Leaf Village would hate him, even if his intentions were good. Since that was the case, the least he could do was bring their bodies back to the village and let their friends return them to Solais to get buried.
"A swarm is currently active near the exit of the Garden," Lux said to the two Dwarves after receiving Diablo's report. "We will return to the village once they decide to return to their nest."
The two dwarves could only nod their heads as they sat and hugged their legs while staring at the small fire that Lux had made to cook some barbecue skewers made from horned rabbit meat.
"Thank you for saving me," the Dwarf boy said after a while. "My name is Glenn, thirteen years old. I am a third son of a viscount in the Dwarven Empire of Evarith. I will do my best to repay your kindness in the future."
The Dwarf girl raised her head as she stared at Lux with an embarrassed expression on her face. She had completely forgotten to introduce herself to the Half-Elf after he had saved her.
"My name is Megan. Fourteen years old." Megan bowed her head. "I'm only of commoner birth, but I thank you for saving me. I can't give you a reward because my family is poor, but if there's any way I can repay you, just ask. I will do my best to return the favor."
Lux nodded as he also introduced himself to the two Dwarves who were looking at him with grateful expressions on their faces.
"Lux," Lux said. "I don't need any repayment. I just did what needed to be done. I'm sure that if you were in my shoes, both of you would have done the same."
Glen and Megan lowered their heads. They felt ashamed because back then, they only thought about saving themselves, and didn't care if their comrades were going to die or not. After all, they were just a temporary party that was made out of necessity.
Lux didn't know what the two Dwarves were thinking as he took two skewers from the fire pit and gave them to the two of them to eat.
"Eat first," Lux stated. "Both of you will need your strength when we leave this place."
The two dwarves thanked Lux for his generosity and ate the barbecue in silence.
The Half-Elf was about to give them more when his sensitive ears picked up a buzzing sound coming from one of the tunnels leading to their cavern.
Seeing the look of concern on Lux's face, the two Dwarves frowned. They couldn't hear what the red-headed teenager was hearing, so they were not aware that the Mosquitoes had discovered one of the hidden entrances that led into the colony.
"Both of you stay here," Lux said as he ran towards one of the tunnels to help the Ants resist the invaders.
Right now, he and the Ants were allies, so it was only natural for him to extend his help during their time of need.
Glenn and Megan glanced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time. They stood up and ran after their savior. Although they didn't know what had caused Lux to have that anxious look on his face, they were sure that it was not something good.
Chapter 48 Skirmish Inside The Ant Nest
As soon as Lux arrived near one of the entrances leading to the colony, he could see several Ants and Mosquitoes already fighting against each other.
Dozens of Mosquitoes led by an Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito (Rank 2 Monster), and four Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes (Rank 1 Monster) started to clash against the defenders.
Fortunately, the Ants weren't pushovers. Although they were pacifists, when push came to shove, they were willing to fight back against any invaders.
The Guards of the Ant Nest, which were the Horned Army Ant (Rank 1) spat formic acid at the mosquitoes that attempted to enter their domain.
The Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes shrieked in pain after their bodies were drenched in acid.
The Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes, on the other hand, received minor injuries, but they were still capable of battling.
Only the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito was unaffected by the acid sprays that fell on its body.
It boldly impaled one of the defender Ants with its spear-like bloosuckers and started to suck its blood.
The Ants screeched in anger as they called for backup within their colony. Soon, more Horned Army Ants emerged and started to bombard their foes with formic acid.
Due to the overwhelming difference in numbers, the numbers of Mosquitoes decreased drastically. Even the Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes couldn't escape the army's advance. The only problem was the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito, whose body was resilient to the acid sprays that the Ants were shooting at it.
After seeing that all of its bodyguards had died, the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito planned to make its escape, but the Ants were adamant to prevent it from getting away. They had blocked the entrance leading outside of their nest, effectively trapping the last invading monster within.
The Ants had climbed the walls and the ceiling of their nest, and lunged at the invader who was trying its best to remain in the air. However, after several ants had taken hold of its body, it lost its ability to fly, and fell to the ground.
It was at that moment when the Ants showed their superiority as they mobbed the Scaled Torment Mosquito like a bunch of gangsters out for blood.
Shrieks and screeches emerged from the cavern as the ants bit, pulled, and tore the mosquito apart. When the helpless mosquito had lost its ability to fly, three ants that were two-meter tall emerged from the depths of the Ant Nest.
Lux knew the name of this Ant Species because he had seen them while traversing the countless passages of the underground maze that had been built by the Ants.
"Armored Jaws," Lux muttered as he saw the Rank 2 defenders of the Ant Colony.
The bodies of these ants were as hard as steel. Using their powerful mandibles, they grabbed hold of the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito's body and tore it apart.
Lux watched this scene unfold with a calm expression on his face. The reason why he was confident in having the Ants become his business partners was due to the fact that they were the true Overlords of the Figaro Garden.
The Mosquitoes were scary because they numbered in the tens of thousands, but it didn't mean that they could beat the Ants which numbered in the hundreds of thousands. When talking about superiority between the two races, the ants were clearly the winner.
If not for their pacifist attitude, they would have long become the true rulers of the Figaro Garden.
After the battle, the Ants carried the bodies of the Mosquitoes back to their Queen so she could feast upon them. They also carried off the bodies of their fallen comrades, which they would bury at a specialized location called the graveyard of the ants.
Earlier, Lux wanted to help, but when he saw that the Ants didn't need it, he held his hand and simply watched the battle unfold.
Glenn and Megan looked at the dead Mosquitoes with lingering fear because they knew that if it weren't for Lux's help, they would have died a very painful and horrific death.
Lux approached one of the Guard Ants and took out his Elysium Compendium to communicate.
After getting the information he needed, he bid the Ant goodbye and signaled for Glenn and Megan to follow him.
"This tunnel will lead us to the surface. It is also the entrance that the Mosquitoes used to infiltrate the Ant Nest," Lux explained. "But you don't have to worry, the Mosquitoes in this area have all been killed, so it is safe to use this passage to return to Leaf Village."
The two Dwarves nodded in understanding.
"Diablo, come forth!" Lux ordered. "Skeleton Warrior, you come here as well!"
Immediately, a black knight , and a skeleton warrior appeared in front of them.
"Check the entrance and the surrounding area for any Mosquitoes." Lux commanded. "Make sure to extend your search, to ensure that the path towards Leaf Village doesn't have any danger."
Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior nodded their heads as they ran towards the surface. Several Horned Army Ants walked past Lux and the two Dwarves to resume their duties in guarding their nest.
The three followed behind the Ants because it would be safer that way.
After a quarter of an hour of scouting, Diablo informed the Half-Elf that the coast was clear, and no threats were in sight.
Hearing his trusted subordinate's report, Lux led the two Dwarves back to Leaf Village without encountering any monsters along their path.
"Thank you for saving me again," Glenn bowed. "I promise to repay this favor in the future."
"Me, too," Megan said firmly. "I will return this favor."
Lux nodded. "Please, take care of the bodies of your comrades and return them to their families."
Glenn and Megan sadly nodded their heads because this was the least that they could do for their party members that had fallen in battle.
"Glenn! Megan! Thank goodness you are alive!" a Dwarf shouted as he ran in their direction.
Glenn and Megan looked at their party leader, Oman, with sad expressions on their faces. When the latter had told all of them to separate, they knew that it was the only way to increase the number of survivors in their party.
They simply couldn't fight against hundreds of Mosquitoes at the same time. Doing so would only lead to a pointless death.
As the Dwarf neared their location, Lux unloaded the bodies of the three Dwarves that he had placed inside sacks to be brought back home in Solais.
"Oman, this is Lux," Glenn said after the three had their reunion. "He is the one who saved us, and brought the bodies of our friends back to us."
Oman's face paled after seeing the three sacks on the ground. After having escaped the Mosquitos' pursuit, the Dwarf had kept on blaming himself for what happened to his party members.
He really thought that he was the only one that survived and was ridden with guilt.
Before seeing Glenn and Megan, Oman had already resolved to go back to the Figaro Garden to find the bodies of his party members and give them a proper burial.
"Thank you, Sir Lux," Oman bowed his head. "If there comes a time that you will need my help, just say a word. Even at the cost of my life, I will help you to the best of my ability."
Oman tapped his chest three times with his closed fist. This was a gesture that Dwarves did when they made an absolute pledge to someone with their life on the line.
Lux looked at the Dwarf who had blonde hair and brown eyes who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face.
"Understood," Lux replied. "If there will really come a time when I will need your help, I will not hesitate to call you."
After spending time with the Dwarves, the Half-Elf already understood how serious they were when it came to pledges. Because of this, he accepted Oman's promise because it was the right thing to do.
"Just return the bodies of your friends to their loved ones, and do not step into the Figaro Gardens again for the time being," Lux stated. "The environment there is too dangerous for you kids. Also, do not throw your lives away because of greed. We only have one life. Treasure it and live it to the fullest."
Lux bid the Dwarves goodbye and returned to the inn. He had stayed in the Figaro Gardens for a week, and he hadn't had a good sleep for the past few days. Also, he needed to take a bath badly, so he decided to take the rest of the day off.
As he walked towards his inn, he thought about his own party mates that had accepted an Escort Mission. He kinda missed the rowdy bunch of Dwarves, especially Colette who was always brimming with positivity.
"If I'm not mistaken, they will be back in another two weeks," Lux muttered as he made his way towards his room. "When they return, I think I'll ask them to help me hunt the Carbuncle in the Aspiration Plains."
The Carbuncle was the Alpha Beast of the Aspiration Plains. Although it was a Rank 3 Monster, it didn't specialize in attacks. Instead it was a support type monster that had the power to heal and buff the minions that fought for it.
It was the weakest among the three Alpha Beasts in the Beginner's Village. Lux was confident that if they all worked together, they would be able to hunt it down without any problems.
"All of you, please be safe," Lux said softly as he looked to the East where Lindow Village was located. "I can't wait to go adventuring with you guys again."
Chapter 49 Lux’s Dilemma
Twenty-six Beast Cores.
That was the total number of Beast Cores that were currently in Lux's possession. One of these cores belonged to the Alpha Beast, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis.
The Half-Elf looked at these cores, not with happiness, but with a serious expression on his face. He was torn whether he should use these cores to upgrade himself or to upgrade his summons.
If Lux chose to use these Beast Cores for himself, he wouldn't be able to add any points to his existing stats anymore because it would kick him out of the Beginner's Zone.
The Half-Elf knew this, but there was one more thing that was making him hesitate and that was not knowing what skills could be learned from the Beast Cores.
If he used the Cores for his Summons, he would no longer have the chance to learn the skills from them. Although the chances of learning a skill from a Beast Core was small, the possibility still existed. This was why he was hesitant to not use them to strengthen himself.
"Soul Book," Lux muttered as he raised his hand.
Immediately his Soul Book appeared.
The Half-Elf then checked his stats to see what he could do about his current predicament.
—---
Name: Lux Von Kaizer
Age: 16
Race: Half-Elf
Rank: (None)
Health: 960 / 960
Mana: 940 / 940
Strength: 46 (+3)
Intelligence: 46 (+1)
Vitality: 31
Agility: 34 (+3)
Dexterity: 31 (+3)
Free Stat Points Available: 35
Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX]
Active Skills: Power Shot, Slash, Dark Arrow,
Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude
—--
Elysium Copper Coins: 170
Elysium Silver Coins: 24
Elysium Gold Coins: 8
—--
< Immortal Conqueror's Legacy >
Rating: F+
Progress: (56/100)
Conquest is not all about claiming lands, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you.
Upgrade Rewards: +5 to All Stats, +200 Health Points, Mana Drain [EX]
Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities.
—
< Diablo >
– Named Skeleton
– Skeleton Fighter
– Rating: D
– Mana: 10
– Progress ( 40 / 100)
—-
< Skeleton Warrior >
Rating: F+
Mana: 5
– Summons one Skeleton Warrior to fight for you
– Summon duration: 1 hour
– Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Progress ( 0 / 100)
—--
Lux gazed at this status page as he held the Rank 3 Beast Core of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in his hand.
'I need 44 Points to upgrade my Body Constitution to its next stage,' Lux thought. 'With a Rank 3 Beast Core, I can get 15 free Status Points, and 15 Body Constitution Points.'
The Half-Elf had long decided that he would be using the Alpha Beast Core on himself, because the Terror Mantis had three skills and they were Fury Slash, Gust, and Berserk.
Right now, his Slash skill was on its way to evolving into Fury Slash. Among the three skills that could be learned from the Beast Core, Fury Slash was not something he wanted to acquire.
Gust was a Wind Elemental Skill that created powerful gusts of wind that dealt damage and blew away one's enemies.
Berserk, on the other hand, was a very useful ability that doubles one's stat points for a brief period of time.
However, it had a downside.
When the berserked state faded away, the user would have their stats halved as they fell into a weakened state for a period of time. This was also why the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis fell to the Mosquito Swarm. After losing half its health points, the backlash of the weakened state made it unable to resist the Mosquitoes and died under their suppression.
'Okay, I will upgrade my Body Constitution then focus the remaining upgrades on Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior.' Lux clenched his fist as he made up his mind to upgrade his Body Constitution.
When he upgraded his Body Constitution for the first time, the overall upgrade to his body was fantastic. Also, the Half-Elf was hoping that the free options that would be available to him after his upgrade would include the War Cry skill.
Last time, he was forced to choose Mana Drain in order to last longer during battles, which had been a great boon. Now that another upgrade was on the way, Lux wanted to choose the skill War Cry so that his subordinates would have increased bonus damage that would make their attacks stronger.
'Okay. Let's do this!' Lux held the Beast Core with both of his hands and willed his thoughts to consume it.
—--
< Ding! >
< Do you wish to consume the Rank 3 Beast Core? >
< Yes / No >
—--
Lux naturally chose yes and picked the Upgrade Stat Points option.
—--
Obtained 15 Free Stats Points
Obtained 15 Body Constitution Points
You have acquired the Fury Slash
—--
The corner of Lux's lips twitched when he saw that the skill that he acquired was the skill that he didn't want to learn!
The Half-Elf was about to curse out loud when a series of notifications appeared in his Soul Book.
—--
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected that the skill Slash was on its way to evolving into Fury Slash. >
< Forcefully upgrading Slash to Fury Slash. >
< Upgrade Successful! >
< Skill Evolution [EX] has detected that the skill Fury Slash can be upgraded one more time. >
< New Skill Unlocked! >
< Double Fury Slash >
Active Skill: Requires 10 Mana to use
– Slash the enemy twice forming an X dealing Heavy Physical Damage with a very high chance of dealing critical damage.
– Deals +100 Damage with high chance of dealing critical damage.
– If your target has less than half of its health remaining, it deals an additional +100 damage to your attack with a high chance of dealing critical damage.
– Requirements to upgrade: Use Fury Slash 10x
Progress: (0/10)
– You can use Fury Slash and Double Fury Slash anytime once the requirement has been met.
—---
Lux blinked at the information in front of him before his initial annoyance turned into happiness.
"Not bad!" Lux grinned after seeing the new skill that was added in his collection.
The Half-Elf then used three more Rank 1 Beast Cores and successfully upgraded his Body Constitution to the next level.
—--
< Ding! >
< Congratulations! Your Body Constitution has been upgraded! >
< Choose one from among these three options as your bonus reward! >
(Option 1) – +50 permanent points to Vitality
(Options 2) – Warcry: +30 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
(Options 3) – Item Transmutation
– Transfer a skill from one item to another. Once the skill has been successfully transferred, the item will be immediately destroyed.
—--
As expected, the skill War Cry was available after Lux had upgraded his Body Constitution. However, a new skill had caught his interest and it was none other than Item Transmutation.
After using the Elysium Compendium, Lux found out that the skill "Item Transmutation" was a Pseudo-Mythical Tier Skill that could only be learned by Grandmaster Alchemists, Grandmaster Blacksmiths, Grand Master Jewelers, and other Grandmaster Artisans that specialized in creating items.
In a nutshell, if Lux were to sacrifice Tranquility and transfer its ability to summon a Forest Wolf to Oathbreaker, the Unique Sword would gain a "bonus skill".
But, it wouldn't end there. If Lux could acquire other items with special abilities then he could transfer all of them to his equipment, making them more powerful.
"... Damn! Why must you make things difficult for me?!" Lux was both happy and frustrated at the third choice that appeared after he had upgraded his Body Constitution.
His initial choice was to get War Cry. But now that the skill Item Transmutation has appeared, he was having a hard time deciding between the two.
Right now, Lux was in a dilemma. Just like last time, he wasn't sure if the skill Item Transmutation would still be there after he upgraded his Body Constitution again.
For him, a Pseudo-Mythical Skill like Item Transmutation would allow him to have Overpowered Equipment if he played his cards right.
Lux could see the skill's potential. He even thought of buying cheap equipment with special skills so he could attach them to his own equipment.
Simply put, this was a money burning skill with great payoff.
Chapter 50 A Fun Thing To See
"Fine," Lux muttered after an intense internal struggle. "So be it. I choose you, Item Transmutation!"
—-
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >
< Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >
< Item Transmutation [EX] >
– Transfer up to two skills, or weapon attributes, from one item to another. Once the skills or attributes have been successfully transferred, the sacrificed item will immediately be destroyed.
—--
< Immortal Conqueror's Legacy >
Rating: E
Progress: (0/200)
Conquest is not all about claiming lands, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you.
Upgrade Rewards: +1000 Health Points, Item Transmutation [EX]
Bonus Reward: +1 Summon Skeleton Skill
– You will be able to summon two more skeletons to fight for you.
Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities.
—---
"Yes!" Lux raised his hand in excitement after seeing the bonuses that he got after upgrading his body constitution. "This is so freaking awesome!"
He already expected that the Item Transmutation skill could evolve to its next form, but the thing that he didn't expect was that he would get a bonus reward for his summoning skill.
Before, he could only summon one Skeleton Warrior, but now he could summon three. Counting Diablo and his other Skeleton Warriors, he now had a total of four summons he could use to fight along his side. This greatly increased his manpower in one fell swoop.
"Twenty Four Beast Core Remaining." Lux eyed the Beast Cores in his possession.
Twenty of those Beast Cores were from Rank 1 Monsters, while four were from Rank 2 Monsters.
Lux opened up Diablo's page in the Soul Book to check the points he needed to upgrade his trusted partner.
—--
< Diablo >
– Named Skeleton
– Skeleton Fighter
– Rating: D
– Mana: 10
– Progress ( 40 / 100)
—--
Diablo had the title Firstborn.
As Lux's first Named Creature Diablo had gained the special ability to increase the number of skill points he would get when upgraded by a Beast Core.
Normally…
A Rank 1 Beast Core would give 10 Skill Points.
A Rank 2 Beast Core would give 20 Skill Points.
But if Lux were to use a Rank 1 Beast Core on Diable, the latter would gain 15 points. With a Rank 2 Core, the latter would gain 30 points.
Without batting an eye, Lux used two Rank 2 Beast Cores to upgrade his Named Creature, raising Diablo's overall performance.
—--
< Diablo >
"Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!"
– Named Skeleton
– Skeleton Fighter
– Rating: D+
– Mana: 10
– Progress ( 0 / 300)
Health: 1,275 / 1,275
Mana: 840 / 840
Attack: 70 - 95 (+20 Damage from Tranquility)
Attack Type: Ethereal Damage.
Strength: 43 (+1)
Intelligence: 42
Vitality: 41 (+2)
Agility: 42 (+2)
Dexterity: 42 (+2)
Defense: 75 (+100 Defense) (New!)
Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain (New!)
Active Skills: Slash, Heavy Slash (New!), Bone Spear (New!)
Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge
Note: This Skeleton is going to be the next Pirate King!
—--
Lux nodded his head in satisfaction. With the upgrade, Diablo's strength had officially broken through the Apostle Grade, which was equivalent to a Rank 1 Monster.
Not only that, Lux's Named Creature also acquired several bonuses like increased defense, a new title, two active skills, and one passive skill.
—--
< Squad Captain >
– Increases the attack and defense of any unit under the Named Creature's Command by 20%
—--
< Bone Spear >
Mana: 10
– Throws a spear made of bones at a target.
– Deals +100 Damage to target
– Has a medium chance to deal Critical Damage
– Skill Cooldown: 30 Seconds
—--
< Improved Dodge >
– Enhances the chance to dodge any attack during battle.
—-
"The title, Squad Captain, came at the right time," Lux said as he rubbed his chin. "Without War Cry, I have no way of increasing the damage of my Undead Summons. This skill will have to do for the time being. Now, it's time to upgrade my Skeleton Warriors."
Lux preferred quality over quantity, but since his Body Cultivation had given him additional manpower free of charge, he would use it to his full advantage.
Lux consumed ten Rank 1 Beast Cores, bringing his stash of cores to twelve.
—-
< Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. >
Option 1: Summon Four Skeleton Warriors to fight for you instead of three.
Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Skill to Summon Skeleton Fighter.
—-
"Um? Skeleton Fighters? Isn't this Diablo's current class?" Lux muttered as he looked at the two options available to him. "I need to make them stronger, so Skeleton Fighter it is!"
—--
< Summon Skeleton Fighter >
Rating: E+
Mana: 5
Max Summons: (0/3)
– Summons one Skeleton Fighter to fight for you
– Summon duration: 1 hour
Progress ( 0 / 100)
—---
After upgrading the Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Fighter, it had also gained the Passive Skill Parry, which allowed it to deflect attacks then follow up with a counter attack.
Lux used ten more Beast Cores to upgrade his Skeleton Fighters one more time, bringing his stockpile of Beast Cores down to two.
—--
< Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. >
Option 1: Summon Four Skeleton Fighters to fight for you instead of three.
Option 2: Allow Skeleton Fighters to use Basic Tactical Formations in battle, allowing them to effectively fight as a team.
—--
"Option two it is." Lux chose the second option without batting an eye. Teamwork was important in any battle. The Half-Elf understood this concept. With Diablo as the Squad Captain of the group, they would be able to launch effective attacks against their enemies, and use their numbers as an advantage.
—--
< Summon Skeleton Fighter >
Rating: D
Mana: 5
Max Summons: (0/3)
Progress ( 0 / 200)
– Summons one Skeleton Fighter to fight for you
– Summon duration: 1 hour
Health Points: 250
Attack: 20 - 35
Active Skills: Slash
Passive Skills: Parry
Note: Your Skeleton Fighters will gain great improvements on their next upgrade.
—---
Lux sighed after looking at his Soul Book. He already knew that being a necromancer would require him to use many resources.
Unlike most of the other Job Classes which only required others to strengthen themselves, Lux needed to constantly upgrade his skills which allowed his minions to become stronger separately. He knew that this path would be a difficult road to travel, but he had already made up his mind to go through with it until the end.
"Perhaps a month or two from now, I will have enough Skeleton Warriors to challenge the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt even if I am alone." Lux pondered. "When that happens, I will be able to constantly farm Rank 2 Beast Cores without needing to share them with anyone."
Lux chuckled as an ingenious idea appeared in his mind. "I wonder how Colette will react if I manage to break her Big Sister's record in the Bronze Crypt? That will be a fun thing to see."
The Half-Elf grinned while thinking of the not so distant future. Now that he and his Summons had undergone an upgrade, he would be able to farm more Beast Cores in the Figaro Gardens, while waiting for his Dwarf friends to return from their escort mission.
He was sure that the next time they saw him, they would be surprised at how much he improved while they were away.