Ch. 51..60
Chapter 51 There Is No Coincidence In The World
A day after Lux finished upgrading his Soul Book, he went to visit the Blacksmith in Leaf Village.
His goal was to purchase cheap weapons that had skills imbued in them, so he could transfer the skills to make his own equipment stronger.
"Sir Randolph, good morning!" Lux greeted the Blacksmith who was taking a break from his smithing.
"Oh, it's you, Lux," Randolph greeted the Half-Elf who had become his regular supplier of Beast Parts that hailed from the Figaro Garden. "Are you going to sell me some materials today?"
Lux shook his head. "No. This time, I am here to buy weapons and armor."
Randolph chuckled as he gestured to the weapons and armors that were on display in his shop.
Lux held the Elysium Compendium in his hand and the detailed information of the items in front of him materialized in his sight.
The Elysium Compendium could also work as an appraising tool. After all, its main feature was access to detailed information about almost anything in Elysium.
The Half-Elf looked at the War Axe in front of him and immediately saw the information he was looking for.
—-
Axe of Onslaught
Weapon Type: Axe
Rarity: Rare
Damage: 40 - 75
Durability: 300/300
Required Strength: 30
Skill: Critical Strike
– Each attack has a 10% chance to do critical damage.
Price: 20 Gold
—--
Lux scratched his head as he looked at the price of the Axe of Onslaught, and the coins he had in his possession.
—--
Elysium Copper Coins: 200
Elysium Silver Coins: 50
Elysium Gold Coins: 12
—--
Even after selling all of those valuable monster parts to Randolph, his current funds still weren't enough to buy the Axe in front of him. With a heavy heart, Lux could only force himself to look at the other weapons beside the Axe and wondered if they would fit his budget.
—--
Sting
Weapon Type: One-handed Sword
Rarity: Rare
Damage: 20 - 32
Durability: 200/200
Required Strength: 15
Required Dexterity: 15
Skill: Envenom
Mana: 10
– Has a low chance to poison your target.
Price: 10 Gold
—-
Fanged Kris
Weapon Type: Dagger
Rarity: Rare
Damage: 15 - 25
Strength Requirement: 10
Dexterity Requirement: 20
Durability: 200/200
Skill: Thorn
– has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike.
– Bleeding effect reduces your target's Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds.
– Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds.
Price: 15 Gold
—---
Lux checked all the items in Randolph's shop. In conclusion, all of them were pretty expensive. Some of them had skills imbued to them, while others didn't have any. But the thing that made him depressed the most was how pretty darn expensive they all were.
The normal weapons were obviously cheaper, but since they didn't possess any Skills whatsoever, it was useless to buy them.
Only superior weapons and sets of armor in Randolph's shop had skills, but aside from being expensive, there was only a limited number of them. It was at that moment when Lux understood how much of a money burning skill the Item Transmutation [EX] was.
Without any item in hand, he wouldn't be able to maximize the skill that he had gained after his upgrade.
While Lux was having a dilemma, a sudden idea popped inside his head.
"Um, Sir Randolph, do you have any defective products for sale?" Lux asked. "Even scrapped weapons will do."
Randolph frowned as he looked at the Half-Elf who had just asked him something unreasonable.
"Boy, I don't sell defective products in my shop," Raymond replied with a snort. "No Dwarf Blacksmith that cares about their name and reputation would do such a thing. If you ask me something like this again in the future, I'll hit you with my Smithing Hammer to knock some senses into you!"
Lux hurriedly apologized to the fuming Dwarf and explained that it wasn't his intention to belittle him or anything.
He made an excuse that he was very interested in Blacksmithing and he wanted to see what defective products looked like, so when he forged his own weapons and sets of armor, he would have an idea on what was defective or not.
"You want to learn Blacksmithing?" Randolph sized up the Half-Elf half and down. "Well, I guess anyone can learn it as long as they are passionate about the craft. Do you want to become my apprentice then?"
Beads of sweat formed in Lux's forehead because he couldn't believe that Randolph had taken his excuse seriously.
He didn't plan to learn Blacksmithing at the moment because he was still planning to monopolize the loots in the Figaro Gardens and collect as many monster parts and Beast Cores as possible while the mosquitoes were still at large.
However, before he could politely reject Randolph's offer, a notification materialized in front of him.
—-
< Special Quest: The Art of Blacksmithing >
– Randolph is currently looking for an apprentice to pass his craft on to. If you decide to accept this quest, you will gain the Blacksmith Subclass as a reward.
– This is an optional quest. You can choose to decline his offer if you don't want it.
< Rewards >
– Blacksmith Sub Class
– Title: Apprentice Blacksmith
< Would you like to accept this Subclass Quest? >
< Yes / No >
—--
Lux's body stiffened because he didn't expect that he would gain a special quest out of the blue. He was not new to the Subclass option in games because most games had this feature.
According to his understanding, his Main Class was Necromancer, allowing him to summon the Undead, use curses, and other abilities connected to his profession.
A Subclass, however, would allow him to use the abilities of other Job Classes without any conflict with his Main Class. Meaning, Lux could become a Necromancer and an Apprentice Blacksmith at the same time.
Lux weighed the pros and cons of accepting Randolph's offer inside his head.
'If I became an Apprentice Blacksmith, I will be able to learn how to create weapons and armor,' Lux thought. 'If in the process of Blacksmithing, I happen to make an exceptional weapon with an attached skill, I can transfer it to my weapon without any problem.
'The only downside is that I will need to constantly craft weapons in order to raise the rank of my Blacksmithing Skills.'
The Elysium Compendium in Lux's hand had supplied him with information about the Artisan Classes in the world of Elysium. These craftsmen who pursued different fields couldn't raise their Skill Proficiencies by using Beast Cores.
They needed to pursue their passion devotedly in order to gain a higher understanding of their craft.
In Elysium, people could have up to a maximum of three Subclasses. If they were to exceed that number, they would have to acquire special tokens from the Adventurer's Guild to increase the number of Subclasses up to five.
However, earning these tokens would require them to achieve an unbelievable feat that would be recognized by the ruler of the territory that they were staying in.
'There are no coincidences in the world,' Lux thought. 'Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. All I need to do is take a leap of faith and see where this road will take me.'
After finalizing his decision, Lux faced the Dwarf who was looking at him with a serious expression.
"If you're really fine with me then I gladly accept your offer to become your apprentice," Lux replied. "However, I can't always be with you, Sir Randolph, because I am an adventurer."
"That's fine," Randolph replied. "I was also an adventurer like you in the past but I took an arrow to the knee and decided to retire and become a Blacksmith."
"We can focus on your training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I don't care what you do on the other days, but you have to be here on the days I mentioned."
Lux nodded his head in agreement. "Understood, Master."
"Master…," Randolph played with his beard as he looked at the Half-Elf with a satisfied expression. "I like the sound of that."
The Dwarf then extended his hand for a handshake, and Lux accepted it with a smile.
When their two hands clasped each other, Lux immediately felt the hidden strength in Randolph's grip.
The calluses on the Dwarf's hand made the Half-Elf realize that he couldn't take this apprenticeship half-heartedly. Doing so would be the same as ridiculing Randolph's passion for his profession, and this was something that was against Lux's principles.
After the two shook hands, Randolph happily closed his shop and took Lux to the tavern to celebrate his apprenticeship.
Although he didn't know if he would become a successful Apprentice Blacksmith in the future, he was sure that he would definitely do his best, not only for Randolph's sake, but for his own sake as well.
Chapter 52 Big Brother! Please, Help Us!
After accepting Randolph's proposal, Lux spent his days practicing blacksmithing, as well as going to the Figaro Gardens to help the Ants retrieve the bodies of insects slain by the Mosquitoes.
The Half-Elf's blacksmithing apprenticeship wasn't going smoothly. Until now, he still hadn't managed to forge anything decent. All of his attempts ended up in failure, but Randolph said it was all normal.
Seven days later, Lux returned to Leaf Village carrying some monster parts that he had obtained through the partnership he had with the Ants.
All in all, he earned sixteen new Beast Cores, bringing his total number to eighteen.
Just as soon as he arrived at the Plaza, he noticed a crowd of Dwarves, making him curious about what was happening.
Since he was taller than them, he effortlessly saw through the crowd and noticed a wounded Dwarf who was begging and clinging to Aron, the Guard Captain of Leaf Village, to help save her comrades.
At first, Lux didn't recognize her, but after hearing her constant pleading, her voice finally registered in his head.
"Helen?!" Lux shouted. "Please, let me through! That is my friend!"
The Dwarves made a path for him and the Half-Elf hurried over to the Dwarf girl who had turned her head to look in his direction.
"Big Brother!" Helen cried out. "Please! Help us! Colette and the others had been captured by the bandits!"
The little Dwarf tried to stand in order to run to Lux's direction, but she was seriously injured, so she was only able to take a few steps before her legs lost their strength, causing her to fall down on the ground.
However, just before Helen could completely fall, a pair of strong hands grabbed her and supported her body.
"Big Brother! Wuwuwu!" Helen cried out with snot and tears streaming on her face. "Save Colette and the others. Please! I beg you!"
Lux hurriedly took out a healing potion and poured it over Helen's body.
The little Dwarf ignored her injuries because the only thing on her mind was to go and seek help from Leaf Village in order to save her companions.
"Calm down," Lux said as he poured another health potion on the wounds on her body. "Tell me everything right from the start."
Helen gradually regained her clarity of mind as her injuries started to recover. She immediately told Lux about what had happened to the members of the Golden Slayer Party.
According to Helen, after their group left Lindow Village, the caravan traveled to the next village called Millwood Village.
Everything was going smoothly, but they were suddenly ambushed by dozens of Kobolds while they were camping to rest for the night. The bandit group was led by a Kobold Chieftain with Draconic Blood.
The leader's strength was the reason why the bandits managed to overwhelm the defenders. The Chieftain's strength was on par with an Alpha Beast's. The Kobolds heavily injured the defenders and killed a few of them.
Colette and her party mates were mostly injured, but their lives weren't in danger. Since Helen had been given a special teleport scroll by her family, she immediately used it to return to Leaf Village to ask for help.
After hearing the details of the incident, Aron frowned because this was not within the scope of his duties. First and foremost, he was the Guard Captain of Leaf Village. His duty was to ensure the Village's safety, not travel several miles to aid the Foreigners completing their rescue mission.
Suddenly, several Dwarves appeared and surrounded Lux and Helen.
"Was Master Robin also taken by those bandits?" a middle-aged Dwarf with blonde hair asked.
Helen nodded her head. "Robin was knocked unconscious by the Kobolds, but he wasn't killed by them. I used the teleport scroll when I was about to be captured by the Kobolds, so I don't know what happened after that."
The middle-aged Dwarf's expression became grim as he continued pressing Helen for more details.
"You were attacked between Lindow Village and Millwood Village, right?" the middle-aged Dwarf asked.
"Yes," Helen answered. "Please! Help save them! I beg of you!"
The middle-aged Dwarf nodded his head. "Don't worry. We will save Master Robin without fail."
The Dwarf then turned to one of his comrades and whispered something in his ear.
The middle-aged Dwarf's subordinate nodded his head and ran towards the North where the Goat Riders were stationed.
After getting all the details from Helen, the Dwarf and his subordinates left the scene, leaving Lux and the crying Helen behind.
"Big Brother! Please help us!" Helen sobbed in Lux's chest as the Half-Elf held her tight.
"I will," Lux replied. "I need some time to prepare. For the time being, come with me and rest at Grandma Annie's place. We will leave at sunset to rescue Colette and the others."
Helen nodded. Even though the healing potion had allowed her body to heal, her mental and emotional injury from what she had just experienced made her exhausted. For this reason, she completely lost all of the strength in her body and Lux had to carry her all the way to Grandma Annie's shop.
Fifteen minutes later, Lux laid the sleeping girl on the bed and sighed.
"I'm sure that Aron will not send any help for the little ones," Grandma Annie said as she sat on a chair. "This is outside of his duties. I'm sorry Lux, but don't expect any help from the Village."
"I understand, Grandma Annie," Lux answered. "Please, look after Helen for me. I will go and speak with Master Randolph for the time being."
"Okay." Grandma Annie nodded. "Leave her to me."
"Thank you."
"This is just a small matter, but are you really going to go and save those kids? A Draconian Kobold Chieftain is no easy opponent. Besides, he would definitely have strong lackeys that are all Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters."
Lux already knew about this, but he didn't care. Colette, Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen, were his friends. He would be damned if he left them under the mercy of the kobold group.
Seeing his determined gaze, Grandma Annie only shook her head because she already knew the answer to her question.
Actually, she had already expected this to happen, but still felt sad because, in her eyes, Lux was merely going to throw his life away if he faced the bandit group alone.
Chapter 53 Randolph’s Mythical Weapon
"You're going to save your friends from a Kobold Bandit Group?" Randolph rubbed his chin. "That is not an easy task, my boy. Are you sure of this?"
Lux nodded. "Yes, Master. This is also why I would like to ask a favor from you."
"Favor? Very well. What do you want from me?"
"Please, let me borrow the sword in your basement."
Randolph's casual expression immediately turned serious upon hearing Lux's request. After accepting Lux as his apprentice, he had shown the latter his greatest creation, which was the Mythical Sword that he had kept hidden from everyone's eyes.
In fact, this was the only Mythical Weapon in Leaf Village. No one knew about its existence except Lux, who had become Randolph's apprentice.
"You want to borrow Blood Moon?" Randolph asked with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes, Master." Lux bowed. "Please, let me borrow your Named Weapon."
A minute of silence descended inside the smithy as Randolph gazed at his apprentice whose head had remained bowed.
"Even if I let you borrow it, your stats are not enough to wield it," Randolph replied. "Blood Moon requires all of your stats to be at least fifty, which is impossible for anyone who is still here in Leaf Village. It is simply out of the question for you to use it with your current strength."
Lux raised his head. "Master, I may not be able to wield it, but Diablo can. Please, let me borrow it to save my friends. I swear upon my name and honor that I will return it to you without fail."
Randolph sighed as he leaned on the wall of his smithy.
"Without fail? I've heard that the leader of the Kobolds is a Rank Three Monster at its peak," Randolph stated. "Even if Diablo can wield Blood Moon, he will still fall short against that Monster. Aside from that, the Kobold Chieftain has plenty of subordinates to back him up. My weapon alone will not be enough to turn the tide of battle."
"Master, don't worry about that. I have a plan."
"Oh? Let me hear it then."
Lux told Randolph that he had a way to locate the location of the Bandit Group. He added that the Riders of Norria were also riding for the Bandit Group. If he were to give them the information about where their headquarters were located, he would have many strong helpers to fight alongside him.
"This will certainly work, but there is just one problem, Lux," Randolph stated. "You said that you have a way of finding their location, but will the Riders of Norria believe you?"
"... To be honest I don't know."
"Then how about this? Once you convince Boreas, the Rider Captain, to take you with them, I will lend Blood Moon to you. This is the only way that I will allow you to take Blood Moon from my treasury."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. "Understood. I will go and talk to Sir Boreas now."
The Half-Elf didn't even wait for Randolph's reply and hurriedly left the Smithy to look for the Guard Captain.
When he arrived at the Rider's temporary barracks, the riders were already mounted on their Goat mounts and were about to depart.
Lux saw the middle-aged man who had come to interrogate Helen earlier. He was already sitting on a goat mount beside Boreas. Clearly, if the middle-aged man managed to mobilize the Riders of Norria to help save Robin from the bandits, he was no ordinary Dwarf.
"Sir Boreas, please wait!" Lux ran towards the Rider Captain.
Several of the mounted riders blocked Lux's path and drew their weapons towards him.
"Boy, we are on an important mission," an annoyed looking dwarf said. "We don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
"That's right," another dwarf commented. "We have more pressing issues to address, and we obviously have no time to play with a Half-Elf."
Lux ignored the two Dwarves as he shouted towards Boreas who was also looking in his direction.
"I know the location of the Bandit Group!" Lux shouted. "Take me with you and I'll lead you to them!"
"You brat! Stop spouting nonsense!"
"That's right. If you keep on interfering with our mission, don't blame us for not being merciful!"
The two mounted Dwarfs that had stopped Lux from approaching their Captain raised their weapons in anger. They had always disliked everyone from other races and had long thought of Lux as an eyesore in Leaf Village.
If not for the fact that their Captain had ordered them to not harm the boy, they would have already taught him a lesson or two.
"Halt!"
A dignified shout stopped the two from hitting the Half-Elf who didn't even make any effort to defend himself.
The two Dwarfs immediately ceased their hostilities and reluctantly lowered their weapons.
It was at that moment when Boreas, one of the Captains of Norria, urged his mount to walk towards Lux and eyed him from head to foot.
"Are you telling the truth?" Boreas asked. "This mission is of the utmost importance to us. Failure is not an option. If you are lying to us, I will make sure that you suffer a fate worse than death."
Instead of answering them, Lux summoned his Elysium Compendium and opened its pages.
Immediately, a projection appeared in front of everyone showing them a map of Norria. In a place between the Village of Lindow and Village of Millwood village, a golden dot blinked on the map.
"Before my friends left to do their escort mission, I put a special tracking spell on them that allows me to know their location," Lux answered. "I am not familiar with the topography of this land, but as you can see, I can pinpoint their location using my ability.
"If you don't take me with you, the chances of you finding Robin are very slim. However, that will be solved if I come along. So, what do you think, Sir Boreas? Can you take me with you? I also want to save my friends."
All the Dwarven Riders looked at their Captain and waited for his decision.
Boreas was the strongest Warrior in Leaf Village. He was a Grade B Apostle, which was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. With him around, their chances of winning against the Draconic Kobold would be higher.
"Understood, you can come with us," Boreas answered. "However, if you are lying to us, I will make you regret it."
Lux breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Boreas' answer. With this, he would be able to borrow his Master's Mythical Weapon to make Diablo more formidable.
"Sir Boreas, I have a favor to ask," Lux said with a serious expression on his face. "Can you come with me to the Smithy and tell my Master, Randolph, that you will be taking me with you on your expedition. He said that he won't allow me to go unless I get your permission to let me go with you."
"You are Randolph's apprentice?" Boreas widened his eyes in shock as he looked at the Half-Elf in disbelief. "That old coot actually accepted you as his apprentice? Is the world going to end?"
"Who are you calling old coot, you f*cker?!"
Randolph barged inside the barracks with a flushed face as he glared at the Rider Captain, Boreas.
"Bastard, since you are taking my apprentice with you, I expect you to bring him back safely!" Randolph shouted at Boreas, making the other Dwarf Riders look at the Blacksmith in disbelief.
Boreas was a very stern Dwarf, and not even their Commander dared to shout at him like the Blacksmith of Leaf Village was doing.
"I am not his nanny," Boreas replied in an indifferent tone. "We're not going on an excursion. If he can't even protect himself then he should just stay here and play house with you."
"Hmph! Fine. Since you want my apprentice to play house with me then so be it. Come, Lux. Let these eggheads handle this mission without you. Let's see if they find that Robin brat on their own."
Randolph didn't even wait for Lux's reply and dragged the Half-Elf away from the barracks.
"M-Master, I want to go and save my frie–"
"Hush! Let's talk when we're back in the Smithy. Don't worry. Knowing Boreas, he will come knocking on my door sooner or later."
Little did the Half-Elf know that Randolph was doing this for his sake. The Blacksmith wanted the Riders of Norria to officially ask his apprentice to be their guide, so that he would receive compensation from them.
Also, he didn't have any plan to let the Dwarves see the Mythical Weapon in his possession. He needed to pass it to Lux secretly in order to avoid any future problems.
After the two arrived at the smithy, Randolph hurriedly locked the doors and made a gesture for Lux to follow him into the basement.
"I originally planned to bestow Blood Moon to a person that had the bearings of a hero," Randolph grumbled. "Who would have thought that the first one who will wield it is not even a Dwarf, but a Skeleton?! Fate sure knows how to play with my heart."
Lux endured Randolph's ramblings until they arrived at his hidden treasure house, which was buried deep under the Smithy.
A few minutes later, the Master and apprentice pair arrived at a small altar where a sheathed sword was held on a silver pedestal.
It was Randolph's greatest creation, the Mythical Sword, Blood Moon.
—--
Blood Moon
Weapon Type: One Handed Sword
Rarity: Mythical
Damage: 225 - 350
Requirement: All stats must be fifty or above.
Additional Requirement: Only those recognized by Randolph could wield this weapon.
Passive Skills: Sharp Blade, Swift Blade, Life Steal, Thorn, Indestructible
< Sharp Blade >
– The blade of this sword will always be sharp and will never dull.
—--
< Swift Blade >
– The sword feels very light which helps its wielder brandish it with ease. Able to strike very fast in quick successions.
—--
< Life Steal >
– Each attack heals the user with 3% of their Max Health Points.
—--
< Bleed >
– has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike.
– Bleeding effect reduces your target's Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds.
– Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds.
—--
< Indestructible >
– This weapon is indestructible. It cannot be destroyed.
—--
The reason why Randolph decided to show Lux the mythical weapon in the first place was to encourage his apprentice to do better. He believed that once Lux realized how amazing being a Blacksmith was, the more serious the latter would be in his studies.
Although this was already Lux's second time seeing Blood Moon, his admiration for the weapon never waned.
On the contrary, the more he looked at it, the more determined he became to increase the proficiency of his smithing skill, so that he would be able to create his own Mythical Weapon.
Randolph took the weapon from the pedestal with both hands before presenting it to Lux.
"Take it," Randolph said. "Remember, I'm only loaning it to you for a short while. Go and save your friends and make sure that you return in one piece."
Lux accepted the sword with both hands and looked at his Master with a grateful expression.
"Thank you, Master," Lux replied. "I will not let you down."
As he held the Mythical Weapon in his hand, Lux believed that once Diablo equipped this weapon, his Named Creature would be able to easily handle Rank 1 and 2 Monster with ease.
'Wait for me, Colette,' Lux thought as he gripped the sword firmly in his hands. 'I am coming to save you guys!'
The adorable little Dwarf was Lux's first friend in Leaf Village. Even without the help of the Riders of Norria, he would still do his best to go and save her, as well as the other members of the Goldenslayer Party.
Right now, Diablo was still unable to wield Blood Moon as he still needed to be upgraded one more time before he could do so.
Fortunately, Lux had acquired more than enough Beast Cores to upgrade his Named Creature. As the Half-Elf was about to return to the room in his inn to make preparations, Boreas appeared in Randolf's Smithy to formally invite the Half-Elf to join them on their rescue mission.
An hour later, Lux, Helen, and the Riders of Norria, left Leaf Village together in haste. Their destination was the bandit hideout, which was located somewhere in the mountainous region between Lindow Village and Millwood Village.
Chapter 54 The Real Protagonist
Lux and Helen were seated in a carriage pulled by two horses. They were procured by the middle-aged man who had asked Helen about Robin's whereabouts.
They all traveled non-stop and, according to Lux's estimate, with this speed, they would arrive at their destination within two days.
Although he was very worried about Colette and the others, there's nothing he could do but pray to the Gods that they were safe.
For the time being, Lux shifted all his attention to his Soul Book.
He had eighteen Beast Cores in hand, and half of them were Rank 2 Beast Cores. The Ants had been very generous in giving him these Beast Cores because his scouting massively helped them to forage safely in the areas where the mosquitoes had just finished feeding.
Now that he was dealing with an emergency situation, he immediately used the Rank 2 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo's progression to the next stage.
After using nine Rank 2 Beast Cores, Lux managed to upgrade Diablo's Progression Bar, but it still fell short of his target.
—-
Progress: 270/300
—-
Left with no other alternative, Lux used two Rank 1 Beast Cores which gave him exactly thirty additional Skill Points, bringing his stockpile of Beast Cores to seven.
—--
< Ding! >
< Your Named Creature, Diablo has reached a milestone! >
< Please, choose two options from the bonus upgrades available for him! >
– Option 1: Increase Health Points by 3,000
– Option 2: Learn Active Skill: Whirlwind Slash
– Option 3: Learn Active Skill: Duel [EX]
– Option 4: Learn Passive Skill: Guts
– Option 5: Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Knight
– Option 6: Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Rider
—--
Lux ignored option one because a mere three thousand Health Points since it wouldn't change anything at this point.
After checking the Elysium Compendium, he found the information he was looking for about the skills that appeared in the list of Diablo's Bonus Upgrade options.
'Whirlwind Slash is an AOE skill that hits multiple targets. This is good if Diablo is surrounded by enemies,' Lux thought as he rubbed his chin. 'Duel [EX] is similar to taunt skill, but this skill would force your opponent to exchange one blow with you no matter what. It has a one minute cooldown, which is a good option, since I don't have any taunting skill at the moment.
'Guts will allow Diablo to survive One-Hit Attacks that could instantly kill him. This skill is useful, but only at the higher levels.'
The Half-Elf then eyed the two Job Upgrades that became available for Diablo. His Named Creature had only become a Skeleton Fighter recently, but due to the milestone, Diablo could once again upgrade his profession to a higher class free of charge.
Skeleton Knight is a balanced Job Class similar to Skeleton Fighter, but stronger,' Lux mused. 'As for Skeleton Rider, it is a mounted unit that specializes in mobility, and has many other advantages.
'The only problem is that it's not very useful when raiding dungeons because of the cramped space. However, it is good for open world exploration because it allows Diablo to tame Monsters as his mount.'
Lux scratched his head when he realized that his Named Creature was more of a Protagonist than him. Diablo kept on getting more powerful with each upgrade he got, even faster than the Master.
After a long internal struggle, the Half-Elf chose the third and fifth option.
—--
< You have chosen the skill, Duel [EX], and Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Rider >
< Is this your final answer? >
< Yes / No >
—--
Lux chose yes, and immediately several more notifications appeared on Diablo's Soul Page.
—--
< Job Change Bonus >
– All stats +20
– Skill Union of Skeleton and Beast has been acquired.
– Skill Tame Mount has been acquired
– Title Relentless Charger has been acquired.
—--
Union of Skeleton and Beast allowed Diablo to effectively fight while riding on a mount. This passive skill allowed him to remain seated even if he received attacks that should've been able to dismount him.
Tame Mount, as the name suggested, allowed Diablo to tame a Mount that he could ride in battle. The chances of taming a Mount would depend on how strong it was. If the creature was weaker than Diablo, the latter would be able to tame it without a problem.
However, if the creature was stronger, the chances of taming it would be lower, which made it extremely difficult. Also, Diablo couldn't tame creatures that were two ranks higher than it. These limitations were to prevent the Named Creature from obtaining strong mounts that exceeded its current strength.
Relentless Charger, on the other hand, gave Diablo an additional 30% damage and increased chances of dealing critical strikes, while mounted.
—--
< Diablo >
– Named Skeleton
– Skeleton Rider
– Rating: C
– Mana: 10
– Progress ( 0 / 500)
Health: 2,500 / 2,500
Mana: 1,240 / 1,240
Attack: 125 - 170 (+20 Damage from Tranquility)
Attack Type: Ethereal Damage.
Strength: 63 (+1)
Intelligence: 62
Vitality: 61 (+2)
Agility: 62 (+2)
Dexterity: 62 (+2)
Defense: 75 (+100 Defense)
Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain, Relentless Charger.
Active Skills: Slash, Heavy Slash, Bone Spear, Duel [EX]
Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge, Union of Man and Beast.
Note: Sh*t just got real!
—--
'Diablo has 317 Combined Stat Points. He is now in the middle stages of Grade D Apostles.' Lux thought as he started to feel slightly envious of his Partner in Crime, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Diablo didn't have to follow the laws of the Beginner Village because he was a Summoned Creature, but Lux couldn't.
After sighing internally, he equipped Blood Moon in Diablo's Equipment Page. The blood-red sword, which was Randolph's greatest creation, shone with an eerie glow.
With the Mythical Sword in hand, Diablo was a menace and had more than enough leeway to fight against Rank 2 Monsters without problem. It was also possible to fight Rank 3 Monsters because of the Mythical Weapon's attributes.
As long as Diablo could hit the target, his Health Points would be replenished without problem.
Now that his preparations were complete, Lux checked Colette's Condition in the Elysium Compendium.
According to the information he could access, Colette had received minor injuries, but there was no danger to her life.
Matty, Robin, Andy, and Axel, had more serious injuries, but their current status told Lux that they were far from kicking the bucket. With the safety of the children confirmed, Lux was able to gain some peace of mind, as he coordinated with Boreas to lead the group in the general direction of where his friends were.
"If all goes well, we will arrive at our destination faster than we expected," Boreas said as he looked at the place Lux had pointed out on his map. "Now I understand why the patrollers can never seem to find the bandits, they are hiding inside the mountain. This will be a bit tricky…"
At the moment, their current forces were composed of Thirty Goat Riders, twelve Warriors (including the middle-aged Dwarf), Lux, and Helen.
Their combined forces were only forty-five in headcount and they didn't know how many enemies they would be facing. Even so, they had no choice but to deal with the current situation as quickly as possible. Boreas had also sent a messenger bird to the Stronghold of Noria asking for backup.
The Dwarf Captain had shared the information that Lux had given to him to his superior, and he hoped that reinforcements would arrive by the time they reached their destination.
Lux could only see the location of his friends. He didn't know how many enemies there were, but he was confident that if they all worked together, they would be able to save everyone without any casualties on their side.
Chapter 55 Time Waits For No Man, Nor Dwarf
"So, this is why we can't find them," Boreas said with a serious expression on his face. "These Kobolds chose this place to build their nest."
They were all looking at the entrance of a cave that was guarded by three Kobold Warriors.
They were just Rank 1 Monsters and didn't pose a threat to their team. However, the problem now was that they didn't know how many Kobolds they were going to deal with.
Kobolds' nests usually consisted of thousands of individuals. Among the humanoid creatures, these demonic looking dogs reproduce at a very alarming rate.
Legend has it that they also had Draconian blood flowing through their bloodlines, which sometimes led to a birth of a Draconic Kobold whom they treated with reverence.
The middle-aged dwarf, who went by the name Nevreal, was the assigned leader of this expedition, which caught Lux by surprise.
Lux already had a feeling that the Nevreal was someone important, but he never expected that the Rider Captain of Norria would give the middle-aged man full authority over this rescue mission.
Nevreal played with his beard as he weighed their options. Right now, the reinforcements of Norria were on their way. According to his estimates, they would arrive after a day.
He was only concerned about Robin's safety. Although waiting was the best option right now, he didn't know Robin's current condition. He was afraid that if they waited another day, the Kobolds might do something to the boy.
If Robin died on this mission, the consequences were something that Nevreal, and the Stronghold of Norria, couldn't afford to shoulder.
No matter what, they had to save Robin at all costs!
"Using our mounts inside is not possible," Nevreal said after careful consideration. "We have no choice, but to engage them on foot. The only problem is that the Kobold's nest is very big. It will take us some time to find Robin's location."
The Dwarves nodded their heads in unison.
Lux on the other hand frowned. He understood that their priority was to rescue Robin, but they seem to forget that he was not the only one that needed saving.
For him, his priority was to rescue Colette, Matty, Andy, and Axel. He would prioritize the lives of those little Dwarves over Robin any day.
Lux opened his Elysium Compendium and used it to scan the location of the children in the Kobold's nest.
Colette, Matty, and Axel, seemed to be in the same place, while Robin and Andy were in another location.
Colette's group was in the Northeastern part of the nest, while Robin's was on the Northwestern side. Lux knew that if he told the rescue party that he knew where Robin was located, they would not hesitate to prioritize him over the other Dwarf children.
While he was thinking about what to do next, he noticed that Robin's status had changed. Right now, the information about Robin stated that he was seriously injured. A few seconds later, Andy's condition had also changed to seriously injured.
It meant that they were currently being harmed by the Kobold, which left Lux no choice but to come up with a crucial decision on the spot.
While the Dwarves were arguing on what to do next, Lux cleared his throat and made his presence known.
"I know where Robin is inside the nest," Lux said.
Immediately everyone stopped talking and looked in his direction.
"Right now, he is seriously injured," Lux continued his explanation. "If we don't hurry, we might not be able to arrive in time."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Nevreal replied with urgency. "Boy, if Robin is rescued you will be able to gain great merits. So, let's hurry up and save him."
However, Lux shook his head as he stared back at Nevreal with a serious expression on his face. "I will help you on this mission on one condition. All of you will swear to the Earth Goddess that you will also save Colette and the others."
Nevreal narrowed his eyes. He was a veteran and, looking at Lux's expression, something was telling him that this wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"Are they not in the same location?" Nevreal asked. This was the only conclusion that he could come to as to why Lux was asking them to make an oath to their Goddess.
Lux nodded. "Colette and my friends are located at the deepest part of the nest. Robin and Andy are in the middle area. However, I will not tell you their location if you don't make an oath to the Earth Goddess to save my friends."
"Oi, boy, do you think we are your hired goons or something?" one of the Dwarves asked in an intimidating tone.
"Do you really think we don't have ways to make you talk?" another Dwarf glared at Lux. "If you refuse to cooperate, I don't mind skinning you alive."
Lux remained unfazed as he stared at Nevreal. Although he didn't know what Robin's real identity was, he could tell that the person in front of him and the riders of Norria, seemed to place Robin's safety above all else. This meant that he was a very important person to them!
Using this as leverage, the Half-Elf faced them head on with a devilish smile.
'Since you're threatening me, don't think that I can't threaten you back,' Lux thought. 'You're not the only one who knows how to play dirty.'
The Half-Elf suffered in both of his lifetimes, so he was already used to pain. Right now, he was the one who had the upper hand, which he could use to his advantage no matter what. If the Riders of Norria refused to help Colette and the others, then he wouldn't help them either!
"Sure, you want to skin me alive? Go ahead," Lux replied. "However, I already told you that Robin is seriously injured. Who knows? By the time you finish skinning me properly, he might be taking his journey to the afterlife."
,m Lux sneered at the Dwarf whose face had turned beet red from anger. In a battle of wits, the first one to back down was the loser. The Half-Elf had no intention of losing. He had promised Helen that he would save Colette and the others, and he would be damned if he allowed himself to be intimidated by Dwarves who thought they could bully him into submission.
"Oh, no! Robin's condition is now Fatally Injured. I don't think he will survive more than five minutes," Lux said with a serious expression.
Just as he expected, all the Dwarves surrounding him all had grim expressions on their faces. In truth, Lux was lying. Robin's and Andy's status told him that they were still seriously injured. He was merely testing them to see how important Robin was to the Dwarves.
Back on Earth, this whole scenario could be described in one word—Blackmail.
Yes. Lux was using blackmail to force the Dwarves to make an oath, so that they wouldn't abandon his friends after they saved their precious Robin from the Kobolds.
"Boy, you're lying," Nevreal said through gritted teeth.
Lux shrugged as he gazed at the Dwarf who was looking at him with a deadly stare. "You'll know whether I'm lying or not in five minutes. By then, it will be too late for all of you. I don't know who Robin is, but judging from your expressions, he must be a very important person."
"Are you all prepared to suffer the consequences if he died in this place? Let me tell you, his life and death does not mean anything to me. Now, choose."
"Swear that you will save my friends to the best of your abilities. You will also swear that you will not harm us in any way and lead us safely back to Leaf Village. If you fail to abide by this oath, not only will all of your souls be damned by the Earth Goddess, the entire Stronghold of Norria, as well as those in your seven generations will also be damned for eternity!"
"Bastard!" one of the Dwarves growled. He was about to smash Lux's head with his hammer when the other Dwarves stopped him from taking a single step from his place.
"This is why I hate other races." another Dwarf spat on the ground. "Bastards, the lot of them."
Lux remained indifferent to the words and the glares of the Dwarves. However, Helen couldn't do the same..
She was still young and inexperienced, so the glares of the adults made her little body shudder.
Lux noticed this and moved to stand in front of her, so that she wouldn't have to see the hateful stares that were being thrown in their direction.
"Aren't all of you ashamed?" Lux said with disdain. "Bullying a child of your own race just because she wants to save her friends? If you don't want to go then we will go on our own. You can stay here until tomorrow if you want, but I will assure you that it will be too late by then. Let's go, Helen."
Lux held the little girl's hand and turned to take her away from the Dwarf's camp. He was serious when he said that he would go alone if he had to. Fortunately, a hand grabbed his arm and held him in place. The Half-Elf breathed a sigh internally because he knew that he had won the gamble he made.
"Fine, I will make an oath," Nevreal said through gritted teeth.
It was quite obvious that he didn't like being forced to do something against his will, but the current circumstance left him with no other alternative. Robin was very precious to the Stronghold of Norria, and one wrong move could send them all to the execution grounds if they failed to bring him back safely.
The Half-Elf turned around and stared back at Nevreal whose eyes screamed of murder.
"Make the oath, and let's start saving people," Lux replied unfazed by the fact that Nevreal's gaze was filled with killing intent. "Time waits for no Man, nor Dwarf."
Chapter 56 Bloody Battle Inside The Kobold’s Nest
All the Dwarves that were part of the expedition swore an oath to the Earth Goddess, who they worshiped.
This was the greatest oath a Dwarf could make. Even the Dwarfs in Solais shared the same mentality. Once they made an oath, they had to do it no matter what. Failure to do so would weigh terribly in their conscience because it would mean that once they died, their souls would be cast away, forever banished from the Earth Mother's embrace.
"Keep your word, Half-Elf, or I swear by the Earth Goddess that you will not keep your life," Nevreal said in a threatening tone.
"We'll see whose oath will be broken first," Lux replied with a calm expression on his face. "Now, listen to me. Our first goal is to eliminate the guards as fast as we can and prevent alarming the kobolds inside the nest."
"Of course, this will only work at the early stages of our rescue mission. The moment we encounter a single Kobold in the nest, we will be in for a tough battle. Our plan is simple, strike fast, and run fast. The sooner we rescue the hostages, the sooner we leave."
"I will not interfere with the commands of the Dwarves. I also know that it is unrealistic to think that we will be able to rescue our targets all at once with the current manpower we have. Since your priority is to save Robin then you can go ahead and save him."
"However, once he is safe and sound, you will then coordinate with the reinforcements coming from the Stronghold of Norria to raid the nest, and rescue my friends. Do we all have an understanding?"
Nevreal and Boreas nodded. Deep inside they felt relieved that Lux was still thinking logically. It was simply impossible for their current manpower to fight an entire Kobold Nest on their own.
"If you are all ready, we can begin the operation," Lux stated. "Helen, stay close to me. No matter what happens, stay by my side."
The little Dwarf nodded her head in understanding. Even if Lux didn't remind her, she would still stick to him because the adult Dwarves scared her.
—--
The Kobold Warriors stood in their position in a carefree manner. For them, doing this was a boring job.
Although there were wandering beasts in the mountains that were stronger than them, none of the Kobolds were afraid of being attacked. They always had the mentality that nothing couldn't be overcome by sheer numbers.
As one of the humanoid races that specialized in reproduction, the Kobolds were one of the most annoying monsters to fight due to their quantity vs quality mindset.
While the three guards were casually chatting with each other, several throwing axes flew in their direction. All three guards died almost at the same time as the axes embedded themselves on the kobold's heads, back, necks, and chests.
As soon as the Kobolds collapsed on the ground, several Dwarves sprang up from their hiding places, and dragged the slain kobolds away to hide them.
Just for good measure, Boreas stabbed the chests of all three kobolds to make sure that all of them were really dead.
Once the deed was done, the Dwarf rescue party entered the nest to find Robin as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Lux summoned Diablo and his four Skeletal Fighters to guard the rear of the group to inform them if there were any Kobolds returning to the nest.
Nevreal and Boreas nodded their heads in appreciation because they couldn't spare any of their men to do this job. Fortunately, Lux had enough manpower to do this important job, making the Dwarves' anger from being blackmailed earlier to simmer down a bit.
Unknown to them, Lux had other reasons for letting Diablo and his Skeletal Fighters stay at the rear, aside from keeping a lookout for possible backstabbers that the Half-Elf had kept to himself.
Three minutes later, the rescue party encountered a group of kobolds patrolling the nest.
Immediately a scuffle broke out. Fortunately, the vanguard of the Dwarves, led by Nevreal and Boreas, were all Grade D and C Apostles, which were equivalent in stats to Rank 1 and 2 Monsters respectively.
Normal Kobold Warriors were not a match to them. The true problem happened when they neared the first spacious cavern in the underground pathways.
After checking the surroundings, Nevreal and Boreas knew that it would be impossible to proceed without the Kobolds raising the alarms.
Over a hundred Kobolds stayed in the cavern. Some of them were cooking, some were loafing around, while others were sharpening their weapons.
It was a communal area where some of the Kobold Warriors stayed, while waiting for their Chief to give them orders.
Near the back of the Cavern were three Black Kobolds that were larger than the others. These were the Kobold Leaders, who were tasked to lead their own troops to hunt or participate in banditry depending on the orders of the Kobold Chieftain.
Every Kobold Nest had these communal caverns near the entrance of the nest that served as the main line of defense in case they got invaded. Its main role was to alert the entire nest if there was a need for everyone to move into action, so they could repel the invaders together.
Lux frowned because just like Nevreal and Boreas, he knew that an all-out battle was inevitable.
Boreas raised his hand and made a gesture, signaling all the other Dwarves to get ready.
Half a minute later, the group charged inside and started to massacre the Kobolds that were in their way.
The two Kobold Leaders immediately sprang up in action in order to face them in battle. The other Kobolds then started to make noise, with some of them running deeper inside the nest to raise a ruckus and alarming their brethren that their home was being invaded.
The Dwarves worked quickly and efficiently, killing all of their enemies in less than five minutes.
Nevreal and Boreas didn't hold back, using their Rank 3 prowess to overwhelm the Kobolds who were caught by surprise.
"Where next?" Nevreal asked Lux who had just killed two Kobolds that had tried to attack Helen beside him.
"We go straight and turn left at the third intersection on the way. From there, we just continue heading West until we arrive at the place where Robin and Andy are being held captive."
Nevreal nodded and led the charge alongside Boreas. Lux, Helen, and the other Dwarves followed, leaving the scene of carnage behind them.
A minute later, Diablo, as well as three Skeletal Fighters arrived at the cavern.
Lux had tasked them with an important mission.
A mission that they would follow without fail.
Screams, and shrieks resounded inside the Nest as the Kobolds and the Dwarf Party clashed. Although the Kobolds were not a match for the Dwarves, the Riders of Norria still suffered several injuries to their bodies.
Some of them were unlucky and received serious injuries during the intense battle being fought at close range. Fortunately, Helen was a Cleric. The little Dwarf healed everyone to the best of her ability, while munching on the honey-flavored-candies that were being provided to her by Lux.
The Half-Elf made sure to visit his Grandma Annie back in Leaf Village to buy all the candies she had in stock for this mission. Naturally, the old lady was more than happy to sell all the candies she had to her regular customer, which helped both of them greatly.
Because of this, the Dwarves' attitude towards Helen changed. Boreas even assigned two of his subordinates to guard the little girl and ensure that no Kobold would put her life in danger.
Lux was quite happy with this arrangement, because it gave an added layer to Helen's security.
The pathway that led to the place where Robin and Andy were being held was drenched with blood.
This was the first time that Lux had witnessed such a bloody battle. His heightened senses, especially his sense of smell, made him feel very uncomfortable because of the heavy smell of blood in the surroundings.
He was also in awe of how the Kobolds fearlessly engaged them without care for their lives. They were like Kamikaze fighters whose only intention was to deal as much damage to their enemies as they could before they died.
When one Kobold died, another took its place.
They came with forty five members, and in that short amount of time, five dwarves had already died in battle, which showed that even if the warriors of Norria were stronger, they were still not a match against the overwhelming disparity in numbers.
Their only saving grace was that the Kobold Nest was large. Even if the Kobolds swarmed in droves, it would still take the rest of their brethren some time before they could reach their location.
"Robin and Andy are over there!" Lux shouted as he pointed at several cages in the distance that were made from wood.
Nevreal broke out of the scuffle, followed by four of his men, and ran towards the cages.
Boreas and his men held their ground and continued to fight against the Kobolds whose numbers kept on increasing.
Lux gritted his teeth as he stood in front of Helen and fought off any Kobolds that had managed to break through the vanguard's defenses.
His arm was already aching from constantly swinging his sword without rest. It was at that moment when he knew that everyone in the rescue team was nearing their limits.
Even Helen who was constantly healing the Dwarves were starting to breathe heavily. Sweat streamed down her face, as she chanted without stopping, to prevent anyone from dying.
"Retreat!" Nevreal shouted as he carried an unconscious Robin on his shoulder like a sack of rice.
Andy was also safe and being carried by another one of Nevreal's subordinates. The group hurriedly made their way back to the entrance with Boreas and the stronger warriors of Norria guarding the rear.
Unfortunately, they encountered a group of Kobolds in the intersection leading to the entrance, and another bloody battle took place.
This time, the Big Shots of the Kobold Race were present, which made the battle more difficult.
Four Rank 3 Kobold Mages cast fireball spells which severely injured four of the Dwarves.
Seeing that they were in a difficult situation, Nevreal no longer hesitated and ordered everyone to break through the encirclement.
Suddenly, one of the Kobold Mages unleashed the skill Earth Tremor. Which made the ground under everyone's feet tremble.
Lux sensed that the ground under his and Helen's feet was about to give way, so he decisively lifted the little girl and threw her towards Boreas with all of his might.
"Sir Boreas! Catch her!" Lux shouted as the ground under his feet collapsed.
Boreas heard Lux's shout and hurriedly caught the little girl who was screaming her lungs out.
That was the last thing the Half-Elf saw before he fell into the deepest part of the Kobold's Nest.
The Dwarves knew that Lux was a goner, and there was nothing they could do to save him.
Right now, even their own lives were in danger. The Dwarves hurriedly retreated with everything they had, while an angry mob of Kobolds ran after them with only one thought in mind, and that was to hunt them down before they managed to escape their nest completely.
Chapter 57 I Ain’t Following A Damn Half-Elf
Lux felt his entire body aching, and almost couldn't move a muscle due to the injuries he received from the fall.
Fortunately, he had no broken bones, only a badly bruised body that made him want to scream in pain.
"Diablo, come," Lux ordered and his trusted partner appeared beside him.
The Half-Elf willed the storage ring in his hand to take out a few potions, which Diablo took to spray over his injured body. The rest, he helped Lux drink, which allowed the Half-Elf to recover from his injured state.
Although he fell deeper inside the Kobold's Nest, there were no Kobolds in the vicinity. All of them were busy chasing after the Dwarves, who were running towards the exit with their lives on the line.
Lux summoned his Soul Book to check where he was currently at.
He could see Helen's marker going further and further away from him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Let's go save Colette and the others first," Lux said as he checked the pathways he needed to take in order to reach his friends.
Diablo nodded his head and soon followed the red-headed teenager as they ran within the underground maze that the Kobolds had built.
Their journey wasn't that smooth since Lux and Diablo had to prioritize their safety. Right now, the Half-Elf was behind enemy lines, and one small slip could end his life in a matter of minutes.
After almost an hour of traversing the nearly abandoned lower levels of the Kobold's Nest, they finally arrived at their destination.
Just like Robin and Andy, Lux found his friends trapped in cages. However, they were not alone. Several other dwarves were also imprisoned there, which caught the Half-Elf by surprise.
'Well, since I'm already here, might as well free them all,' Lux thought as he ordered Diablo to hack apart the wooden planks that kept the other Dwarves imprisoned.
The Half-Elf prioritized freeing his friends, because they were the main reason why he had braved the dangers of the Kobold's Nest in the first place.
"B-Big Brother?" Colette asked in surprise and confusion. "What are you doing here?!"
"I came to rescue you guys," Lux replied. "Shhh, don't raise your voice. We might get discovered if you do."
Colette nodded her head in understanding and kept her mouth shut. After she was freed, she went to the wooden crates in the corner of the room to retrieve her equipment, and storage rings.
Matty and Axel did the same, as well as the other Dwarves whom Lux and Diablo had freed. After distributing Health Potions to everyone, most of their injuries had been treated, making them capable of fighting against the Kobolds that had taken them captive.
A Dwarf who had blonde hair and blue eyes walked towards Lux while carrying an Axe. He thanked Lux for rescuing them and introduced himself as Hans.
He was one of the prominent merchants in the Kingdom of Gweliven, and his base of operations were the villages and towns near the Stronghold of Norria.
The blond-haired dwarf was also the leader of the merchant group that had hired Colette's and several other adventurer parties as escorts for his trade expedition. Unfortunately, they got captured by the Kobolds, and all of their wares were seized.
Lux shook hands with the Dwarf before addressing everyone at the cavern.
"Before anything else, let me explain the current situation first," Lux said. "Right now, a group of Riders from Norria have come here for a rescue operation. I was their guide and led them to this location. Unfortunately, we were forced to retreat after saving only a few individuals because of the sheer numbers of the Kobolds."
"After a great battle, I fell down to this layer, due to the spells of the Kobold Mages. As for the main force, they are headed towards the exit of this nest as we speak."
"However, none of you have to worry. Once the reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria arrives, they will conduct another rescue operation and deal with the Kobolds inside this nest."
Lux made sure to emphasize that he was the one that led the Riders of Norria to the nest in order to show his importance to the Dwarves in front of him.
After hearing his report, the majority of the Dwarves sighed in relief because there was still a chance for them to leave the place alive.
"You said that you can navigate through this terrain," Hans said with a determined look on his face. "Can you also lead us to the exit?"
Lux nodded. However, his next words dampened the mood of everyone inside the cavern.
"Although I can lead you all to the exit, I cannot do that at this point in time," Lux answered. "The only reason why I managed to reach this place unharmed is because the majority of the Kobolds have climbed to the upper level to pursue the trespassers to their domain. If we go up right now, we will just be hacked to pieces. Our best course of action is to wait for reinforcements to arrive."
Colette, who had been listening to the side, voiced her concern about their current situation.
"Big Brother, what do we do now?" Colette asked. "Are we just going to stay here?"
Lux shook his head. "This place is too big, and it's hard to defend ourselves here. We need to find a good hiding place while we wait for the rescuers to arrive."
Lux summoned the Elysium Compendium to look for possible hiding spots small enough for them to effectively defend against a horde of Kobolds that were out for blood.
"Follow me," Lux said. "I found a place where we can hide."
"And why should we follow you?" a grumpy Dwarf asked back. "I ain't following a damn Half-Elf."
Lux didn't even bother to glance at the grumpy Dwarf as he herded Colette and the others to follow him. He had already done what he could for the captives. Whether they wanted to follow him or not was none of his business.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, the grumpy Dwarf cursed under his breath.
Hans, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he followed behind the Half-Elf who obviously didn't give a damn about them.
The blonde-dwarf was a merchant. When it came to making transactions, and forming connections with potential business partners, he always trusted his instincts.
Right now, his instinct was telling him to follow Lux, so that was what he planned to do.
Seeing Hans' action, a couple of the Dwarves, which were his subordinates, followed behind him as well.
The rest of the Dwarves, who were not part of the merchant group, who had been kidnapped from other places, merely glanced at each other in dismay.
Wandering around the Kobold Nest without an accurate map was useless. Also, the Dwarves knew that the Half-Elf was right. If they tried to go to the exit at this point in time, what awaited them was an untimely death at the hands of the Kobold Horde that had been rubbed off the wrong way.
After navigating through the underground tunnels, Lux led his friends to a smaller cavern that seemed to be used as a garbage dump by the Kobolds.
The rotten smell permeated the air, and it made the Dwarves wrinkle their noses, but they currently had no choice in the matter.
Even Hans thought that this was a good place to hide, because no Kobolds would go actively looking for them in this area.
The pathway leading to the garbage dump was also very narrow. It was only big enough for a single adult dwarf to walk down, and the ceiling was a head shorter than the Half-Elf who was forced to crouch down a little when he walked down the tunnel.
After arriving at their destination, Lux used the empty storage rings that he had acquired in the prisoner's cell to store as much garbage as he could.
The Dwarves like Colette, who had special skills like the Cleansing Spell did their best to reduce the abominable smell that permeated the cavern.
Several minutes passed before the annoying smell disappeared, which made the dwarves quite thankful.
Even though the cavern was smaller than the place where they had been held as prisoners, it was more than enough to house all of them.
"Listen, I will just like to make some rules while we are here," Lux said with a serious expression on his face. "First of all, talking is not allowed. On the off chance that a Kobold or a group of Kobolds were to come to this place, our priority should be to kill them as fast as possible before they can raise an alarm."
All the Dwarves nodded their heads in agreement. They had no complaint whatsoever with the rule that Lux had stated.
"The second rule is that we should make as little noise as possible. Everyone should just rest for the time being. We will need every bit of strength we have in order to leave this place."
The Dwarves once again nodded their heads in approval.
"Lastly, if the worst case scenario happens, and we are discovered, everyone should stay as calm as possible," Lux stated. "I am confident that we will be able to stand our ground if we work together as a cohesive unit.
"My Skeletons will serve as the first line of defense and block the entrance of this cavern should the Kobolds launch an all out attack. If they fall, all able-bodied men will help block the entrance alongside me to ensure that they won't be able to break through our defenses."
The Dwarves nodded their heads for the last time and rested to conserve their strength.
Lux sat beside the entrance of the cavern to use his sensitive hearing to detect anyone who was headed in their direction.
Colette, Matty, and Axel were very tired, so all of them slept, leaving the defenses to Lux.
The little Dwarves had developed an unwavering faith in the Half-Elf, especially after seeing that he had braved the danger to rescue all of them.
Lux watched the children sleep with a smile on his face. Now that they had finally settled down, it was now time to make his preparations for the upcoming battle.
Diablo walked towards him and handed the Half-Elf a black storage ring.
Lux gratefully accepted it and peered at its contents.
Hundreds of Beast Cores could be seen inside the ring, which made Lux quite happy. The main reason he had left Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters behind was to loot the Beast cores from the Kobolds' corpses.
The Half-Elf knew that the Riders of Norria weren't in the mood to pick up the cores as they bulldozed their way through the nest to save Robin.
Since that was the case, Lux was more than happy to receive the free loot that was presented to him. He knew that if things went South, he could only rely on himself to save his friends.
The red-headed teenager took a Beast Core out of the storage ring and started converting it into Skill Points.
He would use as many cores as possible to upgrade himself, Diablo, and his Skeletal Fighters.
That way, even if they were faced with Rank 3 Monsters, they would be able to hold their ground, and show the Kobolds that it was a futile endeavor to kill what was already dead.
Chapter 58 In The Midst Of Every Crisis, Lies Great Opportunity
After looking at his stockpile, Lux decided to upgrade his Partner, and make him more formidable. After all, the latter would be the main fighting force in this rescue operation.
Since Diablo had a special title, First Born, the amount of skill points he received everytime Lux used a Beast Core to upgrade him was increased.
—--
< Diablo >
– Progress ( 0 / 500)
—--
Lux didn't bat an eye as he used thirty-four Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo to the next stage.
—---
< Diablo >
– Progress: (10 / 600 )
—--
Lux decided to upgrade Diablo one more time, turning his First Named Creature into a Rank 2 Monster. With the Mythical Sword Blood Moon in his possession, Diablo could now fight Rank 3 Monsters on even ground.
—--
< Diablo >
"Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!"
– Named Skeleton
– Skeleton Rider
– Rating: B
– Mana: 10
– Progress ( 10 / 600)
Health: 7,500 / 7,500
Mana: 1,640 / 1,640
Attack: 250 - 300 (+300 Damage from Blood Moon)
Attack Type: Ethereal Damage.
Strength: 83 (+1)
Intelligence: 82
Vitality: 81 (+2)
Agility: 82 (+2)
Dexterity: 82 (+2)
Defense: 83 (+200 Defense)
Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain, Relentless Charger.
Active Skills: Slash, Heavy Slash, Bone Spear, Duel [EX], Whirlwind Slash (New), Leap (New).
Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge, Union of Man and Beast, Enhanced Fortitude (New)
Note: Can you teach me how to Dougie?
—--
Diablo had managed to collect 268 Beast Cores from the corpses that the Dwarves had left behind. Ten of them were Rank 2 Cores, while the rest were Rank 1 Beast Cores.
Since Lux had used a total of seventy four Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo twice, his stockpile was brought down to one hundred and ninety four.
Now that he had upgraded Diablo twice, it was now time for him to upgrade himself!
Lux was quite happy when Diablo learned the AOE skill, Whirlwind Slash, which would ensure that even if the latter got surrounded on all sides, Diablo would still be able to take out his enemies as long as he wanted to.
The second skill Diablo obtained was Leap. This skill allowed him to jump several meters in the air, before landing in his desired location, causing a small tremor that would deal AOE Physical damage in a four-meter radius that was similar to Whirlwind Slash.
Aside from that, the massive boost in Diablo's Health Points and Defense made Lux feel more secure because this meant that his Partner could take more hits. This would allow Diablo extensive survivability on the battlefield.
After admiring Diablo's Stats for a full minute, Lux decided to upgrade his own Body Constitution, so he wouldn't lag behind his Partner in Crime.
Checking his progression, Lux used twenty Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade his Body Constitution to the next stage.
—--
< Immortal Conqueror's Legacy >
Rating: E+
Progress: (0/400)
—--
< 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) – Guts: A Skill that will allow you to withstand a lethal blow without dying. No matter how powerful the attack is, it will always leave you with One Health Point after the damage has been dealt.
—----
This time around, Lux firmly chose the skill War Cry. This was the skill he needed the most, and he would be a fool if he didn't choose the skill at this critical moment.
Just as the Half-Elf expected, his handy, dandy, Special Evolution [EX] Skill kicked in and upgraded the skill that he had chosen.
—--
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected the skill Warcry. >
< War Cry will be upgraded into Battlecry once the requirements have been made. >
< Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >
< Battle Cry >
+100 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
—---
< Immortal Conqueror's Legacy >
Rating: D
Progress: (0/600)
< Bonus Rewards >
+5,000 Health Points, Battle Cry,
Additional Reward: +2 Summon Skeleton Skill
– You will be able to summon four more skeletons to fight for you.
—--
'Hell yeah!' Lux wanted to scream so badly, but he held his excitement in.
The only skill that the Rank 1 Kobold Monsters could use was the Slash skill. Since Lux already had it and its upgrade, he didn't learn any other skills from it.
Even so, he was quite happy with the overall improvement in his strength after his upgrade.
Before, he could only summon four Skeletal Warriors to fight for him. With the additional +2 in his Summon Skeleton Skill, he could now summon seven skeletal fighters, which made him a one-man party.
Not only that, he also gained an additional 100 Stat Points that he could distribute freely. However, since Lux had no intention of leaving the Leaf Village for the time being, he merely hoarded his stat points and didn't add any of them to his current stats.
'One more time,' Lux resolved himself to upgrade himself one more time, in order to cope with any variable that might arise during their escape from the Kobold's Nest.
After spending sixty Rank 1 Beast Cores from his stockpile, Lux was once again given a choice between three options to choose as a reward for his Body Constitution Upgrade.
—--
< 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) – Guts: A Skill that will allow you to withstand a lethal blow without dying. No matter how powerful the attack is, it will always leave you with One Health Point after the damage has been dealt.
(Option 3) – Parry: A passive skill that gives you a high chance to deflect a physical melee, or ranged attack, using your weapon. By breaking your opponent's stance, you will be able to unleash a counter attack.
—--
Lux chose the passive skill, Parry, because this was what he currently needed the most. This skill would be very helpful in the upcoming battle with the Kobolds. Besides, being able to successfully parry against a multitude of attacks would be really handy, regardless who the enemy he was fighting against.
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected the skill Parry. >
< Parry will be upgraded into Expert Parry once the requirements have been made. >
< Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. >
< Expert Parry >
– A passive skill that gives you a higher chance to deflect a physical melee, or ranged attack, using your weapon. By breaking your opponent's stance, you will be able to unleash a counter attack that has a very high chance to deal critical damage to your enemy.
—---
< Immortal Conqueror's Legacy >
Rating: D+
Progress: (0/800)
< Bonus Rewards >
+5,000 Health Points, Expert Parry,
Additional Reward: +1 Summon Skeleton Archer Skill
– You will be able to summon two more skeleton archers to fight for you.
– This additional reward cannot be used at this time because the requirement to unlock Summon Skeleton Archer has not been met. Once the Skeleton Archer Skill becomes available, the effect of this reward will automatically activate.
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.
Note: You're starting to look like a real Novel Protagonist!
—---
Lux smirked as he looked at his current stats with a satisfied look on his face. He had now surpassed Diablo's Health Points, which made him more confident in the upcoming battle.
Not only that, his free stat points were almost 500, which was more than enough for him to step into the ranks of a Grade B Apostle.
The Half-Elf was not willing yet to take that step because he still had many things to do in Leaf Village. There were still plenty of unique quests that he hadn't taken because he was still too weak.
However, right now, even without a party to help him, Lux was confident that he could bulldoze his way through the different areas to fight against the Alpha Beasts, which were the Apex Creatures in the Beginner's zone.
—--
Name: Lux Von Kaizer
Age: 16
Race: Half-Elf
Rank: (None)
Health: 11,960 / 11,960
Mana: 940 / 940
Strength: 46 (+3)
Intelligence: 46 (+1)
Vitality: 31
Agility: 34 (+3)
Dexterity: 31 (+3)
Free Stat Points Available: 480
Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX], Item Transmutation [EX]
Active Skills: Power Shot, Dark Arrow, Fury Slash, Double Fury Slash, Battle Cry
Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Expert Parry,
—--
There was a famous saying back on Earth that "In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity".
If not for the fact that Colette and the others were kidnapped by Kobolds, Lux would never have the opportunity to upgrade his skills to his current level.
Lux also knew this, but since it had already come to this point, all he could do was to take advantage of his current situation. They were still trapped inside the Kobold's Nest and waiting for rescue.
Unless he, his friends, and the other Dwarves could escape this deadly prison, he wouldn't be able to celebrate the rewards that he had already received from this rescue mission.
'I still have 114 Beast Cores with me,' Lux thought with a smile. 'I think this is more than enough to upgrade the Skeletal Fighters to Rank C, which will unlock the Summon Skeleton Archer Skill.'
The Half-Elf then started to absorb the remaining Beast Cores in his possession to upgrade his Skeletal Fighters twice. More than anything else, he was curious about the options he would be given after he unlocked the Summon Skeletal Archer Skill.
If things went according to the script, then there was a high chance that Lux would have another Named Creature fighting on his side.
Chapter 59 The Forgotten Queen
Nevreal, Boreas, Helen, and the rest of the Dwarves had successfully escaped the Kobold's Nest.
Their numbers had greatly fallen after some Dwarf Warriors sacrificed their lives in order to buy time for everyone else to escape.
Aside from Helen, Robin, and Andy, only eighteen other Dwarves remained, which included Nevreal and Boreas.
Boreas had a pained expression on his face as he carried Helen on his shoulders. Many of his subordinates had died in this rescue mission, but he knew that if those men didn't take the initiative to hold the Monster Horde back by sacrificing themselves, more Dwarf Warriors would have died.
Right now, he only had one thought in his mind. It was none other than to wait for the reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria, and then to wipe the entire Kobold Nest from the face of the Gweliven Kingdom!
After finding a safe place to hide, the Dwarves tended to their injuries and sharpened their weapons.
Helen looked after the unconscious Robin and Andy and thought of her Big Brother Lux, as well as Colette and her other friends.
'Please, be safe everyone,' Helen silently prayed in her heart. 'I hope that when the reinforcements arrive, I will once again be reunited with my friends.'
—---
After the Summon Skeletal Fighter was upgraded twice, the requirements to upgrade to Summon Skeleton Archer had been reached and the option is now unlocked.
Lux only had forty four Rank 1 Beast Cores and ten Rank 2 Beast Cores left in his stockpile. However, he didn't regret using them one bit. What was the point of having a stockpile of Beast Cores if you do not live long enough to use them?
'Now, time to activate this new summoning skill,' Lux thought as he used ten Rank 1 Beast Cores and put his new skill to the test.
—---
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >
< Since the Skill is learned from a Skill Book and not from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. >
< Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. >
Option 1: Summon two Skeleton Archers to fight for you instead of one.
Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Archer Skill to Summon Skeleton Hunter.
Option 3: Give your first Skeleton Archer a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Also, you can upgrade your named creature individually if you wish it.
—--
Lux decisively chose the third option and a row of text materialized in front of him.
< You have chosen to give your first Skeleton Archer a name. >
< Know that your first Skeleton Archer is a female. Although it is already a skeleton, giving it an appropriate name will raise its loyalty towards you.
< Please choose a name >
—-
Lux blinked once then twice as he read the part which said that his first Skeleton Archer was a female. He had already thought of a cool name for his Skeleton Archer, which was Gilgamesh, but after seeing its gender, he had to scrap his plans entirely.
After thinking for a few minutes, he finally settled for a name and made sure to spell it properly.
—--
< You have chosen the name "Ishtar" as the name for your first Skeleton Archer. >
< Is this your final answer? >
< Yes / No >
—-
As soon as Lux clicked yes, another page appeared in his Soul Book, this time it was a page dedicated to his new Named Creature, Ishtar.
—--
< Ishtar >
"Let the living beware."
– Named Skeleton Archer
– Rating: F
– Mana: 10
– Progress (0/100)
Health: 200
Attack: 20 - 30
Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 15
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Dexterity: 15
Title: The Forgotten Queen
– Ishtar is your second Named Creature and has been bestowed the title "The Forgotten Queen".
– This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve.
< Forgotten Queen >
– Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you.
– All attacks made by Ishtar will deal Ice Damage.
– Ice Damage can slow and even freeze those hit by Ishtar's deadly arrows.
– As someone who bore the title, Forgotten Queen, Ishtar's stats increase by 50% during the night.
– When you use Beast Cores to upgrade your Named Creature, its effects will be increased by 50%
Note: Let phantom arrows fly!
—--
Lux used seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar. Thanks to the 50% points boost, Lux's Beast Core consumption was reduced by a good margin.
However, he wasn't satisfied yet so he used another thirteen Rank 1 Beast Cores to further boost Ishtar's stats, which raised her Rating to D.
After seeing her stats, Lux consumed the ten Rank 2 Beast Cores in his possession, and an additional seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar's rating to D+.
—--
< Ishtar has reached the requirement needed to change a Job Class >
< Please Choose your named Creature's Job Class wisely >
< Compatible Job Classes >
—--
< Skeleton Hunter >
– A Hunter doesn't only hunt animals. Anything living or dead can be hunted. If you are foolish enough to hunt a Hunter then be prepared to become hunted as well.
– This skill specializes in long range combat, as well as setting traps to ensnare their prey. They are one of the deadliest range professions around, and anyone should be wary of being marked by one of them.
(Job Class Bonus)
+30 Dexterity
Active Skill:
– Hunter's Mark: Place a tracker on your target. Ishtar will be able to know her target's location as long as they are within a three-mile radius around her. Up to three markers can be active at any given time.
– Set Traps: Place traps anywhere to bind, injure, or even cripple those who are unlucky enough to set foot upon them. Up to five traps can be active at any given time. More traps will be available on the next upgrade.
Passive Skill: Fast Reload
—--
< Skeleton Ranger >
– Rangers are natural protectors and have a strong empathy with wild beasts. They can wield bows, daggers, or short swords with great proficiency and are masters in both ranged and close combat fighting.
They are also proficient Beast Tamers, which allows them to have Beast Companions to fight for their side.
(Job Class Bonus)
+15 Dexterity
+15Agility
Active Skill:
– Beast Taming: Tames a Beast to become the Skeleton Ranger's Beast Companion. A Maximum of four Beast can be tamed, but only one can be present at any given time.
When the number of Tamed Beasts exceeds four, the Skeleton Ranger will be given an option to release the Beasts that they have already tamed, in order to make room for another.
– Stealth: Blend in with the surroundings to decrease the chance of getting detected by the enemy.
—--
After a brief internal struggle, Lux decided to choose the Skeleton Hunter Job Class for Ishtar.
No matter how good the Skeleton Ranger was, what he needed right now was a dedicated damage dealer. He already had the Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters to swarm the enemy with numbers.
Adding a few more Beast Companions may bolster their troops and even increase their survivability, but the Hunter's Skills like Set Traps and Hunter's Mark, were nothing to sneeze at.
Setting traps was a no brainer. A properly set trap could make an enemy feel a world of pain, and it would also weaken them greatly.
Hunter's Mark on the other hand, would allow Ishtar to trace any target that she had set her sights on.
Lux was only able to track Colette and the others because they were part of his party. If they weren't, the Half-Elf wouldn't have any idea that his friends had been taken by the Kobolds nor where the Kobolds hid them. This was why a tracking skill was necessary.
This was especially true for enemies. As long as Lux knew of their location, he could hunt them down anytime as long as they were within Ishtar's range.
—-
After the binge upgrading, Lux was only left with twenty Rank 1 Beast Cores, but he regretted nothing. The red-headed teenager looked at Ishtar's stats and nodded his head in satisfaction.
—----
< Ishtar >
– Named Skeleton Hunter
– Rating: D+
– Mana: 10
– Progress (0/600)
Health: 2,500 / 2,500
Mana: 900 / 900
Attack: 115 - 135
Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage
Strength: 50
Intelligence: 55
Vitality: 50
Agility: 55
Dexterity: 85
Active Skill: Hunter's Mark, Set Trap
Passive Skill: Equip Item
Title: The Forgotten Queen
Note: Screaming helps... not at all.
—--
'Not bad,' Lux thought as he gazed at Ishtar's stats. 'She now gets fifteen free stat points every time she is upgraded. This is good. She will be able to catch up to Diablo easily.'
The Half-Elf knew that he had already done everything in his power to prepare himself for the tough fight ahead. His second named creature, Ishtar, had the strength of a Rank 1 Monster.
Aside from Ishtar, he could also summon an additional two skeleton archers to fight for his side. But these extra summons were just cannon fodders that would die from a single attack from Kobold Warriors.
Even so, Lux still had uses for them. He immediately put their uses into action while waiting for their rescuers to arrive.
Chapter 60 Learning Things The Hard Way
After the Dwarves escaped the Kobold's Nest, the majority of the Kobolds returned to tend to their duties.
However, when the guards of the prison returned to their posts, they noticed that all of their captives had escaped. This immediately brought a new round of alarms that could be heard through the entirety of the nest.
,m The expressions of Lux and the other Dwarves turned serious. They didn't know why the Kobolds raised the alarms. However, they all knew that this was a dangerous time for all of them.
Just as the Half-Elf had expected, the Kobolds performed a thorough search for the prisoners that had escaped from their cages. They looked in every nook and cranny of their nest, with the exception of the dump site where they threw their trash.
For them, going there was a waste of time, and they didn't believe that the Dwarves would go to that place to hide.
An hour passed then two, followed by the third.
The tension in Lux and the Dwarves was at an all time high as the hours passed by. In the end, Lux told the non-combatants to just rest, and the combatants to alternate between guarding and sleeping.
The red-headed teenager had become the temporary leader of the Dwarf survivors, and everyone listened to him. The grumpy Dwarf who had made things difficult for him earlier was no exception.
All of them wanted to live, and Lux saved their lives. Since they all owe him and they had seen his capabilities, the least they could do was trust his judgment until they managed to leave the Kobold's Nest.
Lux positioned himself near the entrance of the cavern they were staying in. He was resting, but he would wake up at a moment's notice. This was one of the techniques that his Grandma Vera had taught him a year ago, to allow himself to rest but still be able to react to any situation at any given time.
Hans, the head of the Dwarf merchant group, was paying close attention to the Half-Elf who had saved them. For some reason, he had a feeling that if he followed Lux's orders, he would be able to leave this place alive.
Merchants usually followed their gut instinct, and his instincts were telling him that he had to stick with the Half-Elf no matter what.
Because he was paying close attention to Lux, he immediately noticed when the latter opened his eyes and made a gesture to everyone, signaling them to stop whatever they were doing.
This was a signal that Lux had established with them beforehand to let them know that Kobolds were approaching the dump site.
Earlier, he had summoned the two Skeletal Archers and placed their heads outside of the cavern. He placed them on the path facing the tunnels, and ordered them to keep a lookout for any enemies that were headed their way.
Since his connection with the Skeleton Archers wasn't as strong as his Named Creatures, he gave them an additional order to mention the number of the approaching enemy if they saw any.
Right now, the skulls of his Skeleton Archers had just told him that three Kobolds Warriors were approaching the dump site. Since the path was narrow, the Kobolds didn't have any other choice but to walk single file down the tunnel.
This was the main reason why Lux chose this place. The topography would render any advantage in numbers completely useless.
Lux had summoned his sword in preparation to kill the Kobolds before they could alert anyone of their position.
Hans also gripped his axe in order to help the red-headed teenager quickly deal with their enemies the moment they showed up.
The leader of the Merchant Group was a Grade C Apostle (Rank 2 Monster). The only reason why he allowed himself to get captured was because he knew that he didn't stand a chance against the numbers of Kobolds that had ambushed them.
However, when backed to a corner, he would be willing to fight to the death if needed.
He was standing near the entrance of the cavern as well, facing Lux. The two nodded their heads in unison as they held the weapons in their hands firmly.
When the first Kobold entered the cavern, Lux immediately summoned Diablo behind the three Kobold Warriors, so they would have nowhere to run.
Diablo stabbed the back of the Kobold that was right in front of him, piercing through its chest, killing it in one hit.
Hans hacked his axe at the neck of the Kobold that had just entered the cavern, and decapitated it in one strike.
Lux, on the other hand activated his skill, Double Fury Slash, dealing critical damage and killing the second Kobold before it could even shout for help.
Lux, Diablo, and Hans, hurriedly dragged the dead monsters inside the cavern, so that they wouldn't be easily discovered. The Half-Elf didn't rule out the fact that they might have been sent here by their superiors to check if their prisoners were hiding inside the dump site.
Diablo took out the three Beast Cores from the Kobold's chests, and presented them to his Master, who took them without another word.
Hans didn't have any complaints because, for him, Rank 1 Beast Cores were useless. He would not fight Lux over them and ruin the bigger picture.
"If these are scouts then we can expect that their superior will send some other Kobolds to look for their whereabouts," Hans said.
Lux nodded because he was also thinking of the same thing. "If we get lucky they will completely forget about this matter and only remember it in a few hours."
Hans smiled. He knew that what the red-headed teenager was saying was only wishful thinking, but he also hoped that it was the case.
Unfortunately, an hour later, the Skeleton Archers once again issued a warning, and this time around, they said that there were a dozen Kobold Warriors headed in their direction, with one of them being a Kobold Leader, which was a Rank 2 Monster.
When Lux relayed this information to Hans and his subordinates, all of their expressions became serious. They knew that they would have to kill these Kobolds as fast as they could and prevent them from leaving the place alive.
Aside from Diablo, Hans was the strongest warrior in their group. The Dwarf also had six subordinates under his command, who were all Grade D Apostles (Rank 1 Monster). All of them were willing to fight for their survival, but Lux told them that they didn't have to fight.
This perplexed the Dwarves, which made them think that the Half-Elf had given up all hope. However, when they saw Lux summon Diablo and seven Skeleton Warriors, they immediately understood why he asked them to stand down.
Right now, every Dwarf was indispensable. If they died fighting against the Kobolds, it would be one less fighter on their side. However, the skeletons were different. As long as Lux had mana, he could summon them over and over again, and they were not afraid of dying.
All the other Dwarves had backed away to the very corner of the cavern, so that they wouldn't be involved in the fighting.
Colette had asked Lux to let them join the fight, but the Half-Elf rejected their proposal. Lux only told the adorable little Dwarf to protect the non-combatants and ensure that no Kobolds would harm them.
Everyone became tense when the sounds of footsteps reached their ears. The plan was relatively simple, and had no room for error. The moment the first Kobold entered the cavern, Hans immediately decapitated it, while Diablo charged and stabbed the Kobold behind it.
The Kobold Leader was in the middle of the formation, so all it could do was bark orders for those behind it to retreat.
However, who was Lux? Naturally, he already expected that this was going to happen, so he had placed a key figure at the back of the tunnel, which was none other than Ishtar.
Lux's second Named Creature had a peculiar ability. She was able to disassemble her body, and scatter her body parts to where she wanted them to be.
Ishtar was also the one that warned Lux that there was a Rank 2 Monster amidst the group of Kobolds. As soon as the fight began, the Skeleton Hunter assembled her body parts once again and placed traps in front of her.
After doing that, she immediately began shooting her arrows into the rear of the Kobold formation, trapping them in a pincer attack.
Diablo had a strength equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster because of the Mythical Weapon, Blood Moon. With this powerful weapon in hand, Diablo made short work of the Kobolds and killed the Kobold Leader without mercy.
By the time the battle was over, Diablo had killed six, Isthar killed seven, and Hans killed one.
Just like last time, they dragged the dead bodies inside the cave, took their beast cores, and incinerated them with fire magic.
The smell of burning flesh permeated the room, but with the cleansing magic, the smell disappeared completely.
Now that they had killed the scouting party, Lux, Hans, and the Dwarves knew that they were now only on borrowed time. They couldn't leave their hiding spot because it was the only place they could defend themselves with the numbers they currently had.
Lux gazed at everyone with a serious expression. "The next time the Kobolds appear here, we will all be fighting for our lives. I hope that when that time comes, all of you will do your best to remain calm and listen to my orders."
"Don't worry. No matter how many of them come, I am confident that we will be able to hold them back. The tunnel only allows one person at a time to pass through it. Even if there were thousands of them, they will have no choice but to go down this one path. As long as we block this one entrance, they will not be able to overwhelm us with numbers."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. After hearing Lux's strategy, all of them felt a little better. They had seen how strong the skeletons were, so they believed that they would be able to hold the Kobolds at bay no matter what.
Technically, they weren't wrong. However, they had forgotten one thing. Kobolds may not be the smartest monsters around, but they were not stupid.
Because of this, Lux, and the other Dwarves didn't remember that even a well thought out plan could go terribly wrong if they did not understand the true nature of their enemies.
This was a lesson that the red-headed teenager would learn the hard way.