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Chapter 25: The Forest
🕑 Added 2023-11-18 16:14:26 +0000 UTCMorning arrived at our mansion, and Alicia only woke me up when the sun was already high in the sky. She must have needed the extra sleep as well; yesterday was terribly exhausting, so she slept in too. However, I had a new mission for today – to scout the forest. R25B had informed me that I could begin the reconnaissance mission as soon as I received the Kamera. The said Kamera was already on its way, and I expected it to arrive tonight.
Excitement for my first mission consumed my thoughts, overshadowing the content of breakfast, lunch, and Alicia's chatting. When dinner finally came around, a butler delivered a package containing the Kamera. What is a Kamera? It's a magical tool for capturing photographs using a light enchantment. The blend of Renaissance fantasy and modern technology intrigued me. Monochrome Cameras were invented in the 19th century on earth, and I even heard that these monochrome pictures could be turned into colored images with special processing.
As night fell, I turned off the lights, ensuring that Alicia and my family were asleep before venturing outside in my trusted cloaks. Wear and tear had become visible on this cloak, and Alicia suggested replacing it tomorrow. She mentioned that a boutique had been approved to open in my territory six months ago by my father, and we planned to test it out.
Sneaking out of the city proved to be easy enough, but navigating the forest posed a challenge. R25B suggested marking every tree on my right side with an arrow so I would know my way back. My silver dagger wouldn't suffice, so I opted for my karambit. Additionally, I utilized my dark magic marking for easier triangulation of my positions. Magic marking was a magic that took a long time to disperse. That way, I could see my own way back.
Upon opening my notebook, my body instinctively rolled to the right as giant spiders jumped toward where I had been. Reorienting myself, I swiftly dispatched the spider with my dark magic. "Ugh! I used stealth! They could still see me?" I muttered, realizing that stealth only erased sound and footsteps. Consulting my status screen, I chose camouflage from my skill options to avoid getting ambushed again. It was a stroke of luck that this encounter involved only a single spider; a pack of wolves would likely result in certain deaths to me.
Blessing of the Killing Star (lvl 3)
- fearless
- intimidation
- improved strength
- improved agility
- beast instinct
- dark magic
- Stealth/camouflage (lvl 2)
Somehow, my stealth had leveled up to level two. When activated, my body blended with my surroundings like transparent glass. This was also considered a skill? No wonder people referred to skills as the seventh magic. I continued adding magic markers and scoured the forest.
Hiding atop a tree, I used my tentacle magic to pull myself up as I heard various sounds. Masses of orcs and goblins had gathered in a distant cave, with monsters pouring out. I inched closer, benefitting from the assistance of my stealth.
"Huh? You found monsters gathered inside a cave?"
"Yeah."
"And they did nothing but stare at an orb?"
"Yes. Ah! A goblin magically emerged from the ground."
"Don't come any closer. Take a picture with your Kamera and leave. That's a spawner. If we destroy it, your monster problem will be gone. Unless there are other spawners."
"Could I destroy the orb?"
"Could you?"
"How hard is it?"
"I don't know. Want to ask a guild master? I suggest not. If you break it, the monsters will turn into a frenzy, and you'll have to fight them all."
"Tell me beforehand, okay! That's dangerous!"
"Sure. Sorry, R666."
"Ah, you've become a lot more polite."
"We are at work. Focus, R666. I don't want any of my units to die."
"Roger. I will leave."
I retraced my steps when R25B informed me it was 3 AM. It took almost an hour to return to my bed, and just in time, Alicia stealthily opened my bedroom door at 5.
"Good job, R666. I will inform my superiors that you have found a spawner in the reconnaissance mission."
"Alright. Ugh… I didn't know if I could do this for a week." I moaned. I was getting sleepy and even ignored Alicia's calls during our outings for new clothes. I almost fell asleep right there in the changing room cubicle. As we walked outside together, R25B gave me a rundown of what we had found yesterday.
"A spawner is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens in this. As its name suggests, it spawns a monster. I found a cave leading underway yesterday, and it was full of monsters there with an orb at the middle…" he explained. However, his words fell on deaf ears as Alicia was treating me to a cake. I needed more sugar for my drowsy self.
"Next is a cake at the restaurant. They have milk cake and pudding there!"
"I wonder how that tastes."
I was too tired, so I sat on a bench in the plaza. Alicia's chatting seemed like a lullaby to me, and I inadvertently dropped my head on her lap.
"Lady Eli! That's a little unbecoming of you! But… but.. if you desire it, I will allow it…" Alicia was a little panicked. However, since she didn't see my eyes, she allowed it. What a convenient maid she was. I wonder if our relationship will continue until high school.
The following night was another reconnaissance mission. I rented a horse since the afternoon with my money. It was merely 5 silver. R25B proposed a whopping 3 points for the same horse. What a scammer. At night, I stealthily went outside again after circling the city with my horse from the west exit. Our county is kinda unique. Guards only guarded the northern gate, and anyone could exit from the unwalled west or east exits. It kinda shows how rural this place is. We only expected monster attacks here.
The horse plowed through the forest. I have scouted this part of the forest and now the next. Beyond the forest was a rather hostile Elderan Empire. The formal road to the Elderan Empire lies to the east, after circling this forest and passing through a mountainous area north of the capital. If Elderan wanted to invade, they either had to go through the mountain, through the woods, or through a defensive fort a little bit more south with the Western coalition. All had a fair share of difficulties.
With the magic marking, I crossed the forest on horses. A lot of monsters were on my tail. However, after casting illusions on them, they lost me in the jungle. This dark magic was made for assassins. Now that I think about it, R4 was also a dark magic user. Maybe he picked me because I was also a dark magic user? When I looked around, the scenery was totally different than Shadowstep. A stone wall was erected before the forest. Numerous soldiers guarded the towers and the gates even at night. I dismounted and approached them stealthily before taking a picture of the town.
"HELP!!"
A soldier was chased by five goblins as he cried around for help. However, I didn't help him. It was too suspicious. First, what did he do here at night? Moreover, why did he run to me instead of the gate? As he came here, I nudged my horse to return to the forest. My body shook to the left suddenly as a throwing knife went past my neck just now.
"Nice reaction. Are you a spy? Hey! Stop! Damn it, pest. I am done with you. Die."
I didn't answer and raced my horse through the woods, leaving him to deal with the goblins. However, when I looked back, he was right on my tail. How did he move that fast? Was it another skill? It didn't take long for him to block me inside the forest. I could dodge his knives, but my horse couldn't, and he killed it soon after. His shot went for its belly, and it bled a lot before stopping and died. Shit, I messed up again. Now, I have to fight my way out. This is supposed to be an easy scouting mission!
"Now you can't get back." He smirked at me.
"Why are you blocking me? I was just taking a look!" I almost yelled. Now I was sure going to get an earful from Alicia. It would be impossible for me to get back on time on foot.
"Now, now, that won't do. I was employed specifically to prevent you from looking at us."
"Why? Are you planning to start a war?"
"Hmm? Wait, you are one of those Reaper guys, right? Why do you care about wars? Ah! Is that your commission? Damn, those guys have ears everywhere." He spat out while holding his ears. "Hey! I got a prey! Those guys messed up. Reapers have found us. What should I do? Huh? Okay!"
"R25B. I got intercepted. What should I do?" I do the same with my earclip.
"Huh? Just use an excuse like a lost wanderer or something. Or escape with your horse."
"No, I don't know who he is. But he seemed like an anti-spy that specifically targeted people like me."
"What? Uh… damn! I am new here. Let's see. Does he have any distinguishing features? Is he one of us? Ask for his Reaper number maybe? We could talk this out then."
"Are you a Reaper? I am a Reaper, too. I am new, so maybe we can talk this out?" I asked him.
"Huh? Am I a Reaper? Hahaha! Die!!" He laughed before suddenly charging at me. I quickly drew my new Wakizashi and trusty karambit. The silver blade of the Wakizashi and the red glow of the karambit danced through the night sky. Unlike me, he used a cutlass. I charged with the usual style. Caught the blade with the karambit and stabbed with the dagger. It was Wakizashi this time. Wakizashi's edge is a little longer than a dagger and much thinner, too. It was weird when the usual weight of my dagger suddenly turned almost the same as my karambit.
"Whoa!" He flew back. I meant, he jumped back as if he flew. That's almost a five-meter distance. He was swift.
"I see they weren't sending some noobs. Let's get serious then."
"R666 where are you now? A counterintelligence agent never works alone. If you can kill him, that's good. However, you should flee if you couldn't kill him fast enough." R25 B's advice was useless. I needed to focus now. This guy was also a mage and skill user! Just like me. I sensed mana whirling around him.
