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Chapter 148 - Sneaking (Thank you for your support, Tim Anklesaria!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-06 13:16:17 +0000 UTC‘Well, what now?’
I could sense a group following me while keeping themselves hidden. They were quite good at that, but not good enough. In any case, I already knew what I was going to do. The question was how. Well, I trained for one and a half my skills for that kind of situation. At the same time, I could see a clearing ahead.
… …
The group of goblins moved with speed and skill as they didn’t leave any footstep on the ground or made any noise for that matter. Still, they had a bad feeling when they saw their target approaching a clearing close to the road.
They sped up, but soon the target disappeared behind a tree and into his weird vehicle as well. When they arrived in the clearing, they soon noticed the marks of the wheels disappearing and then his footsteps continuing to the end of the place, but it ended there as well.
“He should be around… get ready for attacks. Someone who wasn’t working for the other clans wouldn’t try to hide from us.”
The goblins grabbed the knives to their waists and then got ready to fight. They were good at detection too, but they didn’t find any traces of their target. They checked the trees, the bushes, and some possible holes on the ground, but they found nothing. The individual didn’t look like a mage that could hide from them for that long and without leaving traces behind, but in the end, they regrouped without any results.
“He tried to enter the town through the gate… someone able to escape from us. Why would someone do that?”
“Probably to try to confuse us.”
“Why would another clan use a person like that to confuse us as well? He didn’t look like a human or an elf. Those who tried to identify him failed and got nothing from a single piece of information.”
The goblins stayed there talking with each other, trying to understand the situation. They were quite the interesting bunch for talking like that in the open when they were supposed to be a group that works in the shadows. In any case, soon enough, they left the place.
… …
‘It looks like I can finally leave…’
Misinformation Bone Ring (Rare)
Enchantment Slots: Misinformation (Master) (3) - prevents others from using Identification on you. Identification up to level 80 is completely nullified.
Durability: 10/10
One of the reasons why I stayed hidden ways to improve my ability to hide my parameters. After making countless rings, I finally got that type and rarity rank. After failing to make the best kind of enchantment countless times as well, I finally reached the Master level three times. Not because I was skilled, but because I was stubborn and had too much time in my hands. The first effect made Identification below forty useless and the other two added twenty points each.
To hide from those guys, I used a bunch of camouflage amulets made of leather. They each indeed the effect of the skill on me until they basically became an invisibility cloak. Still, it wasn’t perfect, since if they had waited a bit longer, the leather would have lost all of its durability.
‘It looks like the clans here are wary of strangers that could be spies working for other clans. Is this how things are here or is my timing that bad?’
I couldn’t say… Most likely, entering the port towns should be easy, but anything else will be a pain. I wanted to use my crafting skills and improve them by buying new things, but perhaps I will have to avoid doing that.
It was a pity, but it wasn’t like the Skarnash Tribelands are a potency when it comes to making new things, even if they aren’t magic. I still had some sunlight left, so I decided to move, but I decided to avoid the main roads now… I also second guessed that choice given that I would appear suspicious to the other clans.
‘Perhaps I should have bought some information from that merchant as well… shall I look for an underworld organization here that would sell information to someone like me?’
I didn’t remember them having such a type of organization. Because the Tribelands are often seen as barbaric by other nations, leading to conflicts with nearby kingdoms. However, they trade with outcast human merchants and have secret pacts with some dark elf factions. Perhaps I could find such groups. That would only make more people know about my existence, after all. I didn’t want that yet… I didn’t want to hide, but I wanted to clear the labyrinths of this land in peace.
My other option was to look for anyone connected to Zyra and her crew, but those would be hard to find, since they were the survivors of a battle between clans.
‘I can always just invade their towns at night and steal what I need, but I don’t want to do that. Causing problems for others or giving them more reason to look for me would be too annoying.’
Invading the labyrinths was another matter, though. While some people claimed ownership over them, they couldn’t control them completely. No one could, so no one was truly the owner of those places. I was just making excuses to do the things that would bother me less than others, but I was fine with it.
Soon enough, night came and with it, my thirst. Still, I kept moving through the night in order to reach the closest labyrinth as soon as possible… Fortunately, I didn’t have to endure two nights of that… while moving non-stop, I reached the place at noon the next day. I couldn’t help but furrow my eyebrows since the place had the entrance to the middle of a large sculpture of stone. Usually, they would have the images of a type of monster inside the place fighting each other, but I only saw the figures of countless skeletons looking at me.
‘An undead labyrinth? What a pain…’
I hated those since they rarely would give good materials to me. They would leave a lot of materials for alchemists, though. Moreover, the place was quite crowded… I could see some parties around the entrance, they looked like support parties. Although they were all doing the same job, the tension among them was clear: they were from different clans.
I was bound to meet a lot of people inside, so I had to use camouflage pretty often to avoid being found out. Not hiding completely wasn’t an option.
While using that skill, I approached the dungeon, moving close to the tents, and soon confirmed that no one was aware of me. The entrance wasn’t guarded either, so that had been a lot easier than expected.
In a fractious orc society, even loyal defenders might be swayed by offers from rival clans, promises of power, or even intimidation. This could create a situation where defending orcs switch sides mid-battle, or worse, collaborate with invading clans, effectively nullifying any benefit they would provide.
With the clans already engaged in constant warfare, the strongest orcs would be needed on the front lines. Allocating them to guard static locations would not only weaken each clan’s military force but also be an ineffective use of their warriors when combat is already consuming their resources.
It made sense, but it also felt that this kind of setup caused problems pretty often. Most likely, I assumed that they didn’t put guards there because they didn’t stop anyone from trying to get stronger. Even if they fight inside the dungeons, and someone dies, that would still be beneficial to their overall society.
‘Well, even Zyra and the others were quite crazy, since they fought until the end, even when they no longer had arms or legs.’
In any case, I didn’t want to leave traces of my actions and I wanted to make the people from that land as confused as possible. So, when the first enemy arrived, I just used the Magic Shuriken and split the creature into pieces… the creature was a skeleton that turned into white dust after having its head destroyed by a single magic shuriken.
You received 10 experience points.
‘I guess this confirms it… this is a labyrinth. The map doesn’t say how many floors this place has, but it doesn’t matter all that much. I will conquer it in one attempt. There is only one problem here, when it comes to facing the bosses… that will clearly reveal my presence.’
Perhaps I shouldn’t worry too much about this… things couldn’t be that organized when orcs, goblins, and ogres are involved. In any case, I crossed the first floor without finding anyone, aside from a few skeletons. Instead of magic, I used Shadow Step to appear behind the monsters and then Silent Strike to get them from behind. It was better to use the skills that I never used when possible.
You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Warrior (Barbarian), Thief, and Mage (Venom Mage).
Since I didn’t know what to expect, I was surprised for a moment. It wasn’t the first time I had the chance to pick the mage class, but the other time, I didn’t see the possibility of becoming a Venom Mage. As expected, I was transforming and my options were being opened as well. I felt like sighing, since it was clear that eventually, I will be unlucky and select an option that will speed up my transformation. I would still be a Dhampir, but I would have more and more characteristics of a vampire.
You obtained the Barbarian class.
You improved the Strength parameter.
You unlocked the Aptitude: Rage Unleashed.
You unlocked the skill: Cleave.
You unlocked the skill: Berserk.
Rage Unleashed: Gain 1 point of experience per successful attack while enraged.
Cleave: Swing your weapon in a wide arc, dealing damage equal to your strength to all enemies in front of you. The attack has a chance to cause a bleeding effect that deals damage over time equal to your strength for three seconds. Cost: 15 Stamina.
Berserk: Enter a frenzied state that significantly boosts your attack speed and damage attack by twenty percent. During this time, you also gain increased resistance to stunning and crowd control effects. Cost: 10 Stamina per second.
If it were before, I would have picked the Thief class and increased my dexterity, but after the labyrinth, I realized the value of more physical buffs, even if they drain my stamina faster. I just had to find the right enchantment to restore stamina while fighting as well.
Comments
ThoMiCroN
I am surprised how little he investigated the whole vampire life cycle. Maybe it is sustainable?
Anonymonous
So, there's no explanation for why he's so desperate to not be a vampire. Seems like an unexplored knee jerk aversion. There should be some chapters covering this
