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Chapter 169 - Frostfang (Thank you for your support, nathaniel jackson!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-11 16:12:52 +0000 UTCI didn’t know if rumors about me had spread, but when I decided to check one of the towns along the way, I furrowed my eyebrows when the only guard around didn’t try to stop me.
I wanted to believe that they had better things to do at times of war instead of worrying about someone like me, but I knew it better. Regardless, the few people there were still helping in the preparations for the war, so they weren’t going to make business with me while helping the others. All the materials and tools around were to help them fight the invaders.
‘It makes sense, I guess…’
What I wanted was some ink for scrolls and tattoos, since I needed to do some experiments. Still, it was obvious that they didn’t have it. Even if they had, they had no obligation to sell it to me who didn’t want to help them.
I decided to head to the next labyrinth, since I was also heading in the opposite direction of the war. That would be a better option for me. Still, I began to feel a certain weird feeling that I couldn’t quite explain… something wasn’t right and I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
In any case, I decided to follow my path since I was more or less ready to deal with whatever happens. I wouldn’t get carried away thinking that I could take everyone down after dealing with that commander with my sneak attack, but I should have some decent skills at this point in time to defend myself.
‘Using the shadow steps amulet to make the skill level up is the quickest way to make it level up. However, I can use a bit less consistently but without wasting too much time with crafting by using the meditation amulets. The one I made until now was still going strong. I also had to test how many of those I can equip.’
I began to carve the next amulet while I was riding the bike. The vehicle was losing speed too since I had used a lot in my previous escape, so it lost a lot of durability. I had to change the parts, eventually.
When noon came, I finished the second amulet, but carrying that on my chest like a real amulet made me feel like an idiot since it was too big. I had to find a way to make equipment with those amulets as well. The downside was that it will make them break a lot faster… unless I learn the self repair enchantment. It will be useful to have an amulet that can be attached and detached from any gear with ease. That would multiply their effectiveness.
The amulets by themselves wouldn’t do much, but as long as someone was touching them, they could show their magic. I tried to find a way to make my skills help me with that, but I didn’t have the skills yet. I needed some tools to make things a lot easier.
While I was thinking about that, I lost the notion of how many towns I had passed. I saw some people coming from them and also transporting a lot of materials. Things like wood, scales, leather and meat as well.
They didn’t use many weapons, but it looks like they found other uses for those materials. They should have realized that the attackers were using that kind of fact against them… the fact that the clans didn’t make much of the things that they used.
If they learn from this and they aren’t exterminated, the Skarnash Tribelands have the potential to become quite the force. The empire should know that, but they aren’t counting on it… it wasn’t like I knew their forces, but their plan appeared to be falling short so far.
All of a sudden, my focus broke when I noticed something in the corner of my vision. I raised my guard and got ready for an attack, but when I looked in that direction, I only found a dark forest.
‘Is someone there?’
I used Hawk’s vision for a moment, but I didn’t see the silhouettes of anyone there, but I found some footprints on the ground. It seemed to belong to some kind of four-legged creature, probably a wolf.
I heard that some goblins commonly use wolves as mounts due to their compatible size, shared habitats, and mutual benefits. Goblins, being small and lightweight, at least some of them are in this world, are ideal riders for wolves, which provide speed, agility, and enhanced mobility in combat or raids. They must have a clan of goblins that fit the bill. I didn’t see them, though.
‘I guess they let them breed naturally in the while… since I have the beastmaster class, they should have gotten it in that labyrinth as well.’
The only problem would be the cost of mana… few orcs, goblins and ogres would invest that much in mana regeneration. That seemed like a good chance to do some tests with the skill.
Wolves usually live in dense forests that provide wolves with cover for hunting and protection for dens. They often inhabit boreal forests in colder regions. Wolves thrive in open grasslands and tundras as well. In tundra regions, wolves must adapt to harsher climates and rely heavily on their pack’s cooperation for survival and hunting success.
‘I can’t say where I will see another wolf. They might actually run away from me. I don’t know much about animals in this world, but if I find one better, I guess I can always trade it if my mana regeneration isn’t enough.’
That was a bit of a wrong way to see things, but it was a matter of safety. I didn’t want a pet, I wanted an ally that wouldn't betray me no matter what. I am also curious how a tamed creature could get stronger, though. Was it similar to how people got stronger or how monsters got stronger? Either way, I could take advantage of that.
I decided to head to the forest and find my first tamed animal. It was common for archers to have companions like that, so I was expecting my wolf would eventually turn into a dire wolf or something.
As soon as I entered the forest, a sense of unease took over me, making me raise my guard. The faint, metallic smell of blood lingered in the air, sharp and undeniable, cutting through the earthy scents of moss and damp wood. It was subtle at first, but as I moved deeper, the smell grew stronger, carrying with it an ominous weight that made my instincts scream for caution. Every rustle of leaves or crack of a branch heightened my alertness, as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to unfold.
‘I guess I am not far away enough from the war… Come to think of it, I wonder if the frost wolves are considered more animals or monsters.’
They can use magic, so perhaps they were more monsters thanks to it, but would that be the only thing that would make them different? While I was thinking about that, I saw a silhouette in the distance and then raised my guard, but soon I noticed that something was off… the shadow of the silhouette wasn’t moving, when I approached, I saw a pretty large wolf with some bite marks on its neck and the neck had been snapped too. However, it didn’t look like the creature had been killed to be eaten.
I looked around and despite the darkness of the place, I found a bunch of footprints around. There were some weird marks on some trees as well, like something had smashed against them.
It didn’t take long for me to find more bodies. The wolves were quite a bit, do they would work as a mount even for me as well, but I was starting to feel more curious about what had attacked them for obvious reasons.
‘In theory, if a dungeon break happens, the monsters that escape become part of the world outside… this would make sense if one considers that theory about the goblins from outside being the evolution of goblins that escaped through dungeon breaks.’
As I thought about that and found a bunch of more bodies of wolves, I soon found something moving ahead. It was the silhouette of another creature and as I got closer, I confirmed what it was. It looked a lot like a sabertooth tiger.
The Frostfang Sabertooth was an impressive and fearsome creature. Its thick, snow-white fur shimmers faintly under the light, giving the illusion of frost crystals embedded in its coat. Pale blue streaks run along its back and limbs, resembling the cracks in glacial ice.
Its fangs, long and jagged, appear like translucent icicles, glinting with a cold brilliance. Frost often clings to these lethal weapons, and a faint mist of cold vapor escapes its maw with every exhale. Its eyes are a piercing icy blue, glowing faintly in the dark, radiating an unnatural chill that unsettles even the bravest hunters. The creature’s paws were equipped with sharp, ice-like claws that leave frozen imprints wherever it treads.
Name: Frostfang Sabertooth
Race: Glacierborn Predator
Health: 10/100
Regen: 0.1 per hour
Mana: 100/100
Regen: 0.1 per minute
Stamina: 100/100
Regen: 0.1 per minute
Strength: 05 (0/600)
Magic: 05 (0/600)
Dexterity: 05 (0/600)
Spirit: 11 05 (0/600)
Endurance: 05 (0/600)
Movement Speed: 10.0
Ice Affinity: 05 (0/600)
Traits: Iceborne Prowess, Frost Aura, Minor Vulnerability to Fire, Enhanced Cold Resistance
Classes: Beast of the North, Elemental Predator, Frost Guardian, Icebound Stalker
Aptitudes: Arctic Camouflage, Cold-Weather Adaptation, Predator’s Focus, Frost Manipulation, Apex Instincts, Pack Tactics
Experience:
I was surprised when I checked the creature… despite its actions and parameters, it was no bigger than a kitten. In any case, it looked like the monster didn’t have much resistance to my Identification, the skill rarely showed that much information. In any case, the kitten was hurt, filled with bite marks thanks to the attacks of the wolves, it made me wonder how it came to this place…
Comments
j3t
first my first tamed animal -> find my first
atmatos
"I didn’t want a pet, I wanted an ally that would betray me no matter what." Should this be wouldn't?
ThoMiCroN
It’s more a kitten than a puppy.
