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Chapter 167 - Diplomacy (Thank you for your support, True Flame!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-11 10:08:44 +0000 UTCI moved away from the battlefield and then used my camouflage amulets to disappear while I was resting under the shade of a tree. I got used to resting while hugging my knees, but the moment I sat down and relaxed my back a bit, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, everything was dark around me. I didn’t know at which time I fell asleep, but I could guess that a very long time had passed since I was starving.
“... I did something unnecessary…”
I let out a long sigh. It was just to vent my frustration. Killing the commander had no other reason or purpose. Still, now that I thought about it, I should have expected all kinds of ways that they would try to stop me, given that I had invaded the labyrinth when it was under their control. Now, I did something that certainly would change the flow of the whole battlefield.
While I was thinking about that, I heard the sound of a rabbit nearby and then killed it with a magic shuriken and then skinned it to cook it. I didn’t care that it would create a fire and smoke. I wanted to eat something warm and fresh. If those guys had time to look for me in the middle of their war, then they truly would be done for.
‘Putting that aside, that guy sure had a lot of experience in his hands… I wonder why he didn’t use it. Did he get all that in a single day with commanding skills or something like that?’
I couldn’t find a logical reason for it. Regardless, it wasn’t a real problem. While the rabbit was being cooked, I decided to work on something else, on the ideas that I had inside the labyrinth. I dismantled some scorpions and then carved their carapaces into amulets while using a meditation scroll as a basis. I didn’t practice enough to decrease the size of that one, so the final result is an amulet the size of a small, round shield.
When I attached a mana core to it, it began to work, but it didn’t explode thanks to charging the energy. It got a bit warm, though. When I equipped it, I soon noticed the differences.
Name: Regulus Dawnshield
Race: Dhampir
Health: 310/310 (0/3200)
Regen: 0.8 per hour (0/900)
Mana: 330/330 (0/3100) (1.1)
Regen: 12.0 + 2.7 per minute (0/7600) (1.6)
Stamina: 380/380 (0/3500) (1.1)
Regen: 9.8 + 2.7 per minute (0/7600) (1.3)
Strength: 76 + 180 (0/5100) (1.6)
Magic: 20 (0/2100)
Dexterity: 253 (0/5600) (4.6x)
Spirit: 11 (0/1200)
Endurance: 20 (0/2100) (1.1)
Attack Speed: + 84% (0/7700) (1.1)
Movement Speed: 13.1 (0/6100) (1.3)
Stamina Conservation: 1.1 (0/10.000) (1.1)
Fire Affinity: 20 (0/2100)
Traits: Minor Weakness to Sunlight, Minor Sensitivity to Holy Magic, Minor Aversion to Silver
Classes: Ranger, Pathfinder, Dark Scrollmaker, Mystic Tattoist, Demon Hunter, Dreadful Enchanter, Ninja, Merchant, Poison Crafter, Smith, Weaponsmith, Sharpshooter, Pyromancer, Dark Paladin, Arcane Archer, Shadow Archer, Barbarian, Viking, Bowman, Warblade, Beastmaster
Aptitudes: Wilderness Survival, Never Lost, Magical Scroll Creator, Arcane Artist, Hunter’s Resolve, Malevolent Artifice, Master of Trade, Venomous Engineer, Master of Forging, Master of Blades, Shadow Mastery, Master of Precision, Heat Master, Silent Observation, Dark Retribution, Mystic Marksman, Shadow Archery, Rage Unleashed, Warrior’s Endurance, Ranged Skill, Relentless Assault, Animal Empathy
Experience: 3431
It was working, so I couldn’t help but smile. The question was for how long the amulet could last with that material. I didn’t find any signs of degradation after a while, so it should last for quite a bit…
‘Crap… I lost the notion of time.’
I felt the smell of something overcooked and noticed that half of the rabbit was gone. I ate the other part, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I decided to hunt for a bit longer and cook as well while I considered my next steps. Heading to the next labyrinth and exploring it should be easy, given the war.
However, taking a break and lying low for a few weeks to see what happens while I improve and make more amulets was a good idea, too. For one, I definitely wanted to find a way to be able to fight underwater and have a magic implement that will allow me to breathe there as well. What happens once, happens twice, after all?
‘Perhaps I can do that once I find a tamed animal. The creature can fight for me inside a labyrinth, but with my skill at level one, it can tame anything that can actually do that much fighting?’
It seems hard to believe… but being hopeful wasn’t a crime. With the amulets, I didn’t have to worry too much about losing that much extra energy by keeping an animal tamed. However, now that I think about it clearly, using the skill feels a bit like brainwashing. Then again, taming an animal without magic is a bit similar to that. Or maybe I was just thinking too much about everything.
While thinking about that, I could see the sky getting clearer. It looked like morning was arriving, so I decided to stop my hunt and then eat as much as possible before leaving. While I finished cooking, I also fixed the enchantments on my items. Having that much attack power to snipe an enemy from that distance was pretty good, but it wasn’t like I was going to do that often, so my previous enchantments were good enough.
After that, I began to eat and check the map of the land… the next labyrinth was pretty far away, on the extreme western side of the Skarnash Tribelands. Heading South first would be faster to reach the other labyrinth, in fact, but I didn’t want to meet Ulric and Remi and risk a fight with them. I was going to keep my promise with them if they try to get in my way, after all.
While idiots who do what they are told without thinking for themselves, even while they drench their hands with blood, they are still my brothers in this world, even though they never treated me like one.
When I finished eating, I began to carve another Shadow Step amulet using the carapace of a scorpion and then decided to test its limitations, but I sighed when I noticed that I took a long time doing that… and then some people had the chance to find and approach me. It wasn’t like a ten of miles away from the battlefield, so it wasn’t all that surprising. I decided to make my point clear for the people of that land as well, so I waited for them.
I got up and then packed my things and waited for a group of goblins to approach me. They had weapons on their backs, but they didn’t look like they came to pick a fight with me. I expected as much after my display in that battle. A woman leading the group decided to speak before they got too close.
“White haired archer… can we speak with you for a moment?”
“Only if it is for a couple of minutes, but I have to say beforehand that you won’t convince me to join your side, no matter what.”
“... My name is Shanra and I would like to thank you in the name of my people for your assistance before.”
That was quite polite for a goblin. Then again, I didn’t know many goblins. They are easier to tell apart after seeing them a few times, but even so. Shanra was as tall as me, but unlike the surrounding goblins, she was more on the slender side. She had some sick-looking curved daggers on her waists, though. She was probably the agility type. I had to keep my guard to make sure that she wouldn’t catch me off guard.
Shanra’s slender frame is matched by her sharp, angular features, giving her a striking and almost predatory look. Her skin was a pale green, typical of goblins, but it appears smoother and lighter than that of those around her. Her hair was dark and sleek, falling just past her shoulders in a way that frames her face, though she keeps it tied back loosely, preventing it from hindering her movements in combat.
Her eyes were bright and piercing, a vivid yellow that glowed faintly in the dim light, making it difficult to gauge her emotions. Her attire was practical but fitted, consisting of dark leather armor reinforced with subtle metallic plates, designed to allow maximum mobility while providing some protection.
“We were also very impressed by your skill with the bow on the battle. Thanks to that, we recovered one of the towns that we lost and now we are pushing back the enemies further.”
“I guess I interfered too much out of anger. In any case, I didn’t know that you guys had people that work with diplomacy. You must have a hard job since you all still end up solving your problems with your fists.”
“... Putting that aside, some of our clan leaders wish to speak with you and thank you for your help.”
“I am not interested. I only killed that commander because him and his underlings almost drowned me in that labyrinth. I have no reason whatsoever to interfere in this war any longer. If you wish to thank me, just leave me alone and don’t get in my way to clear your other labyrinths.”
“Tch… this is so annoying. Why the hell do I have to do this shit job?”
“It looks like the mask fell off a lot sooner than I expected.”
“It isn’t a mask. I genuinely try to get along with everyone, but all the idiots who have too much confidence in their skills can’t listen to a word and can only see things beyond their big noses. You act like you are better than us, but you aren’t much different from an ogre who punches everyone when they hear words with more than ten letters.”
“... I don’t believe that I acted like that, and I don’t think that I am better than any of you. I just don’t have any reason to interact with you all.”
“Yeah, right? Even though you have half of the blood of those who want to exterminate all of us.”
