This chapter has been proof-read by: AnthonyL
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AutNote: Cheating monster: The mightiest tadpole finally reached chapter 50 and is well over the 100,000 words mark. From my initial prediction we are about 50% there. I hope you enjoyed it so far and will keep following Kneeko's adventures.
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After a while I finally reached the small village of Nimirth where my acolytes were still asleep. I landed in a tree and observed the village for a while, making sure no one was up and that no one had noticed anything.
The night was cloudy and warm. Some type of nocturnal cicada were singing in a low pitch that gave a vibe of horror movies. Once I felt everything was as it should I landed, turned into a dragon and summoned my arcane circles. [Arcane Gatling + Fireball]
I launched fireballs at high speed in every directions, trying to set as many houses on fire as possible. Immediately after doing so I roared a mighty dragon roar then turned back into my human form before running to Neferia's house.
Ahem ahem! Time for my best acting skills. I opened the door of the flaming small shack with panic in my voice. Inside Nargaroth, Mendy and Neferia were scrambling to get dressed.
“Quickly out! We've been attacked by a dragon!!!” (Kneeko)
“A dragon!?????? Are you sure it wasn't something else?” (Neferia)
“I know very well the difference between a dragon and something else dammit! The entire village is in flames we need to go and save as many people as possible!!! Mendy! Nargaroth! This is an order, Try to save everybody from the fire!” (Kneeko)
“Yes! Great leader!” (Nargaroth) He said rushing outside.
“Nod*” (Mendy) She then did the same.
“Come on Neferia! Some people might still be asleep!” (Kneeko) I had roared hoping to wake them all up but some people might be drunk or deep sleepers so we needed to act quickly.
“Yes! Coming!” (Neferia)
We all ran outside as chaos was raging. People were running everywhere with their belongings in their arms, trying to flee the fire. I raised my arm up in the air and summoned a giant WaterBolt that I sent flying up in the air.
A few seconds later the water fell back making look as if it was heavy rain. Neferia was looking at me in awe while Nargaroth was tanking his way through doors and grabbing as many people as possible. Mendy was using wind magic to clear the smoke and overpower the fire, forcing it to extinguish.
The chaotic scene lasted until sunrise in the morning. Mendy, Nargaroth and I were standing in the middle of the village, exhausted. All around were ashes, burnt wood and half destroyed houses. The villagers had slowly gathered around us, still holding their possessions and children.
(Crowd talking among themselves)
Thank you sir water mage, without you we may have died in this fire.*
Did you hear that terrifying roar as everything went up in flame?*
We lost everything.*
Mamaaa waaaa*. *Children crying *
Did you see these 3? 2 mages and a man who can go through wooden walls as if they were made of paper.*
Yea they are strong!*
Thank you sir for protecting us!*
We owe you our lives great lord!*
They all began kneeling, trying to show their deepest gratitude. Some of them even tried to give me their only belonging which they had managed to save from the fire. Such generous folks, there was no way I could accept any of this.
“Enough all of you. We did not help you to receive a reward, we did it to protect the lives of this kingdom's precious citizens. We know the king is going through a hard time and it may seem as if he has forgotten you all but I am sure this kingdom will rise from its ashes like a powerful dranix! Cough* I mean phoenix!” (Kneeko) Umm almost perfect, 9/10.
The poor elves began to cry, blinded by how generous and profoundly good we were. I thought all my infamy would influence them but apparently not. That or my recent actions had neutralized it's effects. I knew that it would definitely influence my compatibility with divine magic but reinforce the demonic one.
That was something I was already familiar with anyway and knew how to deal with it. I walked up to one of the giant trees nearby, used [Vine Hell] and began to grow a spiralling staircase around its trunk. Once at around 100 to 150 meters high, I began to create platforms and bridges leading to other trees.
With all the points I had in strength, my vines were as hard as iron so my construction was unbelievably sturdy and wouldn't rot or rust. The villagers were looking at me from below with big eyes, hardly able to believe how easy it seemed to me. I had a lot of practice after all.
[table=#800000]
Vines Hell rank up! (B)
[/table]
Once I had linked a great amount of trees together and had enough platform surface to work with, I began creating house frames. It wasn't water or air proof since it was made out of vines but I was creating the basic shapes of houses. Having completed 2 “houses skeletons” already, I went back down the stairs and addressed the crowd.
“Nargaroth, Mendy and everyone else, gather as much clay, straw and mud as possible. I don't intend to rebuild this village on my own.” (Kneeko)
They immediately understood what I was asking since mud walls and straw roof weren't strangers to this world. It was a building method ill suited for such a tropical climate but it was cheap, fast and worked well as long as you keep maintaining it.
For the walls it was simple, mix straw with clay and mud to create a mud that would be used like mortar then plaster the wall armature with it. Then you used more straw for the roof using a method called “thatching” which was also used in the real world in the iron age.
The villagers quickly scrambled around after understanding what they needed to do. Nargaroth was transporting massive amounts of material up to the tree platforms while Mendy was... well she was playing in the mud...
A few hours later, we had completed a few houses and estimated it would take 2 days for everyone to get a roof over their heads. Some people were gone hunting and foraging while other were in their fields, gathering a few ingredients for the village to eat.
The women and some of the men gathered and began to cook for everyone giving the vibe of a camp of refugees to the place. Actually it was people working together to get passed some hardships. It is when in crisis that you see the worst, but also the best in the people.
As for me this scene was not touching me in the slightest as I knew deep down inside their heads that they were all using each other. People give only when they get something in return and will use each other that way.
Whether to gain respect, making themselves feel better, or making people feel indebted to them, there was always a reason for generosity. And just to prove my point, I was currently doing the same. I didn't care about them all, I wouldn't want to uselessly kill them but saving them and all was for my plan.
At first I thought I would have to deal with some annoying soldiers sent to investigate but with the prince nearby, I knew he would be here soon. Dealing with the prince to get closer to the king was a lot better than anything else so I didn't regret doing some little changes to my original plan.
The reason I choose the elves was because it was like killing 2 birds with one stone. You see in this world there is a legend that says elves are evolved humans. Getting more in tune with nature and mana itself, some humans ranked up into elves and created a new race.
But between human and elves was another species that was a mix of both. This race was called high human and they were well known for being in a close relationship with elves while they were in a bad relationship with humans.
Getting in good terms with the elven king was the same as being friends with the high human king as well. I had never met the high human king but I knew his daughter well... Guhuhuhu*
We were all gathered together and were eating a well deserved meal when the low rumbling of tens of people marching in unison began to be heard. The villagers stood up and waited to see who the group of men were. As they appeared out of the woods, everybody instantly recognize them.
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It was the prince and his remaining men. Injured and dirty with soot, they looked like they had went through hell and barely managed to come back. I laugh internally as I watched them stagger their way up to us. The prince who was ahead of the group looked at where the village used to be and seemed angered.
Suddenly some of the villagers gathered around them and began helping the injured soldiers. Other were explaining what had happened to the prince which he seemed to already know. (Obviously)... I was observing the scene while eating when one of the villager began pointing in my direction. The prince looked my way and immediately recognized me. After making eye contact he came toward me.
“The villagers say you saved them from a dragon and are responsible for rebuilding all this in only half a day. Is this the truth?” (Elnfrid)
“I didn't save them from the dragon but saved them from the resulting inferno. This village is also far from completely rebuilt but everyone here is working very hard to see it through, prince.” (Kneeko)
“In the name of this king's nation I wish to thank you for everything you have done. Also for saving me from this filthy woman yesterday. I would like to ask, did you see the dragon with your eyes?” (Elnfrid)
“Yes I certainly did. It was a green dragon with lime green stripes on its body. He blew fire everywhere and immediately left. If I might add, it was definitely one of the 5 from the rumour.” (Kneeko)
“One of five? Rumour? Please tell me everything.” (Elnfrid)
“Urgg with all due respect my lord, this information is sensitive and not meant for any ears. More importantly, this information cost me a lot of money to obtain.” (Kneeko)
“Lot of money? What kind of money can a filthy peasant have anyway...“ (Elnfrid)
“No problem! I will pay you double of what it cost you to obtain this information.” (Elnfrid)
“My lord, I can guess that you think I am a mere peasant with no money because of the way I am dressed but know that I look this way only because I spent a long time in the wild during my travels. As soon as I reach your capital I will buy new ones. I may not look like it but I am a more substantial man than you think I am. If I wanted to, I could buy your castle.” (Kneeko)
“Bullshit! Grrrrr he's trying to swindle as much money from me as he can.“ (Elnfrid)
“What is it that you want? And what is your name, why can't I identify you?” (Elnfrid) he reluctantly added.
“I am Elvis, Elvis Presley and I come from the “promised land”. I am a scholar travelling the world but am also a powerful lord with money, influence and power. Some even call me 'The King' (Of rock N' roll).” (Kneeko) It's time for him to realize who he is dealing with.
“Why have I never heard of your name if you are such a powerful man?” (Elnfrid)
“Because I value my privacy. And as for what I want, it is very simple. In exchange for all the information on the 'dragon renegade gang' I have, I only want the right to go shopping in your royal vault. Not for anything but only monster cores and I do not want any money, instead I will pay you the full price for each core I take.” (Kneeko)
“Hahahaha* Yea sure, you realize there's for tens of thousands of gold coins worth of cores in there right?! There's no way you could-” (Elnfrid)
The prince suddenly stopped after seeing the face I was making. It was a face of joy and extreme anticipation. I was staring at him while rubbing my hands like a merchant smelling a good deal.
“Could this guy truly have that much money? Who the fuck is this guy?“ (Elnfrid)
“So... What will it be? I might even be willing to add a weapon capable of killing a dragon in the mix as well.” (Kneeko)
By the prince's reaction I could immediately tell, I hooked a big one. Guhuhuu*
+++
STATUS
[table=#800000]PROFILENAME:KneekoLEVEL:278GENDER:MaleMONEY:120471G 79S 23CRACE:(Chimeric) Newt "Tadpole" (Common)MONSTER RANK:LowHEALTH:7160STAMINA:6090MANA:12100STRENGTH:1758 (+550)(M)INTELLIGENCE:595 (+600)SPEED:1472 (+150)DEXTERITY:73 (+150)(H)VITALITY:1 (+700)CHARM:1 (+415)LUCK:55 (+215)AGILITY:368 (+150)RESISTANCE:224 (+700)(S)ENDURANCE:94 (+500)SKILL POINTS:0FAME/INFAMY:-121500 (Pure Evil)CLASS:-------------------TITLES:
Spoiler :
☑ Death's Demise
☑ Divinity
☑ Don Juan
☑ Dungeon conqueror
☑ Elemental Master
☐ Grave Digger
☑ King of the pond
☑ Sphinx Slayer
☐ Stone turner
☑ Toxic Powerhouse
☐ Tree puncher
☑ Tycoon
☑ Vindictae Clan Member
PASSIVE SKILLS:
Spoiler :
Amphibious (-)
Anti-Reptile Venom (S)
Basilisk Acid ©
Blunt Weapon Mastery (E)
Dual Weapon Mastery (D)
Intimidating Aura (On)
Obscuro Poison (B)
Poison Immunity (-)
Unarmed Mastery (D)
Viper Neurotoxin (A)
ACTIVE SKILLS:
Spoiler :
Deadly Breath ©
Gardener touch (S)
Humanoid shift (-)
ID Hide (-)
Luminar (E)
Poison Spit (D)
Sad puppy eyes (B)
Tail Whip (B)
TerrorEyes (B)
Vindic Flames (B)
Vindic Wave (B)
Vines Hell (B)
Viper Bite ©
ARCANE LIBRARY:
Spoiler :
Arcane ClayBolt
Arcane EarthBolt
Arcane LightningBolt
Arcane MagmaBolt
Arcane FireBolt
Arcane FrostBolt
Arcane WaterBolt
Arcane WindBolt
Arcane Gatling
Immovable Mountain
CHIMERA FORGE[/table]