Chapter 31
Corpse of Isuni Biumus – Level 814
Inspect informed Keith of the dagger-wielding demon’s name.
Now that Isuni was dead, her inventory was available to any who interacted with her body, so Keith crouched down, growing excited at the idea of what she had for him to take when he paused, conflicted.
Looting a monster was fine, there was no mental burden, but a person?
That was different.
For a whole minute, Keith struggled internally before deciding he couldn’t let this chance to grow stronger pass. Extending his hand, he forced down his apprehension and tapped Isuni’s body, bringing up a screen of her inventory’s details.
Keith visibly shook upon taking stock of her items.
Although Isuni had limited inventory slots compared to Keith’s Collection Grimoire, high-level materials and equipment took up the majority of her space. There was nothing below level 800. More importantly, the equipment she wore was all divine grade. She also had around two billion gold.
“Collect!” Keith shouted, unable to wait any longer.
A flash of light passed as Keith’s Collection Grimoire took everything from Isuni’s inventory, along with her corpse.
“What?” Keith stood in surprise. Did he subconsciously want to collect Isuni’s corpse when he made the command? He didn’t know.
Pulling up the details of his Collection Grimoire, Keith saw that Isuni’s corpse gave a substantial amount of Collection Value, making him feel queasy. Thinking about how he almost died a few minutes ago, he ultimately didn’t remove the corpse.
Suddenly, the Collection Grimoire quivered, sending a vague message to Keith.
“Are you serious…” Keith muttered disbelievingly and pulled up the Function Shop’s panel.
Scrolling down, he saw it.
A new function.
Clone (1) – 100 billion Collection Points
Description: Creates another body with equivalent primary stats and levels for you to control. It can do anything you can do. Any experience or skill levels gained are shared with the main body. If it dies, you need to consume health to resummon it. One mind, two bodies.
“What the slimeball!” Keith’s eyes nearly burst from shock.
Based on the function’s description, the possibilities were endless.
What was Keith lacking the most?
Time!
Markus, Ska’dur, Torg, Yara, Frod, and everyone else was far, far older than Keith. They had much more time to develop their strength. Since Keith’s goal was to catch up to them, this new function was just what he needed. With a clone, he could safely study arrays at home and have his clone go out hunting or he could have it train skills.
Keith didn’t forget the function had a (1) after its name.
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If a single clone could double his efficiency, then two would triple it.
How awesome was that?
Unfortunately, Keith was around 40 billion off from 100 billion CP. The second clone would surely multiply in cost, much less the third. In any case, it was a new tangible goal for Keith to work towards.
Moments later, Keith returned to the crater, collecting the other three demon’s inventory and corpses, netting him over 6 billion in Collection Value. Their levels were 775, 783, and 768, and the grade of their equipment was mainly ancient with a few pieces of divine. Altogether, the four demons had given Keith 10 billion in Collection Value in addition to a small boost in stats.
After looting everything, Keith glanced down at his missing hand and calculated it would regenerate in twelve hours based on his health recovery speed.
Sighing, he started summoning the Dire Desert Eagle, wanting to return even though the day was only halfway over. The life and death experience had left him exhausted. Five seconds later, he mounted the Dire Desert Eagle and took off, soaring straight up. Once out of the fog, Keith oriented himself based on the sun’s position and flew west.
Glancing over his shoulder at the Foggy Marsh, Keith didn’t think he’d come back any time soon. The demons he fought came from the Sin Dimension, which was a few zones further southeast.
According to Yara, demons were experts in guerrilla warfare. Since the team he encountered was most likely one of many, it would be safer to adventure in the opposite direction, to the southwest of Serenity Canyon.
An hour later, Keith flopped onto his bed and passed out.
****
Inside the ramparts running alongside the Skynet, in a meeting room, a group of officials belonging to the Innate Nation sat on one side of a table.
Across from them was Radav Igneo, a delegate from the Elemental Nation, with five Solar Flare Legion members standing at attention behind him. Radav was the oldest of Torg's children, being over a thousand years old. His status in the Elemental Nation was just under the four rulers and above millions.
Both sides had spent the past several hours negotiating a partnership, and it was now deep into the night. After discussing for so long, the officials from the Innate Nation wore stern expressions while Radav had a satisfied smile.
It was easy to imagine why.
The overall power the Innate Nation possessed was far less than the Elemental Nation, so they had to accept many unfavorable terms and conditions to broker an alliance.
Thankfully, the Elemental Nation’s situation was less than ideal.
Due to Monster King Tyranus constantly sending its forces to nip away at the Elemental Nation, together with the harassment from the Sin Dimension, the Elemental Nation’s forces were spread thin. In reality, the sudden arrival of the Innate Nation gave the Elemental Nation a chance to breathe.
Following a period of silence, Radav chuckled and glanced at the people opposite him, saying, “Are we in agreement?”
The dozen officials looked at each other before one of them responded, “We are.”
“Good!” Radav stood, his mission accomplished. “I’ll be on my way, then.”
Now that negotiations were over, a soldier from the Innate Nation led Radav and his guards out of the compound, where they crossed the Skynet and disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, back in the meeting room, the solemn expressions of the officials transformed into one of elation.
At that moment, Markus and Luca entered, with Markus asking, “Well?”
An official stood and saluted. “Sir, everything was as we expected. The Elemental Nation desperately needs time to recover after so many years of warfare, and they asked us to guard half of the Blockade for ten years. In exchange, they’ll give us six zones, acknowledge our independence, and maintain peace so long as we fulfill our promise.”
Markus rubbed his chin, turning to Luca beside him. “How hard is it to defend half of the Blockade?”
“Hmm,” Luca considered briefly. “Personnel alone, you’ll probably need ten million on rotating shifts. However, if you factor in your military’s weapons of war, then it's hard to say.”
Even now, after working with the Innate Nation for so long, Luca still didn’t have a clear grasp of what the Innate Nation’s military was capable of. She was there the day they repelled Torg, and the Laegur Beam Cannon had given her a great shock. What else were they hiding?
“Ten million, huh?” Markus fell silent, knowing that while many of his loyal soldiers would perish over the ten years they needed to defend the Blockade, it needed to be done.
The average level of the Innate Nation’s military was far below the standards of the Elemental Nation and Sin Dimension. Guarding the Blockade, where they had the opportunity to fight monsters 24/7, was something they desperately needed.
A sacrifice was required if the Innate Nation truly wanted to compete for rulership of the Grandsky Realm. Markus had already come to terms with this. Of course, he would be there, on the frontlines, every single day. Ordering his forces to take on a dangerous task while sitting in the back wasn’t something he would ever consider.
Markus’s expression was pensive as he asked, “When do they want us at the Blockade?”
“Within two weeks,” the official answered.
“Very well,” Markus nodded, growing expectant.
Soon, the Innate Nation would make a formal entrance onto the stage of the Grandsky Realm. They had spent five hundred years building their foundation under Yara’s guidance, and now it was time to reap the rewards of their effort.