Skully cleaned the blood from the spear's tip on the fur of the Werewolf beneath him, pressing his foot's claws deeply into its head. Murdok walked by, dropping the Werewolf he had been dragging by the leg next to Skully and continued trudging towards another body lying ten meters away. His task was to gather the bodies and bring them to Skully, who then extracted the Werewolves' fangs. Bones stood aside, questioning why Harmony wasn't contributing and merely stood next to him, ignoring his orders to help.
"You're a peculiar one. I'm letting it slide for now because it doesn't affect your performance, but don't push it!" Bones warned, receiving only a puzzled head tilt in response.
"Forget it!" He conceded. Harmony was an oddity, and Bones was growing accustomed to her idleness while the other two golems did all the work. It had been two days since Bones first engaged the Werewolves, and he had become proficient at fighting them. One thing that had been bothering him for the last few hours was the absence of an alpha since that battle two days ago. The packs he had been clearing lacked a leader and combat tactics, making them easier targets.
Bones reveled in the feeling of superiority, even becoming complacent after the last battle. He made the hasty decision to venture deeper, leaving the outskirts of the central area. The next day, he realized the error in his judgment. The Werewolves on the outskirts were mostly nomads, roaming the vast forest and living in temporary camps without ever settling down. It was rare for them to have an alpha. They were often disorganized and lacked control, making them vulnerable as long as one identified their attack patterns.
After venturing deeper, Bones encountered a challenge; his new targets were a step above the nomadic types, all above level sixty and living in tribes. Their bodies were more robust, and their claws could deflect weapons, even silver ones.
Initially, Bones managed to kill two Werewolves after a successful ambush, but soon after, he saw his golems being easily overwhelmed and realized his undead advantage wouldn't help him prevail this time. He safely stored his golems and retreated to the outskirts, where he laid low until he finished repairing his golems. Nomadic Werewolves were between levels fifty-one and sixty, and Bones felt comfortable hunting there while slowly raising his skill levels until his weakened status disappeared.
Days passed, then a week before Bones gained another level in class, followed by a racial level up. Soul Magic, which Bones had been looking forward to advancing, stagnated at thirty-four due to his weakened state. However, Bones felt the abnormal status would soon disappear, as he didn't feel as strained when using Soul Gaze and Haunting Touch. He estimated that within a week, he would be free of it.
Five days later, Bones' prediction proved accurate as he completed his third Werewolf contract. Along with the Wolfmen contracts, Bones had significantly profited in terms of merits he could trade the contract rewards for, and it wouldn’t be long before he had enough merits to purchase a Veil Slip skill core. Beyond the merits, Bones' skills advanced; the new skill Blastbones saw the most improvement from battling higher-level foes. The skill not only did what was outlined in its description but also had a debilitating effect on Werewolves, awakening their primal fear, ultimately earning Bones the title Werewolf Slayer. This new title had a similar effect as his Goblin and Vampire Slayer titles, increasing damage to Werewolves and also affecting Wolfmen.
After leaving the outskirts of the central area and entering Wolfmen territory, Bones noticed the title functioned like an aura, causing the creatures to avoid him, which made traversing the Dark Forest easier. A week later, Bones reached the forest's edge; a vast plain stretched before him with silhouettes of trees and mountains in the distance. Finally, after weeks of darkness, he would step into the light, so to speak. Bones looked up at the murky clouds and exhaled. He still had at least two weeks of leisurely travel to reach his destination, a meeting place with the scout.
He kept moving forward, and right as he was about to enter the open plains, an instinctual urge made him leap to the side. He did so just in time, as a cascade of golden light struck where he had been standing, scorching the area around it. Bones heard a tch and quickly turned, facing two figures clad in distinct white-gold embroidered clothing. On the right stood a light-brown man Bones had briefly encountered after leaving Gauss' office, and on the left, a step behind, was a woman in a similar outfit with golden hair reaching her waist. Her face was cold, and glancing at her violet pupils, Bones sensed a more dangerous aura than that of her companion.
"Prostrate before us and beg for absolution, you undead filth," the man intoned with arms outstretched, inviting Bones while gazing upwards, through the dense canopy towards the sky. A moment of silence ensued as Bones silently observed the pair. Lowering his arms, the man turned to his companion.
"It doesn’t seem to appreciate my generous offer..."
The woman glanced at him and replied in the same dismissive tone, "What did you expect from its kind? Stop wasting time!"
"My naivety clouded my judgment, for I have heard it speak, act, and walk like us. Please forgive me, Holy Mother, Your Excellency, our eternal light!" The man concluded his bizarre monologue and turned to face Bones, who had already made a swift exit. After failing to identify new targets, Bones turned and fled across the plains without hesitation. The female templar noticed, of course, but deemed it beneath her to pursue someone like Bones.
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"He dares!" The man roared in disbelief and immediately gave chase while the woman simply leaned against a nearby tree, closing her eyes and waiting.
Bones felt like he was flying rather than running; his feet barely touched the ground, thanks to his constant use of Dash. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the templar was gaining on him. Bones had reacted swiftly and created enough distance to stay out of range of the templar's spells. His pursuer gave up after a few hundred meters, realizing he wouldn't catch his target, and reluctantly turned back.
"You failed," the woman stated, not asked.
"My apologies, Sister Lynette. The target was surprisingly quick," the man replied, looking away in shame.
"Forget it. There will be other opportunities, but Joseph, as your superior, I won’t tolerate any more failures!" Templar Lynette admonished before turning to leave, leaving Joseph clutching his fists in determination to redeem himself.
Bones sensed the man retreating but didn’t stop running until hours later, making sure he wasn’t followed. The impression he got from the two templars was sheer lunacy. From their unsuitable combat attire to the man’s speech, Bones was no stranger to zealots and planned to avoid their kind as much as possible.
The plains extended to a small stretch of forest before giving way to the highlands. Using the mountainous terrain as his guide, Bones navigated the map he had been given, adjusting his course as needed. After another week of travel, he sat on a boulder overlooking a forest and noticed a dilapidated cottage in the distance.
"This must be it," Bones muttered, double-checking the map. The cottage lay hidden deep within the forest below, almost consumed by nature. Its weathered stone walls were streaked with moss, and thick vines coiled around the structure, climbing from the base to vanish under the eaves. Tall grass and wildflowers crowded around the cottage, mingling with stubborn weeds that had overtaken what might have been a small garden path leading to the door.
Bones leaped off the boulder and proceeded until he arrived at his destination. He surveyed his surroundings, noting a cluster of gnarled trees with dense branches forming a natural screen, obscuring the view of the cottage unless observed from a high vantage point. He turned his attention back to the cottage and saw dark windows, framed by cracked wooden shutters that creaked faintly in the wind. It was clear that this cottage had been abandoned to the whims of the forest for far too long and had become more a part of the woods than a human-made structure. The twisting vines blocked the entrance, so Bones approached one of the windows and gently pulled it open. The decayed wood gave way, and with a squeak, the window shutters came off their hinges. Bones paused for a moment before tossing the shutters aside, propped himself up on the frame, and silently entered the cottage.
The interior, as expected, was dark, almost too dark to see. Bones used his perception to map the layout—a fairly simple arrangement with a dining table and chairs, or what was left of them, in the middle—but he detected no one else inside. The meeting was supposed to take place at sundown, but Bones hadn't noticed the time due to clouds obscuring the sun and was now an hour late. He approached the shabby-looking chair and sat down, contemplating the exact details of the scouting mission. While he was lost in thought, a whisper from behind snapped him back to attention.
"You're late..."
Bones quickly jumped to his feet and turned around. He locked eyes with two pairs of red pupils watching him from the corner of the cottage. The pupils moved, and a figure slowly emerged, revealing itself.
"Scout, I presume?" Bones asked, hope mingled with uncertainty.
"Indeed," the figure replied before introducing himself properly. "My name is Lewry, but you can call me Lew."
Bones usually maintained decorum, but with his heightened senses fixated on the sinister eyes, he briskly replied, "Bones."
"You're neither human nor werewolf, are you?" He continued, his body involuntarily tensing up. The scout before him exerted an aura befitting a third-tier.
"Relax, Mr. Bones, I mean you no harm."
The pressure abruptly disappeared, and Bones felt as though a weight had been lifted. He remained vigilant, however, waiting for Lew to continue.
"You're correct; I'm neither human nor werewolf. I'm a half-vampire."
"How did—" Bones began, his curiosity piqued, but Lew raised a hand to stop him.
"We’ll have plenty of time to talk later. First things first." Lew produced an item and a letter, which he handed to Bones. Before Bones could ask, Lew added, "From Gauss."
Bones opened the letter and began reading its contents. To be more effective in the upcoming mission, Gauss had sent him a basic Camouflage skill core. Bones paused, briefly eyeing the item still in Lew's hand before continuing to read. When he finished, he stored the letter and turned to Lew, who was patiently waiting.
"Do you know what's in the letter?" Bones asked.
"I do," Lew confirmed with a nod.
"Could you elaborate on the details of the mission? Gauss was rather... vague in his letter."
"Of course, but first, use the skill core. As Gauss explained, your ointment won't be enough to conceal your presence in town."
Bones took the skill core from Lew and channeled his mana into it. After a few seconds, the core cracked and dissolved into a cloud of mana, and a system notification informed him that he had acquired the Camouflage skill. He immediately activated the new ability, but when nothing noticeable happened after a few moments, he cast a confused glance at Lew. Lew made some hand gestures to demonstrate how to use the skill, and Bones mimicked his actions. As he slowly passed his hand in front of his face, his appearance changed, though not significantly.
"The skill requires some practice. It's easier if you try altering your face to resemble someone you've encountered before. It doesn't have to be perfect since the basic Camouflage skill can't replicate other people's faces exactly. The key point is that the skill also conceals your mana signature. This will be crucial for infiltrating the locations mentioned in the letter," Lew explained.
"I understand. I certainly won't complain about getting a free skill; Gauss assured me that the cost of the skill core wouldn't be deducted from my reward. As for Camouflage, do you think it can deceive the Divine Order?" Bones asked, a thought occurred to him.