You have slain the Arachnid Swarm!
You have slain the Arachnid Necromancer!
Rewards:
* [Book of the Dead] x1 — An ancient tome holding the secrets of death.
* [Necrotic Core] x1 — A potent artifact imbued with the dark energy of the fallen necromancer. This core can be used to craft powerful items or to fuel dark rituals among other things.
* [Mana Crystals] (x5)
* [Divine Essence] (x10) — A rare and precious substance that has crystallized into the form of shards, stolen from the heavens by the Necromancer Malakai. This essence can be used to create divine artifacts or to ascend to new heights of power through absorption.
* [Arachnid Carapace] — A tough and resilient material, perfect for crafting armor or shields. This natural defense will protect you from the deadliest of foes.
* [Necromantic Grimoire] — A forbidden Skill Book containing dark secrets and powerful spells. Use it wisely, for its knowledge can corrupt even the strongest of wills.
* Title earned! [Arachnid Bane] — 20% more damage against arachnid-type enemies.
A hidden objective of the Quest [Guardian of the Wild (Uncommon)] has been fulfilled!
You have proven yourself a true champion of “light”!
The “light” has bestowed a Blessing on you!
You have been touched by divine grace!
Blessing of Light
* Resistance to Darkness: You have gained a potent resistance to dark magic and corrupting influences. This blessing will shield your soul from the shadows and fortify your spirit against demonic attacks.
* Aura of Purity: A faint, benevolent glow emanates from your being when necessary, warding off undead creatures and dispelling minor necromantic effects.
* Sacred Might: Your physical attacks now carry a holy essence, dealing bonus damage to creatures of darkness and the undead.
* Radiant Attunement: Your perception of dark forces is heightened, allowing you to detect hidden threats.
* Purifying Touch: Your hands can emit a gentle light that can cleanse the corrupted and weaken undead creatures. Has minor healing attributes.
May this divine protection guide you on your path!
Title earned! [Light Touched]!
Ethan’s mind was rather blank as the glowing text faded from his vision, leaving him standing amidst the remnants of the Arachnid Necromancer’s lair.
Disbelief gave way to exhilaration and he pumped his fist lightly.
The Arachnid Carapace and Necromantic Grimoire were valuable additions to his arsenal, but it was the Blessing of Light that truly took his breath away. Resistance to darkness, an aura of purity, enhanced physical attacks, heightened perception of dark forces, and a purifying touch, healing abilities—it was as if the heavens had smiled upon him.
Indeed, they had.
The title of Arachnid Bane was a cherry on top, and it promised greater efficiency in dealing with these kinds of enemies.
A grin slowly spread across Ethan’s face, and he lay there for some time, relishing in the feeling.
Now then, Ethan thought, looking at the notification regarding his rewards. How do I get you guys? Do I have some kind of an inventory or something? I’ve tried before, though, and I didn’t find anything of that sort.
Ethan blinked, trying to understand how he was supposed to access these rewards. He could see the notifications floating in his vision, detailing the items and the Blessing, but there was no obvious way to interact with them. He reached out with his hands, but they passed through the text as if it were a ghost.
Thinking for some time, something occurred to him.
Perhaps, like the quest updates, these notifications would disappear after a while. Maybe they were just a visual confirmation of the rewards, and the items themselves would appear in his possession later. Or, perhaps, there was a specific command or action he needed to perform to claim them.
He decided to test his theory.
He closed his eyes and focused on the notification about the Book of the Dead. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and tried to imagine grabbing it, as if he were reaching for a physical object. Still, nothing.
I wanna take things out, man, Ethan thought, and focused on [Divine Essence]. Instantly, he received a prompt:
Would you like to take out your [Divine Essence] (x10) reward?
Y/N
Oh, so that’s how. Nice. Ethan concluded that he would take the rewards out later; when he was back in Holden.
For now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
He needed to explore the rest of the necromancer’s lair, and then he needed to get the hell out of there.
The stuff is safe in the system anyway. I’ll get them out when I get back to Holden.
He glanced at the notifications one last time, committing the list of rewards to memory. Then, he turned and began to explore the dark depths of the ruined chamber.
***
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
On his journey back to Holden, Ethan decided to see if there were any changes in Opie.
His [Familiar] had grown noticeably longer and slightly thicker—the reason behind it was rather simple: it had leveled up a few times in the fight with Malakai and was now at level 15.
A smile played on Ethan’s lips as he gently scratched the small creature’s scales, admiring its development.
“You’ve gotten bigger, haven’t you?” he murmured, his fingers tracing the serpentine body.
The peaceful moment shattered as a sudden blur of motion caught Ethan’s peripheral vision. Before he could fully process the threat, a figure materialized from thin air.
The assailant wore a hooded cloak of rich, deep blue fabric that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly quality. Intricate golden threads wove complex patterns along the hem and sleeves, pulsing with barely contained energy. The hood cast a deep shadow over the attacker’s face, but instead of darkness, a brilliant golden light obscured their features. This radiance made it impossible to discern any identifying characteristics, leaving Ethan with no clue as to his attacker’s identity or even gender.
The figure’s clothing beneath the cloak was equally impressive. A breastplate of polished silver gleamed in the sunlight, etched with holy symbols that seemed to glow with an inner light. Gauntlets of the same material encased their hands, crackling with barely contained electrical energy. Sturdy leather boots, reinforced with metal plates, completed the ensemble. Most striking of all was the weapon the figure wielded—a massive warhammer that crackled and sparked with golden lightning.
A warhammer the hooded figure used to launch a vicious attack.
Adrenaline rocketed through Ethan’s veins, and his brain screeched to a halt and the world slowed down. In that slowed world, the head was the only thing he saw. More specifically, the runes inscribed on the warhammer that pulsed in time with the electrical discharges.
Ethan had nigh a thought on his mind as he tried to process the sudden assault. The attacker’s aura practically radiated power, and it pressed down on him with an almost physical weight. It was a sensation, he realized, he’d only experience if he faced opponents of significantly higher level—a realization that sent a chill down his spine.
Ethan barely had enough time to raise his arms in a defensive stance.
The figure struck with lightning speed, their warhammer whistling through the air. Ethan barely managed to dodge, feeling the crackle of electricity as the weapon passed mere inches from his face. He retaliated with a quick burst of wind, but they shrugged it off as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
The exchange had taken nothing more than a second, but Ethan could already tell he was no match.
He would die.
That’s when a new figure materialized between him and his attacker, seeming to coalesce from the very shadows themselves. The newcomer was a woman, and a dagger she threw slammed right into the hooded figure’s already striking warrhammer, deflecting it away with a thwang.
The hooded figure stopped, sizing her up.
She flickered at the edges as if not fully anchored to reality. Her hair, the color of sun-ripened wheat, cascaded down her back in gentle waves. But it was her eyes that truly captured attention—a mesmerizing shade of molten gold.
A wide-brimmed hat sat atop her head, its dark leather a stark contrast to her pale, almost luminescent skin. Her lithe figure was encased in form-fitting leather armor, dyed the deepest black that seemed to drink in the surrounding light. Multiple belts crisscrossed her waist and thighs, each holding an array of throwing knives and other implements. In her hands, she wielded a pair of short daggers that gleamed with a wicked edge.
The ghostly woman wasted no time engaging the hooded figure. Her movements were a blur as she launched into a series of lightning-fast attacks. The man, Ethan assumed from his grunts, met her assault with equal ferocity.
Trees splintered and the ground cratered wherever they exchanged blows.
Ethan scrambled backward, putting distance between himself and the titanic clash unfolding before him. His mind raced with questions as he watched the two figures trade blows that shook the very earth.
The assassin’s fighting style was unlike anything Ethan had ever witnessed. One moment she was solid, her daggers ringing against the man’s armor. The next, she seemed to fade into incorporeality, attacks passing harmlessly through her ghostly form. She flickered in and out of visibility, using the shadows themselves as weapons to lash out at her opponent.
The ground beneath their feet cracked and split. The woman slipped past the man’s defenses, her daggers finding weak points in his armor and drawing first blood.
Ethan couldn’t help but wonder: who was this woman? Why had she come to his aid? The logical part of his mind suggested that perhaps she and the man had already been engaged in combat, and he had simply stumbled into their path. But something about that explanation didn’t sit right with him.
His contemplation was abruptly cut short as the man threw a massive thunderbolt directly at Ethan. Time seemed to slow as he saw the crackling bolt racing towards him like a thunderclap.
Fuck! With a mighty push, Ethan launched himself skyward, leaving a ripple of air in his wake. The thunderbolt ripped through the air harmlessly beneath him.
He soared through the air, and a thrill of excitement coursed through Ethan’s veins. He was flying! Well, not quite flying, but it was close enough. By continuously manipulating the air around him, he found he could maintain his altitude and even direct his movement to a degree. It was clumsy and required intense concentration, but it was a start.
His elation was short-lived, however, as he saw the woman capitalize on the man’s moment of distraction. With speed that he could only dub as inhumane, she closed the distance between them, her daggers finding purchase in a weak spot where the hooded man’s breastplate met his gauntlet.
Golden blood—if it could be called that—seeped from the wound, and the man staggered back.
Instantly, the hooded figure disengaged from the fight.
Huh—
A crackle of lightning sounded, and it momentarily blinded Ethan. When he opened his eyes, he found the man to be gone. He’d turned and fled, apparently.
The woman wasted no time giving chase. Her form melted into the shadows as she pursued her quarry. In the span of heartbeats, both figures had vanished from sight, leaving Ethan alone to ponder on what the fuck had happened.
Ethan lowered himself back to the ground. He took stock of his surroundings. Fallen trees, scorched earth, and deep furrows.
Time passed before he sensed a presence behind him. He whirled, half-expecting another attack, only to find the woman had returned. She stood a respectful distance away, her expressionless face betraying nothing of what had transpired during her pursuit.
To Ethan’s surprise, the woman bowed slightly. When she spoke, her voice was as controlled and devoid of emotion as her face.
“You may proceed without further hindrance, young lord,” she said.
The pieces suddenly clicked into place in Ethan’s mind.
This woman wasn’t just some random [Assassin]—presumably—who happened to intervene. She was his [Assassin]—a personal guard assigned to shadow him, much like Roland served as his visible protector. Where Roland stood in the light, this woman moved in darkness.
A chill ran down Ethan’s spine as he realized the implications.
Even Theodore, whose memories he now possessed, had been unaware of her existence. It was a sobering thought that made him realize just how much he didn’t know about this world or his own situation.
“I understand,” Ethan replied, meeting the [Assassin]’s golden gaze. “Thank you for your intervention.”
The woman blinked once, then nodded. Without another word, she raised her hand and a sword blinked into existence. Proffering it to Ethan, she blinked once more. Ethan took it silently, watching as her form began to fade, melting into the shadows until she vanished completely from sight.
Ethan released a long, shuddering sigh as the tension of the encounter finally left his body.
He ran a hand through his hair. Just how much did this shadow guardian know about him? About his true nature as someone who had transmigrated into Theodore’s body?