Even though I really wanted to punch that elf in the face, I managed to keep my cool. Seriously, I should get an award just for not turning that elf into a Swiss cheese. Anyway, after that, we finally managed to get into Eldoria. If I had to describe this place with one word, it would probably be “beautiful”.
Or rather, the place, for some reason, reminded me a lot of Italy; just replace the humans with elves. Moreover, they were all extraordinarily beautiful. Everything around was white, and the air was filled with the scent of nature. Somehow, at least in outward appearance, it seemed like an ideal place where anyone would want to live.
As we walked, I noticed some peculiarities. The first and most obvious one was that we were drawing a lot of attention. Honestly, I didn't blame them; after all, I doubted they encountered humans frequently. Also, another thing that became clear was that most male elves were looking at Saemi, Fujiwara, Aoi, Leona, and surprisingly, at Ana, with romantic glances.
The interesting thing is that this also applied to me. Whenever I looked at an elf, she usually blushed and turned away. My opinion on this is that, although elves are extremely beautiful, they have probably become accustomed to their own beauty. So, in a way, when a woman or man different from them appears, they can't help but be attracted, at least that's what I think.
Now, back to our 'stroll' through Eldoria, it was evident that the elf couldn't care less about me. Whenever I asked a question, he ignored me. And when he didn't ignore me, he was simply responding to one of the girls asking him to answer me. This tour was proving completely useless since he refused to tell us what we wanted to know. In general, conversations unfolded more or less like this.
"So, sir..."
Upon hearing these words, the elf turned to Aoi, who was staring at him with a strange smile. She was clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Please, just call me Mervis. It would be an honor to have my name pronounced by such a charming woman like you"
Upon hearing these words, Aoi remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a discreet sigh. Then, with a fake smile on her face, she asked a question.
"About the portal in Eldoria that has become a tourist attraction, could you tell us more about it?"
For some reason, upon hearing this, the elf turned to Aoi with a smug smile on his face.
"I see you know quite a bit about us. As you said, this place is indeed a famous tourist spot among the elves. However, I'm sure its beauty would make it even more famous"
Overall, that's how the conversation unfolded. We couldn't get any information from this guy. At some point, I decided to simply ignore him and started paying close attention to the surroundings, eager to get to the place where we would be staying.
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It's worth noting that we have a set time to stay in Eldoria, which will be a whole month. According to Lyria, that was the maximum time the queen managed for us. Extending it further could attract the council's attention, causing unnecessary problems for the queen.
Anyway, as we walked, Shade, who had been silent for a good while, suddenly spoke, capturing my attention.
(My king, could you spare a moment of your time for me?)
Upon hearing this, I began to wonder what Shade might want to talk to me about.
(Of course, what happened?)
As soon as I questioned, Shade appeared by my side suddenly through a vortex. Of course, it drew the attention of people around, but Shade simply ignored them as if they didn't exist.
"My king, it seems our journey together has expanded quite a bit since last time. Now, you probably can use several of my abilities without risking your life"
Upon hearing Shade's words, I mentally questioned what she could be referring to because, to me, Shade's abilities were related to controlling darkness. So, I briefly closed my eyes and, upon visualizing the newly unlocked abilities, couldn't help but be surprised.
[NAME – MAKOTO TATSUYA]
[AGE – 16]
[GENDER - MALE]
[RACE - NETHERBORNE]
[MAIN CLASS – APOSTLE OF GLUTTONY]
(ACTIVE ABILITIES) – [SHADOW TELEPORTATION] [SPIRITUAL MANIPULATION] [AURA MANIPULATION] [PARALYZING MIST] [ICY MIST] [STORAGE] [INTIMIDATION] [TELEPATHY] [STEEL THREAD] [ULTRASONIC WAVES] [MIMICRY] [WYVERN WINGS] [REPLICATION] [FUSION] [FERTILIZATION]
(PRIMORDIAL DARKNESS ABILITIES) – [DARKNESS MANIPULATION] [ETERNAL FLAME] [ABYSSAL CHAIN] [BLACK THUNDER] [GAIA'S SHADOW] [ZEPHYR DARKNESS] [FOREST ABYSS]
(PASSIVE ABILITIES) – [SUPER STRENGTH] [WEAK POINT PERCEPTION] [SENSORIAL PERCEPTION] [RESISTANCE TO PHYSICAL ATTACKS] [CELLULAR RECOMPOSITION] [UNDERWATER BREATHING] [UNDERWATER VISION] [POISON RESISTANCE] [AIR SPEED] [TEMPORARY RESURRECTION] [PAIN TOLERANCE] [CURSE RESISTANCE] [PRECOCOGNITION] [UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE]
(ACQUIRED MIMICRIES) – [HUMAN] [KRAKEN] [HYDRA] [WYVERN] [SKELETON] [GHOUL] [GHOST] [SMALL BATS, INSECTS, AND BIRDS]
There's no need to emphasize how surprised I was revisiting my status screen after so long. First, I noticed a new tab with "Primordial Darkness" abilities. It doesn't take much reflection to understand where these abilities came from.
Moreover, my surprise was even greater when reading the names of the new abilities I acquired. In addition to the darkness manipulation I already used, I now also possess other abilities: Eternal Flame, Abyssal Chain, Black Thunder, Gaia's Shadow, Zephyr Darkness, and Forest Abyss.
Although two of them are easy to identify, almost all have quite peculiar names. Additionally, what surprised me the most was the fact that all of them seemed to be elemental abilities. With this doubt in mind, I turned to Shade and asked.
“Why elemental abilities here? I thought I couldn't use abilities from other elements since I made the contract with you”
I asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt. Upon hearing my words, Shade promptly responded.
“Although it may seem that way, these are not elemental abilities. As my king must know, my power is to manipulate primordial darkness. Although they may seem like elemental powers, they are, in fact, variations of the same. Despite appearing to have the same effect, they will probably be the complete opposite of what you imagine”