Chapter 16: The journey.
Adam’s POV
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I hung out with the specters for quite a while. They were like my own personal tour guides, showing me the ins and outs of this enchanted forest, from its mystical creatures to its magical landscapes.
They even played host and treated me to some snacks, and before I knew it, time just kept on slipping away. But as much as I enjoyed the company, I couldn't stay forever. There were a bunch of things on my to-do list, like figuring out if House Luminari is a trustworthy clan, setting up my own information network, maybe enrolling in a school to level up my Metalweaving skills, and, you know, unraveling the mysteries of this wild world.
Sure, Nove was my trusty, and powerful ally, but even she couldn't spill the beans on things Alper didn't know. Ask her about the Alper family, and she'd rave about their niceness. But try to dig into the nitty-gritty details of their military might or organizational structure, and she'd stare back at me like a blank page. Turns out, Alper wasn't exactly a scholar on those subjects. He was more of an alchemical aficionado, with a knack for knowing what flora, metals, materials, animals, monsters, habitats, and everything in between could do. Go figure!
But, if I ask Nove about the current state of affairs in the world? Who's calling the shots? Who's locked in a heated battle? She's back to being a blank slate.
Anyway, the specters don't seem to grasp my language. When I chat with them, they just tilt their heads and give me that puzzled stare. At first, these ghostly widows with their white veils seemed kinda spooky. But now? They're downright adorable. Even though I'm stuck in the body of a 14-year-old, my mind's got the mileage of a 30-year-old vet. So watching them hop around whenever I'm feeling chipper is just too darn cute.
Nevertheless, I hung out with my spectral big sisters for a good while, but with the sunrise creeping in, it was time to hit the road. I asked Nove to point me in the direction of the nearest kingdom or human settlement she knew of, and off we went. The specters may not have understood my words, but they nodded along and even grabbed my hand, guiding me towards the spot I was pointing at.
As the sun climbed the sky, the magical ambiance of the forest started to wane. The once sparkling and glowing flora now faded under the sun's light. On the flip side, the specters' pure white veils transformed into a dark, sparkly spectacle.
Eventually, my squad of ghostly big sisters and I emerged from the forest, stepping into a breathtaking golden expanse. The entire area was adorned with tall grass resembling golden wheat, rolling hills, and trees with red-hued wood and fluffy golden leaves. A small river flowed through, its crystal-clear blue water adding a sparkly touch. With the sunrise, the whole land ahead was bathed in a mesmerizing golden glow.
I couldn't help but squint a bit; the golden spectacle was almost blinding.
Thankfully, Nove swooped in with an explanation of the new terrain. "Welcome to the Gilded Meadows," she said. "A magical land that's serene and offers excellent training materials for budding to adept metalweavers."
“You say that like there are levels to Metalweaving?” I chuckled.
“Yes, exactly,” Nove confirmed, launching into her explanation. “There are levels. Having stat points between 1 and 15 in Metalweaving mastery categorizes someone as a beginner. Between 15 and 30 means adept, 30 to 45 is professional, 45 to 60 is Master, 60 to 75 is Grand Master, 75 to 90 is Professional Grand Master, and finally, 90 to 100 is Legendary.”
“Huh… Cool.” I scratched my head, trying to process the information. “Wait, does that mean most people fall between 15 and 30 stat points?”
Curiosity piqued, I quickly glanced at my stats and...
Strength (STR): 11 (+5)
Vitality (VIT): 8 (+3)
Endurance (END): 7 (+2)
Intelligence (INT): 38 (+12)
Dexterity (DEX): 10
Agility (AGI): 10
Wisdom (WIS): 29 (+7)
Charisma (CHA): 8
Metalweaving Mastery (MW): 6 (+4)
Alchemical Mastery (AM): 32
"My wisdom is almost professional, and Alchemy and intelligence are at a professional level? Didn’t see that coming, not from a 14-year-old," I mumbled to myself, a bit surprised by the stats. Well, I guess possessing a kid has its perks.
Pushing aside my thoughts, I refocused and pointed ahead into the golden expanse, signaling to the specters that I wanted to go there. They exchanged glances, producing melodious sounds that resembled the soothing chirps of birds, almost as if they were having a discussion. It was like being part of a ghostly committee meeting.
After a short deliberation, a few of them dispersed, but one remained, holding onto my hand as if afraid I'd make a run for it the moment she let go. In no time, the other Moonshroud specters returned, each carrying an assortment of foods cradled in their spectral arms. They carefully placed the offerings on the ground in front of me.
"Is that all… for me?" I questioned, a bit perplexed by their generosity. It felt strange, as I was accustomed to a world where everything had a price or a cost. Still, I appreciated their kindness. "Thank you," I expressed, acknowledging their gesture, though the concept of receiving without giving in return felt odd.
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I stowed the fruits in my inventory, and with that, the Moonshroud specter released my hand, opting to pat my head instead. Emitting a chirp-like sound, it seemed to suggest that it was time for me to return to my kind. While I had nothing material to offer in return, there was one thing I knew I could give. Embracing the childlike body I inhabited, I decided to give them a hug. Granted, I was short, so my embrace mostly reached their legs, but it seemed to suffice. The specters continued to caress my head as I waved farewell and ventured into the golden field ahead of me.
I glanced back one last time, and they remained there, silently observing my departure. With a final wave, I turned my attention forward. "That was… nice," I remarked to Nove.
"The Moonshroud specters are not known to be this friendly; it might have something to do with the blessing you received," Nove responded.
"Regardless, whether it's the blessing or not, it's not like they were getting anything from it," I said, and Nove fell silent.
And so, I made a beeline towards the Kingdom in these golden meadows, following Nove's directions. Hoping that House Luminari didn't have any kind of hold there because I truly wanted to be free, avoiding becoming another puppet forced into something I detested just to survive.
Our journey was going smoothly through the golden meadow, not as enchanting as the nocturnal groove but pleasant nonetheless. The only hiccup was the fact that I found myself being chased by a giant boulder monster.
You see, I wanted to get a good view of the kingdom's location. So, I picked what seemed like a normal, small hill covered in golden grass. However, the moment I started climbing it, the hill stood up. To my surprise, a head resembling a tortoise popped out, screamed at me, and before I knew it, massive legs sprouted, turning it into a monstrous turtle on the run.
Now, here I am, still running for my life. It's unbelievable how fast this turtle-like creature is; it's as big as a one-story house and just as wide. Who knew that a seemingly innocent hill could harbor such a speedy and irritable giant tortoise?
"It's a gilded shelled Hare, Alper. While uncommon, they're the weaker and much smaller sub-species of the giant Gilded Shellbac-"
"NOVE, IF YOU WANT TO BE HELPFUL, THEN TELL ME HOW I CAN LOSE THIS THING!" I interrupted Nove, desperation evident in my voice.
"RAWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAR!!!!" The gilded shelled hare responded, adding to the chaotic scene.
I didn't even want to imagine how big the original one was, but honestly, I didn't care at that moment. Right now, all I wanted was to be saved in any shape or form.
"Analyzing... Any route we take will lead us to our doom. I recommend searching for a cave and hiding," Nove suggested.
I looked around, panting heavily. All I could see was a vast expanse of golden meadows and scattered trees with only a few hills and a small river in the distance.
"There's no way I can hide anywhere!" I exclaimed, realizing the absurdity of finding cover in an open field with an enraged gilded shelled hare on my tail.
Damn it! That’s it! Desperate times call for desperate measures!
I summoned my base frame with the Valkyrie nexus core and turned back to face the turtle-like monster. I didn’t think too much of it, but the Valkyrie core gave me insane defense and strength—20 STR and 30 END. That instantly shot up my stats to a professional level, so at the very least, I'd be able to make a stand against this flipping thing.
The giant tortoise-like monster screamed again, and I stood my ground. But just for a split second, some kind of memories filled my mind—memories of familiarity and combat.
Just then, my body started moving like it had gone through years of experience. I wanted to run ahead and throw in my strongest haymaker, but my brain refused and told me it was the worst idea ever. Instead, I took up a stance, my hands raised ahead, my knees bent a bit, and I waited for the tortoise to get close.
“Alper! What are you doing!” Nove screamed at me, but I ignored her and took in a deep breath. As the tortoise jumped at me, I sidestepped and delivered an absolutely powerful strike to the side of its neck. The blow was so potent that I was able to repel the turtle’s lunge to the side, avoiding any injuries.
What the hell is going on? What is this knowledge and experience?
That’s right—some kind of experience and memories were flowing into my mind, the memories of a veteran fighter.
-86
The number popped above the turtle, and nearly one-fifth of its health was gone.
I looked at my hands as if I couldn’t fathom what was happening with my body. I realized that the armor was different. Before, it looked silver with a reflective metallic appearance, with runes carved on most places of the armor. Now, the armor was white, it lost the reflective metallic look, but there were gold linings everywhere with red gemstones and a small red scarf tucked under my neck. I couldn’t check the head gear but it felt like there were changes to that too.
“Are these… the memories of the person Nexus core that I absorbed?” I whispered quietly to myself. It felt like there was much more to my soul frame core than meets the eyes.
The giant tortoise screamed in pain and started running away. I didn’t want to chase it because even if I did kill it, I don’t think I have the inventory space to put the carcass in my inventory, so I left it alone.
“Now, that’s not what you do to your prey.” I heard a noise from somewhere, so I looked around, and I just heard something swift go past me, along with the sound of steel being cut.
Moments later, the giant tortoise's whole body split in two as blood gushed out everywhere.
I looked at it surprised, “Alright, where are you, anime swordsman.”
“Right behind you.”
I turned around, and it was a woman. She was thin, not exactly curvy or anything, but she was bigger than me, looked about 25–30 years old. She was wearing some kind of metallic armor that completely covered her body, so I couldn’t tell what she looked like. The armor was sleek, practical, and thin, with slits open in the helmet for her to see and two green feathers poking out from the side of her helmet. Additionally, there was a large katana-like blade hanging on her hip.
“Hello, traveler. I saw the Gilded Shelled Hare running after someone, so I thought there was a rookie here, but your moves… They were really advanced, right? Where are you from? I’m really interested in who your master is.”
I still raised my hands. For some reason, I wanted to hold them brawler style to protect my head and chest, but these strange memories and familiarity told me otherwise. One hand at the front and one hand near the stomach. couldn’t stop it because even my brain told me it was a better technique.
I couldn’t see the woman's face, but I could tell she was surprised. “No need to be alarmed; I won’t bite you,” she said. “But that’s a really interesting stance, and now I’m even more curious about your teacher or master.”
“I have no teacher or master; I’m self-taught,” I said as I unsummoned my armor, and she was flabbergasted.
“A… child?”
“hehe,” I said as I scratched my head, “Nice to meet you?”
She kept staring at me curiously for a moment like she was trying govern what I was really made of, until she finally said,
“Kid… Are you looking for a master?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want a teacher? Is what I meant. Because I’m looking for a student.”