Chapter 16: The journey.
Adam’s POV
----------------------------------------
I hung out with the specters for quite some time, and let me tell you, it was an unexpectedly wholesome experience. Initially, they mimicked my every move like ghostly shadows trying to play follow-the-leader. But soon, they turned into the ultimate tour guides of this mystical forest, revealing its hidden marvels—enchanted creatures, glowing flora, and the kinds of magical landscapes you’d only dream of.
At one point, they even brought me fruits—deliciously sweet and unlike anything I’d tasted before. Time seemed to slip away as I indulged in their strange, otherworldly company. But no matter how much I enjoyed it, I couldn’t forget my purpose.
I had a mission: uncover my background, grow stronger, and learn the ways of this world—survival methods, crafting techniques, and anything else I needed to thrive. Most importantly, I needed a place to call home. Sure, Nove was my walking, talking Wikipedia for a lot of things. But her knowledge was limited to Alper’s understanding. She could teach me all about alchemy, but when it came to Metalweaving? She could only share the basics.
And then there were the specters themselves. They didn’t seem to understand my words, but they’d tilt their heads in the most adorably puzzled way whenever I tried talking to them. At first, these veiled, ghostly widows seemed like something out of a horror story. But after spending time with them, I realized they were more like spectral big sisters—playful, curious, and strangely endearing. Watching them hop around and react to my antics brought a smile to my face more times than I’d care to admit.
However, as much as I loved their company, the creeping sunrise reminded me that it was time to move on. Nove had already pointed me in the direction of the kingdom I needed to reach. And while the specters didn’t understand my words, they seemed to pick up on my intentions. When I gestured toward the horizon, they nodded solemnly and even grabbed my hand to guide me in that direction. Their silent companionship made the farewell bittersweet.
As the sun climbed higher into the sky, the ethereal glow of the forest began to fade. The once-illuminated plants dimmed under the sunlight’s gaze, losing some of their otherworldly charm. Even more startling, the specters themselves began to change. Wherever sunlight touched their white veils, they shifted into dark, inky black. It was eerie yet captivating, but the specters seemed entirely unfazed by the transformation, so I decided to leave it be.
Eventually, my squad of ghostly big sisters and I emerged from the forest and into a sight so magnificent it felt like stepping into a painting. The landscape ahead was a vast expanse of golden beauty—tall grasses swayed in the gentle breeze, resembling endless fields of wheat. Rolling hills stretched far into the horizon, dotted with trees bearing striking red-hued wood and golden leaves that shimmered in the sunlight. A crystal-clear river meandered through the scene, its sparkling blue surface cutting a graceful path through the radiant land.
The entire landscape seemed to glow, as if it had absorbed the light of the rising sun and decided to reflect it tenfold. I squinted, shielding my eyes with my hand to fend off the blinding brilliance. It was stunning, no doubt, but I wasn’t entirely sure if I was supposed to be in awe or grab some sunglasses.
Nove, of course, jumped in with her encyclopedic expertise. “Welcome to the Gilded Meadows,” she explained. “This region is renowned for its serenity and its abundance of basic resources for metalweaving. An excellent location for those starting or refining their craft.”
I nodded, silently thanking her for the context. I gestured forward into the golden expanse, signaling to the specters that I intended to move on. They exchanged glances—or at least I think they did; it was hard to tell with their veils—and emitted soft, melodious sounds that reminded me of birds chirping at dawn. It was almost as if they were holding a little meeting to discuss whether they should let me leave or keep me around.
After a brief deliberation, a few of the specters vanished into the distance, leaving one who firmly held my hand like an overprotective sibling refusing to let their younger brother cross the road alone. Moments later, the absent specters returned, their ghostly arms laden with an assortment of fruits. They laid their offerings in front of me with surprising care, as though presenting a ceremonial gift.
I blinked, taken aback by the gesture. “Is this… all for me?” I asked, unsure if I should feel honored or guilty. After all, these beings were technically classified as monsters, yet they had shown me nothing but kindness. In my old world, generosity like this was almost unheard of unless it came with strings attached.
Still, gratitude outweighed suspicion. “Thank you,” I said, my voice sincere but tinged with awkwardness. Receiving so much without the expectation of repayment felt odd, almost unsettling. I carefully stored the fruits in my inventory, ensuring none were left behind.
With that, the specter holding my hand let go but couldn’t resist one last pat on my head. She emitted another chirp-like sound, her tone carrying a strange, affectionate finality. It felt like she was saying, Time for you to return to your kind, little one.
While I had nothing material to offer the specters in return for their kindness, I decided there was one thing I could give—something simple, yet heartfelt. Embracing the childlike body I inhabited, I wrapped my arms around the nearest specter in a hug. Due to my short stature, the gesture only reached their legs, but it seemed to suffice. They responded with their usual gentle caresses on my head, their ethereal fingers light as feathers.
As I stepped away and waved farewell, the specters stood silently, their glowing eyes fixed on me as if imprinting the moment in their memories. Their silent vigil as I moved forward into the golden expanse was strangely comforting. I turned back one last time and offered a final wave. They remained still, watching until I disappeared into the shimmering field ahead.
"That was... nice," I said, breaking the silence as I walked.
"The Moonshroud specters are not known to be this friendly," Nove replied, her tone analytical. "It might have something to do with the blessing you received."
"Whether it's the blessing or not, they weren’t getting anything out of it," I mused, still processing the surreal experience. Nove didn’t respond, leaving me to my thoughts.
In the distance, the Kingdom loomed. Even from here, I could make out its grand silhouette. Towers stretched toward the sky like sentinels guarding the horizon, and a blimp floated high above, a glowing beacon for travelers to follow. It was a curious blend of the medieval and modern—a land where armors and swords coexisted with electricity and advanced technology like vehicles and airships… Why though?
Do they not have modern weaponry? Why use blades? I didn’t entertain the thoughts too much, I was sure I’d understand more, the more I’ll learn about this world.
But I was still puzzled. "This world’s weird," I muttered, shaking my head. Yet, despite the oddities, there was something about it that intrigued me.
As I made my way toward the Kingdom, a thought lingered in my mind. I could only hope my clan, House Luminari didn’t hold any sway there. My freedom was too precious to risk becoming a puppet once again, shackled by someone else's plans just to survive.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
But this wasn’t merely a journey to the Kingdom. As I moved, I instructed Nove to salvage any useful materials in the area. She obliged, extracting wood from nearby trees, plants with unique properties, and stone from small boulders dotting the terrain.
There was only one problem, a small hiccup. It was the fact that I found myself being chased by a giant boulder monster the size of a small house. Each thunderous step it took sent tremors rippling through the ground, nearly making me lose my footing.
Let’s rewind a bit. All I wanted was a nice vantage point to scope out the meadow and maybe find something interesting to extract. So naturally, I climbed what looked like a harmless golden hill. Turns out, that "hill" was less geography and more biology—a massive tortoise. The moment it screamed at me, I bolted like my life depended on it.
"Nove," I panted, weaving through the tall grass as the massive tortoise plowed after me, "WHAT IS THIS THING?!"
"It's a gilded shelled tortoise, Alper," Nove began in her usual calm tone. "While uncommon, they're the weaker and much smaller sub-species of the giant Gilded Shellbac—"
"NOVE!" I shouted, dodging a tree that the tortoise plowed through with zero effort. "IF YOU WANT TO BE HELPFUL, TELL ME HOW TO NOT DIE RIGHT NOW!"
"RAWWWWRRRR!" the tortoise bellowed, its roar practically shaking the very air around me.
"Analyzing..." Nove paused. "You can't outrun the Gilded Shelled Tortoise. I recommend locating a cave to—"
I cut her off, frustration boiling over. "DO YOU SEE ANY CAVES OUT HERE?!" I gestured wildly to the open meadow, dotted with the occasional tree, hills, and a lazy river mocking me in the distance.
Desperation clawed at me. This was not the heroic adventure I envisioned; this was a "get stomped by a giant turtle" episode of my life.
Fine. If I couldn't outrun it, I had to fight it. No other choice.
With a mental command, I summoned the base frame of my Soul Frame Nexus Core, enhanced with the Vengeful Valkyrie node. The transformation was instantaneous—metallic plates materialized and locked into place around my body, granting me a sleek but imposing armor. Strength surged through me, and my breathing steadied. The Valkyrie core bolstered my STR and END by a significant margin—10 and 15 points respectively.
I turned to face the beast.
The giant tortoise let out another earth-shaking roar, and I felt like my eardrums were about to shatter. I stood my ground, even as my legs trembled slightly. Then, something strange happened—a rush of foreign memories surged into my mind. Memories of battles fought, strategies executed, and a sense of combat readiness that wasn’t mine.
Before I could fully process what was happening, my body began to move as if it had a mind of its own. I dropped into a battle stance—knees bent, hands raised, every muscle coiled like a spring. My instincts screamed for me to turn and run, but this newfound combat intuition said otherwise.
"Alper! Have you lost your mind?!" Nove’s panicked voice echoed in my head.
I ignored her and remained focused on the tortoise. The tortoise lunged, its massive jaws snapping like a steel trap. Time seemed to slow as I sidestepped with eerie precision, narrowly avoiding being turned into turtle food. My body twisted, and before I knew it, my palm shot forward, striking the side of its neck with enough force to make the massive creature stagger.
The impact sent vibrations up my arm, but what really caught my attention was the glowing number that popped up above the tortoise’s head:
-86.
I gawked at my own hand, as if it had just betrayed me by being secretly awesome this whole time. "What… what was that?"
That’s when I noticed something else—the armor I was wearing had changed. Gone was the silver, reflective plating with intricate runes. Instead, my gear gleamed in a radiant white, trimmed with gold and adorned with glowing red gemstones. A crimson scarf fluttered gently at my neck, and though I couldn’t see it, the weight and feel of my helmet suggested a complete redesign.
I shouted, watching as the tortoise recovered from the blow and turned its furious gaze on me. Its glowing yellow eyes practically screamed, You’re dead, kid.
A realization clicked as I took a step back. "Could this be the memories of the Nexus core I absorbed? The person it belonged to?"
"It’s plausible," she admitted. "But maybe we can discuss this after you survive!"
Good point.
The tortoise roared again, its massive body lumbering forward. My fingers tightened around the dagger on my hip, and I instinctively inscribed a support rune on both the blade and myself.
Rune of Sul Effect on Dagger: Blazing Edge.
Rune of Sul Effect on Self: Hardened.
"Cool!" I thought, grinning, until my gut twisted with an ominous sense of danger. The tortoise's massive mouth opened wide, glowing ominously from within.
My instincts screamed at me, and I didn’t hesitate. Almost without thinking, I cartwheeled to the side, narrowly avoiding a searing laser beam that incinerated the spot I’d been standing on. "WHAT?!" I yelled, landing in a crouch. "It has freaking laser beams?!"
The adrenaline coursing through my veins made me hyper-aware of everything— I tried to counter attack by sprinting towards the tortoise, my scarf fluttered dramatically in the wind. But suddenly, Its head and legs retracted into its shell, and before I could process what was happening, the entire tortoise spun into a whirling blur of destruction, barreling toward me like an insane, oversized Beyblade.
"What the hell!" I yelped, diving to the side. The spinning monstrosity grazed me, sending a sharp pain through my leg.
-14.
The damage number popped up, and my leg throbbed in protest.
The tortoise finally stopped spinning, wobbling like a drunk after last call. Sensing its disorientation, I charged forward, dagger in hand. Its leg was the closest target, and I drove my blade deep into its flesh.
-82.
Flames erupted from the wound, spreading across the tortoise’s charred skin.
-43.
Its deafening scream echoed across the meadow. Furious and desperate, it swung its massive tail at me. I backflipped out of the way with the newfound agility, landing just in time to see the beast lunging, jaws open wide, aiming for me again.
“Not today, buddy!” I growled, summoning a stone shield in the nick of time. The tortoise’s jaws clamped down on the shield’s rim, sending a shockwave through my arm and a small damage ping.
-6.
The tingling in my arm told me I couldn’t hold this for long, but now the tortoise’s head was trapped. This was my chance.
With a feral yell, I drove my dagger into its exposed eye.
-136 (Crit).
The tortoise roared in agony, but the flames had other plans. Fire exploded out of both its eye sockets like a gruesome fireworks show, and I saw another damage number pop up.
-230 (Crit).
The tortoise’s body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
I stood there for a moment, chest heaving, adrenaline still rushing through me. Then, as if in sync with the turtle, my knees buckled, and I plopped onto the ground, panting heavily.
I quickly checked my stats.
Hp: 105/125
Nep: 476/600
This was a strange feeling. During the fight with that oversized murder turtle, I had gone against everything I’d learned from my years in the underworld. Instead of relying on my usual calculated, dirty tricks, I followed some kind of instinct I didn’t even know I had. Was it because of the Nexus core? That rush of experience felt like someone else’s combat history had been uploaded directly into my brain the moment I activated the armor, now buffed with the nexus crystal.
“Alper?” Nove’s voice cut through my thoughts, her tone tinged with worry. “Were those moves you used also from the other Nexus core?”
“Seems like it,” I replied, deactivating the armor. The glowing runes faded, and the sleek metal plates receded as I stood up, brushing dirt off my pants. “Hey, Nove, can we carry this turtle carcass?”
“I can fit it into the inventory, but it will consume almost all remaining space,” Nove explained matter-of-factly.
“I’m surprised you can even fit that thing in my inventory.”
“Your inventory isn’t large, Alper. I’ll have to compress, process, and organize the materials, including those from the gilded shelled tortoise, to optimize space.”
Ah, that makes sense.
One moment, the massive carcass of the tortoise lay sprawled before me, and the next, it vanished into thin air with a satisfying shimmer. I dusted my hands, my gaze drifting toward the horizon. Far ahead, the outline of the Kingdom stood like a distant mirage, and a rough dirt road stretched toward it.
The clans... What if they’re not the bad guys? I thought. But... what if they are? The questions circled in my mind, buzzing like flies I couldn’t swat away.
Then, a wild idea crept in, one I hadn’t considered until now.
What if... what if I made my own clan? One strong enough to keep all the others in line?
If the clan I make becomes so strong that it becomes a deterrent, and makes other clans think twice…
Then maybe…
Just maybe…
No one Else will have to experience going through what I did.
I smirked at the thought as I started walking down the road, my steps steady but my mind racing.
----------------------------------------
Arc 1: In the Depths of Alchamara.
-Finish-