CHAPTER 7
RELEASE THAT BEAST
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“You're born to be a mage, My Child. Your potential is great.”
“Is that so, Your Holiness?” The yellow-robed mage replied enthusiastically. Followed by his three companions, they gawked in amazement.
The party was initially intended to ask for a blessing. Or “buff” in their dictionary, a common activity for all Walkers before hunting into the wild. It was supposed to be served by clerics. But today, the party was in luck. The blessing was performed by the saintess herself, the second-highest figure in the Order of Lumina. It was more than worth donating one zlot for a day's blessing.
“Wow! The buffs are no joke! All my stats went up 20% for the day!”
“Yes! I even got a new spell! Fast running magic, woaaaa!” Yellow-robed mage almost cried in joy.
The Saintess, a 50s motherly figure, responded to their happiness with a smile. It wasn't a coincidence that she gave them a blessing and magic skills worth hundreds of gold coins. The Saintess adored the young heroes so much. She was an Ethereal Version of Santa Claus.
“Thank You, Mother!” They bowed in unison.
“Where are you going, My Child?”
“Dragona Cave, Mother!”
“Ow, you're not afraid of dragons?”
The four youngsters turned to each other. Three of them laughed when a yellow-robed mage was freaked out.
“I don't wanna go there!”
“C'mon. Dragon just a myth. And we've prepared it for months. Time to make money. Don't embarrass me in front of mother.”
The Saintess also giggled at their innocence. “May Lumina protect you, My Child.”
They left the cathedral with happiness in their eyes. The Saintess let them go with a warm smile and a hand wave. Her smile remained warm when a tall man approached.
“I thought you hate the heroes of the gods, Your Holiness.”
“The young ones are pure and kind. I wish they weren't corrupted like their seniors.”
“It's that so?”
Lumiere, the Saintess, did not respond. She gave the guest a head sign to follow. The way she walked was elegant. A light of holiness could be felt all the way through the cathedral's aisles. However, after they arrived in a room, the most friendly woman became spicy. “Don't beat around the bush, Uncle Polante. What else does he want this time?” She asked with a completely different manner.
The tall man abruptly changed his form. It turned out that he wasn't a human. His shape became slimmer. His ears grew longer. Lumiere was not surprised to find out that the man was a Valoran Elder.
“Your Highness, there is a letter from My King.”
“He want me to smuggle it for the Prince?” She caught the intention.
Polante altered his demeanor. He knelt respectfully before her, as if she were a royal noble. Lumiere remained slack-jawed. When she noticed a leaf stamp on the envelope, she raised an eyebrow, with a tinge of disdain in her eyes.
“Tell your king. Stop being a peace seeking freak.”
Polante was unconcerned by her arrogant manner. He remained knelling when she read the letter's content. She smiled sweetly at the first sentence. However, her expression changed when she read the shocking information.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, Your Highness. The ceremony ritual has failed. We did the investigation, and found five corpses of Count Vardant's subordinates. The dragon army is in front of the door. The heroes of the gods have planned to slander us.”
Lumiere stood stiffly. The letter dropped as her hand trembled. After finding out about the disaster, she recalled an important matter.
“The kids ... the kids will die!”
***
Outskirts of Crocosela
“Woaaaa! I'm strong!”
“The blessing is crazy!”
Four young walkers enthusiastically killed a Cervinax. The sword-horned deer, a tough foe for their rank, now became an easy prey.
“Our party is the best! Hahaha! Keep up, baby! Money honey baby!”
They had a clear plan to hunt into Dragona Cave, a place that would easily cover their gruesome tuition loan. They even hired porters to make the hunt easier. Everything went smoothly. Five people headed to the north, slaughtering monsters along the way.
Ping!
[You have level up!]
“Woaaaa! I leveled up again! Level 11! Woaaa!”
“Welcome to rank-F, Aldo!”
The three members applauded as the mage once again leveled up. In three months, he had gained level 11 times. Too fast for a beginner. It was all possible because his party was very supportive of his development.
“Don't be happy yet. F-rank is hard. Experience points requirement are 10 times higher than G-rank.”
“It's okay. As long as I'm with you guys, I'll move up quickly.”
The yellow-robed mage was touched by his friend's kindness. Hugging them all one by one, he celebrated his phase of leaving the G-ranked realm. Especially to the archer girl who blushed when she was hugged.
“C'mon. Get a room.” Party leader chuckled at their innocence.
Five peoples kept walking until they arrived at the entrance of Dragona Cave. All of them took another look at how magnificent the cave's mouth was. Numerous meters were measured just in height, larger than the Earth's highway tunnel.
“I'm not go with you, Mr. Hero?” A porter asked in surprise.
“Your backpack is heavy. And this place is dangerous for you. Please go back to Crocosela. Put our luggage to the inn.”
The porter was surprised. Kindness was an attitude that most heroes rarely had. They were usually arrogant and sometimes became bullies. Party leader was too kind that the yellow mage gazed in awe.
“How come we paid him more?”
“Because he has a family.” As usual, party leader acted like a big bro for him.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“This world is not a game, young man. They are real people. Treat them like real people. Forget all the bullshit the association spouted.”
The party leader glared at the spearman who kept ruining their mood. Smiling at the mage's confused look, he tapped him softly. “Don't think too much about adult matters. We are here for and adventure. And ...” He showed a bag of crystals. “Honey money baby.”
“Isn't it expensive?”
“After three months with us, you just talk about it? Oh my god, you're so smart!”
The party leader glared once more at a grumpy man with a spear. Patiently, he turned at the yellow-robed mage and said, “did you see the crystal from the deer earlier? That's E-grade. The price is $435 if we sell it to the Association. If we sell it here, it costs 12 Arger. One Arger is $35. That's why it's better to sell them after we get to Earth.” The leader sorted through his bag again, which contained hundreds of F-grade crystals. “Each of these at least $27. In a day, we can hunt hundreds. In a month, each person can bring at least thousand crystals.”
“Woaaaa! No wonder you give me $27000 every month!”
It was so easy to make money that even the novices earned thousands of dollars in a few weeks. All they had to do was go hunting. They left after that and came back with crystals to trade or with ethereal currency, which was made entirely of copper, silver, or gold. In order to pay their debt at the association, the party entered the cave.
“Woaaaa! There's a Marduk Wolf out there!”
In the dark of a legendary cavern, a horned wolf appeared. The creature was as powerful as Cervinax, with more expensive crystal. Even their horns could be sold for three Argers. The party had won the jackpot.
“Harris, isn't they usually in the deepest cave?” The spearman wondered.
“Maybe chilling out.”
“Tsk! I feel like shit.”
The party leader raised an eyebrow. He changed his mind upon looking at spearman's expression which showed a bad feeling. “Maybe your instincts told something. Let's keep a distance.”
His hunch kicked in. The suspicion grew bigger when the aggressive wolf seemed uninterested in his party. The wolf kept running. Its behavior was so odd.
“Is it blind?” The spearman was getting more confused as the wolf suddenly passed by. “Shit! They are so many!”
A dozen wolves could be spotted behind the first one, fleeing, fearful that they were being chased.
“What's going on? I got a bad feeling.”
“Be prepare. Don't make our juniors panic, okay?”
More and more Marduk wolves fled and passed them by, adding more oddity to their minds. Marduk wolves were supposed to be at the top of the food chain, which would be impossible if they were being hunted. But their numbers kept increasing over time, leaving the cave with nothing but a chilling silence. The party heard nothing but the sound of the wind and their own heartbeat.
Rushesss!
Sttttt!
“What was that?”
A screeching noise echoed, followed by hundreds of glittering dots in the dark. The hissing sounds were getting closer and closer, as did the dots, which turned out to be the eyes of unidentified creatures. The monster came into view. They showed a shape that was somewhat familiar to modern earthlings.
“We die... we will die....” The archer girl fell in terror.
The creatures resembled a species of raptor about the size of a cow. The party members stood trembling after they figured out that the monster was an army from the Legend of the Dragon Kingdom. Their numbers were in the hundreds!
“You guys calm down, okay? Don't move yet.”
The party leader's leadership was being tested. His brain worked quickly, as he understood that his party was guaranteed to die. Still, he had hope, given by a saintess to the yellow-robed mage, which became an ace on their sleeve. “Use your fast running skill. Please inform Crocosela. Take Denata with you.”
“Yes, let us block their way.” Spearman also set up stances beside the leader. He intended to block the dragon army for the safety of their juniors. Both of them handed over their pendants. Accepting their most precious things, the innocent mage understood that his seniors were ready to die.
“Run. Do not look back.”
***
A few days later, in the city of Crocosela, the greatest fear terrorized. The bell of the cathedral kept ringing to warn everyone of the incoming danger. The villages on the north side were rumored to be destroyed. Thousands of dragon troops had spread out. It was only a matter of time until they would arrive at the center of Crocosela.
“Remember! The safety of our city is in your hands! Defend Crocosela!”
“Uwoooo!”
“Protect your family!”
“Uwooooooo!”
Hundreds of city soldiers prepared themselves for battle as Count Vardant gave his speech. The citizens lined up with various kinds of farming equipment. You were forced to fight for the sake of the city.
“All because Valora didn't perform the sealing ceremony. They're traitors!”
Crocosela residents fell silent as Count Vardant's speech became different. Shocked, it had never entered their minds to antagonize the honorable people. Count Vardant seemed aware that they didn't fall for provocation.
“Yesterday, I was attacked by the elves when I asked them to perform the ritual. They actually hate humans. They are afraid we will attack them because humanity keeps developing while they are stuck in the stone age! Did you see my wounds? This is proof.”
Everyone grew silent. Count Vardant did indeed look badly injured. The people of Crocosela started to hesitate, except for the walkers, who were all inexperienced. They seemed uninterested in elven ceremonies and all political matters. They preoccupied themselves with their misfortune after Count Vardant obliged them to join the fight. Hundreds of young walkers trembled as they marched into town hall.
“Are we going to die? I'm scared.”
“What can we do? We can't go home, anyway.”
“Yes. The Janus mages are all gone. Where are they?”
Surprisingly, when junior walkers fought for the town, all the senior walkers were nowhere to be seen. Including the Janus Mages, who were in charge of opening the portal to Earth. The young walkers didn't have much choice anymore. The absence of the portal mages also put a certain person in a difficult position.
“How do we smuggle this letter to earth? That shitty noble must have hidden all Janus mages in his residence.”
Polante didn't dare to talk when the saintess massaged her own forehead. The timing wasn't on their side. Their plan to call the prince had to be delayed due to Count Vardant's cruel decision to trap his own fellow earthling. Moving on, Valoran elder followed the saintess upstairs. The aisle became grander on the higher floor, where some high-ranking priests looked busy with books and prayer. The saintess kept walking calmly in front of a tall elf who remained silent.
“See how evil they are? Valora need a ruthless king. We have to avange this humiliation.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I accepted My Prince. I'm willing to serve him as future king.”
“And serving me as your queen?”
Polante was a bit hesitant. “Yes ... My Queen.” Once more, he changed the way addressing her.
After arriving on the next floor, the saintess' gentle, motherly way of walking gradually changed into the gallant, majestic step of a female leader. As did her appearance, which changed before Polante’s eyes. Her blonde hair became silver. Her mature shape became slender and smooth, as did her ears, which became longer and pointy. She kept walking in front of the elder without bothering to show her face.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, My Queen. Noncombatants are ready to be evacuated in Pandora Forest.”
The Saintess, someone who was surprisingly a Valoran royal noble in disguise, stared at the window. Her charisma was felt in the cut. She was the queen, after all. Polante knelt behind her as she talked in a serious tone.
“I didn't care that Falasa always called me an evil witch. I've done everything for Valora. I have no regrets. I don't even regret turning my own son into a beast.”
***
“Grawwww!”
Clank!
A dozen enormous deer were fighting on an island of nowhere. Cervinax fought for a lush location with water supplies, splitting the blood with their steel horns, which resembled a formation of swords. There were hundreds of them in both factions. Their population was preserved on a mysterious desert island, which was surprisingly located on earth. The defeated Cervinax sprinted in all directions with combat wounds as the battle was over. Some other animals, including the native carnivores of the earth, hunt the losers in a natural buffet.
Sadly, after escaping from a feeding frenzy, a fleeing Cervinax met an apex predator.
Crash!
“Graaawwww!”
A deer collapsed when a spear fence emerged out of the soil. It was obviously a man-made trap, to be precise, a Vietnam-style booby trap that was redesigned to neutralize a bigger target. Blood was splashed everywhere. Following the appearance of a humanoid in a leaf-covered cloth, the deer met its end.
“May Yggdrasil accept your soul, my dinner.” He spoke in a whisper.
Varg reached for his tactical knife and cut Cervinax's throat in a military style. The deer was quite small, weighing around 820 kg (1,808 lb). The elven prince carefully dismantled it after chopping and discarding the useless part.
“Look, Sergeant. Native animals have been mutated.” A woman radioed.
“Monsters have radioactive properties, Ma'am. They have to be dismantled.”
“So, this is why we need an anatomical map to get the crystal?”
The price didn't answer. He focused himself on dissecting Cervinax's body and took out the heart, dissecting it again as carefully as possible. He then watched a drone that was monitoring his activity and showed a glittering crystal.
“This wonderful baby is equivalent to 1500 liters of fuel or $535 in cash. Poof! The eighth crystal this week. Not bad for $4,285.”
“That's my four-month salary, Pretty Boy. Can't you stop make me salty?” said the female Captain over the radio. “Back to shelter. I'm hungry.”