It has been two days since we discovered the doppelganger. I decided to name her 'Peln', and I had her cut her hair short to differentiate between us as well. Needless to say, owl mom was flabbergasted when she saw us two together.
She held us with her wings, eyes widened, head tilted, trying to examine us as meticulously as possible. The same could be said about my siblings, they were bamboozled for a while. It was absolutely adorable.
Either way, after deciding that we would have Peln infiltrate the human world, it was time to get her out of the forest. If we were able to, that is.
''If the layout of this forest didn't change while I was trapped inside the cave, which I believe it didn't, then we can largely divide it into five parts—North, West, South, East, and center. The center of this forest lies a giant lake, while each of the remaining four areas is ruled by a powerful entity. Judging from the fact that there were basilisks and snow owls around this area, I can safely assume that we are currently in West Zircon.''
''What about the woman who attacked you guys, then? Wasn't she also a 'powerful entity', as you said?''
''The Witch of Calamity was the ruler of East Zircon, that's for sure. I think she just went into this cave for the elixir, just like us.''
''Hm...''
''Either way, the crux of the matter is that we need to make it through the sea of monsters to reach the Empire's land.''
''Sounds easy, but actually not, right?''
''Unfortunately, yes. Every ruler can claim 'territory', just like you, Lady Aurora. They can somewhat sense if someone or something is escaping their territory. Especially for this region's ruler - Ancient Basilisk Z, who has very acute senses, and is bloodthirsty. If you try to exit or enter the forest without precaution, it will be able to hunt you down together with its subordinates.''
''How strong is it?''
''Last time, it was recorded at level 55. It must be much stronger now.''
''That sounds impossible to beat...''
That said, we can still probably break through and bring Peln out. We just need to be careful and avoid the last boss.
Though I do intend to defeat it eventually. My reasoning is like this, if I were to summon even more horror entities in the future, I would inevitably have to claim more territory for myself, not just this cave. There are lots of entities that are big in size, that's why.
Right now, I'm watching over Smiley and Ariel hunting. Babysitting. Why? Because I'm still not sure if it's worth the risk yet.
''Take this, Ice Spear!''
AUF
''...''
When asked about why the people back then didn't try to subjugate the serpent, Skely answered that it was not worth it. It's not like the creature was constantly getting out of control or anything. It was pretty tame, if you didn't touch its territory. So it was actually better to leave it alone so that the remaining monsters won't go berserk.
AUF AUF
''Oh.''
While I'm thinking that, Smiley has already run up to me, putting his front feet on my thighs, pleading something. In the distance, a commander sonic bear is angrily attacking a pouty Ariel, but to no avail. So they failed to defeat it.
''Sure, sure. I'll go kill it for you.'' I stroke Smiley's head and pull out my Katana. Really, when did he get this big...
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The long blade on my hand glows a bright yellow, and then a layer of golden-white ice spurs from the handguard to the tip, gradually covering the whole shaft as I walk slowly toward the creature.
GRRR
Unable to land a hit on Ariel, it turns to me with an angry expression, mouth gaping. It then springs at me with explosive speed, ready to tear me apart any moment.
Hm... I see it has two rows of teeth, I wonder if it has any trouble with eating like Smiley.
SHIING—!!!
Either way, I raise my sword and swing it down lightly, successfully splitting the giant bear into two halves, along several trees behind it as well.
[You have defeated a Lv.22 Zircon Commander Sonic Bear]
''...''
Infusing both elements does make my strikes much stronger, but it sure freezes a large area, huh.
''Well, let's continue.'' I signal Ariel and Smiley to follow me.
Following Skely's advice, I decided to invest my skill points into leveling up my existing skills. [Ice Magic] from level 4 to 5, [Swordsmanship] from level 2 to 5, and [Auto Regeneration] from 1 to 2. That cost me 9 points, now I have 6 left, barely enough to buy a legendary skill in case of emergency.
The effect was immeasurable. I am now able to pretty much kill anything below level 30 in a single strike. Good thing I didn't blindingly buy more skills.
Either way, the next targets for our hunt should be orcs. They generally have a good level range for these two.
I actually found an orc camp the other day. I just need to follow the marks I left on the trees.
So we continue our walk for another ten minutes or so. Before long, the camp is visible in front of us. Activating [Stealth] just in case, I see orcs patrolling around normally, and sitting near the fire is a commander orc.
''Fifteen in total. I'll take care of half of them.'' I pull out my Katana.
''Alright, let's go-''
'''' !!! "''
VROOOOOM—!!!
Suddenly, the ground trembles tremendously, sending me tumbling around a little bit.
''An earthquake?!''
''I've never seen an earthquake before-''
BOOOOM—!!!
In the blink of an eye, a long, giant figure flies past the orc camp. It swallows the whole camp and everything around it, together with whatever stands in its way. No way, these glossy scales are...!
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Name: Z
Race: Ancient Basilisk Title: King of West Zircon
Level: 61
HP: 148/148 304 MP: 333/333
STR: 8.0 INT: 6.4
AGI: 8.0 STA: 8.1
Skill: [Sharp Fang Lv.10], [Hard Scale Lv.10],
[Bite Lv.10], [Enhanced Vision Lv.9], [Lightning Magic Lv.9],
[Earth Magic Lv.9], [Domination Lv.8],
[Reflective Counter Lv.8], [Inspect Lv.8],
[Status Condition Nullification Lv.4], [Stealth Lv.1].
State: Agitated, cursed.
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What insane stats...!
''Ariel, memorize it's status screen. I'll remember the first half, you take care of the rest.''
''Eh? Ah, alright!''
What the hell is going on with this one... No, focus, focus.
VROOOM—!!!
After God knows how long, the creature finally slides completely past the camp, leaving behind a long wasted path.
'''' ... ''''
''Done.''
''I'm done too.''
Alright, let's teleport back before it finds us.
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''Cursed...'' Skely mutters. ''It might be the Witch of Calamity. Only she can curse a ruler like this.''
''I thought she was dead?'' I voice my question.
''The current Witch of Calamity, I mean. The title is passed down to the next witch the moment the previous one dies.''
''Sure. But the real problem is...''
''Do we take this chance and kill it, hm.''
'''' ... ''''
Even with three of its skills being locked, the remaining ones are not to be underestimated. I now know the power of high-level skills. Not to mention its high stats... I think it's going to be a close call unless we find something to 'cheese' it, as Chloe would say.
Aside from those skills, I'm sure it has something similar to my [Monarch] as well. To explain why it and my skill won't appear on the status screen, we need to understand the concept of a 'soul skill'.
In short, they won't appear on a status screen, and they don't have a level system, that's it.
But I'm getting sidetracked. It's time to make a decision...
''We'll do it.'' I stand up. ''Anyone wants to pull out?''
'''' ... ''''
''Good.'' I nod contently. ''First, we need a game plan.''