CHAPTER 54 - Improved weaponry
Leaving the forest, I am finally able to relax a little. The forest is filled with all kinds of monsters and dens of various species that you need to avoid. We just have the safest way of travel we could ask for thanks to my mana scans over the area that warns me of any incoming threats ahead of time.
Once we are in an open area, I lay down the body of the beast I hunted. We are on a local road that is in fairly good condition, making it easy to spot anything that gets too close.
The beast has a dark exoskeleton that seems to not only help it hide from mana, but reflect light around itself, creating a dome around it of full camouflage.
‘It has quite the level of stealth.’ If it weren't for its lack of power to take me down, it would be a formidable opponent to say the least. It was only thanks to my improved eyesight that I was able to locate it that fast.
Sadly, half of the monster’s exoskeleton has been blown to bits after my attack, but there are still a few of the blades it was throwing me stuck onto the remaining part. They stick to its outer layer as if glued to it, but it's obvious that they can come off at will to be thrown.
I tear one from the body and inspect it. The blades seem to share the same properties as the rest of its outer layer as I can’t locate it with my mana scans.
I pry if I can still imbue it with mana, but I fail. ‘It must be made up of something that reflects mana too, some kind of mana-proof armor. Then, I try again but with qi, and it works. It is harder than other materials, maybe the hardest out of all the ones I tried up to date, but due to its properties, it might just prove worth it.
Once it is imbued with qi, I scan it again, and sure enough, there are no leaks at all, not even a speck or disturbance that shows up on my scans. Completely camouflage from start to finish.
I grab the blade firmly, playing with it a little bit, getting the hang of it, and then throw it at the nearest rock I see which ends up being a concrete wall on the side of the pavement I am currently standing on.
The imbued qi on it makes the already tough projectile into a deadly and sharp weapon that not only deals blunt damage, but it has quite the piercing power too. It hits the wall at incredible speed, lodging into it and sending cracks over the surface of it.
I try to retrieve it, but it's 3 to 5 centimeters deep, making it hard to do so. I end up smashing the concrete wall all together to get it back, and after a closer look, the blade seems intact and ready to use again.
‘Nice.’ I grin from ear to ear, having finally acquired the next best thing to throwing knives I can get.
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I reach the gym where the group was staying in a few minutes. I wait for one of the guards to make way and enter the place. I am not planning to stay here for long, so I cut to the chase, looking for one of the sisters to update me on the situation.
On my way there, I bump into another one of the leaders, a middle-aged man who is in charge of the rations and the inventory together with his brother.
“Leo! You finally came back. We were planning on moving from this place to a better spot, you should join us in the meeting tonight, we will be discussing where to go.”He says energetically.
“Sure thing.” I say as I keep walking, already on my way. It looks like they got some motivation back by now, which is good.
‘I wonder what their reasoning is to go somewhere else, let’s see what places they suggest.’
I knock on the door of both Maria and Sera, and soon one of the people inside comes to the door to open.
“Oh Leo, come inside, we need to talk, but leave that thing you are carrying out pls…” Sera is the one who answers the door, ushering me inside.
Once inside, Sera continues.
“We got problems as soon as you left.” She says.
‘Just as I like, straight to the point.’
“Did something or someone attack you once I left?” I inquire.
“No.. The vampires have been laying low, focusing on their construction since we stopped interfering with them and so far, they have been a substantial improvement in the quality of life of those humans under their wing.”
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“It’s something completely different this time.” Maria adds.
“Do you remember that monster you told us that was creating those artificial storms using human sacrifices?”
“Yes…” A whisper leaves my mouth, I obviously remember that guy. That’s the monster I want to kill the most, just thinking about my parents being used as a sacrifice to do some weird ritual makes me want to puke.
“Our scouts saw the guy you described entering the city with a golden rod. Not only that, but soon after he arrived a massive storm brewed upon the city and the same scouts we sent to follow him from a distance said that he was the one in the center.” She then stops, letting me stomach everything.
“Did you get a closer look at what he was doing?” I need to see if he is still doing the same thing or something brand-new.
“No, the people we sent said that the moment they got close they were detected and had to escape.”
“That’s a pity.” Doing anything related to that guy with no information it’s too risky, I will have to delay my training and go take a look. “I will go tomorrow there to take a peek at what he is doing.”
“Thanks, that would be nice.”
I don’t forget to ask for their opinion on the location change, being oblivious to what’s happening around me will do me no good.
“On another note, Maria, Sera, what do you guys think about the location of the base being moved? Why did you even settle in here to start with? Is it any good?” I have to ask. I am not familiar with this city, so I should get some information to see the pros and cons of our current location.
‘This time, I hope to accompany this group for a while…’
Thinking along those lines, I need to get involved in the management of the group to some degree, or else I will be led by the nose as if I were another sheep in the flock.
“Actually, I was the one who brought the topic up in the last reunion.” Says Maria.
“I took notice of our problems to get our hands into what little technological equipment and supplies that remain in the city.”
“The risks far outweigh the rewards, and we don't even have that many people that are able to operate some of the things we are bringing back due to our lack of manpower.”
Lastly, Maria says that the other people in charge decided it was an issue worth discussing, so they organized a second meeting today at night to debate it.
‘Basically, she thinks that it would be more useful to focus on what we have instead of trying to bite more than we can chew and lose people in the process.’ I can’t even bring up a counter-argument to that, it's definitely a reality that staying in the middle of the city is well beyond our current capabilities.
There are too many foes to defend against and resources are far too scarce to be of any use for us. If it weren’t for me clearing up the area of monsters before leaving on my short trip, they would most likely be overrun by them by now.
Our group already falls on the end of the smaller ones, we can not afford to lose a single soul. Having cleared my mind a bit, I choose to delve some more with the group and help them out.
I can lend a hand with setting up a new base, defense, and so on, but they can’t fully depend on me to take care of all the enemies that come too close to their base. I will make sure to establish some kind of defense before I leave again.
‘I can’t even catch a breath for more than a few days, sigh…’ For a moment, the idea of sending everything to hell and cutting ties with the remaining humans crosses my mind, but it immediately disappears when I think further ahead.
‘It would be so lonely… sad… and…’ I would be angry. I am not going to let these monsters destroy our planet, most of the things I ever cheered for are already gone, I won't let them take the planet too.
“I will accompany you to the reunion, I want to hear what everyone has to say.” I end up answering the sisters.
“Oh, right. When is the meeting going to take place? I will start working on the corpse of the guy I brought here with me and I will need to wash myself before going anywhere, it’s been a while since I have done so with so much running around.”
“You still have the whole afternoon, it will start when the sun starts going down. I can go tell you some time before if you want.” Sera volunteers.
“That would help, I tend to get myself immersed in things sometimes.” I nod and I leave, ready to pick apart every single useful part of my latest prey.
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I find myself in an empty room at the back of the gym. In my right hand, I have the blade I pried out of the beast before.
I will be using it as a knife to dissect this guy just like how I did with the other monsters I hunted so far, and soon after to gather everything useful from it before getting rid of the remains after all that’s done.
I take longer to complete the process in comparison to the other specimens I dissected on purpose, mostly because the value of this monster far surpasses those I have worked on before. I even make sure to take note of everything that picks up my curiosity in the notebook that I use to keep track of everything.
From the attributes of its outer shell or exoskeleton to its darker tint of black that blends with the darkest of nights. Everything about the monster is meticulously written down for further research.
I am sure it will come in handy whenever I try to replicate its camouflage after I improve my control over mana and qi. The only thing I know for sure though, is that it will take a while, and I better have it written in preparation.
Being done with the inspection of the body, I prepare to skin the monster and pry out the remaining blades when I hear a knock on the door.
‘I guess that’s it for now, I will go wash and attend that meeting, let’s see what our group has to say.’