The Desert of Commerce and Peace was a neutral territory, ruled by Sultan Hamza Thhab. It was situated between the Global Line and Northern Archwood.
The desert was Arthur’s next destination, where he hoped to find the Devil Doctor.
However, the distance between the Skywall Fortress and the desert wasn’t small, especially since Arthur and the rest had to make a detour to avoid any complications.
“If you could use your teleportation spell, we could travel around the continent instantly.” Said Arthur as he looked at Chris.
Evelyn was walking behind them, constantly eyeing Aerin and Christopher. She didn’t seem to fancy their company, especially the former’s, but since Arthur didn’t object, she kept her thoughts to herself.
Christopher was too talkative and constantly tried to start a conversation with her, though she would always respond perfunctorily.
As for Aerin, he was simply too suspicious and full of secrets.
“Teleportation is a complicated thing, Sir Arthur. One would need the precise coordinates as well as a decent understanding of the spell. In the case of Sir Christopher, I suggest he would first learn to absorb and control Mana efficiently.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?”
“By training, of course. Mana is an intangible energy, present in almost everything in this world. Think of it as Meditation. Clear your mind and try to sense the Mana. It might seem difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes as simple as breathing.”
The poet smiled and then pulled something from an unremarkable leather bag strapped to his waist.
“This violin, for instance, is able to alter the flow of Mana in the surroundings. When we stop to rest, I could use it to help you.”
“Oh! Thank you. You’re a great guy, Aerin!”
“Hahaha thank you, Sir Christopher.”
Christopher was easy-going and friendly, and the same could be said for Aerin. It wasn’t a surprise to see them become close within just a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the stoic Evelyn approached her Master and said,
“Master, I have to inform you of something.”
“Is it about your former organization?”
She didn’t seem surprised to hear his response. She nodded once before explaining,
“Once you become an agent for Faceless Death, it’s very difficult to leave. This time around, I’ve left and even took with me the target I was supposed to capture. They will come for us.”
“So that’s what’s troubling you?”
Evelyn pulled the upper part of her black regal dress and revealed her tattoo, which was between her right breast and right collarbone.
“Unless I find a way to remove this, they will be able to track me. It will take them sometimes, however.”
“If they wish to give chase then let them come. It’s not like we don’t have the power to fight back, right?”
He winked at her before adding, “You have gotten a bit stronger, it seems. You’re not useless like Chris, fortunately.”
“Your mom’s useless! I can use magic!”
Chris came from behind and lightly punched Arthur’s back.
“Compared to normal people, you’re not bad. However, I seem to keep encountering strong people… none of which you can beat with your little tricks. Plus, our target, the Devil Doctor, is undoubtedly powerful.”
“Okay okay, so you’re judging me based on what I’m capable of? Keep talking and we’ll see who’ll be laughing in the end. Don’t forget I know all of your secrets.”
Arthur shrugged, unfazed by his friend’s threats.
“Evelyn, want me to tell you at what age Arthur stopped pissing the bed?”
“Stop.”
“See? Fuck you! Hahahaha”
Christopher burst out in laughter and didn’t actually tell Evelyn, who did look a bit curious, funnily enough.
----------------------------------------
*TITLE(S) : NONE
NAME : Arthur Bilgart
RACE : Wither Magick Parasite
Lv: 32 (27%)
Strength : 1112(895)
Intelligence : 801(582)
Agility : 921(776)
Wisdom: 591(402)
Vitality : 882(651)
Dexterity : 703(588)
-
*Skills
-Resistances:
Magic Resistance(Passive Lv5🡢6)
Fire Resistance(Passive Lv3)(NEW)(Acquired from possessing the Empyrean Wyvern)
Poison Resistance(Passive Lv5)
Cold Resistance(Passive Lv5)
Heat Resistance(Passive Lv5)
Disease Resistance(Passive Lv6)
Physical Damage Resistance(Passive Lv6🡢7)
Heavy Armor Mastery(Will take effect only when the user wears a full seat of heavy-typy armor(eg: plate)).
-Others
Physical Enhancement(Passive Lv9)
Full Moon(Passive-Active)
Mana Control(Passive Lv7🡢8)
Long Breath(Passive Lv4)[Fish-type host required]
Possession(Passive LvEX)
Woodworking(Passive Lv2)
First Attack(Passive Lv6)
Culinary Arts(Passive Lv3)
Survival Instinct(Passive)
Keen Eyes(Passive Lv5)
Swift Wings(Passive Lv4)[Bird-type Host required]
Rat Teeth(Passive)[Mammal-type host required]
Warmth(Passive)
Insectile Gluttony(Passive)
Sickening Life(Passive)
Universal Human Language(Passive)
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Basic Arman Language(Passive)
Medical Field(Passive Lv4)
Farming(Passive Lv2)
Tenacity(Passive Lv5🡢6)
Magic Beast(Passive Lv5)
Gila Poison(Passive Lv5)
Reptilian Transparency(Passive Lv3)
Tongue Catch(Passive Lv2)
Sharpened Claws(Passive Lv6)
Flexibility(Passive Lv5)
Bestial Regen(Passive Lv5🡢6)
Stealth Movement(Passive Lv5)
Elemental Affinity: Ice(Passive Lv3) - Fire(Passive Lv4)
Nocturnal Vision(Passive Lv8)(Unique to Cydian-ant hosts)
Genetic Mutation(Passive Lv7)(Unique to Cydian-ant hosts)
Titanium Carcass(Passive Lv8)(Unique to hosts equipped with a carcass)
Titanium Bones(Passive Lv5)(Unique to hosts equipped with a carcass)
Black Arts(Passive Lv6)
Empyrean Trait(Passive Lv2)(NEW) [Increases Physical Stats when possessing Hosts with an Empyrean Bloodline]
-Weapon Masteries
Knife Mastery(Passive Lv2)
Dual Dagger Mastery(Passive Lv4)
Sword Mastery(Passive Lv7)
Axe Mastery(Passive Lv4)
Spear Mastery(Passive Lv3)
Bow Mastery(Passive Lv4)
Staff Mastery(Passive Lv3)
-Active abilities:
Vampire Bite(Active Lv10)
Sadistic Torture(Active Lv5)
Blood Succor(Active Lv7)
Corpse Dissection(Active Lv12)
Sanguis(blood) Barrier(Active Lv7)
Tusk Damage(Active Lv5)
Flight, No Fight(Active Lv4🡢5)
Exoskeleton Defense(Active Lv3)
The Mist of Decay(Active Lv7)
Wither Touch(Active Lv4🡢5)
Enhanced Spell(Active Lv4🡢5)
Internal Cry(Active)
Lunar Blade(Active Lv5)
Half a Moon(Active Lv4)
Sword Blast(Active Lv4🡢5)
Bestial Rage(Active Lv2)(Exclusive to animal-type hosts)
Spider Webs(Active Lv3)(Exclusive to Arachnid-type hosts)
Acid Spray(Active Lv4) (Exclusive to Bombardier Beetle)
Wither Blast(Active Lv1🡢2)
Magick Sense(Active Lv4🡢5)
Speed Jump(Active Lv6)(Exclusive to Blossom Baboon host)
Face Change(Active Lv3)
Slime Me Not(Active)
Weak Telekinesis(Active Lv3)(Enigma Skill)
Mind Blast(Active)
Black Swirl(Active Lv4)
Fireball(Active Lv4)
Berserk(Active Lv3)(Exclusive to large hosts)
Fire Breath(Active Lv5)(NEW)(Exclusive to the following hosts: Drakes, Dragons, Wyvern, and Wyrms)
Power Swing(Active Lv7)(NEW)(Acquired from possessing Gajhin Orcs)(Can be used by humanoid hosts)(Requires a blunt weapon)
A week after escaping from the Skywall Fortress, the group had safely passed the Black Stone Mountain Range and were 10 days away from reaching the desert.
Arthur checked his Status Window and couldn’t help but feel satisfied by the rate of progress. Although he had been busy planning the breakout of Chris, he had still raised his stats by a substantial amount.
The power-up was mostly thanks to the Empyrean Wyvern, which was definitely a strong host. Excluding it, he still had Cydian Knight Ant, meant for ‘Last Possession’.
The Wyvern had suffered damage during the escape, but it could still be used. Unfortunately, it was too big and therefore eye-catching, so it couldn’t be used everywhere. Nevertheless, it could be used in emergency situations or as a means to bypass particularly troublesome terrain.
Moreover, it was one of the few hosts that could use most of the beast-related passive and active skills, making it considerably tenacious and incredibly strong.
*The Chamber of Choices have been updated with the user ‘Arthur Bilgart’ skills and stats.*
*The Chamber of Choices:
Available Evolution for the Sub-races:
- Empyrean Parasite
- Multi-Skill Parasite
Unlockable Evolution Sub-races:
- Pathogen Parasite (Acquisition of [Disease Resistance (Passive Lv5) or higher])
- Rot Parasite(Acquisition of: [Disease Resistance(Passive Lv6) or higher + Vitality Stats above 1000 points + Rot Resistance(Passive Lv1) or higher.
- Black Blood Parasite (Possessing a progeny of an Original Vampire) or (Acquisition of [Blood Curtain(Active)]*
[Empyrean Parasite:
-Permanently acquisition the trait of an Empyrean Creature (Negation of any host restriction)
-Boost in Physical Stats
-Boost in potency of Fire-aspected Spells and/or increase and acquisition of Fire Affinity Passive Skill
-Parasite would gain 250% of the stats of any Empyrean creature.
- Extreme Vulnerability to Darkness Magic
-Any contact with unalloyed Gold will decrease Parasite’s stats by 20%]
[Multi-Skill Parasite:
-Fusion of complementary skills and removal of some racial or host-related restrictions.
-Parasite will obtain 70% of a new host’s stats but will only obtain half of their skills.
- The ability to chain complementary or similar skills for a maximised effect.
-Slight reduction in the Mana cost of Magical Spells (Applied only to non-special Magical spells).
Upgrading to Multi-Skill Parasite would result in the removal of some skills.]
Arthur was inspecting all the available choices, most of which were enticing, to say the least. So far, being a Wither Magick Parasite was good and allowed him to use overpowered spells such as [Wither Blast].
Admittedly, he wanted his dead enemies to have relatively intact corpses, ripe for possession. Therefore, [Wither Touch] or [Wither Blast] were circumstantial and used only as a last resort.
Pathogen Parasite seemed to be disease-related. It was interesting and could have many uses, but the System’s explanation was lackluster and not at all helpful to make a decision.
As for Rot Parasite and Black Blood Parasite, they couldn't be unlocked for the time being.
As Arthur was musing with himself and staring at the System Window, Aerin approached him.
“This is something new.”
As he saw the parasite’s confusion, the minstrel pointed at the System Window.
“I’ve never heard of the Chamber of Choices.”
“You can see my System?”
Aerin grinned and didn’t deny it. “I can see many things, Sir Arthur. I can see the color of Souls, too.”
“How?”
“I agreed to answer most of your questions, Sir Arthur. However, a man has to keep some secrets to himself.”
“What happened to being honest and transparent?”
“Technically, I didn’t lie. I just want to lay myself bare and expose every little thing about me. Anyway, are you contemplating what to choose? There are thousands, if not millions types of Parasites, but I’m proud to say that I know of some. For instance…”
He pointed at one of the available choices, “Black Blood Parasites can later become Genesis Blood Parasite, which is the last evolution. It is a relatively short ‘Evolution Tree’ and there are many drawbacks, but you would obtain extremely powerful spells related to Blood. As for pathogen Parasites, they are… very hated. I’ve only heard of only a handful of them and they all created deadly diseases. In fact, the deadliest plague ever created was the doing of a Pathogen Parasite… ah! Pathogen Parasites are like Genesis Parasites, meaning that they can’t evolve after that. Hmmm… I’ve never heard of Rot Parasites, however.”
“What about Multi-Skill?”
“Also no clue. It is impossible to memorise every type. Naturally, some types are more popular than others. All are considered categorised into the Mutant-type Parasite Race, by the way.”
Arthur looked at the Chamber of Choices, totally lost in thought. He had just ascertained what type of Parasite he was thanks to Aerin, but he still didn’t know what to evolve into.
“I’ve never heard of a parasite that has a System, but it’s not like there never was one. It does make it easier, doesn’t it? Parasites possess a lot of hosts during their lives and it becomes harder and harder to know what abilities they acquired. The distinct ones became apparent almost instantly, but the obscure ones are sometimes never used due to the parasite’s obliviousness about their presence. Then again, I’m not a parasite so I don’t know how it works.”
----------------------------------------
22th of the Red Star
Imperial Capital of the Global Azakin Empire
Deep underground of the Imperial Palace ‘The Black Spire’
Emperor Augustus Azakin was standing inside a very spacious room, enveloped by an all-consuming Darkness. The only source of the illumination was the small torch the Emperor held.
“As you can see, it is still here, sir”
The Emperor had the usual composed demeanour, but his heart was beating rapidly. As the person with the most authority in the entirety of Astria, it was surprising to see him speak so formally to someone.
A couple of paces away, near a small cage made of magically-reinforced Black Star Steel, there stood a silhouette shrouded in Darkness.
The Nameless Knight raised his head and looked at the creature trapped inside the cage. The entity wore a rusty bronze armor, reeking of blood.
It had a human body, slim and somewhat short, but the most eye-catching thing was its missing head. It was a headless body motionlessly sitting on the chair with both hands chained behind its back.
Any knowledgeable Scholar would recognize this creature. It was the Headless Soldier, one of the Twelve Mythical Beings and possibly the strongest one of them.
Apart from the Emperor, no one knew that such a dreadful creature was underneath the Imperial Palace.
“Are you absolutely sure it didn’t move?”
“Yes. I’ve been coming here everyday at midnight, just as you instructed.”
“...”
The Nameless Knight stepped closer to the cage, causing the Headless Soldier’s body to twitch and emit an ominous dark red light. The light tried to spread but it was immediately consumed by the Darkness.
“It’s stable.” Muttered the Dark Knight as he stepped back and turned to look at Augustus.
“I will keep here no matter the cost… sir.” The Emperor politely bowed his head ever-so-slightly.
Rather than fearing the Dark Knight, he respected him. After all, were it not for him, Augustus wouldn’t have risen to become the Emperor. The Dark Knight’s contribution was one of the secrets behind Augustus’ ascension to the throne, though that came at a heavy price.
“You have the Angel Corps at your disposal if it ever gets out. They should be able to slow it down until I or the Trickster come.”
“Yes.”
“You have one job, Augustus. Do not try to do anything with it.”
“Yes.”
The Dark Knight swiped his black gauntlets in the air and opened a rift, which he entered thereafter. As for the Emperor, he sighed and exited the creepy room. He locked the door with five thick talismans and a Charm then walked away.
Having the Headless Soldier locked under his abode was a curse and a blessing. The ambitious Augustus, despite the Nameless Knight’s warnings, still wanted to exploit the Headless Soldier and use it for his own advantage. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.
No matter how much he looked, there was no Magic strong enough to bind or control the Headless Soldier.
“Maybe if there was a way to reach an Outer God.” The Emperor shook his head and quickened his steps, unwilling to remain close to that godforsaken room.