“Is it just me, or is this totally unexpected?” Imperial Mathis asked loud enough to be heard by everyone.
They had been traveling silently for days, training their mana control and Egos if possible, but there was a weird tension in the air.
“What do you mean? That there hasn’t been a Demon horde obstructing the way back to the capital or that our beloved crown prince has been absentminded and writhing in pain for the last two days?” Melissa responded with a light laughter, but it felt artificial.
Lady Reeze couldn’t hide how tense she was. No member of the royal envoy could. They may be on the way back to the capital, but everyone was certain they would depart soon to head to the Meiso Plains to join the remaining forces.
“We should have used the Portals,” A younger noble complained quietly, but Melissa retorted immediately, “The crown occupies the Portals. They have already too little time to build a proper defense line. The Moonlight Forest is already as good as lost, and our chances of protecting the Milhorn Mountains are close to zero. The Meiso Plains is too wide, and the gaps between the villages and towns are too great to transform and use properly against the Demon Hordes.”
“That only applies if the Demons go against their instincts,” Fiona added slowly, “Demons always go after the greatest sources of life. That’s why the towns and villages, once manned with thousands of Gifted Ones, should be more than enough to pull the Demon hordes toward the towns and villages. The gap between the settlements shouldn’t matter in that case.”
Melissa looked at Fiona and sighed deeply, “Normally, I would agree. I know you aren’t wrong, but there is also the unknown variable… The Devil emerged in the mortal realm. He can control the Demon Hordes, forcing them to pass by the settlements and the defenders IF we focus solely on defending the settlements. They won’t lose a single Demon breaching our defenses and will reach the near-defenseless towns and cities in no time. That’s why the crown decided to establish a different line of defense closer to the edge of the Meiso Plains.”
She looked at the young noble, who had been complaining before, and added, “That’s why they need the Portals. They’re already pressed on time as the stream of Demons emerging from the Moonlight Forest seemed to be increasing steadily. Establishing a defense line is one thing, but solidifying it and transforming it into an impregnatable line of defense is something completely different.”
The noble, just like the rest of the envoy, sighed deeply.
Fiona and Melissa could have continued their discussion but were too tired. It was tiresome to think about their families, worry about the future and the upcoming battles, and pray everything would work out as intended. Especially if they did all of that on top of discussing the next few steps of their plan, riding tirelessly through the Kainesh Kingdom, and long daily mana training sessions.
Everyone was worried, but the only one who seemed somewhat calm was Percy. It was unexpected, but maybe Percy was too busy doing everything in his might to change the tides of fate to worry about the upcoming battle.
He was busy abusing his body and Ego.
[280,000,000 Prosperity has been consumed.]
[Gnoll Warlord’s Potential [Evolved –⭐⭐⭐] has been upgraded to [Evolved –⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐].]
[Glacial Roc’s Potential [Evolved–⭐⭐⭐] has been upgraded to [Evolved –⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐].]
[Gnoll Warlord’s Augmentation [Master of the Blade⭐⭐] has been upgraded to [Master of the Blade⭐⭐⭐]
[Gnoll Warlord’s Augmentation [Intermediate Strength Boost⭐⭐⭐⭐] has been upgraded to [Advanced Strength Boost⭐⭐].]
[Glacial Roc’s Augmentation [Hawk Eyes⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐] has been upgraded to [Roc Eyes⭐].]
[Glacial Roc’s Augmentation [Cryomancy⭐] has been upgraded to [Cryomancy⭐⭐].]
[Glacial Roc’s Augmentation [Intermediate Agility Boost] has been upgraded to [Advanced Agility Boost⭐⭐].]
Percy had been hesitant about upgrading his Monster Cards at first. He was certain their group would encounter several Demon Hordes after returning to the Kainesh Kingdom, but nothing like that happened. He was apprehensive in the first few days but decided upgrading his Monster Cards and Augmentations would be fine after that.
If he had more Prosperity to spare, Percy would have unlocked more Augmentations and runic enchantments of the Syreablade, but even after the Abomination’s power reached the next stage, which increased the potency of his Prosperity points, Percy didn’t have enough to unlock more of Dragon Fang’s power.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Instead, Percy focused on his slotted Cards. All of them.
[4,621,852 Prosperity has been consumed.]
[Capture Card’s potential has been enhanced. The Mythical Card’s capture rate increased slightly.]
There is still only one thread to enhance, and the message is not changing, either. This is ridiculous. I have never seen anything like that.
Percy was still writhing in pain, his body overly sensitive to all changes in the surroundings. His eyes burned like someone trickled droplets of searing lava into them, whereas his muscles behaved like someone tore them apart and meshed them together. Even his head hurt like there was no tomorrow.
But that was something Percy should have expected when upgrading [Master of the Blade] and evolving [Hawk Eyes], [Intermediate Strength Boost], and [Intermediate Agility Boost] to the next-strongest version. Increasing an Augmentation’s star rating was already intense, to put it simply. [Master of the Blade] forced a massive amount of information onto his mind when Percy upgraded it by one star. However, advancing [Hawk Eyes] to [Roc Eyes] and the two Boost Augmentations from Intermediate to Advanced was a lot worse.
Under normal circumstances, Percy wouldn’t have rushed it if it hadn’t been for a Devil conquering the Moonlight Forest. He was bound to be busy in the capital, preparing for the final battle, and would hardly have enough time to upgrade his Monster Cards, let alone to give his body the time needed to adapt to the changes his upgraded Augmentations would cause to his body.
He endured the pain, investing most of his fortune to empower his Monster Cards, whereas the Capture Card was given the leftovers…like usual. The Capture Card had only one golden-silverish thread to nourish. It was the same thread Percy had been nourishing now and then, increasing the Card’s capture rate ‘slightly’. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.
What was a ‘slight’ increase? Was it 0.01%, or was it more like 1%? Or was the increase not measured in percentages? Percy had no idea, and it made him crazy. He had invested millions into the Capture Card’s growth but was still unsure if it was worth it. There was no sign determining whether it was worth it or wasted Prosperity.
Can I capture a Dragon that way? It’s a Card of Mythical Quality. That should mean something. Even if I hadn’t invested any Prosperity to augment it…the Card should be worth it.
Percy knew instinctively how to use the Capture Card, and he could easily tell when to use it to increase his chances. After beating the Succubus black and blue, Percy felt a pull from the Capture Card. He felt the same pull whenever he weakened some monsters, or other creatures, indicating that his chance of capturing the creature reached its peak.
Injuring a creature increases the chance of a successful hunt. Increasing the capture rate with Prosperity decreases the amount of damage I’d have to inflict on a powerful monster to reach that threshold. So… Theoretically…It should be possible to capture a pureblooded Dragon if, only IF, I nearly kill it. It would have to be close to death to succumb to the Capture Card…except if I increase the capture rate with more Prosperity.
Percy smiled faintly. The thought of capturing a pureblooded Dragon wasn’t too bad. It was worth dreaming about. And maybe, just maybe…the dream would turn into reality at some point. It should work out as long as he kept nurturing the Capture Card!
***
“Brother!!” Sophia squealed in excitement as the royal envoy arrived at the capital's entrance gates. They barely passed through the gates when the Princess escaped her mother’s grasp. She rushed to her brother with a vibrant smile on her lips, tears of happiness trickling down her cheeks.
What a little crybaby.
Percy mused, but he was unable to hide his vibrant smile.
He swung his body across his horse’s back and jumped to the ground. After landing softly, Percy squatted down and opened his arms just in time. Sophia leaped into his arms, embracing him tightly.
Percy reciprocated the embrace and hugged her tightly for a good minute.
“I missed you!” Sophia’s voice was like a pristine light in utter darkness. Everyone, including the bustling citizens working tirelessly to prepare for the inevitable, stopped in their tracks and looked at the scene unfolding in the middle of the main street. The tension tormenting Percy’s body dispersed suddenly, leaving him free and happy.
He got up with his little sister in his arms and smiled at the esteemed group welcoming them.
The King and the Queen were present, but so was the Reeze Duke, the Head of the Imperials, and so forth. Percy would have felt great seeing everyone – they had many tales to tell about the Beastlands and many things to discuss – but the timing was not right.
Everyone looked like they had long since surpassed the point of utter exhaustion. They went above and beyond and looked more dead than alive.
At least nobody is injured.
Percy glanced at the Head of the Imperial, who was covered in fresh demon blood, and winced.
Did he come to pick up the Imperials? Or is he here for something else?
The King stepped forward with a thin smile on his lips.
“I am glad everyone is fine. We were surprised to find out the truth about the ‘kidnappers’,” Phillip Kain said, “But you all did a great job.”
He looked at Percy, his smile growing.
“I’m proud of you.”