Chapter 282: Darren and Nina
Master?
Yes, minion?
Do we really have to et these people? Were ok by ourselves.
Can you be proud of soone just for trying to be antisocial? Because damn, I am.
I'm already ntally preparing for having to deal with people. This ti I'm severely weakened. There aren't any extroverted mbers of Group 4 here to absorb most of the damage or who have a good match-up against extroverts.
Nope, this ti it's just
and my disciple who seem to have the sa problem.
All of this is compounded by the fact that weve already spent over a week by ourselves, and neither of us speaks very much. That leaves 2 weeks left with my silly disciple and to maybe finish the side quests.
Locating the natives or survivors, as the system calls them in the side quests, should be the easiest one and maybe they can help
locate the Mirror. The reward for that one is listed as a series of question marks, and that interests
greatly.
Together we reach the part of the city where Darren told us to et him, so I sit on a chunk of debris and, after observing
for a mont, my disciple does the sa. She even mimics my expression and then we wait.
Straight away, I notice a dozen or so people surrounding us. None of them feels close to 200 and they dont think Ive noticed them yet. They proceed to carefully examine . Not exactly , they seem to be trying to sense how much mana I'm passively radiating and try to estimate my strength that way.
As always, I keep Mana Cycling running. Ever since Lissandra taught , Ive kept it up almost constantly. In combination with my Mantle, it almost fully stops the leak of my mana and it also constantly improves my control, even as my reserves grow.
In an attempt to avoid spooking them too much, Ive been letting a bit of mana leak. Too little could seem as suspicious as leaking too much. I'm smart, am I not?
Even my disciple hasnt noticed anything as shes been scanning the area with her delicate senses, but that's fine, we can work on that.
The strongest mber of their group uses so weird skill and his voice speaks in my ear even though he hasnt changed position.
Are you the one Darren spoke with? he asks.
I respond, with the password he gave , Zero, one, three, four.
Only then does he use a skill to step out of the shadow, keeping his distance from .
He speaks normally this ti voice, You are ten minutes late.
[Shadow Whisperer - lvl 167]
We did et a few veilshriekers on the way here, I answer as I observe him.
The man observes
as well and then nods.
My na is Kaiden, please follow . This ti he whispers again using the weird projection skill and a few more of his group mbers appear.
My disciple seems to be surprised and might even be thinking about how cool they are, but I have trouble taking them too seriously.
Am I the asshole here? I an, they probably need to be skilled to survive here, scavenging for food and water while fighting monsters and avoiding the stronger ones like Veil Guardian.
The mont they move, I follow them and when they speed up, I grab Vega and run with her in my arms.
She seems to dislike it, but I also notice that cheeky disciple of mine comfortably resting her head against my chest where my heart is.
Any problem with my heart? I ask.
The group speeds up even more and I use so of my mana to strengthen my body and slow down a bit so I dont pass them. We run through the streets and occasionally hide in a building while we wait for a group of veilshriekers to pass.
Masters heart is strong, Vega says to .
Is that a good thing?
Yes! Demon Hearts are important to demons and I heard the Hornless Demon has the strongest ever!
Oh really? What does it do?
Her eyes shine at the prospect of telling
about her hero, His heartbeat can be heard throughout the entire world when he gets angry, and only the human's Bloody Hero has ever survived a fight with him!
Oh, that sounds cool.
Yes! she nods and once again listens to my heart, But I think master also has a strong heart, almost like a demon.
Well, let's not tell her that it's only a cheap knock-off version of a trait, that it's terribly inefficient in comparison to traits. And unlike traits, it can kill
much easier.
Minion, I think you have a good heart as well, I tell her and slide deeper into the shadows, waiting for Kaidens signal to continue.
Its Vega, master. She seems to enjoy the complint.
Kaiden gives the signal and I follow him out of the city.
We quickly move between the trees and he sends a few people to scout ahead. They return after a minute and we continue. We run for a minute longer until we reach a rocky hill and a small passage on the side, which we enter.
The light disappears as we proceed down a passage just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. We continue deeper into the hill and after a few twists and turns, we reach a chamber that appears to be heavily guarded and trapped.
My guides signal the guards and the traps deactivate.
Quickly, Kaiden says, and we pass through the location.
The sa thing repeats a few more tis until we reach a cave the size of a football stadium. It doesnt seem to be natural, and its walls are extrely smooth, with a giant iron door lodged into the side of it. There are no circuits in it, no mana. Its just a massive chunk of tal and it is currently closed.
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As we move closer, we see a man and woman, surrounded by three guards. Once again I carefully leak so of my mana to avoid spooking them .
Man, that was such a good idea. Nathaniel the sneaky! Nathaniel yet another normal guy with totally normal mana.
Nathaniel, it's nice to et you, Im Darren.
Darren has brown hair with a streak of gray in them. He is wearing old clothes like everyone else here, but theyre freshly ironed and free of holes. He doesn't have any visible weapons, but his body is muscular and his fists look like those of soone used to punching things.
[Iron Vanguard - lvl 159]
To my surprise, his level is lower than that of Kaiden.
I ignore the fact that there are so many of them surrounding , Hey, I answer simply.
Vega seems to be less pleased, and I can read it in her expression, even though shes back to acting the way she was when we first t. Big eyes, a slightly scared expression, and making herself as small as possible.
That's my girl.
This is my right hand, Nina. I believe youve spoken with her before, he introduces the woman next to him.
She is younger than him, maybe around thirty. But her expression is similar to Darren's. They might even be relatives. Maybe his daughter? Unlike him, she has two swords on her waist.
[Ethereal Blade - lvl 189]
Interesting, maybe Nina is the real boss here?
So, about my paynt for the things I left to you guys, I start.
Yes, we will keep our side of the deal. I also apologize for the trouble with the esteed healer. She can be
A bit annoying, Nina offers.
We dont talk about her like that, Nina. Darren turns to
again, I would like to invite you inside, he gestures at the door behind him, but we have rules.
Does he not know that talking like that will only make
more curious? Should I force my way in? It wouldnt be that difficult.
The mont I think about that, mana radiates from Darren as if he is preparing for a fight.
It seems to spook Nina and the guards around us, and everyone puts their hands on their weapons and raises up their mana as well.
I dont even bother activating my skills and just look at him. Any problem? I ask.
I he starts, and I notice his hand shaking, but he squeezes it into a fist until it stops. He then shakes his head, Put your weapons away! he orders.
Everyone seems to act confused, but they do as ordered.
Did he read my intentions? So skill similar to Izzys [Empathy]? That doesnt sound right; I would feel his touch on . Maybe it's sothing like Ciphers skill? So sort of cold reading information collection skill?
I apologize for our rudeness, he carefully searches for his words, even to Nina's surprise.
Its fine.
Thank you. As you said, we still owe you, and we can offer food, maybe a rare item for your help, he gestures, and one of the n steps forward.
He puts down a bag that contains enough dried at to last an adult man for a few weeks, and there are even so bottles of water. Next to it, he puts down a rare cape that seems to have so kind of camouflage effect.
The way they present them seems to mark them as extrely valuable items, probably a show of goodwill and an attempt at building a relationship.
I would rather ask for information instead if thats okay with you. If you dont want to answer, I can take the items. If they refuse to answer, I will force them to do so. I wont kill anyone or damage their ho; theres no need for that. Just a show of power seems to be enough.
To my fascination, Darren seems to read my intention, and even though he tries to hide it, his hand starts shaking again.
How amusing. Now I really want to ss with them. Should I release my mana a bit?
Before I do anything, Darren hurriedly speaks, Yes, we can do that as well, he forces himself to answer calmly.
Nina seems to notice that, and her eyes examine
again. I see her hand sliding closer to her swords.
Do you know anything about the Mirror? I ask.
Darren puts his hand on Nina and stops her from drawing her sword. After another signal, everyone else around does the sa.
A long sigh escapes his mouth, The Mirror is a relic of the past and weve been trying to locate it for a long ti. The encrypted mana stone you helped us to retrieve did contain information on it, as well as its location.
Oh, lucky .
So, where is the problem? I ask.
The Mirror is to the north, in the Valley overseen by the Bastion. The way he says it sounds like that should explain everything.
Darren, tell
like I'm five and know nothing about this place. What the hell is the Mirror, what is the Bastion, and what's with the Valley? Keep it simple, okay?
A few of them dont seem to like the way I talk to them, but its not like Im rude.
Just in case, I check my disciple, and she looks at
like I'm so sort of hero. I also notice the way she mirrors my expression, and stance, and even looks around similarly.
Damn it, is this Min-Jae syndro? Why do these weirdos keep doing this?
Put simply? The Mirror is, as I said, a relic of the past. An item spoken of legends, yet we are unsure of what it does, but it's likely to be an extrely powerful artifact. The Bastion is the most secure place we have knowledge of, the remains of the past with working defensive chanisms and other things left behind by our ancestors. The Valley is, well, the Valley; it's a place with extrely dense mana radiation. People die just from coming too close to it. No one from us knows more.
Well, thats simple enough.
Okay, we can stay in touch. I just need a map or sothing to lead
to the Bastion and the Valley.
Darren nods and I feel my mood improving. Damn, I'm getting better and better at dealing with people.
POV Nina
The young man continues speaking with my father, and I do not take my eyes off him, not even for a second. For now, I decide to trust my father and not send the signal to attack.
The man called Nathaniel seems to notice, and when I et his two differently colored eyes, I feel my body shudder. His stance remains extrely relaxed the entire ti. I keep looking for a hint of a battle stance or defensive one, but I see no such thing.
Surrounded by all of us, he doesn't even seem to mind. But the most scary thing is the way he radiates his mana.
I would be less scared if he was radiating it in waves strong enough to drown , or if I couldn't sense it at all.
No, what hes doing is much more terrifying. The mana leaks from his body in perfect dispersion. The exact sa amount of mana radiates from his arm as from his leg, chest, or head.
I can't even fathom the amount of control that requires or the reason he has for doing such a thing.
The little girl by his side seems to be one of the unlucky human mutants, seeing her red eyes and horns, anwhile her expression matches that of the young man.
When he finally leaves, I feel my body and mind relax and imdiately order a few n to make sure he left and left nothing behind.
What happened? I ask my father.
We were lucky, very lucky. Nina, if you ever deal with him in the future, be respectful, be direct, and never attack him first.
Father, explain properly.
I used my [Intuition] a few tis, Nina. That person did think about fighting us multiple tis and even getting into the Sanctuary. He even noticed my skill and kept thinking about forcing his way into the Sanctuary just for the sake of it. Always a half-step away from actually doing it.
"Do you think he is soone from before the war?"
"I think so. He is strong enough to be of that generation."
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