In the dark office, a frail maiden was on her knees and hands while the wicked mastermind flaunted the weakness he had on her.
"Hey, you’re thinking of sothing rude, I know it. So stop sulking and accept the damn Quest already!" - Carion
We’re currently in the ssy office of the Union Master. The rest of my group is busy checking out their new clothes.
I don’t know how, but that damn elf has acquired a photo of ... during my ti as a brat yesterday. I turned back after falling asleep, but if that photo gets spread around, my reputation’s gonna drop like Heavytal in the water! Heavytal’s a special type of tal that’s damn heavy by the way, if you didn’t get it from the na.
"...Fine. What do you want?" - Garami
"Glad that you asked! It’s a simple thing of finding a lost pet... what’s wrong? Your eyes look dead." - Carion
A lost pet? My reputation is worth equal to so hairball with legs? Are you f*cking with ?
"Let finish before you lose your motivation. The person who owns the pet in question is a man with influence in this city. He’s a Migrant, soone who arrived at Terra Sol from a different world. Details aside, this guy started to gain lots of influence with the rchant Union due to his Extra Skill that he obtained when traveling through the worlds." - Carion
Oh yeah, the Kigal-Note also ntioned that under the "Migrant" page. Sothing about them obtaining 5 random skills, so that may even be Extra-quality. These are unique in that only Migrants can get them.
"Since the rchant Union wants to stay on that guy’s good side, they’re paying a fine reward for whoever can bring the cat back safely. A reward big enough to hire both you, one of the few available and trustworthy Advance-tier Scouts in town, in addition to Mira Aureola, who is one of the best we have for finding lost persons." - Carion
Huh, so we’re famous now. There’s sothing that I got curious about there.
"Cat?" - Garami
"That’s right. More specifically, the cat you encountered yesterday." - Carion
Now I see...
"That’s the main reason why we’re selecting you guys for the job. You’ve already encountered the cat and the villain that took it, so you have first-hand knowledge of what you’re looking for. That, and I feel you guys are the best choice for this job, considering the direction that... card-human was heading towards." - Carion
The Union Master opened up a map of the region to point out the place of the job... that place? Hmm...
---
The next day, we went towards the harbor where the Union Master’s supposed to have fixed a ship to take us to where the cats (hopefully) were kept.
Oooohhh... I just love the upgraded Dark Weaver set. Unlike before, it’s a proper "Prototype" instead of an "Inferior Prototype". The rarity has gone from Rare (Ra) to Epic (Ep), it loses less Durability now, and it’s so damn nicer to wear. Even the Durability increased a little. Not that it needs to~.
Other than that: NO CHANGES!
Even the design’s the sa. Neither I nor Waylin knows what the design is supposed to be anyway. Guess we need to search through so weaver-related Dungeons after the blueprints or sothing~. And additional materials.
Ice-guy has the sa style as before, but the color sche is dark grey with streaks of light blue as decoration. Looks kind of sci-fi, except the blue’s matte and not glowing. The whole set’s classified as light armor now thanks to the added leather protectors. He’s a tank-type who needs movability to use his weapon after all.
The fallen angel looks not that different, but her outfit’s radically changed. She’s traded her one-piece dress for a silver vest with blue lining around the ends, detached sleeves with the sa color sche, a dark grey skirt, and black knee boots. Her wings are sticking out from the gap between the vest and the skirt. She’s got x-marks fashioned after crosses decorating parts of her outfit, such as on the sleeves and her boots and one on the black choker around her neck.
Mira’s attire’s the sa as before, with so changes. Her "coat" has been traded for a revealing dress with the skirt part separated into three clothes, one in front and two on each side. She’s wearing a short skirt that’s got more length than before (tch!), thigh-high armored boots, and fingerless gloves.
The whole outfit is black with white- and golden lining, the tal armor pieces, and the short, dark grey jacket, again with the golden lining. She also has several belts like Ice-guy. The difference is that hers are golden and black, as opposed to Ice-guy’s dark grey, and she’s got three of them.
"Garami, shouldn’t you walk in front instead of behind? You’re the one with the map." - Mira
Whoops, she’s right. I acted a little more like a leader and took charge leading them to where we should et Carion.
And there’s one lanky elf located! That was easy. And he’s got so strange guy with him. Don’t tell ...
Na: Marcus Pollen
Race: Human | Gender: Male
Level: 21
Karma Value: 155
Main Class: Cook Lv.Max
Sub Class rchant Lv.23
Sub Class: Demon Caller Lv.1
Skills: 23
Titles: 6
Blessings: 1
Skill Points: 6.5
HP: 99/99 MP: 102/102 SP: 85/85
STR: 96 VIT: 111 MAG: 98
RES: 102 SPD: 131 DEX: 152
INT: 105 LUC: 95
Skill List:
Crafting Skills:
[Art of Frying Lv.Max] [Art of Boiling Lv.Max] [Art of Stewing Lv.Max]
[Art of Baking Lv.Max] [Art of Smoking Lv.46]
Active Skills:
[Mystic Barrier Lv.5] [Energy Barrier Lv.6]
Passive Skills:
[Knifesmanship Lv.Max] [Flee Lv.8] [Conversation Lv.16]
[Cooking Knowledge Lv.44] [Ingredient Knowledge Lv.Max] [Stall Setup Lv.22]
[Arithtic Calculations Lv.Max] [Language Adaption]
Resistance Skills:
[Fire Resistance Lv.16]
Perception Skills:
[Danger Perception Lv.6] [Identification Lv.46]
[Discern Lv.39]
[Probing Lv.27]
Leadership Skills:
[Encouragent Lv.16] [Demonic Taming Lv.1]
Extra Skills:
[Dinsion rchant Lv.3]
Title List:
Achievent Titles:
[Creative Cook] [Vermin Bane] [Quest Completer]
Status Titles:
[Migrant] [Chef] [Bronze-rank rchant]
[Beloved by the City (Velantas)]
This guy’s the owner of the cat we’re after. Marcus Pollen. A tall, lean man in his late twenties/early thirties, with dark-brown hair and lightly tanned skin. His na makes think about that famous rchant/explorer from Earth. According to the rumors, he’s only relying on special Quests and titles to get his EXP to where it is today.
So, why’s he here, dressed up like an old-ti archeologist, with a Boonie hat and vest? All he’s missing is a comically large backpack of so kind to complete the look.
"Hey, who’s that guy who looks like he would let loose the waterworks at any mont" whispered Mira to , noticing the tears that had been gradually building up in the eyes of the man in his late twenties.
"Garami, this is Marcus Pollen... but you probably already knew that. He’s going to co with you on this Quest." - Carion
"...Why? Won’t he only be in the way?" asked the fallen angel, which made Pollen turn even more depressed.
"I get what you are telling , but is there soone else more fitting to find the cat than their owner?" - Carion
"Even if you say-!" - Noire
"Maneko." - Garami
"-that, eh? We are going after one of those? Then he can join." - Noire
Hey, aren’t you changing your mind a little too fast? I understand why though. Mira’s in the sa boat, considering her nodding along with the fallen angel’s decision. Only Ice-guy looks confused over our attitude.
"Maneko. Super-lucky cat-shaped demon. And clever. Used as a shield yesterday." - Garami
"Y-yes, that is Milo! He is always so kind and smart... oh, why did you have to walk so far on your daily walk around town, Miloooo!" - Marcus Pollen
Crap, he started bawling. Just how much does he love his cat... demon-cat?
"I-I see... Having the owner with us will make the Quest much easier. A lucky break for the cat would be to return ho after all..." - Alf
You’re not sounding confident there, Ice-guy. Cats are fickle creatures, gotta admit that. But I think even that guy will choose his old owner over so random card soldier who kidnapped him. If not, then this Quest is gonna be a tough one...
---
Disembark! We’ve reached our destination! The wild, blood-tingling, nature-calling Tree Sea Isle! And boy it’s overgrown! The trees are the size of buildings...
We said our farewells to the boatman who got us here. We can’t have him die on us for waiting in a danger-filled area like this place. We’ve got our hands full with Marc. Ah, that’s the Maneko owner. He asked us to call him that.
So, where’s Milo? This place’s a big jungle, so the faster we find him and his 2-D kidnapper, the better. Not that I have anything against being here for a little while longer than necessary. A jungle’s a treasure box of living creatures, aning tons of new blueprints for the undeads!
There are a lot of paths made by the adventurers that frequently visit the island and animal tracks, but the Union told us to stay clear of them as much as possible.
The inhabitants are at average rank E, which is better when compared to the likes living on the Little Wasteland island (50/50 of rank E and D) or Mayhem Isle, which is a den of rank D and above. Mira said she made her greatsword with materials from a D-rank drake she and a band of adventurers had killed on that island.
Even if it’s mostly E-ranks here, you’ll never know when you’re gonna et the heads of the many herds. And we’ve got a deadweight to take care of as well.
"How are we supposed to find that cat? This place is the smallest island, but it is still too big for just five to search on our own." - Noire
Thank you for asking!
"Make a base, wait for the night, kill monsters in the anwhile, then use the Skeleton Rats to map the forest. We will go to where the cat’s likely to be with Marc when the sun rises again." - Garami
Mira and Marc looked a little confused when I ntioned the Rats, but Ice-guy and the fallen angel can fill them in. They’re used to my mapping strategy from the ti in the sewers.
He-he-he. Watch out, jungle monsters. You’re soon to be part of my undead army!
We walked across the outskirts of the forest, looking for a smart place to place the camp. It didn’t take too long, as other adventurers had similar ideas to us and made an area by the beach where anyone could make their camp. It’s guarded with walls made of solid wood and rocks.
Unfortunately, it was preoccupied when we found it.
"Gorillas?!" - Mira
There’s a gorilla, gorilla, gorilla here. And I’m not using any scientific nas here. It’s three gorillas, Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. After Identifying them, I found out they’re called Gorilutangus, a Primate Beast-type monster.
They look like regular, old gorillas, but their arms are so overgrown and muscular that they’re walking with their arms instead of their too-short legs. They feel like gorillas with the limbs of orangutans, then they go to a bodybuilder center that only focuses on arms. Like, for years without pause. They’re even walking around on their knuckles instead of their feet. That’s telling sothing.
Status-vise, they’re around 250 on average, 450 if we ignore magic-related abilities. They also have so nasty and hard-hitting skills, plus so stamina-related ones. In other words, a hit-hard-and-endure-everything type.
"Mira, Ice-guy, take care of one each. I’ll finish the last one." - Garami
"Sure... wait, what?!" - Alf
"Okay~." - Mira
Ice-guy’s a little late in following the situation but Mira’s happily charging forward to the gorilla of her choice.
We’re not gonna sell those, got it? They’re for necromancy-related business. Those muscular bodies have got to give a good chunk of material! If I find out how to remove the sll, then gorilla zombies are gonna make for a great atwall.
Mira dashed and cut at the closest gorilla... which unexpectedly dodged the slash. She had chosen the sole gorilla with the [Evasion] skill, and at a high level.
She tried to strike the gorilla with her explosion-like attack, which is her using the [Lightforce Shield] in a shield-bash-like manner. The gorilla dodged. Damn, that guy’s using the skill to its full potential.
"Grr, stay in one place, you mountain of at!" - Mira
The gorilla did as Mira asked and stayed in one place... only to pick up one of the boulders making up the wall with one hand, then throwing it at Mira.
"What the f*ck!?" - Mira
I wholeheartedly agree.
Mira stopped moving when she saw what the gorilla was planning to do and made a stance with the greatsword in front of her. The boulder hit the sharp edge of the sword and got divided in half. I saw that silver arm of yours right there, missy!
The boulders flew past Mira, with one of them almost hitting the gorilla that attacked Ice-guy while Mira was busy. The other half almost got Ice-guy, who dodged... only for the rock to almost squash the fallen angel and Marc. They had to jump out of the way.
"Be more careful where you pass those things!" - Noire
"Sorry, sorry~... Garami?!" - Mira
Oh, guess they noticed what I’ve been busy with.
The mont Mira dashed for the [Evasion]-gorilla, I did the sa with the gorilla with the highest stats.
I nimbly jumped on the walls and boulders around the area and threw throwing daggers and broken glass that I had stored in the [Spatial Storage] to get the big gorilla’s attention. It worked wonders.
The big gorilla chased after , so I tried to throw so webbing at him to trap him in place. I got his arms... or not. The big gorilla caught the threads with his hands and is using it, and , as a flail now. If I let go now, I’ll be sent skywards!
And we’re back to the present. HELP EEEE!!
"Wait a sec! I’m coming now-, buzz off already!" - Mira
The [Evasion]-gorilla’s in the way of Mira. And Ice-guy and the rest are on the defensive with the last gorilla.
I tried to jump with [Sky Jump]... it worked?! The skill completely killed the montum of the gorilla. I made a quick backspin and landed on my feet. Before the gorilla could start again, I closed the distance with [Blink] and used the Assassination Art "Backstab" on its neck, the place with the least amount of muscles.
The gorilla made a scream due to the sudden (seriously sudden) pain in its neck. It’s not only the dagger that’s hurting it but also the poison on it, generated from the combo of [Poison Bite] and [Poison Coating]. Let’s add so Aura, just for the kicks.
And... the gorilla’s feeling more than a little kicked. The dagger could barely penetrate the thick skin and fur, but it still applied the poison and Aura to the gorilla. The gorilla’s HP bar dropped visibly, but not dramatically.
When did my poison get so potent? Or is it that the gorilla’s low RES is preventing it from doing a good job? Oh, crap!
I dodged a swing from one of the gorilla’s long arms. This guy’s not... monkeying around? Sorry for the bad pun. But hey, these guys are rank D monsters in a field where rank Es are the norm. Them not going down that easily is sothing you can’t count on.
His stats are going down nicely as well thanks to the Evil Eye. I wanted to root for this guy, but the threads aren’t working for so reason. Damn that [Oily Fur] skill! To think there was such a counterasure against my threads!
I kept on parrying and blocking the gorilla’s large arms when the opportunity arose. Mira said that having all three of [Guard], [Parry], and [Evasion] unlocks a new skill, but most people only take one or two of them. The plan’s to get [Parry] at least to Lv.Max on this trip, then [Guard] back ho if I didn’t clear that one.
Little by little, the gorilla’s strength left its swings as the poison and curse sapped its stamina and strength. Ti to finish this?
SYSTEM SSAGE:
Level has increased. Reached Lv.23
You have earned 0.6 Skill Points
Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.6 Skill Points were earned.
Or, the poison does the job instead. And 2 levels? Ah, I was the last one to finish. Urgh, here cos Ice-guy. And he looks furious. As for the others... Mira tries to imitate the air. The fallen angel just looks exhausted. And that Marc guy’s... already setting up the camp?
Hey, Ice-guy? Shouldn’t you take a page from Marc? No? This is gonna end in another scolding, right? Daaaaamn...
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