HC: Pacifist | Ch. 217 - Grooming

Roth opened the hatch and emerged from a hollow branch of a tree somewhere in badger’s territory. What a thrill. Sure enough, when he used the track cleanser, he wiped six different marks from spies chasing him. Good thing he had taken the precaution.

What he had forgotten about was that there were players from Ogres exploring Antioch! It was a good thing that he had a good relationship with the treeants and could ask a turtle ant to block the path for him. He also had access to more of Antioch than the newcomers, so he got to enter a tree leading to a secret exit and lose his pursuer there. The treeant gatekeepers would keep him at bay.

Although the whole city was in lockdown when he was first trapped in Antioch, things had calmed down plenty since. The guilds had given up on forcing their way into Antioch, so the treeants had lifted the emergency lockdown and unlocked all the alternate exits and entrances throughout the woods. It wasn’t difficult for Roth to ask one of the ants where the nearest hatch was and make his way there.

The only annoying thing was that he had to spend a second track cleanser to ensure none of these other players had left a tracking mark on him. He ended up wasting a large sum of gold for nothing, though. None of the Ogre players had marked him.

Confident no one was chasing after him anymore, Roth picked up the item he had removed several days ago and put it on again. As the witness protection mask melted into his features, his hair changed color, and his figure became slightly more slender. His avatar’s name also changed from Bridgefinder3 to RainyCloud.

He agilely climbed his way down to the forest floor. It had been a while since he had last been in [Ratan Form]! He had no choice but to activate it to run away from that Ogre player. After experiencing its speed, he realized how much he had missed this form.

He deactivated [Ratan Form] and changed equipment to a few noob drabs he bought for some copper at the auction house. Checking no one was around, he deactivated [Miniaturize]. Any guild spy who spotted him would only see a noob with a torn and ragged outfit. Since using Lua would be too conspicuous, he made the next part of the journey on foot. It was time to collect the reward for his quest.

It was a quick trip from badger territory to Oli’s hideout. Hopefully, the cat would be home. The last time he visited, his hideout had been locked, and he had to wait for the cat to appear of his own volition.

His fears were for naught. The sun had risen, and even from far away, he could see the cat lying on the grass, soaking in the morning rays of sunlight. Could other players also see Oli, or was he seeing him because the cat let him?

It would probably be the second. Most guilds seemed so surprised to discover cats existed in the game that he doubted everyone could catch sight of this cat so easily. If that were the case, many others would have found Oli already.

“Hi, Oli!”

The cat kept both eyes closed. “Hey, Martyr,” he greeted in a sleepy voice. Roth’s disguise was useless in front of the cat. “Did you bring my nephew?” he asked.

Little Lin had already poked his head out of Roth's clothes and was eager to join Oli.

“Let him come. We'll have a bath together,” Oli declared imperiously. Roth let little Lin onto the ground, and he rushed curiously toward the older cat. Oli was relaxed, lying on his side and letting Lin sniff him at will. Once he drew closer, he pulled him in and started licking.

Lin's hair becomes smoother and cleaner. It becomes harder to detect him.

+1 subterfuge.

The bath makes your pet healthier and stronger.

+1 strength.

After a short while, both cats were purring. Little Lin was already self-grooming, too, and after a while, grooming Oli back.

Roth just sat in the sun as the two cats groomed each other. He hadn’t realized how much pressure he was under until he stopped and rested. He was more than happy to relax while Lin received free stats. He closed his eyes and took in the sunlight. After so many years in prison, being able to sit on the grass and sunbathe wasn’t something he took for granted.

He was sure now that he was in the clear; otherwise, Oli would have said something about spies. If Oli, one of the most powerful NPCs in the game, was relaxed, he could be, too. Probably, there was an illusion mechanism nearby, courtesy of the Lord of the Woods shielding their presence.

He only opened his eyes again when the sound beside him shifted from purring to chirping and trilling. Oli was still lying down, rocking his tail provokingly, while little Lin seemed hypnotized by it. Little Lin was dead still, shifting his muscles, preparing to pounce. As he tried to catch Oli’s tail, he took it out of the way, dodging Lin’s strike effortlessly.

Roth sat, seeing the two cats play. He lost track of time, savoring the moment. After a while, a few notifications awoke him from his daze.

Oli has had some itches he couldn’t scratch for a long time. Little Lin has helped him.

+10 reputation with Oli, the cat.

It's been a long time since Oli has had the chance to play with a little kitten.

+10 reputation with Oli, the cat.

Before today, despite all his interactions with Oli and his sizable charisma, he had only gained one measly reputation point with the cat burglar. Yet, suddenly, he was gifted 20 for doing nothing except bringing his little kitten to play. He should bring him here every week, then!

Although befriending Oli was inviting trouble, he was worth it. Thanks to Oli, he had an S-plus pet, a cloning machine, and hydrogen grenades in his inventory. Even if he didn't want to use the grenades and had no plans to use the cloning machine, the truth was that these were incredible items he would never have gotten if it weren’t for him.

Little Lin yawned and cuddled with Oli, preparing to nap under the sun with his uncle. Seeing Lin had had his fill of playing and grooming, Oli finally turned his attention to Roth.

“What a surprising adventure you had in the Dark Abyss. And you didn't even lift a finger, did you?” Oli said mockingly.

“What?! Were you there?” Roth asked.

“Of course! You didn’t think this little one would break through all those layers of defense in the Hive King’s coffer without my help, did you?”

“So it was you! You taught him how to steal!”

“Nah! I didn't teach him. The knowledge is already in his cells. I just nudged him in the right direction,” there was a twinge of pride in Oli’s voice. “Let me tell you, it's almost as much fun seeing someone else steal as doing it yourself. I’m so proud of you, little kitten. Meow, chirp, chirp, trill.”

Oli vocalized a series of meows, purrs, and chuffs, encouraging little Lin, who lay on his back, outstretched, completely open, showing his submission to Oli and Roth. His eyes were almost closed. He would fall asleep in a moment.

“Besides, he was starving. He had to have a little food. Since some appropriate snacks were inside that safe, I thought letting him eat a little was good.”

“Thank you?” Roth answered uncertainly. The only things Roth knew about the safe were the notifications saying Lin had self-taught a break-and-entry skill and the list of god-tiered consumables his kitten had eaten. Oli confirmed the origin of the food: Lin had stolen from Loki’s stash.

Did Loki know it was his pet who had broken into his safe? How much more hatred would he feel toward him after discovering his pet had eaten all his precious stat-boosting consumables? He couldn't help but shudder.

“Anyway,” continued Oli, “you fulfilled your mission, and the Table wants to reward you. Do you have anything for me?” Oli said as he stood up, careful not to disturb Lin’s sleep. He stretched his limbs, ready for some action.

When Roth grabbed the black orb retrieved from Loki's corpse, Oli was already focused, claws drawn. Roth extended his hand, presenting the black orb to Oli, and in the blink of an eye, the orb was gone.

The [Parasitoid King’s Egg] has been destroyed!

+300 light affinity;

+150 righteousness;

You’ve unlocked a new affinity bonus: [Speed of Light].

“300?” Roth couldn’t help but say out loud, gasping. The previous egg he had turned over to the Table had only awarded 30 light affinity points. This one gave ten times more! It was enough for him to break into the next threshold of his affinity. He checked what his new bonus did.

You’ve unlocked [Speed of Light].

Speed of Light (Stat Bonus)

Bonus description: Your step is light, and the sun energizes you to run unhindered.

Bonus effects:

+300% movement speed in daylight.

Roth stood speechless, reading the notification. “300?” he couldn’t help but say again. It seemed to be the number marking his day. 300% movement speed was insane! True, it was only when the sun was up, but even so. If he combined this and [Ratan Form], he would probably become the fastest player in the game! Just for this, the quest had already been worth it, but a ring followed. This wasn’t the reward for completing the quest yet.

[Surgically Remove the Darkness] has been completed.

Completion Rate: A.

Quest rewards: +100,000,000XP; +100 nature affinity; +30 reputation with The Table; 1x[Table’s Blessing]

Congratulations! You’ve unlocked the nature affinity!

You’ve unlocked a new affinity bonus: [Call of the Wild].

Your nature affinity resonates with your race.

The cooldown on all [Zoomorph Forms] has been halved.

Your nature affinity resonates with some of your skills.

[Ratan Dash] has upgraded into [Mouseketeer Dash].

[Ratan Stride] has upgraded into [Ratan Sprint].

[Snake Slither] has upgraded into [Cobra Slither].

Bonus rewards: +100,000,000XP; +50 nature affinity; +20 reputation with The Table;

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Roth felt dizzy at the appearance of so many notifications. It had been a while since he had received so many in one go. He had to say he wasn’t expecting to receive an A-grade. What had he done in the quest? He had opened the teleportation gate to the guilds. Maybe the system had rewarded him for, despite being a pacifist, still being able to hunt the Hive King anyway.

His experience bar skyrocketed, and he leveled up multiple times, finally stagnating midway through level 39. Completing this quest gave him eight levels!

He had also finally unlocked nature affinity. Before this quest, it had been at the threshold, and he finally gained the first tier. He never imagined that it would empower his racial skills and reduce their cooldown so much. When he first received his race, he had to wait a whole day to change between forms, but after this incredible reduction, coupled with all his cooldown reduction bonuses, he could do so every ten hours! This would make a massive difference in the future!

Roth checked his new stat bonus.

Call of the Wild (Stat Bonus)

Bonus description: You have found your calling in the lush green grass, the vast blue sky, and the boundless wilderness.

Bonus effects:

+100 hp;

+10 hp regeneration;

All nature skills are empowered;

Pets grow faster.

He had expected something nearer the level of light affinity, but it looked like light was a unique element. Compared to gaining 10 of each stat, the hp bonus wasn’t such a big deal, but it was still quite something. The part about his natural skills being empowered was the most appealing.

After unlocking nature affinity, [Ratan Dash], [Ratan Stride], and [Snake Slither] had all evolved! Until now he had to change into one of his zoomorph forms for this to happen, but now he could just enjoy the enhanced skills all the time. He wondered if zoomorph forms would enhance them even further. Did the skill evolution effects stack? He couldn’t wait to change into [Ratan Form] or [Snake Form] to find out!

Certainly, the very last benefit was also appealing. After all, he had three pets! If they could grow even faster with this bonus, he wouldn’t complain! He would take every bit of help he could get.

There was only one thing left to discover.

“Excuse me, Oli. What is this [Table Blessing]?”

“Oh, right. You have to pick one of these. Take your time.” While Oli yawned and cuddled with Lin, several windows appeared before Roth.

Ch. 216 - Tail

INDEX

Ch. 218 - Blessings