DPSHealer

Chapter 260 - Troublesome Signs (Thank you for your support, Joshua, Desmond Willey-peck, Lia, Bersun Nox!)

The creatures were on the ground since Glacien killed them. It didn’t look like she had a hard time facing them, even though she should be on the level of the monsters here. The fact that she was an ice monster and the ice imps could only use that kind of magic helped her.

The monsters had bite marks on them, but they didn’t look like they had been chewed. Glacien knew that I would rather not have a pet that eats things like this.

“Hm, this is a problem. The mana levels here are higher than I expected.”

Roswald touched the wall covered in ice and then showed a troubled look. I more or less could tell that because I could see another group of frost imps in the distance, so it was clear that they were spawning faster than the previous floors.

“What are their parts that can be useful?” 

“As far as I know, alchemists from other lands asked for their blood. I don’t know what to do with it. We don’t sell it since we believe that taking their lives is already enough.”

I didn’t want to do anything with a kind of blood either, even if it was a powerful alchemy ingredient. Still, I wondered how the people of this place saw that. They were mixes of a bunch of races, so it shouldn’t be because of some very puritan idea.

“By the way, what is your relationship with blood? You don’t smell like it and you don’t look thirsty either.”

“What makes you think that I would answer this question?”

“You are pretty bad at chatting, Regulus.”

“Now you use my name?” 

“We can call each other by our real names now. It is the proof of our friendship.”

“I don’t have any friends as sketchy as you.”

I could tell that this guy was used to controlling the flow of things and making others do his bidding after acting friendly for a while, but such cheap tricks would never work on me.

Regardless, we began to move and soon we caught up with Glacien. She was still on the 21st floor thanks to the high encounter rate with the frost imps. She had a bunch of claw marks on her body, but I healed her with Beast Bond. It was better to level up that skill too, but I didn’t want to force Glacien to get hurt to use it. Considering my increased health regeneration, it would be hard for her to suffer too much damage anytime soon.

“What you can’t do?” 

“Make you shut up, apparently.”

“I mean, when it comes to fighting.”

“Never mind that. You can take the frontline now. Take the monsters on the left side and I will deal with the ones on the right side.”

“All right.”

I finished adding a simple amulet for Alissandra to keep her warmth against the cold, but soon I would have to make one for myself as well. That, or I should increase my Spirit. Still, it seemed like a waste of time since that parameter didn’t have a multiplier and it was my weakness. Perhaps I should take my scorching bow instead in order to keep things warmer.

I took it and slung it on my back. That was enough to make things warmer. In any case, we resumed the exploration and then Roswald finally had the chance to fight seriously. The Frost Imps were one meter tall, but they could fly fast, so disposing of them could be a bit trick, but Roswald could easily slit their throats enough with a single strike to stop them completely. As for me, a single Power Shot was enough to impale them.

Power Shot Lv 18: Fire an arrow with extra power, dealing higher damage equal to your strength and dexterity. It has a chance to knock back the target if your damage is higher than twenty percent of the target’s health. Cost: 18 Stamina

Rapid Fire Lv 15: Launch a quick series of three arrows at the target, dealing damage equal to your dexterity in a rapid succession of shots.  Cost: 22.8 Stamina

These skills had made a lot of progress, and since they couldn’t grant me new ones, perhaps I should focus on a crippling shot instead.

It felt refreshing doing that kind of fighting… using Arcane Arrow was fine, but there was something that made me feel good about being as basic as I could be with my fighting style. I couldn’t explain why.

Maybe it was because of my nature and archery skills were the things that I had been using the most for a long time. That made me think… what would happen if I made an amulet using the parts of a monster about their strongest skill?

‘It isn’t like I know all of their skills, but… the frozen imps bones were also small, it wouldn’t work… I also don’t want to use bones more than I have to.’

It was an interesting question, but one that wouldn’t change things that much. There were other things that I could and wanted to do to get stronger. Something like this was too conditional.

While we were advancing, I noticed that Roswald was taking some deep breaths after he cut down some of the monsters. After doing that hundreds of times, even if his strength was above these beasts, it wasn’t surprising that he would feel tired. 

‘He seems skilled enough to use one of my old bows… so perhaps I can add the stamina drain effect to them and he can alternate between fighting styles.’

That would benefit me too, so there was no reason to not do that. The only weird thing about this was the fact that he was getting tired only by using simple attacks. He didn’t show any active skill being used so far. Was he being mindful of me and trying to hide his true strength, or was he just pacing himself?

“Is it getting hard for you? Come to think of it, you have been moving left and right for a while.”

“Something like this is no worries for me. I was just sighing because it is boring to just fight the same way all the time and not chat between battles. Thanks for worrying about me, though. I guess I can think that you consider me a friend after this much, huh?”

“You had to make it weird, huh? You can use this bow for now. You can drain some stamina from the enemies. We can’t stop anytime soon, so this will help.”

“We actually can, but your unreasonable pace and goals are the ones causing trouble here.”

Roswald checked the bow for a moment and confirmed its effects. It could create arrows too and while it couldn’t drain mana, it was just a weapon to make him less tired, after all. It wasn’t a problem that it would drain his mana now and then.

Roswald soon proved that he could use the bow just fine, and he didn’t mind using several arrows in a row. In fact, he got a bit annoyed for a while trying to compete with me, but he eventually stopped and then looked around with a serious expression.

“The mana is fluctuating… did something happen at the end of the labyrinth, or…”

Roswald looked at me for a moment, but soon shook his head. It seemed that he knew that wherever I went, trouble followed, so he considered that some unexpected events here could be happening because of my arrival. Still, a dungeon break, huh? I guess my luck was that terrible.

“We might have to leave the labyrinth a bit sooner than expected. There are signs of the dungeon breaking already.”

“Can’t say that I can see them.”

“The signs will be only physically obvious a couple of hours before it happens. For now, the mana will only send weak shockwaves to show its instability. Our luck is terrible…”

I wondered if he was talking about us here or the people of the land as a whole. In any case, this was a new experience for me, but it wasn’t one that I could fully enjoy because I had to keep Alissandra safe. Wait, was that actually something that could be enjoyed?

“What will happen once a dungeon breaks while we are inside?”

“All the monsters that the labyrinth can spawn in a single day will feel the urge to leave the labyrinth. They will also realize that they can do that, even though they couldn’t do it before. The areas that we had been to will be fine, at least for today, but for a while, they will keep expelling monsters every day until the mana levels return to normal.”

I did some research about the subject, but it wasn’t that detailed. To avoid that kind of thing, we could keep heading further to weaken the dungeon break, but given that the labyrinth had one hundred floors, it wouldn’t change much. I had an idea of what I should do to deal with this, though.

“For how long will this last?”

“Well, we have been neglecting this labyrinth for six months, so it will happen five or six times. The monsters outside will only be able to move as fast as the bursts of mana coming from the labyrinth will allow them, but each day, the bursts would reach further lands.”

“Even if we keep the monsters here, will the break affect the temperature outside?”

“Hm? No? The bursts of mana each day is what will affect the environment. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.”

Getting a class on the fiftieth floor would be better thanks to the multipliers, but facing the monsters in a situation like this wouldn’t be half bad to get a shit ton of experience. To pull that off in this kind of situation, I just had to use the labyrinth itself against the monsters…

I kept thinking about my plans and improving them for a couple of hours, but as soon as we reached the middle of the third section, the whole labyrinth began to shake and I was able to tell that it was happening.

“I would imagine that we have less than three hours now… let’s retreat. I will have to call for those morons to help.”

“Nah, it is fine. I got this.”

Chapter 259 - Similar Lives

You received 2000 experience points.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Primal Archer (Barbarian, Bowman), Druid, and Priest (Dark Priest).

You obtained the Primal Archer class.

You improved the Health Regeneration parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Fury Marksman.

You unlocked the skill: Savage Shot.

You unlocked the skill: Hunter’s Rage.

Fury Marksman: Gain bonus experience when fighting as your health decreases.

Savage Shot - Fire an arrow with primal force, piercing through enemies and dealing increased damage based on your proximity to the target. If within melee range, the arrow causes a concussive blast, knocking enemies back. Cost: 25 Mana.

Hunter's Rage - Enter a berserk state, increasing attack speed, movement speed, and stamina regeneration by ten percent for a short duration. Using melee attacks or shooting arrows during this state further increases critical hit chances. Cost: 100 Mana and it lasts for thirty seconds.

The fight against the giant frost spider had been easy, too. A volley of explosive arrows and shock arrows made sure that the monsters never had a chance against me.

Making the choice for Alissandra was easy too, and Roswald didn’t lie about the fact that she would have at least one good option. I still couldn’t deny that her build was getting weird, though. Earth mage, now a priest and cleric. As much as I was curious about her future thanks to that, I couldn’t help but consider my new class.

‘My survivability increased, and this class fits me really well with its functions and skills. While I can’t afford to get hurt since I have to protect Glacien and Alissandra, I am mainly a solo fighter and getting hurt was normal for me against the toughest enemies. The skills consume mana too, so I can make amulets for them…’

“Awoo! Awoo!”

Glacien approached while trying to hand the basket to Alissandra. It was about dinner time for her, so it would be troublesome to feed her while moving.

“Do you want to hunt in the next section by yourself? Perhaps you should stick to this one…”

“Awoo!”

“Fine, suit yourself. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you beforehand.”

I began to work on looking after Alissandra. I was starting to get used to that, but it still felt weird. Looking after a kid that wasn’t mine… in any case, the surrounding temperature was slightly increasing. It seemed that the bosses affected the environments of the labyrinths quite a bit.

“The mana levels here are getting weaker, from here onwards, at least on the third section. We can assume that every hour here will delay the break for one hour.”

“... I see, I guess you are indeed a half beastkin.”

“What makes you think that I am?” 

“You aren’t short and large like a dwarf. When you talked about the elves, it felt like you were talking about people not close to you. Nimir also had instincts when it comes to sensing mana within a dungeon. That also would explain why you helped those guys so easily.”

“Your assessment is half correct. I helped them to learn about their situation for more information, though.”

In a world like this, knowledge was also power. People would be able to predict all sorts of things if they know what is happening in other places. In any case, this made me wonder if the empire was still letting people obtain battle slaves… they should be aware that letting those masses keep happening again and again would only come to bite in their asses later. Not like I cared if that causes the downfall of the empire.

“By the way, you know what the empire had been doing in the Elven land, right? What do you want for that kind of information?”

“All the classes that can be obtained in the dungeons and labyrinths of this land.”

“You sure are asking a lot… I can give you that kind of information if you tell me what you have seen while you were in that part of the world and in the dwarven territory too.”

“All right, deal.”

I told him what I knew while he marked on my map the classes that could be obtained in each dungeon and labyrinth. I wasn’t surprised by the fact that he knew all that. 

“I see… it looks like the empire indeed got a powerful tool.”

I didn’t know how keeping that information to myself would make things more convenient for me, so I told him about the clairvoyant. I could have asked for more information in exchange later. Besides, the more people can get in the way of the empire, the better it would be for me. Still, I didn’t tell him that this clairvoyant had a hard time seeing events that I was involved in.

“The empire might not be lying about working to make sure that this rift won’t destroy most of the world, but they sure will take advantage of it once this issue is over.”

Roswald was considering their options, clearly thinking about their next moves. The rift was a pressing issue, one they couldn’t ignore, but letting the Empire dictate the course of events wasn’t a good outcome. The Empire had too much influence, too much control, and if they were allowed to call all the shots, it would leave everyone else at its mercy.

He realized that they couldn’t deal with this problem alone. The logical solution would be to form a coalition with other lands that also opposed the Empire. While such alliances were never simple to forge, they could create a powerful counterbalance to the Empire’s dominance. With shared goals and resources, the coalition would stand a much better chance of protecting their interests and shaping events on their own terms.

The potential rewards outweigh the risks. A coalition would give them leverage, resources, and perhaps even a stronger voice in whatever came next. If Roswald could pull it off, it wouldn’t just make things easier, it might actually tip the scales in their favor. And that was a future worth fighting for.

“We will have to move fast… the empire is already too advanced with its plans. It is good that you are insane when it comes to labyrinth exploration speed.”

“Good for you.”

“Putting some sense into those guys will be hard, but the leaders of the free cities will understand the necessity of an alliance with the guys outside. The guys in the North will be difficult, but the beastkin should be easier to convince. It is a good thing that I helped Vincent, Raul and Nimira back then. Hehehe.”

“Your true colors are slipping up.”

“I was just kidding. Are you planning to head to Felyndor once we are done with this? Using your vehicle will be useful for this kind of job.”

“No one said that you could enter it and I am definitely not heading there anymore for a very long while. Before you ask, I don’t have to tell you where I will go.”

“Even though you will have the biggest chances of finding someone to look after Alissandra there? In the last few years, Vincent managed to change a few things there, since he managed to overthrow those who sold him and his friends as slaves. That is why the refugees of the Skarnash Tribelands managed to stay there.”

“Your tactics to control me are useless.”

“I guess you are worried about seeing Nimira after all these years.”

I let out a sigh… not as much as worried as thoughtful about if she had become someone that can rely on her own strength and decide things for herself. herself.

“You should make some friends there. You already have some there, right? Your reputation won’t be as bad there.”

“I don’t have friends there. I have some acquaintances and someone I looked after for a short while. You should give up on selling me this trip when it is clearly for your own interest.”

“You have a point, I suppose.”

I finished warming up Alissandra’s food and then gave it to her… I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Her mother should be the one doing this while feeling happy, not me feeling awkward. I couldn’t help but think about her father as well… I at least knew mine, despite the fact that we couldn’t see each other eye to eye and while I had his blood, I couldn’t consider him my father.

‘It is like our lives are overly dramatic Mexican Novellas…’

We both didn’t have any real places for us in the world… We both didn’t know one of our parents and our homeland wanted to hunt us like vermin. Still, I shook those thoughts from my head. I didn’t want to think too much about this and change my goals… I wanted to explore the world and get stronger to be able to defend myself. I couldn’t stop now and think that I could be someone else’s parent.

After eating, Alissandra eventually fell asleep, and I put her back in her basket. It was time to move again, and I had to be more deadly since the next monsters should be stronger, but I couldn’t make a lot of noise and wake her up.

I rubbed my chin while thinking of what I should do… explosive arrows were not good. Shock arrows could do some damage, but the shocking sound would cause some noise. Arrows enchanted with wind would do a better job, or perhaps I just had to keep spamming Power Shot and make my iron arrows pierce the skulls of the monsters.

‘I didn’t want to use my cursed arrows, but I don’t have a choice… they will ignore most of the defenses of the monsters.’

I created some of those and then nodded in satisfaction… Come to think of it, Glacien had yet to return after spending more than one hour away. She was another one who was becoming too unruly lately.

“Let’s get going.”

“Already? I didn’t even have time to take a nap.”

“If you had stayed quiet instead of saying nonsense, you would have had plenty of time to rest.”

I ignored Roswald’s complaints and then headed to the third section. Before long, I was able to see the new monster there… I frowned at their appearance. Standing about two to three feet tall, they have thin, wiry bodies seemingly carved from ice. Their frosty skin reflected light, and that made them appear ghostly in the labyrinth. Their jagged, angular forms give them a sharp, menacing look, with spindly arms and claw-like fingers… they were ice imps.

Chapter 258 - Apart

The beast quickly opened its mouth and then fired a light-blue liquid toward us, but I used the Earthen Wall to block them and check its durability. The part that was hit soon began to freeze.

I kicked the wall and then made it fall over the frost spiders. Still, they were strong enough not to be smashed by the wall. Soon, their legs cracked the wall, but as soon as they showed up, they were hit by a barrage of arrows.

You received 30 experience points.

You received 30 experience points.

“Their frost poison is used to slow down those with quick legs. I am sure that they have other uses, but I don’t know them. Anyway, we don’t have time to get the poison, right?”

“Nah, this will be fast.”

I was pretty sure that they would have their poison organs in the same spot as the others that I had fought and soon I confirmed that, given that their appearance was the same. Regardless, it was unnerving as ever to get the parts of the spiders when they had so many eyes pointed at me.

“So, you are an alchemist, too?” 

“You are free to think that.”

“Can’t you just answer the question? What is the point in denying?”

“Before asking for answers to others, you should tell a bit about yourself.”

“Me? I am just a boring guy that has a hobby of gathering information about all sorts of things. There is nothing else to say about me.”

“I can say the same thing about myself.”

“You don’t seem like the type who likes to gather intel.”

I felt like sighing… I wondered why I couldn’t find some normal people on my travels. Maybe it was because I was not normal myself, in more ways than one. Putting that aside, the encounter rate of frost spiders was quite something. We barely crossed fifty meters before new ones emerged. Adding that to the time of gathering materials, and I could guess that I might not reach the 50th floor in three days.

‘I guess I will explode their heads with explosive arrows… as long as I aim well, it won’t destroy the organ.’

The encounter rate with frost spiders was ridiculous. Considering the time spent fighting and harvesting materials, I could already tell I wasn’t making it to the 50th floor in three days.

It would make things messier, splattered spider parts and more cleanup, but it would save me time. That trade-off was fine by me. I didn’t know when I’d get another chance to gather this type of material, so it was better to stack up for the future. A little extra effort now could mean a big payoff later.

“You sure are good when it comes to dismantling monsters. Nimira told me that you did most of the work when it comes to things that aren’t related to fighting as well.”

“I have been doing this for six years. It would be weird if I weren’t good at dismantling the monsters.”

I took a random bolt from my magic bag and then used Poison Tipped Bolt. I soon confirmed the result… It looked like, despite his words, Roswald still had much to learn.

Frost Poisonous Bolt.

It has the power to damage the target and make them become thirty percent slower for a minute. When the effect stacks, it causes damage to the stamina of the target, making them lose the points of Stamina per second for ten seconds.

It was indeed a rather potent poison. If I used this kind of bolt and stamina drain as well, I could exhaust most of my targets insanely fast. Weakening a target with that kind of combination and then decreasing their defenses with cursed arrows and then attacking freely afterwards seemed the best option to easily deal with most enemies. I made some copies of those just in case.

I have been making the decay bolts periodically, but I had to stop since Roswald showed up. I couldn’t give him that much information about my skills, after all. He was also taking the back seat and watching me as much as possible while he could.

“The materials that your wagon was made of, they are from areas that belong to the dwarven territory, right?”

“What about it?”

“If you were there, you could have visited the Kingdom of Felyndor, right?”

“I could, but it would be too much of a hassle crossing their land while they were at war. The people of Felyndor also had received the refugees of the Skarnash Tribelands, so it would be a mess there.”

“I heard that things are going well there despite the immigrants. Some people don’t like the changes, but they welcomed the strength of the orcs, goblins and ogres. They should be aware that the empire will soon target them and having that kind of allies would come in handy.”

Roswald’s knack for information gathering was far more impressive than I had initially given him credit for. The intelligence he provided was not only detailed but also incredibly timely, making it nearly impossible to tell if he had even stepped out of the country to obtain it. This raised some serious questions in my mind. Did he have a network of spies operating in far-off places? Was he relying on some magical artifact that allowed him to communicate with people in those places?

A long-distance communication device capable of transmitting detailed information quickly and discreetly would be an excellent tool in my hands. I already knew that they existed, after all. The only downside was that I didn’t have the people that I could trust all over the world.

In any case, the second section still was easy for me to solo the whole thing, so we managed to cross the floors relatively fast. Given the time that I was using to get the materials, I assumed that Roswald had enough time to recover, so he could keep going like this for a while longer.

Eventually, we reached the next boss chamber when night was coming and I stopped to think about what I should do… leaving Glacien and Alissandra behind was probably the best option given that she was too young to keep getting powerful classes.

“All right, stay here and protect Alissandra, Glacien. An accident is bound to happen if she keeps getting powerful skills.”

“Awoo!”

“Ughhh...”

For some reason, Alissandra looked like she didn’t like that idea. Maybe she was just hungry, and I was imagining things. Still, just as I was about to head to the boss chamber, I confirmed what was going on.

“WAHHHH! WAHHHH!”

Alissandra’s cry made me feel like my eardrums were about to explode. I was forced to cover my ears for a while and return to Alissandra’s side. Given that she was a harpy, it made sense that she would have strong vocal cords, but even so.

It looked like she could tell that I was leaving for a while and that never happened even when she was sleeping, maybe I spoiled her a bit too much, and I could only blame myself for it.

“I will be back soon, don’t worry about it.

“Ughhh…”

“Oh boy… now what?”

“I don’t think that you need to worry too much about it. At least one class of each trial will be considered a support class. You won’t be putting her in danger by taking her with us.”

“You aren’t thinking things through as much as I am.”

“If you aren’t planning to adopt her, then giving her the means to defend herself in the future is the best option. I don’t know why you found her, but I would guess that she has similar family problems as you. Helping her with that will make things even easier for her than it was for you, right?”

I couldn’t understand why Roswald was being so considerate toward Alissandra. Sure, she was just a baby, but that didn’t change the fact that she was a harpy, and the harpies had been causing no end of trouble for the half-humans in the war.

This world was still in a stage of development where grudges and prejudices were commonplace. It wasn’t surprising that people directed their hatred toward their enemies, even when those enemies were as innocent as toddlers.

Whether it was out of principle, strategy, or some personal reason I couldn’t understand yet, he seemed willing to look past Alissandra’s heritage in a way most people wouldn’t even consider. At least he wasn’t saying something like I should raise her… my life wasn’t easy for kids and it was better if I found someone to look after her before some troublesome people found me.

While I was thinking about that, I saw Alissandra looking at me still looking a bit angry, she was pouting too, somehow. I couldn’t help but sigh. She was too expressive for her age. Perhaps I should only consider facing the bosses while she was sleeping… in that case, we had to cross the third section before she woke up.

“All right… just don’t think that you will always get what you want by crying like that. I definitely won’t take you to the fights against the fourth and fifth bosses.”

“Da-da.”

“Everyone around me feels the need to have the last word, huh? Pain in the asses.”

I turned around only to see a confused expression on Roswald’s face; he couldn’t understand why I was used to talking with Alissandra and Glacien. It was just a little trick to create a bond between us, in order to make sure that they would be less unruly. I was sure that this would come to bite me in the ass later.

Chapter 257 - Tough Choice

Although it would be fine either way, Roswald didn’t try to dash ahead to get the monsters or didn’t try to stay behind and just watch me do the fighting. Instead of that, he just watched the surroundings and analyzed the ice on the walls. Thanks to all the fighting that Glacien did over the week, I believed that it had thinned out a bit, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

‘Mana is more dense in the deepest parts of the dungeon and then it begins to affect the other areas. The deeper areas are also longer and can host more monsters, and things can become even more dangerous if the monsters began to reproduce.’

In any case, the encounter rate was truly fearsome, so I decided to increase my Fire Affinity a bit more. I didn’t have multipliers for that, so I had to use a lot of experience, but I had saved up a lot of experience in the last week.

“What do you know about this labyrinth?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I want to know exactly what is waiting for us ahead.”

“Wouldn’t it be boring to know that stuff ahead instead of enjoying the surprises?”

“Not really.”

“Hahaha, you are as serious as they said, friend!”

“It seems that they did more than just laying the groundwork when it comes to delivering information about me.”

“You consider that much information?”

I felt like sighing. This guy was indeed doing his best to keep the information about the labyrinth as unclear as possible. This type of guy was good at playing dumb, so insisting on it wouldn’t change a thing.

In the end, the extra information would give me some time to prepare, but it wasn’t like I needed a lot of it just to deal with some monsters. Things might be different in the fourth and fifth layer of the labyrinth, though.

“By the way, did you give up on finding someone to look after this little girl?”

As expected, this guy was sharp… I didn’t say a single thing or did anything too obvious that would have made it clear that was my goal. Still, that would be the kind of assumption that someone who believed that I wasn’t a monster like other vampires would do.

“Ah, don’t look at me like that. It just seemed pretty obvious. Most people can fear you and fear will cloud their judgment, but I am different.”

He had a point, but I still felt bothered by it. Aside from screw looses like Zyra and her crew, no one had any reason to give me a vote of confidence, even those who were stronger than me were cautious around me to some extent.

“I guess you are like that. Even if you have been found out, you can’t bring yourself to confirm it. Regardless, it would have been different before the war, but I don’t think that the little girl will find much peace here. There are some people who won’t treat her badly, but I can’t say that those people won’t take advantage of her by raising her to become a weapon against the harpies in the future.”

That seemed logical… the twilight brotherhood fit that role clearly. That was why I had given up on finding someone to look after Alissandra here. My next option was Felyndor, but I was hesitant to head there and risking finding Nimir. I thought of him as a little brother until now, so it would be awkward if I confirmed that he was she.

‘Give me a break. I don’t need that kind of issue in my life.’

I couldn’t help but feel a bit of curiosity about how Nimir was faring these days. Was he still the same awkward, timid person I remembered, or had he grown into someone stronger and more confident? Part of me wanted to check in on him, but I knew better.

For his sake, it was better if we stayed apart for a few more years. He needed time to grow without me covering for him, influencing his every step. If he was ever going to become someone truly capable, he needed to meet others who could shape his life in positive ways, people who could offer him perspectives and experiences I couldn’t.

Staying away wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. I had to trust that time and space would help him become the person he could be.

In any case, we reached the first boss chamber after two hours. We could have been faster, but I made sure to get the mana cores from the monsters. I also got their claws, just in case.

“That is an interesting vehicle. You have three. It was able to keep up with us for so long while you were carrying that little girl.”

“They are common in the Empire.”

“Yeah, I have heard of that, but I can’t imagine them selling those to you.”

“Anyway, I will deal with the boss. You look after Alissandra, Glacien.”

“Awoo.”

“It kind of hurts to be less trusted than a beast.”

This would be the first real test of my new bow… it was new because of the effects. It was created almost three years ago, after all. Without wasting time, we stepped into the boss chamber and soon I found the boss… I was a bit surprised since Glacien fought this and won, but the boss was a mini T-Rex covered in ice scales.

“GRUUUAAAAARRRGHHH!!!”

Even the roar seemed like the real deal… In any case, the monster was relatively slow, so soon I began to bombard its face with Rapid Fire… the arrows pierced quite deeply and that made a lot of blood gush from the wounds.

You received 500 experience points.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Earth Mage, Dark Scrollmaker, and Spellblade (Bloody Blade).

You obtained the Earth Mage class.

You unlocked the Earth Affinity parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Stone Resonance.

You unlocked the skill: Rock Barrage.

You unlocked the skill: Earthen Wall.

Stone Resonance: Gain experience for every second an enemy is affected by earth-based crowd control or damaged.

Rock Barrage: Summon a cluster of jagged stones and launch them at high speed toward a target or area. The stones deal physical and magical damage, scaling with Earth Affinity and magic. Cost: 30 Mana.

Earthen Wall: Create a sturdy barrier of earth and stone to block enemy attacks and restrict their movement. At higher levels, the wall becomes larger and more durable, and you can create it at a greater distance. Cost: 50 Mana.

I couldn’t help but frown when the monster fell on the ground… that had been just too easy. I just used Rapid Fire a couple of times with wooden arrows. The skill wasn’t at an insane level, but it had been quite effective. Still, perhaps I was expecting too much of a challenge from the first boss of this labyrinth.

Someone under your protection received the chance to obtain a class, but they can’t choose it. You will have to make the choice for them.

Alissandra completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Earth Mage, Scrollmaker, and Spellblade).

I also picked Earth Mage for Alissandra since she would have a defensive spell… but it seemed off to grant her earth affinity when she was a harpy. Regardless, perhaps I really shouldn’t take her to the next boss fight. The classes will become more and more offensive oriented.

‘Unless there is a way for me to seal her abilities while she grows… Kids with superpowers don’t sound like a perfect combination.’

“Is there something bothering you, friend? By the way, your skill with the bow is rather impressive. It would put our half-elves to shame.”

I ignored him and kept thinking about that issue… I was sure that there were some artifacts out there that seal the skills of prisoners or captives, but I didn’t want that for Alissandra. Unless I find a solution to this issue, I will have to keep her outside before the next boss battle.

“Let’s get going. I want to finish this in less than three days.”

“Less than three days? Aren’t you planning to stop to sleep or anything?”

“No.”

Roswald looked completely baffled when I told him my plans. I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely surprised or just pretending. It was, as usual, hard to read him. Either way, it didn’t matter. A seasoned fighter like him should have some experience pushing his limits, fighting for several days without rest, even without stopping to sleep.

Then again, I couldn’t ignore one glaring issue. Stamina had to be his weak point. His build and fighting style didn’t scream endurance; they relied more on bursts of strength and speed. If he had to sustain that for days on end, he’d burn out fast. That’s probably why my plans seemed ridiculous to him. For someone like Roswald, the idea of prolonged, grueling fights might as well be suicide.

“I have some stamina potions with me, so you don’t have to worry about that. You can also leave the enemies to me for quite a while.”

“You aren’t joking about that, huh? You must have had a tough life if you think that this is a feasible plan.”

In any case, I chopped off the parts of the boss with Wind Shurikens to dismantle it later. I had increased my number of magic bags, but even that was starting to become a bother. Keeping more than fifteen of them on my belt was that annoying. I had to increase the ranks of their effects. That would exponentially make them much more useful.

Once that was done, we headed to the next section and soon I noticed that the temperature dropped even more. Alissandra was still sleeping peacefully, but I didn’t think that she would feel that comfortable in the fifth section.

‘I need to make her some anti-cold items. My cloak alone won’t be enough for long.’

While I was thinking about that, the new enemies also emerged from the walls as soon as we stepped on the next section… It was a creature covered in ice. Its legs were long and thin, looking like twisted icicles with glowing blue veins running through them. The body was clear and shining like frozen water, and its many eyes glowed a white, making it look both scary and deadly. It moved quickly and quietly, crawling on the ceiling of the labyrinth with ease, its sharp claws gripping everything it touches… A frost spider.

Chapter 256 - Compromising 

“Her? Nimir is a boy. You should check your eyes.”

“She was definitely a girl. I used identification on her and her name is Nimira.”

This guy didn’t have any reason to lie to me, but that could only be impossible… I don’t remember using identification on her, but I should have used it at some point. How did I learn about her curses and traits again? That is right… I asked her to show on the snow her status screen information.

Nimir was supposed to be my age back then, and since he was skin and bones, maybe that was why I didn’t notice anything… But now that I think about it, there were some incidents that looked a bit weird. Nimir looked awfully embarrassed when the healer lady called him cute. I also remember Vincent and Raul looking at me with weird eyes when I was interacting with him. They looked baffled. 

“She was a bit boyish back then, so you probably didn’t realize that. In any case, when are we going to clear the labyrinth?”

“I never said that I would clear the labyrinth. I have to look after a newborn baby if you can’t see. I have fought against the final guardian of a demonic labyrinth. That isn’t something that only two people can do.”

With some luck, I would be able to do that before I turn twenty, but I can’t be certain… I need to improve my skills a lot before that can happen.

“Then how about until the fiftieth floor? That should buy us some time.”

“You don’t have a single ally that you can ask for this? I will say this, if you are plotting something, I will be sure that you will have a very long time to regret doing this…”

“I wouldn’t do something like that. If I wanted you dead, I would just attack you directly. Being sneaky and cowardly is too much of a pain.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he was taunting me or if he genuinely believed in his own strength. His words had an edge to them, but there was no arrogance in his tone, just a matter-of-fact bluntness that made it hard to tell. It was really uncommon for me to find this kind of character.

Still, he didn’t act like someone strong. He moved with a casualness that lacked the sharp precision of a seasoned warrior, and he didn’t carry the aura of danger that people with real power tend to exude. If anything, he seemed... ordinary.

That thought bothered me quite a bit. Was I being underestimated? Made fun at? Could he actually back up his words, or was he bluffing? If it was the latter, he was doing a damn good job of it.

If it was until the fiftieth floor, then it was feasible. Once things get hard, I can always make Glacien look after Alissandra outside the boss’ chambers. Still, her food wouldn’t last for long.

“All right… until the 50th floor I will help you.”

“Great, let’s get going then. I also have things to do.”

I began to work on dismounting the vehicle. The improved version of the bike wasn’t ready yet, but I still could use the old one to cross the labyrinth faster. Once that was done, he gave the items to me. I didn’t feel like risking losing them, so I used Essence Extraction.

The skill Essence Extraction leveled up. You received 1800 experience points.

The skill Essence Extraction leveled up. You received 1900 experience points.

The skill Essence Extraction leveled up. You received 2000 experience points.

The skill Essence Extraction leveled up. You received 2100 experience points.

The skill Essence Extraction leveled up. You received 2200 experience points.

It has been a while since a single skill leveled up that much, and I soon regretted my choice since the headache that followed truly bothered me… those were high rank enchantments, so it was no surprise. At least this time around, I didn’t have a nosebleed. The other time my nose kept bleeding for a while…

“Do you have forging skills? I don’t think that we can make mythical items with the boss of the 50th floor.”

“I have, but I didn’t make anything even close to that rank aside from bows.”

“This will be tough, but I guess we can find a solution along the way. Let’s get going and try not to put an arrow on my back.”

“It will be fine as long as you don’t give me a reason to do so.”

Time was of the essence, so I immediately mounted my bike. The cloaked guy seemed like he was the speed type, so he shouldn’t have a hard time keeping up. There was enough room for Alissandra on the back seat, so we would be able to move fast.

“Glacien, take the lead for now and show us the right path to the boss chamber.”

“Awoo!”

“Glacien, huh? That is a weird name. By the way, my name is Roswald.”

“Good for you.”

“Hahaha, you are as harsh as they say, friend.”

We got inside the labyrinth and soon Roswald began to dash alongside Glacien. It didn’t look like he was putting in that much effort, but despite that, he could easily run at fifty miles per hour. When the frost lizards emerged, he passed by them and cut their throats with insane speed. I barely had the time to see his weapon. It was one of those cursed and curved knives that I had seen before… when the twilight brotherhood attacked us to kill Louise.

I couldn’t help but think about it. Guys who fight like assassins are usually terrible when it comes to dungeon exploration. Their whole skill set is built around striking fast and clean, taking down targets in controlled environments. Dungeons, on the other hand, are chaotic for obvious reasons. They are unpredictable monsters and challenges that require endurance and adaptability.

Stealth and precision might help with the occasional ambush or bypassing a trap, but when you’re stuck in a narrow corridor with a horde of monsters charging at you, or when a boss requires a prolonged, drawn-out fight, assassins usually fall apart. They lack the stamina for prolonged fights, and their reliance on surprise makes them less effective in the face of endless waves of enemies.

That’s why I couldn’t figure this guy out. He spoke with such confidence, but nothing about him screamed “dungeon expert.” If he really fought like an assassin, then this labyrinth was going to chew him up and spit him out.

‘Putting that aside… given that he is from here and he is good at collecting information, he should know that I have fought the twilight brotherhood and he is still showing their weapon?’

That was indeed very odd, but I felt like this guy was just messing with me. Whenever the monsters approached, he would dash ahead even faster than Glacien to kill them first and then he would show his proud smile to her. Whenever that happens, she would growl in annoyance… this guy was indeed very troublesome.

In order to not let things go the way he wanted, I decided to make my move. I finally had adjusted my how with the enchantments, after all.

Titan Triple Glacic Bow (Legendary)

Enchantment Slots: Mana Drain (Adept) (03) – Restores your mana when hitting a target, you can recover mana equal to twenty percent of the damage caused. Critical strikes increase mana gain to 40%.

Arrow Creation (Adept) (03) - You can summon arrows made of wood for five points of mana, iron for ten points of mana, or silver for twenty points of mana. The arrows can last for 45 minutes.

Stamina Drain (Novice) (03): Restores stamina equal to 10% of the damage dealt with each hit. Critical strikes drain 20% stamina from the target and transfer half to the wielder.

Bonus Effects: Homing Shot - Causes arrows to adjust their trajectory to track a target, with reduced accuracy over long distances.

Pierce - Ignores forty points of the endurance of the target when hitting them.

Spectral Bond - Mark an enemy with a spirit tether, allowing allies to deal increased damage to that target while the mark lasts. It lasts for five seconds, making the target suffer ten percent more damage per effect stacked.

Troll’s Strength: Halven the costs of skills when using this weapon.

Attack: 120

Durability: 120/200

For now, I didn’t need anything aside from Arrow Creation, Mana Drain and Stamina Drain, but the self repair ability also took three slots from the enchantments. I wanted to believe that I had gotten better as an Enchanter, but I still failed in making those take less space. So, I had to compromise. Still, I could always equip that effect later. It didn’t have to stay on the bow all the time.

In any case, I began to kill the frost lizards with my arrows before Roswald could attack them, so he looked at me with a frown. I couldn’t be certain, since his face was mostly covered by his hood.

“Is that a challenge, friend?”

“Maybe? You can dash ahead and exhaust yourself to kill the monsters if you don’t like it.”

“Why do I feel like you are trying to manipulate me with this? You will have the chance to get the mana cores without working for them, right?”

“Indeed.”

“You are pretty devious, friend.”

“If you weren’t so shady, I wouldn’t have to be.”

“Hah, you got me there.”

I couldn’t help but think that Roswald was someone pretty important here… not just because of his skills when it comes to fighting and gathering intelligence. Perhaps he was the leader of an underground organization. Considering that he came in contact with Nimir and the others four years ago, that seemed accurate. Those guys wouldn’t let anyone find them that they didn’t believe that could be trusted.

With that in mind, I had some ideas of what he could be doing by trying to work with me directly… he was probably trying to assess what kind of person I was before showing his true nature.

Chapter 255 - Suspicious Behavior (Thank you for your support, Lance!)

The cloaked guy left without saying anything and then Glacien resumed her hunt in the labyrinth while Alisandra woke up and began to make a fuss since she was hungry. It looked like I would never have a moment of peace from now on.

‘I need to make more tools for my laboratory… If I want to make my own recipes for potions, I need to analyze all the parts of all the materials that I came across. As long as it is something that isn’t nasty, I should consider using it.’

I already had Observe, with a microscope. Perhaps I could check the smaller parts of most things to see their basic nature. That should be a good start.

It seemed a bit too late to start in the path of alchemy, but it was fun, so it was alright. It also would help me in the battles, and I have been looking for some kind of support role to cover that kind of thing once I obtained the power to create my arrows with mana.

Even Renna’s alchemy book had all kinds of recipes for potions, with all kinds of effects, so it would be fun and useful to have my own. The recipes that she had were: Health Restoration: Instantly restores a portion of lost health. Stamina Boost: Replenishes stamina to fight or run longer. Mana Restoration: Restores a portion of spent mana or energy used for magic. Antidote: Cures poison effects over time. Regeneration Elixir: Gradually restores health, mana, and stamina over several seconds.

There were also others for direct combat: Strength Elixir: Increases physical damage dealt for a limited time. Fortitude Potion: Reduces incoming physical damage. Agility Draught: Enhances speed and reflexes temporarily. Focus Tonic: Improves accuracy for ranged attacks or concentration for spell casting. Adrenaline Surge: Temporarily boosts all combat stats but causes fatigue afterward. There were many other types of effects for elemental magic, utility, and effects that affect the mind.

‘I had read some alchemy books back home, but we were mainly a family of warriors, so they didn’t know much about that topic. Renna should be a hundred years old, that would explain why she knows so much. Wait a minute, weren’t Clarice’s parents that were the alchemists?’

I probably shouldn’t dive too much in that area, though. I was mainly an engineer, after all. My real strength lies in crafting stuff that helps directly in fighting. Perhaps I can combine both, though. I had read all the alchemy book, but that still didn’t give me any hint on how to use the Mana cores the way I wanted. 

I had been thinking about the potential of using mana cores in a liquid form. The idea was interesting. Such a transformation could open up countless possibilities in my field of creation. Liquid mana cores would be far more versatile, making it easier to integrate their energy into interesting and complex mechanisms. It could revolutionize how creations powered by mana worked.

Still, I wasn’t naïve enough to think I was the first to consider this. Turning mana cores into a liquid state was likely a dream many others had tried to accomplish, especially those in advanced fields of magic or alchemy. Yet, despite all the effort and innovation that must have gone into the idea, no one had managed to pull it off, at least not to the extent that it was known or practical.

The fact that no one had succeeded made it both difficult and tempting. If I could figure out the secret, it would be a groundbreaking achievement. The challenge was immense, but the rewards could be even greater.

In any case, two days later. I couldn’t help but sigh since the progress of the improved wagon was a lot slower than I had imagined… I wanted speed, but I didn’t want to sacrifice durability, so the problem was my own greed.

When I took a break, I realized that Glacien was leaving the labyrinth covered in bruises. She also had some claw marks on her body.

“What have you done this time around?” 

“Awoo!”

I healed her and then she put the magic bag that she carried in front of me. I immediately was able to tell that it was completely filled. When I checked the interior, I was able to see to extra large frost lizard claws and some large bones as well.

“You went out and defeated the first boss by yourself…”

Glacien looked proud of herself, but that had been pretty dumb. It was clear that the first boss of this kind of labyrinth wasn’t as weak as the others. Hence why Glacien was so beaten up.

“I guess I can’t say much when it comes to recklessness. Just rest for a while before deciding to do something stupid again.”

“Awooo!”

While I said that, Glacien’s judgement was better than mine when it comes to danger. She was a beast, after all. She wouldn’t pick a fight that she knew that she couldn’t win…

“Da-da-da!”

Glacien sniffed Alisandra and then curled up around her cradle. I thought that Alisandra just said something akin to welcome back, but I couldn’t be certain. Glacien yawned and then began to sleep… All of a sudden, I felt pretty tired too. The famous mirror effect… of was it.

I stretched my body and then let my back rest against the wall of the wagon while I stared at the blue sky. It wasn’t going to snow today, given that the sky was crystal clear. I still felt relaxed while looking at the blue sky, even though it always made me feel weaker.

‘It feels like a nice day to laze around.’

It would be good if I could do that, but not doing anything only made me worry. I was worried about Clarice and the situation at her home. Nimir too… I could guess that he managed to reach the Kingdom of Felyndor, but the world was changing and I wondered how she would fare with those changes.

‘Meh, I will just work.’

In the end, I had to stay productive. It was the only way to keep the worries about situations beyond my control from overwhelming me. Letting my mind dwell on uncertainties and problems I couldn’t solve would only paralyze me, leaving me trapped in a cycle of anxiety and frustration.

By focusing on what I could do, on the tasks and goals within my reach, I found a sense of purpose and direction. At the very least, staying productive gave me the chance to change the things that were within my power. It wasn’t easy to push those larger worries aside, but I knew that dwelling on them wouldn’t help. The best I could do was channel my energy into meaningful actions, even if they seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things. 

Two more days passed, and it looked like my guarding job would end without any issues… I tried to avoid thinking about that, even more so saying it Outloud in order not to jinx myself. Still, I knew that nothing in my life is ever so simple… I confirmed that on the morning of the sixth day of my job. Just when I was about to dash away from the area as soon as the week ended. However, I could see that guy approaching once again.

“Heya. How have you been doing, friend?”

“... Do you realize how suspicious you sound whenever you call me that?”

“Yes, however, I can’t think of any other way to act normally.”

“You must have had a weird life so far if this is your idea of normal.”

“Anyway, look at what I brought here.”

Aegis of Renewal (Epic)

Enchantment Slots: Self-Repair (Novice) - The shield restores 5 durability everyday. If damaged during combat, the repair effect is delayed for 5 hours after the last hit.

Defense: 50

Durability: 40/40

Stamina-Siphoning Fang (Epic)

Enchantment Slots:

Stamina Drain (Novice): Restores stamina equal to 10% of the damage dealt with each hit. Critical strikes drain 20% stamina from the target and transfer half to the wielder.

Attack: 18

Durability: 15/15

I furrowed my eyebrows when I used identification on the items that the cloaked guy brought me… considering that he hadn’t seen items with those effects, he sure found them fast.

The Aegis of Renewal was a medium-sized, circular shield with a robust design. Its surface was crafted from a combination of polished gold metal and reinforced obsidian, giving it a sturdy appearance. The outer rim was engraved with a soft glow blue, showing the self-repair enchantment at work.

At the center of the shield was a radiant, hexagonal crystal embedded into the metal. This crystal pulsed gently with light, emitting a faint hum that was both soothing and empowering. Fine, vine-like etchings radiate from the central crystal.

The Stamina-Siphoning Fang was a slim and terrifying looking dagger, designed with both elegance and lethality in mind. Its blade was slightly curved, ending in a wickedly sharp point. The metal of the blade has a glossy black finish, with faint green light etched along its length. 

The hilt was wrapped in dark leather with green stitching, ensuring a secure grip. A small emerald-like gem was embedded in the pommel, pulsating faintly with energy that flows to the wielder when stamina is drained.

“It is good to have friends in high places. I don’t think that I would have obtained these kinds of relics by myself. I can give them to you if you make a pair of daggers with these enchantments.”

“So, that is how it is, huh? I can’t make daggers with both effects. It would require daggers of the mythic rank.”

“We can make them if we defeat the final guardian of the labyrinth. With my help, this will be a cinch.”

“... How much did they tell you?”

It was becoming very clear that Vincent and Nimir had let some information about my enchanting skills slip. Otherwise, this guy wouldn’t have approached me with such a specific and ambitious request. Enchanting wasn’t exactly a casual craft that everyone was aware of, and the precision needed for something like this wasn’t common knowledge either.

The way he framed his request hinted that he already knew I was capable of. It wasn’t the kind of task someone would randomly assign to a novice or someone without a reputation for pulling off the extraordinary.

“Don’t get angry at her. She was just a kid back then who was just too honest for her own good.”

Chapter 254 - Half Serious 

The first day of guarding the labyrinth ended without any issues. Glacien kept hunting the monsters and bringing me the materials. Given that I saw her teeth bloody sometimes, it looked like she was eating the monsters too.

“Don’t exaggerate, or you will get fat.”

“Grrr…”

“No point in complaining about common sense. Anyway, you have some experience points. Where do you want to invest them? Strength? Magic? Endurance?”

“Awoo!”

“I don’t think that you can grow further than this, but I guess that it is up to you.”

Name: Glacien

Race: Glacierborn Predator

Health: 350/350 (0/3600)

Regen: 2.1 per hour (0/2100)

Mana: 350/350 (0/3600)

Regen: 2.1 per minute (0/2100)

Stamina: 350/350 (0/3600)

Regen: 2.1 per minute (0/2100)

Strength: 32 (0/3300)

Magic: 45 (0/4600)

Dexterity: 25 (0/2600)

Spirit: 44 (0/4000) 1.1

Endurance: 55 (0/5100) (1.1)

Movement Speed: 11.0 

Ice Affinity: 39 (0/2000)

Traits: Iceborne Prowess, Frost Aura, Minor Vulnerability to Fire, Enhanced Cold Resistance, 

Classes: Beast of the North, Elemental Predator, Frost Guardian, Icebound Stalker, Winter Revenant, Tundra Huntress

Aptitudes:  Arctic Camouflage, Cold-Weather Adaptation, Predator’s Focus, Frost Manipulation, Apex Instincts, Pack Tactics, Frozen Resolve, Icycle Will

Experience: 359

I could tell that Glacien was pretty strong… stronger than that I had been even after traveling around for a year. Well, she was an animal, and she had my support too, so it made sense that she would be making more progress and faster.

“Rest here for a while and warn me if you pick up the scent of someone approaching. You didn’t pick any scent inside the labyrinth, right?”

“Awoo?”

She probably didn’t, so it was fine… I didn’t know if the people beyond the mountains would know how to cause a dungeon break, but even if they knew, they probably would have to head to the deepest parts of the labyrinth. They might be able to pull it off, but escaping before they are surrounded by monsters is impossible… unless they had a build focused on movement speed.

‘That kind of build seems fun… if it were my focus instead of dexterity, then I would be able to run forty meters per second. Actually, it seems that I already invested more points into movement speed than dexterity. It is only higher because of the multipliers.’

I also had boots that improved movement speed, but it would be better if I increased the rank of the effects. Putting that aside, I began to work on the new wagon. The one that would be extra lighter and it would be more aerodynamic as well. The blueprint was already ready. I just needed the parts.

While I was doing that, I wondered if I could control it remotely somehow… it would be a good idea since it could only be controlled like that as well, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about letting someone steal it.

I also had to improve my bike… moving at forty miles per hour was nice and all, but it wasn’t enough to clear such labyrinths in no time, or cross a country in just a few days.

Once I started, it was like opening the floodgates of creativity. New ideas kept popping into my mind at an almost overwhelming pace. Each thought built upon the last, sparking even more possibilities and expanding the things of what I wanted to accomplish. It was exciting, but also troublesome. The number of ideas and their potential made it clear that I couldn’t bring everything to life all at once.

I realized that I needed a plan. Instead of diving headfirst into every idea as it came, I took the time to write them down and organize them. I rewrote my schedule based on the usefulness of each thing, assigning each idea its rightful place in my timeline based on its importance and feasibility.

Even with a plan, turning those ideas into reality would be difficult. Some tasks required skills I hadn’t fully mastered yet, while others demanded resources I didn’t have on hand. Each step required patience and problem-solving. With every small victory, I felt a sense of progress, knowing I was one step closer to making all those ideas a reality.

I spent the night working on that and lost the notion of time as well. I only stopped when I noticed Glacien's ears moving and then noticed the outside getting clear. Another day was coming and with it, a cloaked figure as well. It was that guy…

“Hey, friend. How is it going?”

“There were some vestiges of people that had been here recently. I can’t tell if they are enemies or not.”

“It should have been them. They come here now and then to check the mana levels of the labyrinth. They should have realized the war by now, too.”

Things here in the northern parts were a lot less organized than the rest of the world. People lived more freely since the fear of the empire was weak. The empire wouldn’t gain much by conquering these frozen lands, after all.

“In any case, some of those guys moved from the town as soon as they noticed your disappearance, but I can tell that they don’t know where you went exactly, so you don’t have to worry about them for now.”

“I hope that you won’t use this chance to slack off and not keep your part of the bargain.”

“Of course not. Still, I was expecting that you would be more eager to check the labyrinth.”

The guy looked at the labyrinth and then furrowed his eyebrows. Only a part of his face could be seen, and I still couldn’t tell much of his appearance. He seemed like someone who worked in the underworld, so that wasn’t that surprising.

“I will return later. I think that also will check the interior of the labyrinth. Are you going to offer me some support to avoid the break?”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Come on, friend. Why not work extra hard to curry favor with some people that are nicer to you than most?”

“I am fine.”

I needed allies, but I hated being controlled. I wasn’t going to go to stupid lengths to get some allies and let people take advantage of me. While I needed more materials and mana cores, I was fine in focusing on finding someone to properly look for Alissandra instead.

“Is there any way that I can change my mind? How about this?” For every floor we clear, you can ask for any kind of information. My prices are usually pretty high, but this is a golden chance. I am also the best information broker of the land.”

He seemed awfully confident while declaring that. Now that seemed a better idea, but I could tell from a mile away that he had other objectives while trying to fight alongside me.

“Nah, I am fine.”

“Come on… you don’t look much like they said you were, you know.”

“They?”

“Some old friends of yours they came here years ago and ask for some help. They told many things about you.”

Friends of mine from years ago… I could only think of Nimir and those beastkin that I helped escape. Although Nimir could be considered a friend, those guys were basically strangers from my point of view.

Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit impressed back then when Vincent managed to solo the second boss of a labyrinth. The memory of him standing there, fighting with nothing but his bare hands, was still vivid in my mind. It wasn’t just his raw strength—it was the sheer audacity to face such a challenge without relying on any weapons or tools. 

But as I reflected on it more, a new thought crossed my mind: I bet I could do the same now. Back then, Vincent’s feat had seemed almost unreachable, but I’d grown stronger since then. If given the chance, I was sure I could take on a similar challenge and emerge victorious. In fact, the idea itself seemed very appealing.

It also made me wonder about Vincent himself. Was he still pushing himself to grow stronger? Or had he reached a point where he was satisfied with his abilities? 

“I can’t imagine them being my friends, given that they spoke too much about me.”

“They just laid the groundwork for some people to help you once you came here. They imagined that you would come eventually, and that was why I decided to talk with you and offer you this job.”

“This still looks awfully convenient.”

“I bet it is… people don’t trust us who work in the underworld that easily. Is there any way for this to work and for me to gain your trust?”

“It is impossible for you to gain my trust, but I suppose that I can give you a hand here if you bring me the right type of payment for my services.”

“I take it that you want some magic implements with some interesting effects.”

Was I that easy to read? That was a bit annoying. Regardless, one didn’t have to be a genius for people to guess that was what I truly wanted.

“If you bring me an item with the self repair effect and another with the stamina drain effect. I might give you a hand here for a few days.”

“Those are some insane effects that you want, friend. I don’t remember ever seeing anything like that.”

Despite saying that, he couldn’t help but consider my offer. I said that almost jokingly, but maybe I shouldn’t have done that since he began to consider the offer while holding his chin.

I truly needed the self repair effect since the number of times I could repair my bow was reaching the limits. As for the stamina drain effect, I would need that to make myself stronger. I already had enough means to keep my mana high, after all. Still, perhaps I should try to clear this labyrinth… it would be a good challenge and I could make one heck of a bow with the parts of a dragon.

Chapter 253 - Hidden Talent?

You received 15 experience points.

You received 15 experience points.

While I was surprised, I wasn’t surprised enough to let the monsters attack me first. Despite their appearances, I still put some arrows in their heads without hesitation. They were the monsters of the first section of a labyrinth too. They weren’t that dangerous.

‘It isn’t like this is the first time I have seen creatures that resemble animals from Earth, but it is the first time I have seen something that looks prehistoric, Mesozoic… Cretaceous? I don’t remember which period dinosaurs lived on Earth.’

In any case, it looked like there were a lot of parts from the frost lizards that I could use… some scales looked better than the others, and the claws too. The claws looked like similar ones to one of the monsters that had the ingredients to make mana potions… at least according to the alchemy book that Renna gave me.

“Which parts do you think have magical properties, girl?”

I put the claws and the scales in front of Glacien and she sniffed both of them. In the next moment, she pushed both of them toward me. It looked like both of them fit the criteria, so perhaps the claws could be useful for alchemy… then again, drinking anything made with that would be unsettling. The good thing was the fact that in the process, the claws had to be turned into dust and then it would be mixed with some other ingredients, but the solid parts would be separated from the liquid. It still felt disgusting to drink that…

‘The stamina potions feel much better in comparison… the downside is the fact that it didn’t improve any of my alchemy skills.’

Maybe it was a bit too late to start on the alchemy path, but given that I had to find strength in every single path available to me, I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to use that book as a reference and create my own recipes for potions.

I decided to move on, but after taking just a few steps, more frost lizards emerged from the ice walls… This place was truly about to start a break.

It felt like the people of this land didn’t understand the severity of the situation. Their attitude seemed dangerously complacent. If all the monsters within it were to escape, it wouldn’t just be a minor issue; it would be a catastrophe.

The sheer volume and variety of creatures housed within those depths would wreak havoc on the surrounding lands. They would cripple defenses and leave the people struggling to survive. And yet, there was no visible urgency in their actions, no acknowledgment of the threat that was in front of them.

It was as if they believed that the labyrinth would take care of itself, that the monsters would remain contained indefinitely without effort. But I knew better and the cost of underestimating this one could be catastrophic.

‘Well, it isn’t my problem… I am just paying a small debt here.’

While that was true, it was also a good chance for an experiment. Aside from using my arrows, I also used wind Shurikens to make the skill level up.

When the monsters were killed, I checked the surroundings to notice any differences, but I didn’t see anything… The ice didn’t melt or get thinner after the monsters emerged or were killed. 

It made sense since that was just a fraction of the first section… Still, considering that almost one hundred of them got in my way, I was expecting something.

‘Well, I can always check this by coming here every hour… or let Glacien fight with her body.’

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Venom Mage, Dark Acolyte, and Bard.

You obtained the Bard class.

You improved the Stamina Conservation parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Musical Mastery.

You unlocked the skill: Song of Courage.

You unlocked the skill: Dissonant Chord.

Musical Mastery: Gain 1 point of experience per minute and per ally or enemy affected by your songs.

Song of Courage: Play a rousing tune that increases the strength of nearby allies by an amount equal to your dexterity for the duration of this skill. The range increases with the level of the skill. Cost: 05 mana per second.

Dissonant Chord: Perform a sharp, discordant note that disrupts and damages enemies in a small area, dealing damage equal to your magic power per second. Cost: 05 mana per second.

The first skill was more than a little bit useful, but it was never my intention to obtain the Bard class. For one, I never played anything, and for another, I didn’t have an instrument. Perhaps I could make one that even a moron like me could play. In any case, it was really the only option left and the Stamina Conservation getting better wasn’t half bad.

‘I guess Alissandra can get the Cleric class here… The bard class is also an option since it would decrease her stamina cost. Making that effect get stronger would take a while, though.’

Someone under your protection received the chance to obtain a class, but they can’t choose it. You will have to make the choice for them.

Alissandra completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Mage, Cleric, and Bard).

“So, what do you choose, Alissandra. Raise a finger for the Cleric class, and two fingers for the Bard class.”

“Da-bu.”

“No fingers? You want the mage class then? Can’t let you play with magic now, kiddo.”

I wondered if I was losing my mind speaking with babies and animals like that. In any case, I picked the Cleric class for her after checking my notes one more time.

Cleric - Divine Grace: Gain 1 point of experience per successful healing spell cast.

Parameter - Mana Regeneration: Increases your mana regeneration by 0.1 points per level

Active Skills - Heal: Restore a significant amount of health to a single target, the amount healed scales with your magic. Cost: 15 Mana

Holy Light: Emit a burst of divine light that deals damage to undead or dark creatures and stuns them for two seconds. The damage is equal to your magic. Cost: 20 Mana

The potential was there… With Heal and increased mana regeneration, Alissandra would be able to heal herself many times in a row and pretty constantly, too. That should help her in terms of survivability and that was good, since I had no idea what her background was. I just had to find someone to look after her before she starts to use the Holy Light on me.

“Do you want to hunt now, Glacien? I will return to the entrance with Alissandra. Just bring the scales, claws and the mana cores that you find, okay?”

“Awoo!”

I gave her the magic bag that she usually uses to carry stuff and then she dashed to the second floor. Even without magic, against enemies of this level, she would be fine. In any case, I returned outside with Alissandra. I could tell by her rosy cheeks that the cold wasn’t affecting her. She was essentially wearing my cloak as a blanket and that decreased the effects of cold by a large margin, after all. 

Still, going further in the labyrinth would be a bad idea, since without my cloak, I could feel a bit of the cold. 

“It looks like you will have to stick with me for a while longer… might as well make a proper cradle for you.”

“Da-da.”

“No, da-da. Speak proper English… or whatever the language in this world is called.”

There were some trees around and I copped one of them with Wind Shurikens. Cleaning the whole thing had been easy, but I still had to dry the wood and take the best parts for the cradle. I wanted to add the magic ink on it to make it more durable with the right enchantment, but making a dark cradle felt weird and ominous. Not even I, a half-vampire, had one of those, so Alissandra didn’t deserve one.

It didn’t take long to finish it. My dexterity was that high, after all. I probably could add an amulet below to emit a calming aura to keep her sleeping soundly in most scenarios, but I didn’t have the right skills for it yet.

‘Well now, shall I make a flute to test my bard skills? I bet that Alissandra would sleep more soundly if I used Song of Courage when putting her to sleep… wait, wouldn’t that fill her with energy instead?’

I decided to make it anyway, but soon realized the flaw in my logic… I probably could emit some magic songs with a flute, but I probably needed to use my voice more, perhaps I didn’t need an instrument, I just assumed that I needed. Because it would feel weird to sing by myself without the sound of an instrument nearby. I decided to try. I cleared my throat and then took a deep breath.

“Laaa-laa-la... uh... la-la-LA! Hm?”

“Wahhh! Wahhh!”

I was pretty certain that the skill was activated since my mana was drained, but it looked like it didn’t come out well… Alissandra was pouting for a while even a after I calmed her down. 

“Let’s try again.”

“Lalalala… LAAAAAHHH!”

“Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh!”

“... What a tough crowd. I can’t possibly be that bad at singing.”

Despite my words, it took a long while to calm down Alissandra this time… even Glacien returned. She looked angry and ready for battle, like someone had done something bad to her.

“Don’t look at me like that. My talent just hasn’t awakened yet.”

I couldn’t accept that I was tone-deaf. It was just an unfortunate accident that happened twice in a row since I don’t remember even humming after coming to this world. After training my vocal chords for a while, it would be fine. I had no idea why I was so certain of that, though. Or why I was so determined to prove that I wasn’t bad at singing.

If anything, I can use that with Dissonant Chord to annoy the enemies while they suffer a lot of damage. I just have to be sure that my allies will cover their ears before, or that could decrease their morale as well. 

Chapter 252 - S-Tier

The cloaked guy disappeared in the area for a while and then returned a couple of hours later with a map of Talimor. I checked it to confirm the details of the areas that I had been, and it seemed accurate. I could see the marks of dozens of towns and around ten dungeons and labyrinths.

“The labyrinth that I need you to guard is further east, very close to the mountains. There is a chance that some nasty people could show up there to cause trouble. They are from beyond the mountains. I can keep an eye on the people here approaching to get in your way, but not from those guys.”

“Who are they?”

“They can be Frost Giants or the ice elves. They aren’t numerous, but they can be troublesome.”

I thought that they would be further north… if I remembered right, they should be from a place called Glacialis End. Aside from that, I didn’t know anything about them. I wanted to ask this guy, but it felt troublesome revealing anything about me now.

“Don’t look at me like that, friend. I am willing to give some information for free to those I work with. They have some organizations as well, but you only need to worry about the closest one, the eternal winter cult. They are dedicated to bringing about an era of eternal winter, believing that the world should be covered in ice and snow permanently. They see eternal winter as a means of purification and transformation. Their goal is to initiate a global winter that would reshape the world according to their vision. That labyrinth has some dungeon monsters and whenever a dungeon breaks in that place, the winters become harsher and it starts to snow even further south.”

I knew that dungeons could affect the environment, but I didn’t think that the dungeon breaks could do that much. In any case, they seemed to be a bunch of nutcases in a different way… what was everyone going to eat if snow was everywhere?

“It has been a while since they caused a dungeon break, like one hundred years, but you should be cautious.”

“All right.”

A labyrinth filled with ice monsters would be useful to me… my specialty was basically explosive arrows, after all. Glacien wouldn’t be that useful, so she could carry Alissandra. Speaking of which, my goal here was to look for a place for her, but that wasn’t possible… Thanks to the harpies’ actions and the recent conflict, Alissandra would probably be bullied, even if I found a family willing to take her in.

Everyone thinks that harpies are violent by nature, but I wasn’t sure about that after seeing Alissandra and her mother. Perhaps it was an issue of environment. No one knew how their society worked, after all.

‘I guess my final option is Felyndor… they have some troublesome organizations too, but they should have welcomed the immigrants of the Skarnash Tribelands. It was hard to imagine that they would chase them away when they could be a decent fighting force. If that truly had happened, then that land would be the most diverse one, and that was probably the best option for Alissandra.

“It is a good thing that you weren’t like me when I was your age… I had it a bit hard, but I think I would have turned worse if I were tossed from one place to the other and everyone refused me for my appearance.”

I didn’t want to think what kind of person Alissandra would turn into with that kind of background. This world was truly messed up…

We headed to the location of the labyrinth and it took only two days to reach it, since the wagon moved day and night. I took some naps along the way when Glacien pulled the vehicle, so I was mostly fine.

“Anyway… I sure find ice dungeons and labyrinths pretty often, huh?”

My primary goal was to find monsters that could yield materials of value. The labyrinth itself was secondary in importance to the creatures it had. Of course, I couldn’t completely ignore the risks of a place like this. I understood the critical importance of keeping it under control. If left unchecked, a dungeon break could unleash chaos on the outside world, something I wasn’t eager to deal with. To prevent that, I needed to ensure that the balance within the labyrinth was maintained. 

My focus wasn’t on exploration. It was purely practical. I was here to gather materials and ensure the labyrinth didn’t spill its dangers outside its walls. Everything else was noise I could tune out.

Regardless, the labyrinth was indeed pretty close to the mountains. The entrance was a large boulder covered in snow that seemed like it had fallen from the closest mountain. Around the entrance, one could see a giant lizard with wings with its mouth open and unleashing a snow storm from it… it was an ice dragon, probably the final guardian of the place.

‘I should have asked that guy about this place in more detail… this could be a demonic tier labyrinth.’

That would explain why the dungeon breaks would cause the environment to change so much. In any case, I checked the area for any signs of activity here… leaving this kind of place unguarded truly wasn’t a good idea, but that showed how the people here were in a bind.

“Look for the scent of people around, girl. Return to me as soon as you find anything.”

“Awoo!”

Glacien nodded when I let her leave the wagon. Soon enough, she moved to the entrance of the labyrinth and stayed right there while looking at me… that was fast. It seemed that someone had indeed been here very recently.

“Was it someone troublesome?”

“Awoo?” 

“I guess it is hard to say if someone is bad or not, just by their scent. It isn’t like bad people dislike soap, after all.”

In any case, checking the labyrinth, at least for the class on the first floor, seemed like a good idea, but before that, I decided to put some arcane traps around the wagon. I could dismount the whole vehicle and then stay a while inside… another class granted by the final level of a one hundred floor labyrinth would really come in handy, but I didn’t think that it was possible with Alissandra with me.

Still, I could always resume my exploration later. At the same time, I wondered if I should take her with me. This time, she would gain a combat class, and this would affect her future for sure this time around and she might be able to use the skills by accident.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit of curiosity about Alissandra’s potential. I wondered just how far she could go, how much power she could accumulate if she continued to grow and gain new classes at her age. The possibilities were intriguing, perhaps even limitless.

But as fascinating as those questions were, they came with a troublesome issue. Alissandra wasn’t an experiment or a tool for me to satisfy my curiosity. Testing her future solely to see what might happen would reduce her to something less than she was.

I couldn’t bring myself to cross that line. No matter how tempting the answers might be, they weren’t worth compromising my principles or treating her like an object of study. Her growth would be her journey, not a subject for my experiments. I decided to let my curiosity take a back seat to what truly mattered, respecting her as an individual and supporting her in her own choices.

“Unlike with Glacien, I guess I can’t ask for your opinion on the matter, huh?” 

“Da-bu.”

“I certainly can’t pretend to understand this…”

Still, I could always go ahead and then check the classes before considering bringing her to the end of the first floor. Still, before that, I decided to feed her and then put her to sleep. It was that time for her and I would worry less that way as well.

One hour later, I was finally ready to explore the labyrinth. Glacien was carrying the basket where Alissandra was sleeping in and following me from behind. When it came to guarding her, Glacien didn’t mind if she didn’t have to fight. She could use magic, but her ice magic would be useless here.

“Hm?”

When we got down to the first floor, I soon furrowed my eyebrows. Even on the first floor, the walls, the ceiling and the ground were already covered in a thick layer of light blue ice. I couldn’t see beyond it either.

“Is it because of the dungeon breaks? This kind of appearance should only belong to the lower levels… Maybe it looks like this because this place is close to breaking again.”

If that was the case, then perhaps just guarding the entrance of the place was a bad idea… but would my actions change anything?

While I was thinking about that, from the ice, a pair of two monsters emerged. From beneath the ice, a crackling sound reverberated. My eyes moved to the source, and I saw it, a jagged fracture forming in the frozen ground.

The first creature emerged, followed swiftly by another, and I froze in place. They were lizards, yes, but not the sluggish, clumsy beasts I had imagined. No, these creatures were sleek, their bodies covered in glistening scales of icy blue, blending seamlessly with the environment. Their tails swished with grace, leaving faint trails in the frost.

What struck me most, though, was their shape. Their elongated heads, filled with sharp, serrated teeth, their arched necks, and their powerful hind legs. These frost lizards looked like velociraptors, the kind I had only seen in books and stories.

I stared, momentarily paralyzed by the realization. Their predatory eyes locked onto me, eyes like glimmering shards of ice that promised no mercy. My heart raced as I grasped the gravity of my situation. These weren’t mere lizards. They were cunning, deadly hunters, and I was now their prey.

Chapter 251 - Information Exchange

Glacien was sleeping inside the wagon, but her ears picked the approach of that cloaked person. Still, she didn’t wake up or do anything else. It looked like she assumed that the cloaked person wasn’t dangerous, or perhaps they weren’t coming with evil intentions.

“Hello, friend. I heard that you want to obtain some information. How much are you willing to pay for it?”

“That will depend. I will ask the questions and you will give me the price for the answers. I will judge after that if it is worth the hassle.”

It was the voice of a guy, and he sounded weirdly friendly and calm. I couldn’t see the expression on his face that well thanks to the darkness of the night and his hood, but I could see traces of beastkin characteristics on him.

“My prices are a bit odd, you see. I am not interested in money, per se. I want information for information.”

That was a bit tricky since I didn’t know if I should share much of what I know about the things that I know. If they were things related to events and places I had been, perhaps it would be fine, but I wasn’t certain of it.

“I guess that is fine… I assume that you want to hear my question first and then ask a question of similar weight afterwards.”

“You catch on quick.”

“I want to know why this land is at war with the harpies. Years ago, they only attacked the empire without using any clear tactics or strategy, but they are being very methodical here.”

“I see… Here is my question then: what you did after leaving home? Just telling me the places that you have been to would be enough.”

I considered lying on the spot without hesitation, but then I realized that someone like this guy probably would have a skill to detect lies or half truths. It was the only way for him to feel like trading information would actually be valuable. 

At the same time, this made me wary… with this kind of information, people would be able to learn my patterns and then predict my next steps. Perhaps this exchange wasn’t really a good idea.

“I visited towns called Pirla, Kiana, Ramnes in this order and then the cities of Ironcliff, Frostkeep and Grenezi.”

“Oh? I see…”

I could see the smile spreading across his face, a look of satisfaction that made it clear. He could genuinely tell when I was lying, and there was no use pretending otherwise. His confidence in that ability was visible, and for a moment, I considered my options carefully.

In the end, I chose to tell the truth. Part of it was to confirm my suspicion, to test the limits of his skill. But more importantly, I realized that operating under fear wouldn’t work for me. Given the current situation, letting him think he had the upper hand wasn’t a path I was willing to take.

If there was one thing I wanted to make clear, not just to him, but to anyone who thought they could manipulate me, it was that I didn’t care for their games. Fear and intimidation had no power over me, and I’d rather confront the truth head-on than let it be used as a weapon against me. I had to set that now, not just for him, but for everyone who wanted to deal with. It was my way of showing that I wasn’t playing their game; I was playing mine.

“The current war started six months ago. As you have said, the harpies have been quite methodical with their attacks, but we don’t know yet. We suspect that they want some prisoners since their king is old. You know how their society works?”

“No.”

“Harpies rarely lay eggs that become male harpies. So their male population is really low. Thanks to their king, they are able to increase the number of harpies with strong blood, but the male harpies usually create weaker soldiers. They are fine using prisoners of other species since they know that their stronger blood will prevail… unless the offspring ends up being a male. When that happens, they become servants of the queens of the Aesira Empire instead of warriors.”

It was quite the messy situation that I didn’t expect to hear. Hopefully, they didn’t kill their prisoners, but that didn’t make things right for them… even if they did that to avoid the extinction of their people.

Regardless, six months ago… that should be around the time Alissandra was born. Was that a coincidence? I don’t think that anything that happens around me is a coincidence.

“... I want to know things I should be mindful of while I am here.”

“I see. In that case… I want to know where you went after visiting those places.”

I glared at this guy… he was truly trying to understand how I operated. I wondered if he knew someone powerful in the area that wanted that kind of information about me. Still, this worked for me. As long as I gave the answers that he wanted, he would give the ones that I wanted.

In the end, I told him what happened afterward until I reached the Aquarian’s prison. I could tell that he was getting more curious and confused. I didn’t know if he had heard about it, but he could tell that a prison for prisoners of war shouldn’t be something that should be easily able to escape.

“Well, let’s see… We are at war, so we aren’t that welcoming of others. We usually don’t make a fuss when people come here to live here, even when they come in large groups. However, you are a special case. You could have suffered some prejudice for being half-blood as well, but people still think that you would act like a real vampire. Also, you did well in avoiding those guys. If you have to fight them, do it somewhere where no one else can see the fight. Otherwise, people might offer their support to those morons.”

“Who are they?”

“A mercenary group that was formed a few years ago, they are waiting for the war to get harder in order to offer their services at a higher value. The harpies are very insistent, after all. We have been avoiding serious damage, but this battle is lasting for far too long. Aside from that, you only need to know about the organizations here. There is the free cities coalition. They are a trade-based alliance of independent city-states, each populated by different groups working by mutual protection and economic cooperation. They promote trade, commerce, and peaceful diplomacy among various groups. There is also the twilight brotherhood. Its shadowy faction is dedicated to espionage, subterfuge, and assassination. They wanted revenge for being looked down on for being mixed races.”

Ah, I recalled them… I had forgotten that I had dealt with some of them in that labyrinth when I was working with Louise. Since I had stopped hiding, something in me had changed. The constant paranoia had disappeared, and with it, my concern for the groups that were supposed to be hunting me. Their threats now seemed distant and almost irrelevant.

I didn’t know if this change was a show of bravery or simply imprudence. Had I grown confident enough to believe I could handle whatever came my way, or had I foolishly convinced myself that ignoring them would make them disappear? Either way, I found myself unable to worry about such groups any longer.

Maybe it was the freedom of not having to look over my shoulder at every turn, or maybe it was a sense of defiance that had taken root. Whatever it was, I decided to focus on what was in front of me and let the rest fall where it may. If they came for me, I would deal with it then. If not, that was fine as well.

“... I want a detailed map of the area, and I want to know the places that I should avoid, just in case.”

“A Map, huh? I can find one, but this will cost a lot.”

“What is your price?”

My tone changed, and he was able to tell that I was starting to get a bit annoyed. Maybe he could tell that I wasn’t planning to let him rip me off with his nonsense. Still, he stayed silent for a while instead of answering immediately.

“You are traveling around to get stronger, right? This can help the both of us. There is a labyrinth in the area that is about to break and we are too busy dealing with the harpies.”

“Why don’t you ask those morons to help?”

“They want a lot of money to do that… if you do that, your image will improve a lot here.”

I wanted to improve my image here, to make a place where I could operate without constant suspicion or hostility. But I also knew better than to let others dictate my path. Allowing anyone to decide where I should go or what I should do was a line I knew that shouldn’t cross.

The presence of those guys only added another layer of trouble. Their interference would be annoying enough in ordinary circumstances, but if a dungeon break were to happen, dealing with them would be even more troublesome. Dungeon breaks were chaotic at the best of times, and the last thing I needed was an unnecessary distraction or meddling.

Improving my standing was important, but it couldn’t come at the cost of my autonomy or my ability to handle the challenges ahead. I’d find a way to manage both on my terms.

“You are not going to do the whole job alone, of course. It would be too reckless to ask that to someone who is also looking after a baby. I will also help you.”

“That only makes my desire to accept the job weaken even further.”

“Ouch, that hurts, friend. I am not good at fighting, but I can at least make sure that no one will approach you while you are working. Keep the labyrinth in check for a week and then our agreement is done.”

“... All right then.”

Chapter 250 - Barely an Inconvenience

When I turned around, I saw a group of those guys that were outside heading in my direction. I wondered if it was a good idea to move somewhere else and confirm if they truly wanted to be a pain in the ass, but I didn’t want to waste time.

“You can bombard with magic anyone that tries anything funny with the wagon, girl.”

“Awoo!”

The expression in Glacien’s expression changed and soon she looked like a fearsome beast that shouldn’t be messed with. I wasn’t sure if she was able to fight those three guys by herself, but with the enchantments that she had, her strength was as high as mine, so her attacks were no joke.

When I got inside the restaurant, which also looked like a tavern, I drew a lot of attention since I had Alissandra with me. They didn’t know what I had in the basket, but soon they would. Still, most people looked away when I looked in their direction.

I headed to a table in the corner of the place and then waited to be attended. Soon enough, those three figures got inside the tavern and then looked around and their eyes soon stopped when they found me.

‘It is going to be like that, huh?’

As cliche as it was, it couldn’t be helped given the circumstances. I still looked green behind my ears. Even though soon enough I would turn fifteen, I still looked like an easy target for assholes. When it comes to such matters, it is better to make my point abundantly clear.

“Where did you come from?”

Those three approached and asked just like that. I raised my head and then turned Alissandra’s basket toward me. She wasn’t making a fuss for now, but soon would be her time to eat. It was better if I finished this before she started crying. 

The three individuals were half-elves, a fact that clearly influenced their appearance. While they had some of the grace and sharp features typical of elves, their mixed heritage weakened these traits, leaving them with a more rough presence. Physically, they did not appear particularly impressive; their bodies were lean but lacked the commanding stature or the aura associated with pure-blooded elves or hardy humans. 

Their mixed demeanor was further accentuated by their lack of visible weapons. The longbows they were known for were nowhere to be seen, leaving only curved knives sheathed at their waists, a sign that even without their iconic weapons, they were not entirely unarmed. Despite their seemingly unremarkable appearance, there was an air of quiet confidence about them, showing the level of skill and resourcefulness beneath the surface.

“... From the north.”

I had no obligation to tell them the truth, not like telling them that would change anything. They came here to pick a fight with me in one way or the other. Even if they get their ass kicked, they will have an enough reason for their allies to come.

“Liar. You came from the empire.”

“If you really think that, then why are you asking?”

“To prove that you are a liar.”

“Well, you got me. Congrats. Do you want a prize or something?”

“We want you out of land.”

“Blood-sucking parasites aren’t welcome here.”

“You should leave before we have to force you.”

I wondered why they were speaking like that. It was more weird than intimidating. I looked around the establishment to see if the others agreed to that. The clients of the place looked more troubled than anything. They didn’t see these morons as authorities here… maybe they were part of a clan that decided to stay behind for one reason or the other.

“I will leave when someone from this town asks me to leave. With that in mind, I will ask you to leave me alone, or this won’t end well.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion, but you are right. This won’t end well for you if you don’t disappear from this land.”

The leader of the group stepped forward and then got up. The other two moved their hands to their waists to grab their weapons, but soon they began to flinch when I stepped forward to their leader and stared at him in the eye.

“You should think well before doing anything from this point onward. Whatever you use, you might lose it for good.”

The leader of the group glared at me, keeping his composure, but soon he began to sweat cold when he saw the glint in my eyes. I didn’t know what he was seeing actually, but I was already envisioning stabbing his arms with my decay arrows. It was better than killing them, right? Although it sounded more cruel.

“... This isn’t over yet.”

Just when I considered making my eyes turn red, the guy stepped backward and then moved away with his friends. As expected, they were only low-level morons that thought that I would be an easy target.

I let out a sigh and then sat down back in my chair. Alissandra looked like she was starting to get annoyed, so she probably would have cried like the world was ending if something bad happened.

“... How can we help you?”

A girl around fifteen approached while wearing an apron. While she didn’t want to chase me away, it was clear that she didn’t want me here for long. 

“A warm soup and warm milk for a baby as well.”

“Tomato soup will do it?”

I wondered if she said that because it would be red and it would look like blood. I don’t remember the last time I ate tomato soup, so I decided to go with that.

“Aww! Your daughter is so adorable! What is her name?”

“She isn’t my daughter… her name is Alissandra.”

I wondered if saying that was more troublesome than not… people might think that I captured her. My infamy was already bad enough. I didn’t need help to make it even worse.

In any case, the girl left to deal with the order and I began to think about what I could do next. I had to be cautious to avoid those morons from causing trouble or letting other morons get in my way too. I also needed to get an informant… I could tell that some people here could do that for me, but the question was how I could approach them. After ten minutes, the girl returned with the order.

“Thanks for waiting.”

“I also would like to meet someone who has enough information about the area and is willing to sell enough for me to avoid trouble while I stay here. I am not going to ask them to show up right now, but I will be waiting on the other side of the town.”

“I will inform the people that can help you with that, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

“Thank you.”

That was the only thing I could do now… people wouldn’t want to get involved with me under normal circumstances, so I had to create an environment good enough for them to meet me.

Once I was done feeding Alissandra, I began to eat myself and I finished my meal in no time, since it was pretty good. I met with Glacien behind, who looked a bit sulky for having to stay with the guard duty.

“Let’s go to the other side of the town and wait there until morning.”

Glacien began to pull the wagon and I then eventually we reached the other side of the town. The shops had already closed since it was dark, after all.

If the informant didn’t show up, I would have to consider another plan, one that involved navigating the annoying and dangerous waters of the local underworld. Finding an organization willing to sell the information I needed wouldn’t be the hard part; underworld groups always had their ears to the ground for anything that might give them an advantage. The real challenge was in gauging just how shady these organizations were.

Given what I’d heard about this land, the underworld here wasn’t supposed to be as deeply entrenched in corruption and chaos as in other places I had dealt with. Many of the groups seemed more like opportunists than outright pieces of shit. But that didn’t mean they were harmless. There was always a fine line between a necessary transaction and something much worse, and knowing my luck, I’d likely end up finding the one faction that operated more like a group of cutthroats than a professional network.

It wasn’t a comforting thought, but I didn’t have many options. If the informant failed to show up, I would need to take that risk. After all, in dealings like these, even the smallest misstep could lead to consequences I would rather avoid.

‘I guess I can also improve the quality of my hearing tool… I can also snoop around with camouflage. Still, while I can obtain some information with that, it won’t be precisely the information that I needed.’

There were a bunch of questions that I needed answered. Some of them wouldn’t come naturally in the conversation of a tavern. I also needed a map… if I can’t find someone to look after Alissandra here, I needed at least to know precisely the layout of the land and know where the best dungeons and labyrinths could be found. Exploring all of them would be difficult, but as long as I could get some materials and some non combat classes for Alissandra, it would be fine.

While I was thinking about that, several hours passed and no one approached the wagon. I couldn’t help but sigh… it wasn’t like I was expecting someone to come early in the evening, but that was still a bit worrisome.

Glacien could pick up the scent of the roads that will lead to the next town, but I didn’t want to leave yet and take the chances of being followed by those morons without having a clear idea of what I should do next…

Eventually, while I was lost in thoughts, I saw a cloaked figure crossing the town and heading in my direction.

Chapter 249 - Trouble Magnet 

The town had everything. Inns, shops, taverns. It even had schools and something like a martial arts center where kids were learning to defend themselves. I found a guild too, but the place was dessert. I could see few jobs on the board of missions, so it made me wonder if the adventurers were helping in the war.

Adventurers in the empire weren’t considered a real and reliable fighting force, mainly because the empire was stuck in their butts with all their nonsense about status. I haven’t paid attention to adventurers since then, but they shouldn’t be treated like that everywhere.

In any case, it also seemed that I had come pretty far in their territory, since the place looked really peaceful and the kids were happily playing around. They stopped when they saw me and cowered in fear.

‘I guess even here, people are taught to be wary of vampires. Even though I don’t glow in the sunlight.’

In any case, I found a place with an old man carrying some buckets of milk after Glacien got my attention while looking in that direction. Before I could say anything, she moved to the place. It was a restaurant and the old man was talking with an old lady after he put down the buckets of milk. When he turned around, he flinched when he saw me in front of the restaurant with my large frost sabertooth and wagon blocking the entrance of the establishment.

“Can I buy some of those? Actually, before that, is that the type of milk kids around six months old can drink?”

“... Do you have a kid with you?” 

The old couple was a pair of dwarves, so they couldn’t see Alisandra from their position, so I took her out of the wagon and then approached them.

“Aww, she is so adorable!”

The old lady said while poking Alissandra’s cheeks. It was about time for her to wake, but I still preferred that she slept as much as possible… it would be hard to keep her identity hidden while she was awake.

The old couple looked carefully around Alissandra and searched for teeth marks on her body while trying not to alert me. I knew that vampires were hated, but did they seriously think that I could be that sick? I tried not to show that to my face, but that stung quite a bit.

“Bu-bu…”

Alissandra woke up, and I was forced to forget about that for a moment. In the end, those two only stopped doubting me when Alisandra grabbed my index finger with her hands.

“We have some milk that she will like. It is the best in the town.”

“Then sell me as much as you can.”

“... It will get bad before she can drink all of it.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have a magic implement that helps preserve food for a lot longer.”

I wanted to ask them about merchants who would be willing to do business with me, but I decided not to. I didn’t want to risk letting them hurt my feelings further. I could look rough on the outside, but I was essentially as emotionally unstable as a real fourteen years old boy. Not because I was really one, but because I was a sentimental middle aged man.

Putting that nonsense aside, I waited for a bit and soon the old man brought the milk. I had forgotten about it, but I still had some coins with me and they were accepted here too.

Maybe giving food to Alisandra would do some PR work for me if I did that in front of others, but that was too embarrassing. I didn’t want to let people think that I was her father either, so I retreated for a bit to the interior of the wagon.

Once that was done, I decided to check the shops in the area for items with useful enchantments. All of them had half dwarves managing them, and they all were looking at me with a mix of suspicion and fear.

“... How can I help you?” 

“Are you willing to trade magic items with me?”

“That will depend on what you have to trade.”

Energized Amulet (Epic)

Enchantment Slots: Arcane Flow (Adept) - Increases mana regeneration by 30% during combat.

Extra Effects: Burst Pulse - Once per battle, instantly restores 20% of maximum mana when health drops below 25%.

Durability: 25/25

Glacial Greaves (Rare)

Enchantment Slots: Frost Aura (Adept) - Reduces the movement speed of nearby enemies by 10%.

Icebound Fortitude (Adept) - Boosts endurance by 15% in cold environments.

Extra Effects: Chill Trail - Creates a slippery frost patch behind the user when sprinting, hindering pursuers.

Durability: 35/35

Crystal Resonance Staff (Legendary)

Enchantment Slots: Arcane Resonance (Adept) - Increases the effectiveness of spells by 25%.

Mana Link (Expert) - Reduces mana costs for allies within 10 meters by 10%.

Extra Effects: Pulse of Insight - Grants a slight experience boost for spellcasting-related classes.

Durability: 45/45

Those were some useful items… as expected of a half dwarf. It made me wonder if classes that would grant that much knowledge could be found nearby. 

“How about a magic bag with the storage effect at the apprentice rank effect for all this?”

“Hmm… throw some ten more Terra coins and it is yours.”

“Deal.”

I wanted to ask if he was willing to sell a map too, but I didn’t want to push my luck. It was better to look for someone that wasn’t that worried about me for that kind of stuff, but I wondered if it was a good idea to get involved with that kind of person.

Also, I didn’t have any ideas about the organizations here… the Empire didn’t do its diligence about gathering intel about the people here or the land.

‘I guess this is enough for a single town…’

There were other places to explore, and I had just started my journey in this land, so there was no need to hurry. Well, I should hurry since the people here were at war with the harpies and I couldn’t deny the possibility that Alissandra could be the source of the problem. At this point in time, I couldn’t deny that I was a magnet for trouble.

“Grrr…”

“I am not lying and you know it. You are also one of my troubles. You eat too much.”

“Wahhhh! Wahhhh!”

“Even you, huh? I can’t believe that even a kid is getting mad for telling the truth… I guess women really prefer to be lied to.”

I was just saying nonsense, and those two were only acting based on instinct or something. Regardless, it was time to look for another town where people wouldn’t throw stones at me or look at me like I was some sort of human sized parasite.

I decided to head further East in hopes that people there wouldn’t be as wary of me, but I knew that I was being naïve. It was impossible to travel anywhere in the world and expect ignorance about vampires. Their infamy preceded them, engraved in the collective memory of every culture and society. 

Wherever a vampire appeared, trouble inevitably followed. Whether it was the subtle manipulation of powerful figures, the disappearance of innocents, or outright carnage, their presence interrupted the natural order. Entire villages had been abandoned, cities thrown into panic, and alliances shattered, all because of the influence of a single vampire.

Even those who had never encountered a vampire in their lifetime could recognize the signs: pale, unnaturally perfect features, an aura of predatory grace, and the unshakable chill that accompanied them. No one could ignore it. I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking like that, the same way I couldn’t blame people for being wary when they see a person getting close to them when they had a weapon in hand. While the saying says that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it was almost instinct that everyone would do so… more often than not, appearances can be deceiving, but it was my job to make people understand that. A job that I honestly thought was too much of a pain.

In any case, thanks to Glacien’s sense of smell, we were able to follow the roads buried in the snow despite the odds, but her nose also led us to a troublesome place… in front of the town, I could see hundreds of people camping. I wondered how they could do that with the snow all around the area.

“You never fail, Glacien…”

“Awoo!”

“You never fail in causing me trouble.”

“Awoo?”

From a distance, I could see some of them with weapons of all kinds with them. I could guess that they were adventurers based on the fact that there was no uniformity among them… was I wrong when I thought that most of the adventurers would be helping in the war?

As I approached, I was able to see the eyes of those guys looking at me. Some of them even left their tents to confirm what was happening outside. Considering their annoyed faces as they glared at me, I imagined that they were trying to intimidate me, but I could only frown in response. In any case, this couldn’t keep going like this anymore.

‘I need a damn informant.’

I headed to the town ignoring those guys and noticed that guards couldn’t be found patrolling the place… it made me wonder if those guys outside were the reason for that. At least they weren’t causing trouble to the people.

Still, soon I noticed that the inhabitants around the place looked restless… maybe those guys were part of some troublesome faction. Given the fact that I was literally walking in the dark, I decided to head to the tavern since it was getting late and some people should be there. With some luck, some of them would be willing to share some information with me. Still, when I slowed down the wagon, I noticed that we were being followed…

Chapter 248 - Arrival (Thank you for your support, Jeffrie Johnson!)

While I was biting my lips in annoyance, I saw the harpies flying to the distance and spreading around all the border… It looked like they didn’t find us, but they were planning to use the snowstorm to launch an attack. While they had high chances of catching their targets off guard, if their plan failed, they wouldn’t be able to regroup that easily.

‘They are insane, but I already knew that given the number of attacks they launched on Ironcliff without obtaining any results… still, they have confidence to attack fast and running away even faster if necessary.’

The harpies would be too busy to find us, but the people of Talimor would be too cautious to receive us. It will be better if we cross a large area before stopping. That was fine with me since I didn’t want to leave Alissandra close to the border, but now that I thought about it… would anyone be welcoming to a baby harpy under these conditions?

I wanted to facepalm so hard… all this work coming here for nothing. Still, I had to at least check the land before deciding anything. Exploring the dungeons and labyrinths here wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

In any case, I could tell the direction in which the harpies went, so I moved away from it. They should be targeting the bases that the kingdom of Talimor had close to the border. 

‘I really need a damn map. I am sick and tired of walking the dark all the damn time when moving across the world.’

Although the visibility was poor, we managed to cross the border just fine without meeting the harpies or anyone else along the way. In the end, the trouble that I faced was more mental than anything. Still, that wouldn’t make reaching my goal any easier.

Alissandra didn’t make much noise during the night. Maybe it was because the cold made her sleep more peacefully. Then again, harpies should be resistant to that. 

When morning began to arrive, the snowstorm began to dissipate as well, and I decided to take a break nearby. I had no idea where I was heading since everything was covered in snow, and the light of the day would give me a bit of help to find some possible paths.

“Awoo?”

Glacien woke up and then looked at me in confusion. Despite being an animal, she wasn’t a morning creature. She spent the whole night sleeping and so she realized the blunder.

“It is okay. Just pull the wagon. We already get too much attention with this kind of vehicle, after all. It would be too much to move using the engines. Look for any settlement around that you feel that is safe.”

“Awoo!”

Glacien had good instincts for that kind of thing and we should be pretty further in the territory. Staying hidden also would make us look more suspicious than anything. So no more camouflage.

As the next day arrived and the sun began to illuminate the surroundings, I was able to see the layout of the area. There were some vast mountains to the east and north as well. They were pretty close to each other, so it made me think that they could be the borders of Talimor in those directions. I had no idea of the dimensions of this land, after all.

‘They shouldn’t be small if they can fight the harpies… but they can’t be that numerous, considering that most of the world hates half humans.’

Half humans had a hard time having kids with other half humans. Unless they were basically the same type of couple, like both being half dwarves or half elves, they would be a hard time conceiving. It was even rarer for half elves. They don’t live as much as the regular elves, but they live for quite a while. Even so, it was rare for them to have more than one or two kids, even if they lived for hundreds of years.

I didn’t care about that. What I cared about was what their society would look like with the mix of so many species. Human, Elven, dwarven and even beastkin elements should be found here.

It didn’t take long for us to see a town on the horizon, its silhouette standing in stark contrast to the open landscape. For a kingdom stuck in a war against the harpies, the sight was unexpected. Unlike what I had imagined, a fortified place with towering walls as defensive structures, the town was entirely open. There were no walls to ward off invaders or any sign of ongoing preparations for an aerial assault. It became clear that the lack of fortifications wasn’t due to neglect but rather a matter of design.

The architecture itself was surprisingly similar to what I had seen in the empire. Rows of brick houses stretched out in neat formations, their uniformity lending an air of calm and boring normalcy. The buildings weren’t ostentatious or particularly innovative, just practical structures that spoke to a society focused on functionality rather than grandeur. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, and the faint hum of daily life carried through the air. It was almost too ordinary, given the kingdom’s current circumstances.

Still, I couldn’t shake the sense of vulnerability the town projected. Without walls or visible defenses, how did they intend to repel an attack from the skies? Or was this confidence a sign of a kingdom that had learned to coexist with the constant threat and adapting?

‘Well, this is a bit disappointing…’

Still, when I approached the town, I soon realized that things wouldn’t be so simple and disappointing. I saw some half elves blasting away the snow from the buildings with magic and I also saw half dwarves driving some vehicles and moving the snow from the streets. There weren’t many, but some half beastkin were moving around and patrolling the town. They looked the ones most suited for combat, so it wasn’t surprising.

‘This isn’t half bad… It is exactly what I had imagined. A peaceful and organized place where balance reigns supreme.’

Perhaps I was jumping the gun, but it was refreshing to see something for the first time that didn’t make me raise my eyebrows.

While I was thinking along those lines, the guards finally saw my wagon approaching and they were able to see and sense my smell. I could tell that they raised their guard and their mood changed, but at least they didn’t grab their weapons and pointed at me. I had to slow down when they got ready to block my path.

“Halt, who are you?”

The guard that also seemed to have the blood of a dogkin raised his voice while asking that question. He raised his voice enough so that everyone around could look at me… it made me feel like sighing.

“Just someone traveling. My name is Regulus. Can I enter the town or not?”

Maybe I was being a bit impatient and forceful, but it was better to make those things clear from the beginning. I wasn’t trying to hide my identity, and I wasn’t staying hidden, so I had nothing to hide.

The guard looked at his companion and wondered what they should do. They were at war, but they were known for being welcoming to all half humans as long as they weren’t criminals. They should know about my game, but it would benefit the empire to spread news about me.

“... You may enter, but we have laws here. Don’t break them and don’t do anything suspicious.”

“Anything in particular that I should keep in mind?”

“... Vampire antics aren’t welcome here.”

“No problem.”

I wondered what could be considered vampire antics. Dark rituals? Blood sucking? Necromancy? I wasn’t into any of them and I wanted distance from that kind of shit. 

The guards looked at Glacien and frowned a bit. She seemed calm as ever and despite her massive build, they didn’t say anything about her. Still, they had this look of understanding when looking into her eyes. Was that a kind of animal telepathy? 

“Anyone else with you?” 

“Just one.”

I grabbed the basket where Alissandra was sleeping and then showed her to them. The guards frowned while looking at me… I still looked very young, after all, and she had no traces of my characteristics.

“Very well, you may proceed.”

Since Alissandra was wrapped in her blanket, the guards didn’t notice the traces that marked her as part harpy. Her feathers, though partially visible if one looked closely, were completely hidden under the thick fabric, leaving no visible signs for the guards to suspect anything unusual. What surprised me even more was how they didn’t seem to notice her scent.

For half-beastkin guards, I had assumed their improved senses, especially their sense of smell, would have alerted them to something out of the norm. Whether it was carelessness, overconfidence, or something else entirely, I couldn’t say, but it worked in our favor. Either way, the encounter left me with an uneasy mix of relief and curiosity about just how much the guards were able to notice.

Glacien began to pull the wagon while ignoring the stares around. Now that I finally could enter one of those towns without seeing people with pitchforks in their hands, I realized that I didn’t know what I should do here… could even I do anything here?

I looked around and considered what I should do… for starters, milk to Alissandra. Then a map next would be a good idea… then a bunch of magic implements with effects that I didn’t know of. That order should be fine.

‘I also should consider what I should do next if I don’t find anyone here to look after Alissandra. The lands beyond this place are pretty harsh. The people in the north don’t like the harpies that much, and my knowledge is limited about the East of Talimor. The empire is in the south… so, I guess my only option left would be the Kingdom of Felyndor.’

At this point in time, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being thrown around in all directions and had no agency over my own life.

Chapter 246 - Ideas (Thank you for your support, Mohamed Omar!)

I didn’t want to believe that I was the first insane person to bring a baby to a dungeon, but I might be. In any case, this was a pretty convenient way to exploit the system. Still, it was also a pretty nasty way to seal the future of a kid. It would be fine as long as it wasn’t a combat class, but perhaps it would be fine even if it was a combat class, as long as the kid wasn’t forced to use it.

I made the choice for Alissandra. I imagined that having a high mana regeneration would give her some advantage in the future… even though I didn’t know if harpies used mana or not to fly.

“With the linguist class, you might be able to learn to talk earlier… not like you would be able to activate the skill.”

“Da-da-da!”

I couldn’t say if she was happy with my choice or not, but I couldn’t see the class becoming a detriment to her. In any case, should we head further into the labyrinth? It was getting late, so we might as well use this chance to get some materials. Still, I didn’t want to take any chances with Alissandra with me. The number of monsters would eventually increase and I would have to fight with a single hand, after all, and only using magic.

“We can’t leave the carriage outside either, and I need to make some things. Hunt here and bring me some materials, Glacien.”

“Awoo!”

“Use my magic bag and don’t lose it.”

“Grrr…”

“Whatever.”

Glacien hadn’t been fighting lately, so this would be a good chance and I would get a bit of experience. I decided to gain more by using Mystic Link on her. Glacien disappeared into the labyrinth and then we returned to the wagon. It was time for Alissandra to have her meal as well.

One can truly never say where life will take them… of all things that I had expected to happen in my new life. Looking after a baby never crossed my mind.

Although it was weird, it was a bit satisfying to look after Alissandra. Still, whenever I caught myself thinking along those lines, I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. I didn’t have time for this type of thing in my life and I couldn’t lose my edge either. Four nations were already looking for me, so I had to keep getting stronger.

“Don’t blame me for it, but I really can’t look after you… I just hope that I can find the right people to look after you.”

Before long, Alissandra fell asleep, and I put her in her basket and then began to work on my experiments. I had to make the hammer amulet with the skill Artisan’s Touch. With some luck, the hammer would also increase the quality of my creations instead of just repairing them.

I finished making the blueprint of the hammer with the magic circle to turn the item into an amulet. It was necessary for the tool to be quite big. Like one meter tall… I tried to decrease its size, but that was what I could do given the necessary shape.

“It isn’t the best size considering the use that I have in mind, but let’s see what it can do…”

I attached a mana core to the hammer and then decided to repair the wheels of the wagon. It had suffered some damage while it was moving, and thanks to the camouflage effect as well, so soon it would make the trip get quite bumpy.

I adjusted the connector between the mana core and the hammer and then touched the damaged parts. A bit of energy spread around during the impact and I saw the surface of the wheel turning more smooth. After a few strikes, it got even better than it was originally. 

“Not bad, not bad at all.”

I began to turn the wheel and repairing the other parts, and adjusted the base of the mana core. I could make the process faster but less efficient by making the mana core get closer to the tool. At the same time, I confirmed that it only used energy during the impact. The tool would store the energy across its surface up to a certain limit and then repair a large area of the target by unleashing all the energy accumulated.

“The test was a success. Now I know how I can make similar tools, but I still need to decrease the size of the hammer.”

To deal with the issue of size and practicality, I thought about remaking the tool so that the amulet itself would act as its base. By shaping it into a compact cylindrical form, the entire structure would become much smaller and easier to handle. This design would not only make the tool more easy to carry and use but also simplify the forging process. With fewer components to manage, crafting the tool would take less effort and resources, a clear advantage when time or materials are limited.

The same principle crossed my mind regarding my other forging tools. Reducing their size and complexity could make them more practical. However, I quickly realized that simply making the tools smaller might compromise their functionality. A tool is only as useful as its ability to perform its task effectively, and reducing it to its most basic form might hinder that.

Instead, I decided to lean on my skills to enhance the efficiency of the tools. With the right techniques and enhancements, I could refine the tools to reach a balance between compactness and optimal performance. By focusing on the synergy between design and functionality, I could create tools that were not only easier to forge but also superior in use, making sure they met my needs without compromise.

“For now, I should make the right tools for my laboratory… Let’s start by making some bottles for the potions.”

I knew that to make glass that a single person makes, I would silica sand, soda ash, and lime. These are mixed and heated in a furnace, melting the mixture into a molten state. The molten glass can then be cooled slightly to become useful for shaping. Adding specific metallic oxides during the melting phase allows for colored glass, while ensuring the sand is pure results in clear glass. Once melted and prepared, the glass is ready for shaping using techniques like glassblowing.

Glassblowing involves gathering molten glass on a hollow blowpipe, rolling it on a smooth surface to stabilize the shape, and blowing into the pipe to inflate the glass into a bubble. The bubble is elongated and shaped into a bottle form by reheating and using tools like molds. To finish, the bottle’s neck and opening are refined, and it is placed in an annealing oven to cool slowly, preventing cracks. 

I probably could make all that, but I didn’t have all the materials, so I decided to use the ores instead and make some bottles made of iron. It was a lot less annoying, too.

Stamina Potion (Uncommon)

Restores 130 points of Stamina over ten seconds.

“I guess it wasn’t as good as the ones that Ayla made. Well, it is fine for a beginner. Still, I need to find a way to make mana and health potions too, but doing that while traveling around is difficult.”

I made some bottles before morning could arrive and soon Glacien returned with a magic bag filled with ores and mana cores. She went too far considering that she still had to pull the vehicle when the sun rises, but it seemed that she took her time because she was full of energy. 

“I guess I can pull the whole thing while she rests inside… she can also drink some of the stamina liquid.”

I figured that thanks to situations like this, it was better to start working on the new engine. I also had to work on the driving mechanism itself… I couldn’t delay that any longer.

While I was working on that and waiting for the sun to rise, I wondered if I could use Mana Drain on the wagon. I had the mana cores for situations like this, but it still would be a good option if it could obtain mana from the surroundings. Still, that kind of effect only worked when causing damage.

I could tell that I was starting to get quite greedy and skewed, but it couldn’t be helped. That is what it means to be human, to obtain the best results while doing the least amount of work possible.

In the end, just as expected, morning came and Glacien was still sleeping… I still had a long time before finishing the new engine and the driving mechanism of the wagon, so I decided to pull it by myself for a while. I haven’t been doing much exercise, after all.

‘If even after this I don’t gain muscles, I guess it is what it is. Half vampires aren’t meant to be jacked, but slender like beanpoles.’

I didn’t know why I was so eager to gain muscles. It wasn’t like I was that into exercise in my previous life. I could only guess that the reason was because muscles were always convenient to have. However, in a world like this, they didn’t make that much of a difference.

Looking strong still has its benefits. People usually fear those bigger than them, after all. I decided to put those thoughts aside and then focus on what was important, which was the path ahead. While the carriage was camouflaged, I still could be seen. I could use an amulet, but I decided to save it for when it was truly necessary since I no longer had spares.

‘I should split my time widely now… I can no longer just do whatever is necessary or whatever I feel like. This feels a bit weird given how much freedom I had until now, but for the sake of my freedom in the future, I need to make things even more efficient.’

I haven’t had one of those since I left the mansion, but I decided to make a schedule for work. As it turned out, that made my life a lot easier, but soon I found some problems ahead…

Chapter 247 - Preparations for the Bash

‘Why am I not surprised?’

I was pretty deep in the Aesira Empire territory, so I didn’t expect to find the floating islands close to the borders with the empire, but it didn’t mean that I wouldn’t find those close to the border with the kingdom of Talimor.

A few weeks had passed since the start of this new weird journey. I made some good progress with my tools and my creations as well. Thanks to the two engines that I had, the vehicle could now move as fast as when Glacien pulled with all her might, which was close to sixty miles per hour. It consumed a lot of mana cores, though.

‘It should be a bit more risky, but with the camouflage effects, this should be possible… the real problem is this one.’

When I was on the driving wheel, Alissandra would make a fuss when she wasn’t in my arms… so I tried to only drive it at night, but heading to the border while only relying on Glacien would be difficult. For one, she makes a lot of snow when she is dashing. For another, she had her smell too. It would be better to use the engines and keep everyone inside the wagon.

Thanks to my adjustments, I could drive without exposing myself outside and the interior could keep our smells inside too… the real question was if Alissandra would get quiet if things got tense. Once the harpies hear the sound of a baby crying, then they would connect the dots… they could have bird brains, but it shouldn’t be that bad.

‘If things get dangerous, they will chase us even after the border… that would bring some chaos and destruction to the Kingdom of Talimor… Even if they are welcoming to half humans, they won’t welcome me if I bring death to their doors. That would make things difficult for Alisandra as well. Who would look after her afterwards?’

When it rains, it pours. When my problems start to come, they won’t stop until I am almost drowning in them. We didn’t get lucky enough to find other dungeons or labyrinths along the way, so we couldn’t just hide somewhere and wait for those guys to leave. I had to come up with a plan.

The most obvious solution would be to head north or south and find some holes in their formation in the border. Still, that could take a very long time. There is no guarantee that they aren’t doing the same everywhere else. I didn’t know about the current situation in this area, after all.

I could try to be cautious and cross the area slowly… but the people on the other side of the border might find it suspicious if we arrive there while camouflaged.

Perhaps I could transform the carriage into a giant digging machine and then cross the border while underground. That will probably take a while too and it would be dangerous.

“I don’t have time for any of this… Sorry, Glacien, but our ears will have to suffer a bit instead.”

“Awoo?”

I started working on the wagon with a clear goal in mind, not to make it sturdier or more durable, but to soundproof it as much as possible. The thought of traveling with Alisandra, who was still a baby, brought its own set of challenges. Babies cry, babble, and make noise; that’s simply how they communicate and express themselves. Expecting otherwise would be unrealistic. But while her fussing was natural and unavoidable, it could also be problematic during this part of the journey.

Even in less dangerous situations, I didn’t want her noises to disturb others we might meet along the way, potentially leading to hostility or discomfort. So, I focused my efforts on creating a safe and quiet place within the wagon. I inspected every panel and joint, sealing gaps where sound might escape. I lined the interior with soft, dense materials to absorb noise, testing each area to ensure its muffled sound effectively. 

I had plenty of tanned leather, so that helped a lot… the magic heater that I created became less necessary as well, thanks to it. Since I was using it, I decided to use them to make the tires for the wheels. That should increase our speed and stability as well.

‘The next version of the vehicle should have a better design for aerodynamics. I can’t make something like F1 cars since I need to keep enough room for my forge and laboratory, but I should improve it as much as possible.’

I decided to write down the ideas and then add some schedules to when I should start working on that as well. Otherwise, I would never put those plans into practice. I had dozens of ideas forgotten on my notes thanks to that, and I only put a few of them into practice lately… and only because I wasn’t looking for labyrinths, but heading into another territory. Still, that change brought enough benefits to my life since I had my tools ready to be used and that would speed up my crafting and poison crafting process.

It would be fun to create the fastest vehicle in this world… the type that could out speed even people that can move insanely fast. It would be difficult, though. Given that some people can specialize in a single parameter for whatever reason.

In any case, I confirmed that the wagon was sound proof enough after working on it for a full day and then decided to move on. The terrain around was covered in snow, but it didn’t have many elevations to get in the way, so it would be fine when it comes to moving… at least for now.

“Get inside, girl. There is a chance that we will be attacked, and we can’t waste time with that.”

“Awoo!”

“You are big, but you aren’t big enough to be as tough as the two of you. If the worst comes to the worst, you can fire your magic at the enemies.”

Glacien stopped complaining and then got inside the wagon… maybe I was being too lenient on her since it wasn’t the first time that she objected to direct orders. She got around the basket where Alissandra was like a curling ball and then waited patiently. It would take a while for us to reach the border given the distance to the floating islands, so she did the right thing in using this chance to rest.

I began to drive the wagon using only one engine… I could see the surroundings relatively well thanks to windows that I added on the sides and the front. I could also close all of them with a single pull of a lever on my right side. That would decrease my visibility a lot, but when things start to happen, I will just need to focus on the path ahead and with the small holes at the entrance of the vehicle.

“Be a good girl, and don’t make any noise, all right?”

“Da-da!”

“I was talking with Glacien, but at least it looks like you understand this as well.”

“Awoo?”

Maybe I could add some automatic defenses for the vehicle… since the Elven arrows had similar effects and even I had created arrows that adjust their trajectory, this shouldn’t be impossible to make. The question was how I could make the weapons work when enemies approached… I had no idea how.

As the floating islands became closer, I couldn’t help but get a bit nervous… flying enemies were truly a pain in the ass and to achieve all my goals, I had to avoid any kind of conflict. My goals were to find someone appropriate to look after Alissandra, and fast, too.

‘Damn it… why does this have to be so hard?’

The vision ahead began to get worse since it began to snow… I was planning to cross the area through the night in order to be able to pass without being noticed, but with the snow, even I would have a hard time seeing anything.

I let out a sigh and then decided to focus… I still had my ear accessory that would help me hear better the approach of possible enemies. The snow would muffle such sounds and the wind was against me, but it was still better than nothing.

‘The next time, I will get the Seer class in one way or the other and then create a radar with those skills.’

As the wagon moved forward, the weather quickly took an annoying turn. What had begun as a light snowfall now intensified, swiftly transforming into a full-fledged snowstorm. The sky darkened, and snowflakes whipped through the air like sharp needles. 

The wind howled with increasing fury, biting at exposed faces and making each step feel like a battle against the elements. Despite this, the wagon, with its sturdy build and the engines, kept its pace, maintained its speed, cutting through the snowdrifts as if they were mere inconveniences.

It was hard to imagine anyone in their right mind willingly setting out to fight in such an unforgiving storm. The freezing temperatures and the near-zero visibility would put even the most experienced warriors at a disadvantage. Yet the harpies would be fine against it. To them, the storm was just another part of the environment they had long learned to navigate. Their leathery wings, adapted to cold climates, could cut effortlessly through the wind as if they were born to soar in these conditions. 

Before long, night had fallen and then the wagon began to cross the terrain… we were right below one of those floating islands. The idea of one of those falling and then crushing us made me feel shivers, more than the cold in the area. 

I fed the engines with as many mana cores as possible in order not to worry about the fuel anytime soon. Thanks to that, the vehicle kept its pace without any issues. The tires that I made using monster leather truly made the vehicle move a lot more smoothly. With this much, I probably could create two more engines to gain more horsepower…

Still, just when I thought about that, I heard screeching sounds in the sky.

“Why? Just why?”

Chapter 245 - Laughing in the Face of Danger 

“Ba-ba-ba!”

“You have no power against me. It doesn’t matter how much you try, I know your game.”

“Da-da-da!”

After Alissandra took a nice warm bath, she no longer got angry about getting dirty. She got angry for another reason afterwards and started to make a fuss, but she calmed down after I put her in my arms and she began to grab my fingers and giggle like a baby. Well, she was one, so it wasn’t surprising.

“I know your kind. You want to make me drop my guard and then brainwash me to spoil you rotten for many years? Your tactics are useless here.”

“Da-da-da!”

Although I said that, she was too damn adorable, to the point that I couldn’t help but sigh. She was a happy baby, and completely oblivious that her mother just died… I couldn’t tell if her mother was a criminal, and since that was the case, I guessed that they were looking for Alissandra as well for some reason.

Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t tell the people that I will tell Alissandra too about how I found her… I also should look for those people on the other side of the kingdom of Talimor. That would decrease the chances of words about her reaching the harpies.

“Her mother assumed that she would be fine there… but I have no idea how the Kingdom of Talimor deals with the harpies. They should have their own fighting tactics against flying enemies and floating islands, though.”

As usual, I couldn’t catch a break… more and more worries kept coming to my mind in order to keep me on my toes. At least I wasn’t heading in a direction filled with floating islands, so there was that.

“Awoo! Awoo!”

I peeked outside the wagon to check what was ahead… judging by her tone, it didn’t look like she found something dangerous ahead. Still, it was snowing a lot, so I couldn’t see that far ahead. The temperature outside was very low, but my cloak had heated enchantments, so Alissandra was fine.

Before long, Glacien slowed down despite me not giving her the order too. When I checked the surroundings, I found the entrance to the labyrinth. This one wasn’t so new, since it had the complete image of a monster around it.

At the entrance to the labyrinth, the image of an armored knight could be seen, his figure etched in the entrance of the labyrinth. The knight was clad in gleaming armor, its surface reflecting the light with an almost magical sheen. In his hands, he held a two-headed spear, its dual blades sharp and menacing, crafted to pierce through the toughest of defenses. 

The spear’s design was curved, with runes carved into the shaft, showing its ancient origin and magical properties. The knight’s stance was strong, focused, and his gaze seemed to pierce through anything it looked as if daring anyone to approach. The eerie silence around the entrance increased the knight’s presence, making it clear that this was no mere decoration, but an alert.

“This is a first… it makes me think that this place spawns humans or something. Anyway, we can’t explore a labyrinth with a newborn baby with us.”

Despite what I said, Glacien kept looking at Alissandra. It took a while for me to understand what she was thinking… making her stronger. Still, was that a good idea?

It looked like Alissandra was in a special birth situation as well, but unlike me, she didn’t have the memories of a previous life to rely on. So, it would be a good idea for her to get stronger than soon as possible, but even before she could learn how to walk?

“I guess you are losing your edge, Glacien. This couldn’t be a worse idea…”

For one, there was no way that Alissandra could pick up a class properly… for other children and superpowers to work together as well as fire and oil. This was a disaster bound to happen.

“Grrr…”

She didn’t take my words well. Regardless, it wasn’t my problem. I had to consider the bigger picture here. Still, what if Glacien instincts weren’t wrong? I also thought that it would be a good idea to learn how this worked… would the system make the choice for Alissandra?

“Well, I should at least go ahead first and see what will be the first classes granted here.”

I could leave Glacien looking after Alissandra a bit behind the end of the first floor, after all. She was strong enough to decimate any type of monster in the first section of any kind of labyrinth.

In any case, we got inside and I frowned when I saw that the interior was very different from the beginning. Everything was made of brick, but the corridor was large enough to even have some pillars around to sustain it.

“Grrrr…”

Glacien got ready to fight and then glared at the pillar in front of us. It didn’t seem like a monster in disguise since I could see some cracks in it.

Still, I decided to approach carefully since it was pretty thick… Thanks to that, I was able to react in time when I saw a shadow coming from it. I fired some wind Shurikens and destroyed the beast.

You received 15 experience points.

“An iron skeleton, huh?”

The iron skeleton was tall, with a frame imposing and rigid, with a shield and sword magic created from solid iron, each piece gleaming with a dull metallic sheen. The shield was round, while the sword had a sharp, well-worn edge, its handle gripped firmly by the bone fingers. 

However, after being destroyed, the monster began to transform. The iron skeleton’s entire body began to shrink, its bones pulling inward as if drawn by some invisible force. The sword and shield, once held so proudly, became heavy, their metal starting to warp and compress. The skeleton structure contorted as it collapsed in on itself, shrinking into a compact mass of raw, unrefined metal. 

Within moments, the once formidable figure was reduced to a simple lump of iron ore, the glint of the shield and sword now lost to the crude, unprocessed form of the material. The transformation left behind no trace of the skeleton’s former shape, only the raw, unshaped ore.

“I guess you somehow sensed that this place would be good for me as well, huh, girl? Sorry for doubting you.”

“Chi, chi, chi.”

Glacien looked proud of herself. It was better if she didn’t receive praise that often, apparently. Regardless, I decided to move on while carrying Alissandra and Glacien worked as the frontline, but soon I hesitated.

“Ba-ba-ba!”

Whenever I used magic, Alissandra would giggle like she had seen the most funny thing in the world… or maybe she was happy because I was destroying the skeletons, I couldn’t say for sure and that was kind of scary. At least I didn’t have to make weird faces to make her laugh.

I didn’t know much about how laughs were good for babies, but it shouldn’t be bad at the very least. In any case, the iron skeletons didn’t cause much trouble, so soon I could see the end of the first floor. 

“Take care of her for a bit.”

I put Alissandra on the basket and Glacien began to hold it with her mouth and then I went to get my class.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Woodcutter, Scribe, and Linguist).

You obtained the Linguist class.

You improved the Mana Regeneration parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Master of Languages.

You unlocked the skill: Advanced Translation.

You unlocked the skill: Multilingual Communication.

Master of Languages: Gain bonus experience when learning, translating, and interpreting languages, the longer the duration, the more bonus experience.

Advanced Translation - Translate complex and nuanced texts between languages with high accuracy. This skill allows you to handle difficult or obscure texts, capturing the original meaning and context. It includes techniques for managing idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and specialized terminology to ensure precise translation. The higher the skill level, the faster you will understand the words. Cost: 05 Mana per minute

Multilingual Communication - Facilitate effective communication in multiple languages simultaneously. This skill enables you to interpret and mediate conversations between speakers of different languages, ensuring clear and accurate exchanges. It includes techniques for simultaneous interpretation, managing language switches, and clarifying misunderstandings in real-time. Cost: 10 Mana per minute

I had planned to learn these class while I was still in the empire, but I lost the chance thanks to the circumstances, but that was never missed since I never met people that spoke other languages… then again, I only traveled so far in the areas where the empire had influence.

‘Still, I wonder if this can allow me to speak with Glacien…’

I looked at her and she gave me a puzzled look. I would bet that there was a class somewhere that would allow people to talk with animals, or at least a skill should exist. Perhaps it would work on Alissandra… but it wasn’t like she was speaking with any idea of what she had in mind. She was only making baby noises. If anything, as long as it gives me any idea of what they are feeling, I would consider it a win.

Although the entrance of the labyrinth was surprising, the classes wouldn’t be a problem for Alissandra. In fact, either of them would be fine since they would increase her stamina or mana regeneration. She wouldn’t be able to use the skills for a while, so that was a plus as well.

“All right, let’s do this.”

This place probably wasn’t unknown by harpies, given that it wasn’t filled with monsters, so they should come here often, because the classes helped them a fair bit. I had no idea how, though.

I put Alissandra on my arms again and then moved to the next floor. Before long, I was forced to stop.

Someone under your protection received the chance to obtain a class, but they can’t choose it. You will have to make the choice for them.

Alissandra completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Woodcutter, Scribe, and Linguist).

Chapter 244 - Babysitting

This time around, Glacien didn’t fail and found some animals that looked like buffalos. They didn’t like it when we approached, but after some ‘awoos’, they calmed down and let us approach. It looked like Glacien could talk with other animals.

In any case, the buffalos were a bit weird since they had six legs… while they had breasts apparently filled with milk. I wasn’t sure if it was good for a baby. I drank some with a lot of hesitation and it was pretty sweet, but I boiled it just in case for Allisandra.

‘With my Vitalis amulet, she won’t die due to this, but I still prefer it that she doesn’t get sick.’

Giving the milk for Alissandra to drink had been an ordeal as well. Without the right tools, I had to use a bowl and give it slowly to her. I probably could make something for her with my skills and materials, but what for? I needed to find someone else appropriate to look after her. It would be better if I didn’t do anything that would make her even a bit attached to me. Still, that shouldn’t be a problem, since I had the charisma of a wet cookie.

“It looks like you like it. Not like at your age, anyone could be a gourmet.”

Alissandra drank a lot of the milk and soon fell asleep again. I sighed in relief, but my job was far from over. I still need to stock up some milk for her. Taming one of those animals was a good idea for a steady supply of milk, or I could try to milk them to guarantee some for the rest of the trip.

“What should I do now?” 

Glacien was talking with the animals using her weird language, probably trying to convince everyone to hand us some of their milk. I probably could make a freezer with my skills and the metals I had. The magic bags could be used to store food as well, but I imagined that something like milk would go bad a lot fast and I couldn’t take chances given that the person who had to drink it was a baby.

The buffalo-like animals didn’t make a fuss and soon let me milk them a bit. Before long, we had a few dozen liters’ worth of milk for Alissandra. So, without wasting time, I began to work on the freezer.

‘... Why the hell am I making a freezer in this world? Before long, I will be making a microwave.’

That kind of thing would be a hit at inns and restaurants, but I was no longer in the business of selling stuff to others. While I began to make the freezer, I realized that I probably should change the engine of the bike for a bigger one and use it for the wagon. I could see in the future Glacien not be able to pull it for one reason or the other and we would need that kind of countermeasure.

‘Maybe just taking another engine and using both of them together would be a better option… that should make them last longer and it will take less time to create it as well ‘

I also had to make the wheel to drive the whole thing… I should have made a blueprint beforehand. It was too late to complain about it. I will have to make some adjustments and slowly upgrade the whole thing.

I will have to obtain a large supply of mana cores pretty often as well if I was planning to use all that. I will be busy for a while… It was time to work to streamline the creation process of the things that I needed.

‘It is keeping the temperature low enough, but I was expecting a bit more power… the iron ore is magical, but not as magical as the silver ores.’

I had a lot more silver ores, but using them and creating a lot of silver stuff around me will be difficult. I probably should make that less troublesome if I cover them with the monster leather. I had to do that too, but for now, I decided to make some amulets made of iron and test how better they were from the ordinary ones.

As it turned out, they were as good as the ones made of bone… the silver ones should be even better, but testing them will have to wait.

“We need to reach Talimor as soon as possible, Glacien. So, pull the carriage. I will start working on making the vehicle automatic.”

“Grrr…”

“What? You want to pull it all the time? It is impossible.”

Glacien couldn’t work all the time, and I might want to keep moving while she rests, so that was only unavoidable. In any case, Glacien began to pull the wagon, and I decided to check some parts of the vehicle for a short while… I already could notice some degradation since the vehicle was camouflaged at all times. 

This was going to be a tougher problem than expected… it made me recall that I didn’t pay much focus on obtaining an item with the self repair Enchantment. I had planned to obtain it sooner or later, but I didn’t find it even until now.

‘Since I didn’t come across it, I guess I should try to learn it by myself… but what kind of combinations would mimic that kind of effect?’

It’s been quite some time since I tried combining effects to create new enchantments, and I think it’s worth revisiting given the circumstances. The process of experimentation with enchantment combinations can lead to unique and powerful results, mimicking complex or rare enchantments like Self-Repair. Even if I failed, I could learn some other useful ones.

Considering the set of enchantments I had in my knowledge, it was hard to imagine that I would be able to find the answer by myself… still, it wasn’t surprising given that it has been a while since I actively looked for them.

I knew that in theory, the self repair enchantment would rely on mana to repair something, and it was a pretty rare effect, but I still had a hard time understanding it. Magic items usually don’t have that much mana with them, so how could they keep repairing itself for who knows how long?

‘If I can’t learn that effect, I should at least make a tool that will make repairing the wagon easier after I upgrade it. I have the skill for this, but…’

Artisan's Touch Lv 07 - Use your smithing expertise to repair and enhance weapons and armor. This skill allows you to fully repair damaged items and improve their quality, adding temporary bonuses such as increased durability or minor enhancements to the item's stats. The improvements last for a significant period or until the item undergoes further use. Cost: 50 Mana

I had two other skills for repairing items… one of them was only for bows, though. This one seemed like the right skill for the thing that I had in mind. In any case, I could turn it into an amulet, but how would it affect other things?

‘Maybe if I can create it in the shape of a hammer… it costs as much mana as shadow step, but that skill is activated as soon as the mana core is attached to it. I have to find a way to control the use of the mana cores as well in the amulets.’

More things to do… it made me think that I wasn’t doing and making as nearly as much progress as I could. In any case, I had some time to think, so I might as well use it to solve those two problems. 

After a couple of hours only thinking about that, I finally came up with a solution for the problem of the activation of the amulets. To make the amulets only activate when I wanted. I added a small base that could be turned to attach the mana cores to the amulet and turned in reverse to detach it. It was only a temporary solution, but that made me realize that the effects still could be activated based on the level of attaching it, but it would be weaker.

‘Perhaps I could reverse engineer it to make amulets more powerful as well… the base would eventually lose durability as well, so I would need to make new ones often. Which confirms that it was only a temporary solution.’

“Waahhhh! Wahhhh!”

Before I could think about it further, Alissandra woke up, making even more noise than before. I got ready to give her the milk in the fridge, but soon felt the smell in the air. She wasn’t hungry. She was upset because she had finally processed the milk.

“At least she looks fine, so the milk wasn’t a problem…”

I began the difficult task of cleaning her. Her frame seemed weighed down not only by her condition, but also by something I hadn’t noticed before. As I carefully wiped her back, my hands paused, brushing against something unusual. At first, I thought it might be another tangle of hair or perhaps some kind of scar. But as I continued, the truth emerged. Small, delicate wings were pressed against her back.

The feathers still retained a faint sheen that showed their potential for growth. It was clear these wings had been sealed, perhaps intentionally or perhaps it was born this way, for they didn’t move freely as wings should. She was indeed a harpy, her true nature hidden and suppressed.

“Anyway, I should make a magic washing machine too…”

I didn’t wash my clothes often, but I knew that washing the soiled blankets would be a lot of work and I couldn’t risk doing a half-assed job.

Chapter 243 - Another unexpected turn

I decided to finally use my new crafting skills here to make my next steps easier. For starters, I had to make a vehicle that Glacien could pull and that would be stable enough for the baby to be able to sleep peacefully while it moved. I wanted to focus on lightness, but that wouldn’t be a good idea for now… I also wanted to use this as a foundation for the real deal, which would have my laboratory and forge.

In any case, I summoned my ethereal smelter and soon started the process of smelling the ores that I had… I could control the heat inside with ease, I just had to think about that, but there were other things that I had to do that were pretty hard. 

Things like finding impurities for the whole thing… that was quite the annoying process. I had a general ideal on how the forging process worked, but I still had a lot of misconceptions.

Many people mistakenly believe that forging involves melting metal and pouring it into molds, confusing it with casting. In reality, forging shapes solid metal using forces like hammering or pressing. Another common misconception is that red-hot metal during forging is in a liquid state, but it remains solid, only softened enough for reshaping. Similarly, people often think hammering always makes metal stronger, overlooking that proper techniques like work hardening or heat treatment are necessary to enhance strength. Without these, overworking metal can lead to brittleness rather than durability.

Another widespread misunderstanding is that quenching, rapidly cooling metal, always makes it stronger. While this is true for materials like high-carbon steel, it has little to no effect on other metals and can even weaken them. Additionally, many assume that forging is a one-step process of heating and shaping, but it typically involves multiple cycles of heating, hammering, and cooling, often followed by grinding or polishing. The idea that all forged items are indestructible is also a myth, as the strength of forged objects depends on the material, design, and proper execution of the process.

The good thing was the fact that I could use a bunch of ores at the same time… the process was difficult, but putting more of it didn’t make things more time consuming. In fact, it speeds things up.

I had to stop the process a bunch of times since I was closer to the exit of the labyrinth while Glacien was fighting the monsters… when she was done with them, she would eat their legs. That was one less thing to worry about, but it was still a worrying sight.

‘I guess I need to bury her soon… night already arrived.’

I took a break from the forging process to take the body of the harpy outside and then I created a hole in the ground with some controlled explosions. After that, I buried her. It was snowing, so soon the snow would hide all traces of the tomb.

‘Considering how rotten my luck is, someone someday will find this and blame me for her death. I can already see it.’

I returned to the labyrinth and found Glacien guarding the baby like a royal knight. She was also staring at her… Glacien was still supposed to be less than one-year-old, but it looked like her maternal instincts were already kicking in.

In any case, I resumed my work since this needed to be finished as soon as possible… While I shouldn’t hurry up given that it is my first project, it was better to make something and learn from it for the next project.

When morning came, the whole thing was more or less assembled… it didn’t look good at all, but it was better than nothing. The rough iron carriage had a rugged, utilitarian charm, built for functionality rather than elegance. Its wheels, made entirely of iron, were thick and durable, with wide spokes to distribute weight evenly. Each wheel was rimmed with reinforced bands to withstand rough terrain, though the absence of suspension makes the ride potentially jarring in some terrains when it was pulled too fast. The axles were straightforward but robust, designed to bear significant loads without warping.

The pulling mechanism included a sturdy iron yoke, its edges slightly rounded to reduce stress on Glacien that will draw the carriage. Some iron chains extend from the yoke to the frame, ensuring that the force is evenly distributed. The base was a flat, reinforced platform with crisscrossing iron beams underneath for structural integrity, capable of holding heavy cargo or passengers.

For the time being, the walls and a ceiling were crafted from thick, treated monster leather, stretched taut and fastened with rivets to the iron framework. The leather, both flexible and resilient, provided protection from the elements while maintaining a lightweight design. As a temporary measure, the leather is secured using simple hooks, making it easy to replace or upgrade with sturdier materials later. The overall structure had a rough pattern, practical aesthetic.

For the final tests, I put a mana core in the slot in the middle of the interior of the vehicle. When the mana core was attached, the carriage got camouflaged. I waited for a while to confirm how long it would last, and it lasted for half an hour. Even the parts made of leather were camouflaged. It confirmed that the whole thing was a simple structure.

“Awoo!”

“It seems that you aren’t against pulling this… but some people might find it inappropriate to use animal labor. Let’s add some strength enchantments to your accessories to make sure that this won’t be that heavy for you.”

After doing that, I decided to make Glacien pull around the vehicle to see any differences. Her stamina regeneration wasn’t high, but pulling the vehicle alone didn’t drain her stamina beyond her regeneration. When I tried to pull it, it didn’t feel that bothersome either.

‘The benefits of high strength… Well, let’s see if with our weight, this will change anything.’

I got inside the wagon with the baby and I didn’t expect many changes. Glacien moved around for a while just fine. No further stamina drain. The carriage didn’t make any noise, but it was a bit bumpy. I had to add proper tires to the wheels to make that kind of impact less bothersome. 

Adding a wind enchantment would make the vehicle faster, but the earth enchantment would make it more durable and less susceptible to the changes in the terrain. That kind of enchantment would make the vehicle lose durability, though. The fact that the carriage was a giant amulet also would make it lose durability overtime. Still, all that was fine, since the carriage was essentially a bunch of plates connected that could be dismounted and exchanged with newer parts.

‘It is big enough for the ethereal smelter, so I can forge things here, but I should be careful since the camouflage can’t hide the smoke and steam during the process.’

I did another test and confirmed that while it was camouflaged and being pulled by Glacien, it looked like she was just running a bit slower. It still left marks on the snow, though.

“Wahh! Wahh!”

All of a sudden, we heard that and Glacien stopped moving… of all times for her to wake up. I headed to the wagon in a hurry and saw the girl crying. It looked like she realized that she was alone and she didn’t like that.

“It is alright… it’s alright! Hmmmm, hmmmm!”

I had no idea how to soothe a crying baby, so I tried to imitate how people did in some moves. I was a single child too, so my parents from earth never showed me that kind of thing and they didn’t have siblings either.

Somehow, it worked on making the little girl calm down. I knew that certain noises, like white noise or rhythmic “shushing” sounds, can calm babies because they mimic the auditory environment of the womb. Inside the womb, babies are surrounded by constant sounds such as the whooshing of blood flow, the rhythmic thump of their mother’s heartbeat, and muffled external noises. These sounds create a steady, soothing background noise that becomes deeply familiar to the baby. After birth, similar sounds can evoke that sense of security and comfort, helping the baby relax and stop crying. 

Additionally, low-frequency sounds and repetitive rhythms are particularly effective because they resemble the steady heartbeat the baby heard in the womb. Techniques like the “shushing” sound work by replicating the constant flow of blood and movement of amniotic fluid that surrounded the baby before birth. These sounds not only feel familiar but also help mask sudden, potentially startling noises in the baby’s environment, creating a sense of safety. Regardless, I saw Glacien looking at me, trying to make the baby fall asleep again, and that made me feel really embarrassed.

“What are you looking at? Go dig a hole or something.”

“Awoo!”

Unfortunately, the baby wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon… it slept for several hours, after all. I could tell that soon would get angry and I didn’t have anything to feed her. 

‘I guess clearing this labyrinth will have to wait. The best option would be to look for some animals here for milk, but what are the odds of finding them with extra milk? Do I have to return to the dwarven territory?’

Even if that was the only option, it would take three days to return… but heading to the kingdom of Talimor would take weeks. This was really a troubling situation. Alissandra didn’t look older than six months. I knew that was the time babies can drink other things aside from milk.

“Let’s hope that your nose won’t fail me again, Glacien. Try to track something that has milk in it. Preferably something not violent.”

“Awoo!”

Glacien began to pull the wagon, and I sighed… I decided to let the baby rest on the basket and then do something else like some iron amulets, but it looked like that wouldn’t be possible.

“Wahh! Wahh!”

Allisandra began to cry again the next moment, and I felt like my eardrums were about to explode the very moment I moved her from my arms. 

“This isn’t going to work… I value my hearing. Man, one can’t never tell where life will take you, huh?”

Chapter 242 - Prepare for Trouble, and Make it Double (Thank you for your support, Devlon Stapleton!)

At this point in time, I couldn’t deny that I had a jinx worse than Nimir… in any case, living on the run was my specialty, so seeing that didn’t make me nervous in the slightest. I just equipped my camouflage amulet and then used the spare on Glacien. I was planning to make new ones using the ores that I obtained, but maybe I won’t have the chance to wait for that.

“Awoo!”

“Don’t make any noise, also you aren’t going to lead me anywhere anymore. I can tell that you love seeing me get in trouble. In any other situation… no, forget about it. Not like you would care, anyway.”

Glacien was highly intelligent, and she wasn’t as self serving as me, so if she found something off or something wrong, she would try to correct it. Even if there were no benefits in sight. It was just the kind of animal that she was. 

In any case, the floating island kept moving around the area like it was a ship… it was on the smaller side, but even that small side was five hundred meters across and it was two kilometers high in the sky. I couldn’t see the harpies moving around, but I could tell that they were looking for something… or perhaps someone.

‘I guess I should wait for them to leave the area… there is something that they are looking for here, and there is a chance that they will find us, so it is better to get a move.’

The area ahead was colder and it would snow more and more. Even with camouflage amulets, we would still leave footprints in the snow. In any case, how bad was my luck when most of the territory of the harpies was supposed to be free of the floating islands?

“Awoo!”

“No, you lost your chance to lead me to a labyrinth. Now take the back seat and wait.”

“Awoo!”

I let out a sigh… I wanted to believe that Glacien wanted a chance to redeem herself, but that was just me putting too much faith on her.

Well, I wasn’t going to give up on the compass, so might as well let her lead me for a while longer. Even if she was going to lead me to trouble, I could just always ignore the final result, no matter what.

The territory of the Aesira Empire didn’t have anything special aside from the floating islands and the snow that accumulated further north. Thanks to that, there weren’t many things along the way that could be considered landmarks. As we moved further north, the snow and white began to take over the area, so it was really hard to find the entrance of a dungeon or labyrinth around.

Despite that, Glacien led me to the tallest hill in the area… while I wanted to turn to the side in order not to expose myself since the floating island was still in the area. She headed straight into it.

“... I just hope that she is leading me to a dungeon where she can get a lot of meat.”

The entrance of the dungeon made me recall the other one where I found the dwarves camping before I met that redhead dwarf girl. I had to move a bit of the snow to confirm it, but the drawings around the entrance were still incomplete.

“A new labyrinth? Interesting…”

The incomplete drawing was on the ground, and the base seemed like something with a lot of thin legs. I couldn’t see anything else, so it was hard to say what kind of things I would see inside…

“Awooo!”

Glacien looked a bit restless. After making a bit of a fuss, she dashed to the labyrinth. I knew that I was getting into trouble, so I considered stopping her by force and using my authority as her master, but in the end, that was unnecessary. I would have to check the labyrinth sooner or later, after all.

I went down with Glacien and after sliding into a small slope, I stopped and found her in front of something unexpected, a small mountain of monster bodies and two suspicious figures. One was a human with wild and avian features… Another was a kid in her arms, a newborn baby.

‘Oh, man… Now this, huh?’

The woman was definitely a harpy… What I had read about them was that they were very beast-like, a lot more than beastkin. It always made me wonder why they weren’t considered beastkin. In any case, she had a golden plumage around most of her body, but now it was covered in a lot of blood.  She was wearing a dark cloak too, and that was even more dirty with blood. 

All of a sudden, she opened her eyes and then noticed that something was off. She immediately tried to get up, but her wounds made her call once again. We were camouflaged, so she couldn’t see us. I let out a sigh and then took out my amulet.

“We are just passing by. Don’t mind us.”

I appeared before the harpy and she studied me with the eyes of a predator. The harpy’s eyes, though weakened by exhaustion and glazed with the pain, still burned with the powerful ferocity of a predator. 

They were shadowed by the weight of impending death, but within their depths one could see a primal, undying instinct, a refusal to succumb completely. The irises, dark and sharp, held a flicker of desperate will, scanning for any chance for any way out in her weakened state. It was a gaze that seemed to pierce through flesh, holding a haunting reminder that, even at death’s door, the predator’s spirit could not be extinguished.

Even while she was injured, she dealt with the monsters that came for her and her kid. The bodies of the monsters were of giant brown ants. Seeing them with this size made my skin crawl… while this was only the first section of the labyrinth, they were already one meter tall, after all.

“... Did you see… a floating island around?”

The harpy asked me just when I was thinking about moving on with my business. I nodded and then took out some healing potions that I got from the magic bag of the dwarf girl. I wanted to pass them to her, but she just shook her head.

“Unless you are a high priest, there is nothing you can do to heal me.”

She moved a bit of her cloak and then showed her torso… I squinted my eyes, seeing some festering wounds there. It looked like she had a bunch of her organs pierced by some sort of cursed weapon. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. She was a goner… 

“Her name is Alissandra… Can you find someone to look after her in the kingdom of Talimor?”

“I can’t. Don’t you see who I am?”

“Yes… you are the half vampire born fifteen years ago… they don’t have many people that aren’t half elves, half dwarves or similar, but they do have other kinds of half humans… they have a hard time having children with each other… so they won’t refuse… the chance… to raise her… I love you… Aliss.”

I let out a sigh… it looked like the harpy had finally reached her limits and her body almost fell to the side. I had to stop her before that could happen. It was unreasonable of me to think of that, but she could have at least explained why she was attacked and why she was running away when she wasn’t half harpy or something.

I looked at the baby in her arms. It was a cute little girl who also had a bit of golden plumage on her. Her soft features made me consider that she was half human, but it was hard to be certain yet. She was sleeping peacefully, even in this state.

“Did it belong to her the blood that you found earlier?”

“Awoo…”

Glacien had her tail and ears down, so she looked sad since she understood that the woman died. Perhaps that was why Glacien was in a hurry. She could tell that the woman was mortally injured and that she had a baby with her.

It was messed up… someone tried to kill a harpy who had just given birth. I didn’t know if they lay eggs or not, but it was still messed up. As far as I remember, they didn’t attack each other, but I didn’t know much about their society. They only attacked the empire borders, after all, and not much else.

‘... What now?’

I didn’t know what this woman was thinking, but I couldn’t look after this newborn baby. The distance to the Kingdom of Talimor was still immense, and the weather was pretty harsh, too. I couldn’t move fast either while carrying a newborn baby.

While I was thinking about that and hesitating to take the baby from her mother’s arms, two giant ants emerged from the depths of the labyrinth. 

“I am kinda busy here. Begone.”

You received 15 experience points.

You received 15 experience points.

I blasted away the monsters without considering what parts of their bodies could be used. I let out a sigh as I began to use my leatherworker skills to make a mix of a bag and a basket. I only had monster materials, but it shouldn’t be that bad. I had some pieces of cloth that I also used as sheets when I could sleep while lying down.

It didn’t take long for the final product to be finished. It felt comfy and big enough, but I still hesitated for a moment to take the baby from her arms. Even while clearly dead, she was still holding her tightly in her arms.

“... I just hope that this won’t make things more difficult later.”

I put the baby from her arms and put her in the basket while praying that she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. I was a baby two times, but I didn’t know shit about how to look after one. I only knew that they make a lot of fuss, no matter what.

“I guess that exploring this labyrinth will have to wait…”

Chapter 241 - Experiments.

Glacien and I dashed north in order to gain as much distance as possible from possible pursuers. While I believed that the elves and dwarves had their hands full to worry about me, it was better to be safer than sorry.

‘Considering the fact that the empire is after me, I can’t head to places where I have acquaintances, so Felyndor is out of the question. Perhaps I should clear some labyrinths in the Aesira Empire before heading to the Kingdom of Talimor.’

I had heard that the harpies won’t welcome anyone in their territory…they rip people apart first and then ask questions later. Their best labyrinths are in their floating islands, but there were some of them which can still be found on land.

The harpies don’t have allies, so I didn’t have to worry about them receiving help or spreading information to get me. Still, deep down, I couldn’t help but worry about Clarice… now and then. My mana would still be drained, so it looked like the fights weren’t easy for her.

‘.... No point in helping others when it is to detriment. Besides, helping her might cause more issues, like the empire trying to use our relationship to get me.’

As we moved further north, the temperature began to drop considerably, they sky got more and more grey as well. After a couple of days, I was able to see some snow falling in the distance.

“Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!”

“Someone is in a good mood, huh?”

Glacien was running ahead without worrying about her stamina while I was pacing myself. Around the time we crossed the border, I couldn’t help but frown since I couldn’t see the floating islands anywhere… they were pretty easy to find on the border of the empire… all over the border, in fact.

“I knew that they could control the floating islands, but this is still quite surprising… Are they plotting something too?”

It looked like the whole world couldn’t calm down for a moment… It made me think that it made sense. I still had no idea why I was reborn here, so perhaps all this was bound to happen.

The main issue apparently was the next rift that was bound to change the world and the fact that the clairvoyant couldn’t see anything about me… all this was supposed to be linked, after all.

“I still feel that someone is working behind the scenes to make me get into all kinds of trouble, but I didn’t find any proof of that. The most suspicious people would be the vampires and their organizations, but aside from the forsaken, I didn’t find any traces of them.”

Considering all that, I couldn’t help but think that I should hide somewhere and do nothing, but that wouldn’t be a good way of living my second life. As expected, the answer too many of my doubts lies with the vampires and their organizations. I decided to check my notes about them.

The Crimson Covenant worships dark beings and those they consider ancient vampire gods, believing that vampires are divinely chosen to rule over all beings. They practice blood magic and rituals to gain favor from their dark gods.

Their primary goal is to gain power through blood rituals and dark magic. They seek to elevate vampires as god-like beings and bring about an age where vampires dominate both the human world and the supernatural realms.

“I can use a bit of blood magic, but I am not sure about their limitations… I don’t feel like testing my powers as a blood mage to learn that, either. Thanks to that, I can’t discard the possibility that they could be involved in my summoning here…”

 The Veiled Court believes that the best way to ensure vampire supremacy is through subtle control of other governments, economies, and institutions. They see direct confrontation as unnecessary when power can be taken through manipulation.

Their goal is to infiltrate all societies and quietly take control of key institutions, placing vampires in positions of influence without revealing their true nature. They aim to create a shadow government that rules the world from behind the scenes.

“This one seems like the group that spread fake news about me in dwarven territory… if I find either of them, I guess I can attack freely and then ask questions later “

The only problem was the fact that my best card was also one of the best cards… the decay arrows. Those should be effective on me as well. I couldn’t deny it since using my own decay arrows against me would be useless 

I let out a sigh and decided to focus on the present. I have been crossing the Aesira Empire for a while, but I had no idea where I was going. Morals be damned. As soon as I find a map, I will steal it. My conscience will no longer make me waste so much time wandering around.

“Hey, girl. Do you know where you are heading to?” 

“Awoo?”

“I figured as much.”

Glacien turned around and then showed a puzzled look. As expected, she wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I stopped to think for a moment… Pathfinding couldn’t help me when I had no idea where I was heading to, but perhaps I could tweak things a bit. So, I decided to make a compass.

Making a simple compass was an easy and simple process. I started by gathering basic materials: a small needle, a bowl of water, a leaf and a magnet. That was one of the ore that I got in the skarnash tribelands. To magnetize the needle, I rubbed it against the magnet several times in the same direction, aligning the atoms inside the needle and giving it magnetic properties. Next, I placed the needle on the floating leaf, which acted as a platform to keep it afloat on the water’s surface.

Once I carefully placed the leaf in the bowl of water, the needle naturally aligned itself with the magnetic field. One end of the needle pointed north, and the other pointed south, functioning as a simple yet effective compass.

“It seems that this also works in this world, even though it is different from Earth. What about I make a compass that is also a pathfinding amulet? I already found several problems even before the construction… I want to make it point toward places with large concentrations of mana, but I don’t know how to separate labyrinths from towns and cities. I guess I need to investigate this a bit.”

I have been focusing too much on exploring dungeons and labyrinths in order to get stronger… that couldn’t be helped given that it was for my survival, but perhaps I could change my perspective a bit. I wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked or ambushed if I had the right rolls. I already created the amulets in this world, and that was a step close to the technology that I envisioned. I just had to keep improving things a bit.

“Awoo!”

“I am thinking here. Give me a moment. I can’t be happy-go-lucky like you.”

“Grrr…”

“Fine, then. Lead the way to the nearest labyrinth and I won’t say anything anymore. It has to be a useful labyrinth, not a place where you can get useless stuff. Someplace with a lot of high quality wood or ores will do the trick.”

Glacien growled at me again. I was making her task a lot harder, but we couldn’t waste time in random crap dungeons, so it couldn’t be helped. In any case, Glacien began to sniff around, trying to find the scent of a dungeon, or so I was hoping, anyway.

“Awoo! Awoo!”

“Good girl, lead the way to the mountain of treasure that you have found.”

I sure hoped that she hadn’t found the scent of something useless like the crap of some animal… perhaps I should ask her to track the scent of a flying beast, one that could be used for combat and make us fly. That would be a fine addition to our team.

While Glacien followed the scent that she had picked, I found my thoughts drifting toward a problem I couldn’t ignore: the limitations of my creations. Despite their usefulness, they felt incomplete, lacking the utility and ingenuity I knew I could achieve. I needed to put my engineering skills to better use here, design smarter, more efficient mechanisms, perhaps integrate more magic to push them beyond their current boundaries.

The thought of learning new enchantments out of need made me feel frustrated. No one seemed willing to sell things to me. The door to magic progress felt firmly shut, and I knew I’d have to find another way to open it.

It was thanks to that that the path of a thief began to feel even more interesting. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became: a skilled thief could navigate these barriers, acquiring forbidden knowledge and resources through any means necessary. It wasn’t just about stealing, it was about carving out a path in a world that refused to cooperate in one way or the other. With each passing moment, the idea solidified in my mind… I should become a thief that steals from the rich and give it to myself.

While a wicked smile was forming on my face, Glacien slowed down and then soon stopped in front of a tree. There was no dungeon or labyrinth around. The tree didn’t seem magical either… I soon understood that something was off when she looked at me. When I looked around the tree, I found marks of blood around. The ground was a bit wet, like snow had fallen recently, so it was hard to find other traces of the blood around.

“Bad, Glacien. I don’t want to drink blood, much less from the ground. Aren’t you supposed to be the physical manifestation of my conscience?”

“Awoo!”

“Now who is complaining? I told you to look for a good labyrinth. I don’t need you to find trouble for me. I am something of a troublemaker myself.”

“Awoo?”

“... I guess I will just make my magic compass.”

I began to envision the whole thing in my head, but then I stopped when Glacien looked away. In the distance, I could see a massive floating island moving in our direction.”

“Why? Why can’t I catch a break?”

Chapter 240 - Stepping Away. (Thank you for your support, Notlimah!)

Three hours later, we reached the second boss chamber of the labyrinth. At this point in time, there was no need for anything else aside from just heading there and killing the beast. 

“Fire attacks are very effective against the boss.”

“Really? Why is that?”

The idea behind the silver golem boss being weak against fire likely came from the properties of silver itself. While silver is a highly conductive metal and excellent at dispersing heat, it has a relatively low melting point compared to many other metals. This means that intense heat or concentrated fire could destabilize its structure, rendering it vulnerable in battle.

The golem’s body, being made of silver, could rely on its metallic properties for durability. Extreme heat from fire-based attacks might cause the metal to soften or melt slightly, compromising its integrity and making it easier to damage.

“They aren’t entirely made of silver, so their insides can melt faster than their outside parts. They become a lot slower after that.”

My guess wasn’t precise… at all. Still, I didn’t mind that. The downside of using such a strategy was the fact that Glacien wouldn’t be able to fight, but that wasn’t necessary and she had to keep an eye on the girl, so it was fine. It was only the second boss of a labyrinth, after all. 

We headed to the boss chamber and soon found the creature falling from the ceiling… more than a Golem. The creature looked more like a tall robot. It was three meters tall, and it had silver blades for limbs. They were curved too like Katanas… it was surprising that with this design, no one thought of making them for the swordsmen of this world.

“Be careful. It is quite fast and its blades are insanely sharp.”

I wondered why the girl was that worried. Maybe it was because she was unarmed. In any case, the beast landed and soon leapt toward me. I fired an arcane arrow that the beast tried to chop down, but it exploded and pushed down the monster. It has been a while since I used that, but it was as powerful as ever…

The body of the monster began to glow thanks to the heat, but soon began to run to the sides in order to avoid my arrows. Still, I was able to hit the beast with two arrows out of three, thanks to Rapid Fire. The first explosion slowed down the monster just as the girl had mentioned.

Once the monster stumbled on the floor, its fate was sealed… five more explosive arrows on the body of the monster made the creature explode into countless parts and the beast was destroyed.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Venom Mage, Dark Acolyte, and Smith (Armorsmith).

You obtained the Armorsmith class.

You improved the Stamina Regeneration parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Master of Protection.

You unlocked the skill: Rapid Reinforcement.

You unlocked the skill: Adaptive Armor.

Master of Protection: Gain bonus experience when enhancing armor and improving its defensive capabilities.

Rapid Reinforcement - Quickly reinforce and upgrade existing armor. This skill allows you to apply temporary enhancements to armor, increasing its defensive properties by 30% and adding bonuses such as resistance to specific damage types or environmental effects. The reinforcement lasts for a certain duration based on the level of the skill or until the armor absorbs a specified amount of damage. Cost: 100 Mana

Adaptive Armor - Modify armor to adapt to various threats. This skill adjusts the properties of the armor to provide increased protection against the most common types of damage. For a limited duration, the armor dynamically shifts to offer enhanced defense where it is most needed, improving resistance to physical, magical, or elemental attacks. Cost: 100 Mana

The skills were a bit weird… They seemed to be doing the same thing, but on further inspection, I realized that the second option was a lot faster and lasted for a short period. The limitations should be different as well, but I had to test it.

‘Hm… it looks like the dark options of classes become a lot easier to appear on higher levels. Maybe it is because they grant more power and knowledge and vampires are, in a way, improved humans. Regardless, it looks like I already have all the skills necessary to make all kinds of gear. The only issue from now on will be where I will find the materials, but I have a decent stock.’

I gathered the parts of the monster since it didn’t shrink… it felt like I was grabbing molten rock, given that it was burning my hand more than usual. It was thanks to the purity of the silver. 

In any case, when I turned around, I found the girl staring at me with a pale expression, but soon she looked away. Maybe it wasn’t common for the dwarves to solo labyrinths like this. Even though a good part of my strength was borrowed from my creations, it was still scary for her to think that I had the strength similar to a full party.

“Let’s get going. It is time to set you free,” 

I didn’t care that much if people feared me or saw me as a monster. That was actually very convenient. What I was concerned about was how much they knew about my abilities… Mystery and fear walk side by side, after all. Both can be leveraged to make someone look a lot more scary than they are supposed to be.

‘Well now… I can’t just let her walk around the labyrinth with me. I will have to knock her down and leave her away from any dangerous area in order to make sure that no one will be able to tell which direction I am heading.’

I could already see Glacien looking at me with a dubious expression. I wondered why she had to hold me to such high moral high ground when the world was after my sorry ass… I had to do what I had to do to survive, after all.

In any case, I didn’t have any spells that could make a person fall asleep, so it looked like I had to put her to sleep using my physical strength. Then, I recalled a skill that I had never tried before…

Cursed Scribing: Infuse a scroll with dark energy, allowing it to impose negative effects on those who are targeted or read it. When activated, the scroll can cause fear, confusion, or debilitation to the target, decreasing their magical and physical defenses by ten points multiplied by the level of the skill. The strength and duration of these effects are determined by your level of skill. Cost: 10 Mana per minute 

‘This seems like it can work… if I make the scroll affect her for a while, making her feel exhausted, this should put her to sleep.’

I felt a bit bad for using her as a test subject, but it was better than strangling her to put her to sleep. After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to put it into practice, but we had to keep moving.

“Glacien, take the lead.”

“Awoo!”

We resumed our trip to the exit of the labyrinth. During the meantime, the girl kept looking at me over her shoulder with a nervous look since I was the one behind now. It seemed that she was waiting for the moment when I would attack her from behind. This sounded wrong in so many ways… Regardless, I just kept drawing scrolls of different types and effects with Cursed Scribbling.

When we reached the exit of the labyrinth, the girl sighed in relief, but soon she felt all the exhaustion and relief taking over her body as she felt all her energy vanished. Before long, she fell forward, but I prevented her fall.

‘It looks like combining a feeling of exhaustion and confusion to work together to mimic that kind of effect.’

The scrolls that I put on the girl’s back were destroyed and then I put her on Glacien’s back. It was time to leave her somewhere and bail out of this land… I wanted more materials, but I can just find other labyrinths that can be used for mining in other places.

I confirmed that the surroundings were fine and that the girl hadn’t been followed and then left her rest with her back against a tree nearby. I also left her with a camouflage amulet that would break soon, so that would be enough protection.

“Satisfied now?”

“Awoo!”

“Now, it is time to…”

While I began to think about the route that we should take next, I noticed that my mana was being drained. I wasn’t attacked and I couldn’t feel anything with my body, so the only explanation was that Clarice was using the Mystic Link tattoos that I left with her.

‘It seems a bit early for her to have to use that… are the dwarves pressuring her side that much already?’

I didn’t know completely about the strength of the dwarves and their tools of war aside from the war towers, but since the elves focus more on their skills with their bows than anything else, they should have had a hard time against such large weapons. Still, they are supposed to have the empire on their side…

I couldn’t help but wonder who in the dwarven territory had heard about me and what could have motivated them to so readily tarnish my name. The idea of someone going out of their way to spread falsehoods about me, especially in such annoying times, was both baffling and annoying.

Had I inadvertently crossed paths with someone influential, or was this the work of a petty grudge? Maybe it was just opportunistic slander, an attempt to discredit an outsider during a time when suspicions were high. The possibilities were endless, and the lack of answers was infuriating.

But I knew better than to act on this impulse. War is no time to chase shadows, and I wasn’t naïve enough to think that poking around for answers in hostile territory would lead to anything productive. Confronting an unknown person in a land filled with tension could easily escalate into something far worse. The truth, for now, would have to remain buried since I couldn’t afford to get into further trouble.

Chapter 239 - Scolded

I didn’t feel like feeding the girl myself, so I untied her hands and shared the food among the three of us. Since Glacien eats too much, the food that she brought that was supposed to last three days ended up lasting only a single meal. I guess I was also to blame for that, since I decided to eat a lot and not take a break for a while.

“How deep is this place?” 

“... it only goes down to the twentieth floor.”

“Lucky you. Because of that, you won’t have to stick with us for too long and worry about food.”

She didn’t seem that relieved yet. While I made sure that her portion would last at least for a day and she had plenty of water as well, she was still having a hard time eating all of that. I couldn’t blame her. She was in a labyrinth, completely defenseless with someone that she had heard was a violent monster and his pet who didn’t want to look as much as terrifying.

Glacien and I were done with the eating before long, so we decided to take a break while the girl was resting… She told me her name, but there was no reason to memorize it. No need to concern myself with the names of those who saw me and only saw the word monster.

While I was waiting, I decided to test the skills of the magic forger class and summon the magic tools. They were blue and ethereal, but I still could feel them in my hands. I could affect some pebbles on the ground with them, so they truly worked. I couldn’t wait to look for a place where I could seclude myself and then make the amulets that I had envisioned… The only annoying part was that the best materials that I had now was made of silver. Glacien would be fine with them, but they would burn my skin.

“... Did you make that bow yourself?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

The girl didn’t say anything in response. I realized that she had been staring at my weapon while I was fighting, but that didn’t come as a surprise. She was a dwarf, after all. Getting interested in unusual weapons or magic implements was part of her nature.

“With that design, you could make a more potent bow using the magic woods found in the Elven territory. The sunspire cedar would be the best option.”

“I already have enough problems with them without having to destroy their trees for wood as it is.”

She didn’t say anything after that. I wasn’t a tree hugging elf, but I still had some hesitation in cutting down trees given that I was from Earth and I heard a lot about deforestation. As for the dwarves, they couldn’t care less, apparently.

While she was looking at my bow, I saw her face and noticed why she was a bit soft and chubby.

“Do you have human blood?”

She woke up from her trance. Thanks to that, she looked away with a mix of a somber and sad expression. It looked like my guess was right. A lot of things started to make sense now.

“... My grandmother was a human.”

“Let me guess, because of that, your mother or father wasn’t welcome, but you are treated a bit better because you are one fourth human?”

She silently nodded. Still, it looked like she had a desired to prove herself. That was why she came after me alone… by killing me, she would improve the fame and standing of her family. Come to think of it, besides knowing the factions, I didn’t know how the dwarven society was structured. I imagined that it was based on skill, but it was hard to say.

“You have balls for coming after me knowing that I had to deal with a bias even worse than you had suffered,”

“... I didn’t come after you because you are a half-vampire, but because you are a threat to my people.”

“The people that treated you and your family like shit. And yet, here I am letting you live… perhaps not for long. Shall I show you the nature that supposedly makes you and many others fear me?”

“Grrr…”

“You are no fun, girl.”

Glacien didn’t appreciate the way I joked around by using psychological fear to unsettle others. She made her disapproval clear, her piercing gaze silently conveying a sense of anger, as if to say, Even I, a beast, know better than to stoop to such tactics. It was troubling to realize that a creature like her, a beast, adhered to a code of behavior that put my actions to shame. There was something almost ironic, even embarrassing, in seeing her innate sense of honor outshine my own conduct.

“While I was joking, what I didn’t say wasn’t. Try to escape or attack me again, and nothing will stop me from putting you down. Capisce?”

“... What is ca… pixel?”

“Something that you don’t need to know.”

I sighed. My mood wasn’t so sour that such a thing prevented me from joking around. It was much better than being the king of depression. In any case, I had to hurry up and clear this labyrinth, even if this girl is hated, kind, by other dwarves. They eventually will notice her disappearance and realize that something was off.

While I had to hurry up, the fact that I couldn’t stock up the materials to forge items was a bit troubling… it seemed that I would have to save them all to only make amulets.

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with me. I am just passing to get some materials and the classes necessary to forge weapons and armor. You guys are already in a bind, given that the empire sent some members of the holy order after me and they wouldn’t come with only a few hundred minions to fight for them.”

“You mean your brother? Jacques Dawnshield?”

“That is right, his little sister is there too. Although I can’t say she has become a fearsome healer, she wouldn’t have been allowed to come if she weren’t.”

Now that I thought about it, Jacques and Iri should have had a level of teamwork from fighting together for a while. Their movements at times showed an unspoken understanding, the kind that comes only from many battles. Yet during our fight, Iri was left exposed more than a few times, vulnerable in ways that seemed uncharacteristic of someone who had fought alongside Jacques before.

The first possibility was simple: they had underestimated me. Maybe they didn’t realize just how precise and good I could be with a bow. To them, I might have seemed like another combatant to handle carefully, but not someone who could thread an arrow into a critical opening mid-combat. But that explanation didn’t sit right with me. Jacques was supposed to be sharp and cautious against vampires, and Iri didn’t strike me as careless. It wasn’t like them to leave such glaring gaps if they truly understood the situation.

That brought me to the second, far more unsettling possibility: this was intentional. Were they testing me? Trying to gauge the limits of my skill by forcing me to go for Iri? Or worse, was it a setup? Were they baiting me, creating opportunities to draw me into overextending, lowering my guard so they could exploit an opening? The holy order can create some individuals that can be pretty reckless, but that much?

“The empire has a clairvoyant too, so they should know what will happen and what battles they should avoid.”

“Really?”

The girl looked astonished… I wondered if she knew nothing because she was a low-ranked dwarf or maybe the dwarven information network was that bad. In any case, the girl couldn’t help but look down worried… they knew that they would fight the empire, but was the holy order that scary when they weren’t dealing with undead and abyssals? I thought that Jacques’ build was entirely to hunt me down…

“If you are worried, then finish our meal and then let’s move on. I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary. If you find them on the battlefield, tell them that I would be waiting to fight them at home.”

The girl had no idea what I was talking about… returning to the empire seemed more than stupid, after all. That was true. I just want to annoy them a bit. Still, it would be funny if one day I suddenly met them at home, just to let them know that none of them can stop me from moving around.

Still, to make that possible, I would need to be able to fly… being able to fly and use camouflage at the same time would give me one heck of an advantage. Creating an aircraft of any size would be difficult, but it would be fun… I also could tame a flying beast and then make it grow like Glacien.

‘I should have tamed that ice phoenix somehow…’

“Grrr…”

I shrugged when Glacien realized what I was thinking. Back then, I would have to let Glacien go since I didn’t have enough mana. Still, given my high dexterity, perhaps it wasn’t impossible… the chance should be insanely low, but the chance was there.

We resumed my hunt and soon reached the next floor. Even though Glacien wasn’t helping, my increased magic allowed me to summon arrows without worries. Thanks to that, I considered trying to upgrade the rank of my arrow creation. Perhaps it wouldn’t be good for efficiency, but it would grant me a bit more power. At the same time, I wouldn’t have to burn my hands to summon my stronger type of arrow… which currently was the silver type.

It made me wonder... elemental affinities existed, and I had seen their power firsthand. Then what about holy and dark affinities? I knew they existed as well, but their exact nature and how they interacted with my existence remained a mystery to me.

If gaining a holy affinity could somehow counteract that vulnerability, or if a dark affinity might provide resistance through its oppositional nature, it could completely change how I approached combat.

But then came the deeper question—was that even possible for me? Could someone like me, already tied to certain strengths and weaknesses, shift those fundamental traits? Or was I locked into the nature I was born, or cursed with?

If my life weren’t constantly on the line, I might have taken the time to experiment with this theory, testing the limits of what affinities could do and whether they could truly alter someone like me.

Chapter 238 - Slander (Thank you for your support, Java!)

“What a moron…”

The redhead dwarf fainted when she realized that she was going to die. At least that would have made a painless death. Still, now I had to finish off an unconscious person.

“Grrr…”

“Are you sure that you are my conscience taking physical form?”

Glacien didn’t respond, not like she could deny or confirm that. In any case, my bad habit of showing leniency to others was back, but at least this one was too cowardly to deal with anything and, for whatever reason, she didn’t alert the others about me here.

“I guess she decided to deal with me because she feared that a lot of people could die in a fight. There is also the chance that no one else could be spared to come after me… well, it doesn’t matter, she will have to be tied up until I leave the labyrinth.”

I felt like she deserved a bit of mercy since she made me save a lot of time by telling the truth about the labyrinth. Her sense of duty made her follow me to kill me, but Glacien didn’t warn me of the danger… probably because she had decided to follow me, but she didn’t make her mind about finishing me off. Or maybe this was all just an excuse that my lizard brain came up with to avoid taking a life here.

Glacien didn’t mind carrying the girl, but I made sure to tie up her hands and arms. I considered covering her eyes as well, but that probably would make things harder after. If anything, perhaps I can use her to get some information about the situation from the dwarven side.

Since Glacien wouldn’t be able to fight like this, I changed my plans a bit and then used Cursed Imbuement in my arrows to weaken the defenses of the silver golems as much as possible. It was a lot more effective than I had expected… three arrows made the beasts fall apart.

“Maybe just like silver is good against undead, these kinds of debuffs could also be pretty good against beings like this.”

Before the next monsters could show up, I checked the things that the dwarf girl had and I found, aside from the crossbow and silver bows, a magic bag filled with tools that dwarves would use. Perhaps I should take these in exchange for her life… not like I would throw them away, even if I killed her. I wished that this could work as some good PR for my reputation, but I shouldn’t bet a lot on it.

While I was thinking about that, I noticed the girl waking up. That was good since Glacien would be free to help in the fights. I just had to keep her tied up, but would regular ropes keep her tied? 

The girl woke up and then looked around in daze. She was probably the type who takes her time waking up. Still, she soon woke up when she saw me in her field of vision.

“Good morning. Are you going to try to kill me again? You are going to be punished for pointing a weapon at my back two times already, and that is already too much leniency coming from me. There won’t be a third time. You will die the next time, very painfully.”

The dwarf girl began to sweat a lot and then fell from Glacien back when she tried to run away. She tried to get up, but the ropes kept her locked in. It didn’t help the fact that my ropes had been enchanted with earth magic and seed extra hard. In any case, I helped her get up.

“If you try anything, I will have my friend here eating you bit by bit. Are we clear? Glacien, show her your teeth.”

Glacien looked away uninterested. She finally betrayed me as well. Well, I wouldn’t have liked it if someone used my appearance to scare someone else either, so perhaps I shouldn’t have done that.

“Anyway, who are you and why are you following me?” 

“... Andrea.”

“That is only half of the answers that I wanted.”

“... I have come to stop you… from destroying our land.”

*I think it would be pretty hard for me to destroy mountains. Is there anyone around that can actually do that?” 

I knew deep down that there would always be someone stronger, an undeniable fact of life. But understanding it in theory and experiencing it in practice were two different things. The world was massive and expanded now and then, and the odds of running into someone vastly superior to me while randomly walking around seemed wasn’t that high. After all, it wasn’t like such individuals were standing on street corners waiting for a challenge.

This belief shaped my perspective and dulled my sense of danger. Without the immediate presence of overwhelming threats, it was easy to fall into a false sense of security. I didn’t actively seek out danger, nor did I often find myself in situations where my strength was truly tested against someone leagues ahead of me. 

This messed up my judgment. I wasn’t reckless, but I wasn’t particularly cautious either. It left me walking a fine line, assuming that most challenges I encountered could be overcome without meeting a force capable of utterly overwhelming me. 

“What do you mean by destroying your lands? I might have caused some mayhem wherever I passed, but I didn’t destroy anything… not that I remember?”

“... We received information about the half vampire of the empire who would eventually come here and destroy our cities. The empire would use you as a distraction to subjugate us.”

“Who exactly gave you that kind of information?”

“... I don’t know.”

The girl began to sweat cold again since it was clear that I wouldn’t like this kind of answer. It was true, but I wasn’t that ruthless to kill her on the spot just because of that. 

In any case, it seemed that I was a bit late considering some PR campaigns to improve my infamy. Some people were walking around and spreading slanders, apparently. I had no idea who hated me that much, aside from the people of my family, but would they come this far to slander me?

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. If you behave yourself, then I will let you go, eventually. However, I will take your stuff as an annoyance fee. Last question: why did you come here alone?”

“... The rumors said that you kill the entire families of those who cross your path and that you get stronger the more you drink blood. I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“Maybe I should go on another quest for revenge. This much slander is unacceptable.”

The girl shivered after hearing my words. I was half-joking, but her reaction struck a nerve. The more I thought about it, the more it started to piss me off. Being hated was one thing, but this level of revulsion? It was exhausting.

I could live with the fact that people wanted to kill me for who I was. That kind of hatred, as twisted as it was, at least made a certain brutal sense in a world like this. But spreading lies about me? Twisting the truth to paint me as something worse than I was? That crossed a line. 

It felt like no matter what I did or how much I tried to push forward, someone, somewhere, was hellbent on dragging me down. And now, watching her reaction, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of those lies pressing down on me, heavier than any blade or blow.

“Anyway, you will be my prisoner for a while. If you don’t want to end up in Glacien stomach, then don’t try anything.”

“Grrr…”

“If you don’t want to scare her, then you will have to follow her from behind to make sure that she won’t do anything.”

Glacien did just that and I sighed. It looked like my battle plans would have to continue the same way for a while longer. I resumed the hunt and had to focus a bit more since I wouldn’t have Glacien support and those spots where the monsters emerged were starting to get easier to find the deeper in the labyrinth I went. 

My mana was still holding up, so it wasn’t a problem, but I was using more mana than stamina, and that was backwards for my plans. Perhaps I should make some arrows using the ores of the previous section, but then I would have to use the Ethereal Smelter… I had no idea how to purify ores like that. Was that even purifying or just smelting?

I considered asking the girl for some tips, but I didn’t want to make her betray other dwarves, even if she only gave me basic knowledge about forging.

‘Maybe I will learn with practice… besides, the skill should grant some knowledge about that as well as it levels up.’

My necessity to min-max efficiency was back at full force again, but it was a necessity given that I could only count on Glacien.

While I was thinking about that, we reached the final part of the second section. Since I had to keep an eye on back attacks too, I noticed that the condition of the dwarf girl was slowly worsening. She fainted before and stayed out for a while, but it looked like fainting didn’t do much for her stamina. She had to run for a while to catch up with us and she also had to fight as well.

“I guess we should take a break here… when was the last time that you ate something?”

“... Yesterday morning.”

“Not very smart, are you? Going after me with an empty stomach. Didn’t you know that when people are fasting, their blood becomes sweeter? Maybe you’re planning to entice me like that…”

“... I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t know it either. I am just making up stuff. Anyway, let’s eat the food that you brought with you.”

I wasn’t doing much for my reputation of being that shameless, but I couldn’t care less.

Chapter 237 - Changing Nature

I decided to stay in this labyrinth for a while in order to stock up on materials, but as soon as we reached the second section, I found a problem. The problem was Glacien… 

The rugged, earthy tones of the first section gave way to a more refined, metallic sheen, and it wasn’t long before the new inhabitants made their presence known. These monsters, too, were golems, but they were unlike the previous mineral golems we had faced before. These were silver golems, their forms smooth and polished to a near-mirror appearance.

Their bodies had a surface reflecting their surroundings with an unnerving clarity. Unlike the jagged mineral golems, whose forms seemed to be crudely hewn from raw rock, the silver golems appeared crafted with precision and care, their edges clean and balanced. They were taller and more imposing, their clear design giving them an air of elegance that showed their potential strength.

Their faces were featureless, smooth ovals that glowed like freshly polished silver, with faint etchings where eyes and mouths might have been—glowing softly with a cold, blue light. Their limbs were slender compared to the mineral golems, but they moved with an unnatural fluidity, their joints seamlessly rotating without the grinding sounds of stone.

“This could be a problem…”

I shot down the beast with Rapid Fire… but I had to use it two times. I tried to save mana and summon wooden arrows, so perhaps that was the issue. In any case, the monster shrunk after death and just became a piece of silver that was smaller than my hand. When I touched it, my hand began to burn.

“Now this, huh?” 

The problems were starting to appear and the main problem was still Glacien… since the second type of monster was an inorganic creature, I imagined that it would be the same in the other sections… we couldn’t get food here and while I had some for emergencies, it wouldn’t be enough given how much she eats. When she hunts, she usually brings for herself five times more food.

“Should you just leave the labyrinth and wait for me outside?”

“Grrr…”

“What do you want me to do when you eat so much?”

I learned my lesson. I wrote down in my notebook that I should stock up on food and monster’s meat for situations like this. Finding it in the wild was easy, but it wouldn’t be possible all the time.

In any case, fighting the silver golems at close range was another issue that I couldn’t let happen… their bodies were heavy and sharp enough, but thanks to their constitution, they would cause fifty percent more damage to me once they hit me.

‘Maybe I should stop focusing on just the archery skills and then use the debuff arrows to weaken their defenses alongside Rapid Fire, then Glacien can finish them off. Modern problems require modern solutions beyond understanding.’

That was a good chance to power up my debuffing skills too, so why not? Since I am always fighting at a disadvantage, it is better if I have the tools to weaken my enemies.

Once I shared my plan with Glacien, her demeanor changed. Her previously neutral expression brightened, and a sense of eagerness seemed to radiate from her. It was a little strange to see her reaction in such a way. After all, Glacien was just a beast, and I still had no idea how she could understand my language so well. Yet, the way she perked up and locked her piercing gaze on me made it clear she was listening and, more importantly, understanding. I pretended to guess what she was saying most of the time, but this was no act.

When the next fight began, any lingering doubts about her comprehension disappeared. Glacien executed the plan with precision, as if she had memorized every word I said. Her movements were clear and coordinated, perfectly complementing my actions. She knew exactly when to attack, when to defend, and when to retreat, as if we had been fighting as a team for years.

“All right, let’s keep this up and reach the end of the labyrinth. We will gain more there, after all.”

“Awoo!”

“We also don’t know when the stock of food will end thanks to you, another reason to speed things up.”

“Grrr…”

“I am just speaking facts here.”

We proceeded through the labyrinth and soon reached the next floor. As soon as we stepped out there, something surprising happened.

“Hatchoo!!”

It was one hell of a sneeze… even Glacien looked at me scared. It felt like a grenade exploded near us. Regardless, when was the last time that I sneezed? Was I getting sick or was it because there was too much silver in this section of the labyrinth?

“I guess this is another level of being allergic to silver… maybe a bit too literal.”

At this point in time, I had resigned myself to the reality of my weaknesses as a half-vampire. No matter how much I wanted to overcome it, the limitations of my nature were an ever-present weight. I told myself I should be grateful, grateful that my weaknesses weren’t as severe as those of full-blooded vampires. The crippling sunlight, the endless thirst, and the ever-present need to avoid detection. I didn’t have to endure all of that. But that was little consolation.

The fact that I so rarely encountered vampires anymore was proof enough of just how impossible these issues could be. Full vampires, with all their strength and mystique, had been forced into obscurity because their weaknesses were so severe. If even they couldn’t find a way to overcome their nature, what chance did someone like me, a half-breed, really have?

“Chi, chi, chi!”

“I guess you have a point, drowning in depression won’t help me.”

Name: Regulus Dawnshield

Race: Dhampir

Health: 330/330 (0/3200) (1.1)

Regen: 2.6 per hour (0/2100) (1.3)

Mana: 600/600 (0/4600) (1.3)

Regen: 20.0 per minute (0/8100) (2.5)

Stamina: 380/380 (0/3500) (1.1)

Regen: 13.0 per minute (0/10.100) (1.3)

Strength: 100 + 180 (0/5100) (2.0)

Magic: 96 (0/6100) (1.6)

Dexterity: 302 (0/5600) (5.5x)

Spirit: 21 (0/2200)

Endurance: 30 (0/3100) (1.1)

Attack Speed: + 121% (0/7700) (1.6)

Movement Speed: 15.1 (0/7600) (1.3)

Stamina Conservation: 2.2 (0/20.000) (1.1)

Fire Affinity: 30 (0/3100)

Ice Affinity: 15 (0/1600)

Traits: Minor Weakness to Sunlight, Minor Sensitivity to Holy Magic, Minor Aversion to Silver

Classes: Pathfinder, Shadow Scriber, Demon Hunter, Dreadful Enchanter, Shadow Assassin, Merchant, Smith, Magic Forger, Sharpshooter, Pyromancer, Dark Paladin, Arcane Archer, Shadow Archer, Barbarian, Lord of War, Bowman, Warblade, Beastmaster, Captain, Blood Mage, Cryomancer, Shadow Inscriber, Leatherworker, Toxic Assassin,  Toxic Sage, Alchemist

Aptitudes: Never Lost, Hunter’s Resolve, Malevolent Artifice,  Way of Shadows, Master of Trade, Master of Forging, Arcane Crafting, Master of Precision, Heat Master, Silent Observation, Dark Retribution, Mystic Marksman, Shadow Archery, Rage Unleashed, Battlefield Presence, Ranged Skill, Relentless Assault, Animal Empathy, Maritime Captain, Blood Rain, Frost Wielder, Gliph Writer, Master of Hides, Toxic Mastery, Toxic Wisdom, Chemical Mastery

Experience: 2598

I checked my parameters, wondering if I would one day change those traits… if my physiology could change and make me thirst for blood, then perhaps that was a possibility. Since the mana multiplier increased, I decided to improve my mana pool a bit more, given that I would probably need it to summon those magic tools once I have the chance.

There were also plenty of times where my mana drain effects didn’t work thanks to the circumstances… It was already impressive that it worked on the golems. Relying on the system was convenient, but it had a bunch of limitations. I had to find other ways to get stronger by myself, like combining some effects to obtain new ones.

“Grrr…”

While I was lost in thought, Glacien turned around and growled a bit. When I looked behind, I didn’t find the silver golems, so I wondered if she was imagining things.

“What is wrong, girl? Are we being followed? I don’t think that the dwarves have enough room to try to get us.”

Glacien still kept growling, weakling behind us… the people following us weren’t a threat, it seemed, but we couldn’t mess up. Surrounded by silver, I would feel weak even during the day, so who knows what would happen?

“I guess we can dispose of them and then move on.”

I slipped the camouflage amulet over my neck and secured another around Glacien. The enchantments activated almost instantly after I put the mana cores, cloaking us, both bleeding us into the environment. With our presence masked, we positioned ourselves and waited for the inevitable.

It didn’t take long. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the labyrinth, growing louder with each passing moment. At first, I tensed, expecting a group. Our pursuers were unlikely to work alone. But as the seconds stretched on, only a single set of footsteps reached my ears. They’d sent just one. Either they were confident in this person’s ability, or they had underestimated me entirely.

Before long, the figure came into view. The red-haired dwarf, her expression sharp and calculating, but also filled with fear and tension. Her movements were precise, each step deliberate and quiet. She carried a silver crossbow, its polished surface glinting faintly. A large, deadly looking bolt was already loaded and locked into place, the faint hum of magical energy radiating from it.

She passed from us while looking on the ground… she had a google on her face while she looked on the ground. It looked like she could see our footsteps with that. While I wasn’t expecting that, I knew enough to retract my footsteps a bit when I wanted to ambush any type of pursuers.

“It seems that you have chosen death…”

I grabbed the left side of the girl’s neck and then pointed my index right hand finger to her artery. I could feel her heartbeat racing thanks to the surprise. She immediately began to sweat cold, imagining that her end was near.

“Any last words? Not like I will pass them to anyone.”

I didn’t hear any answer, but I could feel her resignation. I couldn’t take any chances, so I decided to finish her off, but before I could really do it, her body got limp.

Chapter 236 - Upgrading (Thank you for your support, Pizzakid!)

While things were happening outside, and the world was changing, Regulus was focused on his own stuff. He couldn’t help but regret a bit not taking some of the tools that the dwarves left behind in that town. It would have been fine if he had left money behind… or so he tried to justify to himself.

The ores that the monsters left behind didn’t need to be purified, so the most troublesome part of the aspect could be avoided, at least in my opinion. Still, I wanted to try to make new things with the ores that I was gathering, but I needed a lot of things.

“I guess I should try to buy those things somewhere where I am not hated… maybe it is about time to take a look at the kingdom of Talimor.”

It was weird that I have been free for five years and I never went there… it was the land of the people who had half human blood, after all. Logic says that it was the best place for someone like me to stay. I wasn’t completely certain, since I was still pretty rare if compared to everyone else, but it would be worth checking it.

I could also try to check the kingdom of Felyndor… I had some acquaintances there as well, after all. Still, I didn’t want to risk causing trouble for them. So, I decided that the best option would be to head to Talimor.

While I was thinking about that, I turned around when I saw a group of mineral golems emerging from behind. A quick wave of arrows was enough to finish them off and then Glacien went to grab the mana cores and ores that the monsters left behind. As if she was a dog, her tail was spinning like a fan when she brought them to me.

“Thanks, girl. You have been very patient, so I will be sure to make you something nice when I am able to start forging things.”

“Awoo!”

We were exploring the ninth floor of the first section and, as one would expect, the place was completely empty. All the dwarves were busy dealing with the preparations for the war, after all, so it made sense. I didn’t have the weird feeling that something bad was going to happen yet, so I was pretty relaxed. Perhaps I could let Glacien fight the boss as long as my Spidey senses don’t alert me of anything troublesome.

Eventually, we found ourselves standing before the entrance of the boss chamber, the end of the first section of this labyrinth. I couldn’t help but let my mind work. Dwarves, after all, are renowned for their strength, craftsmanship, and mastery of both magical artifacts and creation. It seemed logical to assume that the classes granted in these places would help them reach that same path..

Yet, a lingering thought crept into my mind: were these classes truly reflective of the dwarves’ natural inclinations, or had they simply adapted to the labyrinths within their territories? After all, labyrinths offer some weird class choices, and sometimes in not-so-subtle, ways. Perhaps what we were about to face was more a reflection of the labyrinth’s demands than the dwarves’ cultural identity.

“Do you want to take down the boss, girl? Monsters like this are a bit harder than the ordinary monsters found in the first section of dungeons, but you can probably do it.” 

“Awoo! Awoo!”

“All right, it is all yours.”

Come to think of it, golems are supposed to be one of the species of beings that emerged in the last rift… I wonder if the monsters in the dungeons and labyrinths began to show up after that rift almost destroyed the world. Even if it didn’t or did it, it raised a bunch of questions either way, so thinking too much about it was useless.

When we reached the boss chamber, Glacien assumed her attack mode and that had been the right call since we were welcomed by a barrage of stone bullets. She quickly summoned her ice fortress, and the spell lasted for a while.

In the middle of the chamber, we could see the first boss of the labyrinth… The mineral golem boss was in the center of the chamber, a hulking mass of stone and ore radiating an aura of raw, unrefined power. Its body seemed to be hewn from the very walls of the labyrinth, with chunks of glittering minerals embedded within its jagged frame. Shards of quartz and veins of shimmering gold ran through its arms and chest. Emeralds and sapphires jutted out from its shoulders like unnatural, crystalline growths.

Its head, a roughly faceted chunk of obsidian, featured glowing eyes of molten amber that radiated heat and menace. The golem’s jaw was a jagged fissure that opened and closed with a grating, stone-on-stone sound, as though grinding through the earth itself. When it moved, the sound of rock scraping and cracking reverberated through the chamber, a reminder of the immense weight it carried with every step.

“If I were worried about money, I bet that I could make a lot out of this guy.”

Glacien had gotten confident in her endurance lately, so she didn’t hesitate in charging toward the monster and attacking it with a body slam. I increased that parameter in order to see how much she could grow, but she slowed down after getting as tall as me. It would be fun if she could become as big as a dragon, but the costs in food would be catastrophic. Even if she hunted for her food, she would decimate the population of prey in any area that we would stay for more than two days. Perhaps I was digging my own grave with those experiments.

In any case, the body slam pushed the monster away, but not that much damage was caused on the monster. Creatures like that are truly hard to deal with, no pun intended.

In any case, before the monster could recover, Glacien bombarded the monster with frost arrows and hit its core as much as possible, but the damage there had been minimal as well. 

Glacien looked at the monster, annoyed… perhaps I should give her a hand with some arrows that decrease endurance. As long as I don’t cause damage, it would be fine, right? Then again, my debuff arrows were supposed to be curses… can even inorganic monsters like that be cursed?

While I was thinking about that, Glacien charged at the monster again. Her charge this time even hurt her a bit, but at least it knocked down the monster… before the creature could get up, Glacien bit the arm of the monster and then tried to snap it with her mouth.

The arm began to crack a bit in the joint, but the monster resisted and soon used the other arm to attack Glacien… She used Frost Arrows on the joint and after freezing it, the arm broke.

Glacien just jumped away with the arm in her mouth when the monster still followed with a barrage of stone bullets. It was annoying to fight monsters like this, since they couldn’t even feel pain. Still, at least Glacien found the right path to victory. The monster fired stone bullets from its arms and only used that spell until now, so it was safe to assume that victory was all but assured, but I decided to keep an eye on the fight, just in case.

You received 500 experience points.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Weaponsmith (Magic Forger), Archer, and Acolyte (Dark Acolyte).

You obtained the Magic Forger class.

You improved the Mana pool parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Arcane Crafting.

You unlocked the skill: Summon Arcane Tools.

You unlocked the skill: Ethereal Smelter.

Arcane Crafting: Gain bonus crafting experience when using magical tools in the forge process. The bonus increases with the complexity of the weapon involved.

Summon Arcane Tools: Call forth enchanted tools to assist in crafting. Each tool provides specific benefits. Hammer of Precision: Improves the critical success rate of crafting by 10%. Tongs of Stability: Reduces material degradation during crafting by 20%. File of Finesse: Grants a 15% chance to enhance item quality by one tier. Cost: 15 Mana per tool, lasts for 5 minutes.

Ethereal Smelter: Summon a magical furnace to refine raw materials, increasing their purity and effectiveness in crafting. High-purity materials result in better-quality weapons. Cost: 20 Mana per minute.

I was a bit surprised by those options and since I was curious about what would happen if I upgraded the weaponsmith class, I decided to pick it. Those skills were really convenient… but now that makes me worry. Whenever something good like this happens to me, it is a sign that trouble is brewing on the horizon.

“Perhaps it isn’t that convenient given the cost to summon them… Well, I just need to keep my guard up.”

While I was thinking about that, Glacien approached in a good mood. Despite that, she had bruises all over her body. Her body slams harmed her as well, and even the scratches that the boss caused hurt her quite a bit. I decided to use Beast Bond to transfer my health to her. While I couldn’t drain the health of inorganic monsters, my health regeneration was higher than hers, so it wasn’t a problem. Her wounds began to heal quite fast afterwards.

“I want to test my new skills, but perhaps I should keep going and get better materials instead.”

Only half a day had passed since I had entered the labyrinth, so I should have some time to take things slowly… I had to do that in order to accomplish all my goals here, which were to level up my archery skills and get as many materials as possible since I didn’t know when I would have the chance to get more of these.

Now that I think about it, staying in this place for a few weeks or perhaps even a month wouldn’t be a bad idea to stock the materials and mana cores. I would grind some skill levels and I also would get a lot of experience in and out of battle. Considering that Jacques had more or less a good idea of what I could do, I imagined that this would be very necessary. Our fight made me think that he just came to get a feeling of my skills before facing me for real.

‘I knew that I had to adapt my plans pretty often, but this is way worse than I thought…’

Chapter 235 - Peace Talks

The atmosphere in the room grew oppressively heavy after Arslan’s words. His comparison in the air was like a storm cloud, suffocating the fragile calm that had existed moments before.

Jacques and Iri reacted instantly, their emotions flaring. Jacques’ glare was sharp enough to cut through steel, his jaw tightening as though he were holding back a retort that would shake the room. Iri’s anger was quieter but no less intense. Her piercing gaze locked onto Arslan with a burning heat that spoke of betrayal and disbelief. Neither made any effort to mask their fury; their emotions were raw, spilling over in a way that words alone could not express.

Arslan, for his part, stood unmoved, either oblivious to their reactions or unwilling to acknowledge them. The weight of his statement lingered, casting a shadow over the group and threatening to fracture the tenuous bond between them.

“Hahaha, just kidding. I can’t say that the rumors were true, and I just interacted with Regulus for a couple of hours.”

The atmosphere got a bit lighter, but Clarice still could tell that Jacques and Iri were still angry. They are professionals enough to not let that bother them and affect their decision making, but it was still troublesome. She wondered why her brother was testing the patience of their allies like that. She could only think that he was a sadist or something.

Before long, the group left the headquarters of the silver bows and then got in a carriage to head to where their troops were located. During the trip, Clarice wondered if the Clairvoyant gave Jacques the information about the best actions to win this battle… if this was true, then Arslan was doing something beyond stupid.

‘Maybe he is testing the power of this clairvoyant… at the cost of losing. Who knows how many lives here.’

Clarice knew that those who lead a lot of people had to sometimes make tough decisions and they couldn’t let those decisions slow them down or bother them too much. If they let those affect them, it is bound to cause more trouble in the future and snowball things one after the other.

Still, Clarice couldn’t help but think that her brother was taking things lightly… She blamed herself for not knowing how her grandpa worked. That would have been a good reference… When he was still on duty, she was a lot more carefree and didn’t care about the silver bows at all.

After traveling for an entire day, they finally reached the area where their armies were camped. Clarice sighed when they headed to the elders’ tent and she realized that her brother took her time before in order to be the last elder to arrive.

“Status report.”

The other elders looked at Arslan without hiding their displeasure… it wasn’t like the battle had already started, but he was still way too casual about the whole messy situation.

“... The enemies are moving to keep a circular formation around the central part of our territory. It would seem that they think that the elves of lesser standing will join their cause soon enough.”

“They sure have nerves to consider that.”

“It won’t surprise me if that does happen. While valuing our history and the legacy of our ancestors is something necessary to do, a lot of the people here focus too much on that and try to get in the way of those who could improve our society.”

“Why don’t you say some names of those people, then?”

“I don’t need to.”

The elders rarely got together like this. They usually sent messengers to pass what they wanted to say to others. It wasn’t surprising that some of them would look like they wanted to pick a fight with each other over their differences in opinions.

Clarice couldn’t help but sigh… for them to show such behavior in front of their allies, she never saw that many elders in a single place together, but it looked like they didn’t care that much about the image that they were passing to the people beyond their borders.

She noticed a stark contrast among the Elven elders during their discussions. The loudest voices belonged to those who seemed the least concerned about the consequences of their decisions. They spoke with confidence and certainty, dismissing opposing views as if the situation were already resolved in their favor. However, Clarice’s observation revealed that not all elders shared this attitude.

A smaller, quieter group sat back, their expressions thoughtful and their demeanor restrained. These elders spent more time watching and listening than speaking, their silence underscored by a deep contemplation. It was clear to Clarice that these individuals were not indifferent; rather, they were carefully weighing the stakes. Their silence came from a desire to consider every angle and ensure that their actions would not lead the Elven lands into a precarious or irreversible situation.

“While we already asked for reinforcements from the empire in exchange for an alliance, it would be better if we tried to negotiate with the dwarves before anything happens. Blood hasn’t been shed yet, so this is still possible.”

That was the common opinion among the most calm and quieter elders. Not a single elf or dwarf would gain much if the war breaks out. The empire would gain most, but no one would say that.

“Hm, this might be a bit difficult since one of their camps was already attacked. I have information that while it wasn’t one of us, one of their camps was attacked and one of the insurgents was killed by Regulus Dawnshield. It wouldn’t be far-fetched for the dwarves to assume that he is working for us. They don’t have as much information about him as us, after all.”

Arslan was stirring things up again and Clarice had no idea what was his end goal aside from apparently spreading chaos. He should know that if he goes too far, they will lose all the allies that their grandfather had, but maybe he already had done something about them.

Jacques and Iri didn’t react in any shape or form to these words… from that perspective, that wouldn’t change things since if it was deemed that Regulus was the cause that the peace talks couldn’t be achieved, then they would have more allies to capture him.

“I suppose we can at least try in order to tell the dwarves later that we tried to solve this peacefully. Still, before that, we have to decide what we will deal with the insurgents.”

After that, a heavy silence fell over the room. The weight of unspoken truths was clear on everyone present. Even if the peace talks succeeded and open war was averted, the issues were far from over. The insurgents still posed a significant threat, a clear sign of the division within Elven society. A substantial portion of their own people had sided with the enemy, and that reality could not be ignored.

The elders knew they were walking along a razor’s edge. Showing too much lenience might be interpreted as weakness, risking future issues and undermining the fragile unity they wanted to rebuild. On the other hand, responding with too much harshness, risked deepening the fractures, planting the seeds for another rebellion before the current wounds would heal.

It was a delicate balance, a solution that demonstrated strength while fostering reconciliation. Anything less than a careful approach could cause the Elven lands into turmoil once again...

“There is nothing to talk about with traitors! This is also a good chance for us to recover the lands that the dwarves stole from us over the years!”

“Unless all the insurgents are disposed of and we show to everyone that our traditions aren’t anything that they can dismiss, the same thing is bound to happen again. This is already a disgrace to our history that we can’t ignore!”

“We also need to weaken the dwarves enough to make them agree with the alliance! The next rift could happen at any moment and we don’t have time for negotiations anymore!”

Clarice’s sharp glare fell on the elders, who seemed almost too eager for war, their voices brimming with fervor as they asked for war under the guise of protecting their traditions. To her, their justifications felt hollow, mere pretexts designed to mask their real betrayal. It became painfully clear that these individuals were already working for the empire, their actions aligning too neatly with the empire’s interests to be just a coincidence.

The way they twisted the situation to suit their narrative sickened her. It wasn’t just their willingness to sacrifice peace for conflict that angered Clarice; it was the sheer audacity of their actions. They were willing to exploit the fear and anger of their people, driving their society closer to destruction, all in the hope of gaining favor with the empire.

Clarice couldn’t help but feel disgust about them. How could anyone stoop so low, willing to sell out their own kin and values, all for a semblance of power or recognition? It was a betrayal not just off their land, but of everything the elves were supposed to stand for.

“Hm. While your passion is understandable, we still have to try to talk with them. I suppose we can ask Sir Jacques and Lady Iri to be the mediators of this meeting and tell them what are the plans of the empire in joining this war. Aside from that, who wants to represent the elders of the empire? No one is willing to do that? That is a problem…”

Clarice glared sharply at her brother. It looked like the most troublesome elders weren’t the only ones with cunning plans to reach their goals. Even now, he remains too calm about the whole situation.

Clarice looked at Cellica to see what she was thinking, but she just looked proud in standing by Arslan’s side… something felt off about this whole situation. While she was working directly to her brother, she wasn’t informed of the most pivotal pieces of information. That was more than clear now.

“I suppose I can do that. The elder Cellica can come to assist me as well. Is that fine with everyone? Then send an envoy to the dwarves and mention to them the peace talks.”

Chapter 234 - Family Traits 

‘Was this some side effect of Jacques’ attack?’

I didn’t know anything about vampires being unable to have dreams. Considering that some of them can sleep in their coffins for quite a while, it would be pretty boring to nor dream of anything.

When I looked around, I saw Glacien sleeping nearby. So, it looked like she failed in her duty of keeping an eye on things. Still, she would have woken up if something or someone had approached.

It was still dark, so there was no need to hurry to the dungeon. While my parameters would be full during the night, I didn’t need them on the first few sections of any labyrinth.

Since I didn’t have anything to do, I couldn’t help but think about the fight with Jacques. Iri didn’t have the chance to help him, but things could have become pretty nasty if we had fought seriously. The difference in parameters was hard to tell, but the light that he summoned weakened me by around forty percent.

‘I need to find a way not to fall for that kind of magic again…’ 

In any case, it didn’t take long for the sun to rise and Glacien soon got up. She looked apologetic, so she went to hunt for our breakfast. In the meantime, I made some Great Fireball scrolls. They were essentially useless against golems, it wasn’t a good idea to use them and damage their ores either, but it would be a good idea to have them ready to be used in a confined space like a labyrinth… possible enemies wouldn’t have the chance to escape the attack.

“I guess I will test my archery skills in the beginning and then use my punching skills later once they stop showing results.”

My gloves could help with that as well, so it was a good chance. Unlike monsters like golems, blunt damage is always a better idea. Before long, Glacien came with some rabbits and then I cooked them. Even though I had been doing this for a while, I couldn’t help but sigh since my cooking skills didn’t improve even a bit. My build was all over the place, so it wouldn’t be a problem if I got the chef class at some point.

“Let’s go, girl. Time to get into that blacksmith class. Are you looking forward to making a cart or wagon for you?” 

“Awoo?”

“I guess not… let’s hope that it won’t be that heavy since a wooden cart or wagon won’t endure the weight of a forge and laboratory at the same time.”

We got inside the labyrinth and I couldn’t help but furrow my eyebrows… It looked like a mine. The walls, even in this first section, were somewhat glowing, speckled with veins of ore embedded within the rough stone. They reflected hues of red and silver, showing the valuable minerals waiting to be mined. I stepped closer, my hand reaching out to touch the cold, metallic surface.

The moment my fingers brushed the ore, the wall trembled violently, and a thunderous crack echoed through the corridor. Pieces of the wall broke away, reforming rapidly into a hulking figure. A mineral golem emerged, towering over me. Its body was rough and jagged, resembling raw iron ore, with a reddish hue that gave it a menacing, fiery appearance. It let out a weird roar, the sound was with a metallic clang, and began to move forward, its weight causing the ground to shudder beneath its every step. The fight had begun before I could even take another breath.

I didn’t hesitate and used Rapid Fire on the beast and my three arrows not only drained all the mana from the monster, but it also killed. Before long, the body of the monster shrunk until it became half of a fist.

You received 10 experience points.

“The fun starts here.”

“Awoo!”

“Hold your horses, I need to train my skills. You will have to wait for a bit longer.”

“Chi, chi, chi!”

It looked like Glacien had become a fighting junkie. Perhaps it isn’t a good idea to give the equivalent of energy drinks for animals, even in this world of magic. In any case, the ore didn’t look very different from the iron ores that I had stocked while I was secluded in that cave. Still, it should be better given that it was once the part of a monster. I could only hope that it would be a magic iron ore.

In any case, we moved further in the labyrinth wondering if the monsters would only show up if I touched the ores in the walls… but even when I didn’t do that, they emerged from behind in large groups and tried to block our escape. They fell easily when they got hit by my ordinary arrows, so there were no worries. Before long, Glacien went to grab their mana cores and the ores that the monsters left behind.

“I guess we should stock up the ores that we can find here. What do you think?” 

“Awoo! Awoo!”

“On the other hand, that redhead dwarf probably told her friends that we are here, so we might find ourselves surrounded by them if we stay here for too long.”

My guess was that only the very young dwarves, and the elderly were left behind to not join this war, and that was why that small group was guarding that labyrinth that just emerged. Since they are young, they shouldn’t be that hard to deal with, but I didn’t want to have to kill them. 

That girl should know that I could have killed her, so she should have an idea of my powers, given the encounter and the rumors about me. If she was smart, she wouldn’t tell anything about me since that would keep her friends safe.

In any case, I was planning to use the stamina liquid to make my archery skills level up faster, but the encounters weren’t that high and, thanks to my stamina regeneration, it was enough to deal with the monsters in the first section. I probably will have to move faster if I wanted to really use that. Fortunately, I could do something about that with the extra mana that I was obtaining and use it for Shadow Step.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Blacksmith, Warrior, and Thief.

You obtained the Blacksmith class.

You improved the Strength parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Master of Smithing.

You unlocked the skill: Speed Forge.

You unlocked the skill: Elemental Infusion.

Master of Smithing: Gain additional bonus experience when infusing items with elements.

Speed Forge - Accelerate the forging process to quickly craft or repair items. This skill allows you to complete crafting or repair tasks at a significantly faster rate, reducing the time required to produce high-quality weapons, armor, or other items. The accelerated process also enhances the overall quality of the finished products, ensuring they are made to your highest standards. Cost: 05 Mana per minute

Magic Infusion - Infuse an item with elemental properties, such as fire, ice, or lightning. This infusion enhances the item's performance by adding elemental effects. The infusion lasts for a limited duration or until the item is used a certain number of times based on the level of the skill, but when used with mana cores, the effect lasts ten times longer. Cost: 50 Mana.

Before long, we reached the end of the first floor and those options were presented to me. I didn’t have a hard time making my choice, but it felt a bit too easy and uneventful. Magic Infusion feels pretty similar to the other enchanting skill that I have, but this isn’t permanent.

“I guess I am getting used to all the trouble that comes to me.”

… …

“Sir, we received reports that over four hundred war towers had crossed the border already.”

“None of them had attacked yet, but the insurgents were with them.”

Arslan was in his office, ready to depart with his forces while he was receiving those reports. Clarice was nearby, ready to follow her brother as his assistant. At the same time, Jacques and Iri were in the same room waiting for him.

Those two caused some problems when they disappeared soon after they had arrived, but one day later, they returned like nothing had happened. Clarice had heard the reports that one of the enemy's bases had been attacked with some explosions and she could tell that Regulus was involved, so she guessed that those two went to meet him.

‘They probably had their futures read by the clairvoyant… while the clairvoyant can’t see the end of the events where Regulus is involved, I could imagine that they still were able to see their futures and confirm that they would survive the encounter without capturing him. Then why go in the first place?’

Clarice tried to ask about it, but those two didn’t say anything about that. Most likely, they were preparing for the time they would have to fight Regulus for real, and they just went to see him to learn what he could do and get ready for the real battle.

‘I don’t think that Regulus would fight them with all his might… Even if they hated his very existence, they are still his siblings. He doesn’t want to get involved with them, he doesn’t want to risk having to kill them to protect himself.’

At least Clarice was certain that Regulus had killed the guy who worked for her brother previously… a part of the incident that happened years ago was being solved.

“Let’s get going, shall we?”

“Sir Arslan, I must advise you again that it would be better to fight the enemies by letting them come further into the territory. More reinforcements from the empire will come soon, and that way, we will be able to cut their escape routes.”

“Sir Jacques, I already said that you can call me Commander Arslan. As for your advice, while I am thankful for it, we can’t allow them to invade our lands this much and spread destruction in the central area of our forests. The people won’t take that lightly if we show any signs of weakness against the insurgents.”

“Still, I just insist, Sir Arslan… you don’t want to fight the enemies where they want to fight you.”

“Such a defiant attitude… I guess it runs in the family. Still, if you all are to be compared, I would say that Regulus is more like Rayner Dawnshield when he was young.”

Chapter 233 - Dream (Thank you for your support, عاصم الاحمدي )

Maybe I should have picked my words with a bit more caution. In any case, the atmosphere got a bit tense after I said all that. 

“Raise your hands and move toward the camp. Do anything else and you will get a bolt right in the middle of your torso.”

“I would rather not get any bolts on my body. They wouldn’t suit me. Still, I can’t follow your orders since I don’t know what your friends will do with me. I can at least guarantee you all that I am not your enemy. If I were, I would have robbed you guys blind since you left that place completely unguarded.”

“Your words have no weight here, not when the empire is plotting against us. Besides, someone insane would trust the words of a vampire.”

“I am half vampire, but…”

Something felt off here. The voice of the woman was a bit tense, but I could tell that she wasn’t that guarded… it made me realize that the dwarves didn’t know much about my involvement in this conflict. Aside from hearing that I was found talking with Clarice a few times, any information about me should be pretty dubious, given that I remained hidden and disguised when I was helping her.

“If you guys have any information about me, you should know that the empire doesn’t want me alive and vampires don’t treat each other well, much less a half vampire.”

“I am not going to tell you again. Move!”

In the next moment, I turned into mist and then moved backward. Before she had the chance to react, she found herself with my fingers at her throat. I wondered why I was using my hands like that. It wasn’t like I had the same nails as some vampires do. They were pretty normal, in fact.

“Good, you didn’t pull the trigger. So this means that I don’t have to kill you immediately. Still, you shouldn’t point a crossbow at someone else’s back if you aren’t serious about pulling the trigger.”

I let go of the dwarf and then Glacien approached me as she turned around. I had seen some of them from a distance, but not from this close, so it was a novel feeling to see another member of another group in this world. What wasn’t novel was the look of disdain on her face when she turned around. I couldn’t help but sigh.

The red-haired dwarf stood out in her leather armor, a sturdy, well-worn set that clung to her compact frame. Her fiery hair was tied back into a messy braid, with stray strands framing her round face. She had a bit of a chubby look, soft in a way that seemed at odds with the rugged demeanor of other dwarves. Her skin was soft and free of marks that many dwarves normally would have thanks to their forges, but her hands bore the calluses of someone who had spent a lifetime working with weapons and machines.

In her hand, there was this massive crossbow, with a thick steel frame gleaming faintly in the light. They looked almost oversized for her stature, yet she carried them with ease, as though they weighed no more than a pair of hammers.

There was an odd balance about her appearance, simultaneously approachable and tough, soft yet unyielding. I wondered if my perception was skewed by my lack of familiarity with dwarves, their unique build and culture making it harder for me to gauge her true nature.

“I guess I am wasting time, but it doesn’t hurt to try asking. Where can I get a blacksmith class in your territory? If you help me with this, I can leave your land faster. It will be a win-win for all of us.”

“... Why would you want that class? Don’t vampires just enslave those who have the skills they want?”

“I don’t know, but I guess that makes sense. Anyway, if you want me waltzing around for a while longer, you just have to say it.”

“... Northwest of here… five mountains away.”

“I see. Better hurry to leave this place as soon as possible as. Let’s go, girl.”

“Awoo!”

Glacien and I left in a hurry and soon used the Shadow Step amulets to gain some extra room for possible pursuers. Dwarves weren’t good at that, but they should have some tools that could help them with it.

In any case, while we were moving, I found a large bag behind a tree… we had passed through there earlier and it wasn’t there…

‘Was that hers? I didn’t see the others carrying this much luggage… well, not my problem.’

Shadow Step Lv 39: Instantly teleport a short distance to an enemy’s blind spot, allowing you to strike or evade undetected. This ability also increases your next attack's critical chance. The distance crossed is equal to the level of the skill multiplied by two meters. Cost: 50 mana 

‘The skill sure has improved a lot. I am not lacking in mana cores, so perhaps I should keep using the amulets.’

I didn’t have to worry about making a vehicle that would consume mana cores to work, but then again, treating Glacien like some actual horsepower didn’t feel right. She could give me a hand with that, but it was better to be ready for all kinds of possibilities.

It would be fun to create a laboratory and forge inside a carriage, all powered by mana cores. Selling them at the guilds was basically a waste of time, after all. I had better uses for them than for money.

“Chi, chi, chi!”

“I know, I know… I will take a nap when we reach the labyrinth.”

A couple of hours later, we reached the labyrinth that the dwarf girl had mentioned. Now that I thought about it, I never considered that she could be lying, but looking at the entrance, I found that hard to believe.

The entrance of the labyrinth was a gaping maw carved into the rock, framed by intricately weathered stone. Surrounding the entrance was an eerie drawing of mineral golems, their towering figures arranged in a perfect circle as if standing guard.

Each golem was unique, yet uniform in purpose, their forms hewn from shimmering crystals, jagged obsidian, and rough-hewn granite. Their angular limbs glinted faintly, and veins of precious metals, gold, silver, and copper, ran through their bodies like lifeblood. Some bore smooth, polished faces, featureless except for faint glowing lines that hinted at awareness. Others had jagged, crude visages, as though their expressions were frozen mid-roar or grimace.

Despite their varying appearances, they all faced inward, toward the entrance, their collective stance exuding an oppressive aura of vigilance. Their sheer size was imposing; each golem stood at least twice the height of a human, their broad shoulders and thick limbs giving them a sense of immovable power.

“I guess we will finally have the chance to mine some ores here, girl.”

“Grrr…”

“What now?” 

Just when I was getting ready to enter the labyrinth, Glacien grabbed my pants by her teeth and then pulled me to a nearby tree. It looked like she was serious about making me get some real rest. To be honest, my eyes had been stinging for a while, so perhaps I was truly reaching my limits here. I could trust Glacien to watch things around me, so I began to relax and soon enough, I fell asleep.

I couldn’t recall the last time I had a dream… for some reason, it felt like since I was reborn, I didn’t have those. I imagined that it was because I was getting old, almost forty mentally, and I heard that people dreamless and less when they get old.

Still, it was odd. A less stimulating daily life or reduced focus on dreams may also contribute to fewer memorable dreams. My life was anything but not memorable, with all the troublesome situations that found themselves coming at me. 

I wished that I could have dreamt of something nice, but I dreamt about that home… I didn’t have a single good memory there, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was floating around there seeing everyone ten years ago. Seeing Rayner talking with his wives… I could hear the contents of their words, but given the weird atmosphere, I guessed that it was me who was the focus of the talk.

Rayner didn’t pass to me to be the type of person who would explain his actions to anyone, but I saw him trying to do that. I quickly realized that this was just a dream, since he wasn’t that kind of guy.

His wives tried to tell him how much trouble he would be putting the whole family in by keeping me around, but he didn’t fall back on his decision. After several talks like that, nothing changed and soon those talks stopped. 

The continuation of the dream shifted the scene, and I found myself watching as everyone else who was part of the family returned home from their trips. They appeared visibly tired, dragging their feet as if the weight of the world had been placed on their shoulders. Their faces were worn, filled with the frustration of long travels and whatever burdens they’d encountered along the way. But the moment they saw me in the garden, training, their annoyance became even more obvious.

It was as though my presence, there honing my skills while they returned home exhausted, added insult to injury. They muttered under their breaths, their irritation growing as they exchanged glances, each of them silently questioning why I was there. The contrast between their fatigue and my focused determination made their discomfort stand out, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of their judgment in the air. I immediately realized that part of the frustration they got on their trips was thanks to me.

The same thing happened over and over again while everyone was growing. Until I could see everyone had become an adult and I was still a child being looked down by them. I knew for the duration of the dream that this wasn’t real, but it still made me odd. When I woke up, I felt more annoyed than truly rested.

Chapter 232 - Lack of Luck?

After half an hour, I decided to approach the origin of the sound and found the entrance of one of the dwarven towns. They sure liked to make them inside mountains, for some reason. They had a lot of confidence in their work, because I wouldn’t be able to live in those places.

“It is awfully quiet there… even from a distance, I should have been able to hear the sound of hammers against the anvils.”

“Awoo!”

“What now?” 

I looked at the entrance of the place and I couldn’t see the signs of barriers or the golems that defend the place. It looked like the entire place had been abandoned… I decided to go check it while using camouflage and soon saw that the interior was pretty dark as well. 

‘This place is too close to the border for them to abandon… something must have happened.’

I couldn’t help but question if my luck was really that terrible, or if fate itself had it out for me. I had gone out of my way to avoid the war, a very clear choice, driven by a desire to steer clear of the chaos, and the annoying decisions that came with it. I thought that by taking a different path, I could escape the storm brewing around me. Yet, no matter how far I tried to stray from conflict, it seemed like problems had a knack for finding me.

It was as if the universe wasn’t content with letting me sit this one out. My decision to avoid one catastrophe didn’t grant me the peace I wanted; it only steered me toward a different kind of turmoil. I wondered if this was destiny’s way of mocking me.

‘Maybe I should borrow some of the stuff that they left behind. I am sure that they won’t miss it… no! Bad Regulus, bad!’

It was better if I didn’t become a criminal. That way, I would be able to sleep soundly at night knowing that my enemies were chasing me unfairly. They could say that I killed some of their people, but it was in self defense.

Putting that aside, I decided to hurry up a bit in order to catch up with the dwarves that had left the area. Glacien and I moved while using the Camouflage amulets, in order to avoid detection, but I was still pretty sure that they never saw us coming. 

Soon night came, and we still kept going because I was able to tell that they weren’t that far ahead. Despite the darkness of the night, they kept moving in a steady jog. Considering that they were slow, it looked like they were in a hurry.

‘This group is relatively small… while they don’t look like civilians, they also don’t look like proper battle ready dwarves.’

I began to connect the dots, piecing together the clues that had seemed disjointed at first. A problem had suddenly arisen in their territory, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. It coincided with the brink of war. At first glance, it felt like a cruel twist of fate, as if the universe had decided to heap chaos upon chaos. 

The timing was too precise to be a coincidence. A crisis of this magnitude, coming just as tensions reached their peak, couldn’t simply be random. The thought gnawed at me, and a single possibility came to mind, one that sent a chill down my spine: a dungeon break.

It made sense, in a terrible, foreboding way. Dungeon breaks weren’t just localized disasters, they were eruptions of monsters and chaos that could destabilize entire regions. If one had occurred here, it explained the sudden influx of trouble, the urgency in their actions, and the growing unrest. Worse still, it wasn’t just a problem for their territory. A dungeon break in the midst of war could tip the scales unpredictably, threatening to engulf everyone in a tidal wave of destruction.

‘They should have known that they needed to manage their dungeons well in a situation like this when a war is ready to break out, so maybe the problem wasn’t that it was a misstep… did someone cause this?’

I knew that some beastkin knew how to cause a dungeon break, but we were pretty far away from their territory. It was hard to imagine that they heard about the possibility of the war and came here to take advantage of it. Then again, I didn’t know much about the kingdom of Felyndor factions aside from what Vincent told me. There is also a chance that things have changed in the last few years.

The circle of the wild was a council formed by representatives from each species, promoting unity, peace, and cooperation among all beastkin. They emphasize harmony with nature and the importance of maintaining balance in their realm. Their goal is to mediate disputes, foster alliances with other realms, and preserve the natural world.

There was the wild hunt. A warrior faction made up of elite hunters and guardians of Felyndor. They believe in strength through nature and often defend the realm from external threats. Their goal is to protect their homeland from invaders, maintain the balance of nature, and hunt for sustenance.

Finally, the shadow clan. A secretive faction of rogue beastkin who thrives in the darker aspects of Felyndor. They engage in espionage, theft, and covert operations. To gather knowledge, disrupt the status quo, and amass power within the realm. This seemed like the most obvious culprit.

‘I still can’t see why they would do this… they are shielding the refugees of the Skarnash Tribelands, so helping the dwarves fall faster would only cause more trouble for them. While they can be troublesome, the dwarves work as a wall to protect them from the empire…

While I was thinking about that, the group of dwarves ahead stopped moving and soon they began to set their camp close to the base of a mountain. Night had arrived, so I couldn’t see things that well from a distance. Still, with Hawk's vision, I was able to check the entrance of the place… it was an incomplete image on a large rock.

‘Is that… the lower half of a dragon?’

The entrance to the labyrinth was massive, a towering archway framed by jagged stone that seemed to ripple with an unnatural aura. It was impossible to miss, and so was the creature engraved around the entrance. I could see enormous, muscular legs. They were thick and scaly, with claws..

The sight of those legs alone was enough to make my breath catch. They reminded me of a wyvern, its predatory power and imposing stature unmistakable. Yet, I couldn’t confirm it; the rest of the image remained incomplete in the entrance of the labyrinth. The proportions didn’t quite match what I knew of wyverns either, as these legs seemed stockier, more grounded, like they belonged to something fatter and perhaps even more dangerous.

‘I guess this is a new labyrinth and only recently the image began to shake… Before things get out of hand, they decided to control the mana levels inside and avoid trouble.’

Leaving a dungeon or labyrinth alone for a couple of months wasn’t enough to let a dungeon break happen. However, things are different with new labyrinths. Things are always unstable when it comes to them…

I could only guess that this timing for them is terrible… is this a bad omen? Sometimes, empires don’t fall because of internal strife or thanks to external threats. Sometimes they fall for just plain lack of luck.

This situation made me recall a memory of something I had read about one of the earliest empires of Earth. It was a tale of ambition and downfall, of how even the mightiest can fall prey to forces beyond their control. Centuries ago, during the era of warring states, countless factions clashed endlessly, vying for dominance. One of those states rose above the rest, a powerful kingdom with unshakable defenses and unmatched might. It seemed destined to unify the lands under its banner.

But history had other plans. An earthquake, sudden and devastating, struck their heartland. It wasn’t just the ground that shook, it was the foundation of their power. Fortresses that had stood for generations crumbled like sandcastles, leaving their armies vulnerable and their enemies emboldened. In the span of days, the state went from a dominant force to a fractured remnant, overrun by opportunistic rivals who saw their chance.

The parallels between that story and this moment weren’t lost on me. Here, on the brink of a war that could decide the fate of this region, a disaster loomed that could tip the scales in this approaching conflict.

‘It is hard to say if the same thing is happening here. Still, what now?’

I have been asking this question a lot lately. Regardless… This could be a chance or could be a problem in front of me. I couldn’t think of a way while showing uninvited here without raising some suspicion.

“Don’t move!”

While I was lost in thoughts, I heard a cold voice coming from behind and then I heard the sound of a mechanism triggering behind me… I could tell that it was a crossbow. It seemed that we messed up big this time.

Glacien didn’t move an inch, so I could tell that she was as surprised as me… I couldn’t imagine anyone sneaking out behind us, but then I realized that we speed up a bit to catch up with this group and we were also moving against the wind, so we were unable to hear or feel the smell of anyone coming from behind..

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“My name is Regulus and I am just traveling around… My goal here is to get a blacksmithing class. While I was looking for a labyrinth with that kind of class, I found this group moving.”

“If you aren’t a Dwarf, what makes you think that you can use our properties like this?”

“Good point. I was trying to convince you guys to let me. Anyway, whatever you do, don’t pull that trigger. That won’t end well for either of us.”

Limitless Summoner on Amazon!

Hi, everyone. I am back today to announce that Limitless Summoner - The Abyss of Time Book I is out on amazon! It is a portal fantasy story a lot lighter than Labyrinth Hunter. You can find it here for kindle unlimited and amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPCZ3Z9Z

Have a nice day!