Belgianfri

Chapter 154: Aho.

I breathed in deep through my nose, smelling the ocean air. I hadn’t spent much time by the oceanfront in my life so far, so this was a welcome change. The salty air, the gentle rocking of the boat and the calm sea breeze… It made for a rather calming experience, I thought.

The first leg of our journey had seen us pass through the river that separated the Roa and Ergo from Alterian. The aptly named ‘Argo river’ was a heavily monitored body of water that Ergo only allowed Roa to ...

Chapter 153: A bright smile.

We spent the next few days returning to the border. Thankfully, the journey wasn’t as arduous as it had been the first time around. Perhaps our fight with the paradise bird had scared off the monster hordes in the inner reaches of the forest, because not a single group had approached us on our return journey. It was a shame we couldn’t get more experience from them, but there would be other opportunities.

Even the outer regions of the forest were remarkably calm, though. Only the oc...

Chapter 152: A final cry.

Though I was confident that we could slay the beast, I had killed a peak tier 4 classer before, after all, I still felt somewhat apprehensive.

“Are you sure we can’t just sneak in and take the liana? I can apparate up there with a skill of mine, you know?”

Emeri shook her head. “No chance. Extracting the liana’s medicinal parts requires time and skill. Time and skill you wouldn’t have in that situation. Leave the liana to me. First, let’s kill the paradise bird. Then...

Chapter 151: Paradise bird.

Over the next few days, we spent most of our time searching for the elusive heart severing liana. Supposedly, it could be found near this area, its distinct flowers located just below the crowns of the huge trees that made up the inner reaches of the forest.

So far, we hadn’t had much luck. Of the two lianas which resembled what we were looking for, one was a different species and another hadn’t flowered yet, so it wasn’t usable.

Either way, we weren’t about to give up. If...

Chapter 150: Monsters.

At least I could take solace in the fact that the monsters surrounding us weren’t as large or as tough as the ones I had hunted during the tournament. On the other hand, they were present in far larger number, while there were far fewer of us to keep them busy.

Now that we had entered the inner reaches of the forest, the trees stood so tall and wide that their roots spread over the forest floor to keep them stable. The horde of frog-like creatures that had surrounded us took full adva...

Chapter 149: Traversing the dark forest.

The dark forest turned out to be surprisingly dark. Who would have guessed it, right? What was interesting about that was that it wasn’t dark everywhere. Small patches of sunlight were sparingly littered throughout the forest and they functioned as resting spots for humans, animals and monsters simultaneously.

The map that Everic had provided us had a lot of these lit-up areas marked on it in the form of inky blotches, which allowed Emeri and I to plan out our route in advance.

...

Chapter 148: Hilda

Looking at the dried-out husk that was laying on the bed, I suddenly had an easier time empathising with Agard’s plight. His wife looked like a corpse, and not a recent one either. Grey, rippling skin… white tufty hair… The only sign that she was still alive was the subtle rise of her chest. She was still breathing despite… all of this. If I ever saw my mom like this, for example, I didn’t know how I would feel. Would I even be able to muster the courage to leave her side in search ...

Chapter 147: Agard.

Emeri took her stance and aimed her spear at Agard, whose facial expression remained glacial. He pulled a long, thin sword from his scabbard, which I recognized as a rapier, a weapon that wasn’t commonly used. Because of physical stats, there was little use for light, thin weapons, especially when they served a similar purpose as a normal broadsword.

Yet, Agard seemed confident, despite this. He levied his weapon at Emeri and took a courteous stance. A moment later, Everic’s father�...

Chapter 146: Family conflict.

Everic’s eyes narrowed once he’d heard my request.

“Even if I could, it would require a significantly larger… contribution, on your part.

This time, it was my turn to grow suspicious. He had appeared at exactly the right time to take advantage of our situation, which he was most likely somehow responsible for. I was willing to let an offense like that slide, especially if I could get something out of it in return, but if he intended to play hardball he had another thing co...

Chapter 145: At the border.

“Here.” I said, as I pushed a small wooden figurine into Emeri’s hands. Her eyes went wide, and she turned the little statue around to take a better look. After a moment of silence, her cheeks turned red and she finally responded.

“Why did you…?” she asked, fixing her eyes on mine.

Suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed, I hurriedly cleared up her confusion. “It’s an apology gift. The things I said during our duel are not what I truly believe. I only said them to in...

Chapter 144: A thoughtful gift.

Rolla had never been much of a town, economically speaking. Sure, all of the basics were present. You had a few bakers, a few butchers, and the like. But for anything more than that, you’d have to go to Reito, which was seen as the Eastern capital of the entire country.

In this situation, however, I would have to work with what I had. As I was strolling through Rolla’s main street, the town hall to my right, and the local adventurers guild to my left, I wondered where I would be abl...

Chapter 143: Rejoining family.

I regarded the older man at the other side of the table with suspicion. What was this guy scheming this time? Had he really not been involved in the situation, or was he looking for a convenient scapegoat?

For some reason, though, adventuring with Emeri didn’t sound so bad. I still vividly remembered her spearmanship, which had lit a competitive flame in my chest at the time. I had a vague feeling that I could relight that flame if I spent more time with her.

If the cardinal not...

Chapter 142: A slightly holy meeting…

As I entered Reito’s cathedral, I couldn’t help but admire its architecture, despite my hesitance. The outside of the building was adorned by elaborate murals that were visible from anywhere in the city due to the building’s sheer height. At certain intervals, a row of angel-shaped gargoyles would stand guard and look upon the city below. If I knew even a single thing about the system, then I knew that those gargoyles could come to life if the cathedral was ever threatened. Another star...

Chapter 141: Departure from the between lands.

The next morning, I rose early. With my body rested and my equipment gathered, I felt that the time had come for me to draw this quest to a close. What had been a dangerous but straightforward mission had quickly evolved into a war over an entire territory, one that I had even participated in. For better or worse, I had experienced many new things, some horrific, some... good, I guess.

Careful not to wake the house’s other occupants, I stealthily descended the stairs and reached the g...

Chapter 140: Do stars move?

After sinking into the murky waters of lake equilibrium, my vision turned black and my other senses were muted. This feeling of non-existence lasted but a moment, soon to be replaced by wonder. As my sight returned, I found myself surrounded by countless colors, some I could swear I had never seen before.

The colors drifted lazily in the wind, floating by without a care in the world, their wispy bodies trailing behind. With every one of their motions, a hollow ‘ding’ would resound, ...

Chapter 139: The lake of equilibrium.

“So about those rewards...” I began, glancing at the dry man.

He chuckled lightly and set Maria down, before heading for the tent’s exit. As he passed me, he waved at me to follow him. The moment we exited the tent, he put a hand on my shoulder and I felt my body sag. Suddenly, all my strength left my body and I fell to the ground below. Before I even hit the ground, though, my body turned into dust. The feeling was not dissimilar to when my body turned intangible, though the lack...

Chapter 138: Interlude: The drought.

Trigger warnings: Suicide(but not really) Character death (but not really)

Pov: The dry man.

I had expected this trial to be hard, no doubt. But did the system have to fuck me over right as I was reuniting with my daughter?

The cruel little fucker just loved messing with me, didn’t it... That’s why I always mess with it back, fuck the rules. Nothing gets to decide my fate, not even the system!

The system then gave me a tier 7 trial about ‘kindness 2022-12-02 17:10:14 +0000 UTC View Post