At race level five, Angie unlocked another Ancient-rarity skill.
[Celestial Wings I (Ancient)]: The angel learns to lighten the weight of her wings and adjust the rhythm of flight. The wings become 50% lighter, and flight efficiency increases by 50%, allowing double the flight time.
“That’s a seriously powerful skill,” Luke commented.
Angie nodded, clearly proud.
Another Ancient skill at level five? Her race was completely broken in that regard. And cutting the effective weight of her wings in half while flying was absurd.
Angie looked down at her own stone wings, rolling her shoulders and shifting the bones in her back.
“It feels much lighter to carry them now,” she said.
Double the flight time? So maybe one stamina every two seconds instead of one per second?
“Can I see you test it?” Luke asked, genuinely curious.
“Of course.”
She stepped back and fully spread her wings. For a moment, Luke thought they looked larger, or maybe it was just that she could extend them more easily now, creating that impression. The next instant, Angie was airborne.
What surprised him immediately was the rhythm. She wasn’t flapping wildly anymore. Her wings moved in a calm, steady, almost graceful cadence.
“It greatly improved my control,” Angie said while flying back and forth, performing aerial maneuvers. She was noticeably faster than before.
Name: Angie
Level: 5
Race: Stone Angel
Rank: F
Class: Valkyrie (Lvl 11)
Title: Servant of the Dark Lord
Health Points (HP): 486/520
Mana Points (MP): 357/420
Stamina: 286/630
Stats:
Strength: 74
Lethality: 14
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 16
Endurance: 63
Vitality: 52
Toughness: 50
Perception: 16
Wisdom: 42
Intelligence: 17
Willpower: 18
Free Points: 49
Class Skills: [Basic Polearm Handling (Common)], [Spear Throw (Common)], [Battle Roar (Uncommon)], [Battle Instinct (Uncommon)], [Critical Pierce (Uncommon)], [Weak Wrath (Uncommon)]
Race Skills: [Demonic Servant Perception (Uncommon)], [Conceal Wings (Ancient)], [Celestial Wings I (Ancient)]
Angie had forty-nine free points, which for her represented a massive jump in overall power.
“Alright, Angie. Let’s distribute them.”
They decided together, aiming for the best possible balance of power for her: +12 Endurance, +10 Strength, +10 Vitality, +5 Lethality, +5 Dexterity, +5 Toughness, +2 Perception.
Stats Updated (Angie):
Strength: 84
Lethality: 19
Dexterity: 21
Endurance: 75
Vitality: 62
Toughness: 55
Perception: 18
Health Points (HP): 620
Stamina: 750
***
Luke’s experience during the tutorial made mapping terrain almost second nature to him. Once he marked the oni temple as a key location, his focus shifted to charting the surrounding areas. With Angie able to fly higher and longer, things became significantly easier.
He sat in front of the temple entrance with a sheet of paper spread out before him.
“Shopping before an adventure has never been this necessary,” he muttered, staring at his supplies. Paper, pencils, even a sand timer that was proving incredibly useful.
“Mountains or forest?” Charlie asked. “Which path is better, Master Luke?” The campfire crackled nearby.
“We’re basically in Mordor,” Artemis said. “Either way, we’re screwed.”
“Onis do resemble orcs,” Luke replied. “The difference is they’re red. And some have horns.”
“It would be ideal to know how the three treasures were found,” Angie said thoughtfully. “That way we could try to deduce how the fourth one might be discovered.”
“Yeah. Finding someone and getting information would help,” Luke agreed. “But I don’t even know where to look. Greta mentioned there’s some kind of village inside the dimension. Mercenaries, even companies with bases here. We just got unlucky. The entrance dropped us too far away.”
At least not close enough.
His original plan before entering had been to locate that village and blend in to gather information. Now he’d have to improvise.
“I don’t know if the notice about three treasures already being found is good or bad,” Luke continued. “If the fourth one is being claimed right now, I could lose my chance. Azazel definitely wants me inside the Demon Blacksmith’s temple.”
He finished sketching the last lines of his improvised map.
Once the planning was done, Luke returned to the fire and started preparing more food. The more supplies he stockpiled, the better. Cook it, store it, toss it into the pocket dimension.
“Don’t sabotage me by eating all my supplies,” he warned.
“Come on,” Artemis said, pretending to be offended. “Do you really think I’d do that to you?”
“I do.”
“I’m going to bathe first, Master Luke,” Charlie said. She liked staying clean. Now that she could sweat, it mattered even more.
‘Luke… this is your moment, kid. Offer to go with her.’
Silence.
‘Silent? Hey, Aunt Artemis just wants to see her boy becoming a man.’
“It’s fine, Charlie. If the water in the wooden barrel runs out, let me know and I’ll put another one in the bathroom.”
Angie remained at the top of the stairs, looking down with her spear in hand, standing watch. Luke walked on, lost in thought. She was on guard not because he had ordered it or anything like that. She had chosen to do it herself. She liked being a kind of sentinel.
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“So what’s the next step?” Artemis asked as Luke paced. “March into whatever insane place Azazel wants and find something you don’t even know what it is, all without sounding like some wise Jedi master?”
“It’s what I have to do,” Luke replied. “By the way, how did you even meet that demon?”
He could not imagine Artemis fitting into any kind of serious gathering.
“I really can’t picture you interacting with Samael. I feel like he would’ve killed you already. Especially some massive Divine Order guy who’s probably a few trillion years old.”
“Secret, Luke. Everyone has a past. And I’ve been mentally nerfed, remember? I’m just the voice inside the little stone in your necklace now. But know this. From what memories I still have, I’m a very wise individual. Important people used to come to me for advice. I’m extremely valuable to the Primordial Order of Darkness.”
“Advice? I can’t imagine what you’d possibly advise anyone on.”
“You say that, but who taught you how to be a good archer? And keep in mind, I didn’t even have a physical body to correct your posture. It was all tips.”
“Okay, fair point. But half of your ‘elite training’ involved making me take my shirt off and pose. I still feel like you were just indulging some weird fetishes.”
She coughed lightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was an excellent teacher.”
“Speaking of serious topics, how does your heart feel about our precious Char—”
Luke cut her off instantly.
Artemis, Charlie has very good hearing. So we are not having that conversation outside my head.
“Right. I forgot about that.”
Charlie had a habit of eavesdropping, and Luke knew it. Once, during their travels, he had been getting ready to take a bath and muttered out loud that he had forgotten his towel. He was not bringing Artemis with him. When he turned back toward the camp to grab one, Charlie had already appeared and handed it to him.
“She’s a good girl. She just happens to be a stalker.”
I know she has good intentions.
“The fact that she’s a stalker only makes her better.”
Luke turned the meat over the campfire, watching the flames dance.
“And how’s your heart doing when it comes to the vampire girl? Nothing? No tightness in your chest? No blushing? Butterflies in your stomach? Come on, she likes you… probably always has.”
You know I was caught completely off guard by that.
“Caught off guard? She was basically Commissioner Gordon with a giant Bat-Signal pointed straight at the sky.”
Okay, I admit it. I’m bad at reading people’s feelings. You don’t need to rub it in.
“At an advanced stage, that’s probably some kind of social super-psychopathy that made you emotionally dense. Still, at least the other side actually made a move. But back to the point. What do you think about the vampire girl?”
Charlie is pretty. That much is obvious.
“And?”
But… I still see her like a sister. And maybe she feels the same way, just confusing it with love.
Artemis sighed. “You and I both know she knows exactly what she feels. Are you attracted to her or not?”
I don’t measure feelings like that based on appearance. I consider you, unfortunately, a friend, and you’re literally just a voice.
“There is exactly one kind of answer that works here, Luke, and it involves saying whether or not Charlie is your type. And don’t give me that ‘I don’t care about looks’ speech. We both know your long history of internet research boiled down to three main keywords: elves, maids, and big boobs.”
We talked about this. You agreed never to bring that up again.
“Never to anyone else. With you, it’s fair game. And look, Charlie already has big boobs. See? She meets at least one of your main requirements.”
You’re just messing with me now.
“What can I do? If you don’t take a step, I feel like I’ll have to drag you myself.”
Good thing you’re just a voice.
“For now…”
Huh? What do you mean by that?
“Nothing…”
***
Luke and the group were fighting off a pack of creatures. They were humanoid, gray-skinned, hairless. Their mouths constantly drooled, their nails were long like claws, and they moved hunched over, almost animalistic.
Angie raised her spear and shouted as she activated [Battle Roar]. She tightened her grip and triggered [Weak Wrath]. Then she charged, thrusting and pushing the creatures back with precise strikes. She took flight and dove, driving her spear downward and impaling two of them at once.
[Angie has slain a Ruin Ghoul - Lvl 21]
[Angie has slain a Ruin Ghoul - Lvl 21]
One ghoul tried to leap onto her back. Angie twisted midair and hurled the spear, piercing the creature clean through.
[Angie has slain a Ruin Ghoul - Lvl 21]
**The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 12! (+5 Strength, +4 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +3 Toughness, +2 Wisdom, +2 Free Points)**
She landed and finished the remaining ghouls with fluid, graceful thrusts straight to the face. Luke and Charlie didn’t interfere, letting her handle everything on her own.
When the last one fell, Angie flicked her spear, shaking the filth from the blade.
“I have slain the inferior beings, my lord.”
Suddenly, Charlie leapt into a nearby tree.
“Angie, Master Luke. I heard something in that direction. People.”
Luke and Angie moved to Charlie’s position.
“They’re over there, and they’re… I think they’re fighting.”
Luke activated his rank skill. The soul-cat appeared and slipped into Charlie’s soul.
Instantly, Luke heard what she heard. Screams. The clash of metal. Blood. People in panic. They were fighting creatures.
“What do we do?” Angie asked.
“I need information,” Luke replied. “And they might be useful.”
***
Luke was running alone through the trees when he spotted a group of four people. Three men and one woman. They were surrounded by monster hounds, and one of the women was already injured.
Mercenaries?
A second glance told him otherwise. They were wearing military gear.
“Maybe these inferior beings can still be useful, since they’re soldiers,” Angie remarked in his thoughts.
“Luke, this is a classic rescue scenario. Injured woman included. This is your cue. Activate hero mode and deliver a cool one-liner,” Artemis chimed in.
Luke ignored her and took aim, hurling a kukri.
The blade struck one of the beasts. He threw another immediately, hard enough to drop the creature where it stood.
The group seized the opening, trying to run while carrying their wounded companion. Luke fired a [Shadow Ball], black flames tearing through the monsters. He rushed in right after, finishing the rest by driving his blades through their skulls.
[You have slain a…]
[You have slain a…]
[You have slain a…]
[You have slain a…]
He slid the kukris back into the sheath hidden in his gear and turned to face the four of them.
“A one-liner, man. This is your moment. Say something badass,” Artemis urged.
Luke narrowed his eyes.
“Th-thank you,” one of them said hesitantly.
“He could be one of Miles’ damn kidnappers,” the injured woman snapped. “He might hurt us!”
“If I wanted to kill or kidnap you, I would’ve done it already,” Luke replied flatly.
“No, no, no. You’re supposed to say: ‘Milady, I would never dare such a thing, especially to a beautiful lady such as yourself.’” Artemis complained.
Luke crouched beside one of the fallen beasts, well over level fifty. He opened it with his kukris and pulled out a core.
“Since I saved you,” he said calmly, “I want a favor.”
He flicked a kukri at the foot of a soldier who had been reaching for an arrow. The blade embedded itself inches away.
“Draw it, and I won’t miss next time.”
“You’re ruining everything, Luke!” Artemis yelled.
“What do you want?!” one of them asked, suspicion thick in her voice.
“Information. You’re military, right? Then you owe me. What do you know about this place?”
The injured woman looked at him for a long moment. “We can barely help ourselves. But if you get us back to the village, I promise the officer there will give you whatever information, reward, or damn favor he can. Because…” She swallowed. “We’re all trapped in this cursed place.”
“Trapped?”
They exchanged glances.
“When did you arrive in this dimension?” one of them asked.
“A few days ago.”
“Well, rookie,” another replied grimly, “how do we put this… the exit is sealed.”
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