Chapter 15 Bittersweet Spoils
POV Blaze
Location: Marcoon city, Dark-Shaded forest Hunting Grounds
Icy and I made our way out of the forest; we came across quite a few lv 10 -14 mobs trying to kill us. Two giant blood bees, a Gnoll, and an LV 15 Trent pocketed all their hearts, plus a mana core from the Trent. We kept going through the forest, but I made sure we took the long way. I still have at most three days left for my quest, as I managed to clear it b after the last fight with the Trent, and I wanted to get as many bonus rewards as possible if my body could handle it. I was getting tired both physically and mentally from the fighting as well as dealing with Icy.
"So what will we do when we get out of the woods?... Are we going back to your place, Blaze... or?" Icy asked with a hint of worry.
I suppose she thought I would still ditch her, abandoning her after forcing her to become a werewolf variant, turn her in for a bounty, or flat-out kill her. It was amusing to see her worry and try to get on my good side as my follower now. However, ever since I turned her, I had little to no resentment toward her, despite hating slavers. Was it just the natural feeling any master or leader would feel toward their followers, or was the skill making me feel a sense of camaraderie?
I had seen some bad masters who turned people into werewolves in my life, treating them like objects or worse. There was no respect—only the strict pecking order of the alpha and the lower whelps. Maybe it was just my own nature, wanting to treat my followers as people I could trust fully after being betrayed before?
I looked at her after storing the treant in my [Storage], taking a breath before laughing at her. "Simply get to know each other's faults and strengths. I was out here to prepare for the guild tournament, and my guild master would only let me go to a higher-level place if I could complete a task he gave me, which my system acknowledged as an actual quest. That's why you got attached to me. I have no interest in abandoning someone I made my follower and packmate. I may hate slavers," I said with thick disdain, my voice carrying a slight, angry growl.
'But... I don't hate you. If anything, it's indifference,' I stated matter-of-factly.
She looked at me, shocked, nodding slowly as she seemed to loosen up around me—almost too easily. But then again, my skills, [Omega] and [Alpha], did state I'd have control over everyone I turned, and anyone turned by my followers as well."
As we got closer to the entrance of the forest hunting grounds, I got to level 11. I held back from eating any more hearts or the cores. I knew she'd ask why if she saw me, but I had no way of making sure she couldn't tell anyone anything I didn't want her to say. Complete loyalty or not, I had to be smart about the info I'd give her and any other new pack members. There's no way to know if they will be forced to give the information to anyone who forces them to via skill or torture.
~~ User Note: The system can force pack members to take a Soul Pledge, which prevents them from disclosing any information the user wishes to keep confidential. Even if an enemy uses a high-level skill, the Soul Pledge will render the member unconscious rather than allow them to leak sensitive information. ~~
As the system chimed into my mind with this information, I was surprised by how much it communicated with me.
"So no matter what, only me and they will know?" I said in my head to my system.
"~~ Yes ~~" was its only response.
Stopping, I pulled Icy to me as she was about to say something, before pulling us both into my storage space, to her surprise, screaming. We were soon in the royal purple landscape, as multiple items were seen organized.
"Stop screaming, God woman; we are in my storage," I said with some annoyance. Seeing her struggle to her feet, then being dragged into a pocket space. Surprised, she looked around and soon saw all the bodies we hunted and looted along with the large piles of gold, gear, and random items.
"S-so, why are we here then? I heard some people with more advanced storage skills or items could do this, but this place is smaller than I thought... So how can we be inside it?" Icy asked as I started looting the bodies as soon as I could butcher them for meat. As I saw her drooling at the flesh, her first hunger for meat as a werewolf was very apparent, even if she wanted to deny it if I said anything.
I tossed her a knife, which she caught as she watched me drag the bodies into a pile. The looted items automatically sorted themselves into neat stacks within the apartment-sized space. All around us, the dark purple void melded and shifted like ink swirling in water.
"I have a lot to tell you about my system and how it works," I told her. "But first, please dig out all the hearts, and I'll deal with the cores, and don't you dare try to eat anything I can tell you craving flesh," I said to her, not passing her a glance, working with practiced efficiency.
She nodded and began helping as I explained how eating things like hearts and monster cores could increase my stats and grant other benefits. I also mentioned that my [Storage] could hold organic materials, items, and even actual living beings. She accepted the information surprisingly well, right up until she expressed concern about me eating monster cores without first refining them to purify their chaotic energy.
Fortunately, my system was unique—I didn't need to refine them, at least not yet, given these were still basic lower-grade cores. I could most likely eat them and be completely fine, though a buildup of unrefined energy would eventually turn deadly without a cultivator's method to refine it. As my skills leveled up, absorbing higher-grade cores would become even easier and less deadly...I hoped.
"In short, my system lets me devour things and gain benefits, even if they're minor or temporary. Simple raw or cooked meat acts like potions that heal and grant other effects," I said to her, finishing up the last body on my side. I licked the blood from my cheek and tossed her a bloody slab of meat. I didn't tell her it was human, but I was sure she could tell. I watched as she accepted it, tearing into it like the wolf this dark elf had become.
"So you trust me with all this knowledge as if I won't betray you, haha, that's pretty stupid of ya, you know." She said smugly as she finished eating the meat; her words felt more like a jest than a real act of rebellion.
"Hahaha, of course I do. Besides, you can never betray me. Unless I say so, you are forbidden to tell anyone what you see here. You are an absolutely loyal member of my pack. Whether you wanted to or not, I told you. Lycan made this system, and he had an absolute rule. I'm giving this privilege to all I turn!~," I said, grinning, breaking what little hope the dark elf had at freedom without me.
Her body went slack as she was forced to accept that this was her life: no loopholes, no exploits, just willingly being my member, as she only nodded, cleaning her mouth and rolling her eyes at me.
"You're a fucking asshole, Master Blaze. No wonder you're a solo act before me. I bet you're fun around women with how you treat me." She said with sarcasm.
"Well, since im stuck like this and as your packmate Im not just gonna stay silent about my dislikes of you or werewolves," Icy said with an annoyed tone. I just ignored her words.
"Show me your system. I'm sure you leveled up at least once or twice since we've been in a party, and waited to use your stat points. I'll tell her where to put them," I told her.
"H-huh, why do you get to choose? It's my build!?" she argued. She was right, but with the alpha skill on her, she now had a lot more strength than she used before, and odds are she would not capitalize on it.
"I've noticed that you're relying too much on your long-range weaponry and benefiting from only half of my strength. That's why we faced some problems when we got into close-range combat. Your whip doesn't seem to be a good fit for you, and using a crossbow alone isn't utilizing your ranger skills fully." She sighed and gestured towards her system, swiping it to show me as a system panel showed up before me, as well as a surprising notification.
~~ poisonmancer system linked [Upgrade available at the discretion of new master ]~~
I hit yes instantly.
~~ Poisonmancer system has been upgraded into Epic Poisonmancer system~~
~~ -1xTreant core, - 2x gnoll hearts~~
Epic poisonmancer system
Icy Amako
Race: lower dark were-elf
lv 25
Epic poisonmancer
EXP:438/1589
Gold:300,344
HP:80/80
MP:500/500
Str:5(20)|Dex:50
Int:50|Agi:60
Con:15
Stat points: 38
"Well, look at that. You weren't a ranger, or at least did not have a ranger system. Poisonmancer, and now an epic one at that. I guess you hit a certain level of skill, and seeing how you are my subordinate, I can force it to upgrade, or maybe it's because it is linked to my system...Either way, put 10 into Con and Str. The rest is up to you. Make sure those two stats are somewhat close to your others. It's too much of a glass cannon for a ranged fighter. That's the worst choice." I said to her, as if those stats were more balanced, she'd most likely kill me.
She kept staring at her new epic system, crying joyfully as this wasn't easy to obtain. My system won't have any of my pack members have a system that isn't epic grade, but the price was also steep. It took the LV 15 Trent core and the two 13 Gnoll hearts as payment to upgrade her. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it would definitely help me in the long run, so I can't be too upset.
After another five hours of walking, we returned to Marcoon City and headed straight for my guild. Many stared at Icy and me—battered and in tatters, yet still alive—as I walked up to Snow. I just had to give the vampire a hard time; irritating her was the only way to feel better after all the bullshit I'd been dealing with lately. Sure, she could definitely kill me, but at this point, I didn't even care. I was far too mentally drained, having yet to look at the notifications from completing the quest, let alone allocate all the new stat and skill points I had gained.
"Hey, beautiful, mind signing up my new pack member and taking the remaining 100,000 gold she owes to pay for her crimes as a slaver? Oh, and go easy on her—she was a dark elf before becoming a hybrid. Thanks! Bye, ya fanged bitch!~" I laughed, hurrying off before Snow could bitch at me.
"You fucking mutt!" Snow yelled behind me.
I ran for my life as blood rose from her pores, ready to tear me apart, only for her to suddenly stop. Headed toward Leo's office to hand in the quest, I spotted Leo standing in the doorway. He gave Snow a look and simply shook his head.
Meanwhile, I pocketed the remaining 200k I had taken from Icy. I was beyond loaded now, and that was even before selling off any of the monster parts or loot. Good—I was going to need a ton of money for the next step of my plan.
"My, my, Blaze. Not only did you complete my quest and grow stronger, but you also brought back an epic-class user—and a decent-level one, no less. Slaver or not, this is quite the boon for our guild. Also, please refrain from harassing the vice guild master. My wife can only tolerate so much." He gave a slight blush as he spoke. I was taken aback—he was married to Snow? I mean, yeah, she was hot as hell, but she also had severe resting bitch face. Still, it wasn't my place to judge. I'd sworn off love myself, so I couldn't care less.
"Because of your performance, I'll give you an extra reward on top of the map to the ruins," Leo continued with a smile, spreading his arms to gesture toward the walls of his office. "As you can see, I have many skill books here that most people would kill for. I reserve them for those who earn high merit in the guild, so I'll let you pick one—or more, depending on which books you choose."
"If it isn't too much, I'd like these four. I'll even pay the difference for two of them, Guild Master Leo," I said with a slight bow.
I knew I needed to start improving my blacksmithing craft. It had always been part of my plan, but this made it even better. With runes and sigils, I could enchant almost anything and overcome various barriers. It was absurdly versatile, going far beyond simple weapon and equipment upgrades.
Leo looked at me and then at the books, letting out a soft chuckle. Very few people would choose these skills, even if the set could be leveled all the way to mastery. Skill comprehension mattered greatly, but it was clear I had both conviction and a plan.
"Go ahead. Take them," he said, waving a hand. "Those old books were just collecting dust anyway. Besides, I doubt anyone else around here would want them, despite their rarity."
I nodded gratefully, took the books, and headed out of the room.
What I didn't realize at the time was that Leo, glancing at his own system interface, was smiling widely. He was growing more and more impressed that the true successor of Lycan's soul was finally on the move—and that soon, I would cross paths with the others who held the remaining pieces of Lycan's soul, scattered across space and time. Leo's eyes lingered on the name of one specific title, waiting for the right moment to act:
[Holder of Lycan's Soul Fragment (1/5)]