[Arc 1] Chapter 25: Titles for a Demon
Uuuuuhhhh... why meeeeee...?
After Gust's fabulous (sarcasm at Lv.Max) negotiations, we were accepted into the Sahuagin army's headquarters. It was an impressive sight alright. The city was literally carved out of the Dungeon's bedrock, but it was far from what you could call caves. With some modern luxuries like electricity, they could have been sold as high-fancy apartments.
Not that I was in the mood to enjoy the view. Because of the unnecessary meddling of Gust, I was forced to participate in the triumphant return of the Sahuagins and their leader, Virt. Why must someone as socially challenged as me have to join a parade!? And as the guest of honor, on top of the big boss' head!! Please, anyone, give me a hole to hide in!! Only the hood doesn't work!!
As for the idiot that made this mess, he's wrapped up in threads and treated as luggage packed on the Zombie Raptor. Good luck surviving that stench.
The inhabitants of the city were surprised to see the reinforcement group coming back with a demon that covers their face with a hood and is accompanied by undeads, but one word from big boss Virt was enough for them to accept it. Oi! Be more on guard, people!
It was the raptor monsters equipped with bristles that bought the explanation first, then the Sahuagins after the six guys I healed came with their comments. Even so, aren't you guys a little too trusting?
After the parade, I was taken to an old Sahuagin that lived in one of the bigger houses. And I mean old when I say old. He's got this stupid-long beard and was holding a cane. It wouldn't be too strange if he suddenly fell over due to old age.
Name: | Baphom | |
Race: | Sahuagin Elder | Gender: Male | |
Level: | 28 | |
Karma Value: | 129 | |
HP: 75/75 | MP: 105/105 | SP: 88/92 |
STR: 65 | VIT: 45 | MAG: 66 |
RES: 44 | SPD: 42 | DEX: 89 |
INT: 125 | LUC: 111 |
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Sahuagin Elder? That's a new one. From the looks of things, I would say he used to be a warrior, but then changed to medicines? No Pharmacists class though.
"Ooh, so you are the one the younglings were talking about?" - Baphom
"......" - Garami
I gave Gust, which had been transported with us, a bump to signalize it was his turn.
"Oh, yes, this is miss Garami, an adventurer in-name. We are currently on a hunt for a specific monster on this floor, so we were wondering if we could join forces with you guys. It seems like our target and your faction has a bad relationship with each other." - Gust
"...Is it the Quest the Divine Voice told of?" - Baphom
Divine Voice? Ah, I see. It must be what these guys call the System Messages. It's not too far to call it that.
"Yes, that one. And our target is... eeeehhh..." - Gust
Did I forget to mention the boss I wanted to crush? Guess I did. My bad.
"...Queen Aquarect." - Garami
"Yes, that's the one. The Glavras Queen Aquarect. As long as we are the ones to gain the reward for defeating that monster, then we will help you with the remaining two. Our miss here has already incapacitated the Glavras snake monster that led the surprise attack-force right before, so there-" - Gust
"You defeated the serpent of magic!?" - Baphom
That's some reaction. Even his beard bristled out in every direction due to the shock. All the other monsters looked at me in shock and awe. Should I tell them that I only negotiated with him? Probably not. I know how to read a mood.
"Well, he will no longer be a threat to us..." - Gust
"Oh, thank you, or savior. We had almost lost all hope when that wretched snake joined up with the three monsters of the Dungeon. It may have been only a few times, but its nightly ambushes had driven us to the point of exhaustion." - Baphom
Turns out that the power balance between the Sahuagin faction and the Glavras faction was shattered by the seldom sneak attacks by the boss-snake due to its ability to operate in the dark that the other three boss monsters lacked. The Sahuagins that were exhausted by the warfare during the day had little to nothing to fight against the boss-snake during the night, so the plantation of medicinal herbs and other facilities were lost due to the boss-snake's attacks.
The more I listened to the old Sahuagin's talk, the more I'm certain that it was the right choice to have the boss-snake retreat without a fight. Unlike the other bosses, the snake actually used its brains to fight rather than talking with its muscles. For the Sahuagins with less-than-average intelligence, he was the worst enemy for them to face.
Not gonna tell them that it was me who released the snake onto this floor though. Nope. Never!
"Again, we are thankful for your aid, the one called Garami. But most of our warriors have fallen due to the lack of medicines-" - Baphom
"Elder! This person can help us with that!" - Sahuagin
Who's that? Ah, right. Those guys again, the ones I saved. Wait, let me guess...
"This person is capable us healing people with her magic! She is the owner of the legendary healing magic!" - Sahuagin
Eh? Why're these guys so gung ho on recovery-type magic? Can't you get at least one of those spells with an Element Magic Skill? I asked Gust on the private [Telepathy] channel, and it seems like Sahuagins are a tribal race of Demi-Humans, so information regarding certain skills or classes that's common knowledge to the other humanoids may not be known to them. Even more so when they've been stuck in a Dungeon for who knows how long. It may have been generations since they met an outsider other than us.
"...Want to recover? The wounded?" - Garami
"Can you!? Please, do so! But, the reward..." - Baphom
"Just continue to fight the Dungeon. That's good enough. And a place to sleep" - Garami
"That shall be done! By all means, take residence here in the elder's mansion. We will gather all the wounded by tomorrow morning." - Baphom
Ugh, I wanted a more calming place to crash, not the biggest home in town, but whatever! They better have some good beds here.
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And yeah, the beds turned out to be trash. I made a hammock in my room, but the fact that I could produce threads made the Sahuagins change from admire me to straight out worship me. How rugal are their lives anyway!?
It's only the dinos' help that has allowed them to reach this far. I won't accept any other explanation.
Anyway, after a breakfast made mostly of half-burned monster meat (these guys need to work on some [Cooking] skill), I was taken to a large hall where all the wounded had gathered.
Halfway in the Heal-train, I got a new title again.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Acquired title: [Rescuer] Acquired skill: [Healing Magic Lv.1] Acquired skill: [Glow Bullet Lv.1] |
"Dark Heal" spell has been added to [Darkness Magic Lv.9] and [Healing Magic Lv.1] |
Not surprising, but the new Magic Skill came in handy. [Healing Magic] contains every type of healing spell, no matter the attribute, That Dark Heal was automatically unlocked with it was a bonus I didn't expect, but I'm not complaining either!
The recovery amount isn't that higher when compared to Heal, but Dark Heal also recovers status ailments and debuffs to stats. Or that's what it was supposed to be, but a single Dark Heal does the job for 10 Heals for the price of one, even when not considering the debuff-removal.
What the heck, the Champion of Darkness ain't no joke!
I switched to use Dark Heal, but damn, the Sahuagin society is bigger than I first thought. It's around 600 of them here, counting the raptor monsters. And 30% of them require medics after the loss of the Sahuagin's medicine garden. That snake sure knows how to piss off people.
Since there's a break time between each battle between the fractions, I was forced to teach the Sahuagins and raptor monsters about skills, magic, and classes now when we had the chance. I wanted to leave this work to Gust, but he left with a group to recover the moles.
As for how to teach the monsters, I depended on writing. It took some time to get used to the tribal language of the Sahuagins, but [Language Adaption] fixed that.
Since the Sahuagins favored the spear, or more precisely, the trident, I taught them the requirements to obtain the Spearsman class to the warriors, while teaching several Artisan classes to the non-combatants. Most of those classes require a Legacy Quest, but they can be completed simply by having the Class Grimoire for that class, like the Book of the Dead is for Spectermancers.
I also taught them about magic, some typical magic formulas, what kind of skills that they need to use magic, and let's not forget how to obtain the Magic Skills. [Water Magic] was the most popular one. What a surprise~.
I noticed that the three bosses of the Sahuagins also studied the scripts I had written on the city walls with my threads. Or maybe "guardian deities" are a better word for it? They've been with the Sahuagins for 18 years now, since when the trio met the tribe at Floor 3 of this Dungeon. That was before I was even born!
There's Virt the spinosaurus, the leader of the trio, Sent the dark-yellow ankylosaurus and the best right-hand man ever, apparently, and finally, Riri the raptor, but this is a different variant from the Glavras raptors. She's more of an ordinary lizard with limbs of around equal length.
Name: | Virt | |
Race: | Spinedge Gransaurus | Gender: Male | |
Level: | 29 | |
Karma Level: | 200 <Virtuous> | |
Skills: | 29 | |
HP: 660/660 | MP: 341/341 | SP: 640/640 |
STR: 661 | VIT: 460 | MAG: 160 |
RES: 380 | SPD: 425 | DEX: 237 |
INT: 99 | LUC: 125 |
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Virt's what you could call a jack-of-all, but damn he does his stuff better than a jack. He also seemed interested in the Swordsman class, but Virt, you need to hold a sword to get that class, not be a sword. He's aiming for skills that let him use magic as well. Does he wanna complete the set of strength, defense, speed, and magic?
The [Virtuous Heart] skill caught my attention as it improves the morale and abilities of all of the skill user's allies, while not being limited to having some connection with other Leadership Skills, like those Royalty-skills I have.
The downside is that you need 150 or more positive Karma Value... Impossible for me!
Name: | Sent | |
Race: | Armorkylosaurus | Gender: Male | |
Level: | 26 | |
Karma Level: | 88 | |
Skills: | 28 | |
HP: 710/710 | MP: 153/153 | SP: 671/671 |
STR: 345 | VIT: 619 | MAG: 133 |
RES: 638 | SPD: 161 | DEX: 175 |
INT: 105 | LUC: 108 |
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That's one defense festival. This is the first time I've seen an Immunity skill outside my [Heretic Immunity]. I mean, what the heck!?
Not to forget that Sent can be fast if he puts his mind into it, and with the [Water Blast] skill added, he's like a living tank! The [Heavy Blow] skill fits him more than [Steel Strike], as the latter's just an attack with added durability to your limbs, while the former gets additional attack power based on the skill holder's weight.
Could I even dent him if I fought against him? And I heard he's gonna aim for the Guardian class? As if he needed more defense? Don't joke with me!
Name: | Riri | |
Race: | Fleetfluid Raptor | Gender: Female | |
Level: | 24 | |
Karma Level: | 102 | |
Skills: | 24 | |
HP: 333/333 | MP: 475/475 | SP: 323/323 |
STR: 156 | VIT: 185 | MAG: 289 |
RES: 428 | SPD: 507 | DEX: 505 |
INT: 105 | LUC: 108 |
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Riri's stats aren't super-high like the other two's... still high though. On the other hand, she's got a more speed-based build than the other two. I think she's planning on taking the Rogue class, including several magic-based skills.
The Sahuagins gained more than just knowledge. The ones who are planning on taking the Weaver class are training with the threads I made with [Spider Lord's Thread], so they'll have better armor than before.
The moles have also been added to the tribe, meaning the quality of their provisions and medical herbs are gonna increase as well.
As for me? I'm getting to keep most of the corpses of the enemy monsters. Turns out I'm not allowed to touch the Sahuagin corpses. Some kinda religious problems. Gotta stay clear of stuff like that.
Despite such small hinders, the teaching of the Sahuagin tribe went almost without problems. If I just could stay outta public sight... this is too stressful for me!!
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And the day of the battle. Finally. Why do they need a three days breaktime anyway? Are the boss monsters that hurt each battle?
I'm participating though. I'm watching the battle back at the Sahuagin city with the old telescope I found in the castle. Kinda feel more pirate-ish than what one would expect from a knight castle...
"*Moooole!*" - Moles
My partner in viewing the show ain't Gust, but Moles, the newly named leader of the moles. The very same guy that brought me and Gust together. And yes, it was I who named him. Got a problem?
Name: | Moles | |
Race: | Stella Mole | Gender: Male | |
Level: | 5 | |
Karma Value: | 87 | |
Main Class: | Farmer Lv.2 | |
Skills: | 10 | |
HP: 45/45 | MP: 23/23 | SP: 60/60 |
STR: 25 | VIT: 51 | MAG: 11 |
RES: 20 | SPD: 15 | DEX: 61 |
INT: 88 | LUC: 111 |
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This is one guy that doesn't like fighting! But why the two hiding skills? Eh, because you want the same [Stealth]-skill as me? Aww, you sweetheart~.
But that's not important. The battlefield's weird. And not because Virt and the others are losing.
Quite the contrary, they're kicking butt!
In one corner is Virt dashing around as if his big body was made of feathers, slicing and dicing any unfortunate monster in his path. Facing him is the hydra/tortoise boss, the Glavras Hydraortoise. It must be using a combo of [Water Blast] + [Torrent] to create blasts of water it spews from its many heads. It's like watching a Water attribute dragon's breath attack!
But Virt ran around the pseudo-breaths and cut off one of the tortoise's many necks! ...Only for a new head to grow where the missing one was in less than 10 seconds!? What's up with that regenerating ability? As expected of something with "hydra" in its name.
A little distance away from there again is Sent sending tons of Glavras monsters flying by slamming his hammer-like tail into the ground, creating a local mini-earthquake. The only one still standing is the Glavras Rexus, the C-rank evolution of the raptor species, which is also the evolution Sent and the other two would have taken normally.
The Glavras Rexus is nothing short of a marine-colored T-Rex, with a bite that even Sent seems to want to avoid. And for some reason, his mouth explodes. No kiddin'! Turns out that's the T-Rex's countermeasure against the Sahuagins, by taking Explosion attribute skills and develop them into a fiery breath. Maybe something like "explosion fang" and some defensive skills for his mouth and jaw?
Riri is leading the Sahuagins that's newly obtained the Rider class as opposed to those wishing for the Spearsman class. Their speed makes it difficult to focus on them, as they strike the Glavras monsters.
However, no matter how strange all the abovementioned facts are, there's one more-
"*Mole*, *mole*." - Moles
"Mhm. No spider queen, but tons of weaklings." - Garami
A good 90% of the mobs that support the hydra and the T-Rex is Glavras Aquarects and General Aquarects, but the all-important Queen's nowhere to be seen. And an equally important question is where they've hidden all these Generals. Around 40% of their forces consist of them!
"*Moooole*" - Moles
"I agree. The spider's suspicious." - Garami
It's planned for me to spy on the Glavras faction's base of operation after healing the war team when they returned. The medics still don't have any decent medicines yet, and the elder is busy with a certain something along with Gust, meaning it's [Healing Magic]'s time in the spotlight.
The war's gonna keep the stalemate situation, so I'll wait for the others while practicing some Necromancy. I've obtained most of the corpses that weren't too damaged to become undeads, but I've never had the time due to all the teaching and collapsing in bed from the stress afterward.
Oh yeah, speaking of undeads, it seems they can't give EXP. They're more like magic in the form of corpses than real undeads, so there's no EXP to gain. I had Gust and the moles defeat the Skeleton Frog and Zombie Raptor, but no result, even after sacrificing an additional Skeleton Raptor to Gust's growth. He barely managed to crush the thing by pushing a big rock on it. Long live the small fries secret method of power-leveling!
Due to the experiments, I only have a single Skeleton Raptor left, so I'm in dire need to restock my personal army. I'll start with a tortoise corpse. Please give me a real meatwall zombie to hide behind~...
*Splat!*
Yeah, didn't think so. Then over to a Glavras snake then.
*Splat!*
Aw, come on! Then, a raptor?
*Splat!*
What's this, a comedy routine? If I keep this going, then the tortoise I've planned next will also fail, therefore...
*Splat!*
...Taking a surprise twist by using a snake already didn't work either. Argh, now I don't give a damn! Next!
*Glow*
Oh! Jackpot! Finally. But a Skeleton tortoise... may not be so bad? It's retained its shell, so it can be used as a shield... probably?
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Class: [Spectermancer] has reached Lv.10 Acquired skill: [Necromantic Rite Lv.1] |
And here's another jackpot! I'm getting closer and closer to Necromancer! I'll check it out after seeing what this guy can do.
Name: | Nameless | |
Race: | Skeleton Big Tortoise | Gender: none | |
Level: | 1 | |
Karma Value: | 0 | |
Condition: | Controlled |
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Skills: | 5 | |
HP: 150/150 | MP: 30/30 | SP: 120/120 |
STR: 55 | VIT: 75 | MAG: 5 |
RES: 80 | SPD: 35 | DEX: 29 |
INT: 90 | LUC: 98 |
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SYSTEM MESSAGE: Skill: [Identification] has reached Lv.40. [Title Identification] has been added to [Identification Lv.40] |
Oh, ooooohhhh!! Titles have appeared!! Then without further ado, let's Identify!
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They popped up. And they seem to be divided? A little [Discern], and... I see.
"Achievement Titles" appears to be your average type of titles, while "Hunting Titles" are a special series that depends on how many creatures of one kind you kill, and their difficulty level seems to count more than the easier guys? Like more EXP for the title with stronger enemies?
"Status Titles" don't refer to the Status Page, but rather, your social status. I guess that a real king's Status Title is gonna be one heck of a view. For some reason, it seems like three of mine's bugged out. Wait, when did I get them?
...[Identification] don't do anything on them, so there's nothing else I can do but to hope for some update of the World System or something. Better hope they're not real bugs.
The other titles are viable and Identifiable, so let's have a look before the war-group returns.
Title Name: | Titan Killer |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | The dark horse that devours even titans. Show 'em who's the real top dog! |
Title Name: | Vermin Bane |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | The starting point for an exterminator of vermin. Keep up the good job! |
I already knew about that one, but better be safe.
Title Name: | Darkness Technique User |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | The one who thrives in the Darkness... are you sure you get enough sun? |
Title Name: | Merciless |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | This person shows no mercy...yikes. |
...yeah, I'm a bad person.
Title Name: | Pinch Breaker |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | Nothing can stop this mouse when they're backed in a corner! |
And who's writing these "descriptions" anyway?
Title Name: | Mystic Arts User |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | Magic, curses, even party tricks! Master them all! |
Title Name: | Legion of One |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | Pick your fights more wisely, young disciple. |
Title Name: | Cruel Commander |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | This is an employer you don't want to work with. |
Title Name: | Hero Killer |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | A slayer of heroes! Just be careful the next time you face one. |
Hey! Why do I have to take more damage now because of this thing!? Damn...
Title Name: | Rescuer |
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Description: | Save others, then you gain the power to save yourself. A fair trade. |
I agree there. The [Glow Bullet] skill is a nice method for Priests, or whoever it may be, to defend themselves while saving others.
On another note, I found out that there's a Shot-skill for all the 10 Basic attributes except for Order and Chaos. I bought [Gloom Bullet] right after that.
As for the Hunting Titles:
Title Name: | Dread Spirit Genocider |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | The natural enemy of Dread Spirits. It is fortunate for us, but you just have to pity those poor Spirits. |
Title Name: | Monster Slayer |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | Watch out monsters! There's a new monster hunter in town! |
Title Name: | Beast Slayer |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | Watch out beasts! You are about to be hunted down! |
I got the last one when I almost hunted the rats on this floor to extinction when I wanted to grind [Create Undead]. Kinda forgot about it since it's not that useful to me.
Then there are the Status Titles. Ignoring the three bugged ones, there are...
Title Name: | Lord of Evil |
Acquisition condition: |
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Description: | The lord that commands demons, undeads, and curses now walks the earth. Be aware. |
Title Name: | True Chaos |
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Description: | This one is someone that won't follow the rules of society folks! |
Hey! That's rude. I'm only thinking outside the box...
"*Mole*! *Mole*!" - Moles
I looked up to Moles, still standing on the top of the wall covering the city. What's that? The army group's back already? But I haven't tested out my new skill yet!!
Urgh, fine... It's my job and all that. Wait, I'm supposed to be a bad guy, right?