by A P Gore
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Did he just step on a hornets’ nest?
That would be doom for him and even his guild. First-tier or super guilds were the entities his small-scale guild could never dare offend.
“Listen, man.” Deadeye’s voice turned softer. “Give me the items and scram. I don’t want to make you suffer.” If he only took items, the guild wouldn’t do anything. Right? He was only taking a broken Unique item. Not even an Epic item.
VIP 10 didn’t reply. He kept staring at Deadeye.
“What the heck.” Rage built inside Deadeye’s chest. Now that fucking crow was mocking him with a smirk. What if he killed VIP 10? Would they know who did it?
Probably not.
“Honey, guards are here,” Agatha whispered.
Though the guards wouldn’t do anything, he still had to maintain his composure. Any illegal act would reduce his reputation with the town, and that he couldn’t afford. After five years, Deadeye had mined enough reputation from mundane quests to rent a house and use it as the guild’s headquarters in Chinari, and this would be a major boon to their expedition on Abomination Continent. So, Deadeye wouldn’t risk losing it for a fool like VIP 10.
“Let’s just drag him into the town, and then we’ll sort this out,” he whispered as the guards drew near. First, he would ask about the guild behind the man and then decide what to do with him.
Deadeye moved forward and grabbed VIP 10’s arm and started dragging him to the town gate. He made VIP 10 lean on his shoulder so it would look like he was helping a drunk friend, reducing any suspicious.
The guards walked closer, but they only cast a cursory glance at the trio and moved onward.
Boom! An intense wave of fire burst from VIP 10 and washed over Deadeye, Agatha and guards.
-100 damage floated over everyone’s head, followed by intense pain.
The guards instantly drew their weapons and pointed them at the trio. No, the duo. VIP 10 had turned to dust.
“Fuck! That man tricked us and self-detonated,” Agatha cried, hiding her burned face.
“Guards, can you help me please?” VIP 10 walked out of the shadows, holding a white insignia with two red stars carved on it.
Fuck! That was the insignia of an Imperial Guest. Their fate was sealed. The bastard had tricked them into something they couldn’t get out of.
JON CHUCKLED INWARDLY as he showed the insignia to the guards.
The guards stared at the insignia and then bowed to him. “Esteemed guest, how can we be help to you?” The heavyset guard asked.
Turning at the waist, Jon pointed at the pair with burned faces. “These two, can you arrest them? They tried to abduct me and set me on fire.” Seeing their burned faces, a wave of joy rushed through him. If they dared mess with him, they should be ready for the repercussions.
The heavyset guard’s smile vanished. “I’m sorry, esteemed guest, but we are outside of the walls, hence our authority is limited. But rest assured, these people will suffer heavy reputation loss in Chinari.”
Jon stroked his chin. This... he hadn’t thought about this. Reputation loss would not cut the mustard here. “What if I use my baron power?” He asked, lifting his eyebrows. After he got the purple insignia of the auction house, his other insignia’s red luster had returned, making it useful again.
“That...” The comparatively smaller guard rubbed his chin. “I guess we have to arrest them for at least ten days if you will it, my lord. And a trial will take place after ten days.” He bowed.
“Do it.” Jon sneered at his assailants. They deserved it. Messing with him. How could he let them go when he had the power? They asked for it when they used the binding spell on him.
When Jon faced Old Gavin, he’d felt a lingering connection with the God’s Garden, like he could still walk inside even after being restricted by the controlling aura. The same thing had happened when the slender man used his shadow spell. The connection to the God’s Garden remained intact.
A plan had formed in his mind.
So, Jon activated his Dark Clone and let him take his place while he slipped inside the God’s Garden. If that plan had failed, he would make his Dark Clone kill him to respawn in his village.
However, it worked. It was like gaining a cheat tool. Whatever. Another good thing about the Dark Clone, he could monitor it through his map. So, when the duo took his clone away, he hopped back out of the garden and detonated his clone, thanks to the new power added to his Dark and Light clones after he completed the set.
Bingo. The guards had noticed the commotion, and now he was here.
“Wait for me, you bastard,” the thin man said as the guards bound his hands with a thick rope. “I’ll kill you even if I have to go to the other side of the planet!”
Chapter 36
Jon was happy with this outcome. He wondered what his assailants were thinking right now. They must blame themselves for meeting a handsome tyrant like Jon.
Jon shook his head. He had to change his appearance. He couldn’t let everyone enjoy the divinity that was him. Only a few should have the chance to do so.
“Esteemed sir, do you have any other command for us?” The heavyset guard pulled Jon out of his self-praising thoughts.
“Can you take me to the mayor? I have an appointment scheduled with him tomorrow morning. I guess I can rest in the guest house until then?”
“Yes, sir. You can stay in the guest house made for the baron for the next twenty-three hours, and you can meet the mayor in the morning.”
The guards checked on the ropes again and then started dragging the duo toward the town’s gate.
Meanwhile, Jon glanced at his character sheet as they walked back into town. There had been many changes after putting on the Shirt of All-Weather Silk.
Name: Jon (Level 10)
Class: Arch Druid
Second Class: Formationist
Stats:
Strength 23
Dexterity 10
Constitution 34
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 51
Chance 2
Charisma 5
Health 615/820 (205 reserved)
Stamina 378/505 (16.56/s) (127 reserved)
Mana 90/120 (6.43/s) (30 reserved)
Spirit 382/510 (31.01/s) (128 reserved)
Stat points available: 0
Skill points available: 14
Experience: 56500/64000
Utility Class:
Herbalism (Level 5)
Skills:
Passives:
Death Aura
The Circle of Land
Mark of the Formation Master
Formation Painter
Speak with Plants
Mana Manipulation (Level 1)
Land Tasting (Level 2)
Spirit Cycling (Level 8)
Pain Attunement (Level 9)
Formation Painter (Level 2)
Copying (Level 1)
Throwing (Level 5)
Active:
Mold Earth (Level 4)
Healing Space (Level 3)
Acid Vine (Level 5)
Land Heal (Level 2)
Elemental Shield (Level 1)
Purify (Level 1)
Earth Spike (Level 5)
Conjure Light (Level 1)
Call Lightning (Level 3)
Earth Mend (Level 1)
Water Wall (Level 2)
Dispel Poison (Level 1)
Plant Regeneration (Level 1)
Underground Vine (Level 2) (Disabled)
Vine of Darkness (Disabled)
Vine of Light
Utility Skills:
Perception (Level 5)
Formations:
Formation of Lock
Formation of Hurricane
Formation of Congregation
Formation of Amplification
Formation of Illusion (Disabled)
Sentient Skills:
Path of Growth
Cause of Soul
Intri
nsic Vision
Item Skills:
Dark Clone
Child of Darkness (Passive)
Light Clone (Passive)
Child of Light (Passive)
Blessing of Light (Passive)
Shudder
Overall, despite having the death aura, his stats had improved. Especially his life. 615 wasn’t something to brag about, yet it was a nice number for his level. When he saw the life of the Level 42 guards that visited his village, 14000-16000, he was dumbfounded. How tanky were those guys?
A new light shone in his eyes as he thought about his way forward. Getting stronger took priority on his to do list. No matter what, he should reach the top level in his area and then live a happy life, farming and managing his small village. Freedom was important to him, and getting powerful was the best bet he had.
And to do that, he needed to eliminate this gang of thugs.
An evil light flickered in his eyes when he glanced at the douchebag duo tied in ropes.
Chapter 37
The clock ticked to 1 a.m. when Jon entered the baron class guest house at the mayor’s palace. The guest house was huge. Huge like he could fit five of his village’s farms inside. The palace itself might fit his entire village.
Whatever. Now he needed to build a palace for himself. He just loved the luxurious buildings, the stone towers that shot for the skies. It looked... classy.
While he was in love with the palace, he fell head over heels when he saw the bedroom in the guest house.
There was a bed that would let five couples have sex simultaneously without disturbing each other, and a huge standing mirror showing all his handsome features in one go. Who wouldn’t love this thing?
Damn, he needed to upgrade his village at any cost now. He was like a beggar in front of this thing. Even the caretaker wore better clothes than him. If he hadn’t been wearing the Shirt of All-Weather Silk, the caretaker might have looked down on him.
“Sir, your drink.” The caretaker stopped behind him with a tray filled with dry snacks and a strawberry shake. A sweet fragrance wafted from the glass, enticing him to his core.
Smiling, Jon picked it up and slowly sipped it. A baron wouldn’t show haste in such matters. Though he wanted to gulp down that divine shake and ask for more, he had to show restraint.
“Sir, do you need something else?” The caretaker asked. He was an old man with a wrinkled nose and a bald head. When Jon first entered the huge guest house, he thought some sexy female attendant would take care of him. Instead he got this old man.
“A hot bath in the morning will do.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll make sure it’s to your liking. And what would you prefer for breakfast?”
“Something heavy.” After tasting the delicious strawberry shake, he was looking forward to breakfast.
“Yes sir.” The old man left the room.
After closing the door, Jon sat on the huge butt sucking bed. It was already one in the morning, and he was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, but before that he needed to do a few things. He started by calling Grimish.
“Grimish, where are you?”
Grimish’s sleepy face popped into view. “I’m in the inn, Master.”
“Tomorrow, I want you to check on something for me. See if you can buy a Soul Orb from your contact in the slums.” A Soul Orb wasn’t an item a white-collar trader would have. It contained souls secreted from players and animals, and anything related to souls was treated as forbidden, so only a trader in the slums might have that thing. “If it already has souls, all the better.”
“A Soul Orb?” Grimish’s sleepy voice stiffened instantly.
“Yes, I’m sure your man in the slums has a way to get one. Spend whatever gold needed, but get me one. I need at least five hundred souls. Got it?”
“Yes, Master. But why do you need a Soul Orb?”
Jon sighed. Even he wasn’t sure if it would work, he had to take his chance. “I have to take care of something. So, get me one.” Then he severed the connection.
With that first task completed, he could focus on his second task. From his Bag of Holding, he pulled the Cloak of Zero out, and then glanced at his village resources.
Current Resources:
BP: 80
Wood blocks: 3900
Stone blocks: 1550
Iron blocks: 600
Food: 1590
Resource Production:
Current BP Production: 40/day (Village buildings: 5, Population: 5, Associate Builder: 15, Basic Builders: 10, Temple of Atrizi: 5)
After putting on the Cloak of Zero, the daily BP reached 45. Now it was time to use the Double Dip skill.
“Double Dip.”
After activating Double Dip, his BP stock reached 125. At least 500 would be needed to activate the TM skill tree, and the options inside needed even more BP.
Damn, he needed much more BP than this. How was he supposed to get that? Without BP he wouldn’t be able to build any new buildings, nor build any defenses. Wow! This was difficult. It was like falling in a sinkhole without a way out.
No, he would overcome this. He had to, because he had to earn his freedom.
For a few minutes, he pondered the next steps.
First, he needed to hire more workers to cut wood. Finding wood wouldn’t be an issue, as there was a lot of forest around the village, but what about iron and stone? How would he find those things?
His forehead broke into hundreds of creases as the mountain of unknown things increased on his shoulders. How was he supposed to get this information when Maggie was still in prison?
Wait... why hadn’t she gotten out of the prison yet? Wasn’t she supposed to bribe the prison guards and walk out?
Something seemed off. He would have to check with the mayor tomorrow. But before that, he needed a good night’s sleep, so he sprawled on the bed.
Chapter 38
Hot refreshing water, a clean white towel that seemed to be made from the softest cloth available, and a stupendous twenty item breakfast. What else could make a morning awesome?
A carriage ride to the mayor’s office.
Bingo!
Yes, a three-horse carriage made of silver waited outside the guest house, only for him. The carriage was filled with a unique rose scent, and the ten-minute ride to the mayor’s office was nothing less than a luxury.
“Sir, the mayor’s office is here,” the driver said, as Jon wasn’t ready to get out when the carriage stopped.
“Is it?” Jon jumped down from the carriage and again found himself dumbfounded. It was supposed to be the mayor’s office, but in reality, it was another huge palace.
Wow! How could a mayor of a small town be so rich?
A security guard came forward and bowed at him and then took him to a huge office. Of course, the floors were covered in a thick carpet and dozens of guards secured the way.
“Esteemed guest.” A man with a huge flab nearly touching the ground rose from his chair as Jon walked into the main office.
“Mr. Mayor.” Jon slightly bowed, showing respect.
“Mr. Jonathan, no need to be courteous. Call me Mason.” The mayor laughed, and his flab hit the ground once. The room seemed to shake a little.
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”
“I heard two people from Guild Death March bothered you last night? How impudent. I’ve put them in prison for 20 days, and then if you ask, I’ll execute them. I’ll also lower the status of the guild and banish them from town. Everybody should know how severe the punishment is when one bothers my friend.” The man’s face was swollen with anger.
Friend? His friend? When did he became friends with the fatso? At least he didn’t know that. And he would give it to the fatso. He was a born actor. Whoever designed that NPC had seen a lot of drama in his life, or he must be crazy. Introducing perks like these in an NPC. What a clever idea.
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m glad that you are so protective about your guests.” Jon placed his ri
ght palm on his chest and bowed a little. “It moves my heart.”
The mayor once again shook the room with a laugh before slapping Jon’s shoulder hard. For a moment, Jon thought his shoulder would shoot into his heart.
“Of course, Mr. Jonathan. You are an honored guest who can cure my soldiers. It would be a tremendous help for the whole town. How can I let someone bully you like this?”
Now, Jon wanted to laugh until he cried. Did they really bully him? In reality, it was Jon who bullied them and made them suffer. Their faces were a novelty to look at when his clone exploded in front of the guards.
Jon stiffened and pushed the thoughts away. “About that. I wanted to discuss my villager, who accidently got inside the tomb.”
“Which one?”
“Miss Maggie.”
“Wait a second.” Walking like an elephant, the mayor moved to his desk and slapped a bell.
A heavyset guard ran inside, bowing deeply toward the mayor. “My lord, what can I do for you?”
The mayor smacked his lips. “Find the one who dared to arrest a villager from my friend’s village? Someone named...” He glanced at Jon questioningly. Did he have a short-term memory problem, or what?
“Miss Maggie,” Jon replied.
“Yes, release Miss Maggie and apologize to her.”
“Yes, my lord.” The guard bowed again and hastened from the room.
“Now, let’s talk about the real issue. But first take a seat.” Mayor pointed at the lush chairs placed across the huge table. He then trudged toward his own huge seat.
Glancing at the chair the mayor was planning to assault, Jon wondered if it was made of metal. It must be. Wood wouldn’t survive that huge ass. No way.
“Yes, Mr. Mayor.” Jon sat cross-legged. This encounter with the mayor had left an itch inside his gut. Something big was about to happen, because there was no way a mayor would treat a guest like this.
“So, Mr. Jonathan. I’ll not beat around the bush and go to the problem straight away.” The mayor’s chubby face hardened, and his layers of fat seemed to shrink inside, revealing a brutal expression. “One year ago, I sent one thousand men to conquer a dungeon—Arthia.” He waved his palm in the air. “Don’t worry. It’s normally a safe dungeon to level up. But something had changed since our last visit. Something sinister lived inside.”