Jelind Caunnir opened his mouth as a pale white lily-like hand carefully put a labagrape inside. Chewing the seedless fruit, Jelind lean on his seat and relaxed while he watched the dancer perform on a small stage in front of him. The five of them danced gracefully with densilk covering their body and face covered with a veil embroidered with thin gold creating a symbol of two yilfng, a white-winged creature with silver scales that gleamed with light, flanking a small sphere that had tiny engravings of a city, and above the sphere was an eye.
No matter how many times Jelind looked at it, he would always remember the meaning of this symbol—the winged yilfng will bring the empire rising to the sky, while the eye of fate will overlook our destiny. An arrogant statement for a kingdom that banned any religion from building a cathedral within its land. Yet maybe it deserved to be arrogant, as even Jheyi—the temple of fate—did not dare to mark Bleassephere as a kingdom of heretics.
His empire—his father's empire, to be precise—was not something a mere religion could defy.
Behind the stage where the dancer performed, two royal guards opened the tall black door made of undjeel. A man with a lean, pale face entered the room and waved at him. He wore a tunic covered by a royal cloak with embroidery and gold lacing.
The man smiled. "Good day, brother."
Jelind smiled back. "Good day."
Thuldind Caunnir the fifth was his good older brother who had always taken care of him since young. Whether it was because they had the same mother or he just took pity on him because he was the last line of successors—the thirty-ninth—Jelind didn't know.
The man looked around the chamber, smiled, and nodded. "You have quite a lot of fun."
"I have quite a lot of fun every day."
The man sighed. "Brother, I know the death of our mother saddened you. But the Royal Dilectus will start soon. So wouldn't you try?"
Jelind looked at the man's worried expression. It disgusted him. No, everything about this man disgusted him. The way he pretended to take care of him, so he could create an image in front of his mother, the way he taught him superior techniques, so he could show his talent, and the way he looked at him with furrowed brows and tightened lips, so he could rope him and become his dog. Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!
"Yes, brother. I will try my best," Jelind smiled.
The man nodded and brightly smiled. "Good. I'll help you."
Ahh, I wanted to kill him so bad.
***
"Haha, no one can be a spy with the Praepositor running around the empire. Besides, everyone knows this information," Maninsov said, smiling.
"I'm just kidding. I'm going to the Task Hall later to kill some low-level beasts. You want to come along?"
Maninsov smiled and shook his head. "I'll pass. I have somewhere to go to."
"That's fine. What about your friends that you said you want to introduce to me? Maybe I can make them come with me."
Maninsov scratched his forehead. "Well...Actually..."
Aidan opened the curtain and stepped in.
"Hey, Kalukaga. How are you doing?" Aidan asked awkwardly. He couldn't believe the friend that Maninsov wants to introduce was actually the hagur he had fought. And Maninsov didn't even tell him about this after the fight.
Kalukaga lay on a small bed with a white pillow. At his side, the hammer-axe reflected the light from the eel ball on the ceiling. He really couldn't part with that weird weapon. Did he afraid that someone would steal it? Kalukaga opened his eyes.
"You strong. Worthy friend."
Ugh...Did he have to talk like that? No, no, remember tolerance. Yes, tolerance.
"Haha, I'm not strong. You let me win by not using your power. If you do, a few of my bones would break right now." Aidan walked to him, held his shoulder, and transferred his energy.
[Internal Healing]
With a complete understanding of this technique, Aidan could use it for someone else as long as he touched them. Purple energy surged from his hand to Kalukaga's shoulder. It spread out and entered the veins, throbbing it with a certain rhythm. Like a river, it nourished the organs that it passed through.
But there was a problem. Kalukaga had no injury, so the purple energy only purified the filth on his internal organs. Aidan wanted to check. The energy within Kalukaga's body surged once again, spreading through the blood vessel, and entering his brain. No injury. He was in a normal state.
"Did you also learn [Internal Healing]?" Aidan asked.
"No." Kalukaga sat up from the bed, took a deep breath, and looked at him. "Thank you."
Aidan released his hand and smiled. "Anytime."
Healing someone else felt so good. At least his ability prove to be useful that he could help a friend in need. And although the earth's medical field was advanced enough to cure cancer, Aidan wished he could return right now and heal everyone for a cheap price. Many people would come to him, but all he had to do was touch them, and Bam! They were healed. But Aidan was still curious about Kalukaga's injuries.
"How did you heal your injuries?" Aidan asked. Inspecting Kalukaga's body once again.
"Wizards heal."
"Wizards?" Aidan looked at Maninsov beside him.
Maninsov ran a hand through his hair. "People from the west call external pathway user a wizard."
Well, Aidan would prefer to call them a wizard.
"I see," Aidan said, putting a finger on his chin. When he was injured by that peroperopocadtly why were there no wizards that heal him? Miss Zahir could've called a wizard to heal him on the spot. But she brought him back to his room instead. Why?
And why was Kalukaga brought to the hospital? That wizard healed Aidan, and he woke up as good as new. He removed the thoughts. Asking too many questions was annoying.
"I'm planning to hunt some low-level beast. Would you like to come?.
Kalukaga stared down at his feet.
"Sure."
"Good."
"You two go have some fun," Maninsov said, leaving the ward.
Aidan looked at the board. Low-Level Task, it read. Under the sign was a lot of paper stuck to the board by a nail. The paper had images of weird creatures and the name of that creature below the picture. One particular creature had the head of a crocodile, the body of a snake, four limbs with claws, and a tail. It stood on hind legs and revealed a set of serrated teeth. Aidan didn't know how big the creature really was, but the image scared him.
A creature like this was a low-level monster? Then what the hell a high-level monster would look like?
"Kroccego," Kalukaga said, pulling the paper that had the creature with the crocodile head.
"Wait, Wait, wait. We can't fight that. See how big and sharp its teeth are? This thing will rip us apart."
Kalukaga walked to the counter nearby and handed the paper to a humanoid snake receptionist who wore a kiwi-green gown with tight lacing at the hip section that highlight her curves and made her waist look longer. Her slit pupils stared at Aidan. She smiled and flicked her tongue.
"Your task is to kill Kroccego within the low-level area of the school's backyard. There is no time limit. The requirement for completion is its head. Your reward will be 30 gold and 45 silver. Good luck, children of fate." She slammed a wax seal stamp on the paper and handed it to Kalukaga.
Putting the paper on his satchel, Kalukaga walked toward him and nodded before he went out of the hall. Aidan sighed and followed him.
Walking through the forest, Aidan looked around the branches. Shadows jumped from tree to tree. Rustling the leaves like a soft, muffled crackling sound. Beside him, Kalukaga had drawn his hammer-axe. While he only had his fists to rely on.
They had gone inside the low-level area of the backyard to look for the Kroccego, but these shadows had followed them around for a while, so they decided to confront it before searching for the creature again.
A shadow leaped and landed in front of them. Like a monkey, it charged with its long arms and short legs. Baring its dull, firm teeth, it cried out in a high-pitched noise.
You have activated a Class-E Quest [Swarm of Homocibus]
Quest Synopsis: No ordinary man had survived a swarm of homocibus, but you are no ordinary. You are the children of fate itself. Fight! Fight without fear, for fate itself will take care of you.
Quest Requirement: defeat all the homocibus
Quest Reward: 15,000 Experience
"attack!" Aidan charged at the monkey-like creatures. Surging fate energy to his arm, he attacked with [Knockout Punch]. The monkey pounced on his face, but its face was the one that got hit. The power imbued within his right-hand burst and send the monkey flying.
<
gaining 60 experience.
A few more shadows landed on the ground and charged at him.
"I'll take care of this side," Aidan said.
He darted forward, activated [Hard Muscle] And [Perfect Defense] as he went inside their encirclement.
Two monkeys leaped onto him, and he gave them a [Blinding Jab] Each.
A sharp pain came from his back. He turned around and saw a monkey with a bloody claw. It bared its teeth and attacked him.
Damn monkeys!
Aidan activated [Powered Kick], fate energy surged like liquid and condense on his legs. He kicked the monkey to the side, crashing against its monkey companion.
<
gaining 60 experience.
Taking advantage of that, Aidan charged at them and hit one of them with a [Knockout Punch]. He retreated and controlled his breathing, drawing in fate energy out of thin air into his nose.
Six monkeys stood in front of him, the other two were dead, and one of them lied still on the ground after that punch. Sharp pain from his back returned. Aidan activated [Internal Healing] And the discomfort disappeared.
"Alright, let's do this."
Aidan activated [Powered Kick] and kick the ground. The ground burst and propelled him forward. He sent a [Knockout Punch] towards one of the monkeys. The energy within him surged into his hand, then disappeared.
What?
His fist hit the monkey in the face, but it only staggered a bit. It shook its head, then charged at Aidan.
The five other monkeys also charged at him.
Aidan activated [Perfect Defense] but his movement was slow and the joint attack of five monkeys was impossible to dodge. A monkey pounced on his face and ripped apart the skin on his cheek.
He strangled the monkey and slammed it to the ground. Punching its face a few times, before a monkey clawed his abdomen from the side.
Aidan stood up and kicked the monkey. Blood from his cheek splashed about and a piece of skin hung on it. He ignored it and stomped the head of the monkey under his feet.
<
gaining 60 experience.
I'm too weak now. I should help Kalukaga escape from here.
He looked at the distance. A tall lion-man with a golden mane and fur spun around while spinning his axe left and right like a helicopter blade. Dozens upon dozens of monkeys poured in from the trees. Yet Kalukaga chopped them to pieces like fruits. Fate energy swirled around him, entered his nose, and surged through his body before it flowed into the weapons.
Shiing!
A flash followed by a resonant sound. And all the monkeys died.
The monkeys near Aidan jumped into a tree and retreated.
Kalukaga put the hammer-axe on his back. Drenched with blood and flesh, he walked to Aidan with a smile. Not sure why, but that smile made him uncomfortable.
Boom!
Suddenly, a shadow leaped from afar and landed a few meters behind Kalukaga.
Aidan moved his eyes upward. A giant ape, with a square face and brown fur, roared before it slammed its fist.