I sat beside Serena, watching as each leader in the village showcased their new abilities gained through what the Cross Kingdom would call the Affinity Ceremony.
My mind was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as I waited for my own grygan to reveal their newly unlocked skills.
Mojito, the leader of the security division, was the first to present his abilities.
He had unlocked his affinity for [Lightning Magic], a powerful form of magic intrinsically acquired by grygans.
On top of that, he had gained an Additional Skill called [Body Hardening] - an ability that allowed him to manipulate his muscles to prevent attacks from hurting him.
"Impressive," I muttered to myself, making mental notes of his abilities.
Next was Old man Martini, who had unlocked the [Lightning Magic] as well.
However, unlike Mojito, he didn't acquire any combat-worthy skills.
Instead, he gained the Additional Skill called [Linguistics] - the ability to speak and understand multiple languages. It's a useful skill for communication, especially when exploring foreign lands.
Mimosa was next, and what she gained from my grygan surprised everyone.
She unlocked the [Plant Magic], [Water Magic], and an Additional Skill called [Herb's Paradise] - a healing skill developed from [Plant Magic]. I
A useful ability, especially on the battlefield when we need to heal our wounded comrades.
Sangria, however, was the most impressive of them all.
She had unlocked [Fire Magic], [Lightning Magic], and [Wind Magic].
In addition, she had two Additional Skills - [Shadow Meld] and [Shadow Craft].
[Shadow Meld] allowed her to blend into shadows, making her nearly invisible to the naked eye. [Shadow Craft] was most likely an Umbrakinetic ability that let her craft objects using shadows.
She had also gained the title of "Harbinger of the Night."
I was astonished and impressed by Sangria's new abilities. "What a formidable power," I muttered, turning to Serena, who was equally amazed.
Magenta was the last to present, and she didn't disappoint.
She had unlocked [Lightning Magic] and [Earth Magic], as well as the Additional Skill - [Animal Control]. It gave her the ability to communicate and control animals as though they were her own summon.
"Amazing," I whispered, feeling proud of my grygans.
I knew that with these new abilities, our village would stand a better chance in the coming battles with the minotaurs.
As I sat beside Serena, watching Mojito showcase his other abilities, she leaned over and whispered to me. "Did you notice that Mojito's physique has changed? When he was still a high grygan, he had a larger, more muscular build. But now, he seems more slender."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't notice that."
"Yes, but his mana capacity has bolstered a lot. He seems much more powerful," Serena replied.
As Mojito finished presenting his new abilities, I turned to Fasit. "What abilities did you gain?" I asked.
Fasit only smiled mischievously. "It's a surprise," she said.
I laughed. "Well, I can't wait to see what you've gained."
But even as the other grygans presented their other abilities, I couldn't shake off the feeling of restlessness inside me. "Are we truly ready for what's to come?" I muttered under my breath.
Sangria, who sat beside me, glanced over. "What's bothering you, Lord Lumiere?"
I hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "I just feel like there isn't enough time for us to train. We might not be ready when the time comes to face the minotaurs."
Mimosa, who was standing across from us, spoke up. "But we've been training hard, and for some reason, we've been developing faster than expected," she said.
"Yes, my lord. Mimosa is right," Old man Martini chimed in. "We've all been training hard and have made great progress."
Mojito and Magenta nodded in agreement.
Serena leaned in. "Maybe it's because of the sub-skill of [Beginner's Luck] called [Higher Full Potential]. It usually makes learning a lot of things easier," she said.
Fasit grinned. "Or maybe it's because we have Serena, the goddess of fortune, on our side," she teased.
I smiled despite myself. Fasit always had a way of lightening the mood.
As the presentation came to an end, I felt grateful for the amazing abilities they had gained. We still had a ways to go, but with their new powers, we would be stronger than ever before.
I couldn't bear to sit still any longer. Sitting by idly while they waited for the minotaurs to strike again was driving me insane. I had to take the initiative and do something.
After much contemplation, my light bulb flickered on and I sprang to my feet. I clapped my hands several times to get everyone's attention. Once everyone was looking my way, I turned to Fasit and asked her to gather all the grygans who could fight.
Fasit was quick to question me on the reason for this, but I refused to give her a direct answer, only replying that I had an idea that they could work on.
Once all the grygans had assembled at the center of the village, I came before them, a determined look in my eyes.
"I know you're all shocked by my sudden request, but I have a plan. We're going to attack the minotaurs tonight," I stated, my gaze steadfast.
Gasps escaped the lips of everyone present. Even Serena, who stood beside me and was usually calm and collected, couldn't believe what she just heard.
I continued, "The minotaurs plan to attack us tomorrow. We can surprise them by attacking today, catch them off guard. What do you all say?"
Old man Martini, who was standing towards the back of the group, was the first to see where I was going with this. "I see the plan. It just might work," he said.
I was elated to hear Old man Martini's support. "Thank you, Old man," I said, giving him a thumbs up.
The other grygans were unsure if they could win, but Serena encouraged them to try. "I know we're all apprehensive, but we have to try. We'll never know unless we fight," she said, putting her hand over her chest.
After, she smiled at me.
One by one, the grygans stepped up in support of my plan. "I'm in," said Fasit.
"Me too," chimed in Mojito, with Magenta nodding beside him.
Serena stepped forward, a soft smile on her face. "You all have my support."
Mimosa and Lilac nodded their approval too. Even though they were uncertain about the outcome, they trusted my judgement.
Lilac was the second-in-command for the herbology faction of the village.
Aside from the fact that Mimosa was a cocktail, it was also a plant. So, most of the girls in the herbology faction had names relating to plants.
Sangria wasn't present at the time, I'd sent her on a reconnaissance mission. With her new skill [Shadow Meld] it should be an easy task.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As I inspected the traps with Fasit and Serena by my side, surveying the territory, Sangria emerged from her [Shadow Meld] and approached us.
"I have valuable information," Sangria said, bowing respectfully. "The Andarbani territory has indeed made an impregnable team, they have an army of seven hundred. They are led by Fenghis Rhan.."
Fenghis Rhan - The ruler of the Andarbani territory.
My heart sank at the thought of facing 700 enemies. It seemed like an impossible number to handle.
"But we can't just give up," Fasit interjected. "What's your plan, Lumiere?"
"Well, it is a problem... but with you all having power boosts, you should be able to take on about three to four minotaurs on your own." (Lumiere)
"But that's only for those who gained substantial combat skills and affinity right?" (Serena)
"Indeed... honestly, this might prove to be a problem." (Lumiere)
I rubbed my chin, quietly ruminating.
I thought carefully and responded, "I was thinking we use attrition tactics to weaken their numbers. We can't take them head-on, but we can chip away at them with small-scale magic attacks and traps."
This was similar to the guerrilla tactics I'd seen on video games in my previous incarnation. Who knew it'd come in handy now.
My subordinates all nodded in agreement.
"But we have to be very careful," Serena cautioned. "We need to be as discrete as possible to avoid drawing attention to us."
I nodded in agreement. "I understand, Serena. We'll be careful. And Sangria, your information has been incredibly useful. Thank you."
Sangria bowed again.
--- Status ---
Name: Sangria Del Silva
Race: Great Grygan
Age: Chronologically 41 | Biologically 23
Titles: Harbinger of the Night
Class: Ranger
Physical Strength: 70/70
MP: 3,500/3,500
Magic Arts: [Fire Magic] (Rank A), [Lightning Magic] (Rank B), [Wind Magic] (Rank B).
Magic Skills: Integral Skill: [Night Vision] (Rank S+), [Enhanced Hearing] (Rank A), [Enhanced Vision] (Rank S) | Additional Skill: [Shadow Meld] (Rank A), [Shadow Craft] (Rank B)