Chapter C71 Help
While it was a far cry from the house in the capital. It still was the largest building in the state. Having three floors and an area that was sixty meters long and double that wide, without counting the garden, he could do some basic training there. It was a pretty good house, and Aion got it for free…
"Mom, do you want to take a bath and have dinner?" Aion asked. "I am going to train a bit since those weeks are resting, and this trip is messing with my body."
"You should rest more, but I know that you are stubborn enough not to listen to me," Artemisia said.
When they reached the gate of the house, it didn't take long for the servants to show up and greet them all at the same time. Aion wasn't sure how his mother would be treated when he isn't around, but there was a way to learn, and it was called Furtivity improved up to level one hundred in power.
In any case, Aion was itching to do some training, so he carried the luggage, even though the head butler told him that it was his job. As if Aion would let an old man in his fifties do the heavy lifting for him. If he breaks a bone, Aion will feel bad later.
Aion put his things in his room, and his mother's in the room on the side. She went to take a bath while Aion headed to the garden and began his practice swings. Since he had changed to the samurai class, which was level one, Aion looked really slow, even with a training sword, so he could feel the stare of the head butler behind him, and it was clear that he didn't believe that Aion defeated Horis.
"Your name is?" Aion asked.
"Berthan, my lord," the head butter said.
"For the day you are dismissed, I will return to my room soon enough," Aion said.
"Understood," Berthan said.
Aion wanted to focus on his training, after all, and people that he barely knew watching him made it harder for him to focus. In any case, it didn't take long for Aion to make the class level up, it happened a lot faster than before… probably because he was practicing the right way and without wasted movements. That was good to know, but he will have to fight monsters or people to make real progress.
Since Aion was too into it, he ended up practicing until midnight. After cleaning himself in the bath, he went to sleep like a log, but he still woke up when the sun was rising and returned to his training montage. He trained with the sword until seven in the morning, and then he went to have breakfast. Artemisia still looked tired, so perhaps leaving her at home for the day would be a better idea.
"Mom, I am going to be working in the office the whole morning," Aion said. "You should rest a little more."
"I am good at managing things, so I can help you," Artemisia said. "I know that you are itching to explore the area by yourself. While you were on the same level as me, you never had much freedom in the capital."
'Hmm… is that so," Aion said.
"You probably will receive some weekly reports about the activities of numerous fields and workers, it will take a while to analyze all that, and the more hands you have the better," Artemisia said.
It looked like his mother wanted to help him… that was fine by Aion since Artemisia never had to do anything in the capital. When one can only do the same basic things over and over again for ten years, they would try to use their free time meaningfully once they have the chance.
In any case, after breakfast, they headed to the office of the previous rule. Which was essentially a room filled with books that he had never read before. There were a shit ton of reports written down there and organized on shelves. Aion could tell why no one would read the books given the number of reports… Regardless, Berthan went there as well and helped them find the most recent ones.
"It seems there are many reports about the attacks of monsters and bandits," Artemisia said.
"We suffered many losses during the previous invasion, my lady," Berthan said. "The guards are shorthanded, and that has been a problem for the last few years…"
"What about the cattle? We barely are selling any to other parts of the kingdom even though we have so much usable land," Artemisia said.
"When the cattle increase in number, it gets harder to protect them, and they become targets of monsters…" Berthan explained.
That continued for a while… All in all, the lack of manpower was the source of all problems. Berthan said that if they hid some mercenaries, that would help, but they would be using more money than producing it. Besides, few of them worked in that area due to the danger of invasion. They were used to fighting, but the risk of becoming a minion of Caelis was too much for them.
"Aion, the main problem here is security," Artemisia said. "I will read the last reports and then try to pinpoint where the monsters and bandits hide. You should check the villages in the meantime. After that, you should hunt them by yourself."
"As expected of mother, that will be fun," Aion said. "You are strong enough to deal with them, but bandits tend to use all sorts of poison, so don't drop your guard."
"I guess we need to make an example out of them," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Don't kill the bandits. Bring them and use them as a labor force; they need to pay for their crimes, and that will develop the territory," Artemisia said.
"Oh, I never expected for mom to be so wicked," Aion said.
"That is for the sake of the Future. Once we solve the problems here, you will have more time to find a girlfriend," Artemisia said.
Chapter C72 FBI In Isekai
Aion could only facepalm… to think that was his mother's goal all along… unfortunately for her, Aion couldn't find a girlfriend now. He liked mature women, but if those showed any signs of interest in him, they would be essentially criminals. If he were to show interest in girls around his age, he would be looked at by the FBI in isekai… He was in a difficult period in his life.
Regardless, Aion decided to check the other villages as soon as possible how things were there. Reading the reports was final and all, but seeing things by himself would help as well. In the end, he basically saw the same thing. Villages are not growing because of the lack of security around. He also noticed that the people around looked pretty insecure about their future. That was only natural, but it wasn't something he would read in a report.
In any case, at the end of the day, when he was heading home. Aion recalled that he told the captain of the guards to report to his home, but since he left at nine, he assumed that the guy would show up at the end of the day, which didn't happen as well as his mother told him.
"Berthan said that the captain is a hard worker and he doesn't leave his work for any reason… his turn was supposed to end today," Artemisia said.
"I suppose he is pretty famous, and then suddenly obeying orders without giving any thoughts coming from a runt would damage his position," Aion said. "Let's see if he will keep playing this game for too long."
"Rather than that, Aion, you could do something else for you to gain the respect of the people," Artemisia said. "That way, you will avoid headaches, and the people will feel more compelled to work with you."
"Such as?" Aion asked.
"Capturing the bandits and dealing with the monsters will take a while," Artemisia said. "Since it looks like there are several groups working in the area and attacking the territories near the borders. However, the reservoirs of water in the town are low since it hasn't been raining a lot this year. You can help them with that using your magic. There is a river a few kilometers away, but moving a part of it to these parts will take a while, and due to the roads, we will have to build a bridge as well to make it pass as close as possible."
"That seems like a problem that I shouldn't solve by myself and rather send some workers to deal with," Aion said.
"You are starting to think like an aristocrat… As I said, it will take a while if you use your magic, but it will take a lot more using normal means," Artemisia said.
Aion's mother had a point. If it was for the sake of his territory, he should do that… However, he believed that if he did too much, people would ask him, again and again, to solve the issue for them. He will have to find the perfect balance to avoid such an annoyance.
"I guess the best leader is the one who is followed and does not force the others to follow," Aion said.
Artemisia nodded. Aion wanted to make a good place for his mother, so following such a path was unavoidable. In any case, while he was resting and traveling, Aion leveled up the mage class a bit, but he will have to improve Meditation in all aspects to grant him even more mana recovery.
After resetting the mage class, Aion used all the points in magic to make his spells more potent and used the Improvement points to increase the efficiency of Meditation. It was evening, and few people used the wells, so Aion went to them and began to use his magic to create water. With one hundred points in magic, Aion could easily create one hundred litters of water, and with his Meditation level, he could recover all of his mana in ten minutes… Still, it wasn't nearly enough to create enough water for five thousand inhabitants.
"I guess I will treat this as my magic training for the time being," Aion thought.
Aion trained/worked like that for three hours, and then he decided to do some light physical training before going to sleep. After doing the thing with the water for several days, Aion wondered if there was an easy way to make rain, and his mother frowned when he asked.
"You wanted to learn to produce metals, and now how to make rain?" Artemisia asked. "Becoming a specialist requires you two to focus on a single element, Aion… Putting that aside, I think I have located the places where the monsters have their nests. As for the bandits, it is a bit difficult to be certain since they are smart enough to change hideouts now and then."
Aion wondered if he was being greedy. With the system, he could increase his magic, and then he would be able to allocate all of the points there and then control his mana with more ease. Thus, making his learning speed a lot higher than normal… It seemed that Artemisia assumed Aion had more talent for physical combat, so she imagined that learning the high-level magic of her ancestors would be difficult for him.
Speaking of magic, Aion felt that his mother had to tell him something important, but he couldn't recall what it was… He had too many things to consider right at the moment, so it couldn't be helped. Regardless, Aion grabbed the map that his mother made for him to investigate and look for the monsters and bandits, but then he noticed that he would have to leave for a few days.
"Mom, you can use magic to protect yourself, right?" Aion asked. "If something happens and anyone suspicious approaches, you can attack them to kill. I will deal with what comes afterward."
"You don't have to worry about that. I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well," Artemisia said while smiling. "Besides, I already made you carry a heavy burden, and I can't become even more of a nuisance."
"I think you are overthinking it, but I will trust your words that you will do what you have to do," Aion said. "I will try to return as soon as possible."
Chapter C73 Overpowered
Although a horse was faster, it was too easy to spot from a distance. Moreover, Aion couldn't use Furtivity while he was riding one. To make sure that no one would think that he left the town and decided that it was time to attack his mom, Aion left his home and then the town after dinner and by using Furtivity. That was another chance to put in practice the training that he did when he went to train in the dungeon before and level up other classes as well.
It was tough to run throughout the night, but at jogging speed, Aion could do that for many hours as he needed, and he was a bit faster than a carriage.
"In any case, the system is quite weird… Training makes my body stronger, but my speed and strength can change massively just by changing classes," Aion thought. "My body should at least have some basic parameters as I keep training, at least according to the logic of this world. However, it seems that my strength comes from the auras granted by the classes and the weapons…"
It is convenient since Aion could edit his parameters as much as he wanted, but it still was weird. Regardless, when morning came, Aion arrived in one area ten kilometers away from the border. It was also the midway point between the two villages. So it was a good spot to watch both places.
The area around was getting clear thanks to the sunlight, so Aion activated Furtivity. It wouldn't be weird if he ended up finding the monsters or the bandits returning to their lairs since they attacked at night. From one point of view, they were being smart, but from another, they were also being cowardly.
Aion began to move faster to take a look around for traces of anything around. There were no roads in the vicinity, so people were bound to leave footsteps somewhere. However, Aion found nothing, and he had to stop to recover his mana.
"There are no traces of animals being dragged around here… They take the small ones from the farms, and before they can make any noise, but they practically kill the bigger ones for sport…" Aion thought.
Since there were no places to hide around, Aion decided to investigate the next point. However, he will need something else to travel in the open. He took a cloak that covered his whole body and head and began to move. That wouldn't let the enemies see him in case they don't try anything.
Much to Aion's surprise, his plan worked a lot sooner than expected. While he was walking, he had a weird feeling on his back, and he assumed that he was being watched. He kept walking while trying not to change his behavior until he reached some hills, and then some figures surrounded him. There were four guys on one side and two archers on the top of the hills.
Aion looked at the guys on the hills, and he didn't find anything too different from them. If they were from the Rosberg kingdom, then they were too normal. Aion expected something more like the rumors about Caellis… As for the guys on the left side, they were approaching while carrying one-handed swords that looked like falchions. Those weapons had a really curved blade, and they almost looked like scythes… Being hit by those would result in a pretty nasty wound.
"Don't move, and this won't be very painful to you."
What a cliched thing to say… Aion didn't move because it would be easier to get then once they were close enough to attack. In any case, Aion recalled that the people of the Rosberg kingdom had a different accent. While they used the same language, some of their words came out more nasal… But there was no such a thing coming from the voice of that guy. They probably weren't from the neighboring kingdom… Regardless, that didn't change what Aion had to do.
Once they got close enough and one of them tried to attack the back of his head, Aion summoned his axes and then swung them back at the enemy. Still, he only hit that guy's stomach with the cable of one of his hand axes. The other three swung their weapons at him at the same time, but Aion used Inner Force while spinning to block the swords with his weapons. The strikes repelled the swords, and then Aion advanced and knocked them down instantly with attacks on their stomachs.
That was almost too easy, but then Aion recalled that his strength could pierce the skin of a man that had steel-like skin… In any case, some arrows fell around Aion, and he jumped backward to dodge them. Some other arrows were fired toward him but at a much slower rate. When Aion looked at the archers, he saw them running away while nocking new arrows. They sure were quick to abandon their friends…
Aion gave chase to them after covering the feet of the knocked-out bandits with earth magic and hardening it. They were pretty good at running with their weapons in their hands and ready to be used. Moreover, they had steel nerves to only fire the arrows when Aion was almost upon them. Still, much to their surprise, the arrows that they fired at Aion's head when he was only five meters away from them were deflected by his axes.
After opening their eyes widely, the bandits turned around to fight after grabbing some knives from their waists, but Aion moved faster and then hit their stomachs. Their eyes turned white as they fell… just like that, Aion defeated the first group of bandits and realized that the current level of the berserker class was too much for bandits…
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
Chapter C74 Among Thieves
When the bandits woke up, they saw themselves buried to the ground up to their necks. Moving anything below that was impossible for them, so they panicked… they panicked even more when they saw Aion practicing firing earth bullets toward a nearby boulder. The power and speed of the projectiles were weaker than remembered since he reset the mage class, but each of those was cracking the boulder more and more. A single hit in the head would finish them off.
"Where I can find your friends?" Aion asked. "Don't try to fool me, I know that you guys operate in different areas in order not to get in the way of each other. To be able to do that, you should have talked with each other and reached some sort of agreement."
The bandits couldn't even look at each other, but they tried. Still, before they could pass any message to each other using their eyes, Aion fired a fist size bullet at one of the bandits, but he ended up missing. He almost smashed the ear of one of them, though.
"I am out practicing. I guess I will get closer," Aion said. "Let's try this: who speaks first will survive, and the others will die."
The bandits panicked even more… Aion wondered if those ten years changed him that much of if he always had been like that. He doubted that the second option was the truth since his previous job required him to risk his life for others now and then, and he admired his first father that much.
"You won't see us betraying our allies!"
Someone trying to be a hero said, and Aion frowned. The guy seemed fairly young since he didn't have many scars on his face and unlike the others, he was full with spirit despite their situation. He thought that honor among thieves was nonsense, but perhaps even they weren't completely scumbags. Still, that much was too little for Aion to feel any pity toward them. In any case, the brave and stupidity bandit had dark hair and brown-ember like eyes… perhaps Aion could use him.
"I see, so you guys really work together," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You operate in different areas in order to work more efficiently instead of getting in each other's way then… well, since you are so honorable, then you will have to die. The heroic leader will go down first."
Aion used his magic and enveloped the head of the bandit with earth magic. The bandits couldn't see much, but they realized that the boss of the group had grown silent. There wasn't much struggle either, so their blood began to run cold…
Regardless, Aion thought that something of that level would be enough to make the others speak, but it didn't work… they sure were loyal to their friends. Considering that his mother told him to bring them alive and make them work for the territory, he wasn't going to kill any of them, only silence them temporarily, but it was getting hard since his patience was running low.
"I guess a good shot in their heads and the sound of skulls splitting would work better to convince them to talk…" Aion thought. "Still, I can't become that cold-blooded yet."
In the end, Aion uncovered their heads from the mass of earth, and they noticed that they all were alive. Aion didn't give up on making them talk yet. He just needed to be a bit more patient.
Tamer Lv 08
Health: 14/14
Mana: 24/24
Stamina: 78/78
Strength: 06
Dexterity: 11 + 09
Magic: 11
Endurance: 01
Resistance: 01
Speed: 11 + 08
Status: 00
Whip Refinement Lv 06
Bonuses: Dexterity + 08, Speed + 08
Skills: Tame Lv 01 (Power Lv 15)
Passive: Enhanced Dexterity Lv 01,
Improvement Points: 60
Accumulated Experience: 00
Coins: 00
Inventory:
Absorption: 0/1000
Processing: 0/1000
Reset
Aion equipped the Tamer class while knowing that Tame didn't work on humans, only on animals and monsters. However, he considered the possibility that future skills would change that. Regardless, Aion would need a monster or animal to trace their scent back to their base and to the other bandits. In any case, he used the materials of the bows to improve the whip, and worked pretty well. They were of high-quality wood… the bandits probably stole them from some merchant.
"You guys have two options now: be nice and lead me to your base or wait for me to find on my own while you starve and thirst for water," Aion said and then waited for a while. "All right, starve, you guys will."
Aion emerged them from the ground using his magic, and they realized that their fists and legs had been handcuffed. After that, he began to move to the East since he knew that was the direction they came from. Since the handcuffs of those six were connected, they couldn't even turn properly, so the chances of them rebelling or running away were nonexistent.
After walking under the hot sun for a couple of hours, Aion could tell that they were getting really tired. They didn't receive treatment, so the wounds on their stomachs still hurt like a beach.
In any case, during that time, Aion considered many things. Why he didn't find any signs of monsters so far was at the top of that list. In any case, it didn't take long for him to find an area a few kilometers away from the nearest village that had several hills. According to Artemisia, that was one of the potential places that the monsters and bandits might be using to hide.
Aion walked around some of those hills and didn't find anything odd with them. If there were a hideout there, it would have been perfectly hidden… It was also hard to read the expressions of the bandits. For such low lives, they sure were well trained… Almost like…
Aion looked around and made the bandits stop. After some seconds of hesitation, he told them to get down.
"Don't move from here," Aion said and then began to run.
When Aion disappeared behind a hill, they began to move. Their hideout was nearby, and they could hide before Aion could see them. What they didn't expect was that Aion was already tailing them with Furtivity.
Chapter C75 Sadic
Aion knew that he could trust his mother, but his ability to detect things or trace them was practically nonexistent. He trained for many years to win a tournament, not to find vestiges of people and monsters in the open, after all. Regardless, it didn't take long for Aion to see them opening an entrance on a hill… they were using a man-made cavern.
"When it is open, it is that easy to notice the fake grass…" Aion thought and then sighed before he climbed the hill to check things around. "It would be awesome if I could use Meditation and Furtivity at the same time, but I can't right now…"
Artemisia tried to teach Aion how to recover his mana, even though he already could do that. So, he assumed that he could use that in other classes as well. It was true, he could, but now when skills like Furtivity were active since his mana was being used to repel most of the light around him, that also worked against mana.
"The question is: is this place their hideout or other bandits' hideout?" Aion thought. "I can't leave my mother alone for too long, but there is a chance that I can use this to track all the bandits at once."
The plan to look for a monster or animal to tame them and use their ability to trace scents seemed more and more unreliable. Aion didn't find a single animal, and he assumed that the cause was the bandits; they had hunted everything around the area in the last three years. Since invasions happened often, they were hunted regularly…
Aion had planned to think for a while, but then he saw the bandits leaving the place again. He used Furtivity to disappear and confirmed that they had freed themselves without making much noise, and they also equipped some rapid-fire crossbows. They knew that they couldn't leave Aion alone in the area, so they had to kill him.
"Hehehe, they have treasure in there…" Aion smiled like a villain. "Well, they didn't learn their lesson, so it is time to break some of their bones now."
A broken arm and leg will do the job. They will have a hard time walking and thinking of grabbing weapons. That will weaken their willpower to try to pull something like that ever again. Regardless, when they showed their backs to him, Aion changed to the berserker class and then dashed toward them. When the enemies heard his footsteps, it was already too late. He had already smashed the knees of two of those guys with his hand axes.
The others pointed their crossbows at him, but Aion stopped them from moving by using Roar. While their ears were ringing, the bandits' eyes began to roll, and Aion, in the blink of an eye, finished the job. When they recovered, they have handcuffed again while lying on the ground, and their left arms and legs were hurting like hell.
"Hello again, did you miss me?" Aion asked. "This time, I will let you escape without using any tricks. While I investigate your hideouts, you will have all the time in the world to run away."
Aion entered the cave and noticed that they had some crystals illuminating the tunnel that was going downwards in a spiral… they sure had a lot of time to dig that much without being noticed. Regardless, it wasn't that deep. Once Aion reached the base of the hideout, he found some gold coins, a lot of silver coins, food, wine, weapons, armor, clothes, and accessories… they sure had a lot in stock.
Their variety was great, but Aion couldn't understand why they weren't selling most of the things. Aion recalled that they probably couldn't smuggle things out of the kingdom since a lot of people in the Rosberg state were crazy due to Caellis influence. They also couldn't sell in the kingdom without making themselves look suspicious.
Regardless, Aion began to process the shitty items and stored the others when the processing and absorption processes were full. Returning those things to their previous owners was almost impossible, so Aion would confiscate them and redistribute them… or not.
In any case, when Aion left the hideout, he saw the bandits trying to smash the handcuffs against a boulder, but he made those extra hard this time. Moreover, he made them heavier, so they would slowly kill the bandits with their weight. Their broken bones and the weight were making them sweat cold.
"I think I am starting to become quite the sadist…" Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Regardless, Aion made the bandits head north next to the area on the map where he could find possible new hideouts. However, before they could reach it, the sun began to set, and they were forced to camp. Sleeping with those guys around would be too much, but they needed to stop to rest since they were exhausted.
"The one who speaks first will have some soup and a big cup of wine," Aion said after he finished lighting the campfire.
Aion could see the eyes of the bandits rolling around while considering his proposal. One day walking without water and food while they have broken bones was quite a tough day, after all. Regardless, they didn't break yet, so they didn't say anything. After finishing eating, Aion decided to train a bit. When he got tired of that, he wondered if he should bury them to the neck in order to take a nap.
"Ah, I need to test that…" Aion said and then changed his class to Bard and then summoned his instrument.
The class was back to one, but Aion wondered if he could make it level up faster by making more people receive the buff of the skills…
Congratulations! The class Bard has leveled up.
Aion's guess was correct…
Chapter C76 Beast-Like
Bard Lv 10
Health: 10/10
Mana: 54/54
Stamina: 28/28
Strength: 01
Dexterity:10
Magic: 21
Endurance: 04
Resistance: 06
Speed: 04
Status: 05
Lute Refinement Lv 0
Bonuses:
Skills: Power Song Lv 05, Magic Song Lv 01,
Passive: Recovery Aura Lv 01
Improvement Points: 27
Accumulated Experience: 0
Coins: 00
Inventory:
Absorption: 0/1000
Processing: 0/1000
Reset
When the class reached level ten, Aion had been playing for four hours nonstop. His fingers were also bleeding a little… in any case, the bandits had fallen asleep in the middle of his performance, and they didn't even have the nerve to pay for the concert.
In any case, Aion was starting to get sleepy, but the sunrise was only two hours away, so he decided to train with his sword until morning again.
"I can handle this until night, but after that, it will be hard to keep my focus," Aion thought. "I will need to find some more bandits and then return home."
It was hard to know if that would alert the remaining bandits, but it was better to keep going and then eventually make a mistake. Assuming that those guys didn't have informants in the town might not be a good idea, but Aion couldn't hide that fact since he wanted the absolute respect of the people in that territory… Once again, Aion was in a difficult spot.
It seemed that Aion was running out of patience since he woke up the bandits by throwing some water on their faces. The angry face of a ten years old boy usually wasn't that fearsome, but his bad mood forced them to get up instantly.
"Move," Aion said.
The bandits began to move, but their walking speed was a lot worse than before. At that rate, Aion will only waste time… keeping their arms broken probably will be enough for now, so Aion decided to heal their legs. The bandits frowned when they felt their legs feeling a lot better instantly… they didn't know anyone that could fight that well and use magic and healing magic like that.
While Aion didn't have to keep his face hidden anymore, he still covered most of his body with it. It was the perfect way to hide and summon more weapons without letting anyone notice what was happening, after all.
"What are you going to do once you find the others?" The guy who tried to show a strong front on the previous day asked.
"We will sing Kumbaya together," Aion replied. "Why do you care? If I wanted you all dead, you already would be dead, and since you didn't try to kill yourselves, then you will have the chance to live for a few more years… unless I change my mind."
"That magic… you must be the new lord… despite how the kingdom treated your mother and you. You are working for them like a dog," the hotheaded guy said.
"The hell are you talking about? I am working for myself and for her," Aion said. "The kingdom might rip some of the benefits, but that is just a consequence since we live here. I could just abandon this place since I am strong enough to pull that off, but the neighboring states are filled with madmen. We wouldn't have much peace in those places. You are just a low-life bandit, don't talk to me as if you have experienced the same things as me."
"Of course, I didn't live the same life as you. We didn't live in a big mansion with dozens of servants in the middle of the capital without having to work a single day of my life," the guy said.
"If I didn't have to work a single day of my life, then how come I can kick your asses so easily?" Aion asked. "I could do it without moving and with a single hand if I wanted. Now, shut the fuck up unless you want to sense the taste of my boots."
That hot-blooded guy couldn't say anything after that. Never mind the fear for his life, he knew that Aion had a point. Those guys might see themselves as rebels, but they were only attacking farmers and merchants. They didn't have a single point of logic that could back their choices.
Despite their situation, they didn't try anything during the remaining part of the day. Something was off, and Aion knew it. Soon enough, he reached another area marked by his mother and Aion. He began to feel like he was being watched, and the feeling was a lot worse than before.
Aion thought that he would have to wait for a while, but much to his surprise, another suspicious group of people showed up from behind some bushes and trees. Among them, Aion saw a suspicious guy who had quite the aura. Aion could tell that he was strong… The guy was shirtless as if he wanted to show his rock-hard abs. The most weird thing was that he didn't have any weapons with him. He also had something like a pointy ear, and his eyes were bloodshot red…
"It seems someone stupid finally decided to get on our way…" the pointy-eared guy said.
"Are you the leaders of the bandits?" Aion asked.
"What if I am?" The pointy-eared guy asked.
"You aren't from here…" Aion said after he heard a very nasal way of speaking. "What are you doing in this kingdom?"
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you found us, and now you have to die," that guy said, and then his nails began to grow.
At first, Aion got kind of disgusted while seeing that happening, but then he could see that the nails were hard and pretty sharp. That wasn't a trick. That guy was someone who mutated for whatever reason and now could control his nails like that… still, Aion couldn't help but wonder what he did to obtain that ability. He always thought that the mutations were based on direct actions…
Chapter C77 Reasons
Aion equipped his hand axes and then prepared to fight. If that guy was the leader, then he probably had a lot of treasure… and he also knew where Aion could find the other bandits and their treasure… Aion could only think of the treasure, so he noticed that he was getting sidetracked from the real mission.
The enemy dashed at Aion, and despite the irregularities of the terrain, he was quite fast… still, not faster than Aion. He blocked the nails with his axes, and everyone around frowned when they heard the sound of metal echoing around, and Aion wasn't pushed backward.
All of a sudden, the nails began to grow again, and the points almost pierced Aion's eyes, but then he kicked the stomach of the enemy and forced him to move away.
"He is the tricky type… I can't get carried away just because I defeated that stupid asshole…" Aion thought.
When the nails guy recovered, he grunted in annoyance… despite the fact that a simple charge wouldn't work on Aion, he did the same thing again, and when Aion blocked the nails, he opened his mouth, and then his teeth began to grow. He could even do something like that…
Regardless, fighting against a human being that used his teeth as a weapon pissed Aion off. In the same moment, he used Rage and then activated Inner Force to the limits, and then kicked the stomach of the enemy again. He was sent flying to the nearest hill and his body sunk deep in… the play was over.
"I was planning to get back in fighting shape using this opportunity, but this kind of fighting style is annoying…" Aion said and then saw the other bandits trying to run away. "Don't move! If you do, you all will die! Surrender now, and I will treat you fairly."
Aion's angry shout paralyzed everyone around. Defeating their boss that fast was a sign of the difference in strength. Despite the fact that they knew that they would be put in a cell, the bandits didn't feel like risking their lives. So, they dropped to their knees and waited for Aion to put the handcuffs on them as well. As for their boss, preventing them from moving will be hard since he probably can damage the handcuffs with his nails.
In the end, Aion just sealed the guy in a huge block of earth magic, and then he went to search for the hideout. He found a good amount of treasure there as well… Aion wondered if all bandits were all that stupid. If he were then, he would live in a normal place and invest their small fortune. One can't be a bandit once they reach old age… if they reach.
"Hey, where are the others working for you?" Aion asked while he was waking up the mutated man. "Tell me where I can find them."
Although he woke up and realized his condition, the boss of the group didn't say anything… that sure was annoying, but Aion was satisfied for the time being. In the end, he healed the bandits and made them carry the block of earth and the boss for a while.
Since the first group was reaching their limits, Aion had to give them food and water once they stopped at camp. It was originally their food anyway. Regardless, Aion assumed that aside from being the leader of the group, the bandits were part of the kingdom and decided to become bandits for whatever reason. While that changed nothing and didn't justify their actions, it was better to know that than not know it.
"As for the boss, he is probably someone on the run… he is stronger than the average person, but since he is leading a group of bandits in another kingdom, he probably pissed someone important on the Rosberg kingdom," Aion thought.
In any case, that night again, he killed time by using the bard class, and when he started to get sleepy, he trained with the sword. It was quite the odd combination, a group of prisoners and a musician guard.
Overnight, Aion also realized that the monster that people assumed had killed and captured their cattle was the nails guy. His nails were sharp enough to pass as monster claws… he probably killed more animals than he had to in order to scare everyone.
"I guess the people here are either dumb or plain incompetent," Aion thought.
Regardless, Aion returned to the town around mid-morning of the next day. The guards frowned when they saw a suspicious cloaked figure approaching with some prisoners, but then Aion revealed his face, and then they opened the path.
The people of the town saw him crossing the streets with the prisoners with interest. Truth to be told, Aion disliked that much attention, but it was necessary for his plans. Eventually, he reached the small prison of the town, and he finally found the Captain of the guards.
"Give them food and water three times a day and don't do anything else to them," Aion said.
"Yes, my lord," the Captain of the guards said.
Aion didn't wait for him to introduce himself and just headed home. Fortunately, it looked like everything had been fine while he was gone… his plan worked, and no one noticed that he had left the town in the middle of the night.
"Aion? You returned a lot sooner than expected," Artemisia said.
"Yeah… I found some of the bandits, but guarding them and sleeping at the same time didn't seem like a good idea," Aion said after a long sigh of relief. "It seems that most of them are people from here that decided to rebel against the kingdom, but they didn't have any plan in mind aside from stealing from random people. My guess is that their leader is from Rosberg kingdom… Anyway, it looks like the previous lord left a lot of problems behind."
Chapter C78 Two Options
Although Aion wanted to capture the remaining bandits as soon as possible, he decided to rest fully and then leave only on the next day. The reason for that is that he wanted to confirm if they had some informants in the town. Until now, that was the only place that hadn't been targeted since the number of guards stationed there was too high for a few dozen bandits.
On the morning of the next day, Aion returned to the prison in the town. At the entrance, he only found two guards sitting around a table while chatting… they soon got up when Aion arrived, but that wouldn't fix the impression that he already had.
"Where is the captain of the guards?" Aion asked.
"He said that he was going to visit your estate, sir, early in the morning," One of the guards replied.
That sure was bad timing… Regardless, Aion went downstairs to see the prisoners after confining that his orders had been followed. The bandits looked a bit better since they had access to water and food when it was time. In any case, the prison sure was a depressing place. It was barely used, so that it couldn't have been worse.
"Have you guys considered my offer?" Aion asked. "Are you going to tell me where the others are, or should I decrease your meals to once a day?"
"... There are no other groups," the nails guy said. "There aren't enough villages around for us to attack."
"What about the villages in the territories of the other families?" Aion asked.
"Attack them is difficult since they have a lot of guards to spare," the nails guy said.
"Why do they have guards when we are shorthanded here?" Aion asked.
"The last lord of this territory died three years ago, so the guards decided to be hired by those families," the nails guy said. "Besides, their regions weren't attacked that often when invasions happened."
"You are well informed… What is your name?" Aion asked.
"Rarth," the nails guy replied.
"Usually, I wouldn't bother talking with someone that tries to bite their opponents, Rarth," Aion said. "But you don't sound totally stupid considering the profession that you decided to follow. Since you decided to speak, I will reward you. I will free you from that block of earth. Thanks to this, you might have the chance to escape, but if you know what is good for you, you won't try that."
It seemed that Rarth wanted to get on Aion's good side since he was a kid and did what he had promised. Not to mention, he also kicked Rarth's ass. Aion was also aware of that, and he was fine with that. If he was stupid enough to try to use him, then he would be better disposed of.
"You are from Rosberg kingdom, aren't you?" Aion asked. "Why do the people from your kingdom usually attack this territory? It couldn't be something that they started to do recently."
"I am not aware of the details, but the history of your family might be the cause of that," Rarth replied.
That made sense… Aion read in the books that his family was one of the oldest, and since they were guarding that part of the border, many people would target them. Even more so the mutated people who could live for many more years. Still, to think that they would hold such grudges for so long…
"Putting that aside, what are you guys' plans?" Aion asked. "The reports said that you didn't kill anyone, so you were avoiding enraging the soldiers of my territory. Even though I think that they can't be that scary or competent."
"... What will you do once we answer that?" Rarth asked.
"That will depend on what you want," Aion replied. "My guess is that you wanted to recruit more people for whatever reason since you left your treasures stored in your bases and not that well hidden. You wanted to get more recruits for your cause… You couldn't be planning to create a militia or mercenary group when you started as bandits, right?"
"No… we just want to go somewhere else," Rarth said. "We are outcasts, and while it is true that we were planning to draw the attention of others with money, our original goal was to buy a ship and sail to somewhere else. A place where we can create our new homes."
That sounded like nonsense. It made more sense for them to buy a ship to become pirates. Nevertheless, they all had their reasons to become bandits, and again, Aion couldn't care less. Crossing many territories of hostile people probably was impossible for them, they wouldn't last long, but with a boat, their chances would be better.
"A single ship costs around three hundred gold coins… you guys have been operating for what two years? What you got, how much? thirty gold coins considering all the loot?" Aion asked. "It seems that being a bandit isn't that profitable, and it will take at least ten years for you guys to get enough money."
"... What is your point?" Rarth asked.
"Work for me," Aion said. "If you do everything I say, in five years, you will have your ship and you will be free to go wherever you want."
"Hah, even if you are the lord of this territory, that much gold isn't something that you can obtain or spend on your own," Rarth said. "We aren't going to fall for that."
"Do you know who I am?" Aion asked. "I am the guy who defeated Horis the immortal. I also have five inns in the capital that make me money even when I am not there. In five years, I will make this place grow so much that three hundred gold coins will be nothing to me."
They heard some things about Aion, but even so, that seemed like too good of a proposal. Also, Aion didn't have that much confidence in his management skills, but his mother was very skilled at that. So, it wasn't an impossible goal."
Chapter C79 Problems And Solutions
"Well, think about it for the time being," Aion said. "I will return in one week."
It was early in the morning, and it was usually the time most people would take the water that they needed from the wells. Still, Aion headed to one of them to create as much water as possible. It was training to help the town, but some people frowned and thought that he didn't have anything better to do. Still, Aion ignored that for a while and meditated until the captain of the guards showed up.
"My lord, forgive my rudeness for not going to report to you sooner," the captain of the guards said. "My name is Jairo, and I assumed that you were only a kid not worth of my time. I will accept any punishment for that affront."
"Is that so?" Aion asked. "Then go to the other villages and tell them that the bandits and monsters that have been plaguing this area have been dealt with. That is all for the time being."
"I will send the messengers immediately," Jairo said.
"People won't trust that information if someone unknown tells them that," Aion said. "I am telling you to use your influence to make people rest assured while knowing that it is completely true."
Actually, Aion was just telling to get out of his way, but he had a point. If someone annoying but respectable passes the news, it will be easier for others to believe.
"Understood, my lord," Jairo said.
Aion realized that he couldn't trust the people of that territory to build the kind of place he wanted. They were loyal to the Kresnik family, and he was the youngest son. He will never be the head, and while now he has a good relationship with his father and half brothers, most people related to them will never be loyal to him. So, Aion had to find his loyal soldiers in another way. He started in a strange way, with bandits, but it couldn't be helped.
After Jairo left, Aion worked on that job until noon, and he told his mother what had happened and what he had learned. She also believed in the news, so they could move to the next steps.
"I asked Berthan to talk with some people in the Town. There are some important topics that you should discuss with them regarding commerce, structure, and taxes on the capital," Artemisia said. "You will have to deal with them personally since I am not from here, and it will be better if people don't start to think that I am helping you too much."
"I guess that makes sense…" Aion said. "What do I need to know before that?"
Artemisia filled in Aion about the most important subjects that needed to be dealt with. The minor problems could be solved later. All in all, Aion just has to tell them later to be more active with their work to make things more efficient.
During that week, Aion talked with a lot of people in the town that was responsible for many things. While telling them how they should approach certain things, he also heard from them what they thought about the situation in the town. The things that they were satisfied with, the things they were unsatisfied with, what could change and what they didn't want to change. The only problem that he was unable to find a solution to was about the fishermen's business… There was a group of abandoned huts near the river that had been left behind by the previous owners years ago. Due to some invasion… he needed to get some recruits to fish there.
As one would expect, people from different fields had different thoughts. However, in a certain aspect, they were feeling the same way: the town stopped on time, and things hadn't improved in decades. The reason was insecurity… The bandits were a problem, but the invasion was the worst thing that made people avoid the territory. Unfortunately, that was something that Aion couldn't work on right now.
During that week, Aion also trained his magic as much as possible while filling the wells. It didn't feel like he changed things that much, but he felt that he was making progress, if anything.
Mage Lv 20
Health: 04/04
Mana: 252/252
Stamina: 04/04
Strength: 01
Dexterity: 01
Magic: 96 + 20
Endurance: 01
Resistance: 01 + 10
Speed: 01
Status: 00
Magic Staff Refinement Lv 10
Bonuses: Magic + 20, Resistance + 10
Skills: Fireball Lv 01, Ice Arrow Lv 01
Passive: Meditation Lv 25 (Efficiency Lv 67)
Improvement Points: 0
Accumulated Experience: 0
Coins: 77.230
Inventory:
Absorption: 0/1000
Processing: 0/1000
Reset
Refining the Magic Staff was possible with gold, high-quality wood, and gems. So, Aion didn't have many chances to improve it. Still, he could do four times more compared to what he could a week ago, and that was progress.
"I guess I should talk with them and then head to the villages… Mom should come as well. Even if she doesn't leave the carriage, we can stop along the way," Aion thought.
After a while, Aion reached the prison, and once again, he found the guards lazing around. They got nervous, but they didn't know that Aion doesn't waste his time scolding slackers.
"Hello again. After thinking for a week, what have you guys decided?" Aion asked.
The prisoners looked at each other… they still looked uneasy and had some doubts as well. They might as well waste five years working for a highborn brat from their perspective, but if they don't accept, they can be hanged, beheaded, burned at the stake at his whim, and no one will pity them.
"If we accept, how will things be?" Rarth asked. "Will we have to return to the prison and sleep here every day?"
"I suppose that would be uncomfortable," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You guys have a decent number, so using one of the inns won't be a good solution. The people of the town won't be happy if you live nearby, and I bet you guys won't like either… Come to think of it. There are some huts near the river…"
Chapter C80 Results
"You are willing to let us live outside the town and without being guarded? Are you that insane or naive?" Rarth asked.
"Do you want me to give you a reason not to escape?" Aion asked.
"If you want to…" Rarth said.
Aion turned around and then left the prison. Rarth and the others frowned when they saw that. It looked like he was going to bring something to scare them… Regardless, they relaxed after a while, but Rarth kept looking at the stairs. However, when he suddenly blinked, Aion suddenly appeared in front of the bars of his cell.
"Now you know that I can approach you all without alerting any of you," Aion said. "I want you to remember…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…close to your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who can approach you like this… pretty creepy, right? That being said, it is pretty cool to say it to scare others."
"Just… what are you… you aren't a normal kid," Rarth said.
"That is what you get when you mix two famous bloodlines," Aion said. "Anyway, now you know that I might be watching you guys whenever I want, and I might find you guys without you realizing if you try to escape. What are you going to do?"
"Between that and being executed, I prefer to work for you…" Rarth said. "What do we have to do?"
"Your main task will be to build a channel that will connect the nearest lake to this town," Aion said. "You don't have to hurry if you don't want to. You can also use the river to sell me some fish."
The offer seemed too good to be true, but the other prisoners decided to accept as well. In the end, Aion unlocked them right at that moment and guided them to the abandoned huts. Fortunately, he had stored the things that they had left in the hideouts, so they could start living as soon as they wanted there. A lot of people frowned when they saw the prisoners accompanying Aion, but no one questioned him.
After two hours, they reached their destination, and the river had a lot of fish since it hadn't been used for many years. The weird thing was that following the upstream path would lead to the Rosberg kingdom… Regardless, the houses were big enough for everyone. Some repairs will be necessary on the huts, though.
"For today, you guys should get used to this place. Tomorrow I will send someone with some wood to fix the huts and the tools you guys will need," Aion said. "I will send that person at sunset as well to take all the fish that you guys manage to catch."
Just like that, Aion left… Even when he disappeared in the distance, the former prisoners didn't know how to react. The whole situation was just too weird. They looked at each other and just shrugged before entering the houses.
In the next few days, news began to spread about the prisoners that moved to the huts near the river to build a channel that eventually would get close to the town. The people were also expecting to hear the news of them running away. That was a tough job, after all. Even if people in that world were a lot physically stronger than humans from Earth, it would take years for them to build a seven kilometers long channel…
However, nothing happened, even after one month. In fact, they began to show up in the town to buy all sorts of things. Since Aion was splitting the money he got from the fishing commerce with them.
"It seems that the former prisoners are working really hard… how did you convince them, Aion?" Artemisia asked.
"Violence is the best tool when it comes to diplomacy," Aion replied while smirking. "Just kidding, I promised to help them with a problem if they work for me for five years."
"I see… the reports are showing some progress," Artemisia said while reading some papers. "Things have finally stabilized here since you began to rule. However… The garrison here is a problem."
"Yeah… the people here are used to be saved by reinforcements when invasions started," Aion crossed his arms and then said. "To make things worse, it isn't like the garrison is that big, to begin with."
"Considering the guards here and in the other villages, there are less than five hundred splits into diurnal and nocturnal turns," Artemisia said while reading other papers. "They are loyal to the Kresnik family, but it seems they would only show their valor if your father or Henri were to come. I am sorry, Aion."
"That is fine. I was expecting something like that…" Aion said. "I have an idea on how to solve that problem if the necessity arises."
"I won't pry since you look confident," Artemisia said. "Regardless, it seems that you got around five percent more in taxes if compared to the previous month."
"We did it, mom," Aion said. "Now we just need to keep this pace."
He was considering all the expenses such as paying guards, improving some establishments, and sending a part of the gold to the capital. Aion and his mother managed to earn five extra gold coins in a month. He already could imagine how he should invest it… Regardless, things got more stable in the territory, so Aion decided to take the next step and head to the nearest dungeon to do some grinding.
Chapter C81 Two Heads
After studying the map of the region, Aion confirmed that the dungeon was beyond the border. While the kingdom had no interest in fighting for that dungeon and losing personnel, the kingdom never retreated from that area, so the dungeon was located in a complicated spot.
For the lord of the territory to head to that place alone, it would be insanity, but thanks to the help of Furtivity, Aion could cross good distances without being noticed. He did exactly that, but then when he reached the area of the dungeon, he found several guys there… if the people of his kingdom weren't even trying to use that dungeon, the guys from Rosberg kingdom were.
"I guess coming here early in the morning was a mistake… in any case, I need to learn how often they use this dungeon, so I might stay around and observe for a while," Aion thought.
Most of Aion's classes were about to reach level twenty, but he felt that he would need an extra push for that to happen fast enough, and the dungeon would offer him the extra push. It was hard to confirm that from a distance, but those guys didn't seem that strong. Maybe Aion's standards were too high since he fought a lot of strong people in the tournament.
Regardless, from a distance, he couldn't tell if the people there had mutated in some aspects or were descendants of those who had obtained some power through mutation, so he had to be cautious. Regardless, Aion observed the dungeon for a full day, but the guys around who were just chilling never noticed his presence. Still, around the end of the day, a group of five people left the dungeon, and then everyone left…
"I guess they don't feel the need to guard the dungeon at night since the people from here gave up on that dungeon a long time ago… well, now, how should I proceed?" Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Fighting those guys was an option. With a preemptive magic attack, he was confident that he could wound them so much that he would have an easy time fighting until they were all defeated. Still, Aion couldn't kill people in cold blood without a reason, and there was a chance that the death of those guys might cause an invasion.
In any case, Aion approached the dungeon while using Furtivity just to be sure that no one would see him. He could always use his magic to create flames inside and illuminate things, after all. In any case, the entrance of the dungeon was a bit weird… it resembled the entrance of a small building like a warehouse, but it would lead Aion downwards.
"I thought that all dungeons were naturally made… the monsters couldn't have carved out this, could they?" Aion asked while frowning.
The entrance of the dungeon had some drawings of some four-legged beasts fighting each other. They had upper bodies that seemed like lions, but they had two heads and their fur, at least with the drawings, looked like fire. Aion thought that it was an exaggeration, but he didn't drop his guard when he entered the dungeon.
"Come to think of it. I didn't see them taking out many things from the dungeon. Their luggage was light…" Aion thought.
The path went downward in a straight line and then in a spiral. That way, Aion won't be noticed soon if those guys return. He could stay near the entrance and watch things like that, but Aion wanted to fight as many enemies as possible, so he had to head to the bottom.
After going down for fifty or so meters, the spiral path ended, and Aion began to feel the smell of blood and of something burning. However, there were no flames around. Aion made a fire sphere fly around, and then it revealed the corpses of those monsters. They had four legs, and two heads and their mane seemed like it could burn. They were pretty big as well… being around four meters long and two tall.
That was free loot for Aion, so he made his weapon absorb the body. After a minute, he got some bones, leather, meat, and two red gems. Aion couldn't see the information of things in the real world, but things changed when they were in his inventory.
Origin Ember
A magic gem rich with the properties of fire magic. It grants small fire resistance when used on defensive gear and some fire damage when used on weapons.
Gems were good materials for the magic staff, and when Aion made it absorb them, he got some results pretty soon. There were ten corpses around, and the gems alone made the refinement reach level fifteen.
"I guess I will use magic here… it will help me deal with the problem of the water in the town and perhaps can even speed the creation of the channel…" Aion thought.
"Urrrrgggghhhhhh…"
Just when Aion thought of that, he heard some grunts. It seemed that some monsters had finally approached him… he could hear some light footsteps, and Aion didn't like their numbers. All of a sudden, they began to charge at Aion, and he summoned a thick ice wall. It didn't take long for them to hit the walls and make some cracks appear on the wall.
The monsters were big, and since they were three, they began to attack the walls with their claws and make them crack… when the wall finally cracked, Aion created another but made it spin horizontally before firing it at the monsters like a giant shuriken. In the end, Aion regretted it a little… he made the projectile too sharp and that made a lot of blood gush around while the heads of the monsters were being pierced.
You obtained 400 experience points.
You obtained 400 experience points.
You obtained 400 experience points.
Congratulations! The class Mage has leveled up.
You received 05 status points.
You received 05 improvement points.
Aion didn't know if the enemies were that weak against ice magic or his build, where he had only allocated points in Magic, was just that overpowering. In any case, Aion felt that he used too much mana, and he needed to learn how to control it more.
Chapter C82 Iron Fists
While his weapon was processing the materials, Aion used Meditation to recover his mana. In the end, it was back to full before the next enemies could show up, so it wasn't so bad… Regardless, before they could approach, Aion decided to bombard them with Ice Arrows. The Ice Arrows have grown in power and size so much that they were on the size of swords, and the skill was at level one… so the result of that was his Magic alone.
"Behold, mutts! Guns of Babylon!" Aion said while he was firing the projectiles.
The monsters tried to use their paws to block the arrows, but those pierced their flesh, and eventually, the monsters could no longer use those or even run away. The result became clear soon enough. Their heads were bombarded with ice arrows.
You obtained 380 experience points.
You obtained 380 experience points.
You obtained 380 experience points.
"Hmm… I used more mana this time… and the experience is already falling," Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess all that training that mom made me endure improved my control over the magic of her lineage and showed some results."
Although that was true, it was a lot easier to cast spells using the Mage class. Aion only needed a single thought, and he didn't have to concentrate and give shape to his magic after all. Regardless, Aion made his weapon absorb the corpses before meditating and moving forward.
It felt like Aion could do some training right at the end of the spiral path, but Aion still wanted to confirm how big that dungeon was. In case something happened since it was only twenty kilometers away from his town. That was his plan, at least, but then he got blocked time and time again by the monsters. At some point, he barely had time to recover his mana completely.
"It seems the spawning rate of this dungeon is pretty high… I wonder why," Aion pondered while looking at the corpses of the monsters. "Considering that, why do those guys only stay here during the day? They don't think that the monsters can escape?"
Aion read in books that monsters can escape from dungeons, but they usually only do so when they have massive numbers. The fact that they are fed by the core is one of the reasons why they aren't in a rush. Aion also read that some monsters are attracted to the dungeons, but that is rare in that kingdom since most monsters have been hunted down to almost extinction. Still, Aion was curious about the other places in the world…
Regardless, it didn't look like Aion won't be able to reach the end dungeon that day… he assumed that when four monsters began to run toward him and opened their mouths to use their Flamethrower attack… that made him use even more mana to kill.
"I guess I will retreat a bit and hunt them down until midnight," Aion thought. "I can't let those guys think that someone came at night and hunted these things."
Speaking of things, from the Zaera kingdom side, that dungeon had no name since they didn't use it. Still, Aion decided to call the place the fire mutt's dungeon. Regardless, Aion could use the bones to refine some of his weapons, but the meat could be eaten. The fire mutts didn't look that tasty, and with that name, Aion felt even less compelled to eat it. However, the system said that it could be eaten….
Since he was going to sell it, Aion had to at least taste a bit. It bothered him a little at first, but then he realized that it wasn't half bad… once he returned home, Aion slept for a couple of hours and then looked for some traveling merchants who might want that. Since the meat was so perfectly cut, no one had any idea where it came from, and it also looked pretty high class, so Aion sold them in the blink of an eye and earned one gold coin. The monsters were pretty big, after all, and he killed several dozen.
"I guess I can increase the price if they ask me later if I have more of those…" Aion thought.
For the next few days, Aion worked in the town doing his usual things, training, filling the wells with water, reading reports, and giving orders. Being a member of a famous and rich family has its perks and its demerits as well. In any case, he returned to the dungeon after three days, and he didn't notice anything different when it came to the behavior of those guys.
"Are they that stupid?" Aion wondered. "They are from the same land of Caelis the Tainted, and I didn't hear many good things about him. Still…"
That also could be a trap… it was hard to analyze someone from so far away. Regardless, Aion spent the day practicing his Furtivity and Meditation until he saw those guys leaving the dungeon again, only with a few bags of loot. They probably only wanted the gems that the monsters had…
In any case, despite the fact that Aion used Furtivity to approach and enter the dungeon. Those guys still returned to the dungeon at night as if they knew that someone that they had to deal with would be there… However, they found nothing. They looked around for a while and fought monsters, but no sign of enemies. Meanwhile, Aion watched them looking for him near a wall while Furtivity was active.
"Good thing that I am so cautious…" Aion thought while watching those guys with his arms crossed.
Regardless, aside from one guy who appeared to be the leader of the group, all the others weren't that impressive. In fact, they were having a hard time fighting the monsters one on one. Still, their leader was a guy as big as Horis, and he didn't have a single weapon or piece of armor on his body, and yet, his punches could crack the entire skull of the monsters…
Chapter C83 Fame Problems
"It seems that the books exaggerated when they mentioned that half of the people of that kingdom have mutated super powers… that or maybe, only the weaklings stay near the border," Aion thought.
Since they lived for long periods of time, Aion assumed that they could make kids even faster than the rabbit that was Aion's father, with in mind that they should have larger numbers as well. Adding their mutated powers, even the most stupid invasion should work, and yet…
"For now, that isn't important… let's focus on doing my own thing," Aion thought while he watched those guys leave.
Although Aion was itching to fight that guy, he had his priorities straight. Someone like that wouldn't duel anyone. He would duel to kill… It was almost insane that some people could follow that logic since their allies and friends would try to revenge on them if they lost and died. So, a stupid powerful idiot could start a war… just by dying. In a world like that, Aion couldn't help but frown since he felt the urge to fight that guy just for the challenge. Living in a world of battle maniacs wasn't doing much for the common sense that he got on Earth…
In the end, Aion waited for one hour before he began to hunt the monsters. Just to be sure… Instead of heading straight to the magic, Aion changed his class to Tamer, and then when the enemies showed up, he tried to use the skills on them after wounding them. Trying to apply pokemon logic to reality seemed silly, but the weaker someone becomes physically, usually, their mental strength decreases as well.
"It looks like the level of the class and the skill influence a lot more than expected…" Aion rubbed his chin thoughtfully when he failed several times. "I suppose that makes sense since, apparently, there are no limits on how many creatures I can tame."
Aion didn't use that skill before on the bears because he felt that it would be cruel to force them to submit, only to kill them afterward. Now that he had an area to control, he could hide them in many places since leaving them in the dungeon would make them be hunted. That was another thing that Aion wanted to check if he could bring them outside…
In the end, Aion assumed that taming monsters from dungeons were just impossible… he tried and failed too many times. There were many reasons for that, and the low level of the class and the skill couldn't be the reason. The influence of the core was too strong inside the dungeon, so perhaps Aion could tame them outside, which it doesn't seem like they were planning to do it.
Another reason could be that they didn't fear Aion enough… that seemed a bit weird since his power varied according to the class he was using. Regardless, his plans to get a monster's army and prevent invasions with them will have to be put on hold.
"I guess I will have to take some drastic measures…" Aion thought.
Aion didn't want to deal with low lives more than he already had to. While the captain of the guards was respected, he was a low-life from Aion's perspective due to his massive ego. So, after another day in the dungeon, Aion considered looking for smugglers or slave traders… they always have some animals and monsters up for sale. Also, they are everywhere.
The only problem was how Aion should approach them. As the lord of that territory, he was supposed to be their worst enemy, and truth to be told, he didn't want to get involved with those that put price tags on the lives of other people. Aion wondered if he should contact his mother to hear her opinion, but he didn't want to trouble her more than he already had…
Aion returned home pretty late in the night, but he noticed that the light in his office was still up. His mother was working last midnight… as expected, Aion couldn't trouble her any more than that. When Aion arrived at his office, he saw his mother with a letter in hand and she looked deep in thought.
"What is wrong, mom?" Aion asked. "That must be an urgent message if someone decided to send it so late in the night."
"Your father sent a message… it seems that the king had some spies in the Rosberg kingdom and they noticed that Caelis the Tainted might come to invade again," Artemisia said.
The timing for trouble to appear sure was troublesome. Aion didn't even start to build a militaristic force that he could trust and now this… Regardless, it was rather weird that the king could receive messages from spies so far away without Aion being the middleman. Still, it made sense that he wouldn't trust him considering half of his lineage.
"Are they going to send help?" Aion asked. "An invasion is…"
"They aren't going to send help…" Artemisia replied.
"I can think of a few reasons, but I don't want to waste time thinking too much about them," Aion said.
"The main reason is that Caelis isn't moving with a large army, so it isn't a proper invasion, it is more like the actions of a single person," Artemisia said. "The king says that he can only ignore it in order to avoid another war. Wars every five years will be more than a bit troubling for the kingdom."
"I agree… still, why would someone like that come to this kingdom without an army?" Aion asked. "Is he that stupid or… ah…"
"It seems that your father warned you about that… he is coming for you," Artemisia said. "Usually, after failing so many times at trying to face Horis, someone would avoid trying something this unreasonable. However, it seems that he had heard about your accomplishments and that you are nearby."
Chapter C84 Challenge
Truth be told, Aion wasn't that bothered that someone strong was coming to challenge him… he had become that much of a battle maniac, it seems. However, Aion was worried about the aftermath. Caelis didn't seem like someone reasonable, so the fight will be to death… and if his friends keep trying to avenge him, he will be stuck in a loop of endless battle in the best-case scenario. At worst, he will start a war.
"It is hard to say if he is stronger than Horis, and since the battle is unavoidable, then perhaps you should strike while the iron is hot," Artemisia said.
"What do you mean?" Aion asked.
"Instead of letting him challenge you, challenge him first," Artemisia said. "Determines the rules and a prize."
"Such a simple thing… it will really work?" Aion asked while frowning.
"It will. Those people who live for hundreds of years treat their honor above everything else," Artemisia said. "Like that thing you did at the guild, the one who starts everything decides the rules. If you challenge him, he will feel obligated to follow the rules for his honor. Still, you will need to offer him something good in return to accept the rules without making much of a fuss or changing them."
"Is that so… like what?" Aion asked.
"Like everything is allowed, thus, you will be able to use magic, and the winner takes a part of each other's territory," Artemisia said. "That way, you can obtain that dungeon."
"It seems too good to be true… can I even bet this land when it belongs to the kingdom?" Aion asked.
"The king isn't willing to help out of fear, so from my perspective, you can do as you see fit," Artemisia said, looking a bit annoyed.
It was only obvious that she would feel like that when others put so much responsibility over her son's shoulders. Still, Aion never thought that his mother would say something like that in the open. It was the first time Aion heard that Caelis was the owner of that dungeon, but if he wasn't, perhaps Aion could buy some time with that.
Regardless, that was the chance for Aion to get a boom on his business. If he wins, his territory will expand and become a lot richer with that dungeon under his command. More people will move there, and then they will pay more taxes… monarchy sure is useful to those in power, and Aion was experimenting with that firsthand.
With his mother's help, Aion wrote an appropriate letter challenging Caelis. The terms were that they could use any weapon and anything in their arsenal. The fight will be in three months near the border where the dungeon was supposed to be. They were also betting on the territories. To make things more convenient, Aion wrote that he won't fight like a mad dog without a reason and that if he refuses that, Caelis would be considere a coward.
Aion could almost see the face of an angry giant smashing the letter to pieces… even though he never saw the guy. In any case, it was a bit inconvenient, but in that world, people used ravens to send letters, and it usually took days. Since no one knows where Caelis would be, they send it to a random guild.
"I guess I should train for a while…" Aion thought. "It has been a while since I had a decent fight.
Aion had heard that Caelis fought with his fists and a spear, so he had to consider the right class against those fighting styles. Resetting the Berserker class seemed like a waste, but some things can't be helped… Besides, it wasn't like he was particularly attached to the class.
The enemy has the power to mind control those he defeats, but he should be able to show a weaker version just by causing damage. Aion read reports that those that got hit too many times began to move in a weird way, like they were hesitant, so that confirmed the theory. With that in mind, the Paladin, Archer, Mage, Monk, Tamer, Ninja, and Slayer classes seemed like the best options. Since they were focused on either defense, speed, or long-ranged attacks…
However, at least for now, Aion couldn't see any skill or passive that could help Aion in case the enemy got too close, so the long-ranged class probably should be left alone… He still decided to check their potential in the dungeon and see what they could offer. Before he could enter the dungeon again, Aion decided to ask his mother something.
"Mom, can you do some digging about people that might be doing some shady business behind the scenes?" Aion asked.
"What a weird thing to ask your mother…" Artemisia frowned. "Why are you interested in such a thing?"
"Well, those kinds of guys usually don't pay taxes, right?" Aion asked. "I wanted to deal with them before they become a nuisance."
"I think I understand, but your father's family has been respected for many years, I doubt that anyone would try to do that kind of thing in this territory," Artemisia said. "However, in other places might be different. Still, our capacity to gather information in those places will be limited."
"I see… Just do what you can, and don't tell anyone," Aion said.
"All right," Artemisia said.
Aion probably should focus on his next battle, but it couldn't be helped, and he wanted to prepare as much as possible for the future. Losing might happen, but Aion still had to act and plan ahead for the future, and he needed more capable hands to help him.
From that day onward, Aion trained at the dungeon until sunrise. Thanks to that, he obtained a lot of those red gems. So, even without using the mage class, that one leveled up a lot. When he used all those gems, he made the refinement reach level one hundred, and then he had a surprise…