Chapter 48: Prince Troma – The Alchemist City View
Ruthar staggered back as the horn of the Kaiju clashed hard with his sword. He grunted, readjusting his footing as the Kaiju, resembling a bull, turned around to attack him again.
As it came closer, a large ice spike tore from the ground beneath, implanting itself deeply into the Kaiju's gut. It gave a shriek, stunned by the attack.
'There's a big opening on its neck. I'll use Hendricks' sword art!' Ruthar seized the opportunity, launching forward with incredible speed. He reached the beast and slashed at the base of its neck.
His attack made a deep cut, nearly severing the beast's neck and ultimately killing it as it collapsed to its side, blood gushing out.
[You have killed a bull Kaiju]
[Reward: 15 Exp gained]
Name: Ruthar Darkdawn
Title: None
Job class: None
Exp: 45/620
Level: 3
Ruthar huffed tiredly as he saw the notifications pop up. A lot had changed since he last checked his system, especially his Exp.
He turned his gaze to Taraha and Troma, who watched his battle from afar, looking impressed.
Shortly after killing the first Kaiju, they had encountered another one on the way. Just like the first, it chose to attack them. This time, Ruthar convinced Taraha to let him handle it.
'I only wanted to test my strength against it. With what I have done today, I'm sure I am far stronger than Rotexa and probably Tomaha.'
Meanwhile, Troma's eyes were glued to Ruthar. "He's really good, but he won't be able to defeat Tomaha by the time of the duel with that kind of body."
Taraha nodded. She had also noticed that while Ruthar was more skilled than Rotexa and Tomaha, there was a problem with his body's anatomy. 'His body can't handle the strength he possesses... Hmm?'
A thought crossed her mind, making her turn to Troma with a puzzled look. "Aren't Kaijus lone beasts? Do they have territories?"
Troma nodded, immediately catching the point of her words. "Something is wrong with how quickly we encountered these two Kaijus. First, their breeds are low-grade but mutated to some extent. Kaijus are rarely seen around these parts."
Taraha nodded at his addition. "I think we are being targeted. We must not linger in these lands; Ruthar must be the target."
Troma was confused for the first few seconds about why Ruthar would be targeted since he was the weakest in their group. But after considering Kithara's explanation, he heaved a worried sigh.
'Kithara said I should watch Ruthar carefully and protect him even if it costs my life. He must be truly special for Mother to say that and for Taraha to be protecting him this much.'
"Hey guys, I see a city from here! Is that where we are headed?" Ruthar called out from afar, having just spotted a city that piqued his curiosity.
"Yeah, it's the Alchemist City. That's our checkpoint," Troma replied, pocketing his hands as he walked up to Ruthar and took the lead towards the city. "To you, this is a city, but to me, it's home."
Ruthar recalled how Troma in the novel was an alchemist too, a great fighter and skilled with potions and alchemist crafts.
"We are here for potions and to clear the Kaijus disturbing this city," Lady Taraha explained mostly to Ruthar since he had no idea why they were there in the first place. "So keep a low profile. No one must know we are Darkdawns."
'Especially now that I know we might be targeted.'
---
The Alchemist City was a mixture of various types of people. A variety of rich dress, to the tattered and poor, to the delinquent and then the introverted, but one thing in common was the side bag which clinked with the sound of glass meeting glass, probably where they stored their potions.
Apart from that, the high buildings were made of tough brick, and the ground looked a bit more modern than Ruthar had expected.
'Originally, I thought this would look like those old movies where everything would stink like a rotten corpse or worse, but this feels a bit civilized, and the clothing looks unique... Take that, modern-day society!' As Ruthar continued to take in the sights, his gaze met the food, and he almost puked his guts out.
Despite the bustling atmosphere, the streets weren't very populated. Who knows why?
"This place looks less protected than I thought it would be," Ruthar finally spoke up, gaining Troma's attention.
"It's supposed to be that way. Exorcists have forts, adventurers have guilds and bars. Alchemists, on the other hand, possess nothing but safe zones; they are vagabonds," Troma explained.
Ruthar pondered his words and found it made little sense. Why would they leave their cities unprotected? But who was he to care?
'For all I know, I have problems with a nightmare freak...'
[Failed to Extract cure from Rotexa]
[You have gained a new skill]
'So sudden?' Ruthar's eyes widened in worry, and his throat went dry. Nothing warranted this new skill, but he would gladly accept it.
[Level Up Rank: Newbie]
[No information regarding skill has been updated]
'No information? What the hell is this?'
[You have to fulfill a secret quest first for this secret skill]
'A quest? Does this mean I will go back to training my ass off?' Ruthar sighed, knowing this was a trick that would involve nothing more than pain.
[Quest: ULTIMATE REWARDS]
*Earn the right to be given a skill
*Accept death from the Nightmare entity
"Man, these quests are as confusing as hell," Ruthar huffed as he mused. He paused as Troma branched into one of the side shops on the left, buying a few potions before meeting them back at the spot he left.
"Have you gotten everything?" Taraha asked, and Troma nodded in reply.
He put his hand into a side bag around his waist and pulled out a yellow potion in a test tube, handing it over to Ruthar.
Ruthar took it from him with confusion.
[Mystic Insight]
//Name: Potion of Enhancement
//Abilities: Enhancement
//Species: Grade One Potion
"An enhancement potion!" Ruthar excitedly popped off the cork on top of the bottle, awaiting no reply as he drank the potion to its very last drop.
Name: Ruthar Darkdawn
Title: None
Job class: None
Exp: 46/620
Level: 3
{Stats}
Strength: 56+15
Agility: 31+5
Senses: 9+2
Stamina: 54+8
Intelligence: 3/200
Fatigue: 0
Mana: 865
Everything but intelligence and mana went up. 'I feel changed a lot from the potion already. Especially from the senses stats—I can hear more than usual and sense every sole of shoes hitting the rock-hard ground. It's hard to get used to.'
Troma tapped Ruthar back to his senses, giving him a look that asked, "How was it?"
"It was really—huh? Sweet." Ruthar's reply dampened Troma's look.
"How could you say sweet! Are you stupid or something?" Troma hissed, putting his hands into his pockets and looking less concerned again. "So, what do you think, sister Taraha? Where should we start searching for the Kaijus?"
Taraha shook her head, already having her mind made up. "Let's... Damn it!" Her expression immediately turned gloomy, jolting Troma and Ruthar.
"What's wrong?" Ruthar placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, immediately alert. Although it was only Taraha who knew what the issue was.
"It's a trap! Run! Ruthar... Troma!" Taraha yelled at the top of her voice, suddenly jumping forward while throwing a strong kick into Ruthar's gut, sending him flying a few feet and crashing to the ground.
Meanwhile, a single man who had long been staring at them awkwardly opened his mouth.
The man's human skin tore off, and wings formed at the base of his back. His body grew ten times larger than a grown man, and scales covered his form as he transformed into something more treacherous—a dragon.
Before anyone could react, the morphing had already taken place.
The dragon's throat glowed red, and in the next moment, it blasted a large ball of flame that scorched the entire street.
To be continued...