Ramiel shot his knuckles, and the time during the training passed like crazy. Before he knew it, five hours had passed. The man stood up and stretched his legs. Sitting in one position for so long made its presence known in the form of numb limbs.
Immediately, the former hunter felt his stomach growl. He realized that he hadn't eaten since the morning. Somehow, he didn't feel like it. Somehow, this mistake must be corrected... Without thinking, he made his way to the pantry.
Being there, the sight of a small room covered with ice appeared to his eyes. Ramiel, thanks to the Lilies, did not even feel the temperature change. Hardening the body with refined water did its job of strengthening immunity. The man reached with his hand for a few simple ingredients.
An hour later, the smell of fried meat with vegetables spread through the dungeon. Ramiel ate and wondered how to solve the food problem. Slowly but effectively, her supply was dwindling. The real problem turned out to be the Condemned Sloths. Their demand for food was enormous. In one day, they ate the equivalent of two adult humans. Their diet also had to be balanced. Otherwise, they would die within two days. If these monsters die at all... What happens to them after death is strange, to say the least.
I can reduce rations, but this is only a temporary solution... Ramiel wanted to summon them immediately before attacking the dungeon thus saving precious resources, but Avi spoiled everything.
" Tsk... why can't I have everything handed to me on a golden platter like the heroes in web novels... At least they have a system that does everything for them... " Ramiel ranted a bit about life, venting his accumulated frustration.
~~~~~
Some time later, Ramiel and two skeletons were busy processing Infirnyt crystals. Despite their low quality, these crystals were quite durable and difficult to work with. The lack of proper tools did not help.
The former hunter decided to use scrap metal unsuitable for anything. Using rusty and damaged weapons, he scraped the edges of the crystals, giving them the right shape.
The second option for machining the problematic raw material is internal mana. It can be used to melt the edges of the crystal, but it's a higher school of travel. The mana consumption is disproportionate to the results obtained. Ramiel preferred to tire himself out already rather than waste potential gains in this way.
About twenty minutes passed, and Ramiel finished carving the first of the crystals. He managed to get a satisfactory shape for the arrowhead. To his surprise, the arrowhead turned out to be relatively straight. The arrow retained its weight and properties. Only its power output changed. Now, it either exploded on contact with the surface or penetrated and instantly froze the target.
Playing around like this, Ramiel came up with the idea of a magic formation, but activating and maintaining it would require a huge amount of crystals, and success was not guaranteed. In the end, it was invented on the fly.
Unfortunately, most magic formations required a constant source of mana to function. Special resources could alter or amplify their effect. Infirnyt crystals were perfect for this. They were rich in mana, and the element of ice contained in them found use in many formations focused on crowd control or specializing in defense.
Before Ramiel knew it, he and the skeletons had processed about eight arrows. That was a tenth of their entire supply.
Immediately after this, something unexpected happened. While Ramiel drank water, the skeletons' bodies glowed. When the glow faded, the former hunter saw entirely new bony monsters.
Their bones had turned white and leaner, but their hands were thick and massive, their fingers had lengthened and their tips had turned into sharpened needles. The skeletons looked at Ramiel, and yellow flames appeared in eye sockets.
The monsters now showed more intelligence. Recognizing the former hunter as their master, they dropped to their knees and loudly clicked their bony jaws.
Ramiel already knew what his subjects had turned into, but he preferred to make sure.
| Status |
| Name |
| Race Skeleton Grinder |
| Direction of Evolution Grinder |
| Age ? |
| Strength 10 |
| Stamina Infinity |
| Vitality 6 |
| Agility 12 |
| Defense 6 |
| Mana 16 |
It can be said that Ramiel was satisfied with the stats of the skeletons, but what caught his attention was the direction of evolution. There was only one, and it was immediately available. Of course, the former hunter followed the blow.
When the blinding light disappeared, two transformed skeletons appeared before the man's eyes. This time, their bones shimmered in the light, and a bright yellow fire burned fiercely in place of their eyes. Their hands were covered with a matte layer of something resembling metal, and their shapely fingers were perfectly suited for working with crystals.
| Status |
| Name |
| Race Elder Skeleton Grinder |
| Direction of Evolution Grinder |
| Age ? |
| Strength 12 |
| Stamina Infinity |
| Vitality 8 |
| Agility 15 |
| Defense 8 |
| Mana 25 |
Ramiel whistled in admiration. Evolution was expensive, consuming all the machined arrowheads.
" I hope these resources were not wasted. Otherwise, Avi will gouge out my eyes. "
Ramiel's concerns proved unnecessary. The skeletons were perfect at their job. With grace and incredible speed, they rode their fingers over the surface of the crystals, shaping them perfectly. Their action resulted in increased penetrating power and attack. I omit the fact that they looked amazing after processing. More than one rich lady would give her entire fortune for one of them.
Ramiel watched the skeletons work for a while longer. At this point, he was redundant. The men did not grow up to match them. Evolution combined with a change of profession had worked wonders. Not wanting to ridicule himself, he went to inspect the construction work...
The ex-hunter stood in front of the abyssal gate. He observed the progress that had taken place on the construction site. The skeletons and the goblins were working up a sweat, forging rocks to create wolf pits. A quarter of them were busy constructing barricades and palisades. Slowly, everything was taking shape. If they kept up the pace of work, they should even make it ahead of schedule.
Ramiel stood next to the barricade. He ordered that small holes be left in it, through which wooden spears would stab enemies. In front of the structure were sharpened piles driven into solid rocks. Ramiel didn't know if they would pass the test, but he had nothing to lose but the wood.
~~~~~~
The former hunter was lying on the skin of The Dead Gnu near the campfire, and next to him were two women. Each had spent a productive day attending to their growth and training. Ramiel wasn't sure exactly what Asme was doing, but he trusted her word. After a conversation they had some time ago, the horned beauty was hard at work.
Avi wasn't with them, the fairy supervised the construction work of the skeletons. When she felt tired, she was about to wake up Ramiel to change with him.
The former hunter was slowly getting sleepy. Just as he was about to close his eyes, Caera suddenly fired up. The woman had recently become bolder. She still had that charming side but tried to keep it short.
" Ramiel, what was your world like? "
Hearing the elfess' question, Asme raised her eyes, and her tail moved slowly. The succubus was also curious about the environment Ramiel lived in. He brought many delicious and useful things from there.
" Don't be like that... tell us a bedtime story ~ " - Asme whispered in his ear in a seductive voice.
Ramiel let the air out faster. He didn't want to do it too much, but he didn't have anything better to do anyway. One or two stories wouldn't hurt.
" My world what... At first glance, it seems like pure Paradise. In the beginning there was no mana in it. It appeared only some thirty years ago, changing temporal life, but I will tell you about that later. We were the only species on Earth, not counting animals, insects, and bacteria. For us, creatures such as elves, dragons, demons and angels were mythical figures that appeared only in myths and legends. For us, the real magic was something we call science. With its help, many ingenious things were created, and humans became the dominant species. Our cities became mighty, and buildings reached into the sky. Cars moved among them, and airplanes flew in the sky. They were used to move from one point to another at a dizzying speed. We created many life-saving medicines. We built hospitals to treat all sorts of diseases and problems. Life became simpler and easier, jobs were everywhere, and access to basic knowledge was free. "
The women listened attentively to the man's story, absorbing the new knowledge like a sponge. Ramiel used many unintelligible words, but they did not interrupt him. Finally, Caera could not stand it and asked.
" What about jellies and chips? Where can you find them? "
At the mention of goodies, the elfess ears fluttered, and Asme's tail moved excitedly. Ramiel only laughed under his breath. There's a reason, the way to the heart is through the stomach.
" Food is widely available and costs pennies, of course, there are war-torn regions where it is valuable, but there are few such places. It's sold in stores and literally, you can find almost anything there." - Ramiel replied dryly.
" This is wonderful! How can such a wonderful place exist! I envy you were living there. " - Asme wheezed excitedly. Everything the former hunter talked about seemed like a dream... a beautiful dream. She would give anything to be able to at least see these wonders... Well, maybe almost anything... The thing between the man's legs was irreplaceable.
Ramiel smiled sadly at the horned beauty's enthusiasm. Asme couldn't have been more wrong. His world was wonderful, but at the same time, its splendor became its doom and disease.
" It is wonderful... I wouldn't call it that. "
Caera pulled down her eyebrows. She could sense sadness coming out of Ramiel's aura but couldn't understand why. Asme's reaction was the same; she felt that something must be up. After a moment of depressing silence, Ramiel stopped keeping the women in suspense.
" You couldn't be more wrong Asme... My world may seem like a paradise, but it is a true hell. Over the centuries, humans have lost their basic values. Things like honor or true love don't exist. Humans, in pursuit of money, power, and social position, are capable of doing anything. A brother kills a brother, a mother destroys a son, and the rat race in pursuit of a piece of paper continues. Your greatest enemy is not a wild animal or a disease but another human being. Such a thing as friendship is only a pipe dream of fools... Of course, there are exceptions, but they are few. If you trust someone, you almost always end up with a knife stuck in your back. Human beings have become diseases, slowly destroying their species. Under the pretext of security, those in power fueled the armaments business, but in reality, the only thing that matters is war-related profits. Even in the face of lurking doom, humans could not unite. They conspired against each other and killed each other behind the curtain. Such a thing as justice and law applied only to the poor and weak. The laws to be obeyed are just toys in the hands of the rich. If you have money, you can do anything. I thought... I thought the situation would improve with the advent of mana, but it got even worse. Monsters in human skin arose, spreading destruction on a wide scale. Humans simply lost what defined them as human beings... Was it ever better? I don't know, I didn't live in those times, but at least people were guided by some values... "
The women were silent, in every word of the man they heard sadness and something they could not define. Ramiel said no more, he didn't need to. The women understood that something important must have happened in his past that changed his worldview.
Caera wanted to comfort him, but the woman did not realize her foolishness. The woman misread Ramiel's motives.
" I am sure you will find a way to return to your world. Your family is surely worried about you. They will be happy to have you back. We - we didn't have that. I envy you a little.
"
Asme, hearing what foolishness Caera was saying, felt like strangling her on the spot. The horned beauty wondered if the elfess had suffered some kind of stroke or had fallen out of her nanny's arms when she was an infant. She looked fearfully at Ramiel's face but found only indifference on it. However, she noticed a depressed grief in his eyes. Uncertain of the man's reaction, Asme decided to sit quietly and not speak. She just gave her friend an electrifying glance.
Ramiel's voice broke the silence.
" You don't have to. There is nothing to envy. Before I became an adult, my parents died in an accident, leaving me and my sister alone. My siblings hated me because of this. Lily thought it was my fault. She didn't want to know me. When I wanted to take her away from the orphanage, she beat me in a rage, cursing me in every possible way. "
Ramiel coughed, his throat dry from the constant talking.
" She was partly right. If I hadn't quarreled with my dad at the time, maybe they would have escaped from the monsters in the dungeon... After their death, I fell into uninteresting company. I did a lot of inappropriate things back then. If it wasn't for Max, I would have ended up badly, very badly. "
A sincere smile crossed Ramiel's face at the mention of his friend.
" Back to my sister, I never stopped helping her. I had to do it from the shadows because she would never accept anything from me. I'm sure she didn't even show up at my funeral. "
Caera felt foolish. This was not what she expected. She just wanted to comfort him and only scratched Ramiel's old wounds.
" I - I, I didn't - I didn't want to " - The elfess stuttered not knowing what to say. The whole situation overwhelmed her.
" You don't have to do that. I have long since come to terms with that period of my life. Time can't be turned back, and some mistakes can't be fixed. Only their consequences can be alleviated.
Ramiel, wanting to get rid of negative memories, hugged the women tighter, cutting off the previous conversation.
" Asme? "
The former hunter didn't need to say anything more. Asme understood him without words. A moment later, the melodious voice of the horned beauty rang through the room.