The next day, at 6:50 in the morning, I had woken up early. Well, the truth was that I hadn't slept at all. Who could sleep when they were surrounded by enemies and had two rats lurking near their room at every turn? The truth was that I didn't need to sleep; I had life energy to spare and an insane amount of beasts in the bucket that I could use as nutrients at any time. Speaking of the beasts I had in the bucket, they turned out to be very useful; I managed to draw out several skills from those beings. Out of all those beasts I had killed, only one was kept alive.
"We finished off 190 beasts."
"How many had skills?"
- ONLY 8 SKILLS WERE FOUND. MUTATIONS WERE OMITTED.
I had told D to omit all the mutation-type features; after all, I didn't want to turn into a horrible monster.
- AND IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO REPLICATE THE ABILITY OF THE FLOWER WITH A HUMAN FACE.
"And the reason for this?"
- HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY SKILLS.
"Impossible".
The wretched thing had attacked us with its strange powers. It was crystal clear: if it had powers, that flower was a special being; there was no doubt about it. That was why I had not killed it immediately and had kept it in the bucket; I knew that it would be useful if used in a good way.
"He must be using something to hide his power."
- I AGREE.
"Analyze the flower thoroughly, make sure nothing escapes. I want to know every detail of its existence."
- UNDERSTOOD.
He had to be doing something to prevent us from replicating his powers, but I was sure he had some ability. That flower had caused him more trouble than the alpha himself. As a rule, he had to bring something good.
"What name did you assign to the skills?"
- THE NAMES OF THE SKILLS ARE:
• HIGH VOLTAGE
• WOOD VINE
• GLASS WALL
• TOXIC JUICE
• FLASH
• WITHOUT VISION
• GLUTTONY
• BLOODTHIRST
"Are they in the bucket yet?"
- YEAH.
I had acquired quite an interesting set of skills. I already knew what each skill did, after all, I had faced the beasts that those skills belonged to. I didn't need to ask what each skill did; just hearing the name would give me an idea of which beast it belonged to.
"I didn't think skills were that rare."
Apparently, skills were hard to come by. After all, I had to kill over 100 beasts in order to acquire eight powers. Of course, if I added mutations into the equation, the number would go up exponentially, but I didn't want mutations on my body. After all, who the hell would want bird wings, monster nails, and beast hair? For obvious reasons, I had omitted those mutations; I didn't want to damage my body with those things; it would be counterproductive.
One thing I was sure of: with this new set of skills I would have a better chance of turning the situation around that would unfold in the next few days. A plan had been floating around in my head, one that would be quite brutal and quite out of the ordinary. I was dying to see the look on the Invaders' faces when they saw who the person waiting for them would be. They would surely be excited thinking that the job would be easier than they thought, but they couldn't be more wrong.
Another thing to take into account was that beast tamer who had fought with Idril. That guy was a variable to be taken into account. If he got involved in the fight, things were going to get ugly. It was hard to tell if the bastard would come to fight; after all, he seemed to be capricious about obeying orders from others. If the guy came, I would undoubtedly have to fight with everything I had, and I would undoubtedly have to return to my original form to face him. After all, the guy had toyed with Idril. I had to be prepared to fight him at any time.
In my current state, I rely heavily on the skills I have in my arsenal. My body is too small to go head-to-head with someone. Height and limb length play a major role. Therefore, a melee confrontation does not benefit me at all, and that was where my original body played a major role. If I mixed the powers I currently had with my original body, I could undoubtedly exert a force that could easily crush my enemies. After all, I had perfect control over my original body, which I didn't have in the body I was currently in. That was why I had been beaten up by that guy who tried to kidnap the elf girl, but I ended up surpassing him due to the amount of skills I possessed.
I knew that I didn't have to rely too much on skills. I had to train my physical body and my ability to react to situations quickly and effectively. After all, I wasn't a warrior. If I had to find a word to describe me, it would be that I was a simple human who knew how to box a little and also knew a little about street fighting. After all, I had participated in several fights throughout my life. The city I lived in, or rather the town I lived in, was one fraught with danger, where every day you had to fight someone in order to survive, as gangs were rampant and thieves were abundant. Although that changed with the arrival of certain policies in the area.
Once it was 7am, I got out of the bed I was in. I didn't go take a shower, as I didn't need to. After all, my body wasn't releasing fluids and therefore my odor was almost non-existent. The same went for bathroom trips; I didn't need to go to the bathroom, as I wasn't actually producing fecal material. This was all thanks to the nutrient distribution D had set up in my body. Technically speaking, my body wasn't wasting a single bit of nutrients; the breakdown of nutrients was perfect.
Once I got out of bed, I put on the shoes that had been gifted to me. I could see that the elf girl was still asleep in her room, and rightly so, after all, she had gone to bed a bit late and had spent a lot of energy. Even I felt tired with all the chatter that the elf girl spouted. Once I got up, I made my way to the door and opened it. I could see the royal guard stationed as usual, right next to the elf girl's door. It was the same guy who could split his body in two; he had a rather useful power that he would undoubtedly steal when the opportunity presented itself.
I headed towards the door of the elf girl's room. I walked smoothly, with coordinated steps and unwavering confidence. Once I arrived right in front of the door, the royal guard glanced at me slightly; he seemed to be telling me with his gaze that I couldn't enter the room. But that didn't matter to me. So I answered him:
"I'm going in."
I answered her in an authoritative voice. The royal guard had no choice but to nod his head. He knew that it was not in his best interest to anger me. Thus, I placed my hands on the door lock and slowly opened it, and set foot inside the room. What I saw in the room was something I had seen before: the girl was surrounded by luxury. Her bed could be seen covered in pillow-shaped stuffed toys. The walls were covered in paintings. Multiple detection spells could be felt in the room that would alert the royal guard if they were activated. Not only were the walls filled with paintings, but some drawings could also be seen that seemed to have been drawn by the elf girl herself. To be honest, the girl drew better than I could have ever done in my entire life. She was simply a genius. I approached the large bed that the girl slept on and could see her face, which reflected innocence. This girl, without a doubt, had the habits of her aunt. The bed was all in disarray; it looked as if a whirlwind had entered the bed and swirled the sheets around violently.
"Wake up, Lia," I said in a voice loud enough to wake a normal person, but it seemed to have no effect on her. I stared at her for a moment, and after a while, I made a decision.
"It's decided, today you will learn how to use mana," I said loudly enough for the royal guard to hear my words. He was still outside the room and the door was closed, but I knew he was able to hear what I was saying. After all, members of the royal guard could enhance their physical abilities without any problem. Therefore, it wouldn't be strange if their hearing improved exponentially.
Despite my loud words, the girl was still asleep. But that didn't matter to me in the slightest. With a single thought, I activated the 'move' feature and the girl was lifted up in an instant by an invisible force. The girl could be seen levitating in the air. As I levitated the girl in the air, I told the royal guard to come in. It didn't take long for him to enter the room I was in. Once he was in front of me, I said to him:
"Gather the elf girl's entire family together. Tell them that today will be the girl's first class and I want everyone to be present. Tell them that the meeting will be in that magical room."
The royal guard listened attentively to my words and it didn't take long for him to turn around and head off to inform the royal family. While the royal guard went to inform the royal family of what I had informed him, I headed with the elf girl towards that magical room. The elf girl was still sleeping, unaware of what was about to happen. I kept her levitating the whole time; I didn't want her to wake up yet. After 20 minutes of waiting, the figures I was waiting for finally appeared in the distance.
I was sitting on the grass at the place. I waited for the royal family to approach the place where I was standing. They had not come alone; they had also brought two royal guards with them. Seeing those royal guards, a smile appeared on my lips. The first person to break the silence was Angrod:
"Good morning, D. We heard that you called us."
The people who had come at my call were Angrod, Maedhros, Eryn, Idril, Naida, and Keijo. I would have preferred that, instead of those royal guards, there had been the two intruders. Of one thing I was sure, and that was that if those guys found out that the elf girl had awakened her mana, they would undoubtedly go crazy and attack like a pack of savages. According to the information I had gathered, the elf girl was extremely dangerous to them; she was extremely powerful, or at least she would be in the future. I answered with the best face I could muster:
"Good morning. That's right, I called everyone over. The reason for my call is simple: today I will be awakening the elf girl's powers. Or, to be more precise, I will make the elf girl capable of using mana. And I wanted you to observe the process from start to finish."
Once I finished my statement, I ordered Keijo:
"Stay outside the room and don't let that black-haired, black-eyed elf in. That elf is one of the intruders. To be more exact, the thing lying inside is the intruder. The person who usually accompanies that elf is also an intruder. If those two try to enter, kill them on the spot."
The statements I had just released had fallen like bombshells that left several of those present confused, causing them to forget my previous statement. The surprise was evident on their faces. It seemed that the black-haired, black-eyed elf had gained their trust. They were surprised that I turned out to be an intruder. I could hear Angrod's confused voice:
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I have no doubt. Those two are the intruders. They seem to have the ability to transfer into other bodies without any problem. So you must be careful not to alert them."
Keijo stepped forward and expressed his opinion:
"Those two have been behaving strangely for some time now. They seemed to be trying to find out everything about our guest and the frequency of their actions deliberately increased from the moment he appeared injured."
"Oh, so you had noticed."
"Yeah".
Everyone seemed to be upset and outraged that they had allowed such people to infiltrate their ranks so easily.
If the two intruders had been occupying the places of the two royal guards, they would have undoubtedly attacked and exposed themselves to everyone, and it would have been a bit risky for the process I was about to perform. But since that wasn't the case, I decided to simply not let them intervene.
Angrod asked in a worried voice:
"Do you know what those guys are planning?"
I looked straight into Angrod's eyes and replied:
"Don't worry. I know exactly what they're planning. I'll tell you since you'll be participating in the plan I have prepared. But first I'll make the elf girl able to use mana."
"I understand, but what exactly do you mean by making my granddaughter able to use mana? That's not possible. There's no way to do such a thing unless I use some special artifact."
"Angrod, I know you know it's possible. You should know beforehand that the bodies of living beings have certain channels through which mana flows. Or am I wrong?"
He listened attentively to each of my words and then his eyes widened in surprise. It was more than clear that he understood what I was referring to.
"Wait, are you trying to use that forbidden method?"
"Exactly. I will use my own mana and circulate it in the elf girl's body in a thorough manner. I will force her channels to open."
"You, where did you get that method? Only the royal family is supposed to know about it."
"Of course I know that method. After all, I've already used it on this body. I assume you all thought I would simply show my magic to the elf girl, but I regret to inform you that it was never in my plans to do such a thing. My goal was always to open the elf girl's channels."
Everyone frowned, as they seemed to know what she was talking about. The next one to join the conversation was Idril, who explained in an annoyed tone:
"That method was banned centuries ago because of its complexity. After all, it requires a master skilled in the art of manipulating the body's channels. It was used countless times in the past. The death toll could easily exceed 4 digits. The chances of success were extremely low, so that method was banned, and over the years, that method was forgotten and today there are no longer people capable of using it. Are you trying to say that you can do it?"
I looked into Idril's eyes and answered confidently:
"Yes, I can do it. The chances of success are 100% if I do it myself, but that chance may be affected if I am interrupted in the middle of the process."
Idril replied in an annoyed tone:
"I have read about this method and it causes great pain to the person in question. Do you think my sweet niece could withstand all that hell? She is still very small. It is better to wait for her channels to open naturally. We will not expose my niece to danger."
A smile appeared on my face against my will. I liked the way they were protecting the girl. I knew they wouldn't be happy when I explained it to them in detail.
"Idril, do not worry about the elf girl's safety. I know better than anyone the risks involved in opening someone's channels at a young age."
"So..."
"But my method is not the same as the one you know. It is a method developed by me and it is simply perfect."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that your niece won't suffer any harm or feel any pain in the process. That's how safe my method is. Or how do you think I use mana?"
Everyone fell silent at my statement. It was more than clear that they were thinking about it, and if you analyzed what I had told them, it was obvious that I had used a method capable of opening the channels. The evidence of that was in my body, as I could use mana, since my channels were open since I was a baby. The next to come up and join was Eryn. She asked in a worried voice:
"Are you sure my little girl won't suffer?"
"You have my word that she will not feel any pain or discomfort during this process."
I answered her truthfully. After a moment of contemplation, the queen asked another question:
"Is it necessary to accelerate a process that will occur naturally?"
The queen hit the nail on the head. She asked the question I didn't want to answer. I sighed and had no choice but to give her an answer.
"Yes, it is necessary for her to be able to defend herself with her own powers. I know that at some point the royal guard will not be able to defend her. A situation will arise where she is defenseless and runs the risk of being killed. I will not be in this mansion looking after her forever. My stay here is temporary, but I am sure of one thing: the girl's enemies will always be lurking. That is why I want her to at least have a way to defend herself."
The queen nodded her head in understanding. Then she said to me:
"I leave it in your hands."
Maedhros looked at his wife and they exchanged glances. He seemed to disagree, but seeing his wife's determined look he chose to follow her will.
Maedhros spoke words that contained no hint of any emotion in them:
"If my daughter suffers because of this, I will make you pay for it."
I looked him straight in the eyes. They showed an unbreakable will and an unprecedented seriousness. He was very serious.
"Understood," I said, not mocking his words. He was basically threatening me, or rather it was a fact that he would do whatever he had to do to get revenge if anything happened to his daughter.
I turned to the girl still floating behind me and, as I looked at her, I blurted out a piece of information they didn't know:
"The reason why the individuals from before wanted to kill her is because she supposedly possesses immense power. Supposedly, that power is capable of bringing the world itself and any race that opposes it to its knees."
Hearing my words, everyone seemed shocked by what I had just told them. They didn't seem to understand what I was saying. So I was a little more specific:
"Stronger than Idril, stronger than that beast tamer, maybe stronger than a dragon."
When I was more specific, I could immediately see the queen gasp. I could see her mouth open in pure surprise. The others were no exception.
I continued with the explanation so that they understood that the girl, deep down, was not as weak as they thought. They had no idea of the potential she had.
"Maybe stronger than me, I couldn't say for sure."