The home of the mage had everything that they needed to survive. There was a well inside that connected to an underground river. While the room had no other food sources, the mushrooms had grown in abundance, and with the remaining spices that the mage had, the group could cook a meal that was better than what they would get as slaves.
The room was large and clearly crafted. The mage that lived there was not just a simple hermit. It was clear he was rather rich.
The group was resting inside the large room with lights of its own through some magic stones. They talked and tended to their wounds and gave Emeros the space he needed.
Emeros was in the other room and had finished observing the corpse. He was now reading through the journal of the corpse.
Serena watched from a distance. She couldn't help but look at the man and recall how he had fought earlier.
She knew that this young boy was strong. He had defeated a level ten Chort and saved his team from a party of strong Puks.
Somehow her heart was restless. Since their freedom, she has had great hope for the future of her life. And now, she was at level six! With this master of hers, she knew they would easily reach the captain's level!
Wesret noticed the glances that Serena had on Emeros and moved over to the seat next to Serena.
"You best stop that... Aside from his very young age, you know that our young master will be someone great. Nobles, kings, and queens will soon be after him. Women of great beauty will soon be throwing themselves at his feet." Wesret smiled.
Serena was startled.
"I..."
"I'm just telling you now. I've been a slave for so long and have met amazing people in my past service. I have even seen Knights and Champions! But none is so smart compared to Emeros. In a few days, I, a level one, had reached level six! Will I be a Captain by the end of this month?" Wesret chuckled.
"I know... When I served Baron Elford, I had seen the monsters needed to raise a man to levels five and six. I also was there when they were talking about energy conversion circles. I know my master can do something shocking and increase the power of how much energy is drawn and converted in those formation plates. That alone would make him a famous and legendary man in this kingdom. Even Mage Perment believes that and told me..." Serena sighed. She couldn't help but reach to her scared and ugly face.
"I just... can't help but..."
Wesret chuckled.
"Master... You seemed immersed in that book." Wesret called out.
Emeros was awakened by Wesret's call.
"We found someone amazing. This was Mage Rorcrast. A Level 27 dual-elemental mage."
"Level 27?! He is nearly a champion!"
"Yes. Look around you. This place doesn't look like a cave den. It looks like a room that elites could afford. Mage Rorcrast had stories similar to Perment but had no enemies who plotted against him. He managed to make a name for himself despite the little support he had. And he stayed here in search of a being of great power."
"A being of great power?"
"I heard from my master that something hides within these caves. A powerful being that could be a crown." Emeros recalled what his father told him. A Crown that was a servant of a Conqueror lived in the mines.
"Mage Rorcrast lived here to figure out this mystery. This was before the monsters were passing here. How bad was it on the first day the Monster passed here?" Emeros asked.
"It created quite a commotion. The monsters attacked the mines a few years ago with armies moving out. The kingdom dispatched Champions, and even a Commander was here! The war lasted for months. Did this man die at that time?"
"Yes. He saw the hordes that were passing and the wars between beasts. He was trapped here. He tried to break out finally when his food supply was low. But he got poisoned. He records a large venomous snake that attacked him on his last attempt to escape. It weakened his vitality, so he went home and wrote his goodbyes." Emeros then turned to the last page.
"To the one who finds my journal... I wish that the legacy of my work would not fade to nothing. Within this underground world are four other mages who have hidden themselves and escaped the injustice of nearby kingdoms. But alas, the other three are dead. Their life talisman had all shattered. We all hope that all our efforts to uncover the mystery of this mine will be forgotten. The source of where the monsters come from is within a strange world deep under this planet! And now a path has been opened, and all the creatures and monsters are emerging. My theory is one that the four other mages also share: the monsters that we live and thrive in the many monster territories are but survivors of an exodus. They came from the depths of this earth. And now they are coming out!" Emeros narrated.
The team was confused.
"Wait! That doesn't make sense! Isn't this place a path that connects the monster territories in this region?!" Wesret asked.
"It doesn't seem to be the case. Monsters are emerging from this place. Think about it! The chaos and wars that occurred were all because of the monster kingdoms. The fallen Esfork Kingdom grew weak because the monsters in the monster territories have become wild and attacked us!" Emeros recounted his experience that led to the death of the orphanage that raised him.
"Right... I heard of that! The monsters attacked cities and towns, and the army couldn't handle both. The kingdoms took advantage of that and attacked the Esfork Kingdom!"
"People must have blamed this path that was discovered. I remembered that there was a huge earthquake that affected many kingdoms. I didn't know about this place, but was that the time that the monsters appeared in this place?" Emeros asked.
"Yes! That was exactly the time! The kingdom scouts reported that the earthquake must have opened this underground region!" Wesret recalled.
"Then that was it! The earthquake didn't just open a path that connected the two monster regions that the Dividing Line Mountain Range separated; it opened a new path from under the earth! This means the imp invasion will be far more terrifying than we thought! The monsters must have stopped attacking the humans and had been preparing for an invasion!"
"What do we do, master?"
"This means that the invasion of the monsters would have happened eventually. But this gives us an interesting opportunity! For now... we stay here and hunt. I have already sent a message to Perment using the Message Talisman he gave me. He can get this book and reveal what Mage Rorcrast found out about this place if the accusations about us get too wild. With this lab, I think I can make use of it to create more potions. Right now, the important part is to train you guys..." Emeros turned to the rest.
"Train us?"
"Your stat growth is also dependent on your training. If you push your body beyond the limits, you tend to have higher stats in specific areas. But we don't have the right equipment and time right now. The best I can do is train you to get used to fighting against someone faster than you. The dexterity stat is a very important stat because we can hit and not get hit by strong enemies. We will practice with that. From now on, we will be spending a day here training, and the next day we will go out to hunt and attack more monsters."
"How will we train in dexterity?"
"We fight. I will fight all of you! This will also help you guys practice some basic attack moves. Slashing, blocking, evading... mostly the skills that freelancers like you need to master to develop the foundations of the jobs you get in the future. Get the spears that the imps had and break the tips to make them wooden poles. We will fight with those!" Emeros ordered.
The group started to pick up the small spears and began to use their swords to cut the tip and turn it into a blunt weapons.
"Master... Please go easy on us."
"I can't. We have to get strong fast. Besides, if you guys get stronger, our training sessions will finally start to help me!" Emeros explained.
Everyone had a serious look on them and held on to their weapons tightly.
Emeros recalled the early stages of Kyros. His main advantage was his speed.
"Kyros was able to train his allies to get used to fighting against fast foes... He's smart, and he must have been on to something. Then this should be my goal for now!" Emeros decided.
Everyone soon had their sticks ready.
Emeros picked up his stick and was ready to fight. His gaze turned serious. Beyond training the rest, he had to train himself.
He began to swing the stick and check on its stats.
---
Broken Spear
Attack: 6
Durability: 3
---
With a low attack stat, Emeros knew that the damage would not be too great on his allies even if he landed three of four hits.
"Everyone... I will attack you now!"
Emeros charged at Wesret. He didn't use [Prontp] but relied on his dexterity and made a powerful attack.
Wesret was startled and tried to block.
But Emeros suddenly, too, sidestepped and leaped at Philip.
ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm SMASH!
Philip was sent tumbling down.
Emeros smiled and saw Wesret charge to his side.
SMASH!
Serena managed to land a hit. She had attacked Emeros from the back!
Emeros saw starts, and before he could recover...
SMASH!
Don's attack landed.
SMASH!
And finally, Wesret.
Emeros staggered to the side, but Philip had recovered, and as he hadn't noticed what had happened, he leaped up and swung his stick on Emeros.
SMASH!
"Master!" Serena panicked as Emeros slumped down.
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