Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book IV Page 7

Health: 3,100

  Attack: 47.25 (236.25)

  Defense: 316

  Magic resistance: 14%

  Skills:

  Homesick

  Poisonous Teeth

  Family strength: 122/130

  Family skills:

  Eye of Duat

  Eater of Dead

  Cerberus strength: 2/10

  Cerberus skills:

  Guard Fangs

  Hospitable Dog

  XP to the next level: 252,670/661,700

  To the next evolution:

  0/585 Influence Points;

  6/1,300 devoured bodies.

  Thanks to Explosive Growth, the pet gained Level 21 with the XP he already had. The skills, accessories, and clothes purchased by Will had made Hades into a strong sidekick. His third head came shortly after, possessing a particular skill:

  EATER OF DEAD

  Passive skill: Apprentice

  Description: Pet’s health or family strength restored by the bodies devoured.

  Health units restored: 1 per 2 seconds

  Family strength units restored: 1 per 10 seconds

  The skill was good, but not to be used in the thick of a battle.

  Hades’s battle gear consisted of golden-rank Claws of Bravery, which increased his attack and the probability of causing critical damage, silver-rank Wild Collar, which provided magic and physical resistance, and Dried Tree Shields and Starry Forest Breastplate for more protection. The breastplate also had a skill, Forest Shield, which created a ring of seven-foot trees (or rather shrubs) around the pet. It look strange in action, but this skill was still an effective way of reducing the speed of almost all large enemies.

  Will had been leveling Hades up for the third day in a row. That morning began just like any other, but by noon, he got a message from Mollie that her case had been heard by the court, and that they were putting the accused nobles into prison until the final hearing.

  Good timing. I’ve been missing this quest.

  Knowing the destination, Will summoned his pet and headed for the blossoming eastern city of Inshaheer. After buying a few potions on his way, just in case, he entered a teleport and came out among looming, ancient Chinese-style buildings with roofs curved upward and brightly painted timberwork. This place was bustling with locals and players alike.

  Having opened the map to find the prison, Will could only make out the vague location. He had to find the way by asking.

  ***

  His quest to find the prison’s location didn’t last long. Raven was soon standing in front of a large, stone building, time-worn and shabby.

  Do Adamarona’s prisons look the same? he wondered briefly, but soon forgot about it. He needed a plan to locate each victim as accurately as possible, in order to minimize the time he would have to spend in the forbidden area.

  Let the hunt begin. Having glanced around and spotted a man of exactly the sort he needed, Raven headed for a dark alley.

  Chapter 207. Death to Traitors

  “Y o, man. Watcha want? What the fuck?” the tipsy man, who looked like a street gangster, replied to Will’s request in a nasal voice.

  “I’m asking if you wanna make some money. Ten silver coins just for talking to the guard.”

  The mention of money brought a spark of intelligence to the man’s eyes, softening his speech.

  “Wait, bro. Money’s good, but I’m at odds with them guards. You better put some more on top.” Smelling his future round of drinks that would be paid for by Will’s coin, this drunkard seized the opportunity and tried to make the most of it. But he was talking to the wrong man.

  “I can put a knife in your ribs. Yes or no? You’re not the only one who can do this job.”

  “Okay, okay. Sorry, messenger.” Shaking his head with a hiccup, the drunkard, whose name was Darkie Mor, Level 10, waved his hands so ardently he nearly lost his balance. “What am I supposed to talk to him about?”

  After explaining the task, Will remained in the dark alley and waited for his new employee to return. The task was really simple: Mor had to tell the guard that there was a man who wanted to talk to him about the prisoners and that he would pay a good price for them.

  Will preferred not to initiate this conversation himself. The guard could reject his bribe, or even arrest him for offering something like that. According to Mollie, getting arrested blocked all the player’s skills and inventory items except for their prison wear and food.

  Five minutes later, Darkie came back and told Raven that the guard had agreed to meet him after his shift, in an inn far away from the prison, at 10 p. m. Once the drunkard had said this, Will saw a pop-up message:

  You have been offered a quest: The Greedy Guard

  Meet the guard named Gern Astis at Glutton Mackie’s at the appointed time.

  Reward: The traitors’ exact location.

  Note: Prepare to pay some money.

  “A real greedy bastard,” Will grumbled as he parted with the drunkard. He still had enough time to buy a few handy skills.

  ***

  BLADEMASTER

  Passive skill: Apprentice

  Description: Enables you to fight with blades in both hands.

  Damage by the second blade: 50%

  Now Will could fight with two daggers. This skill was learned by each thief, rogue, ghostly demon, and member of any similar class at the earliest opportunity, but Raven had only just decided to do it. Learning two-dagger combat was a problem for Will, as he was already used to having one free hand to hold the enemy or activate skills such as Dirty Dodge, Air Knife, or Finger Snap.

  Making a mental note to practice this new fighting style in the arena, Will bought a few more scrolls with handy spells.

  ***

  After whiling a few hours away by hunting with Hades, Raven approached Glutton Mackie’s somewhat ahead of time. The inn was on the outskirts of the city; the rogue had picked this place to minimize the number of possible witnesses.

  …but he still failed to avoid unwanted attention. As he approached the inn, Will spotted a close group of six men who visibly tensed up upon seeing him and cast hostile glances in his direction. As he was passing them, he received a system message:

  Attention! A random event has been started: Enticing Negotiations.

  Description: Darkie Mor has taken excessive interest in your money. This complication must be worked out.

  “Oh, I didn’t see that coming. And no reward at all.” Will had no reason to worry; the highest level in this group was 27. But he would rather not have to kill any of the thugs, as he was unsure of how the local guards would react.

  Seeing the familiar drunkard behind the other men’s backs, Will waved a hand at him, smiling invitingly, and slowly walked toward a close bunch of wooden huts.

  “Follow me, guys. Follow me.” Turning his back to the thugs and still waving a hand, Will lured them to a secluded spot.

  Confused about what was going on and why their prey was behaving so defiantly, the robbers frowned and, casting hasty looks around, rushed after Will.

  Several minutes later a young man, whose hair was made of hissing snakes, came out of the dense shadows cast by the close row of shacks, dusting off his clothes and glancing behind him as he walked.

  They clearly don’t have much money at all, that’s for sure.

  After stunning and wounding the thugs, Will left them moaning on the ground, but still alive.

  He entered the half-dark inn, totally indifferent to the dim lighting and the strong reek of overcooked meat and sour stew. It was not the worst place he had been to.

  Taking a free table not far from the entrance, Raven waited five minutes until another man entered casually.

  “I see you’re not afraid it might be a trap,” Will said as he scrutinized the guard.

  “Stop this bullshit, boy. I’m not doing this shit just for myself. Let’s get down to business.” The man spoke in a low voice, but Will could tell from his tone that he really couldn’t have
cared less about his life.

  “Okay. I need the exact location of all the prisoners marked on the map.”

  “Um…Five hundred gold.”

  “One hundred,” Will immediately shot back.

  “Do you think I’m an idiot? Do you think this is fucking safe for both of us? Four seventy.”

  “I don’t think you really care about getting caught. One twenty.”

  After ten minutes of heated haggling, they agreed on three hundred and ten gold coins. Once he had handed the money over, Will obtained the prison map with the prisoners’ names and locations.

  The Greedy Guard quest has been completed.

  Running his eyes over the map and his list of names, Will saw that one name was no longer there.

  “Have you released anyone recently? Or maybe transferred someone to another location?”

  “Yeah. Two. One to the mines, another to a separate tower because she’s a noble lady.”

  “What were their names?”

  “Don’t cross the line, boy. You’re not my interrogator. I’ve told you all you’ve paid for.”

  “Two gold coins for their names and the locations of the mines and the tower.”

  The guard made a hesitating sound and rubbed his chin. Casting a hasty glance around and leaning in closer to the rogue, he whispered: “Leysa Orr Ulihao. Qatar Macrohim. The Proud Light mines. The Tower of Sitrekh.”

  “Thanks. Let’s call it a day.”

  “Yeah. Come back if ya need anything.” Hiding his purse, the guard waved a hand. Three cold-eyed men in battle gear got up from the nearby tables. As the door shut behind the four of them, Raven considered his next steps.

  ***

  After taking an hour’s break for a snack and some exercise, Will came back to the game. He could not delay the completion of this quest as the traitors could get out of his reach.

  ATTENTION! You are entering a forbidden area.

  Penalties for being detected:

  Detention for 5 days;

  Relationship with the city down to Hostile;

  -1000 gold coins.

  Think twice before you proceed.

  The penalties were really bad, but the task didn’t seem particularly difficult: the prison followed a standard layout, and three of his targets were quite close to each other. However, a special key was required to open the barrier around the cells. Having received a system message about this small, but essential detail, Raven had to improvise. If it hadn’t been for that key, he could have just used Through a Wall or Twilight Walker.

  Thanks to the magic barrier, and the chains blocking any skills or spells, the large prison building had surprisingly few guards inside. Staying in the shadows and avoiding the magic torches, Raven secretly followed another guard. Unlike the other two (he had wasted half an hour following them), this man had the item Will needed. He used it a couple of times to open the light-blue barriers around the cells and beat up the prisoners inside.

  Will couldn’t use the night vision potion he had obtained from the witches, in fear of missing the shadows he needed to stay out of the guards’ sight. The potion would make everything around him appear lighter, blurring the shade.

  He had put his Gloves of Dying Fame on a long time ago. Now, only a legendary hero could stop Will from stealing the key.

  Step by step, the dark figure followed the yawning guard, waiting for the perfect moment. As well as the guards, this prison appeared to have some creepy animals that looked like blind wolves. Raven barely escaped getting sniffed out by one as he was turning a corner after the guard; his quick reactions had allowed him to activate Twilight Walker instantly.

  Minute after minute passed by. And still no opportunity to approach the guard had appeared.

  This is fucking shit. I knew this task would be anything but simple, but this is total bullshit. Every damn thing here is leaping in my way. The guards. The fucking dogs. Even the restless prisoners. Fuck it.

  After going over the available options, Will realized he had to take a risk.

  Lightning Copy.

  Waiting for the moment when the guard was out of everyone’s sight, Will activated his skill and immediately applied Theft to remove the key from his belt. In a fraction of second, he stepped back, shrinking into the shadow of a single pillar that was only a foot and a half wide. The guard was blinded by the torches and could not see him. But once he reached for the key to open another door to enjoy bashing up another helpless victim, Will would only have a few seconds before the alarm was raised.

  The first target, Yadin Da Soahkili, was the closest. Darting up like a shadow, Raven applied the pyramid-shaped magic key. The barrier disappeared, allowing Will to see the traitor inside the dark cell.

  Invisibility.

  “Who’s there?” The man was awake. Having sensed that something was wrong, he jumped up instantly, but his chained-up hands slowed him down.

  Shock. Ambush. The first skill silenced the target; the second increased the rogue’s damage. “Greetings from Mezilita and Christina.”

  Yadin’s unintelligible mumbling stopped as the dagger pierced his throat. After his death rasp, the silence was only broken by the soft sound of the spurt of blood hitting the floor.

  Attention! The hidden quest: Vengeance Is Best Made out of Corpses has been updated.

  One. Wiping his dagger on the dead man’s prison uniform, Raven froze upon hearing the muffled trampling of boots and the clanging of steel from outside the door. Oh no. These guards are fucking quick.

  Chapter 208. Prison Chains

  S taying in one place was dangerous, and his best bet was Twilight Walker. Flinging the body into the corner so it wouldn’t be visible from the door, Will re-appeared in the hall as a blurry figure and restored the magic barrier. The later the body would be discovered, the better.

  His Through a Wall skill was on cooldown; about two hours left. Without it, Raven could not leave the prison building: as befitted such a place, it was enclosed in a magic shield.

  The next target, Arif Ne Helmy, was placed in a cell about sixty feet down the corridor.

  Urged on by the running time, and more and more guards bustling about, Will rushed on. Before killing each traitor, he would say: “Greetings from Mezilita and Christina”. Why was he doing that? He was treating these NPCs just like he would treat living people. Letting them know why they had to die felt like the right thing to do.

  After finishing off his last target, Will hid the body in the corner and, closing the barrier behind him, ran to break away from the approaching chasers.

  The prison halls were lighter now, which limited his escape routes. He needed a good hiding place to spend the remaining time in. Glancing at the map, Will realized he was outside the area showed on the piece he had obtained from the guard, far away from the prison cells.

  Hey, what’s that?

  A plain, wooden door guarded by a sentinel had caught his eye. Despite the fact that all the other guards were running around, this one was apparently unable to leave his post and join the chase.

  Interesting. Peering out from behind the corner (the door was a long way down the hall), Will considered using either his clone or Hades to distract the guard. But he wasn’t sure about the conditions that had been applied by the system. If the guards saw his pet, or his double, would that count as getting detected or not?

  What is he guarding? While the chase had gone quiet, Will closed his eyes and activated Nirvana for the first time. Using this skill felt weird: you could see your own body from the side, while still having the freedom to move away in any direction. The guarded room was within the skill’s range, but all Will could see there were wooden boxes of different sizes. And inside the boxes… it was too dark to see anything.

  Annoyed with his excessive curiosity, Will cancelled the skill and, breathing out, summoned the clone to send him running past the guard. His heart froze as he waited for the system’s reaction. Time stretched as if the world were set in slow-motion; Raven
could feel big drops of sweat creeping down his face. Please allow it. Please allow it. Please allow it.

  The Emperor allowed it.

  Seeing the clone, the guard activated a device on his belt and sent magic nets flying toward the double.

  Oh shit.

  Avoiding the trap, Will’s copy ran away, vanishing around the next corner. Will’s heart was in his mouth for the next ten seconds as he realized his plan to lure the guard away had failed.

  The stuff inside that door must be really important. More important than chasing a trespasser. Will had to try harder to distract the guard. But, whatever his clone did, the guard would not follow him. Is he fixed to that spot?

  Even after acknowledging that he was in a much too vulnerable position to be starting a dangerous game with the guard, Will was still determined to solve the mystery of that room. He had two options in terms of crossing the lit spot while the guard was distracted by the clone. The first was removing some of the lamps fixed on the ceiling; the second was Leap-ing to a dark spot right below the ceiling.

  Removing the lamp would require a great deal of luck. During all the tricks played by the double, the guard would only turn his back to Will a few times, and the few seconds that would give him would not be enough if the fixtures were strong. It might be enough to remove just one lamp: the one right over the door.

  As he waited for the perfect opportunity, Raven applied Leap and immediately activated Without Barriers and Twilight Walker to soak into the shade beneath the ceiling.

  The guard cursed and yelled in fury. His screams were sure to attract attention; Will had to hurry.

  Raven crossed the ceiling and soon reached the spot on the guard’s left. The way ahead was blocked by the door lamp casting bright light across a 12-foot radius.

  He canceled his Twilight Walker and started to fall. After applying Leap to stand behind the man’s back, Will activated Torture, which gave him three seconds to rip out that damn lamp. If this fails, I’m done for.