Chapter 63: Chapter 63
Darius watched Gunner walk over to him while still panting as the lad fell to his knees before him and reported: "The threat to Master has been dealt with."
Darius nodded and cast a heal on Gunner as the lad had lost some HP after being clubbed by the Ogre earlier. Gunner sighed with pleasure as the whitish-blue light of healing washed over him and restored his health.
Darius noted this effect and checked the post-battle spoils before he decided what he would do next.
[You have gained 640 EXP.]
[Gunner has gained 640 EXP, 1 Intelligence Boost Potion, and 2 Fireball Scrolls.]
As Darius expected, they both split 1,280 experience points which was the same amount he would have gotten if he had single-handedly defeated a monster 4 levels above his own.
He also noticed that he got no drops, likely due to him not doing anything in the fight, while Gunner got some good items for his efforts.
Gunner was busily fiddling with his system menu while Darius checked how many levels his servant had climbed up.
[Name: Gunner
Race: Half-Human, Half-Giant (Royal Blood)
Class: Vanguard
Sub-class: Open
HP: 180/180
MP: 52/52
Level: 4
Exp: 40/400
Strength: 12
Agility: 6
Endurance: 15
Intellect: 13
Charisma: 16
Luck: 9
Physical Status: Healthy
Mental Status: Intrigued
Affection: Friendly lvl max
AP: 9
SP: 3
Skills: Engage - Lv.1, Earth's Guardian - Lv.1
Spells: None.]
Darius frowned once he realized that Gunner had only gained 3 AP and 1 SP per level up. This meant that the growth rate of his Branded Servants in terms of power would not equal or surpass his.
Darius sighed with lament. There went his master plan of contracting someone at a high stage with obscene starting stats, while watching them gain new stat points to further double or triple their power, allowing them able to even contest the Gods and Demons.
Clearly, he would have to do it himself.
Gunner turned to Darius. "Master, please allocate my stats for me."
Darius nodded and proceeded to do so. He understood that Gunner was entrusting his growth into his hands, and Darius would make sure the half-giant progressed in the way he not only wanted but also needed him to.
After all, that was the entire point of acquiring his Branded Servant in the first place!
Since Agility was Gunner's only real weakness, Darius decided to turn it into a strength. He placed all of 9 AP points into the stat, bringing it up to 15 points, surpassing even Darius himself.
This was something only the Supreme System's artificial growth mechanic could achieve, and Darius was beginning to love it. Gunner, for that matter, suddenly shivered as if someone had poured a pail of ice-cold water over him.
Once he stopped, he seemed to be more relaxed and peaceful. His shoulders seemed less slumped and his posture more vibrant.
Darius nodded with satisfaction and placed the Vanguard's three skill points into Earth Guardian. This was a skill with far more importance and value than his Engage skill, which already pretty much did everything that Darius needed it to do.
[Earth's Guardian - Level 4 Skill
Cost: 3 MP per second
Description: The natal skill of every royal blooded Giant. This skill is a blessing of Gaia to her protectors that grants them the ability to borrow some of the planet's power in combat. The user of this skill is granted +25% Strength, Endurance, Damage, and Defense for the duration of its activation.]
Once Darius saw how the skill grew, he knew he had made the right choice.
It was a skill that could not even be compared to his Sparks and co, which were all basic skills. This skill could grant a percentile boosts to Gunner's battle strength and survivability, making him more and more ridiculously resilient.
It had started out as a mere 10% boost, which was enough for him to turn the tables on the Ogre, but had now climbed to 25%. The more Gunner's base stats increased, the more valuable this skill's effects would be.
Satisfied, Darius turned to Gunner. "How do you feel?"
"Master, I feel lighter, like someone had been sitting on my back all this while, but finally got off. That someone was almost as heavy as that monster from before." Gunner replied honestly.
Darius chuckled. "That's good. With your increased Agility, you should now become the perfect frontline fighter, able to absorb and dish out all kinds of damage to enemies in my way."
Gunner agreed. "That is my life's goal, Master."
Darius then turned to the cave which the Ogre had been trying to breach and saw that it was absurdly quiet within. Chuckling, he commanded his servant: "Gunner, let's explore this little cave and see what was held within that made the Ogre want to break in at all costs."
Gunner assented and obeyed his master's command by walking fearlessly into the cave while he maintained his mental alertness.
It was a mixture of caution and carelessness, an oxymoronic situation brought about due to his confidence in his own resilience, yet his wariness towards unwelcome surprises that could hurt his master behind him.
Darius followed along while rubbing his chin idly. His mind was lost on his earlier speculations about the trick or secret Vena and Caesar had failed to inform him of, which had to be the basis of their nonchalance towards the Supreme System's various flaws.
'The Supreme System told me that it was merely a version 1.0, and warned me that there would be flaws. However, it also stated that there would be system updates to patch those flaws.'
'Could that be what the duo of Vena and Caesar are relying on? If so, that seems to be truly poor planning on their part, no to mention extreme laziness…'
Darius sighed as his thoughts reached that point. He was not fully satisfied with that explanation, but at the same time, he wondered if he should really expect anything else from a deity who summoned evil souls into fiction-like worlds and scenarios to quell her boredom.
After walking for a bit, Gunner suddenly halted and Darius came to stand beside the large lad as he wanted to see what had him pause.
Chapter 64: Chapter 64
In the center of the cavern was a large coffin that was made of what looked like mahogany, only that it was painted black. What silenced Gunner and Darius was the fact that the coffin was chained tightly by silver bindings as well as a large lock.
Sharing a look, both Darius and Gunner approached the coffin. They observed it for a bit before checking out the rest of the small cavern which was mostly barren except for this coffin that lay on a pedestal.
Darius first Inspected it.
[Strange Coffin - Miscellaneous
Durability: ?/?
Description: A coffin radiating a startling amount of malevolence and death energy. It is advisable not to approach it, much less attempt to unseal it.]
Darius scoffed at the weak and rather unsatisfactory utility of the Inspect system mechanic and used his Analyze skill instead, deciding henceforth to never bother with Inspect ever again.
[Coffin of Lord Darm - Event
Durability: 1,000,000/1,000,000
Description: The sealing ground of the evil vampire Lord Darm. This cave has been abandoned by humans and monsters alike for many decades. Do not stay too long around the coffin, otherwise the residual spirit of its owner might influence you to unseal him by any means necessary.
Event details: Unsealing the coffin will activate the first upgrade of the Supreme System and the 'Quests', as well as 'Events' menus, will become available. Until this upgrade is done, the details of the event cannot be displayed.]
Darius shared these details with Gunner and the duo shared a look. Simultaneously, they both exited the cave. Once outside, Darius, with the help of Gunner, used various tree logs to block the entrance of the cave even further.
The duo then left the clearing and never looked back once.
* * *
Darius was currently lounging in his bedroom, reading a book about the political factions in the Andrato Kingdom specifically. Gunner was also in the room, performing stretching exercises as well as doing push-ups and sit-ups.
While he could not gain any extra muscle mass this way, it at least helped keep him active and passed the time. When he proceeded to do handstands with ease, even Darius took a look.
A week had passed since Darius had acquired his first Branded Servant, and the duo had grown significantly stronger since then. Darius had created many skill manuals for Gunner that allowed him to make use of his class, while Darius also increased his own repertoire.
Darius had also made 8 Scrolls of Awakening in this time, which was what prevented him from making more House Portal Scrolls, or really anything else apart from a few skills a day.
Heck, without Foldo's provided empty spell manuals, Darius wouldn't have even been able to make spells for himself!
Darius had gained three levels since then and Gunner had gained 5. It was simply too hard to find strong foes who gave experience that was abusable by the exp share mechanic.
It was a mixture of the fact that Gunner's level kept rising while Darius's did as well, as well as the fact that the Plains of the Green were not housing anything too dangerous.
Darius was really looking forward to hitting the town and trying out a dungeon. His and Gunner's combat capabilities would truly be best tested in such a scenario.
Darius sighed and closed his book, his mood for reading gone. Whether it was an effect of a young body or his own brewing anticipation for the future, he was becoming restless as he waited for Foldo to execute the plan.
Darius opted to boredly watch Gunner kill himself through exercise until he heard the rushed pattering of feet. His door suddenly burst open to reveal a sweaty and fearful Portia, who was too panicked to even notice that both Darius and Gunner were merely half-dressed.
"M-Master Darius! You have to escape! All three bandit groups are attacking the homestead… along with… along with monsters!" Portia explained hurriedly.
Darius and Gunner shared a look before the duo proceeded to get properly dressed. Only now did Portia notice such a thing as she blushed and turned around.
However, hearing the commotion outside reminded her of why she had come as the fear set in once more. "Master Darius, please hurry. There is a backdoor escape route my father put in place for our family, I can lead you through!"
Darius paused as he dressed. His eyebrows furrowed as he turned to Portia and his eyes gleamed in a way Portia had never seen before.
"Are you serious? You would take me through an escape route made specifically for your family?" Darius asked her gravely.
Portia paused for a second and nodded, confused as to why Darius seemed displeased with her providing a safe way to escape for him. "Erm, yes?"
Darius finished dressing and folded his arms with amusement on his face. "What about your father and brother?"
Portia froze for a second as a metaphorical light bulb flashed over her head. Seeing this, Darius sighed internally but asked her once more: "So your first thought during a crisis has not been to secure your father and brother, but a stranger who is just passing through. Why?"
Portia suddenly became tongue-tied. She sort of knew why she ran to Darius first, yet she was too embarrassed to say it lest this young noble be repulsed by her, for this whole topic was ultimately an awkward one.
Exactly as Darius had caller her out for, she had forgone her family's safety to check on someone who should merely be a stranger, even going so far to secure their safety. Portia knew that if she blurted out the reason, she would never have any dignity left for herself in this world.
Darius and Gunner shared a look before the former smiled then grasped Portia by the shoulders.
"Portia. Sit in this room, right on my sofa, and wait for me. Don't wait for me in the sense that I will be coming to help you escape."
Darius' eyes flashed as Portia found herself drawn into those hazel orbs of intelligence and control.
"Wait for me in the sense that I shall destroy whatever threatens the safety of you and this homestead, as I shall return… triumphant!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
6 Power
stone 
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