Chapter 10: Mia’s Forest (1)
[You have used the skill 'One-time Skill Confirmation'].
[Acquired the skill 'Book of the Dead – Necronomicon (1-Use)'].
[You can revive the target 'Carl' as an undead].
[Activate magic?].
Undead in Inner Lunatic have two main characteristics.
The first is that they are reanimated through the use of black and dark magic.
The second is that reanimated beings do not have an ego, but are instead born stronger.
They blindly follow your commands, and will grow at least one rank in the near future.
…The problem is, there is only one family in the world that can raise the undead.
'The Marvas, another dark master family. They are a family of warlocks who specialize in dealing with the undead.
As a side note, they're not very good with swords, which makes them terrible knights.
The game's creators thought this through and balanced it out.
Of course, this doesn't mean they can just raise the dead. ....
'Raising the dead is definitely a fraudulent ability.'
Anyway.
The average person might have one question.
Are players who aren't members of House Marvas unable to use their skills at all?
Well, no.
Why didn't I mention this before?
This game is 70% luck and 30% skill.
In other words, it's all a matter of picking your own skills, or drawing them, like I did a few days ago.
Single-use skill picks.
That's what I got, the Necronomicon I'm using on Carl.
Aka the Book of the Dead.
Ziying….
Darkness slowly creeps in from the scroll, which makes a regular noise.
The beam of light glows blue, slowly turning black, and then engulfs the white light source.
The room is filled with ebony light. A black hand protruded from the scroll, and quickly wrapped itself around the sword, dragging it beneath it.
"Master!"
"Stop."
I said, my tone stern. If you're nervous, so am I.
What I'm about to unleash is black magic. The formula is very complicated, and I've only just gained a one-time skill from a skill scroll.
This means that if the drinker, or anyone else, intervenes and the formula breaks down, I can't fix it. So you need to keep other people out of it as much as possible.
Unless, of course, you have a genius talent....
'And even then, it won't bloom until it reaches 10 hp.
There's no way to increase your Magic stat at this time.
In this rotten world where it's taboo to work with magic until you're an adult, all I can do is concentrate and….
and lean on the item's edge.
"The knife… the knife… the…."
Lorna watches me through narrowed eyes, her face filled with worry.
Perhaps she doesn't think a wretch like Nox would have the mercy to revive the sword.
I can understand that.
…Though I'm a little angry.
[Skill successfully activated!]
"Huh…."
I wipe the sweat from my brow.
After all, the skill was activated properly. I swallowed carefully and took a step towards the scroll.
Ta-da!
A black shadow suddenly sprang from the worn parchment, and slowly began to take shape.
A mass of darkness, then a dot, then a line, then a face…
And then the familiar foal, Carl.
[Player's pet 'Carl' respawns as an undead].
"...Carl?"
Rona asked, her voice slightly shaky as she looked at Carl. I look at him too, a strange figure with purple shadows around him.
Carl has finally been resurrected through the Book of the Dead.
" Carl."
Carl's eyes are fixed on me.
Just like the first time I saw him in the stables.
Then the status window pops up.
__________________
[Basic info].
Name: Carl
Gender: Male
Rank: Award
Age: 0 years
Race: Undead Horse – Obsidian
Primary Element: Darkness
[Traits].
Positives: [Steel Stamina] / [Natural Warhorse] / [Courage].
Neutral: [Single-mindedness]
Negatives: -.
*Deletes the "Predestined Death" talent. For a limited time (1 year), the pet's growth rate is increased by 1.5x.
*Since they are undead, they can be summoned and dismissed based on the player's magic.
__________________
The nasty talent that used to be called [Predestined Death] is already gone.
In its place is a one-year growth buff.
All the skills that were disabled due to the negative trait have been activated.
I patted its head with a satisfied expression.
"From now on, I am your master."
Hiiing.
Carl bowed his head to me in loyalty and lightly rubbed his face in my hand.
Just as the atmosphere was warming up, Rona suddenly ran over and hugged both Carl and me.
"… Rona, what do you think you're doing…?"
I shouted, but Rona just started sobbing, getting tears and snot all over my clothes. It was unpleasant, but I didn't feel bad.
This brat. At least I wouldn't complain if I had to make him fetch hay bales or give him treats in the future, I thought to myself.
Carl, who had somehow grown up a bit, pooh-poohed, and then swiped at Rona's face with his hind foot.
Rona let out a villainous screech and didn't move away from us. I looked at him in disbelief and remembered.
Oh, right. She was at 4.5 health, right?
I nodded, thinking I could harass her some more.
* * *
A few days passed.
From now on, I would take Carl to the stables to take care of him.
He was going to grow up fast. With the buffs he'd received, he'd rise to a pretty high rank as an undead.
Furthermore, his breed is Obsidian.
It means obsidian, and in this world, only the Reinhafer family can raise Obsidian horses.
Even then, only family members can breed them, as the breed is so rare that they are hard to come by.
Horses that are difficult to breed and hard to find because of their esteemed breed.
That was the Obsidian.
Perhaps the sword, too, would have fallen into his hands if it weren't for the negative trait.
I hate to think that I would have lost him to that dangerous creature.
Not that it matters much now.
"How can that be, that horse should be dead!"
"You'll have to explain why the horse is alive. Nox."
As I was returning Carl to his stall, I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned around and saw my brothers.
The twins who had defeated me so long ago and reduced me to half a penny.
Hartz and Allen.
They thought my steed was about to die, but they couldn't believe I was still alive.
True, it's undead, but its true nature isn't revealed until my powers are fully manifested.
It just looks like a normal horse.
The twins weren't advanced enough to recognize that I was undead, and they seemed to suspect that I had done something to them.
But now I don't have to worry about them.
The reason is simple.
People remember what's been done to them for a very long time.
"You say that as if you wish my horse were dead, brothers."
I see the twins pause at my cold mockery.
They must have been stung by the previous blow.
After all, if someone or something has no manners, you start by beating them.
Cancer. That's right.
While I was thinking about that, Hartz shouted in a trembling voice.
"You… you tricked us! You must have brought the horse from somewhere else!"
"That's right, you… you tricked us!"
"And if I had done so, would you have let me off the hook?"
"That's…!"
I see you still can't answer.
It's not hard for me to deal with a weakling like this verbally. After all, I've seen their behavior in the game too many times.
All you have to do is pick the right offense.
And if they lunge at you, you can rip something off.
"If it's not that, then your father favors you...…."
"You insult the patriarch, It seems that the older brothers have two lives."
"You bastard…!"
Allen clenched his fists as if he couldn't take it anymore.
He was overcome with fear, but he was no threat to me.
I stomped my foot and knocked him over, grateful for my brother's woeful intelligence to fall for such a flimsy provocation.
Then Allen came running, and I lightly knocked him over as well.
I've already learned their swordsmanship and movements once, and now I can pretty much figure out their attack patterns without using skills.
The vast difference in physical strength means that I won't lose against them, even if they're frightened and stiffened by me.
I cast my gaze over the fallen with a cold expression.
Then I calmly chewed the words, one by one, and read them to them.
"Do you think it was luck that I beat you guys back then?"
"That's…!"
I picked up both brothers and threw them to the ground with a good dose of horse manure.
There was a knife there, and he started harassing his brothers with back kicks.
It was a hilarious sight, and I barely held back the laughter that threatened to escape.
The two brothers could only grit their teeth.
I could only wonder why I had suddenly changed.
But what can they do?
It's not Nox in here, it's me.
I'm still living like this, not because being a hobo is fun… it's not, but because there are so many corners I can take advantage of, but eventually I'll pick my pocket and get out.
Rineharbour.
Because the only way to survive in this prestigious family is to become an awl.
* * *
Butler, Mr. Rodwell's office.
Brothers Allen and Hartz, their faces puffy, are arguing with Rodwell.
"You mean to tell us that Nox tricked us into winning the duel before!"
"Yes, that's right, Nox, that bastard substituted a new horse for a dead one!"
"…But young masters. Wasn't I there to watch the duel with you, and the patriarch said nothing. It is a tradition of House Rineharbour not to dwell on battles that have already been fought."
Rodwell continued in a calm tone.
"Also, Master Nox has never taken another horse from the stables, nor has he ever left the manor to procure a new one. I, as head butler of the manor, can vouch for that."
"Ugh…."
The two of them could say no more. There was nothing wrong with Rodwell's words.
And so their plan for a prank had been foiled.
Now all that remained was… to take the slightly risky step of attacking Nox themselves.
Nox has suddenly grown stronger, but there must be some sort of mechanism at work.
If they can figure that out, and if they can unmask the filthy spinner, they'll be able to enter Eldain again!
The twins had an important reason for one of them to go to Eldain.
"If one of you doesn't make it to Eldain, know that you will all be spanked by me!"
…because their mother, Theo's second wife, Psylla, was terribly afraid of them!
As a result, they devised a plan to get out of this situation by crippling Nox's arms and legs.
…Of course, that plan was doomed to failure.
* * *
Meanwhile, as my brothers pondered and planned their next move.
I was moving to get the second hidden piece after the knife.
I looked at the items I had prepared and nodded with satisfaction.
"Looks like I'm ready to go."
I simply slung my shoulder bag over my shoulder and packed the food and simple luminescent stones inside. I sneak out of the mansion into the night.
It was around two in the morning, well past midnight.
I looked around, studying the map I'd taken from Rona.
I already know the way to the Hidden Piece, but maybe something has changed since it became real.
The Inner Lunatic is a damn hard game, isn't it?
Suddenly, it became real, and I wasn't surprised when the path changed.
In fact, in the second half of the game, there is a place called the Labyrinth of Aksarath, where the length of the labyrinth keeps changing every time you enter and exit, so it's pointless to strategize unless you learn the rules and patterns.
Many newbies gave up there.
"The second hidden piece, it's a must-have."
The second Hidden Piece I'm trying to get from the clan.
It was a ring that would hold the key to alleviating the [Time Limit] trait.
It's also hidden near the Reinhafer family mansion. It shouldn't be too hard to find.
...That is, if you know a few patterns as a deceased person.
So.
After walking for about an hour, I arrived at a grove in the village and stood for a moment, looking at the sign in front of me.
[Mia's Forest]
[Never let a child enter, they will get lost and die].
"Found it. It looks almost exactly like the one in the game."
I nodded, and began scanning the forest. I made sure to extinguish the glowstones and light a well-oiled torch before entering.
This 'flame' would be crucial if we were to take on the Forest of Mia.
Well, not exactly a flame, but a….
Faslak.
Just then, I heard the rustling of leaves from somewhere.
I instinctively crouched down and looked around, but found nothing.
Whoa, I let out a deep breath. Goosebumps all over my body.
Maybe I'm just nervous because I'm in a creepy forest, but I'm definitely worried.
Games are games, and real life is real life. They're not the same.
I took another look at my surroundings before stepping inside, took a deep breath, and slowly began to walk into Mia's forest.
A pure white mist enveloped my body.
[Enter 'Mia's Forest'].
[Players will die here if they fail to clear].
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone