บท 22: Seduced

A figure leaped from one tree to the other as it surveyed the surrounding. It was a monster called the Arcula, a humanoid monster with an ape-like stature but sharp teeth like those of a shark.

Its most problematic aspect was its agility and its color-changing fur, making it blend with the surrounding. With sneak attacks and above the average intelligence, it was a primitive monster that many didn't want to bother with hunting.

As it went through the forest, its nose smelled the scent of meat. It turned its eyes toward a tree that had a piece of meat hanging down. It looked at the ground below, and it could see that there laid a trap.

Thick bushes covered the patch of grass, making it all too obvious for a creature of its intelligence. However, it didn't care as it planned to snatch the meat while it leaped from tree to tree.

With the plan set, the monster started its action as it blended into the surrounding. Although only its color changed, the forest was an excellent place to hide. From one tree to the other, it found itself right before the dangling meat.

With a mighty jump with its legs on a branch parallel to the meat, it was able to snatch the bait successfully.

As it was about to rejoice, it felt a force coming from above it. As it was mid-air, the monster couldn't resist, and it fell right into the trap.

"What? A monster fell into the trap? I didn't see anything…" Arthur was hiding in the bushes as he was stunned by the turn of events. He was waiting for a monster to try and grab the meat to fall into the pit he dug.

As the mana core, he attempted to fuse with the barrier skill but failed to stay with him; he made a permanent rune of the latest rune he got.

[Force-II: Applies great force in a one-meter radius at a specified target. The force is proportional to the mana supplied.]

This was the rune that made him pass the willpower test. After he studied the Force-I rune, he found that it wasn't enough to pass the test. That's why he tried studying the next rune and was able to learn it because they were the same.

The Force-II rune applied a greater force than the Force-I rune for the same amount of mana supplied. Although Arthur could have used the Force-I rune for the same amount of force, it would have been a terrible investment. The Force-II rune was a lot cost-efficient.

As if this was the better version of the rune, the previous rune disappeared from his Legacy menu. However, Arthur could still use the previous version of the rune as a sub-rune from the current one. If he wished, he could imprint Force-I instead.

That's why Arthur made this trap. He waited for a full hour before he saw something fall from the sky. Making the pit took most of his noon as he needed to make it stronger than usual because of the rune.

He used a piece of fabric he got at the camp and nailed it to the ground. He was sure the rune and the monster's weight would make the fabric collapse, thus trapping the beast.

With his sword in hand, Arthur dashed toward the pit as he heard the howls of the monster. As he took a look, he saw a green fur monster sprawled on the ground. The force of the fall had injured it, and it seems it didn't have a strong body to begin with.

With his sword, Arthur slashed the air in front of him. As a dark green liquid escaped from his sword, sizzling noises accompanied the howls of the beast below. This was the skill he got from the other primitive grade monster, Poison Strike. He slashed another time, and the howls grew louder before being replaced by heavy panting.

The monster was heavily wounded but not dead. Arthur started his breathing technique, and he refilled one point of mana. He was now able to slash on more time as the strike cost him two mana points.

The monster banged on the floor in agony as the poison corroded its skin and entered its body. Although this was an F-Rank skill that wouldn't even hurt monsters of a higher grade, it was more than enough for a primitive grade monster like this one.

As defense wasn't its strong fort, the poison proved incredibly effective against it. Usually, it would have fled, but the problem laid with the rune applying force on it. As soon as he tried to crawl out, the poison came.

Arthur decided that the monster was weak enough for him to kill. He looked down and saw it panting on the floor with its back toward the pit's hole. Arthur gathered his courage and jumped down as he directed the sword toward its neck.

As he was under the rune's area, Arthur felt a strong force pushing him downward, increasing the lethality of his strike. With these factors, he managed to slay the monster.

[You have leveled up. Stamina-I rune had been gained.]

Arthur felt the adrenaline rush in his body as he shouted, standing on top of the slain monster. After he calmed down, he used his legacy to absorb the monster's essence.

[Perception has increased by 1.]

Arthur was sad that he didn't get other stats as he thought they were more useful, but his mind changed as he felt his sight becoming clearer and his hearing turning sharper. He was able to sense the change in surrounding more easily. However, the joy didn't end here. As the monster's core floated up, Arthur saw one more stone accompanying it. It was a skill.

[Camouflage (F): decrease other's perception of the host by 5 points.]

As Arthur activated the skill, he felt his presence grow fainter. The sounds he made while he walked also grew quieter. It seems this skill didn't affect others but reduced the visual and auditory information he made.

"That's an interesting way of hunting." A voice coming from behind him interrupted his thoughts. As Arthur turned around in a hurry, he found the girl from earlier inspecting the trap he made. He could see her figure from inside the hole, and he rushed outside after grabbing the mana core.

"Did you follow me?" Arthur scanned the surroundings looking for any other person. There was none.

The girl kept her eyes on the branch that Arthur imprinted the rune on. He wasn't too worried as only experts can differentiate real runes and artificial ones. The girl's black hair fluttered through the winds revealing her neck. A scent drifted toward Arthur that made his body turn hotter. The girl then looked at him with her green eyes studying him.

"I didn't know there was a runes master among this generation," She lightly walked toward Arthur, who watched her every movement. As the distance between them grew shorter, Arthur knew something was wrong. An emotion that he couldn't control was taking over his body. It was lust.

His breathing grew heavier as his skin turned red. As he watched the girl get closer, he felt his heart race faster. Her fair skin and charming eyes drew him, making him lose the ability to think straight.

"I see that you're not that bad yourself," The girl was now in front of him, and she held his chin with her finger. As the ringing alarms in Arthur's mind grew louder, he felt his body losing balance as he crashed to the ground. Before he could lift himself, a dagger was placed on his neck.

"Who are you?" The girl's gentle appearance disappeared as she coldly stared at Arthur. As he felt his head turn clearer, the lust from earlier disappeared as well. It seems he fell for the ability of this girl.

"You know who I am, I follow Haz..."

"That's a lie. I know you're not someone from the seven families nor are you among the current generation. Others might turn a blind eye to the teachings of the elders, but I don't. The command was clear. Kill any strangers."

Arthur now felt dread for the first time. From her tone, he knew killing was easy for her. How could someone of their age be so accepting of such a concept?

"I…" Arthur tried to cook a story he could slip away with, but he didn't know what to say. That this was all an accident? That he simply ended up here? He felt the dagger dig deeper into his skin as blood began to leak out.

As his mind raced to come up with a solution, a white figure suddenly appeared above the girl. Arthur couldn't feel anything before the girl let go of him and turned to block the strike the white figure made. As the dagger and sword collided, the girl was flung away from him, and the white figure descended.

"You…"

As Arthur heard the familiar voice, he looked toward the person who just saved him. It was the White Fairy looking at him with shock.