The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains of a rather large room, illuminating its contents with a soft, golden glow. Dust particles danced lazily in the rays of light, creating a serene atmosphere. One of the beams shifted slightly, landing on Rex's face just as he opened his eyes, the brightness rousing him from sleep.
Stretching on the bed, Rex sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes before standing. He made his way to the window and drew the curtains aside, the morning sunlight flooding the room. He then pushed open the window, allowing the crisp morning air to wash over his face.
"Ah~" He moaned. It was a beautiful morning. The sky was painted in soft hues of pink and orange, with streaks of golden light breaking through the horizon as the sun began its ascent. The warm glow cast long shadows on the clouds, and the cheerful chirping of birds filled the air.
If this were a Disney princess movie, he would have started singing, with animals flocking to him and joining in... only for him to trap and kill them for breakfast.
'I forgot where I watched that scene,' he thought vaguely, recalling an adult animated sitcom where something similar had happened, though the name escaped him.
Stepping away from the window, Rex grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste from his desk and headed to the communal bathroom to brush his teeth. After brushing, he showered, and returned to his room to change into a dark longsleeve tunic with brown pants, and slippers, then made his way to the kitchen to cook himself breakfast.
Today, he decided to keep it simple: fried eggs with salted bacon, bread, and a handful of fruits. It didn't take long to prepare, and soon he was sitting at the kitchen island, ready to eat. However, after taking the first bite of his eggs, he frowned.
'...I need to get used to this world's seasoning,' he thought.
The seasonings here were either stronger per grain than on Earth, like the salt, or weaker, like the pepper. It was annoying to measure, but it didn't make the food bad. Just... different.
"Now," he turned his attention to his status.
— — — — — — — — — —
Rex Magnus
Level 2
[Strength] SSS1440 | [Endurance] SSS1499 | [Dexterity] SSS1410 | [Agility] SSS1419 | [Magic] SSS1499
[Predator] I
[Skill]
"Scavenger" — Harvest stats, skills, magic, properties, or treasure from corpses and evaluate quality.
(Skill: Powerful Body, Body Furnace, War Cry+, Tremor Sense, Heptathlos)
(Magic: Blue Papilio Powder, Fire Breath+, Berakh HaKele)
(Physical Property: Sharp Retractable Claw, Nictitating Membrane, Sharp Teeth)
"Indomitable Will"
— ...
"Dragon's Bane"
— ...
— — — — — — — — — —
He had only managed to absorb the stats of a few dead level 3 adventurers yesterday, so he hadn't maxed out any more of his stats. But based on the current numbers, it should only take him about eight more days to triple S them. If he decided to go full madman and hunt nonstop with little rest, that time could be shortened to six or even five days.
But he wouldn't do that. There was no point in putting himself through such mental strain, as it wouldn't really help him in the long run except for letting him level up a few days earlier. Besides, he would need time to test out his new abilities to understand all their nuances.
The first one was the skill Heptathlos, which he had gotten from the level 2 adventurer with the sword. He hadn't had the chance to look at it yesterday, but now that he did...
[Heptathlos (Skill/Active): When activated, the user's next seven attacks within seven seconds each deal 70% more damage than the previous one. After use, the skill has a 12-hour cooldown before it can be used again.]
'This is better than I thought!' His eyes widened as he read the skill description. 'Since it compounds, by the seventh attack, the damage multiplier should reach four hundred and ninety percent, or 4.9 times. Holy shit!'
That was a ridiculously high multiplier, and since it didn't specify the type of attack, it meant it also increased the damage to magical attacks. Just imagine his Blue Firebreath from yesterday stacked with the 4.9 times multiplier. At that point, the flames should be strong enough to destroy the Goliath's magic stone along with its body.
It looked like this skill was meant to be a finisher move, given its long cooldown, and he was also sure it came with some kind of backlash. Meaning, once it was used, and you missed all your attacks, you were practically screwed.
'I guess that's why that adventurer died,' he thought as he took another bite of his bread. 'If it were spammable, this skill would have been among the best in the city. But as it is, its damage multiplier should be on par with Argonaut... nah, I doubt that.'
Still, it was good enough for him as it was. He'd just save it for his finisher moves, like it was designed for, and since its multiplier scales with level it would never become useless. Who knows? The skill might even improve as he leveled up, since abilities taken by Scavenger did improve like normal skills or magic.
"But what exactly would it consider as an attack?" Rex wondered. 'Walking is basically an attack on the earth, so would that...' Scavenger judged his thought as utterly ridiculous.
'So I can choose the attack I want the buff to apply to,' he nodded. 'But all seven attacks have to be launched within seven seconds, else the skill loses its effect. I'll need to test this out when I get the chance.'
The next one was just as, no, even more interesting.
[Berakh HaKele (Magic/Active): A long-chant spell that enchants the user's weapon, coating it in light and enhancing all its attributes. The effects depend on the weapon's quality—stronger weapons receive more powerful enchantments but require more mind to cast. The enchantment gradually fades over time, depleting faster in combat, and the user can also release all stored magic at once as an attack. Each use slightly wears down the weapon's quality, with premature magic release causing even greater damage.]
You couldn't deny how unique the magic was, though if he wanted to use it to its fullest potential, he'd obviously need higher-quality weapons. This is where the problem began, the quality degradation with each use. The average third-class weapon cost around 2.5 million valis, second-class about 20 million, and first-class around 40 million.
Not cheap! Not cheap at all, even with the current wealth of the Soma Familia. For this magic to have its most use, he needed to regulally damage forty million valis weapon.
"Pay-to-win magic," was his immediate thought.
It undoubtedly looked good on paper, but he'd need to test out its true effects and see how good its buffs really were. He also needed to see how much the weapon degraded with each use. If it was too much, he doubted he'd use this magic often.
'With how long the chant is, it should be a good magic, right?' He thought, glancing at the chant. Usually the longer the chant the stronger the magic is, and this magic had a word count of over 120. 'It has to be overpowered, right?' Scavanger told him it was powerful, but he will need to do his own test.
And due to the nature of this magic, you needed concurrent chanting to be able to use it well. The chant was long, and it was a magic that needed close combat attack as it buffs weapons, and with how difficult concurrent chanting is to master he guessed the old user found this magic useless.
But concurrent chanting wouldn't be a problem for him. Indomitable Will mental compartmentalization will make it child's play. 'But I need to learn concurrent chanting without the need of indomitable—'
*BANG*
The sound interrupted Rex's thoughts, causing him to jump in his seat. He looked up to see Zanis standing in front of him, his palms planted firmly on the tabletop. Three question marks practically floated above Rex's head as he stared at Zanis' intense gaze behind his glasses.
"For the past few hours, I've had adventures coming to me about 'Rex Magnus of the Soma Familia.'" Zanis spoke with a level voice, but his expression was scrutinizing. "You've suddenly become the hot topic in Orario."
Rex raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Yes, you." He straightened up, folding his arms behind his back, his posture stiff—like a commander speaking to a subordinate, rather than the other way around. "Apparently, you displayed a power against the irregular Monster Rex that spawned on the eighteenth floor strong enough to make others believe you're Level Three."
He adjusted his glasses slightly. "You didn't think to tell me you had magic?"
"Oh, that?" Rex mumbled as if recalling an unremarkable memory. He impaled a piece of bacon with his fork and lifted. But instead of eating it, he exhaled a small stream of fire over it, roasting it to a crisp. "My magic."
Zanis stared at the smoking bacon that had been roasted to perfection for a second, then, his eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"Come on~." Rex said with a tone that sounded like he was talking to a child. "Let it out—"
"There was no chant?" Zanis finally blurted out.
"No chant," Rex confirmed with a nod. "And the power scales with the amount of Mind I use, just like an infant dragon's breath."
He opened his mouth slightly, letting flames and magic swirl together and forming a small fireball. "Pew~" With a playful noise, he flicked it toward Zanis. The man dodged to the side, watching the fireball fly past him then fizzle out into a wisp before reaching the wall.
"..."But… that's—" Zanis stuttered, his glasses slipping an inch down his nose. Then he chucked. 'An unknown development ability and now a chantless magic.' He really did strike gold.
"And you gained this magic..." Zanis turned to Rex, steadying his voice. "When?"
"After my update before making it down to Rivira," Rex replied with a shrug. "I also got a skill that increases all fire-based magic."
"A new magic and a skill that improves the magic's power," Zanis mumbled, adjusting his glasses.
He still couldn't understand why the Guild would believe Rex was a level three. Even if he displayed magical capability on par with a level three, wouldn't it be more logical to assume he had the Mage development ability? If they didn't see the magic circle, wouldn't their next thought be that his magic was simply stronger and capable of releasing power far beyond its level?
After all, while level was the most important part of a status, usually making one superior to those of lower levels in all aspects, this wasn't always the case when it came to the effects of magic. Just look at Airmid, a level 2 who was considered the best healer in the world, while Riveria, a level 7 with healing magic, didn't hold that title.
"I assume your Predator development ability made you stronger than your level," Zanis said, locking eyes with Rex.
He didn't know the specifics of the development ability, as it was an extremely rare DA that only Rex seemed to possess. And he had acquired it after killing a staggering number of level 2 infant dragons while still at level one, so it had to be an overpowered DA that surpassed even Hunter.
Rex's unique DA might be to combat-focused adventurers what Mystery is to production-focused ones, so it likely granted Rex a massive stat boost or some unique ability. Rex nodded, confirming Zanis' thoughts, but he didn't elaborate further.
Zanis didn't press him. No one would be foolish enough to reveal all their cards, and he wasn't about to ask for them. All that mattered to him is that Rex remained on his side and continued bringing wealth to the Familia. But...
"Haah~" Zanis sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "No wonder people are mistaking you for a level three." He paused, lowering his hand. "And now the Guild's sent an advisor, demanding answers."
"Just pay the fine for hiding my level," Rex waved his hand dismissively. "That way, when I actually hit level three, we won't have to report it, and there won't be any extra attention on my level-up speed."
"The price is ten million," Zanis deadpanned. "That's the price they suggested the Familia pay."
"TEN MILLION VALIS!?" Rex nearly choked on his bacon. "Are they out of their damn minds!? That's way too much!" Just for him hiding his level? This felt like daylight robbery.
"It would've been less a few weeks ago," Zanis sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "But with the Familia's sudden increase in income, the price goes up too—to keep things 'fair.'"
"Bureaucratic bullshit," Rex scowled, but he didn't argue. He set his fork down, as Zanis' intense attention was making it hard to eat. "Now, enough about me. What have I missed in the past few days?"
Nothing much had happened in the past few days, except for the fact that a lot of level ones had been asking to join the Soma Familia because they wanted to get a taste of Soma's wine. Zanis, of course, declined them.
If it had been before, he would have gladly let them in to farm for more money, but the Familia was currently in a stable financial position, making consistent profits with no losses. Adding more level ones would only cut into the profits they were already making.
The Dian Cecht Familia also announced they had created a new mysterious potion, but they haven't said anything about its effect.
"I'm also in the process of making a contract with someone in the black market," Zanis said after a pause. "The Ikelos Familia requested thirty bottles of Blue Papilio Powder, all of which they'll buy for 1.5 million valis each."
"Will do." Rex replied without a second thought. Forty-five million valis for free? Hell yes, no questions asked. "But isn't 1.5 million too much? I mean, the market price is only one million."
"Prices in the black market are inflated due to the high risks involved in operating outside legal boundaries," Zanis explained. "I could even push the price to two million, but this is good enough."
'I wonder what they need thirty for,' Rex thought, though he didn't care much about that. "Just make sure they don't come after me or something. I don't want to get too involved with that side of Orario."
"Don't worry," Zanis shook his head. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
"I don't swing that way," Rex said, covering his chest as he stared at Zanis like he was looking at a creep.
"Neither do I," Zanis replied without a change in his tone. "I'll need the bottles by tomorrow evening," he added as he stood. "And with this transaction, we should have 129,920,000 in our personal savings."
Rex nodded, and Zanis paused. "I'll be taking about a hundred million to get myself a grimoire," he said after a moment.
"Do you," Rex replied as he quickly finished his eggs. "I'll only need about five million to get my new equipment, so that shouldn't affect me."
Zanis smiled slightly, though he quickly hid it. "Alright then," he said, adjusting his glasses as he walked around the kitchen island to leave. "Then I'll be on my way—"
"Wait." Rex moved his chair back and stood up. He turned and faced Zanis, placing one palm on his shoulder. "After you get that magic, we'll be going down to the Large Tree Labyrinth together."
"Eh?" Zanis blinked, his eyes wide. "Why?"
"I'll help you get to level three," Rex replied as he walked past the horrified Zanis. "You've got the stats, and you'll soon have the magic. It's time you suffer for that high-rank excelia like I did."
He then pointed at the table. "And please do the dishes for me~" With that, he ran out of the kitchen, disappearing down the hall. "Thank you!" Rex's voice echoed as he ran away.
Zanis glanced back at the plate on the kitchen island, then at the sink, and finally at the dirty stove. '...' He stood there for a moment, just looking around. He didn't want to do the dishes...
Just then, a female elf entered the kitchen. She was the same one who had seen Rex in the hallway a week earlier, muttering, "That's just the way of the wild. The strong thrive, the weak TREMBLE!" after he left the piss covered Zanis office.
She was still wearing her long-sleeved green velvet nightgown with saddles and didn't notice Zanis standing there as she walked past him to the fridge. She opened it, pulled out a gallon of water, and began drinking directly from it.
"Ahhh~" She sighed with a small burp. "That fucking hit the spot." She returned the gallon to the fridge and as she turned around, she froze when she noticed the level 2 captain staring at her.
"Do not drink directly from the bottle. That's disgusting," he said with a slight frown. "There are cups for a reason." He pointed at the cupboard, and she nodded slightly, her long ears slanting as she looked down at her feet, trying to act cute.
"And before you leave," Zanis gestured to the sink and the island, "wash these dishes and clean up this kitchen."
'???' She looked around, her eyes narrowing with a frown. 'Why do I have to do it? You do them yourself, you lazy fucker.' She didn't say that though. She wouldn't want Zanis to take away her Soma for this week.
Zanis didn't care what she thought and turned around to leave. As soon as his back was to her, she stuck up both of her middle fingers at him. He suddenly turned around, but she now had her hands behind her back, a smile plastered on her face.
Zanis left the kitchen, and she muttered, "Ugly human." He had heard her but didn't care because today he was going to get his grimoire!
Zanis practically skipped through the hall with a big, ugly smile on his face, like a child ready to open his Christmas present while mumbling. "Today beautiful morning~."
Little did he know, Chandra was staring at him from down the hall behind him. "Crazy bastard." The dwarf mumbled and walked the other way.
[Author's Note: I almost forgot to post this chapter. Was wondering why I wasn't getting any comment for the new chapter then noticed I hadn't posted it, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading~]