Chapter 624 Experiment Proposal
'Status Window.'
STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Surebrec
- Race: Monster - Class: Dungeon Boss (A-Tier)
- Level: 300 (Max) - Life Force: 1,500 (+500)
- Mana Level: 2,000 (+100) - Combat Ability: 1,500 (+500)
- Stat Points: 0
- Skills (Exclusive): [Myriad Breath]. [Pure Shield]. [Grand Energy Pulse].
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Mass Stun]. [Territorial Sense]. [Greater Mana Recovery]. [Danger Perception]. [Final Cry]. - Alignment: Lawful Evil
[Additional Information]
Guardian of the Dungeon. Those who interfere with the natural order of things here are hunted down and punished by this Beast.
It remains in its abode if it is undisturbed, though.
[End Of Information]
'I see now. If I had started mining, it would have definitely come after me…' Rey grinned as he looked at the sleeping creature.
It was a good thing he decided to be patient. Though, looking at the Boss' Stats, he didn't think it would have made much of a difference to him anyway.
The creature was far weaker than him, and he knew that well enough.
'What's more interesting are the multiple Flowers here.' Looking around him while using Appraisal, he realized how different they were and how they could be used for multiple purposes.
'Some can be used for Life Force Recovery, some for Mana. Some are poisonous, while others improve Stats temporarily. Some are psychedelics, others cause sleep and fatigue. They're so many!'
Rey could distinguish the flowers and their effects due to the colors they had, but he still wondered how dangerous things would be for someone who had no idea which plan did what.
'They would probably have to go through the rigorous process of testing. Appraisal really is useful…' He smiled.
Returning his gaze to the Boss Monster, though, he went through its Status Window once again—even going as far as studying all of its Skills.
'Some look promising. I should be able to test out my [Perfect Divine Growth] here, especially in terms of Skill acquisition and evolution.'
What he wanted to see, more than anything, though, was the effect of another Skill of his.
"[Divine Weapon Creation]." He stretched out his hand, and a glimmering golden sword appeared in it.
It had runic designs on it, and every part of it seemed carved to perfection.
'It's funny how I only need to roughly think about the form I want the weapon to take, and the Skill spits out these intricate designs.'
Still, he paid that no mind. Instead, he called for one of the Young Ones, beckoning for her to come to his side.
"Eeek!" She shrank back instantly, causing him to sigh in exasperation.
~FWUSH!~
In just the blink of an eye, she was right beside him with his unoccupied hand placed on her shoulder. The Elf shivered the moment this happened, but Rey couldn't help but be further disappointed.
'They already know how strong I am, and that I have this ability, yet they keep acting up every time. These girls…'
With the way the Elves acted, Rey was beginning to question the distaste for Half Elves. Esme was naive, sure, but she was nowhere as bad as these ones.
That had to be because of her human side, right?
'If that's the case, then Half Elves are better. Or maybe this is my bias because it's Esme we're talking about.'
It wasn't like he had met any other of her kind.
'In any case…' He brought the golden blade closer to the Elf, causing her to tremble even further, squeaking in fear.
"P-please forgive me…!" She begged, sobbing as loudly as possible.
Her Elven sisters began to plead on her behalf to, and all of their annoying cries began to overwhelm Rey. He couldn't take any more.
"Just be quiet and listen!"
His emotions were not suppressed, much to his chagrin, most likely because he was addressing the Elves. Still, he intentionally calmed himself.
"I'm not going to kill you. I just want to test out the effects of the weapons I make using a Skill. If this experiment works out well, it'll cut costs exponentially and generate more profit. It's also a cleaner way to produce weapons, so that's a win-win for everyone."
The Elves didn't understand most of what he said—especially towards the end—but upon hearing that they would be spared, their crying sounds began to vanish.
It happened so quickly that Rey wondered if they were just acting the whole time.
"S-so we won't be killed?"
"No, you won't be killed. It's simple, really. Just wield the weapons and use them for a while. I'll be observing the whole thing."
The goal was to see just how much of a buff the weapons he created would grant to those who wielded them. Before he got to this point, he had to be sure that his weapons could be wielded, which he tried out with Esme and Kara.
It turned out that, for Kara, she couldn' wield the Divine Weapons. Since his Skill, [Divine Weapon Summon], allowed him to summon from the lower Tiers as well, he decided to go even lower in the list.
Still…
'Kara couldn't wield anything higher than a C-Tier Weapon.' Rey sighed.
He thought it was all about Class Boundary, since Kara had a C-Tier Class, but after trying the same experiment on Esme, he was met with pleasant surprise.
She was able to wield a Divine Weapon well.
The problem, however, was that the Stat Boosts she got from the weapon seemed a little too low for his tastes—almost as if the weapons were nerfed in her hands.
'That means one of two things. It's either the weapon was automatically downgraded in her hands, due to her Class limitation, or that the Divine Weapon itself is defective and doesn't give much of a boost.'
He found the latter to be unlikely, which was why he desired to test out his theory on these young ones before him—especially in an environment fraught with danger.
'I'll have them test out all of my hypotheses to my satisfaction.' His smile widened.
There were 48 Active Elves here, with Classes ranging from D to B Tier; perfect specimens for his purposes.
'And what better way to do that than to fight a Boss Monster and win?'
Chapter 625 The Perfect Test
"Hmm…" Rey looked at the Young One before him with an intense gaze. It was so intense that the young Elf was trembling as she wielded the blade he summoned earlier.
"Just as before… she can wield it well, but the effects aren't as high as they should be. The Stat Increase is even worse than Esme's…" He mumbled to himself as he went through her Status Window.
This was a B-Tier Specimen, the most mature of the Young Ones known as Deli. Rey had already swapped out Emil ever since abandoning the plan, so the real Elf was returned to the group.
Of course, he used Magic to make it seem like she had always been a part of the group, though since he didn't really have a Mind-Related Skill, he didn't have the ability to rewrite her memory or make her remember things in detail.
She just believed everything he told her due to his Hypnosis Spell.
As for her performance as his Test Subject, she wasn't doing poorly at all. In fact, she did better than his initial specimen.
'It seems like the higher the Class, the better the effects of the Item. But I don't understand. Why wouldn't they just be restricted from using Divine-Tier Weapons altogether?' Rey rubbed his chin as he stared at the girl beside him.
'It seems like the higher the Class, the better the effects of the Item. But I don't understand. Why wouldn't they just be restricted from using Divine-Tier Weapons altogether?' Rey rubbed his chin as he stared at the girl beside him.
Humans could not wield items beyond their means, but the Elves could. The Item's effects would be nerfed, sure, but that didn't make it less unfair.
'I only made this Divine Weapon to be a strengthening Item. What if I imbued it with special properties… like Magic? What then? Will the Elves have access to that Magic—even if it's in a lesser form—while humans wouldn't be able to conjure anything at all?'
It was indeed an unfair scenario.frёeωebɳovel.com
'Ultimately, the Elves have the advantage here. It's just so strange that they are such pacifists when they have most of the benefits associated with this world.'
If they chose to be conquerors, like the Dragons did, then perhaps the world would have already been under their control. 'When I think about their extreme views on humans and other races, I fear for what would happen if they were ever violent.'
Rey shrugged those thoughts aside and decided to run more experiments.
**********
[Moments Later]
'Alright. Looks like I've figured out how this works.'
Right now, Rey and the Elves were floating in the air, within the confines of the barrier he created. Naturally, the Boss couldn't detect them, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
Each Elf had a Divine-Tier weapon on them—ranging from bow and arrows, to swords, spears, twin daggers, staffs, and many more—and each of those weapons also had effects assigned to them.
Some amplified Magic Spells, while others produced certain kinds of Magic, or effects that appeared like it.
They essentially functioned like Enchanted Items.
'The effects are indeed nerfed in proportion to their Class, but they're usable nonetheless. That means the Elves can pretty much use any Item without restriction, including their powers, but it'll just be downgraded.'
He even served as target practice for the Elves, letting them fire all sorts of attacks at him to test their intensity. For example, fire blasted from a weapon wielded by a C-Tier Elf wasn't the same as the fire blasted from the same weapon, but wielded by a D-Tier one.
After studying them to his satisfaction, Rey was impressed by their performance. 'Yes, it's a bit disappointing that they get weaker in the wrong hands, but this is still a big step up. After all, the boosts are still legitimately good.'
Plus, he couldn't downplay the effects of some of the Divine-Tier weapons.
'They're ready.' He smiled to himself, nodding a little as he stared at the forty-eight.
With a single snap of his finger, the effects of the low gravity around him and the girls vanished, and they descended to the ground.
"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The Elves all screamed, but their loud bawlings were cut short when Rey activated a Spell to make them all land safely.
Once he did this and they were safe from the horrid fate that would have awaited them otherwise, they heaved sighs of relief as he shook his head.
'They could have easily used Magic to save themselves, but they're just so clumsy.' He was beginning to worry that he made the wrong assessment.
However, he shook his head and strengthened his resolve regardless.
"Alright, listen up everyone. This is what will happen." Rey raised his voice, folding his arms as he looked at the frightened women.
"First of all… I'll be taking your Elder hostage." Within a second, the floating bubble that held Gratiana appeared by his side.
"W-WHA—?!"
Before the Elves could respond and jump at Rey for his treachery, they felt their entire body grow weak.
The sweet, irresistible smell from before had returned.
"Second of all, I'll be abandoning you here. When you wake up, you'll have to face the Boss Monster by yourselves."
The Elves tried to resist, but they all fell on their knees, shivering as drool fell from their mouths and their eyes were rolled up.
'Ater told me of their custom, and how it works. I never realized I would smell so good to them, but after seeing their reaction that time and referencing it with what I already know, I suppose it makes sense.'
Rey wondered why Esme never went crazy like the rest of them, but he chalked it up to her being a Half Elf.
"Finally, you must do your best to survive and return to save your Elder. The clock is ticking, and I'm not a very patient man." He said to them.
'Ultimately, this is the perfect final test for the viability of my weapons, as well as a way to observe how they'll operate when faced with such pressure.'
With the Divine Tier Weapons—even in their nerfed states—they were indeed more than capable of taking down the Boss Monster.
They could even kill it.
'But will they? Well, I won't be sticking around to find out…'
After all, this was the perfect moment for him to begin his plan to harvest all of the resources for himself.
Chapter 626 Dog Eat Dog
~THUD!~
The Elves all collapsed before Rey, and he watched them with barely any emotion in his eyes. He simply turned away from them and looked at the room's entrance.
He seemed to be the only conscious person in the room, at least until he uttered some words.
"So, are you done?"
As he said this, a purplish black slime appeared from among the flowers, hopping towards Rey with what appeared to be excitement.
The moment it jumped at him, however-
-SPLAT!~
Its gooey form splashed on the barrier that surrounded Rey and the Elves.
"What do you think you're doing? Your job isn't finished yet."
-Uwaaah! Master, you're so mean!~
Emil's whining voice was something Rey hadn't particularly missed. However, compared to the cries of the Elves, this was music to his ears.
"I'll grant you your reward if you can pull this off well. I'll be taking my leave now, but before that there are a few things to do."
-Yeah, I remember the plan.~
"Good." He smiled, nodding at her intently.
His gaze went to the sleeping Boss, as well as the giant flowers around him, and his grin grew much wider than ever before.
"This should be fun."
[Moments Later]
"U-urgh..."
The Elves groaned as they slowly gained consciousness. They held their heads, chests, and other parts of their bodies while acclimating to the world around them.
It was all fuzzy at first, with the only concrete thing they could feel being the Divine-Tier Weapons in their grasps.
However, before they could fully even understand their predicament-
"ROOOOOAAARRRRR!!!"
-The loud roar of a terrifying beast echoed within the vast room, waking all of them from whatever remnant grogginess they were experiencing.
All of them, without exception, were now fully awake.
"EEEEEK!" Their annoying screams responded in a chorus, as all of their tear-filled eyes rested on the source of the explosive roar.
It was the five-headed giant dog that stood at the center of the garden-the same place they were also standing in at the moment.
The creature was awake, and it was glaring at them with sheer killing intent.
To call the Elves terrified would be an understatement.
They simply clung to their weapons as they huddled together in fright. More screams filled the air as the creature roared at them.
"We're going to dieeee!"
"Help us! Someone help us!"
"Save us! Pleaaaseeeee!!!"
All of their screams fell on deaf ears as they all begged whatever invisible figure in the expanse with them to deliver them.
But there was no one present.
No one knew where Rey went, or how long had passed since his disappearance.ƒreewebɳovel.com
All they knew was that they were currently in mortal danger-one that would kill them if no deliverance arrived. -BOOOOOM!~
The mere stomp of the five-headed Monster sent all the Elves flying in multiple directions, separating them from one another.
"Uwahhhhh!!!"
"Hiaaaaaaaa!!!"
"U-uuuuuuuu!"
They all scrambled for their lives like little children, flinging their weapons in any direction as they continued their confused dance for survival.
The Monster watched them without doing anything- perhaps confused or amused by their display of sheer incompetence.
It was a truly a pitiful sight to see.
Then-
"GRRRRRRR..." Seemingly fed up with their nonsense, the Monster stretched out its hand to one of the flailing Elves who had a spear.
Its massive hand neared her, and the moment she saw this, she screamed in fear.
"Arghhh! Stay away! Stay away from meeee!" She fumbled her weapon and began waving it in the air as she closed her eyes for the fear of certain death.
But, death did not come.
In fact, what happened next served as a surprise to both her and the other girls who were also running for their dear lives.
-SQUISH!~
The Divine-Tier weapon cut through the skin of the Monster like a hot knife through butter, easily slicing most of its gigantic paw clean off.
"E-eh...?" The Elf in question noticed this, stunned by what she had just done. All the other Elves also saw this and gawked at the shocking sight.
As the Monster's hand fell to the side, creating a light tremor in the room, the mood within the room slowly began to change.
The wide eyes of the Elves stared at their dear sister, who was now looking at her weapon with child-like wonder.
They cast their gaze on the beast, and on the limb it had lost.
Then-
-SWOOSH!~
One of the Elves sliced at the creature's tail, easily cutting it off with even sharper proficiency. Lightning crackled as she did this, electrocuting the Monster who now bellowed out in severe pain.
"Huh..."
Sounds of curiosity began to echo from the lips of the Elves as they now started to stare at their weapons, and at each other.
Something similar to instinct took over, and they began to feel their legs move without them even realizing it.
-SWOOOSH!~
~WHISH!~
-WHUUUM!~
In clean strikes, they were able to cut the Monster from several ends, making it completely incapable of standing upright.
At that moment, the Elves realized that they were no longer in danger.
Their minds were clear as they all tightly held onto their weapons. They further closed in on the wounded Monster, who was now whimpering and staring at them in horrified shock.
"Kill or be killed..." One stated.
"Law of Nature must be obeyed..." Another echoed out.
"This is how Nature operates." Yet another mentioned.
They all seemed to be of one mind as they chanted together, allowing their voice to permeate the entire room.
"Nature is dog eat dog. Monsters kill people and other Monsters, so we are permitted to kill Monsters."
They marched forward with those words oozing from their lips, making everything they ever said and believed in until this moment a complete lie.
[Meanwhile...]
"W-where are the girls? What do you want? W-why... what do you want from me?"
Gratiana, now conscious, was on a chair right in front of the man who caused her to reach a new realm of pleasure that she never thought was possible.
She fidgeted on her sofa as she studied the interior of the fortress' living room, where they both occupied at the present moment.
The man, who sat opposite her, was smiling calmly as he stretched out a hand to her.
Gratiana still shivered anytime she saw him... anytime she thought of what happened with him in the past, and how she had lost herself entirely.
Yes, she was worried for the Young Ones.
Yes, she was concerned about her people, as well as wary of the one before her.
But, more than any of those emotions, she couldn't help but also feel an overpowering sense of curiosity about the man who casually stood before her.
"How about we make a deal?" He suddenly spoke, causing her body to quiver in his presence.
It seemed every ounce of her being already recognized him for what he was to her-and what he could do at any moment.
"W-what deal?" She stuttered as she spoke.
Gratiana no longer had the confidence and grace she once possessed; not in front of a man like this.
"Your girls... why don't we bet on what they will do to escape their current predicament?"