Chapter 22 - I'll Be Your Guardian
Lance leaped from the branch they stood on and ripped the golem's hand open. Connor drew a deep breathe.
"T-Thank you," the younger boy said.
"Next time, don't try and challenge a beast that's four times your level," Lance said.
"I'm sorry," Connor whispered. Elliot followed them and bowed to Lance.
"Thank you," he said. "We couldn't have made it without you."
"Lies," Lance said in a serious tone. "These two," he pointed at the girls, "could've handled it with your support. In fact, they could handle the golem."
"It's my fault," Frost said. "I panicked and couldn't handle the situation. And our affinities…"
"They don't match?" Lance quirked his brow. "Did you know that golems are weak on their joints?"
Frost and Ripple nodded.
"Then why did you focus on the head?"
"I told you, we panicked," Ripple tried to reason but Lance lightly smacked the top of her head.
"I think I need to be your guardian," Lance said and grinned. "So, don't try to get out of situations you caused, okay?"
When the two nodded, he grinned and ruffled their hair. "Just be careful. This area is filled with Grand-ranked beasts.
"Okay," Frost replied.
"Good. Now, where are we going?"
Elliot pursed his lips, "To Yusta."
"That's good!" Lance said and smiled brightly, "I'm heading there right now."
"What?" Elliot raised his brow. "So, we're all going there then."
"I guess we are," Lance grinned.
'New Quest Available.'
[ Mountain Gem Necklace
Goal:
Craft a Mountain Gem Necklace from the Mountain Golem's gem. ]
Mountain Golem's gem? Elliot asked himself and looked at the beast.
"Can I keep the carcass?" Elliot asked. Lance quirked his brow but nodded.
He walked over to the golem and fetched The Manual. He scanned for the recipe for the Mountain Gem Necklace and found it almost instantly.
<< Mountain Gem Necklace >>
Recipe:
Mountain Golem Gem X1
Woodring Stag Horn X1
Elliot grinned and took the Mountain Golem's body to his inventory. He still have a spare horn from the Woodring Stag he first fought.
"You use Spatial Magic?!" Lance, Ripple and Frost exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah," he said and smiled. The three leaned in and gave him a stare with glimmering eyes.
"You're an important asset of my guild then," Lance said.
"You're both in the same guild?" Ripple asked. "No, join our party!"
"He already signed the contract with us," Lance smirked.
Ripple narrowed her eyes but didn't fought back. The man saved them after all.
The five of them walked through the valley. Lance know the area well and he knew where the strong beasts lie.
While they were doing so, Elliot had already crafted the item.
'Successfully finished quest << Mountain Gem Necklace >>.'
'Reward for the quest.'
'1 Apple From Eden.'
Apple From Eden?
Elliot checked his inventory and inspected the item.
<< Apple from Eden >>
// Boosts 50% stats + 75% XP for 5 minutes
- May cause heartburn after the effects wear off
Elliot was hesitating. The drawback from the effects was too great that he wasn't sure if he even wanted to consume the item. But even so, he still kept it for later use.
"Watch out!" Lance yelled and blocked the incoming attack. It was an iron boulder. "Black Pierce!"
He could also use Black affinity?! Elliot's eyes widened.
A hybrid was too rare, even rarer than Spatial Magic users. The first time Elliot saw a hybrid was in the Forest of Gray Lake. The man attacked him because of the book and used Flame and Water affinities.
Thinking about it, Lance carried two scabbards with different colors. One was white and the other was black.
What's more impressive with these two hybrids was that they used against law of affinities. The man he saw at the forest used an affinities inferior to the other while Lance was using two affinities that cancel each other out.
The boulder exploded and Lance leaped into the woods. A colossal figure stood but Lance took it down easily.
"You seem to know this place well," Elliot commented as Lance took down the level 60 iron golem. "And I thought magical attacks doesn't work on defense-focused beasts like golems?"
"It doesn't," Lance said. "That's why you need to overpower them. Check this out."
Lance was wielding two swords, an already might feat. Wielding two swords means you're either pretty strong or pretty stupid. One cannot balance the weapons and the other might overtake the other and will both end up being useless.
<< White Blade of the Heaven Emperor >>
Power: 10
Rate: 10
Charisma: 10
Buffer: 10
Weapon Potential: 10
"This sword is overpowered!" Elliot exclaimed. "Is this even possible?"
"It's not overpowered," Lance said after laughing. "Level 100s could only upgrade their weapons since we can't level up anymore."
"How long have you been Level 100?" Ripple asked. Elliot handed her the sword so she could inspect it and she had the same look as Elliot after seeing its stats.
"Just 2 years," Lance replied. "Hey, we're almost at the village entrance."
No one could miss the wide smile Connor had. Elliot didn't know how long it has been since he last went home and he's pretty sure his friend is excited.
"Just thirty minutes more and we'll reach Yusta," Connor smiled. "I wish I could've brought a present with me."
Elliot gave Connor a comfortable smile when a message popped up.
'Sudden Quest!'
[ Connor's Present
Goal: Give Connor the Mountain Golem Gem as his gift for his parents.
Reward:
Surprise Box ]
Elliot's eyes widened. For the first time on a quest, it displayed the reward. The other quests only show the reward after the completion of the quest but this was different.
He looked at the grinning Connor. After Connor told him about the gift, the quest triggered.
Does it have to do with people around me too?