Chapter 197: Phantom in the Forest
byAn arrow sliced through the air and buried itself in the tree trunk with a sharp thunk.
“Nice shot,” Artemis praised. “Now do it again, but this time my way.”
Luke let out a long breath and reached for another arrow. “You sure about this?”
“I’m always sure. I was the most skilled archer in the entire multiverse, remember?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I believe you. I just don’t trust your methods.”
“Just do it. You’ll understand.”
Without arguing further, Luke started spinning. Standing in place, he twirled rapidly, turning faster and faster until the forest blurred around him. His body, strengthened by boosted attributes, held out longer than it used to. But eventually the dizziness kicked in, and he stumbled to a stop, swaying.
Wobbling, he pulled the bowstring back. “You’re telling me this actually improves aim?”
“If you can land a shot while dizzy, shooting while steady will feel like child’s play. Trust the process.”
“Okay, but explain this part. Why do I have to do it shirtless?”
There was a beat of awkward silence. Artemis cleared her throat. “Never question your teacher’s methods.”
“You just wanted an excuse to see me without a shirt, didn’t you?”
“Quiet, student. Focus is everything.”
He released the arrow. Miss. The second one, also a miss. The third didn’t even come close. But even as he grumbled, Luke knew what this was really about. In the past two weeks, he’d seen genuine improvement. Artemis made him shoot under every condition imaginable: sprinting, leaping, hanging upside down, even blindfolded. The goal wasn’t raw power. It was instinct. Sensory awareness. Understanding the rhythm of the world.
And the shirtless training? As questionable as it sounded, it had some merit. With nothing between his skin and the air, he could feel the wind more clearly, sense shifts in temperature, time his breathing better. Artemis was forcing him to tune his body to the world around him. After practice, Luke moved to his garden plots, kept outside the pocket dimension so they could soak up the sunlight. The plants were thriving, taller and brighter than before, many already beginning to bloom.
“Look at you guys, growing strong,” he murmured, smiling.
The emotions that trickled back from the plants were soft, peaceful. A brush of joy, like leaves rustling in a breeze. He extended a hand, fingers glowing with faint green light. Plant Growth magic surged down into the soil, nourishing roots, strengthening stalks, coaxing life upward. His connection to the profession deepened with each passing day, and he had just hit level 24 in it.
He wasn’t in the cave anymore. Luke had relocated to a quieter part of the forest, closer to the castle, near a silent river that cut through the realm. For the past two weeks, his focus had been singular: find the third mechanism. He hadn’t sought out fights or tried to force level-ups through combat. Not when moving through the capital meant staying invisible, especially with the Beast Lord patrolling and the statues constantly on alert.
His skill, [Advanced Stealth], had become essential. He glided through the environment like mist. No sound. No scent. Even his presence seemed to blur into the shadows. Along the way, he’d confirmed a few theories. Both the statues and the other monsters feared the Beast Lord. Whenever its presence approached, they scattered, hiding. That explained why, when the bells rang, the statues rushed to specific positions, probably so they wouldn’t get crushed by the monster during one of its patrols.
Still, Luke noticed something else: the serpent never ventured deep into the city. It mostly stalked the outskirts. That territory was firmly under the statues’ control, likely because of it. Luke kept his exploration limited to areas the Beast Lord had already passed through. It was safer that way—most of the monsters avoided those zones after the serpent’s patrols.
If that giant snake would just slither a bit closer to the castle, it’d really help me out. Might even give me a shot at bypassing those damned statues.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared.
[Princess Charlie has slain a Dead Patrolman – Lvl 31]
*The [Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 29! (Class Bonus Points Acquired: +3 Str, +3 End, +2 Agi, +2 Vit, +2 Int, +1 Per, +2 Free Points)*
He looked up and spotted her in the distance, calmly finishing off the creature. She was already heading back, sword sheathed, her steps steady and relaxed.
“Congratulations, Charlie. At this rate, you’ll hit level 30 in no time,” he said with a faint smile.
She gave a small nod, clearly pleased by the praise. Still silent as ever, but her body language spoke volumes. Curious, Luke pulled up her status window to check out the new updates.
Name: Princess Charlie
Level: 17
Race: Skeleton
Rank: F
Class: Death Knight (Lvl 29)
2nd Class: Pugilist (Lvl 13)
Title: [Servant of the Dark Lord]
Health Points (HP): 1023/1390
Mana Points (MP): 733/930
Stamina: 1342/1630
Stats:
Strength: 166 (236)
Agility: 100
Endurance: 123 (163)
Vitality: 139
Perception: 76
Intelligence: 93
Free Points: 23
Class Skills: [Basic Weapon Handling (Common)], Heavy Strike (Common), [Basic Spectral Charge (Rare)], [Crescent Slash (Uncommon)], [Whirlwind Strike (Uncommon)], [Spectral Chain (Rare)], [Spectral Barrier (Rare)], [Doomblade (Rare)]
Second Class Skills: [Advanced Hand-to-Hand (Uncommon)], [Steel Fist (Rare)], [Stunning Punch (Uncommon)], [Battle Roar (Uncommon)], [Concentrated Kick (Uncommon)], [Power Punch (Uncommon)]
Race Skills: [Demonic Servant Perception (Uncommon)], [Basic Bone Regeneration (Rare)], [Bone Endurance (Rare)], [Iron Bones (Ultra-Rare)]
Rune Skill: [Berserker Flames (Rare)]
Charlie had become absurdly lethal—and a lot of it was thanks to the synergy between her two classes. The attribute growth from combining [Death Knight] with [Pugilist] created a perfect balance between durability and raw power. That duality enhanced both her offense and defense.
At level 10 in her second class, she’d picked up a new skill:
[Power Punch (Uncommon)]: The Pugilist channels stamina into the fists, empowering them to deliver devastating blows. The more stamina channeled, the harder the impact—capable of shattering defenses, knocking enemies back, or even demolishing solid structures.
Simple. Direct. Brutal. But Luke had run into a bit of a problem with her free stat allocation. Most [Death Knight] abilities burned through mana, while [Pugilist] relied on stamina. And to make things more complicated, her rune skill, [Berserker Flames], drained both. Finding the right balance was tricky.
After a few minutes weighing options, he settled on a distribution: +5 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Vitality, +3 Perception, and +5 Intelligence.
Stats Updated (Princess Charlie):
Strength: 166 (236) -> 171 (241)
Endurance: 123 (163) -> 128 (168)
Vitality: 139 -> 144
Perception: 76 -> 79
Intelligence: 93 -> 98
Free Points: 23 -> 0
Satisfied with the adjustments, he closed her screen and opened his own interface. Time to review his own progress.
Name: Luke
Level: 21
Rank: F
Class: [Demonic Assassin (Lvl 33)]
Race: Half-Demon
Profession: Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 24)
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 1930/1930
Mana Points (MP): 985/1560
Stamina: 738/1120
Soul Fragments: 62/1000
Stats:
Strength: 227
Agility: 193 (243)
Endurance: 91 (111)
Vitality: 192
Perception: 217 (227)
Intelligence: 155 (160)
Free Points: 51
Class Skills: [Basic Blade Handling (Common)], [Profane Knife Throwing (Uncommon)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)], [Basic Blood Regeneration (Rare)], [Assassin’s Mark (Rare)], [Demonic Blade Dance (Rare)], [Wraith Form (Ultra-Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)], [Advanced Stealth (Rare)]
Profession Skills: [Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)], [Precise Extraction (Common)], [Basic Potion Crafting (Common)], [Plant Growth (Uncommon)], [Plant Sensor (Uncommon)], [Botanical Bond of Mother Freya (Rare)], [Seed Conversion (Rare)]
Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)], [Dark Blood (Uncommon)], [Meditation (Common)], [Demonic Endurance (Uncommon)]
Bloodline Skill: [Servant of the Dark Lord (Unique)]
Servants: [Princess Charlie (Skeleton) – Lvl 17], [Servant Slot Available]
Luke stared at his interface with a faint, satisfied smirk. Fifty-one unspent points.
“I’m officially a stat hoarder now.”
His gaze lingered on his Race Level: 21. No new race skills had unlocked since Level 10. At first, he’d assumed they came every five levels—but apparently, race progression played by a different set of rules. A slower, stingier set.
When he hit Level 20 in his profession, the skill options that popped up were mostly old ones he’d previously skipped. That’s when he chose something he’d initially overlooked but now realized was invaluable: [Seed Conversion].
The ability allowed him to revert plants back into their purest form—a seed. When paired with [Plant Growth] and enhanced by his bond through [Botanical Bond], the results were remarkable. He could propagate saplings at an accelerated rate, and the loyalty link between him and the plants deepened in the process.
In short, Luke had become a one-man magical seed-replication factory. It felt almost like cheating. He let out a long breath after watering a neat row of mint. There was something oddly peaceful about it. Calming. Nearly therapeutic.
“I swear, if you keep this up, you’re gonna become one of those single old men whose life revolves around gardening,” Artemis teased.
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Luke didn’t bother responding. The soft smile stayed on his lips as he moved to the next row.
“When I get back to Earth, maybe I’ll open a shop or something,” he mused, crouching to inspect the stem of a medicinal herb. “I know how to make healing potions, stuff for headaches, back pain… I could make a decent living.”
Charlie approached with a watering can in hand, her skull tilted slightly as she gave a small, eager nod. The message was clear: ‘I want to help too.’
“And you will,” Luke chuckled. “You’ll be my assistant.”
“And I’ll be the face of the brand,” Artemis declared proudly.
“You’ll scare off the customers, that’s what you’ll do.”
Luke approached one of his most carefully tended plants—his Energizing Catuaba. It was potent enough to craft either a stamina potion… or something a bit more stimulating.
“What does that plant actually do?” Artemis asked, curiosity laced in her voice. “You treat it like it’s some sacred relic.”
“Nothing special,” Luke muttered. “Just used for a potion… kind of a sensitive one.”
“You’re not gonna try making it?”
“Not yet. I don’t think I’m skilled enough to risk wasting the materials.”
“Must be a hell of a potion.”
He glanced sideways, keeping a straight face. “Hell yeah. Some men would kill for this stuff.”
Artemis let out an impressed whistle. He wasn’t a master alchemist—at least, not yet. Especially when it came to healing potions. Kalysto had explained it early on: Luke was never going to become a full-on potion factory. Healing brews demanded a lot—rare herbs, specific catalysts, time—and even then, the output often wasn’t worth the cost.
Early on, after several failed batches and a lot of wasted resources, Luke had finally managed to craft a single potion that restored more than 33 HP. Now, he could reliably make ones that gave 133. The problem? He could only brew around three per week. Everything factored in—prep time, ingredient gathering, brew duration. It added up.
“If it were easy,” he murmured, “healers wouldn’t be so damn valuable.”
Still, he was making progress. Rather than chase quantity, he’d focused on quality. The same amount of effort it once took him to make a 33-HP potion now resulted in a 100-HP one. Slow progress, sure—but meaningful. The kind of progress that saved your life in a tight spot. Old Luke would’ve been thrilled to have just one of those in his inventory.
He reached for a vial.
[Defective Potion (Common)]: The result of an incorrect preparation. This potion fails to restore health and instead causes immediate nausea and violent vomiting, purging the contents of the stomach. Useless in combat, but potentially helpful in cases of mild poisoning or accidental ingestion.
“Well, Luke,” Artemis quipped, “you’re officially a specialist in brewing diarrhea bombs.”
“Trust me, there are people back on Earth who would pay good money for something like this… probably.”
“Oh yeah, totally. If an enemy charges at you, just make him crap himself,” she laughed, full and unfiltered.
Luke didn’t dignify it with a response. Once he finished his routine, he packed the garden beds back into his pocket dimension and turned toward the city. Time to get moving again. The exploration wasn’t going to finish itself.




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