Chapter 470: The Stone Angel Strikes

Luke opened his eyes to find a figure staring down at him.

“Good morning, my love.”

My love…?

“Morning, Charlie.”

She was sitting there inside his tent, waiting for him.

Back when she was just an armored skeleton, she used to do this all the time, standing watch while I slept. But that was during the tutorial, and she didn’t speak back then. Now that she does… it feels a little strange. Still, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m normal either. She just lacks social tact.

Charlie handed him the dinner he hadn’t eaten the night before. She stayed beside him, quietly watching as he ate, visibly pleased when he told her it was good.

“Let’s move out. We still have a few days before Sirius,” he said, already starting to take down the tent.

Angie stepped in to help. “You don’t need to do that, my lord. I’ll take care of it.”

***

Luke ran alone for a while. He was much faster than the two of them, especially when he burned stamina to fuel his sprint. Mid-run, he leapt off a cliff instead of following the long path down.

In midair, he unfurled the bat-wing cloak he’d carried since the tutorial and glided over the forest as he descended.

The trees in that forest were massive, their branches more like bridges than limbs. He dropped lower, advancing as he slid along branches and roots.

At one point, Luke spotted a massive bear in the distance. He sprinted along a branch straight toward the beast.

He hurled a throwing knife. It struck, but barely penetrated the bear’s thick hide. The simple sheath that generated those knives had been the system’s gift when he accepted the class. The knives were no longer enough for enemies this strong, or even weaker ones that naturally had armor, whether from tough hides or powerful equipment.

The bear charged him, rearing up on its hind legs and swiping repeatedly as Luke retreated. He tightened his grip on both kukris and jumped to the side. One blade slashed across the bear’s snout, drawing a pained roar. The other followed in a swift spin, cutting deep into the creature’s neck.

The bear staggered a few steps, then collapsed. After a moment, the notification appeared.

[You have slain a Brown-Furred Bear – Lvl 66]

Luke opened the bear’s chest and tore out its heart. When he struck it, he didn’t feel the softness of flesh, but something solid within. He pulled out the mana core. Only beasts above level 50 had them, and even then, not all of them. Physical cores were rare.

“This will be useful for the snake,” he muttered, storing the core in his pocket dimension.

It was for Franky. The wyvern hatchling needed a hundred to evolve.

[Familiar: Frankzaroth
Race: Ancient Wyvern
Rank: F
Familiar Skills: [Accelerated Flight (Rare)], [Fireball (Common)], [Wyvern’s Roar (Epic)]
[Evolution to Rank E]: To evolve from Rank F to Rank E, the familiar must consume Rank E Magic Beast Cores.
Rank E Cores (0/100)]

One hundred cores to reach Rank E. It would take time, but he’d get there eventually. Gripping both kukris, Luke pressed deeper into the forest, hunting anything that crossed his path. When a boar charged him, he stopped it barehanded, grabbing the creature and activating [Curse].

He could have killed it more easily by firing mana spheres, but he wanted to refine the direction of his class. Just as Angie had unlocked a spear-throwing skill simply by wielding a spear, he suspected this path would shape his own abilities. The downside was that this method took longer to kill.

[You have slain a Brownhide Boar – Lvl 11]

**Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 3! (+5 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points)**

[You have acquired a Witch Skill]

He tapped the notification immediately.

[Cursed Weapon (Uncommon)]: The witch imbues the blade she wields with a fragment of her curse, channeling malignant energy into the weapon. Attacks made with this weapon deal additional curse damage, inflicting intense pain upon contact with the cursed blade.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, genuinely stunned.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He raised both kukris and activated the magic. The blades were enveloped in purple curse energy.

A perfect synergy with my assassin class. This is insane.

***

Luke looked at his system interface.

Name: Luke
Level: 57
Race: Half-Demon
Rank: E
Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 60)]
2nd Class: [Witch (Lvl 3)]
Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 71)]
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 5450/5450
Mana Points (MP): 5653/(5890)
Stamina: 3003/(3220)
Soul Fragments: 305/1000

Stats:
Strength: 497
Lethality: 775
Agility: 605 (615)
Dexterity: 339
Endurance: 322
Vitality: 545
Toughness: 182
Perception: 523 (533)
Wisdom: 584 (589)
Intelligence: 346
Willpower: 619
Free Points: 175