Chapter 505: Between Maps and Danger

Angie stood with Charlie, watching their lord finish packing. They had already gone over the plans for the coming days.

“I’m leaving behind some tools and the spears I took from the onis,” Luke said, pulling items from his dimensional storage and stacking them inside the room he’d been using in the temple.

They walked together through the hall and stopped at the entrance. Angie and Charlie followed him down the steps.

“I’ll be back in two weeks.”

“If he takes longer, you already know why,” Artemis muttered. “He’ll be caught up in some insane mess that nearly gets us all killed.”

Charlie laughed softly, then rested a hand on his shoulder. “I wish I could go with you, Master Luke.”

“And miss the opportunity we have here? Don’t worry. If you want to help me, you’ll be far more useful staying. I’m just going to copy a few maps. Boring stuff. Nothing dangerous is going to happen.”

“You just jinxed it,” Artemis sighed.

Angie planted her spear in the ground, lowered to one knee, and bowed her head. “I swear, my lord. I vow on my life that when we meet again, I will be stronger.”

He had accepted her as a partner, though gestures of devotion like that still made him a little uneasy. Even so, Angie would offer them a thousand times if she had to.

“I’ll be counting on it, Angie.”

With that, their lord vanished into the forest.

Angie and Charlie turned back and began climbing the temple steps.

“You can fill your Blood Core using beasts now,” Angie said. “That means you’re self-sufficient, Charlie.”

She looked down at her hand. “And I’m stronger than before. I even have a healing skill now, even if it’s still weak. The two of us together can handle whatever is in this forest.”

“I still wish I’d gone with Master Luke,” Charlie murmured. “Nothing should hurt him. And if something does, I want to be there to kill whoever caused it.” Her eyes glowed red for a moment, but she steadied herself. “Even so… I agree with the plan.”

While Luke traveled between temples to copy their maps, Angie would remain in the forest with Charlie, hunting beasts and onis. The goal was simple: level up. Angie knew her limits, but she also knew how far she could push them. She could already handle some onis. If she defeated them, she would move on to stronger ones, steadily increasing the difficulty as she grew.

She had mapped out a full routine to maximize experience gain. With her stamina and wings, she could sweep through the forest, searching for enemies without pause.

“The next time we see him, I want to surprise him with how much I’ve grown,” Angie whispered.

Deep inside, she could feel something—a faint spark, like a silent flame calling to her. A remnant of who she once was. She would seize that flame and bend it to her will.

Angie stepped into her room.

“Not angels. Not humans. Not beasts. Not demons,” she murmured, gripping her spear tighter.

I will crush anything that stands in my lord’s way.

Her greatest humiliation was knowing how weak she still was. There wasn’t a single day she looked at her system interface without feeling anger aimed at herself.

I promise, my lord. I will gain the strength to shatter every one of your enemies. Including that dragon queen. I haven’t forgotten the humiliation she made you endure. I’ll hunt her down. Her family. Her kingdom. Every last one who shares their blood. Every soul who stood on that land.

Her fingers tightened around the shaft of her spear.

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Even if I have to wipe out an entire race. Even if I drown a nation and leave it in ruin. I will do whatever it takes for you.

***

Luke made his way back toward the military village, moving at a steady pace through the misted ruins of the forest. This time, he wasn’t just passing through. He intended to copy the map again, but now with every detail, every line, every subtle marking he might have overlooked before.

He opened his interface as he walked and glanced over his progress, measuring how far he’d climbed with his second class.

Name: Luke
Level: 63
Race: Half-Demon
Rank: E
Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 66)]
2nd Class: [Witch (Lvl 25)]
Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 77)]
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 6650/6650
Mana Points (MP): 7321/(7570)
Stamina: 4136/4180
Soul Fragments: 348/1000

Stats:
Strength: 554
Lethality: 937
Agility: 740 (750)
Dexterity: 386
Endurance: 418
Vitality: 665
Toughness: 227
Perception: 635 (645)
Wisdom: 752 (757)
Intelligence: 574
Willpower: 684
Free Points: 0

Class Skills: [Advanced Blade Handling (Uncommon)], [Advanced Knife Throwing (Rare)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)], [Basic Blood Regeneration (Rare)], [Predator’s Mark (Rare)], [Demonic Blade Dance (Rare)], [Wraith Form (Ultra-Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)], [Advanced Stealth (Rare)], [Assassin’s Tracking (Rare)], [Mana Infusion (Rare)], [Basic Archery (Common)], [Demonic Predator Hands (Epic)], [Demonic Predator Throwing Knife (Epic)]