Chapter 96: The Manticore Captain’s Gift

The memory of the previous night’s attack felt… distant. As if it had happened somewhere else, to someone else. The camp was more alive than ever. Children ran between barrels and makeshift benches, wide-eyed as they pointed at the massive tyrannosaurus corpse—half fascinated, half hungry.

Despite the Haven having storage chests and people with similar storage items, the dinosaur was so enormous that Angelica remarked, “Even if we emptied all the chests, we’d still have meat left to rot.”

The solution? A feast. A grand, reckless one. There was simply too much meat to store, too many mouths to feed, and too rare a chance to feel truly victorious.

They opened the celebration to everyone in the Safe Zone, even Bastion. And, indeed, Luke had heard that Bartholomew had also ordered the two Beast Captains killed by his men to be roasted. Of course, only after extracting the useful parts—hide, claws, and fangs.

Fires burned all along the street. Their flickering light cast dancing shadows on the cracked stone, warming both bodies and hearts alike. In one corner, a man strummed a guitar, playing light, cheerful chords. People danced nearby, spinning around the flames with clumsy steps but joyful faces.

Ahead, Luke saw Anna surrounded by children. She acted out with big gestures, miming an invisible bow. The children copied her, laughing loudly and tugging imaginary strings. Even though the system was already active for them, classes wouldn’t unlock until age eighteen—until then, they could only level up their race.

Cecilia cooked alongside other women. They stirred large soup cauldrons with wooden spoons. A few children approached, giggling shyly, and offered her a flower crown. She bowed her head, let them place it on her, and calmly resumed stirring the soup as if nothing had changed.

Luke watched in silence.

Every time he saw happiness on these people’s faces, the weight of his dilemma pressed harder. Activating the third mechanism would mean triggering something far worse than last night’s invasion.

It would mean triggering them. Midnight Wardens. Several of them. And the Midnight Lord himself. He pushed the thought aside—for now.

Still, the idea of claiming the second Bastion pounded at the back of his mind. A new fortress would mean resources. Safety. A real base to protect everyone here. They could sleep without fear of being swallowed by the night.

Luke turned away from the crowd and focused on his system interface. The laughter, the dancing, the smell of roasted meat, it all faded like background noise in his mind.

He was sitting in the infirmary. Thiara moved back and forth, checking on the wounded, but always returned to apply healing magic to his burned, bandaged arm. It was a slow process.

He used the time to activate [Meditation].

His mind quieted. Mana and stamina regeneration accelerated. The world blurred—sounds, smells, voices—until only the floating interface remained in front of him.

It was time to check his status.

Name: Luke
Level: 10
Rank: F
Class: [Demonic Assassin (Lvl 20)]
Race: Half-Demon
Profession: –
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 628/960
Mana Points (MP): 598/610
Stamina: 517/530
Soul Fragments: 28/1000

Stats:
Strength: 95
Agility: 95 (120)
Endurance: 33 (53)
Vitality: 96
Perception: 97
Intelligence: 61
Free Points: 3

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)]

Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)], [Dark Blood (Uncommon)], [Meditation (Common)], [Demonic Endurance (Uncommon)]

Bloodline Skill: [Servant of the Dark Lord (Unique)]
Servant: [Princess Charlie (Skeleton) – Lvl 10]

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Luke analyzed the interface, seated in the infirmary while the sounds of celebration echoed from outside. He still had three unspent points. He wasn’t going to save them for later.

One by one, he placed them where they were needed most.

Stats Updated:

Strength: 95 -> 96
Agility: 95 (120) -> 96 (121)
Endurance: 33 (53) -> 34 (54)
Free Points: 3 -> 0
Stamina: 517 / 530 -> 527 / 540

He exhaled. His body was already feeling the difference, subtle as it was. That’s when he noticed the new item he had gained after killing the Manticore.

[Chestplate of the Manticore Captain (Rare)

Description: A heavy chestplate crafted from the scorpion tail of a Manticore Beast Captain. A piece of armor designed for frontline combat, providing both strength and endurance. A portion of the manticore’s electric energy remains stored within the metal.

Enchantments:
[Electric Resilience (Uncommon)]: When mana is injected, the metal becomes lightly electrified.

Bonus: +25 Endurance, +20 Strength
Requirement: Level 15+ in any Fighter class.]

“Another good item for Charlie…” he muttered, still staring at the open interface.

He knew the armor was unusable for him—it required a physical combat class, which Luke definitely was not—but for her?

It was perfect.

He opened Princess Charlie’s interface. A new notification blinked at the top.