Chapter 588 – Half Way There.
bySmall mechanical legs clicked softly as an egg-shaped spider climbed a steep wooden wall. Rather than digging its legs in, it clung to the surface by magnetizing itself to the high metallic content within the wood. Slowly, it reached the top and used its single large eye to scan the surroundings. Nearby, it spotted a lone guard leaning against the wall of his lookout tower, completely inattentive and struggling to stay awake.
“I shouldn’t have drunk that ale… the boss will kill me if I fall asleep, I need to hang in there.”
The man mumbled to himself while the small arachnid scanned the surrounding environment. It fed the visual data into the main console hidden within Roland’s shelter and also transmitted valuable information to dozens of other spider units that were slowly approaching the area. One group was already closing in on the circular wall, preparing to infiltrate the interior.
The spider adjusted its posture, flattening its body to blend into the support beam. Its matte-black shell shimmered faintly as it merged with the unlit shadows of the night. Although the dungeon had shifted into its night cycle, the adventurer-run town remained active. A transparent barrier shaped like a dome blocked sounds from escaping, but now that the small golemic arachnid had reached its vantage point, its sensors picked up a large amount of noise and movement inside.
People were walking around and shouting. This was clearly a place meant for adventurers, as almost everyone was carrying a pitcher of alcohol and appeared to be drunk. The noise provided excellent cover, allowing the small golem to blend in easily and proceed with infiltration. It descended along the wall and, upon reaching a building, began burrowing into the ground deep enough to remain hidden, yet shallow enough to eavesdrop on every nearby conversation.
In time, many more of the egg-sized arachnids began scaling the walls of the Dragon Valley Settlement. They slipped inside and continued burrowing underground, spreading throughout the area. The man behind the infiltration watched a screen as the once-empty map gradually filled with detailed renditions of the exteriors.
Thanks to the scanners, he could now see every building rendered in three-dimensional space. Although the golems did not actively stream visual feeds, the scanners still detected the presence of adventurers, displaying them as moving dots similar to those on his original mapping device. This time, however, there was also sound.
“The dra… kshhhh have been rowdy lat… krrzt I heard a rampage bzzzzzt …could occur at any momen… shhhk.”
A man’s voice came through the feed. At first, there was some static, but after a few adjustments, it began to come through clearly.
“Kzzz… Why are you talking about this now? Just shut up and drink.”
“Hah, you’re right. No use worrying now. We’ll get through it like we always do.”
The conversation came from inside a rowdy tavern not far from what appeared to be the central square. With all the overlapping audio inputs from outside, it was difficult to make out exactly what people were saying. Still, given enough time, Roland hoped to gather enough information to prepare for whoever was in charge of the settlement.
From how the blacksmith had been treated, the place didn’t seem to follow any clear laws. But he couldn’t be sure of who to blame yet. It was possible that multiple factions were working against one another and that the leader held no real control over them.
“Everything is progressing smoothly. That should be enough for now.”
In his small underground lair, Roland stood before the console. He watched as the map took shape in real time and had already made the decision to keep all his golems underground, avoiding any placements in higher vantage points. The dungeon floor was saturated with mana, which would help conceal the spider golems from mages and other detection skills.
“The underground net is now set up.”
His golems were designed to exchange information with each other through an underground network. They kept sending signals horizontally to avoid detection, and for now, it seemed to be working effectively. The adventurers living here probably never expected anyone from outside to be monitoring their entire settlement from every direction. As long as none of his golems were uncovered, he expected to remain hidden.
Even if one of them was discovered, it was built to self-destruct and leave no trace behind. Without both a runesmith and a runemage working together, no one would be able to trace the signal back to his current location. Then, if they managed to do so, he could still escape through the teleportation gate and destroy his hidden lair to eliminate all evidence.
“Now then, the blacksmith’s home should be somewhere around here…”
While his main reason for placing sensors around the settlement was to gather information on the residents, he also had a secondary objective. The two men who had nearly killed the blacksmith he questioned had mentioned something about the man’s family. As someone who had his own loved ones, this didn’t sit well with him. If he ignored it now, his conscience would likely keep him awake at night.
“This might take a while… let’s give the order to filter for any mentions of the name ‘Ermes.’”
After giving the order, he leaned back and turned toward his status screen. He was now a Level 50 Runesmith Overlord, and for one reason or another, this advancement had granted him not just one new skill but two.
|
Rune Concealment |
Active Skill |
Allows the Runesmith to hide previously created runes from sight and detection by other spells and abilities. |
He first examined the active skill Rune Concealment. At a glance, it didn’t seem particularly impressive as it simply allowed him to hide runes from view. However, after testing it, the results were unexpectedly remarkable.
“Quite fascinating, it’s as if there was nothing there from the start.”
He said as he reached out with his hand, which was encased in armor. The runes were engraved on various parts and also on the underside of the armor’s plating, and whenever he cast spells, they would usually flash and emit mana. While there were already methods for masking such traces, none were perfect. Yet once he activated the skill, the vibrant glow began to fade until his gauntlet appeared entirely devoid of magic.
“If I didn’t know something was there…”
It was a remarkable ability that concealed all traces of runic magic. Once activated, it consumed a steady amount of mana to keep the runes hidden on any target he chose. As long as the runes remained inactive, they would stay undetectable. The only limitation was its continuous mana cost, similar to a buff spell. When used on objects, the concealment lasted for a limited time, no more than ten minutes.
“With this skill, they shouldn’t be able to detect anything.”
Only one day remained before his departure to Isgard. There was a major problem with the assembly as he couldn’t bring his full arsenal with him. Although he had created several methods to summon his gear within seconds, they were problematic solutions. In a world where tier-three and tier-four class holders fought, even a fraction of a second could mean death.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author’s work.
He had built a special launch platform that could fire his armor into the air, allowing him to leap up and equip it midair. It felt like a ridiculous transformation sequence, and he was glad he likely wouldn’t have to use it. If he could conceal the runic equipment he wore, he could simply store everything inside a spatial container. But if he could smuggle gear in, it meant others might be able to do the same.
“I might be overthinking things, but…”
There were aspects of this assembly that unsettled him because they broke from tradition. He understood how nobles clung to their customs and only abandoned them in the face of extreme circumstances. He didn’t want to expect trouble, but the second skill he had acquired was designed for situations where attacks came without warning.
|
Overlord’s Indomitable Will |
Passive Skill |
This skill activates automatically when the Overlord’s health drops below 20 percent. Upon activation, it fully restores health and mana, resets the cooldowns of all Overlord-class skills, and extends their active durations. Additionally, it grants a temporary boost to durability and resilience. Can only trigger once per day. Continue Reading You are reading a free preview (50%). Log in to unlock the full chapter and join comments. Log In to UnlockCreate Account 0 chapter views
Formatting
TTS Settings
The text-to-speech engine is an experimental browser feature. It might not always work as intended. On Android, you need the following app permissions for this to work: [Microphone] and [Music and audio] Login
Log in with a social media account to set up a profile. You can change your nickname later. Site Settings
You can toggle selected features and styles per device/browser to boost performance. Some options may not be available. BBCodes
[b]Bold[/b] of you to assume I have a plan.Deathbringer, emphasis on
[i]death[/i].I’m totally
[s][/s] by this.
[img]https://www.agine.this[/img]
[spoiler]Spanish Inquisition![/spoiler][ins]Insert[/ins] more bad puns![del][/del] your browser history!
1 online
|




0 Comments