67 - The Cat's Repayment of Gratitude
"Grrrrowl..."
What the heck? What on earth is going on?
"Feels good?"
"Nyaahhh... But my head smells, doesn't it...? And I haven't washed today, so it's all greasy..."
"It's fine. Only good smells. You're clean."
What is this? Before I knew it, the forest keeper was brushing my hair. And damn, it felt so good I couldn't refuse. I should pull away right now. But I couldn't do that either.
"Do elves usually do this with people they've just met, nya?"
"Yeah."
"Truly a culture worth emulating. You really are purrrfect, grrrrowl..."
At first, I thought I was still drunk, but my mind was crystal clear. Getting my hair brushed by the forest keeper—now that was something you don't see every day. Just like bad luck comes in waves, good fortune rolls in all at once.
The mission Geshtalt and Daniel had briefed us on turned out to be a secret op! Not only could we royally screw over the academy staff, but in the end, securing the laurel tree would all come down to Adella!
"Piece of cake! You can count on us, Geshtalt!"
"Show some respect to the branch chief, Adella."
The forest keeper seemed totally unfazed by the flipped mission parameters.
"Almost called that bald guy an idiot. Dodged a bullet there."
"Nyahaha! Bald? Even Uncle Geshtalt has little fuzz growing if you look close, nya?"
What the—? This elf looked like a delicate princess, but her words and actions were rough as a battle-hardened mercenary. Finally found a partner I could vibe with.
From Abyss, the first to head out were NoName and me. The observatory was too far to walk on short notice, so we had to arrive early to make the timing. Carriages were a no-go due to tracking risks. Sending two ladies on a long trek like this? Abyss was cheap, but hey, good things were good things.
Surprisingly, she was the quiet type. Wouldn't say a word unless I started the conversation. And I had a clear reason for not pushing chit-chat either. As a true mission operative, getting too attached was a no-no. On the battlefield, your own neck came first. If it came down to saving one of us, I'd ditch without hesitation. Not saying I'd betray her now, but friendship doesn't pay the bills—and with my personality, I could cut ties clean in a pinch.
This mission was a beast, though. That moment back at the inn when I let her brush my hair defenselessly? Blame the booze, seriously. Why'd I do that?!
The clock tower of Hwangsung chimed on the hour, standing silent vigil. Our steps weren't slow, so we reached the observatory early. The forest keeper showed zero tension. Experienced this a bunch, maybe?
"Not bored, nya?"
"A little."
"Tell me some stories from your past. Chances to meet elves don't come often."
What was Arseria Forest like? The elves' paradise, a fantastical realm off-limits to outsiders.
"I was the fourth princess of my homeland."
"Princess? Like, the princess I know?"
Hold up—this was royalty? An actual princess of a nation? Her aura had seemed otherworldly, yeah. The status gap hit hard, making my own life feel pathetic by comparison.
"Fourth means lots of siblings above you, right? Got along with them, nya?"
"No. I don't think so."
"Figures. Everyone with siblings says the same thing."
I had no family, so I couldn't relate, but I'd heard.
"So they're back in that forest, nya? Or out hunting laurel trees like you?"
"No. They're all dead. Except one."
"Huh? Dead...?"
"I killed them all."
"What kinda nonsense is—! You're totally nuts? That whole princess story was bullshit too?!"
Idiot me for taking this crazy forest keeper seriously. Tension broken, though. Whether her skills matched her looks? We'd see.
Time crawled like leaves falling during a night watch. If combat felt this slow, it'd be a dream. Couldn't take the boredom anymore, so I steeled myself to share my backstory.
"Know why I joined Abyss, nya?"
Adella spilled the beans on the branch chief story she'd always kept mum about. She was starved for real talk. Sure, her personality had rough edges, but she no longer ignored or brushed me off.
But Adella wasn't the only one who'd changed. The guards at the observatory—they'd broken free from their intelligence shackles too, just like her. Normally, the first guard lunging from the right could've been tripped with a foot sweep, sending him off the cliff and out of the fight.
"Guh... This punk's playing tricks? Don't let your guard down! She's a high-circle mage!"
One knight crawled up from the cliff. He'd smartly ditched his helmet mid-fall to clear his vision, using his sword as leverage to survive.
Round 2 enemies stronger than round 1, round 3 tougher than 2, round 4 even more. Not 'cause I was weaker—they were objectively smarter, more cautious, meticulous. No rash attacks on feints. Like elite troops, they only swung when safe.
Observatory guards weren't zombies or golems; real knights with one life each.
"Watch for sword auras! We outnumber 'em—keep the pressure!"
They separated me and Adella, isolating us. Scheming to hostage her injured self since I couldn't protect her. Game difficulty going berserk.
I barely parried a thrust at my throat. Spun half-turn, using momentum for a precise fente to the rear attacker's chest.
Ting—
Should've pierced clean through. But my blade snapped like a twig.
-45%
'Ah, so that's how it is.'
All my physical output halved. Familiar curse—like my first World of Arceria login, mana circuits severed from my dantian. Mass and acceleration unchanged, but force fell short of the product.
"Now—everyone, go!"
A heavy greatsword slammed earth, kicking up dust. I twisted away, but my movement radius cratered. Dozens of predatory eyes gleamed, waiting for my slip.
One knight stabbing from behind. Two more body-slamming, shields dropped. Surrounded on all sides?
Sacrifices needed. First victim: my body. Shoved hand into the first sword path.
Slash—
Gauntlet-twisted blade grazed my waist; my right arm shredded instead. Counter: elbow-smashed his wrist, disarming him. Used his forward lean—twice my weight—to grab his sleeve, hurl him headfirst in a perfect throw. He was out cold.
"Grab her! She's unarmed!"
Dodged an airborne guard, but he snagged my ankle on landing. Acceleration could've shaken a grown man's grip.
"...!"
(0.4 seconds)
Still on cooldown? Bad omen. Their smirks pierced helmets. No backup plan if skill's down... Battle fatigue fried my brain. A cleaving strike to bisect me incoming.
Death breathing down my neck.
"NoName!"
Clang—
"Adella?"
"What're you doing?! You almost died, you idiot! Get up already!"
Adella crossed her tiny daggers in an X, barely blocking the guard's head-splitting overhead. No time to gawk—she shoved him back, tossed me the censer.
"Picked it up fleeing the observatory! Priests can handle basic weapons, right?"
◈ A censer dropped by a passerby. Infused with earth's mana, it exudes an ominous aura.
◈ Skill Haste +30, Spell Power +15, Healing Reduction 20%
Acceleration Lv. 2: Grants 23(20+3)% movement speed and 17.25(15+2.25)% attack speed for 5 seconds.
MP Cost: 50 | Cooldown: 10.77(14-3.23) seconds
"Thanks. Let's fight together."
With acceleration, even weak attacks get a boost.
"No, heal me already! Don't leave me hanging, forest keeper! Hey hey hey Adella's dying! Save meee!"