Chương 711: The Archangel’s Secret

Artemis was stuck with Angie. The beautiful angel wore the necklace, but unfortunately, she was also wearing a breastplate. Which meant Artemis couldn't touch her skin at all. From a distance, Angie stared at the massive mound of sand rising from the island: the crustaceans' nest. Her expression didn't change.

"Luke and Charlie are taking forever..." Artemis said.

"They've been gone for, like, a whole day. She said she was close to ranking up. I swear, I'm missing out on something good." Angie went back to organizing the items inside the pocket dimension. Since she didn't have a storage item of her own, she shared space with Luke, which forced her to keep everything in order.

"Do you think those two are dating right this second?" Artemis asked.

"Probably," Angie replied, without the slightest trace of emotion.

"Charlie is a vampire, but she still has human feelings and desires. After worrying she might turn back into a skeleton when she ranked up, if she evolved and remained a vampire, there is a strong chance she would want to celebrate with my lord physically."

"Okay, scary-smart. So you could totally tell when those two are doing that, couldn't you?"

"I believe so."

"Can you tell me when it happens? Sometimes Luke abandons me on the ship."

"No. I will not tell you anything." Artemis huffed.

"And you can talk about their relationship that calmly? You don't feel anything? Not even a little jealous?"

"I belong to a race superior to all others. I am not bound by human concepts of monogamy."

"What!?" Angie didn't even blink.

"Wait, what did you mean by that? No, seriously, what did you mean? Are you saying if I manage to convince that dense idiot, all four of us could lock ourselves in a room? Hey, don't ignore me!" Angie tore the necklace off her neck with terrifying speed and squeezed the jewel between her fingers, silencing Artemis instantly.

"Not another word about that. I merely made a comment... with a faint attempt at humor. Understood?" She stopped squeezing the jewel.

"I promise. Secret's safe."

"There is no secret. Because I said nothing. Understood?"

"Understood!" Damn... she's scary sometimes, Artemis thought.

A few days passed after Charlie reached Rank D. The ship had already moved away from the Main Island, where the Citadel stood. Now, they were circling back to old places and cleaning up threats they had left behind while leveling up. I need to find that kraken I left behind.

"Do we have a deal, Luke Moon?" Cadmus asked. The robot was in the middle of a long conversation with him, though judging by Luke's expression, how much he was actually paying attention was debatable.

"I've kind of been tuning you out for the last half hour," Luke admitted. He was tending to a miniature garden he had altered with [Botanical Transmutation]. His tests consisted of measuring whether shrinking plants and caring for them would still grant the same amount of experience as full-sized plants. If this works, one room could fit countless farms. Luke kept going, visibly pleased as he handled the tiny plants with an almost ridiculous amount of care.

"Now I understand those guys whose hobby is playing with trains."

"Trains?" Cadmus asked, confused.

"My brain's just wandering."

"Do we have a deal?"

"We do. You help me reach the tomb, and I leave you there." Ever since Luke had discovered Cadmus had once been an inhabitant of this world, the robot had become more talkative about his life. Not exactly open, but less unbearably evasive.

"You're a kind of collective consciousness spread through robots," Luke said.

"My question is: how did you arrange all this with the event?"

"I was awakened when the system lowered this world's waters. My true self is dead. I am merely what you would call an artificial intelligence."

"And who awakened you? The system? Did someone powerful come to this world before us and set up the event? Because I remember you mentioning something, while lying about your origin, about a figure called the Great Collector."

"It does not matter, and I am not authorized to say. Honor our agreement. Reach the new area of Stage 3. Once that is done, I will take you to the King's Tomb. There, you may claim a treasure, as long as you bring me with you."

"Just bring you?"

"You will carry this unit of mine to the tomb and leave it there, where I should have been buried." Cadmus simply refused to answer any other questions. Nothing about whether others of his kind still existed on the planet. Nothing about what had really happened.

"That Light in the Sky seems connected to some kind of catastrophe that happened here," Luke said.

"I would prefer not to discuss that subject."

"At least you survived. Or part of you survived whatever happened."

"I am not here because I wanted to survive. I am here as punishment. It is the duty of every Sunken King of my kingdom to transfer his consciousness into the Crystal of Kings and serve as Guide to the next Monarch. Exactly as I am here with you, offering hints and advice. That is why I am part of the event. As for whether other kingdoms have Guides, I do not know. But I strongly doubt there is another living member of my species. The Light killed everyone."

While he was talking to Cadmus, a notification appeared before Luke. [You successfully crafted a potion!] Your profession [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya] has reached Level 95! (+5 Strength, +3 Agility, +4 Vitality, +4 Intelligence, +12 Free Points) [New Profession Skill has been unlocked] After checking the list, Luke went to help Anne, taking a watch shift on the ship with her. The next morning, he and Angie hunted sea beasts.

The idea had been hers: leave fish-beast corpses scattered in the water to attract larger predators.

"Another one's coming," Luke warned. A massive shark rose toward the surface. Mounted on his beast, Luke swam while dragging a fish corpse behind him. The shark followed with its jaws wide open, trying to devour the bait. Then Angie descended from above, beating her four wings. With one precise motion, she hurled her spear like a harpoon. The shark died in a single blow. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Angie's Class [Storm Valkyrie] reached Level 107!

"And it actually worked," Luke said, impressed. The hunt continued, proving quite profitable for obtaining cores. [You absorbed a Rank D Core] Rank D Cores: [226/1000] During the hunt, they ended up attracting the attention of a Sea Guardian. Angie's Light-element skills proved useful, and by the end of the fight, she was healing Luke.

"Leveling that class is going to be a pain if I'm the only person you have to heal," Luke said.

"The offensive skills I gained help, but focusing on Valkyrie is still more efficient. I am close to obtaining a new skill." Starting at level 100, classes only granted new skills every ten levels. At night, the ship reached an archipelago. Luke and Charlie went out to explore, while Angie stayed behind with Anne to guard the vessel.

"Losing the ship would be awful," Charlie said.

"When the final challenge of the event begins, we'll probably have some time."

"Time?"

"To reach the expedition site. How fast we can sail is going to matter." Luke could help with the Spectral Beast, but pushing her too hard would wear her out. And they needed to be in good condition to face their enemies. A vast forest stretched ahead of them, blanketed in poisonous fog.

"This really is the archipelago where the vampire war was happening," Luke said. The trees were magical, created by a skill. Luke had discovered that this was one of Vampire Lord Damian's powers. By morning, he and Charlie reached a base where there were still vampires. They worked alongside humans, perhaps motivated by the promise of being turned later, perhaps bought with gold. Either way, the humans there were their allies.

After killing one of the guards stealthily, Luke explored the entire place using [Soul Infiltration] and [Soul Infection].

"Is the Count in the camp?" Charlie asked in his mind. No. She used telepathic communication whenever she could. Luke suspected it was because Charlie liked the intimacy of it. After making a plan, Luke moved. At first, he kept it stealthy. Then he stopped caring. He activated his cloak and surged forward, killing one enemy after another. To the vampires, he was nothing but a black blur cutting through the camp.

"He's here with me!" one of them shouted to the others. Luke cut off his head before he could say anything else. Conjuring a knife, he threw it at the building in the center of the camp. The explosion destroyed part of the structure. Somewhere nearby, Charlie was taking out other enemies, alert for any sign of reinforcements.

"Who the hell walked into my base?!" a vampire snarled, stepping out of the flames. He was their leader. Four other vampires emerged right behind him, their wounds closing in real time.

"That'd be me," Luke said, activating his horns.

"Well, isn't that interesting!" They charged at him. Charlie arrived to help from above, teleported in by Lulie. She dropped into the middle of the vampires and attacked with her sword. Luke dodged their strikes with ease and fired back with [Shadow Balls]. Charlie, meanwhile, faced several of them alone, carving out space through sheer violence. Charlotte Vespertilio's Class [Royal Blood Knight] reached Level 105!

"You're going to pay for this," one of the vampires spat.

"Our Count will find you."

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for," Luke replied. He drove a kukri into the vampire. Charlie set her own body on fire with [Flame Aura] and faced a stronger enemy by herself. Black flames wrapped around her blows, burning and pressuring the vampire until, at last, she killed him. Charlotte Vespertilio's 2nd Class [Black Ember Ascendant] reached Level 102! She gave Luke a thumbs-up.

"We should head back to the ship. This is going to draw a Count's attention."

"I don't hear anything around us," she said, taking off her helmet.

"But stealth-class fighters might slip past your hearing and smell. We have to account for that." As they quickly checked the equipment left behind by the vampires, Luke studied the damage Charlie had caused. She had become absurdly powerful. And the most ridiculous part was that she hadn't even used the legendary skill from her second class. The class that had once been [Black Asher Fighter] had now evolved. [Black Ember Ascendant]: They say ash is the end of fire, but the Black Ember Ascendant proves otherwise.

Within the user, Black Ash has ceased to be mere flame and become a living ember, pulsing like a second heart. This evolution awakened because, even as a Black Ash Fighter, the user manifested wings. Limited though they were, those wings were an omen: proof that the user's body no longer wished only to fight on the ground, but to ascend with the fire. Now, the user's flames answer before thought itself. They wrap around the body, empower strikes, and open into burning wings when the user's will demands power.

The user stands between flesh and flame, between warrior and living furnace. Those who face this ascendant no longer fear only the fire in their fists. They fear the ember within, because it is still growing. One day, it will rise on wings of ash and flame, leaving only ruins beneath it. (Attribute Bonus per level: +36 Strength, +24 Intelligence, +20 Endurance, +18 Vitality, +16 Agility, +12 Willpower, +9 Perception, +20 Free Points.) Charlie jumped high and activated the legendary skill she had received at level 95 of her second class. A pair of fiery wings burst from her back.

At night, Luke was with Charlie in his laboratory. While she cleaned the planter, he focused on choosing his Botanical Guardian skill. It would be the last one before the class evolved. [Venomous Blood Mist (Legendary)]: Mother Freya's Stomach has strengthened the Botanical Guardian's body after long exposure to poisons of different origins, natures, and potencies. What was once toxin is now part of his blood.

Upon activation, the Botanical Guardian exhales his own blood in gaseous form, creating a poisonous cloud around himself. The mist carries the strength of previously ingested poisons, becoming more lethal as more toxins are assimilated by the body. Inside it, the air itself turns hostile. Breathing, seeing, or approaching the Guardian becomes a risk, as if the field around him has become a poisonous organism.

The skill consumes mana and blood to remain active, making its use a brutal choice: the stronger and longer the mist, the more the user's body pays for the poison it releases. Receives a power bonus from Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower. [Botanical Guardian Claws (Epic)]: Claws are the weapons of the beasts that guard the forests. With this skill, the Botanical Guardian transforms his nails into claws made of dense, sharpened plant thorns charged with natural power. These are not simple blades.

They grow as living weapons, made to tear, pierce defenses, and fight with the instinctive brutality of predators guarding sacred territory. In combat, they allow quick attacks, deep cuts, and deadlier close-range strikes, turning the botanist's hands into wild extensions of the forest. Receives a small power bonus from Strength, Lethality, and Dexterity.

[Botanical Guardian Horns (Legendary)]: Horns are the weapons of the beasts that guard the forest, and branches are the living crowns of trees that drink vitality from light. This skill allows the Botanical Guardian to grow tree-branch-like horns from his head, marking his body as a creature chosen by nature. While active, the horns deepen his connection to plants and strengthen his botanical powers, as if his body has become a purer conduit for natural mana.

Through them, the Guardian absorbs energy from light and the surrounding atmosphere, accelerating natural HP regeneration and slowly healing wounds. The steadier his connection to nature, the more his body responds like a tree beneath the sun: growing, enduring, and restoring itself. Receives a small power bonus from Vitality, Perception, and Willpower. [Botanical Guardian Arms (Legendary)]: Allows the Botanical Guardian to grow an extra pair of arms made of living wood.

These arms sprout from his body as natural extensions, obeying his will with the same precision as his true limbs. They can assist with tasks inside the forest, carry tools, manipulate plants, climb, defend, or attack. In combat, they allow the botanist to fight with multiple weapons, perform simultaneous actions, and maintain constant pressure on his enemies. More than extra limbs, they are proof that the Guardian's body is not bound to the human form. Where nature needs more hands, it simply grows new arms.

[Tree of Mother Freya (Legendary)]: Allows the botanist to plant a tree blessed by Mother Freya and linked to his consciousness. Through this bond, the tree shares its perception of the surrounding area, alerting him to movement, nearby presences, and intruders through instinctive impressions.

As more trees are planted, they form a living network that expands the botanist's awareness and influence, conceals structures and allies, confuses enemies with camouflage, botanical mirages, and mana-infused mist, and responds directly to his commands. The trees also release mystical pollen that draws in and filters mana, enriching the land, accelerating plant growth, and strengthening nearby vegetation.

As the forest expands, its trees become more resilient, perceptive, and responsive, moving their roots, branches, and trunks as extensions of the botanist's will while allowing his mana to recover more quickly within their territory. More than a sanctuary or a defensive stronghold, this forest is a living domain blessed by Freya, where nature itself crowns the botanist as its king. Hell of a choice... Only one participant could win the event. The race Luke had gotten dragged into demanded levels, power, and speed.

And now, right in front of him, he had the option to add another offensive skill to his arsenal. Should I get greedy, focus on the short term, and take [Venomous Blood Mist]? Winning the event was not guaranteed. [Venomous Blood Mist] is basically a version of [Acid Blood Arrow], except my own body exhales a poison cloud. And it'll scale as I raise the attributes that boost it. Luke had already dismissed [Botanical Guardian Claws].

It was far too obvious that wasting a legendary skill choice on an epic one at this point would be stupid. The horn skill looks good. I definitely won't be able to use it at the same time as my demon horn skill. It'll probably burn through mana like crazy, but in exchange, it heals me. On the other hand, he had Angie. A cleric. And a damn efficient one. The extra arms skill is good too, but I'd only use it in combat. For tasks, telekinesis already handles a lot.

The final option was the one that actually made him hesitate. I'll be able to build a forest. The Vampire Lord has a similar skill. Luke stared at the list for a few more seconds, feeling the weight of the choice. [You have acquired the Profession Skill:...]