Chương 77: The Ancient Inscriptions

Just as the old man Larry had said, the further they moved towards the mountain, the more monsters they encountered. After four hours of continuous battle, the 2, 500 contract payment for the Alchemist was collected. It was similar to the massacre at the quarry earlier that day. Once they finished the monster wave, a mountain of monster corpses stood before them. Without any delay, Arthur made a contract with the Skeleton, and instantly, the mountain of corpses vanished. [Contract Payment Successful.] [Worker Status] Name: Ava Designation: Alchemist Specialist: Potions Professional Status: Master Monthly Maintenance Cost (MMC): 25, 000 [More Details…] Arthur summoned the Skeleton and moved the makeshift torch, which Coburn had made with some sticks and a substance like resin from a nearby tree. The Skeleton possessed a serene posture, giving off the vibe of a very profound person. It was as if other skeletons could not compare to its status, similar to how people categorized Sector A from other Sectors.

He was very satisfied with this contract; even the abilities it possessed were very superior just by reading them. It held a total of seven abilities. Just like the Cook Errol, skeletons with a Master professional status possessed seven. [Purification Aura], [Concentrated Essence], [Adaptive Formula], [Miracle Mixture], [Universal Solvent], [Instant Brew], [Alchemical Dominion]. Among all the abilities, one particular ability attracted Arthur the most. It perfectly fit his intention for hiring the alchemist worker.

[Universal Solvent] Description: Alchemical solvent capable of safely dissolving, extracting, and separating the essence from nearly any natural or magical material without damaging its beneficial properties. It is primarily used to refine stubborn ingredients, recover trapped essences, and prepare materials that would otherwise be impossible to process. Arthur had truly hit a jackpot with this Skeleton, since he wanted to extract the essence of the Faunite Crystal. The Skeleton came with the perfect ability.

Not only this single ability, but every one of the other abilities was excellent, for example, Instant Brew. [Instant Brew] Description: Allows the alchemist to complete simple and well-mastered potion recipes instantly, skipping the normal brewing time while maintaining their usual quality. Complex and high-grade potions still require the full brewing process. The Skeleton came with more than 25 pre-built potion recipes, which meant the Skeleton could instantly brew those potions without the brewing process.

Arthur's interest was instantly piqued after reading the description. He quickly scrolled through the list of recipes listed. [Common Healing Potion] Materials Required: Green Slime Core x1, Redleaf Herb x2, Sunblossom Petals x3 Description: A widely used medicinal potion brewed from common healing herbs and low-grade monster essence. It rapidly closes minor wounds, eases pain, and accelerates the natural recovery of moderate injuries.

[Toxin Cleanser] Materials Required: Glass Reed Pith x5, Rustscale Liver x1, Mistdew Condensate x1, Amber Salt x1 Description: A pale amber antidote that binds with common poisons and carries them safely out of the body. It is highly effective against monster venoms, spoiled food toxins, and poisonous plant extracts, but offers little protection against magical curses or legendary venoms.

[Night Vision Potion] Materials Required: Duskmoth Eyes x2, Owlast Berries x10, Cavern Dew x1, Firefly Nectar x2 Description: A deep violet potion that enhances the drinker's eyesight, allowing them to see clearly in dimly lit environments and complete darkness for a short duration. Bright light may temporarily dazzle the user while the potion remains active.

There were plenty of recipes that could be used for day-to-day basics, and they could even be sold to others. Arthur had certainly struck gold hiring this Skeleton. Once he exited the trial, he would definitely brew these all and sell them. Just by brewing all 25 recipes the Skeleton possessed, the shop would earn an exponential profit. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Now, the only thing he needed to do was call for Zero or send a skeleton to fetch the mined crystals, checking if Ava could extract its essence. Even just thinking about it made his body ecstatic. However, he had to send a skeleton in the morning, since a lot of monsters would roam at night. Perhaps Coburn would be the perfect choice to retrieve the Faunite Crystal. While he was planning, Coburn and Brog suddenly walked together from deep within the mountain.

"Coburn, did you find a safe place?" Arthur asked. In the next second, Coburn jumped once, as if answering the question with a yes. This was the method Arthur had used to communicate until now. Instead of asking it to jump every time, Arthur had given a command: whenever he asked a yes or no question, it should automatically jump if the answer was yes. Once the battle in that area had finished, Arthur had sent Coburn and Brog to find a shelter or cave structure nearby.

While he was hiring the Alchemist Skeleton, they had roamed around and found a place that could be safe. Arthur guessed Brog must have followed a monster trail to find this cave or something similar. Having skeletons that could perform specific tasks was very handy.

"Okay then, let's move. Brog, lead the way." The remaining corpses had already been taken by the Utility Skeletons to the Nether-Realm. Without any delay, Arthur and the combat skeletons followed Brog. They needed to find the place soon; otherwise, they were bound to encounter another wave of monsters if they stayed in the middle of the mountain range. The terrain appeared much easier to traverse, unlike Solomon Valley.

The struggle they had experienced in that place was deeply engraved in his mind, surfacing every time he walked through a forest or a mountain. Although the trauma assaulted him, it also served as a great experience. In this newly awakened world, one must expect danger in every location. Just because a place lacked monsters did not mean one was safe. Solomon Valley served as a great example of this. Arthur walked forward, surrounded by his combat skeletons.

The newly hired Swordsman Skeleton displayed very good combat capabilities. However, he felt this was mostly due to Coburn acting as an army commander, meticulously rotating their positions whenever they were overwhelmed by a monster wave. This remained true even though Dolph and Maan were the MVPs of the battle. Once he reached the location Brog had found, he would decide whether to send the skeletons to continue farming monsters through the night.

This depended on whether the place was hidden and safe enough to defend from the entrance; otherwise, he would have to station everyone at the entrance to guard him while he slept. Looking at the moon's position, he guessed the time must have passed ten o'clock. All the walking had made him tired. The effects of Rouka's healing had faded, and his body required a good sleep to feel great. Even if he asked the skeleton to heal him once more, it would only be temporary.

Only natural rest would allow his body and mind to truly recover. Walking deep into the mountain, the terrain gradually sloped upwards. Arthur felt a little surprised as to why Brog had chosen a spot so far away from where they had finished their battle. However, before he could even question Brog, they finally reached the location. It appeared to be a cave, although it was somewhat hidden by bushes and stones. Raising the makeshift torch, Arthur suddenly noticed a man-made structure.

"Clear out the place," Arthur commanded. Soon, everyone moved to clear the bushes, debris, and stones at the entrance. Once all the obstructions were removed, it was indeed an ancient ruin-like structure.

"Dolph and Maan, you take the front," Arthur commanded, just in case any monsters resided inside. Since this place was deep within the mountain, there would definitely be some monsters taking shelter here. Arthur closely followed the skeletons inside. The structure resembled a cubic tunnel made of stones. However, it was only a few meters long, abruptly coming to a dead end. Arthur had almost thought he had discovered some massive lost ruin on the trail, yet it was simply a weird structure.

Nevertheless, it was a good place for him to sleep. The floor was flat, and the stone walls provided good warmth for the night. Immediately, he summoned Errol to cook some food before going to sleep. While the food was being prepared, Arthur considered the idea of sending the skeletons out to hunt at night. This place looked safe, so only one Swordsman Skeleton and Coburn would be enough to guard him. He could send the rest to hunt. However, would the skeletons be able to coordinate without Coburn's guidance?

Errol set up a stove beside the stone wall and started to prepare a steak, similar to the one from earlier that day. The aroma permeated throughout the small, cubic room. Arthur stared intently at the sizzling steak on the pan, saliva drooling from his mouth. As the burning gas from the stove illuminated the nearby stone wall, Arthur's eyes, which had been fixed on the steak, suddenly noticed something on the wall. They looked like the symbols he usually saw whenever his skeletons were summoned.

Out of curiosity, he picked up the makeshift torch, took out more resin, and applied it to the stick to make it burn even brighter. He placed the brightly burning torch near the wall. To his surprise, the entire stone wall was covered in these strange symbols. Not only the rear wall, but the two side walls also possessed these engravings.

"What is this?" Arthur muttered.

"Coburn, come here," he called out to the skeleton guarding the entrance.

"See if you can read these inscriptions," Arthur said. Coburn took an extensive look at the wall and stood silently without jumping, which meant 'no'; it could not read them.

"No problem, you can return to your post." Arthur was not disappointed; he did not expect Coburn to understand everything. By this time, the steak was ready, and his stomach was gurgling. Putting the matter of the inscriptions aside, he directly went to have his dinner.