Chương 224: Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Twenty-Four

When Adam stopped in front of Thea's stall, she looked at his backpack and said, "What a strange weapon you've brought." Adam looked from the beetle and to his bag, opening it onto her counter so she could reach in and grab whatever had caught her eye. She pulled out the broken blade they'd found in Alisé's grave. < < Secret Relic > > < The Broken Blade (Common) — Alisé was a brave young woman. Mallo the blacksmith recognised her skill with the blade and gifted her this sword.

But alas, she met her match when she challenged the Forlorn Prince, and now the erstwhile hero's sword lies in ruin along with the peace she was trying to defend >"Can you fix it?" Adam asked, his pulse quickening. Thea turned the pieces over in her beetle hands, humming contemplatively.

"I need a special kind of flame for this," she said. Damn…

"Can you leave these fragments with me? I may be able to figure something out," she said.

"Sure," he replied.

"Do you want to view my weapon upgrades?" she then asked.

"That's why I came here," he said, lifting the daggers he'd bought from Nelly. As her eyes landed on the weapon, she seemed to finally notice him.

"You look different," she said, sounding unsure as to why.

"He's not so pale and sickly anymore," Yenna offered. Thea nodded.

"He's still very flappy though."

"He is," Yenna agreed. Adam sighed.

"It's not a bad thing," Thea added.

"It's different," Yenna said.

"Yeah, it is different," Thea echoed.

"You're only saying that because you're both bugs with exoskeletons," Adam retorted.

"I'm sure you're both flappy on the inside." Both of the bug women paused, an indecipherable expression crossing their faces.

"There's nothing on the inside," Thea said.

"Nothing yet," Yenna continued. It was as though they were speaking with one mind. Adam frowned. Well, that's creepy.

"Will the vanity mirror fix that?" Adam asked.

"It will make us whole," Thea said. Yenna seemed to snap out of it and added, "You should gift one to me first." Thea levelled her forge hammer at the wasp.

"Get in line, musician. You get to go where you please, the rest of us are forced to stay here. We deserve it more!" Not this again.

"Enough!" Adam said, pushing Thea's hammer down.

"Let me see the weapon upgrades for my dagger, and knock that shit off. I'll pick you last for the vanity if you threaten others like that again."

"Sorry, Adam," Thea replied.

"I'm trapped too," Yenna said in a half-whisper, and before Adam could ask what she meant, the upgrade selection appeared. He decided to ask her about it later when he was done shopping and they weren't surrounded by other denizens. Adam bought twelve upgrades for the Backstabber, evolving it twice. For the first set of evolutions, he was faced with a familiar choice.

< < Select an Evolution > > < Assassin — Sacrifice the off-hand dagger to boost afflictions inflicted with the main dagger by 50% > < Opportunist — Turn off-hand dagger into a parrying dagger > During his eleventh loop, he had gone with Opportunist, which swapped the finesse upgrade options out for ones tied to parrying, but this time Assassin was the obvious pick, plus it would give him a new mastery shard, since he hadn't picked the evolution before.

The second set of evolutions was a bit more difficult to choose between. < < Select an Evolution > > < Hitman — Turn the dagger into a throwing dagger > < Betrayer — Surprise attacks against humanoid targets double the effectiveness of afflictions > Hitman should work like the Woodsman's Aggressor evolution, meaning the finesse upgrades will be traded for throwing upgrades, like aim, range, and speed.

The doubled affliction effectiveness from Betrayer would be absurdly powerful combined with the mantle of atrophy and afflictionist's corset, but there won't be that many humanoids in stage ten, effectively making it useless in the place where I need it most. Ranged capabilities would be more versatile and, more importantly, would unlock the ability for me to use the ranger's lucky charm, since it works with thrown projectiles.

On top of that, I would be able to use the boomerang pendant to call the dagger back to me, and the belt of the harpooner to immobilise anyone I hit. Not to mention, the belt also refreshes afflictions when a projectile is extracted from a target. It would be great synergy if I can obtain it. Adam thought back to the coins in the fountain. That has to be a reference to the hidden effect of the wishing coin.

If I buy a bunch of those coins, and use the fountain, then I may be able to wish for epic relics, although I'll ask Beck first to be sure. It would be the only surefire way to obtain relics from past stages, since otherwise I'll have to burn through dozens of rerolls. But maybe I can make use of the Assassin to get the relics I need. After a bit more consideration, Adam picked Hitman.

The dagger became sleek and quite similar to the spidersilk needle in balance, though he would still be able to stab with it like normal if necessary. As predicted, the finesse upgrades disappeared from the weapon upgrade pool, making him glad he had gotten a lot of the penetration upgrades. The block and deflect upgrades that finesse also offered weren't of any use to him, so swapping them out for upgrades he could use was a nice trade-off.

Adam bought six more upgrades to boost his throwing power, and then received his final set of evolutions for the Backstabber. < < Select an Evolution > > < Poisoner — All Venom afflictions also inflict Necrosis and Hemotoxin, making wounds harder to heal, and increasing the tick rate of Bleed afflictions to every 0. 5 seconds > < Ghost — All Throwing projectiles gain two additional phantom copies mid-air, which deal 50% damage and bypass all physical defences > This story originates from Royal Road.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Poisoner would be insanely powerful if matched with Red Rian's fangs, since a single venom affliction would make bleeds literally twice as effective by triggering their damage twice per second. However…

"Do the phantom copies also deliver afflictions on hit?" Adam asked the cube. [Yes.] So, it's triple the afflictions per hit with Ghost, meaning I would deliver six afflictions instead of two. Meanwhile, with Poisoner, I would deliver four afflictions. Not to mention, bleed only affects some enemies, so Poisoner would still run into enemies that hard counter it, whereas Ghost has utility in that it penetrates physical defences.

Against one of the statue elementals, that would likely mean I could throw my dagger at its core and have the phantom copies go through its stone body to break it and instantly kill them. On top of that, when I do encounter an enemy that can bleed, the copies will deliver additional doses of my afflictions, which, due to the afflictionist's corset, will stack to be even more effective. Given how powerful the mantle of atrophy quickly becomes, that would be an instant-kill combo against most enemies, I think.

< < Evolution Selected > > < Hitman => Ghost > The throwing dagger grew slightly longer and took on the shape of a kunai. It was made of a matte-grey metal and from the ring sprouting from the pommel fluttered a torn and ghostly length of phantom-green fabric.

After eighteen transactions, these were Adam's upgrades: < < Weapon Upgrades Purchased > > < Dagger Damage (Rare) > < Dagger Damage (Epic) x2 > < Dagger Speed (Epic) > < Penetration (Rare) x5 > < Penetration (Epic) x3 > < Throw Range (Rare) > < Throw Range (Epic) > < Throw Speed (Rare) x3 > < Throw Speed (Epic) > < 36742 Points Remaining > Alongside the upgrades, he had also obtained three new mastery shards.

Adam tossed the kunai into the air and two phantom copies appeared on either side of it, spinning identically. As he caught it again, the copies vanished. With the points I have left, I have enough to fully upgrade four weapons and still keep some points to buy relics. I should be able to perform two fusion evolutions. I still want to get more mastery shards, so I think that's what I'll try and do, at least if I can get the relics I need for my new build first.

Adam still wasn't sure if he was going to rely on the Assassin or not yet, but he decided to at least go introduce himself and figure out exactly how her services worked.

"Pleasure to meet you, Adam," the assassin bug said as soon as he stopped in front of her disturbing stall. Her voice sounded like it was spoken through a gas mask, which, considering that a massive needle tube was her mouth, it could have been much worse. Still, the muffle gave her a sinister quality.

"You may call me Assassin."

"Why is your stall made of dead ants?" Adam asked.

"Camouflage," she replied, her voice completely sincere, with not a trace of sarcasm to be found.

"Right…" he muttered. I guess it's a weird bug thing?

"Can you explain how your services work?" Adam asked.

"Certainly. Any crafty player will enjoy what I have to offer," she started.

"If you are willing to give me five relics, I will convert them into scrap that can be moulded to create any relic of your choice, with some important limitations." Adam nodded, gesturing for her to elaborate.

"I require five relics of the same rarity and equipment category. They do not need to be unique, but they do have to abide by those two limitations. What I craft out of their scrap may only fall within the same rarity and equipment category, and you have to have seen the relic for me to craft it."

"Which means I can't use your services right now," Adam concluded.

"Correct. Although, if you obtain two more epic rings, I can make any epic ring of your choosing."

"You can get around the restriction of my Sanctity ring?" Adam asked, surprised. He recalled its description. < < Relic > > < Sanctity (Epic) — Activate to cure an Affliction from yourself. Relic breaks after curing eight Afflictions or when unequipped >"I am no mere amateur," Assassin remarked. Adam nodded.

"Well, that's good to know. I may be back later." I can see how effective this vendor can be, Adam thought as he walked away. But the issue is that it requires a lot of relics to pull off, and it's a lot more limited than I thought. I'm better off selling my spare relics and trying to get a lot of wishing coins instead. At least for now. Hopefully I'll be able to use her services at the start of a new loop to obtain relics from later stages.

He didn't think asking his cube or any of the denizens about such a scenario was a good idea, so he'd just have to give it a try when he eventually got the chance. Adam went to his player house, intent on finding out how his friends had fared, and whether or not they were even still alive. He also wanted to figure out which weapons to evolve and attempt to fuse, but that would be for later.

Plus, for once, they actually had more than one day to spend on Interim Island before the following stage, so he wasn't in a hurry. When he stepped through the garden gate in front of his house, the sight of a full-grown glass tree made him pause. It had taken on the shape of a normal-sized apple tree. How could I have forgotten about this? Adam went over to it and put a hand on its brittle surface. He got the sense that he could easily break it if he wasn't careful. Surprisingly, the bark was warm to the touch.

Yenna stayed back, watching him with tempered curiosity. < < Secret Relic > > < Glass Tree (Rare) — All Stats grow by 10% for every Stage completed > If only this was retroactive. Still, with this active, I'd have a 125% boost to my stats by the time I reach the Singing City. Adam recalled something he'd been meaning to try for a while.

"Shitbox, hand me the rotmaker idol from my storage." [Understood.] The cube beamed the relic into Adam's hand. It was a pale fleshy cocoon made of bark and woven vines that pulsed with a malevolent purple light. He had gotten it from the top of the large tree in the middle of stage four, but despite obtaining it in three separate loops, he had never actually used it before. < < Secret Relic > > < Rotmaker Idol (Rare) — Turns a tree into a living monster for 30 seconds.

Relic disappears after use > The description didn't seem to hint at any hidden effects, but since Adam had been sensing a melody from the sapling as it grew between stages, he was certain there would be a unique interaction between the two relics. Plus, both had come from the top of a tree, shared the same rarity, and one turned into a tree, while the other affected trees. If this does nothing or just makes a hostile monster, then I'll be greatly disappointed.

Adam paused, wondering if he should wait to do this until later. He turned to his cube again.

"If I use the rotmaker and it actually creates a monster, I'll be fine, right?" [Interim Island is a safe zone. No harm is allowed to befall any Players here.] Unless we harm ourselves. Still, with the cube's reassurance that he'd be safe, Adam decided to push on. He switched his grip on the idol and then pressed it against the glass tree. The fleshy cocoon sunk into the glassy bark, getting stuck halfway inside for a moment. The tree shook, clinking like a chandelier, before the cocoon slipped all the way inside.

The glass tree shook again, and then a golden-orange firefly light within started skipping around eagerly, pinging against the walls of the tree from the inside. In the blink of an eye, the tree bowed and twisted, taking on a human-sized shape. Adam watched for any signs of hostility, but the creature that was left behind seemed completely harmless. I'm glad that actually worked. Standing where the glass tree had been was a hummingbird. No, that's not quite right, Adam realised. It's a hummingbird hawk-moth.

Unlike all the other insect people on Interim Island, the hawk-moth didn't look like it should be alive. It had retained the appearance of the glass tree, and its entire body was still the same transparent brittle-looking glass, with a golden-orange light flitting about within. Its body was floating in the air with a whisper-quiet and constant flurry of its two wings, but it had two legs hanging down and four arms folded over its torso.

A long proboscis tube extended from its face and hung down in front of its body, and two long antennae poked out from the top of its head, while its dotted compound eyes bored into Adam's. [You have unlocked the Gardener.]"Gardener?" Adam asked.

"Hello, Adam," the Gardener said. Her voice had a velvety-smooth sing-song cadence that was very calming. Floating glass scales lifted off of her body and instantly locked the cube and Yenna in place, freezing time.

"You have met my sisters," she remarked.

"Though the All-Seeing System insists that I should be called 'Gardener', my name is Meilo."

"Just how many of you moths are there?" Adam asked.

"I am only aware of myself and my three siblings," she replied. I wonder if she'd have said 'two siblings' if I hadn't met Fal.

"Do you sell special upgrades too?"

"I do not," she replied.

"I tend to the garden south of here. I will grow any plant or flower you wish. It may aid you well once you acquire the services of the elemental known as Sprite."

"That's it?" Adam asked.

"For now," she replied.

"Wait, why do you still look like an insect? Luvicidix, Alivida, and Fal all appear human-like."

"I cannot say."

"What happens if I bring you a vanity mirror?" he asked.

"I cannot say." Adam sighed.

"You know, I'm really not a fan of all this secrecy."

"I am aware."

"Wait, what's going to happen to the glass tree? It vanished when you appeared."

"Seeing as you have unlocked the Remembered Secrets from my daylight sister, you will no longer be able to obtain the ' Glass Acorn'again, but the' Rotmaker Idol'will reappear, seeing as it yet has other secrets to reveal. Fret not, however, for the reward of the' Glass Tree' shall remain forever now." Adam paused.

"You mean, I will start every new loop as if the glass tree is already active?"

"Indeed."

"Hmm, that makes unlocking you worth it."

"Of course I was worth freeing from the acorn," she remarked, offended.

"No offense, but I don't know how much use I have for a gardener, and I was worried my powerful buff was gone."

"You simply lack imagination," Meilo remarked. She pulled the glass scales into her body and then said, "I will relocate to the garden. Find me when you understand my worth." With a silent flutter of her wings, the hawk-moth disappeared behind the nearby buildings. I wonder what Alivida will say about having one of her sisters hanging around outside her tent, remodelling the garden. Yenna looked at the vanishing moth and then back at Adam. Adam scratched his stubble. It's yet another mystery added to the pile.

Sooner or later, I hope to actually get some answers. With a sigh, he pushed open the door to the player house, holding it open for Yenna. Together they went inside and down the stairs to the basement restaurant.