LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 138 “An unexpected change.” Part 2
Chapter 138
“An unexpected change.” Part 2
Arkhas was having the time of his life.
Not only had he leveled up to level ten while collecting materials for potions and killing those horrible carnivorous flowers that seemed to want to eat every part of him, especially his butt. But he had become a fire mage.
And that was not all.
Now, thanks to the ring that changed his skin color, and the other, which hid his prominent nose making it look a little smaller than it really was, he could walk freely among the human cities thanks to the false identity he had created for himself as an adventurer.
He had even gotten a job as a potions apprentice.
Arkhas was completely sure that if his parents could see him right now, they would be proud of him, since not only could he throw fireballs, but he was fooling humans while learning the secret art of making potions and mixing substances that could create wonderful explosions.
Although his employer didn’t agree with the latter, as he always scolded him and left him without dinner every time he caused an explosion. But thanks to the fact that Arkhas had invested all the extra points that the blue system gave him every time he leveled up in intelligence, it was getting easier and easier for him to learn the delicate art of mixing explosive substances and controlling how long it took for each mixture to create a reaction that would produce an explosion, even if his employer called them occasional accidents.
Arkhas preferred to call them apprenticeships.
So, when his employer sent him to the city of Cifha on an errand, Arkhas, after resting after the long journey and getting what he needed, took advantage of his short stature compared to the many humans that populated the overpopulated city, mixed his potions and left them hidden in various alleys while no one noticed him. Timing his times.
The series of explosions shone from a distance like fireworks and the city of Cifha was bathed in fire a few minutes after he left, mounted on his horse.
And as he watched the newly built city walls crumble, a sinister smile spread across his face, still covered by the hood of his cloak and the thick scarf he always wore.
That morning, Arkhas rose to level thirty.
The young goblin was sure that he was the most powerful goblin in the entire history of his people, and certainly of this world as well.
“I will become stronger, stronger than any goblin has ever been!” Arkhas vowed to himself, “I will never have to bow to others again! Whether human or any other species... No other goblin will ever have to do so again!”
By the time night fell and Arkhas returned to the home of his employer and potions master, two more villages had been reduced to ashes.
And he was now level forty-two.
Several hours earlier, in the duchy of Brincy. Kingdom of Balsahty.
It was by a stroke of luck that Persephone found the boss’s room after killing three of those blue creatures, although torturing would have been a better way to put it.
And as soon as she crossed the double doors leading to the room, a black window appeared before her, taking her by surprise.
[Warning! The user has entered the room of the boss on the twentieth floor of the dungeon!]
“Oh, I haven’t seen one of these for a long time!” She exclaimed in surprise but still hurried to close it. “I’ll play with you later!” She promised. She had learned a lot watching Kalysto from the shadows of her mind, but she needed to get out of this nasty, filthy place full of bugs that apparently didn’t know such a basic concept as taking a shower on a regular basis.
“Wait a minute! You have a system and you never bothered to tell me?” Kalysto grumbled.
Kalysto’s body jumped, startled by the unexpected interruption.
“Are you awake? Since when?” Persephone questioned, trying to conceal how surprised she was that Kalysto had regained consciousness so quickly.
“That’s what I should be asking! Since when did you get a system? And why didn’t I know that?”
”You know you’re starting to sound like that spoiled brat, Edward, right?” She reproached with annoyance, grimacing as if she was disgusted by the thought of him. “You should get rid of him once and for all! The weight of the oath no longer obliges you to help him after you saved his life and lost an arm in the process! And stop playing the good Samaritan and wanting to save the rest of that combo of dependent and ungrateful brats! I assure you that, they’ll betray you as soon as they get the chance, so you should get rid of them as soon as possible too!”
“Stop trying to distract me and answer what I asked you!... And don’t ever compare me to Edward again! It’s offensive!”
“I’ll keep that in mind," she replied while examining her nails.
“... So... what did you mean by an oath?... As far as I remember, I never swore to protect him," Kalysto worried, not noticing Persephone’s smirk as she had fallen for her game.
“I mean Amanda..." she replied, whitening her eyes as she walked to the center of the illuminated room made of stone, but despite the minimalist decoration and the collection of lighted torches decorating the walls, it didn’t look like there was anyone else there. The throne made of the same stone that decorated the floor and walls was empty at the end of the room. “You do realize that she’s only been using you as a replacement for her dead daughter, right? Even before her daughter died, she was projecting on you all the love and attention she always wanted to have in her relationship with her two sons and that neither of them deigned to give her.”
“... She didn’t... I... forget it! .... And I didn’t swear to her either!”
“Didn’t Daddy teach you that?” Persephone asked in a sweet voice while pouting childishly. “We always pay our debts," she whispered in a shadowy voice, as a wave of black smoke billowed out of her body, spreading across the room as she moved her fingers in a very subtle manner.
The shadowy figure of the boss appeared behind her as the two doors leading into the room slammed shut.
Preventing her from escaping.
And as the six-foot monster prepared to attack her from behind in absolute silence, Persephone smiled.
“Oh, there was no need to hide, but I appreciate the effort to try to entertain me!” She commented warmly as if greeting a cute little puppy that had come to greet her by wagging its tiny tail, trying to get her attention.
And just as the monster lunged at her, three gigantic black crystal stakes emerged from the ground and clawed at its body. Impaling it in midair.
With complete calmness, Persephone turned and watched the strange creature in front of her with cold attention. From its tiny nose, the small trail of drool coming from its mouth as it bared its sharp fangs, the king's blue scales covering its entire body, and its deep black eyes fixed on her.
And the terror reflected in them.
“Don’t worry, little puppy, you’ll die soon enough!” She comforted him with a tender smile as she approached him.
“Persephone, stop playing with him and give me back my body!” Kalysto growled as she let out a prolonged sigh.
But instead of obeying her, Persephone stretched out her hand, and just as Kalysto did when she summoned her daggers, Persephone conjured a black crystal sword while a smirk-laden smile lit up her face.
“...So this dirty thing will give me a reward if I kill him, huh?...” She commented, ignoring her request.
“Stop imitating me!” Kalysto scolded her, beginning to despair at the attitude of the ‘other part’ of herself.
“The others didn’t give me anything, not even all the people I killed in that other city to help you the other time gave me something. It’s unfair that they only give things to you! That’s favoritism!” She complained, going from outrage to rage in a matter of less than a second. “Is that because you’re younger than me?” She reproached quietly, sounding helpless all of a sudden.
“...” Kalysto sighed at her childish tantrum. “He won’t give you any reward because I’ll be the one to kill him. And I’ll thank you if you do not do what you did in that city again or you’ll get me in trouble with my current boss. You’ll get us both killed if you keep calling attention like that!”
“No, she won’t. Not if I get stronger than her before she finds us," Persephone assured her, and a shiver ran through Kalysto as she heard her answer.
Especially the ease and utter conviction with which she said it.
Persephone cut off the monster’s arms, who had been unsuccessfully trying to escape from the thick crystal stakes that held him prisoner, with a smooth swing of her new sword.
The monster’s screams echoed throughout the room as Persephone stabbed its stomach. Black-colored blood sprayed across the floor, splattering Persephone’s clothes, but she didn’t even notice.
“What the hell is taking him so long to die? Shouldn’t he be dead by now? Die already!” The black-haired woman despaired as she could feel Kalysto’s presence, struggling to take control. “Stop it, stop it at once!” she shouted as her body stabbed the unprotected monster again. “Kalysto, stop! Stop it at once! Stop it, damn it!” She screamed as she continued stabbing the creature. “Stop it!”
“Tundra!”
Author’s note: It is a pity that the ambiguity of the phrase “Preventing her from escaping/ impidiendole escapar” is lost in the translation, since in Spanish it can be said in a way that does not indicate the one who is not allowed to escape. So it also alludes to the fact that it is the monster who cannot escape from Persephone (as my great aunt would say when faced with the stupidity of a prey that leaves itself with no means of escape: “The little boy is so cooperative, isn’t he / “tan colaborador el muchachito, ¿no?” ).