Knock. Knock.
As Lokan quietly knocked on the door, the gloomy butler appeared and greeted him. Soon after, Baron Truell came down, looking as though he had just put his sick daughter to sleep.
"It seems you have better skills than I thought since you were able to prepare what I asked for. You are a Crossroad Defender after all! If so, I'll ask you for one more favor. Take the ingredients you've gathered so far and go to Tritika. Give him these, and he'll make something for you. Bring it back to me."
[Restoration of Baron Truell's Little Daughter 3] [Quest]
Baron Truell has asked you for help to save his young daughter. Deliver the Cursed Troll's Blood, Hot Sheep's Blood, and Thick Sheepskin to Shaman Tritika and get one item.
-Completion condition: Deliver the goods to Shaman Tritika
-Reward: 10 gold
"Leave it to me."
Lokan replied bravely, receiving a box containing all three items. He was also secretly told the location of the shaman Tritika.
'Baby, you're playing tricks.'
Baron Truell was so cautious for a reason. Shaman Tritika was a Goblin. Goblins, along with Orcs, Undead, and Trolls, belonged to the Black Dragonflight camp, the main enemy of the Golden Lion camp (Humanity). No matter how much the Baron was trying to save his young daughter, it could be a major issue if he was discovered dealing with the enemy, even if it wasn't directly harmful to the Golden Lion camp. Most users would have listened and completed the quest without suspicion.
But not Lokan.
'What does he need to save a young daughter? It's all bullshit.'
He knew the entire story. First, Baron Truell had no children. While there was a child sleeping upstairs, she was not his daughter, but a kidnapped High Elf, whose noble blood was destined to be very "tasty food" for the Baron.
'Why didn't I think of it then?'
There had been hints. The fact that the Baron only met people at 'night' was the biggest clue, but everyone had been blinded by the large gold reward. Baron Truell's true identity was a Vampire. The kidnapped girl, disguised as his daughter, had 'special blood' flowing in her veins. By drinking that blood, the Vampire could expect a huge boost in power.
The quests Baron Truell was giving to users were a form of preparation to dilute the girl's overly sacred blood. If the pure High Elf blood ran down his esophagus, it would melt his internal organs. While a powerful Vampire might be able to handle it, a greedy mid-level Vampire like Baron Truell needed to take precautions.
'It was the Valley of Mist.'
Lokan's expression changed the moment he left Truell's villa. He began moving rapidly toward the Valley of the Mist, where the Goblin Shaman Tritika was said to be. Unlike the Baron, the Shaman could be met during the day, but Lokan wanted to finish this as quickly as possible.
[Mist-Eating Hyena] [Lv 115]
Kuh hun!
The road was not smooth. As the name suggested, the Valley of Fog was an area with thick mist and low visibility, inhabited by monsters ranging from Level 110 to 120.
'It's annoying.'
Their stats, attack power, and defense were no match for Lokan, but the fog obscured his vision, and their large numbers held him up.
"Rush of Destruction!"
Lokan plunged into the fray. He wanted to move quickly and wipe out the ten or twenty Hyenas at once.
Poof!
Those caught in his charge were instantly dispatched, but Lokan was still dissatisfied. He loved the Berserker class, but his one disappointment was his lack of fun in multi-target combat (Da-il). He might improve this later, but for now, he felt uncomfortable, worried that the leading groups of players would soon catch up when they started group hunting.
'Wait, is there really no way?'
A question, one he had previously taken for granted, began to ripple in his mind as he repeated his Charge and Slaughter.
'Perhaps…'
At the same time, an idea flashed. A potentially very interesting combat pattern could emerge. He held onto the thought and hurried on.
"Stop it."
After a while, Tritika, the Goblin Shaman, appeared at the edge of the Valley of Mist.
"No surprise. It was not fortune-telling that someone would come."
Tritika looked like a typical shaman, draped in a humble, yet venerable wooden wand and a robe decorated with dangling trinkets. As if she knew Lokan was coming, she greeted him with a bright smile.
"Baron Truell has sent me here."
Lokan didn't draw his weapon. He held the material box he brought and handed it to the Shaman.
"Ugh, just like he said. Wait a minute."
Taking the box, the Shaman spread the sheepskin on what looked like a workbench, applied some medicine, and performed a light magic spell. The separate pieces of parchment began to adhere to form one large sheet. It was a sight that could only be described as magic.
Next, she took out a brush, dipped it in the Hot Sheep's Blood, and drew a pattern on the parchment. Then came the Cursed Troll's Blood. Thick drops of sweat formed on Tritika's forehead as she sequentially drew certain patterns and characters using the two types of blood.
The very act of drawing the patterns and characters was a magical feat. Tritika was defenseless, but Lokan waited patiently for the spell to be completed. What he really wanted from this quest was not the experience or the money, but the final item: the [Blood Imprint].
"Okay, it's done. Take it now."
[Blood Imprint] [Rare] [Quest]
A tattoo-like engraving of blood is engraved on the body to imbue the body with a strong Vampire energy.
– Activates [Blood Imprint] effect when used.
It was an item that would further strengthen the Vampire Truell's power. Of course, when Lokan took it, the Baron would ask him to bring other ingredients to dilute the High Elf's blood, but Lokan had no intention of agreeing. Following the quest to its completion would only net him a few coins, and he would miss the chance to intercept the powerful final reward.
Lokan immediately used the Blood Imprint on himself.
[You have used Blood Stamp.]
[You have permanently acquired 'Life Absorb on Hit (3%)']
[Engraving cannot be enhanced or deleted.]
[The maximum number of engravings that can be acquired is determined according to the type.]
[Current number of imprints: 1/5]
The engraving system required careful selection since the marks couldn't be erased, but Lokan didn't hesitate. Although he was slightly disappointed that he didn't get the 'Imprint of Life' he originally wanted, he had already acquired more than enough titles and substitute abilities.
'Because the engraving that absorbs life is more precious.'
The engraving system was not fully utilized until much later in the game's life, and the 'Life Force Absorption' ability, in particular, was extremely valuable. Absorbing of his attack power was a benefit that was difficult to find even later. Moreover, it only occupied one engraving slot. Since it was a quest item, its stats were set high, but Lokan swallowed it without delivering it.
In his previous life, after someone accidentally used this, the developers later downgraded the effect to absorption for new players. Those who obtained it early were grandfathered in.
"Come on, you…!"
Tritika, who had painstakingly created the Blood Imprint, looked confused, but even a shaman who foresaw the future could not have known that today would be his last.
Splatch.
After confirming the engraving was working, Lokan immediately decapitated the shaman. Having expended great energy to perform the magic, Tritika couldn't even resist. His vitality ran out instantly, and an item called [Tritika's Neck] entered the inventory.
"This is a hundred times better than earning a penny."
Lokan immediately used a Return Scroll to go back to the Crossroads. He considered doing more hunting, but the Valley of Mist was too annoying for a full-scale battle. He would rather fight one-on-one than be hampered by the low visibility.
He didn't go straight to the garrison. He knew that if he showed Tritika's neck to Malkin, the commander would immediately go after Baron Truell. Killing the Vampire and reclaiming the kidnapped High Elf was necessary, but it was still midnight, and he had no reason to create a favorable situation for the enemy. Knowing Malkin's hasty nature, he turned toward the shopping district instead of the garrison.
'You are doing a good job.'
Lokan stopped by his own shop to check the products that had entered and left the vending machine. He confirmed there was a larger amount of Gyropole Leather than expected—a little less than thirty pieces. To get that number, at least fifty Gyropoles had been caught. If the players continued to follow his subtle instructions, they could complete the '500 animals' task in six or seven days instead of ten.
'Was it medicine?'
Potions and Herbs had also sold quite a bit. The price was almost double the market price, but the missing quantity suggested that players were using the potions heavily to increase their hunting speed.
'If you have enough money, it's the fastest.'
It wasn't a recommended way to trade money for time, but it wasn't a bad strategy considering the benefits of getting out of the early grind. The items weren't depleted enough to require replenishment yet, so Lokan just checked and left.
He headed to the Berserker's Guild to implement the idea he had envisioned: his fourth Combination Skill.
"Force and Charge, a solid body, and… Please give me the Twist Attack skill book."
At first glance, it seemed like an ill-fitting combination. However, after paying the price and receiving the skill book, Lokan wore the playful expression of a mischievous person.
"Creating Combination Skills."
[Please specify an action clip or skill book for the desired skill combination.]
Lokan took out his weapon, performed an action clip, and announced the skill combination with an excited voice.
"Register action clips. Force, Solid Body, Charge, Twist Attack."
[Combination is possible.]
[Please see the expected usage of the combination skill and click the Combination Complete button.]
[When the combination is completed, the skill book disappears and the combination skill is automatically acquired.]
He was highly satisfied with the explanation and appearance on the screen. He didn't know how it would perform in actual combat, but it seemed capable of solving his problems neatly.
"Combination complete!"
[Please specify the name of the combination skill.]
Lokan shouted the name of his fourth combination skill with a pounding heart.
"Wheel Wind!"