Chapter 24 - Goodbyes
Arthur didn't feel the usual excitement, only a strong determination to advance for now. He opened his legacy and spent the point he got from leveling up on mana stats. In the blink of an eye, he has grown by so much.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 6 (11%)]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 26]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 12]
[Mana: 8/8]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (6%), Useable Runes: 7]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)]
With the amount of mana he had now, he could imprint all of the runes he had for a short time. He now had the barrier rune, the detection rune, the absorb rune, the force rune, and the three enhancement runes, including strength, agility, and stamina. Although they were all basic runes, Arthur felt their versatility. If he could learn every rune out there… Arthur imagined he could do whatever he wanted.
However, the artifacts were expensive. That's why even if Arthur could grow powerful by learning runes, he needed the money to study the artifact. Furthermore, he was also limited by his ability, although he hoped it would evolve after reaching 100 percent.
"It's time that I hunt for real." Arthur held his sword as he left the cave. He didn't know what changed exactly, but he was now more eager to grow stronger.
***
"Thank you for your help!" Arthur thanked them sincerely after Fey and Yuran returned. The two were confused at the sudden ominous gratitude. As they expected, Arthur continued. "But this will be our farewell! I know the current me would only hinder you two. That's why I'll be hunting on my own from now on."
"Arthur…" Yuran's voice trailed as he was about to try persuading him, but Arthur shook his head. As the former saw this, he smiled bitterly and nodded. "Our meeting might have been short, but it was good to see you, Arthur. I'll never forget what you've done for me. I pray for your safety." Yuran held his fist up and Arthur's fist-bumped him.
After saying goodbye to Fey as well, Arthur left the cave. He would have liked their protection, but he couldn't slow the two down. He knew they were fighting stronger monsters, maybe even aiming at the tower. Arthur couldn't leave this place yet, so they would have to wait for him. He didn't like being a dead weight, so he decided to venture out alone.
As he entered the forest, Arthur inhaled fresh air. Three runes appeared, and two disappeared into his body. They enhanced His agility and stamina, and Arthur held the detection rune in his hand as he felt the surrounding.
Zigzagging through high-tier monsters and monster packs, Arthur hunted the unranked monsters he found. As he kept on hunting and absorbing, his stats began to rise before staggering again.
After a short while, his stats stopped increasing from killing unranked monsters. It seems the more powerful he grew, the more powerful monsters he needed to kill to get stronger.
After a while, most of his stats except for mana increased by two or three points. He decided to end the day here as he started heading toward the camp where Hazel stayed. He wanted to say goodbye before he started hunting along the periphery of the forest for primitive monsters.
The night was fast on stealing the light of day, and Arthur moved to infiltrate the camp. He used his camouflage skill, and his presence grew fainter and slightly merged with the darkness of the night.
As he already knew the general direction of Hazel's tent, he headed there and hid between the trees, looking for her. Several young people were patrolling, but they weren't that vigilant as monsters couldn't be stealthy.
After a while, Arthur spotted Hazel by the lakeside sitting as she caressed the water's surface. Arthur circled through the forest and approached her location.
As he started walking toward her, she heard his footsteps and turned around. With the bit of light coming from the moon, her eyes seemed black as she looked at him. Her brown hair slide over her shoulder as she turned her head. Thankfully, she wasn't startled by him approaching her like this.
"Arthur? Where have you been?" Hazel was stunned for a second before rushing over. She stopped right in front of him, and her scent entered his nostrils. Although they were in the wild all the time they spent together, she always smelled nice.
"I fought with the girl who always sat next to Erin Voldor. I met a friend who helped me escape her. That's why I couldn't come back to the camp after that." Arthur explained what happened as briefly as he could.
"Oh… Layla was always the overcautious type. I never really liked her since she felt two-faced. I'm glad you're okay." Hazel sighed in relief with her hand on her chest.
Arthur wondered how he got so lucky that he started meeting genuinely nice people. Unfortunately, they belonged to a different world than his.
"I need to leave the camp. I can't stay here with here suspecting me for who I am."
His declaration seems to have saddened Hazel, who has suddenly looked down. After a short silence, she nodded.
"Then I'm coming with you. You're the person who saved my life when I needed saving, it's only right that I do the same."
"Don't make me regret coming here," Arthur shook his head. "I just wanted to say goodbye. I know it's a lot safer here. That's why we came here in the first place. Furthermore, what would Jin say if you ditch your family and run away with me? What would happen after the trial ends?"
Hazel looked even gloomier than before. She looked frustrated. She protested again, but Arthur turned her down. He knew he could survive better alone now. He also didn't want to be restrained in his hunting methods because of hiding his ability.
After a long protestation from Hazel, she finally accepted his decision. She then pocketed her pouch and took out a mana core.
"This is what we hunted together. Please take it. And…" She placed it in his palm and squeezed on his hand, holding the core with both her hands. Her voice trailed, and she continued. "Please be safe, Arthur."
Arthur felt an unfamiliar emotion rise inside him. He felt the warmth of her hands and how small they were in comparison to his. He also felt the warmth of someone caring about his wellbeing. As blood rushed to his head, he did something he didn't think he'd do in his life. His heart thumped loudly with nervousness as his head approached hers.
He could see that Hazel was even more surprised than he was, as her eyes and eyelashes trembled. However, she didn't take a step back. She simply waited for him. As she looked at him, memories started rushing over from the deepest parts of him. The gates of hell in his heart opened as negative emotions rushed in.
No matter what happened and no matter how much he changed, he was still the weakling digging through dirt for some money. He was insecure. His fear of being rejected made him stop. He couldn't take that last step.
"I wish you safety as well." Arthur left after he said these words.