Ash quickly assessed the situation.
It seemed the princess had used [Spirit Heal] on him, knocking him unconscious.
However, he was still alive.
The only problem was that he’d fallen headfirst, leaving half his head buried in the ground.
Frantically pushing off with the [Goblin’s Bracers], Ash flipped onto his back to find the iridescent crystal ceiling veiled in thick haze.
He flexed his abs and curled up until he was sitting somewhat comfortably on his tunic, which had now become a skirt.
Next to him, the princess stood with teary eyes, her hands clasped over her mouth.
"I’m so glad you’re okay!"
A little ways away, Demitra sat with her back turned to them, looking down the side of the mountain.
Ash grimaced, then turned to the princess.
"Don’t use that on me again."
"Y-yes! I’m so sorry! I-I thought you would be able to handle it!"
Ash’s eyes narrowed as he studied her expression.
Despite his mounting irritation — and the fact that the princess had effectively attempted to assassinate him — he shrugged it off.
"Whatever. I’m thirsty. You said you can produce water, right?"
"That... yes, I can! Right away!"
The princess held out her hand, and a small ball of water hovered above her palm.
"Hmm... How am I supposed to drink it?"
Ash didn’t want to get close and risk being healed into oblivion, but he also needed to use [Focus] to interact with the water.
The princess placed her delicate hand against her cheek in a vain attempt to hide its crimson tint.
"Wait— s-surely you don’t want me to give it to you like t-that!"
’Huh...?’
"What?"
The princess waved her free hand in front of Ash’s face.
"Oh! Uh... it’s nothing! Just hold out your hand!"
Shrugging, Ash obliged.
The princess extended the hand holding the water until it hovered over his bracers. Then, she let go and scooted away. Yet the water remained perfectly spherical, floating above his wrist like a balloon.
"I suppose you don’t trust me very much after that... This is the least I can do."
Ash narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired woman who, despite being perfectly healthy, looked near complete collapse. For a moment, he glimpsed something behind her pearly eyes — the vulnerable girl beneath.
Beneath even that, however, he saw something else: a mirror.
Within its reflection, something long locked away inside himself gleamed for the first time in years, her light striking it at the perfect angle.
"Yeah..."
He stood and cast [Focus]. The ball of water remained tethered to his wrist. Awkwardly, he put his mouth against it and began slurping it up.
’Oddly refreshing.’
[Focus] ended without either the princess or the wolf making any motions toward him. Seeing that, Ash turned and began to walk toward the drops left behind by the Seal Scrawler.
’Status’
♱♱♱
Name: [Ashley Grave]
TITLE: [Dragonkin Champion]
LEVEL: [3] (EXP: 21/50)
STR: [16]
AGI: [16]
DEX: [16]
INT: [16]
CON: [17] (+1)
ITEM LEVEL: [11.5]
ACTIVES: [Dragon Fear] [Focus]
PASSIVES: [Scale Armor]
♱♱♱
’11.5...?’
It seemed item level could decrease depending on equipment durability.
Ash stopped and cast [Focus] again, bending down to pick up the three drops.
[You have acquired Rare item: [Tome of Might: Brute Strength]]
[You have acquired Uncommon item: [Scrawler’s Eye]]
[You have acquired Rare item: [Scrawler’s Fang]]
’Tome of Might...’
According to the knowledge that had been fed to him, one could consume a Tome to learn the skill it contained.
While the method was unknown to him, skills other than the two racial ones and the first basic one he selected could be erased. So, he really had no reason to deny learning [Brute Strength].
However, one could only absorb a Tome they possessed affinity with — in other words, if they had the correct class.
Sadly, the Tome of Might was reserved for those of the warrior class. So, he couldn’t use it right now. But he would keep it in his inventory for after he made that decision at level 5.
The other basic Tomes were the Tome of Wisdom, for mages; the Tome of Precision, for archers; the Tome of Shadows, for assassins; and the Tome of Fundamentals, for basic skills, which anyone could use.
Beyond those typical five, there were potentially others. But whatever they were, they were reserved for special classes, which were a long way off.
’As for the eye and dagger...’
[Scrawler’s Eye] - [An eye that sees nothing, sees all within Winter’s Seal.]
Beyond the cryptic description, Ash was given no additional information in his head on any effects it might possess.
[Scrawler’s Fang] was not an actual tooth but a dagger bearing the name of one. One with an odd description.
[Scrawler’s Fang] - [Trapped within a cage, within a prison, the Seal Scrawler’s fang hardened as it gnawed endlessly against its confinement. Though separated from its owner, it still carries an insatiable desire to tear through anything standing between it and freedom.]
It didn’t seem to possess any special effects, but its raw attributes were impressive. It provided +3 STR and +2 CON when equipped. While fairly useful at the moment, it was a bit short-ranged for his liking.
As for the eye, it seemed more like an ingredient than a tool or trinket, carried with it no discernible effect.
Also...
’How the hell did it drop an eye?! It’s eyeless!’
This was the second time a monster had dropped something it didn’t possess.
Sighing, Ash cast his gaze toward the princess.
’I wonder what class she is... and what level.’
The princess gave him an awkward wave in response.
’In any case, we need to secure a food source.’
Ash had the slab of Marauder meat, but that was all he had.
Marching to the edge of the summit, Ash looked down into the hazy depths and noted the various silhouettes of Seal Scrawlers rampaging about.
They didn’t look particularly appetizing...
’But they might drop something edible.’
To figure that out, he’d need to kill more.
Thankfully, he knew an easy way to go about killing them.
"Princess, would you like to make it up to me for almost killing me?"
The princess’s shoulders trembled upon hearing Ash call out to her.
"Ah, yes! But, uh... what do you have in mind? It’s not something d-dirty, right...? Well... I mean I—"
Ash shook his head.
"Not at all."
For some reason, the princess looked away with a slight look of annoyance on her face.
"Oh."
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