As their carriage traveled towards the Stronghold of Norria, Colette and Helen took care of Eiko.
Lux, on the other hand, was busy reading the Elysium Compendium and doing his best to learn more about Slimes. However, the more he read, the more his confusion grew.
Eiko was a Blue Slime. It was the most common type of Slime, and yet her abilities far exceeded that of ordinary Slimes, which made it very hard for Lux to identify what kind of slime she really was.
'There's no doubt that she's a Blue Slime,' Lux thought as he scratched his head. 'Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, the one who hatched her was Iris.'
His stepsister's luck was off the charts, so any egg that she personally hatched would definitely be a Mythical Monster at the minimum.
After reading for two hours, Lux closed the book and watched the baby Slime lightly hop on top of Colette's palms, making the latter and the other Dwarf girl giggle.
Lux watched this scene with a smile. However, his expression immediately changed when something suddenly descended from the sky, blocking the road in front of them.
The horse pulling the carriage abruptly halted as it neighed in fear, but the coachman managed to reign it in. Even so, he looked at the monster in front of him with a guarded expression on his face.
The Dwarves immediately summoned their weapons, while Eiko hurriedly crawled towards Lux and hid behind him. All of them looked at the Draconic creature with wings behind his back, who was staring at them with a hint of amusement.
Colette and her friends immediately recognized the monster, which made their faces turn grim. How could they possibly forget the one that was responsible for sabotaging their mission by attacking the caravan that they were guarding? They were even kidnapped and brought into the latter's nest as prisoners.
"I remember you Dwarves…," the creature said as soon as his eyes landed on Colette and her friends, which made them flinch.
It then chuckled lightly after seeing the fear on their faces. After having its fill, it then shifted his gaze to the Half-Elf who stood out from the rest. "You are the one that the Chieftain mentioned some time ago. The Half-Elf that led the Warriors of Norria to our nest and started a massacre while I was away."
The Draconic Kobold released faint traces of killing intent as his gaze locked on Lux. Clearly, it didn't like the fact that its brethren were killed while he was fighting the Goblins that were trying to annex their territory.
Lux faced the monster with a fearless gaze, but deep inside he was feeling anxious. The Elysium Compendium had identified the creature that was blocking their way.
The red-headed teenager didn't expect that he would meet this creature on their way to the Stronghold of Norria. Looking at its information, he knew that even if he fought alongside his friends, in addition to summoning all his creatures, the ending would still be the same.
All of them would perish under the creature's overpowering might.
—--
< Draconic Kobold >
– Kobold Wyrmling
– Rank 5 Alpha Monster
Health: 400,000 / 400,000
Mana: 350,000 / 350,000
Strength: 300
Intelligence: 350
Vitality: 300
Agility: 300
Dexterity: 300
Active Skills: Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Dragon Fear, Berserk
Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude
—-
< Enhanced Fortitude >
– Reduce all damage taken by 30%
—-
'Sh*t,' Lux thought as he read the information that appeared in front of him. He also had the Enhanced Fortitude Skill as a passive skill, so he understood how troublesome it would be if he fought against the Draconic Kobold in front of him.
All Dragon Monsters had this skill. Lux was only able to obtain this skill because Vera had given him a beast core that contained the skill Fortitude, which the Skill Evolution [EX] upgraded to a higher rank, giving him the same resistance as the Dragon Race.
However, compared to the foe in front of them, his resistance was equivalent to toilet paper.
Rustling sounds were heard around them as several more Kobolds appeared to surround their carriage. Although none of them held any weapons, the Draconic Kobold that was eyeing their group was more than enough to make Lux and the others forget about this small detail.
"What do you want?" Lux asked the two-meter tall monster who was eyeing him like a predator that had found his prey. "Don't you know that your race and the Dwarves have signed a nonaggression pact treaty? You are no longer allowed to antagonize the citizens of this Domain."
The Draconic Kobold snorted as his eyes locked on to Lux's body.
"True," the Draconic Kobold agreed. "But that only applies to Dwarves. You are not included in that treaty.'
'Oh, f*ck…" Lux cursed internally because he had completely forgotten that he wasn't a Dwarf. The agreement between the Kobold Chieftain as well as Boreas, the Commander of Norria, only stated that they would no longer trouble the Dwarves in their territory.
"You are coming with me today, Half-Elf," the Draconic Kobold declared. "Take him. But, do not hurt the Dwarves."
"We won't let you touch Big Brother!" Colette shouted as she gripped her mace firmly in her hands. Although she knew that she wasn't a match against the enemy in front of her, she just couldn't possibly stand by and let them take Lux just like that.
"Surround Big Brother now!" Colette ordered.
Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen, understood Colette's intentions. As long as they used their bodies as a shield to protect Lux, the Kobold wouldn't be able to do anything to them or they would break the agreement between the Kobolds and the Dwarves.
"Foolish children," the Draconic Kobold said as it unleashed its Dragon Fear.
Immediately, Colette and the others were subjected to an incredible pressure that made their knees buckle. They simply didn't have the ability to resist the fear-inducing effect of the Dragon Fear, which made them almost lose their consciousness.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves was heard in the distance. The Draconic Kobold turned its head to see six riders, mounted on goats, charging in their direction.
"What's the meaning of this?" the Captain of the Riders asked when it saw the Kobolds surrounding the carriage. "Are you planning on breaking the agreement, Kobold? How dare you harm our people?"
The Draconic Kobold scoffed as it pointed its reptilian finger at Lux. "I'm not harming your people. I only want him."
The Dwarf Captain frowned as he looked at the red-headed teenager, who was being surrounded by the Dwarf children.
"You can't take him," the Dwarven Captain said. "He is one of us."
"One of you?" the Draconic Kobold smirked. "Do you think I am blind, Dwarf?"
The Dwarf Captain ignored the Kobold and pointed at Lux.
"You there, do you have the medal bestowed unto you by his Majesty?" the Dwarf Captain asked.
Lux nodded and took the wooden box out of his storage ring. He then opened it and showed the Dwarf Captain the medal that had been given to him by the King of the Dwarves.
"Take a good look at that, Kobold," the Dwarf Captain said. "Although he is not one of our kind, he is considered a Noble of our Kingdom. This means that he is one of us, and our King treats him with high regard. You already know the punishment for those who try to kill the Nobles of this Kingdom, right?"
The Draconic Kobold walked towards the Half-Elf with steady steps. Colette and the others tried to move their bodies to block him, but Lux stopped them from doing so. The mere thought of letting the children get hurt because of him didn't sit well with him.
Since the Dwarf Captain was around, he knew that the Draconic Kobold wouldn't do anything that would break the agreement that their race had with the Dwarves.
The Draconic Kobold picked the golden medal up from the wooden box and scrutinized it. As one of the most intelligent creatures from its race, it knew the value of such trinkets. Seeing the insignia of the Gweliven Kingdom embedded on the medal, the Draconic Kobold had no choice but to recognize that what the Dwarf Captain said was true.
"Just this once, I will let this slide," the Draconic Kobold said as he returned the medal to the wooden box. "What is your name, Half-Elf?"
"Lux," Lux answered. "Lux Von Kaizer."
"I will remember you, Lux," the Draconic Kobold said with an evil smirk on its face. His face was only inches away from Lux's and his razor sharp teeth made the Half-Elf wonder when the Draconic Kobold had brushed its teeth last.
"My name is Cadmus," Cadmus introduced himself as he rested his claws on Lux's shoulders, holding him in a vice grip. "The next time we see each other, you better pray that I am not in a bad mood."
Cadmus sneered at the Half-Elf before making a gesture for his subordinates to leave. Its meeting with Lux and his friends had been completely by accident.
The Draconic Kobold was only able to detect Lux's location because the Kobold Sorcerer that the Half-Elf fought in the Kobold's Nest had subtly left a faint magical mark on his body. This allowed any Kobold to sense his general direction.
Lux didn't know that after the raid on their nest, the Kobolds had made him their public enemy number one. They were a race that kept grudges, especially grudges that involved the death of their kin.
The Half-Elf watched the Draconic Kobold spread its wings and fly towards the sky. He knew that if the Dwarf Captain hadn't arrived, he would have definitely been captured, and perhaps dragged back to their nest to be tortured.
'It's been a while since I felt this way,' Lux thought as he clenched his right fist. 'This feeling of helplessness. I hate this feeling.'
Lux remembered the times when he fainted after exerting his body. After he regained consciousness, that feeling of helplessness would wash over him, making him feel depressed.
However, this time it was different. He was no longer the same Half-Elf that he was a year ago. Now, he had been given a chance to become strong and catch up to his friends who had started their own journeys many years ago.
It was not only Kobolds who carried a grudge. Lux could also be petty at times, so he took Cadmus' words to heart. Although he was much weaker than the Rank 5 Monster that looked down on him, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he caught up to it.
Lux had only been in Elysium for a few months, but his combined stats had already far exceeded the requirements of the Beginner Zone. As the Half-Elf gazed at his Soul Book, a sneer appeared on his face.
—--
Name: Lux Von Kaizer
Age: 16
Race: Half-Elf
Rank: (None)
Health: 11,960 / 11,960
Mana: 940 / 940
Strength: 46 (+3)
Intelligence: 46 (+1)
Vitality: 31
Agility: 34 (+3)
Dexterity: 31 (+3)
Free Stat Points Available: 480
Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX], Item Transmutation [EX]
Active Skills: Power Shot, Dark Arrow, Fury Slash, Double Fury Slash, Battle Cry
Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Expert Parry,
—--
'Your name is Cadmus, right?' Lux thought as he stared at the monster that was flying away from his location. 'I'll remember your name.'
Lux knew that there would come a day when his strength surpassed the arrogant Draconic Kobold. Although he and the Kobolds' conflict was over for now, his grudge against Cadmus, who intended to capture him, would remain.
Elysium was a world where only the strong survived. Since that was the case, then the other party shouldn't blame him for being cruel when the time comes. He was certain that Cadmus would be forced to leave the Territory of Norria after his rank broke through a certain threshold.
Although the chances were slim, Lux believed that he would meet Cadmus again in the future. When that time came, the grudge that bloomed on this day would be repaid in full.
