MTLNOVEL Chapter 8: THE LOOTS
The air hung heavy with the scent of blood, a grim testament to the battle that had just concluded. Broken furniture lay scattered across the once grand dining hall... for the twisted mind.
It was now a gruesome testament to the recent battle. Lifeless corpses were strewn haphazardly, limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
Sparrow Night, his limbs leaden with fatigue, dragged himself across the ravaged floor. His tanned skin was grimy, and the black eyepatch covering his left eye seemed darker than usual against the grime.
The fight against the vampiric nobles and their hellhound pets had been brutal; and the one against the draconic vampire, was even more brutal, a chaotic symphony of claws, blades, and supernatural power.
He ignored the throbbing ache all over his body and the gritty feeling of exhaustion within his muscles. Survival was paramount, and that meant securing benefits from what they had fought so hard for. Simply speaking, it was time to rob the fallen enemies.
His little sister, Canary, much in better condition than him, was now kneeling beside Leon Hunt, their recent fight-mate, who lay unmoving on the floor. Her usually meticulous hands now moved efficiently as she applied makeshift bandages to the hunter's wounds.
The monster hunter himself was still unconscious. His grim face was pale, smeared with blood and grime, but even in his unconscious state, Leon radiated a resilience that bordered on the supernatural. It was a physique that seemed designed to withstand the worst, a trait fitting for this world's protagonist.
Sparrow's fingers brushed against the first pair of rewards: two unassuming backpacks, each small enough to fit comfortably on a shoulder. His [Appraisal] skill flared to life, revealing their true nature – low-grade spatial backpacks with a deceptive quadruple capacity. A low whistle escaped his lips. This would free up a lot of their limited carrying space.
He continued his grim harvest, his fingers picking through piles of gore and discarded weapons. He recollected his machete and Canary's throwing knives, the ones that were still in good enough condition.
Other than that, he found blood orbs, pulsing with a sickly crimson light, darkness cores that seemed to swallow the ambient light, ember eyes that glowed with an inner fire, and clumps of viscous undead essences. His [Appraisal] skill confirmed their potential – ingredients for potions and alchemical concoctions.
They weren't alchemists by any means, but Sparrow tucked them away into one of the spatial backpacks. Every resource, no matter how seemingly useless, had the potential to turn the tide.
Finally, he reached back to the monstrous corpse of Vlad Caine, the draconic vampire. Amidst the charred remains, something caught his eye – a gemstone-like object that pulsed with an inner light. Nestled within the ribcage, it looked like a heart, unnaturally preserved.
His [Appraisal] told him it was a dragon-blessed heart, a focal point for many demonic rituals. His stomach churned. He could guess, without needing the skill to tell him, that it had once been the heart of Cyra, Leon's beloved.
A bitter taste filled his mouth. They had no use for it, and after all, it was best to leave the cursed thing alone.
"Birdbro, are you alright?" Canary's voice, laced with concern, pulled him from his morbid thoughts. She had finished patching up Leon, and her gaze was now fixed on him.
He nodded, forcing a weary smile. "Just a little tired. Found some interesting things, though." He held up a small, nondescript leather pouch. Inside, a kaleidoscope of crystal shards glittered, reflecting the faint light. This was what had truly caught their attention.
Canary's eyes widened, a rare spark of excitement igniting within them. "Crystal shards? Great! Now my [Elemental Shard] can be used," she exclaimed, her fingers itching to touch them. "We hit the jackpot!"
Her cheat-like skill, [Elemental Shard] from her {Fairy of Elements} talent, could probably be their greatest asset, but so far they hadn't found the required materials for its use. Now, the game would change... a lot.
Canary's [Elemental Shard] was a unique ability that allowed her to transform these seemingly mundane crystal shards into disposable objects containing elemental magic.
She could imbue them with fire, water, earth, wind, any element she could envision. Better yet, these elemental shards could be used by anyone. This would enhance their combat prowess and granting them versatility they otherwise wouldn't possess.
"I'm already imagining the possibilities, Birbro!" Canary said, her fingers tracing the pouch's worn leather. "Imagine what would've happened if we had used a few fire shards against those vampire bastards. Or what a few lightning shards could do to those pesky hellhounds…"
Sparrow nodded, a genuine grin finally breaking through his fatigue. "Must be interesting."
As Canary carefully stored the pouch of shards safely in her own backpack, Sparrow couldn't help but feel a surge of renewed purpose. They might be battered and bruised, but they had survived. And now, with these crystal shards, they were one step closer to not just surviving, but thriving.
Sparrow retrieved marble-sized stones, red and green, from one of the backpack. They were probably as important to them as the crystal shards. These were surreal stones, the residue of the fallen surreal entities.
Red stones, remnants of the 'Vicious Red' hellhounds, pulsed with a faint, angry light. They were enough, Sparrow noted with a grim satisfaction, to bring both his and Canary's mystery classes to level nine.
Both siblings immediately absorbed the red surreal stones. The stones flared, their bodies burst in fierce bright red light. The world seemed to twist, the room they were in wavered, and a rush of power coursed through their veins. It washed away the ache in their muscles, the lingering worry, replacing it with a primal strength, a feeling of being anchored to the very earth.
The siblings' mystery classes immediately surge in power. Sparrow felt like his muscles were thickening, his bones becoming denser, a living fortification in his core. He was now the ninth level of
Canary also felt her body tingled with amplified senses, a heightened awareness of her surrounding. She felt the power of her
The green stones, extracted from the 'Sentient Green' draconic vampire and his lesser kin, glowing with an unsettling inner light, were next in their agenda.
"All right, Tweety. Let's split these things equally," Sparrow said.
Canary paused, her bright green eyes sharp and intelligent. "Birdbro," she said, her voice a cheerful counterpoint to the grim surroundings, "I think we should focus on your {Eye of Truth} first. It's practically the most useful talent we have right now. Mine can wait a bit longer."
Sparrow considered her suggestion, his gaze drifting to the green stones. He knew Canary was right. The [Appraisal] skill from that talent, was way too useful. If it could be enhanced...
"Alright," he conceded. He knew that this was probably the best decision for their survival in the future.
He carefully gathered the green stones, feeling their unsettling energy thrum against his palm. Closing his eyes, he focused on his {Eye of Truth}, the mental sensation akin to pouring liquid fire into a vessel.
He felt the energy course through him, a powerful, almost overwhelming surge that left him trembling. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, replaced by a sense of profound clarity.
When he opened his eyes, he realized that he could perceive everything better. His natural eye, the green one, now seemed to be several shade deeper, darker green. More obviously, Sparrow's aura now felt significantly different, not physically stronger, but somehow... wiser.
"Whoa, Birdbro!" Canary exclaimed, her eyes wide as she approached him. "Your eye changes color! What happened?"
Sparrow remained calm, even when she started poking his cheek with curiosity. "It evolved," he said simply. "My {Eye of Truth} is now the {Eye of Wisdom}."
Canary's eyes sparkled. "Wow! Real evolution? Really? So, what can it do?"
Sparrow focused on a shattered piece of stone, activating his enhanced [Appraisal] skill. The information flooded his mind in vivid detail – its composition, its age, even the faint residual energy clinging to it.
"My [Appraisal] skill should now belong to [Greater Appraisal]," he explained. "It shows far more, with faster processing speed."
He closed his eye before opening it again. "Also, my [Illusion Resistance] is now [Illusion Immunity]." He could feel that any type of illusion would be useless against him now.
"And I also gained... [Night Vision]," he said with a hint of smile. With that, he looked around the dimly lit hall, his new eye allowing him to see clearly, even in the shadows.
"Wow! But, why is it called {Eye of Wisdom}?" Canary tilted her head with curiosity.
Sparrow paused, considering her question before answering seriously. "Because," he said, his gaze meeting hers, "Wisdom is needed to understand the Truth."
Canary grinned, and playfully mocked him, "That's deep, Birdbro! You can transfer your major now to Philosophy. Okay, let's do my stones now."
She grabbed the remaining green stones, a determined glint in her eyes. "I'm thinking of evolving my {Telepathy}. The {Soulworld Gate} should already be at its max stage. And {Fairy of Elements}, well... I feel, it won't be much of help at the moment."
Sparrow nodded, understanding her reasoning. He could also feel that his {Soulworld Gate} talent could not be upgraded.
And while he had no doubt of his sister's potential, he agreed that enhancing the {Fairy of Elements} talent would not be very impactful at this time. The main skill of this talent at present already required Crystal Shards to be able to be used. Who knows what the upgraded talent will require?
Upgraded {Telepathy}, however, could open up a whole new realm of possibilities.
Canary concentrated, feeling the green stones' energy surge through her. She focused on the sensation of her mind reaching outward, attempting to strengthen her {Telepathy} talent. She could feel the energy flow, but unlike Sparrow's experience, there was no dramatic shift. The surge felt incomplete, like a chord missing its final note.
She opened her eyes, disappointment etched on her face. "They're not enough," she said, feeling her dream of evolving her Telepathy fading for a moment. "I need a few more."
Sparrow placed a comforting hand on her head, messing her hair a little. "It's okay, Tweety. We'll find more."
He knew his sister was strong and resilient, she'd bounce back quickly as always. He felt a surge of protectiveness for her, the only family he had left.
"Let's go back and rest. We'll continue trying to find out about our last quest tomorrow," he said. "Besides, don't you want to try creating [Elemental Shards]?
Canary's smile was back within a second, her cheerfulness and courage instantly back. "Yes! Let's do it, Birdbro!" she said excitedly. But then she stopped and looked at Leon Hunt, still lying unconscious on the floor. "But what about him?"
Sparrow chuckled as he adjusted his eyepatch, the new green of his right eye gleaming in the dim light. "He'll be alright. He is the protagonist of this world after all."