18 False hero
"What the fuck happened to my damn bank balance???" A voice was heard in a grand marble hall.
The owner of the voice wore all red, a buzz cut, a tattoo of a hound on his neck, a face decorated with scars and bloodthirsty red eyes. His build was similar to the person in front of him.
That person was Blake Emberson, the thorn in Aster's life. He raised an eyebrow
"What happened"
"My pathetic brother spent all of our hard work for some... cultivation manuals? What in the Gaia's asshole is that bastard doing, I'm gonna kill him when I get back. I raised him you know? And he repays me like this. GRAGHHH"
"Now, now, there's no need to be this angry. If things go according to plan then you will get the wealth you want. Remember, follow the plan."
It seems Blake managed to pacify the Bloodhound leader somewhat as his breathing slowed down and the bloodlust in the air receded.
"Anyways, your report"
"Ah yes, we managed to capture that brat along with his folks and now he's currently in my dungeon, begging and pleading for his death. Hehe, I don't know what animosity you bear towards that mongrel but it's not unfounded. That bastard killed two of my hounds, you know?"
Blake seemed surprised. "Really? How strong were they?"
With a solemn expression, the leader continued. "A two late level 20 awakened. Jake was a waste who knew nothing except women but Daniel, he was a good fighter."
Blake's breathing became slightly erratic as he thought 'It's been less than a week since he left the hospital but he can already fight level 30 awakened and win.'
"Did you get any info on his status?"
''Ahh yes, one of my hounds managed to appraise him."
"Tell me more."
"He managed to appraise his traits, title, attributes and skills. It seems the brat killed the 2 when he was level 7. He had evenly distributed his attributes into 16, 21, pretty weird numbers to be honest. He gained the favor of the bitch Gaia and got a title as a result. The title gains him the favor of nature spirits. He's also accepted as Gaia's inhabitant. His trait effects include; Gateway to earth, which was locked when he was appraised, double passive regenerations but with a few nasty side effects, 500%- FUCKING 500% PROFICIENCY???AND IGNORES DEFENSE? Is he a fucking Titan or what"
Blake was stunned.
"Did you get any info on his unique skills? What does it do?"
''Uhh, Unfortunately or fortunately, that was a hoax. He does not have any unique skills, which is a relief if I say so myself. That kid has the talent to become a beast, if he gained a unique skill then I would have to kill him before he comes after me for revenge. That would be a bust, we could have used him as a meat shield for humanity." The leader said with a slight hint of relief.
"No, he does have unique skills, 5 in fact." Blake defiantly said.
"5!? HAHAHA You finally lost it, man"
"No I'm serious, you know Strongheart?"
"Ahh that rich balloon, is he one of the guys on your payroll?"
"Yes but he has been acting weird recently. He claims his name is Weakheart and that he does not know me or has ever seen me."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA"
"He was speaking the truth, Mars"
The leader of Bloodhound, Mars stopped laughing at the aura Blake was emitting.
"We used lie detection, truth potion, memory search, everything. He truly forgot about me. And do you know who's the prime suspect for this change?"
"Let me guess, that lucky bastard."
"Yes, although the security cameras have been wiped clean, the security runes on the opposite house of the villa caught him going inside his house. According to the recorded audio, Strongheart apparently knew him but he didn't have any memories of him. I suspect that the appraiser didn't find any mind control skills?"
Mars' eyes widened upon this realization. The info from the appraisal may not be accurate after all.
Blake smiled meekly "Exactly, we need to go now. The second phase of the plan starts now."
***
Aster woke up with a dream, a dream about Blake and an unknown person.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and practiced a breathing technique he got from Baub's drop. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about Baub. Although he was a horrible person, Aster could have given him a second chance with his skills. It seems he had grown on Aster during the short time he served Aster.
'No use thinking about that now, he probably sired, like 100 kids without the other party's consent. He's better off dead as a retribution for all those teenagers.'
[Basic breathing technique(Beginner)20/100]
[Description: Decreases energy usage by 10% and boosts energy regeneration by 10%]
The breathing technique helped him clear his thoughts and calm his fearful heart.
'He's finally making his move. I need to prepare myself. I know that he tried to appear like a hero to me while making my life worse. He probably has the hero syndrome, what a pain in the ass.'
For some reason, Aster did not question the legitimacy of the dream. He remembered it clearly, like a memory from Blake's perspective and not a dream.
He got up, quickly dressed up and called a meeting with the phantoms.
Overnight, the bloodhound gang changed its name from Bloodhound to Phantom. It was named like that because the leader is usually away from the headquarters but pops out every now and then like a ghost and thereby Phantom.
'What the fuck is wrong with this name, just what the fuck.'
Following his lead, the members changed from blood red to dark blue. They changed their icon from a hound to a hollow circle which irritated Aster to no end.
It's been a week since Aster arrived here in the gang and yet the changes were so outrageous that Mars would literally massacre everyone he saw.
Currently, the gang has about 200 people, far cry from its predecessor. All of them were about level 1 to 5 so in their eyes, Aster was an untouchable being.
Soon, over 200 people, dressed in dark blue and hiding their faces with a hoodie, were organized like a military squad on a large cleared field. Aster stood at the front, staring into the distance and working his [Magic sense[EX] Lv 10] and [Aura sense] to the utmost limit.
While he was concentrating on the horizon, a ding was heard.
[The skill [Enhanced vision] has been acquired]
[Description: Can clearly see 1km distance away]
'Well that's handy isn't it?'
Soon enough, a golden griffin was spotted.
Aster removed his mask and kept staring at the approaching mount.
He saw a familiar yet despised golden hair and the face of the person he saw in his dreams, Mars.
After a while, the griffin landed 50 meters away from Aster and two people jumped off it.
"Sup, Blake. It's been barely a week and we are already meeting again. Surely, meeting the Solar lord does not happen often."
[[True sight Lv 1] has been activated.
Aster had to close his eyes as Blake's soul was like a blazing sun, it was too bright and he had to look away while deactivating the skill.
'Shame, I just fulfilled the requirement to be able to use it without backlash.'
"Hello, Aster. You look… good, stronger than before." Blake commented, his eyes flinching a bit.
"Yep that much is given. Would you believe me if I told you some gangs were harassing my family? They even tried to kill them while I was away in a dungeon."
"Ahh about that, That's the reason why I came. So what happened to the gang and who are the people behind you?"
"Oh I killed all of the gang members, the ones that deserved to die I mean. They provided pretty good exp too. I'm only missing the leader, damn what a coward he is." He nonchalantly remarked, trying to poke the leader.
With true sight, he looked at his attribute screen.
[Name: Mars Fang]
[Level: 97]
[Exp: 4807/9700]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Berserker(Intermediate)
[Personal traits: Feral, Bloodlust, Murderer]
[Hp:620/620] [Energy: 1090/1090] [Mana:190/190] [Wrath:100/100]
[Attributes:
Strength:110(+50) Agility:85(+30)
Endurance:109 Vitality:62
Mana:19 Intelligence:5(-5)
Dexterity:63
Physical attack: 270(+270)
Defense(external):132(+70)(+20)(-100)
Defense(Internal):102(+75)(-100)]
[Techniques: Basic body strengthening(Advanced), Blood circulation technique(Intermediate), Stone skin(Advanced)]
[Passive skill: Mana sense[EX] Lv 9, Mana control Lv5, Regeneration[EX] Lv 10, Fortitude [EX] Lv 3, Wrath[EX] Lv 8, Frenzy Lv 10, Enhanced strength Lv4, Enhanced agility Lv3, Adrenaline Lv10]
[Active skill: Bloodlust Lv 10, Strengthen[EX] Lv10, Ground smash[EX] Lv 8, Great strike Lv10, Berserk[EX] Lv 10]
[Ability: Hand to hand combat(Master)]
[Resistances: Pain Resistance Lv10, Toxin Resistance Lv10, Lv Fracture Resistance 8, Bleed nullification Lv3, Blunt attack resistance Lv 9, Pierce attack resistance Lv7, Slash attack resistance Lv8, Paralysis resistance Lv 2]
[Status: Enraged, frenzy]
'Hmm, he's strong for sure but I think I can beat him with some buffs.
-[Host Name: [Benefactor of Gaia], Aster Gaelcius]
-[Level: 25 ] [Exp: 986/2500]
-[Race: Human(Earthling)]
-[Class]:[Wind mage(Beginner)29/300], [Swordsman(Beginner)1/300], [Spearman(Initiate)69/100], [Warrior(Beginner)41/300], [Assassin(Beginner)17/300]
-[Titles]:[Benefactor of Gaia]
-[Personal traits]:[Earthling], [Gaia], [Sloth], [Soul striker], [Malleable soul membrane]
[Hp:1080/1080] [Energy:1450/1450] [Mana:870/870]
-[Attributes]
[Strength: 102] [Agility: 112]
[Endurance:145] [Vitality:108]
[Mana:87] [Intelligence:94]
[Dexterity:148] [Stealth: 37]
[Physical attack: 204, Defense(External): 162(+50)(+20), Defense(Internal): 108(+50), Magic attack: 940, Magic defense: 470]
-[Pseudo attributes]
[Comprehension: 7.72]
[Spirit: 1.19]
[Elemental affinity: None]
[Available attribute points:0]
[Available skill points:65]
[Techniques]:[Mana recovery meditation(Advanced)4/100%], [Basic body strengthening(Advanced)41/100%], [Iron skin cultivation technique(Intermediate)64/100], [Blood circulation technique(Intermediate)33/500], [Basic breathing technique(Beginner)26/100]
[Unique skills]:[Overwrite], [Erase], [Inscribe], [Rewrite], [True sight Lv 1]
[Passive skills]:[Magic sense [EX] Lv 10], [Magic manipulation [EX] Lv 10], [Aura sensitivity Lv 3], [Aura control Lv 2], [Fortitude Lv 10], [Regeneration Lv 10], [Focus Lv 7], [Hasten thought Lv 7], [Parallel thought Lv 3], [Enhanced reflex Lv 10], [Adrenaline Lv 5], [Stealth Lv 1], [Weapon mastery Lv 1]
[Abilities: [Two handed weapon mastery(Intermediate)167/500], [One handed weapon mastery(Intermediate)499/500], [Blunt weapon mastery(Intermediate)310/500], [Dual wielding mastery(Intermediate) 455/500], [Sword mastery(Intermediate) 487/500], [Spear mastery(Intermediate) 491/500], [Dagger mastery(Advanced) 29/999], [Wind manipulation(Beginner)98/100]
[Active skills]:[Sprint Lv 10], [Intimidate Lv 4], [Strengthen Lv 10], [Detect Lv 10], [Conceal Lv 1], [Great strike Lv 2], [Sword dance Lv 2], [Battle cry Lv 1]
[Resistance skills]:[Pain immunity Lv 3], [Toxin immunity Lv 9], [Bleed nullification Lv 2], [Fracture resistance Lv 6], [Acid resistance Lv 7], [Depressant resistance Lv 7], [Paralysis resistance Lv 6], [Stimulant resistance Lv 7], [Pierce attack resistance Lv 5], [Blunt attack resistance Lv 5]
[Status: Normal]
'Add 30 skill points to [Whirlwind]
[The skill [Whirlwind] has leveled up to Lv 10]
[Description: 40% movement speed increase.]
[Mana cost:50/min]
'Add 15 skill points to [Sword dance]
[The skill [Sword dance] has leveled up to Lv 5]
[Description: 200% damage with swords, lasts 15 strikes]
[Energy cost: 100]
'Add 15 skill points to [Battle cry]'
[The skill [Battle cry] has leveled up to Lv 4]
[Description: 40% physical and magic attack boost for 10 minutes]
[Mana cost: 160]
"With my current attributes, I can kick the leader's ass." Aster continued to taunt Mars.
His veins were bulging, his eyes bloodshot and he subconsciously used his bloodlust skill, effectively knocking out everyone besides Aster and Blake.
The skill had no effect for Blake but Aster fought it off with his aura and intimidation.
[The skill [Taunt Lv 1] has been acquired]
[Description: Makes enemies slightly more likely to target you]
[Class: Tank has been acquired]
"You see Blake? The person behind you is Mars Fang, the leader of the Bloodhound, the culprit of my folks misery. Just step aside and let us fight, ok? Look at him, he's already raring to go."
[[Taunt] has been activated]
The slight aggro increase from the skill was all it took for Mars to lose all sense and rush towards Aster.
'Here we go, a 'boss' fight at last.'
***
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