CHAPTER 27: Once An Enemy Always An Enemy
Levi examined the eye on the tip of the arrow. It looked like a chef's worst nightmare.
'Thank God! My taste buds are dead.'
Without any hesitation, he put the eye in his mouth.
*Crunch*
It was slimy, gooey, bloody and the taste…well he didn't know about it but his body did. His gag reflex turned on automatically . Even his body knew that it wasn't something Levi should swallow.
The eye was now stuck in his throat. He had to plunge his finger down his throat and force the eye down his throat.
Levi could feel the eye moving inside his digestive system and reaching its stomach.
'Hmm..Is that all?'
He spoke too soon.
Jolting pain attacked his stomach and it moved throughout his whole body. His hand automatically moved on its own to his mouth to scoop out that eye. His body wriggled but Levi was calm. He was curious how his body was feeling something while he felt dead on the inside.
He puked everything he had eaten. His body vomited so much that Levi felt as if his stomach was about to come out of his mouth.
This cycle went on for a few minutes until his body accepted its fate. It had to digest that disgusting eye.
'I kinda 'feel' something being added to my body….to my soul.'
A newfound strength was surging up his body. It wasn't physical strength and not something he could explain as well. It was as if he grew a tail and instinctively knew how to use it.
Levi's body also felt a lot lighter and his fatigue had vanished. He had levelled up.
'I want to check my stats but now is not the time-'
Levi turned towards Brian and started slapping him lightly.
"It's over. Hey….Get up."
Seeing Brian not moving, Levi slapped him more aggressively but Brian showed no sign of waking up.
Levi was about to take out a health potion and feed it to Brian.
'Now that I think about it. Can't I use my silk like this?'
Numerous silks sprouted out from his fingers and made their way to a wound on Brian's stomach.
Levi wanted to use it as stitches like how doctors do it but he had no prior training.
"Ah"
'At least he woke up.'
Brian woke up screaming in pain. He furiously looked at Levi.
"What the f*ck are you doing to my body?"
Levi stood up and didn't answer that question.
"Let's just get that relic and get out of here."
Brian stood up in pain holding his ribs. After they killed the boss, the veil on the entrance reappeared.
At the corner of the room, they could see a small wooden crate coming up from some sort of elevator.
Levi and Brian walked towards the chest. It was made up of wood. Moss was growing out from it cause of how long it had been under there.
"You do the honours."
Levi said to Brian as he stepped away from the chest. Brian hesitated to open it, after all, it could be some other trap.
'Don't be pessimistic, Brian open it.'
Brian took a deep breath as he reached his hand towards the chest. He opened the chest and inside it was something both Brian and Levi imagined before coming here.
"Hallelujah."
Brian was excited. The relic he wanted was right in front of him.
Levi too felt nostalgic seeing that item. The characters never wore it but it was one of the most powerful relics in the game. The Ancient Crown is what they called it. Pitch black color covered it whole. There were some engraving written in red colour. Just by looking at it, one could tell that the item was not something normal.
[
The Ancient's Crown(S-rank)
—>Description:
-A crown, once worn by the ancients when they ruled heaven and above. Now without anyone to wear it waits for a worthy one. A new ancient.
-Increases attributes of the ancient by 85%.
-Increases mana regeneration by 50%.
-Increases mana output by 50%.
-Ancient's aura will now become more ominous and godly.
-Once someone wears it the crown will not detach until their death.
-Will be invisible and intangible.
??
??
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]
'No wonder he managed to be on par with S-rank awakeners.'
Levi knew the relic was broken but not to this level. The game only said that the relic was powerful and never showed its status.
'I would be nice to have it but not now.'
"Wear it, Brian."
Brian gulped as he held the crown. Just by touching it, he knew that if he wore it, his power would sore to the next level.
"You sure, you don't want it."
"Just wear it."
*Gulp*
Brian moved the crown and put it on his head. The crown shape changed to perfectly fit Brian's head. He looked at his body. Nothing physical had changed but on the inside, he could tell, he had gone to another realm of strength.
'Finally! Breakthrough.'
Once he wore the crown, the chest turned to dust. It was a bummer for Levi that nothing else was inside it but he got something new and didn't alter the plot too much.
Brian looked at Levi and smirked.
"Thanks for this."
Levi took out a health potion and gave it to Brian.
"Drink it and let's get out of this place."
Brian nodded and drank the potion. After 30 minutes they got out of the cave and were in the forest again. Brian didn't feel fear when he was in the forest again. It was as if a king had awoken from his long slumber.
"What are you planning to do next?"
Levi asked Brian as he scouted the area.
" I don't have any sort of plans right now. The leader will probably give me some orders to fulfil. Until then I will take a good rest.
"What about you? It would be nice if we could work together again."
Levi shook his head and walked away.
" I have no plans working with someone who is thinking of killing their ally for their items. "
Brian flinched
'How did he find out? I am sure my mana isn't easily detectable.'
Brian was coating his hand with mana as much as he could to kill Levi in one shot. He wanted that Mask of Ifrit. Now that he had a taste of power, he wanted more. He was a villain and a greedy bastard through and through. So greedy that it didn't come to his mind to ask Levi for that item. Killing seemed like the best option to him.
Levi never trusted Brian right from the start nor did he trust Levi. Both were using each other for their goals and once they got what they wanted, their trust too was broken.
"Your'e be too greedy. Just don't let that greed of yours kill you."
Brian laughed hysterically. It wasn't that his attitude had changed. He was always like this. Narcisstic and egoistic.
"You are a good archer I must say. To think you noticed my mana but can you beat me even after you know my intentions?"
Levi shrugged his shoulder. He turned his back and walked away.
"Just because you now have a crown on your head doesn't make you a king. Remember even a pawn can kill a king if a right move is made."
Brian didn't like Levi's answer. He wanted to kill but something inside said, he couldn't. Weakness took over him when thought of attacking. He clicked his tongue and walked away.
Each knew that the next time, they met it would be a wholesome reunion. It would be a competition of who can make the most holes in the other's body.
******
Levi drank the "stinky purple potion" and ran away from the forest and immediately into an inn, mainly the toilet. He had the same side effects that he suffered from back in the forest. He had already booked a room in the inn so the owners were fine with him, using the toilets.
" I need to take a shower."
He stank worse than shit. After taking a shower, he ate bread and stew and sat on his bed.
'Did I make the right choice?'
Levi wondered if he should have saved Brian and let him have the relic. Killing him would mess up the plot and not killing him would do the same as well but at least Levi would have some knowledge if Brian lived.
'I don't think, I could have done anything better than that.'
Levi stood up as he moved on from his dilemma. Now, he needed plans for the future rather than the past.
The fight against the boss was easier than he anticipated. He did manage to take one of the powers that Brian was supposed to remove as well.
"Let's check how much I levelled up."
[
=Status=
-Name: Levi
-Potential: B (C->B)
-Current Rank: E+
-Profession: Archer
-Luck: G (Variable)
-Charm: A+(Variable)
=Attributes=
Health: 500/500 (355->500)
Mana Capacity: 100/520 (320->520)
Stamina: 145/300(120->300)
Strength: 120 (60->120)
Agility: 165 (95->165
==Skills==
-Hunter's Eye
-Snipe
==Traits==
-One Focus(S rank)
==Arts==
Common Archer Style (Complete)
==Titles==
1) The Silkworm's Demise.
-A title given to the one who killed the demon of silk.
-The title holder can produce silk from their body. The strength of silk depends on your rank.
-Currently, your silk is strong enough to cut through normal stones.
-Consumes mana based on the length of the silk.
2) Demon with hundred eyes(New)
-Title is given to the one who consumes the eye of the debuff.
-The user can now summon one hundred and one eye.
-The one eye or the central eye can cause weakness, hallucination, nausea and dizziness to anyone within their field except the user. Need 100 mana to create it. Is invisible. The eye doesn't need mana to cast debuff once it's created.
-The other hundred eyes can be exploded. Need 50 mana to create it.
]
'This title is really overpowered.'
Levi then used his remaining mana to summon the central eye. A black ball with red coloured dilated pupil with bat-like wings and small stubby claws appeared in front of Levi. He could summon another hundred more but now he didn't have the mana to do it.
The title was going to be a game changer for him and he already had a plan about what to do with it.
'Let's get some more money then.'