Primitive Weapons

Curiously, Magnus decided to leave his original body behind to consume the dead ghoul while he proceeded with Restiel. He followed the primitive humans as they trudged through a jungle trail. A lot of animals could be seen on this trail, from snakes to birds, to other primates.

Magnus found it interesting to see the primitive humans communicate seamlessly with the monkeys that swung by.

More so when he understood their conversation through Spirit Communication.

"Banana?"

"Banana."

Those were one of the most common topics.

After a while of walking, Magnus found himself standing before a vast cave system he had never heard of while he lived in Quarteridge.

'Surely, this would've been a big landmark, no? It looks like a giant beehive.' Magnus took note of the hexagonal shape of every entrance.

"Food." One of the primitive humans told him, and all Magnus could do was have Restiel nod.

"We get." They said, and Restiel nodded again.

He followed after them as they grabbed a few handfuls of the substance that lined the sides of the cave.

"It's indeed a fucking beehive," Magnus muttered from kilometres away as he controlled Restiel to do the same.

He had Restiel taste a few, and the flavours were amazing. It felt so full of vitality that the absolute absence of Spirit Energy could be completely ignored.

"I'm remembering this place for sure." Magnus made a mental note.

Restiel, who had been given Magnus' storage scroll, placed as much as he could inside it. He filled up an entire cubic metre of the honey before the primitive humans decided that they got enough.

"We go. Danger, near."

Restiel nodded once he heard those words and followed after them.

They once again resumed their hike going downhill.

After another hour, they arrived at what seemed to be a small settlement. Mud houses and the like were erected here and there, in no particular shape or order.

There was a small celebration that occurred as the men returned from their hunting session, bringing honey and meat for the women and children.

Restiel was introduced to them all as Birdman. They said that he came from the giant-beast territory and that was why he had wings.

The recognition of a giant-beast territory had Magnus' interest piqued. He asked about it and discovered that this area they were on was labelled 'ghoul land,' or the place where it is most advisable to live for humans.

'So why did that bird send me to ghoul land?' Magnus felt that recurring thought bother him once more.

'Could it be because of my ability to eat ghouls?' He tried guessing, but he still had no idea.

Anyways, he was there and alive. That was all that mattered.

Magnus then had Restiel tour the settlement. He saw places where food was stored, an area where waste was thrown, and the path to a small creek that supplied them with water.

It was overall, a very comfy place despite how shabby it was. It was a place people called home... The stench and smell have no need to be mentioned.

What Magnus was most interested in though were the special weapons they had.

'These stones are clearly not just any regular stones if they could cut into the ghouls.' Magnus thought as Restiel's eyes flashed. He was standing outside a hut that was protected by a pair of guard dogs. He could just barely see inside, and a familiar glint caught his eyes.

"Weapons?" He asked using Spirit Communication.

The primitive human touring him grunted. It signified a yes. He then made a gesture that asked for Magnus to follow him.

He was guided towards a stash in the hut where the weapons were placed down. Another human male was off to the side, chipping at the rocks one by one.

"Can I take?" He asked.

Another grunt of affirmation came.

And so, Magnus indulged with a smile. He took a spear, a sword, and a knife. He didn't want to take too much lest he angers the humans, nor did he want to choose only one.

Three was a good number. He could have each member of his Hivemind wield one.

Moreover, he could study them when he got back.

Before that though, he thought of what he could offer in return.

"Payment?" He decided to ask if they needed anything.

"No need. You friend." That was the reply he got.

It made Magnus feel touched. He was able to learn a lot from a simple contribution, very much unlike modern society.

'My Curse has yet to act up as well,' He then remembered something crucial as he heard the word 'friend.'

'That means to say, only official and widely agreed upon comradeship is what triggers it. In a sense, I can kill monsters in the presence of other people, but I cannot directly work with them. If I have different goals than they do, we are not comrades, and thus my Curse will not act up.'

It seemed to be a loophole in his Curse.

Taking now as an example, the primitive humans regarded him as a friend after he killed the distracted ghouls but he had yet to feel weakness.

But when he coordinated with those Earthlings to kill the duck beast, his Curse instantly acted up.

Magnus was happy to discover such an intricacy. It cleared many of his questions and helped in crafting his future plans.

Now, aside from the weapons there was one more thing Magnus wanted to know of.

"Where do you get the stones?" Magnus had Restiel speak.

"I show you." He received a positive reply.

Magnus wanted to see where the resource originated from, all for the sake of Mirror World Thief. Just like with the beehive and the three Pocket Worlds, it was so that he could expand his options.

Thus, the primitive human led him past the creek and then through a snaking uphill pathway.

Restiel eventually arrived before a deep pit. A precarious staircase could be seen lining the sides of it.

"We get..." The primitive human gestured, "From there."

"I see,"

Magnus studied the area before gliding down with Restiel's wings.

As he reached the bottom, Divine Energy created a small ball of light for him to see just what was around.

And Magnus was then pleasantly surprised by the sight before him.

Beneath the layers of soil and regular rock was a thin layer of the special rock he was looking for. It glinted in a faint lustre under the illumination of Divine Energy. It shone with small rainbows on its surface, looking as magical as it can be.

Magnus had Restiel cut some out using his stone knife. He dug out as much as he could and stored it in the Storage Scroll.

The Scroll was now full.

'What a great find,' Magnus was happy to have been launched a great distance. He was finding a lot of good things.

The ghouls he could eat, the stones he could mine, and the honey he could also consume.

Thus, after parting ways with the primitive humans, Magnus got to hunting.

He ate both honey and the ghouls, up until his rating went up to 1.6 stars in just the span of a few hours.

At the end of the day, his abilities grew to 1.8 stars.

But something inside him felt off for some reason.

Magnus could not put a finger on it, but he could swear it was because of his transformation. The Half-Night Tome should be the main culprit. He could feel himself changing the more he grew. It was an awkward feeling, and Magnus felt stuffy in his chest.

"Do I have to gather some special energy as well? Should I kill something holy?" Magnus muttered as he tried to analyse the tome.

But it still showed no signs of being anything special. It was just a book with names. Nothing more, nothing less. He decided to deal with it later.

Sighing with conflicted feelings, Magnus tore the Return Scroll.

He then found himself back in his hotel room after a flash of light.

Habitually, he checked the time and—

"What?" He exclaimed, "No time has passed?"

Perhaps only four seconds went by, but that could be accounted for with his slow actions.

A Scroll then appeared in front of his face. It was likely the reward he gained.

[[ Spirit Energy Supplement Scroll ]]

[[ Tear this Scroll to receive an influx of Spirit Energy. Useful in breaking a bottleneck. ]]

Magnus' eyes gleamed,

"So there are things like these! Of course, of course!"

Just as he was being happy about his reward however,

Knock knock!

There was a knock at his door, and Magnus whipped his head towards it with furrowed brows. He quickly invoked his Blessing and switched with Klaris.

He put on a mask that covered half his face as he went to the door.

Puzzled, Magnus opened it.

Only to be greeted by a familiar face.

But instead of being draped in a flowing dark-brown coat, this familiar man before him had a blood-stained white uniform. Cuts and tears littered his garb, and his hair was an absolute mess.

It was Amini. The detective he once escaped from and fooled, came back and was knocking on his door.

"Help," was all he said.

And then he slumped onto the ground, leaving Klaris absolutely dumbfounded.

"Uhm, Magnus?" He muttered out loud, "Do you see this?"

.

.

.

After dragging Amini's unconscious body inside his room, Klaris did his best to scrub off the bloodstains on the floor to make it look, at the very least, presentable.

He waited for Amini to recover after feeding the man some of his special honey.

'Why did he come to us?' Klaris wondered to himself as he worked hard, scrubbing the floor. 'Does he have something to offer and trusted that I would catch on to this?'

Klaris wasn't sure, and neither was Magnus.

They could only wait.

And it was only after an hour passed, did Amini stir into consciousness.

"Hah!" He gasped for air as he propelled himself forwards.

"I-" He paused and felt his healed body, "I'm alive."

Klaris saw this and chuckled, "Yes you are. Now tell me, why me? And also, what's your name?"

"Why you?"

Amini echoed back the question. His eyes glazed over for a moment as it darted around in fright.

"Not good! They've tracked us down! Quick. Do something to escape!"

Klaris frowned, "You still haven't answered my questions."

"My name is Amini. Amini Forethai. And I came to you for a deal!" He screamed, "Keep me alive and I can give you information on a certain faction interested in the ring you stole!"

"The ring I stole? Why would I want to know about them?" Klaris asked.

"Because, just like me, they're coming after you too!"