The Faction

Ten days have passed since we arrived at this cave. After I cast <Retrieval > on Sephia, her wound got better and she got us some food. While recovering, I instructed Sephia and started teaching her about the Snowlion Swordsmanship. She was more talented than I expected. Well, after losing her parents, she was able to survive alone for about six months. The best thing I like about her is, she never questions me and does what she's told.

Thanks to that her growth was great.

Human [Sephia Maelki] Age:9

-Attributes-

[Strength: 26] <+3 >

[Stamina: 40] <+5 >

[Mana: 17] <+1 >

[Mind: 23] <+2 >

[Vitality: 25] <+6 >

[Intelligence: 32] <+4 >

[Faith: 12]

[Charm: 16]

-Skills-

[Camouflage Lv.3] Details>>

[Snowlion Swordsmanship Lv.1] Details>>

-Traits-

[Scavenger] Details>>

-Titles-

<Yet to gain titles.>

-Description-

<After losing her parents she did best to survive alone in the forest. Hiding and feeding from fruits leftover carcasses, was able keep herself alive. She is first only disciple of Dylan Snowlion.>

She even gained the skill in ten days. When I was learning it for the first time, it took me forty-three days. I also learned some information about the Faction.

The Faction has about half a thousand people living in it, and almost a hundred people are visiting and trading daily. They have a hub where you can pick up requests and hunt beasts or other odd jobs. Sephia told me that the Faction is indeed avoiding the Swiftwind Tribe's territory and advising people to not go near it. 

Now that I think about it. Why Sephia was inside the tribe's territory? Currently, she is training with my short sword and sweating profusely.

"Sephia, I'm curious about something."

She stopped after hearing my words and swept her sweat with her arm. She tilted her head as if urging me to ask.

"Why were you in the tribe's territory?"

"That…"

She looked down and then at me.

"I thought maybe I could avenge my parents…"

Right, her parents got killed by the tribe. She is still nine, so it's understandable to act without thinking.

"What if I say, that you could avenge them."

Her eyes grew larger at my words.

"I would do anything."

I showed a faint smile.

"You just have to follow me and do as I say."

"Yes, Master!"

"Master?"

"Well, you are teaching me so doesn't that make you my Master?"

"I guess so. Now go back to training. You still have 184 slashes left."

"Ugh. Yes, Master."

*Whoosh

With that, she was back to training.

***

"Are you sure about the leather armor?"

"Yes, it looks like the ones I saw in the Faction."

We were on our way to the Faction. I should go and act like I'm a hunter. With the dirt and clothes I'm wearing, no one will think I'm an Outsider. 

Sephia was taking a route she knew so we wouldn't come across others until the Faction. According to her, there is a local security force and fights are forbidden inside the Faction. Because of that people usually hide and wait until someone leaves or tries to enter the Faction. Basically, bandits and slavers are holding certain routes.

After a while, we reached the Faction. High walls made out of wood, checkpoints with guards to control who enters and leaves. There were homes like cabins and almost all of the street was like a shopping market. Filled with people to the brim, trading, hustling, and arguing.

The hub was full of hunters with different gears and equipment. Some had broad swords, some shields, or greatswords. But what divided them was that while some of them had weapons made out of beast bones, others had steel or bronze.

I skimmed over some of the requests. There was beast hunting, herb collecting, wanted posters, slaver ads, and propaganda posters from the Faction.

People were having conversations. While acting like I was trying to look through requests, I eavesdropped.

"There seem to be more beasts showing up these days."

"Someone said they saw a huge snake beast yesterday."

"What? Weren't they supposed to all be hunted a while back? Even Finrod himself joined that hunt to make sure those would go extinct."

"I was hearing rumors about new beasts appearing too. And they don't even seem to be the beast types for this forest. One of them even mentioned seeing a lizard that can melt even the ground around it."

"These rumors are going insane each time. Is someone playing a prank?"

"I don't know but these rumors only grew larger in the last week."

"The Faction should act and do something about this. Otherwise, who knows what people will do."

They left soon enough. From their talk, I can say there is a slight possibility that my teleportation into the seal might have triggered something. Beasts that were supposed to be extinct and new types of beasts showing up after I arrived here, don't look like a coincidence.

Right now, I have another goal for coming here. Sephia was surprised about the spell I used. From what she said, they don't have magicians here. There seem to be some people high in the Faction that use certain spells that they learned from their ancestors. But in general, not even these hunters can use spells. 

This gives me an advantage against them, and I can complete requests like 'hunting an ice serpent and collecting ice from them' easily. I can just cast <Freeze > and bring them the ice.

There is even a chance to get close to the people high in the Faction. They might do anything for the spells. Which means I have to be cautious too.

We picked up some requests from the hub and left. The requests were some easy jobs like collecting certain herbs or fruits. Because these were my first requests, I didn't want people to suspect. If I went and took like the ice serpent hunt and showed up with ice afterward, it would drag too much attention.

Another thing I noticed was, that they are not strong like the tribe members. They are certainly stronger than the regular people from the outside but it's not something I can't deal with. Now that Sephia learned the fundamentals, we can start sacrificing people next week, in the Spatium Temple. The only problem is, it's close to the tribe's territory. We most likely have to knock people out and carry them to the temple.

However, we should finish these requests and gain people's trust and money. 

***

A week passed. 

After finishing some requests, I bought some gear for Sephia and a weapon. It was a short curved sword made out of bronze. She started training with her curved sword and become adapted to it. Also, her Snowlion Swordsmanship skill leveled up to two. With the intense training I put her through, her [Strength] increased by four and [Stamina] by two.

We were currently hiding on top of a tree, and waiting for someone to pass by. The route we were eyeing was not a common one but it's one of the separated routes that connect to the main route toward the Faction. We already saw some groups but we need someone alone or a duo that we can deal with.

After waiting a while, two men showed up. One was skinny and had a bow behind his back. The other was a bulky guy and had a bronze longsword. 

I used [Seafoam Gaze Bracelet] to check the bulky guy's stats.

He didn't have any traits but had a [Beast Hunter] title. Which allows him to deal more damage to beasts. Other than that, his stats regarding physical attributes were twice more than mine. Skinny one doesn't seem that strong but he is most likely fast. 

With my gesture, Sephia jumped out from the tree and went to the other side of the two men. They saw her running in the distance. 

"Huh? What was that?"

"Someone just ran past those trees."

"As expected of an archer, you have good eyes. Should we follow them? Maybe we can get something good from them."

"Hmm… I'm not sure. This feels weird."

"You're thinking too much as always. Let's just go before they leave."

"Haa. Fine, let's go."

After conversing with each other they started following Sephia. Behind them, I was slowly following. When ten minutes passed they stopped running.

"Hey, wait. This place is… we are getting closer to the tribe's territory."

"We are? Then why did that guy run towards there? Are they suicidal?"

"We shouldn't followed. This might be a trap."

"A trap? Hahaha. If they are that confident, let them come and see."

"Don't be stupid. Let's go back before-"

*Splurt

While he was talking, I stabbed the bulky guy from behind.

"What the-"

"Tch."

However, it wasn't a clean stab.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Skinny one drew his dagger and was about to slash my throat.

At that moment, Sephia showed up behind him and severed his arm.

"AAHH!"

I took that chance to finish the bulky one.

-You have defeated a Human-

[Strength +1] 

-Trait effect [Training Duality] active-

-Title effect [Without Honor] active-

[Strength +2]

Before the skinny one gained his senses, I hit him right in the face with the hilt of my sword. After he fainted, I cast <Burn > to stop his bleeding.

"Sephia, get this guy's stuff, and then let's go to the temple."

She nodded and with that, our first sacrifice was acquired.