Chapter 182 - Again (2)

The group walked for two days, only stopping to rest for a few hours in the afternoon and to eat. While they weren't that tired physically, even Luke was tired mentally. Doing the same thing over and over again was exhausting in more ways than one. That area was one that they rarely used over their history, so they didn't know it very well. Still, Luke felt satisfied with it. He could create a cave himself, after all.

The elves didn't look all that satisfied while Luke was creating a cave by using Water Manipulation. Using Earth Manipulation would have made things even more simple, but that was more than enough for the time being. Besides, Luke could also use Rina's mana pool.

"I am sorry, our people usually live in open areas, caves aren't full of life like forests and springs, so we feel uncomfortable in such places," Rina explained. "Please bear with their behavior for a while longer until they get used to it."

They were quite the spoiled bunch, and Rina wasn't cold enough to scold them for that reason. Luke didn't get much about her underlings' opinions, but he decided not to give them the scolding that they deserved. Another thing that made Luke decide that was the fact that they were a bit distant from him… probably because most of the time, Luke treated Rina like a friend instead of a queen.

In any case, over the course of two days, Luke learned quite a lot about life in that world. The elves knew how to hunt, but most of their food came eating fruits and vegetables. Maybe it was because of that that the elves looked so beautiful. Rina was a cut above the others, but even the most plain elf could put to shame a lot of people considered pretty on Earth. As for Luke, he couldn't feel more out of place thanks to all that… 

Regardless, while it was small and it was essentially useless due to his high focus, Luke noticed that some of the fruits and vegetables could restore his mana and stamina. Maybe that is why elves already could use magic and use it skillfully… or maybe the plants and fruits had mana because the elves could use magic to improve themselves and the environment somewhat.

Luke had to work for an entire day to make the cave to have enough room for hundreds of elves. He also made sure that it would have a secret exit in case they were attacked. The cave was located in the middle of a mountain that was two kilometers tall, so they had a good view of the area as well… they could see packs of Starving wolves running around chasing small animals. A pack of Koriri trying to find a place cold enough for them… and even some humanoid creatures fighting each other in the distance. According to Rina, some monsters have the ability to copy the same other living beings to lure them out. It didn't seem like doppelgangers, and then Rina pointed at the ground below them, and Luke realized that some sort of worm was the monster that was trying to fool the elves. That was a pretty disgusting creature… in more ways than one.

"Well, now, I guess we are set to go," Rina said.

"Let's get going then," Luke nodded.

Without wasting time, Rina transported them back to earth. While she succeeded on the first try, she let out a sigh since she reappeared on Luke's left shoulders and on her chibi form. Nevertheless, Luke also reappeared in the city that they had been before leaving.

You have obtained a follower.

You have obtained a follower.

You have obtained a follower.

You obtained 3.222 gold coins.

You obtained 3.222 gold coins.

You obtained 3.222 gold coins.

…

"What the hell… come to think of it, I didn't receive the notifications of the gold and experience gained by my monsters while I was there," Luke said and then frowned.

"Maybe the skill has a limited range… and the range is the current world the monsters are in," Rina said. "I suppose that makes sense. Otherwise, the overlords would obtain tons of experience just by sending their monsters to other worlds."

"But I gained the gold coins they obtained…" Luke said.

"The system probably can keep those with the monsters in order for them not to be lost, but the same can't be applied to experience," Shalia said.

That made sense… that made sense, but… it was pretty frustrating. Still, Luke didn't think too much about that because that was probably the reason he defeated the overlords. It was a very necessary demerit… in any case, after he changed the gears of his mood, Luke hurried to check the base, and he confirmed that everything was all right. The walls were standing and there were no signs of smoke coming from the houses.

When he approached, he saw some familiar faces using magic together on the river. Jennifer, Amanda, Rachel, and Richter were trying to combine their spells. Richter didn't have a single one a week ago, so he probably learned in the last few days for whatever reason. Regardless, Luke headed toward his home without letting anyone notice it. Even the guards on the walls. He used Lurk at some moments to erase his presence, but… these guys needed to improve their awareness.

"Luke? You are already back?" Julia asked, visibly surprised when Luke suddenly opened the door. "Did you make a lot of friends in the lands of elves?"

"Don't say that out loud, mom," Luke said and then sighed. "And I didn't go to make friends… this wasn't a school trip. Anyway, I am assuming that everything was fine here. Did I miss something?"

"Nothing actually troublesome happened… but there is one thing, your father left to investigate it," Julia said with a troubled expression on her face.

"... What is it?" Luke frowned.

"Frank's camp disappeared," Julia said.