049. Crucible - 26

049. Crucible - 26

Killing more beasts away from the camp had a certain amount of temptation, but a literal earthquake and volcanic eruption in response to my leveling showed that it was not a sustainable path.

The natives clearly had their own reasons to keep that restricted.

Instead, I returned to the camp, using similar tricks to the last time. It was harder to do so without the young noble distracting the camp on the other side, but the stat increase was more than enough to compensate for the increased challenge.

A few minutes later, I was safely at the camp. It was tempting to go directly to Zolast and have a conversation, but a lifetime of habit prevented me from doing so. Ignoring routine information gathering in favor of important objectives was always tempting

But that was how people died.

Instead, I stole a cloak and walked around the camp, Perception making it much easier to listen a casual conversation. I first focused on Jertann's little group. I deliberately didn't call it my group, even in my mind. I was not in a position to enjoy that entanglement. I would soon disappear, leaving them alone.

My identity in this new world didn't allow for anything else. Sooner or later, a situation would occur to force my full range of abilities to the open, forcing me to run.

The best I could do was to make sure their little group wouldn't implode the moment I disappeared. A fitting payment for their help. They didn't know how much they helped me, of course, but that didn't matter.

One way or another, I paid the price.

What I could observe gave me hope. For once, they were not without identification anymore. They were wearing blue bands around their arms, giving them an easy chance to separate from the rest. Fascinatingly, they even went a step further and started calling themselves Azure Guard.

More than one member was bragging about their name.

Their happiness came at the cost of the other groups. They were already bleeding members. As I walked around, I saw some Reds and Blacks changing groups after some intense discussion. Few tried to intervene, but the other members held them back.

I had heard the name Euon being thrown around more than once as they held the others back, showing that the intimidation factor was still alive and well. It was a good thing to have.

Murder was always distasteful, but sometimes, one kill prevented a hundred.

Still, as I walked around, I slowly started to develop a frown, for two reasons. One, the Greens were not bleeding any members. At least not in a significant amount. They bled a few here and there, but it was easy to see they were not exactly the most critical members of the group.

The second suspicious point was some of their tents. I couldn't hear anything from them, not even people breathing, which was rather suspicious of my exaggerated Perception. I should be able to listen to what was going on.

I suspected something magical.

I took a note to watch the Greens more carefully but didn't take any more action before I went to the camp, to talk with Zolast. I stumbled to a celebration, where Silas stood at the center, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but the center of attention.

She wasn't exactly a people person, which made the number of people celebrating her promotion rather amusing.

With the party providing me some concealment, I sneaked toward my target. "It seems that they are working hard," I said.

I suspected that the whole camp didn't have that much silver.

"That's the minimum we need. Without that, we can only use the inefficient way."

"By the way, how does it actually work?" I said, wanting to get some less sensitive information before I moved to the topic I really wanted to dig into. "Why can't we just level out in the open?"

"Because the evil reacts against the blessing of the gods," Zolast answered, his voice automatic, like a priest delivering a sermon. To be fair, I had a feeling it was exactly the case.

"More practical terms, if you prefer," I answered. "I'm an old mercenary, and I could do without some moral judgments from a banished priest."

It was a risky assumption, but the way Zolast flinched confirmed my guess. "You're truly a troublesome old man," he murmured, and I smirked. I wasn't just digging at him for no reason. I wanted him to be distracted with his own secrets to not focus on my questions.

I didn't want to reveal just how little I truly knew about the world. I trusted Zolast, but not enough to reveal the truth of my situation. Obfuscating with personal attacks was tasteless, but it was hardly the first time I was using such tasteless methods.

"The more practical explanation, the energy that radiates while we level up evokes a reaction from the world itself. The lower levels are not a big problem as long as the area is not experiencing a build-up. It disperses easily, and merely gathers the beast in our immediate surroundings. Nothing that couldn't be handled with some preparation."

He took a deep breath while I dealt with a few more attacking beasts. "The real problems start after the second promotion. With the experience required to reach millions, the side effects start to get stronger. Not only do the beasts gather, but the weather goes bad as well. Even the very ground we stand starts spewing fire, very dangerously."

"Is this the worst that can happen? I heard some stories" I murmured.

"No, that's not the worst that could happen. The planet has its own protectors, and in case of emergencies, they respond." He chuckled darkly, his tone suggesting he was talking first-hand. "Believe me, you won't like their attention."

"So, how does silver help to suppress the side effects," I asked, choosing not to push him more. I recognized that tone from veterans, telling stories of their darkest hours. Whatever those protectors were, the story about them was not a good one.

"The working principles are actually simple. The silver runes create a cage to catch the effect of the leveling, which then slowly disperses without triggering a disaster. Of course, there are still some limits. There's only a limited amount of glow silver can hold, and it needs to eventually disperse before it could be used again. And, since it disperses to the area, it's not possible to build the array too close together."

"I'm guessing that's where the gems come in," I guessed.

"Exactly," Zolast jumped. "The gems are used as storage. By replacing the gems, the arrays could be used more often and set closer together. Then, the gems could be cleansed further from the encampment."

"A nifty trick, though sounds like a logistical challenge," I said as I stepped forward. The reason for that step was a giant rat, charging toward us. Three slashes were enough to leave it limbless. "Do you want to do the honors?" I said as I pointed to the beast that was just waiting for the last hit.

"Unfortunately, leveling is not really an option for me anymore," he murmured, his tone despondent.

"As you wish," I said as I slashed, taking down the beast.

[+8201 Experience]

I said nothing else, realizing I had touched another sensitive spot and was not willing to push him more. We walked for another five minutes, getting away from the camp as we dealt with the beasts. Finally, we were sufficiently far away from the camp.

"Let's talk about the important stuff," I declared. "What's the truth about this sudden evacuation."