CH.435 Temporary Leadership

CH.435 Temporary Leadership

[Brian POV] just because there have been POV changes in the last chapters

With the fight between Cailie and Amilie over, it was time to deal with the aftermath. Starting with Amilie and healing her.

No, she didn’t die, but if we didn’t heal her like yesterday, she would. Lucky for me, Gift Card is OP and I love it.

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I then installed Skill Drain on Amilie, permanently making her unable to use any of her skills. She’ll still have her regular stats, but as long as Skill Drain is installed into her, all of her skills will be crossed out and she won’t be able to use them.

Spoiler

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Luckily Skill Drain will never integrate into the person, so it can always be removed by Mystical Space Typhoon or any similar card. Or you can remove it with Erasure Magic.

So if Amilie does somehow turn a new leaf, we can remove the Skill Drain and she will get her skills back. But I wouldn’t hold onto that hope.

... But at the same time, I think at least a part of her insanity was caused by the corrupted synchroes she did with the water sprite, so it isn’t impossible for her to get better.

Not that I think she’ll ever be what I’d consider good. What she did to Cailie is already proof enough that she was not fit to be a leader in the first place.

But let’s not theorize about the future and get back to the present.

“Brian. Can you hack the core so that someone else can be the dungeon master?” Cailie asked.

“Yeah, I should be able to do that. And if I can’t, we can force Amilie into giving up her position.”

“Thanks. ... who should be the new master?”

“It has to be you, Lady Cailie.” One of the merfolk warriors, Larkos, said. “You defeated Lady Amilie in a sacred duel, so you are to take her position.”

“... I know, but I can’t. I don’t live here, and I don’t want to move back.”

“B-But my Lady! We need a leader!” Larkos cried out.

“... I know, but it cannot be me.” Cailie said. “I haven’t been a part of this clan since I was banished. Twice. So I cannot be the leader.”

“Don’t argue about it now.” I said to the two. I even thought about Cailie’s new title, which does indicate that she is back, but she clearly doesn’t want to, so I’ll just. “I can take over temporarily.” I told them. “We can figure out who the next leader will be later.”

I quickly got to work on the core, well heart, with Lady Janina by my side. I think she was just wanting to make sure I wouldn’t do anything unkind to the heart.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

While that was going on, Cailie was speaking with the merfolk warriors, probably about reuniting the clan, and Alice was keeping an eye on Amilie, but since Amilie is completely out of mana, she isn’t moving much.

After a bit of work, I got the core to the state where it only needed approval from the current master for the access to be granted to me. And as long as we get her hand on the panel, it will count, because hacking dungeon cores allows me to pick how approval is given. It doesn’t have to be verbal.

So we just dragged the passed out Amilie to the core, placed her hand on the scanner, and now I had full access to the dungeon, no hacking required.

I then quickly took stock of the dungeon. This place was decently large, about two thirds the size of HomeBase. But the floors were laid out strangely.

Her initial pick was Larkos, one of the merfolk warriors that first ‘greeted’ us when we arrived, and the only one of them to treat Cailie well, but Cailie then added that she’d visit the banished members, welcome them back to the clan, and then she’d make her final choice.

Again, because she was kind of the leader, no one opposed her. ... and I don’t really like that. This ‘the strongest will rule’ just doesn’t sit well with me.

I mean yeah there is the sacred duel, which does seem to be a way to get a bad leader out of the leader position, but it doesn’t really work if someone like Amilie is using the dungeon to power level.

After the meeting, before our group headed for the banished part of the clan, I returned to the dungeon core with the old merfolk man who would take on the position of dungeon master for now.

And after the transfer, he had some words for me.

“On behalf of the Nixie clan, I thank you. We may have all died were it not for you.”

I thought about giving a half-assed ‘no problem’ to that, but I know this means a lot, so I just let him talk.

“It is also because of you that our dear Cailie was able to grow into the beautiful mermaid she is now, so thank you for that as well. So I want to give you something.” He said, as he used the dungeon core to open a door to a secret room in one of the walls of the room.

I did notice there were a few rooms like that, but I never opened them, nor did I look at what is inside, as it really isn’t my business.

But the old merfolk wanted me to follow him in so I did just that.

Inside, I found a site that could be considered grim. In short, the room was a sort of graveyard. It held merfolk of different ages and evolutions, held in crystals that you can make with Holy Magic or with this dungeon's core apparently.

Yes, the same type of crystal that is used to hold extremely valuable weapons, such as the First Saint’s staff that I saw in the church in the Hero’s country.

“These are the previous masters of the dungeon.” The old man explained. “The ones we could bury. They are taken here and made a part of our great protector.”

I simply nodded, as I listened to the story.

“For us, it is a sacred honor to hold the position of the dungeon master, as it means being chosen by the two dragons. One who gave his life for us, and one who gave his brother’s heart for us. And now, you, despite not being a merfolk, have held that honor.”

“I apologize. I didn’t realize it was...”

“No. I am not saying this to reprimand you. In fact, I am thanking you.” The old man said. “... I made a mistake. I can admit it now. I never realized the type of person Amilie was. I saw her skills in leadership and magic. She even was given a blessing by a greater water spirit. But I never looked past the surface level.

I chose her as the successor because of her good qualities, thinking that she’d lead us to a brighter tomorrow, but ... you know how it ended. I couldn’t ever even show her this room, as I was ashamed of her. I failed, and I couldn't do anything about it.

But you. Not only did you save Cailie, for no reward for yourself, but you also came to us when we needed you, and despite taking over our dungeon, you immediately gave it back when a proper master was decided on.

Had you not acted, we may have lost the blessings we held, and because of that, I wish to give you this.”

As he said that, a stone slab raised out of the ground, making a new resting place like the ones that held all the previous masters of this dungeon.

“If you wish it to be so, when you die, this may be your final resting place. From now on, you are, and will forever be, a member of the Nixie clan.” He finished.

And as he did, a System notification popped up on my screen.

You have been accepted as a member of the Nixie merfolk clan.Race: Merfolk, unlocked in One of Every Race.Racial Skill: Swift Swimming, unlocked.

... Well, not only did I gain a potential place for my final rest, which I think I’ll have to refuse because I’ll rather be buried in the depths of HomeBase, but I also got a new race.

And I guess I’m also a member of this clan now. Which is cool, but completely unnecessary.

SpoilerName: Brian WoodRace: One without a Race - User of Rare Skills (Advanced Human) ✯Level: 166 [+2]

HP: 7720 [+180] (+25,000)Mana: 11,220 [+190] (+22,800)Strength: 2855 [+70]Defense: 3745 [+70]Magic: 4460 [+60] Skills: One of Every Race LV.3 (unique-racial) [+1] - Draconic Body LV.2 (racial) - Draconic Magic LV.2 (racial) - Swift Swimming LV.1 (racial) [new]

- Advanced Summoning Magic LV.3 (racial) - Spirit Magic LV.4 (racial) - True Blood Magic LV.2 (Racial)

Pack Opener LV.8 (unique)Different Dimension Factory LV.8 (unique)Storage LV.10 (unique) Limit Break LV.1 (extra)Spiritual Space Magic LV.5 (extra)Spiritual Time Magic LV.3 (extra)

Mana Vision LV.2 (extra) [+1]

Telekinesis LV.8 (extra)Dark Chain LV.3 (extra)

Summoner’s Unity LV.10 (extra)Beast Union LV.2 (extra)

Mental Visual Designing (extra)

Dungeon Founder (extra)Summon Time Spirit (extra) Summon Space Spirit (extra) Summon Light Spirit (extra)

Summon Dark Spirit (extra)

Summon Earth Spirit (extra)

Summon Fire Spirit (extra) Summon Water Spirit (extra)Summon Nature Spirit (extra)

Summon Beast Spirit (extra) Health Conscious (extra) Sword Technique LV.5 Shield Technique LV.5

Advanced Mana Control LV.14Fast Mana Recovery LV.1

Taming LV.2Designing LV.5

Defense Boost LV.11 Dragon Life Dedication (Greater True Fire Dragon)Lachros’ Blessing Iris’ Blessing Eosther’s Blessing

Nyx’s Blessing

Thalassa’s Blessing [replaced Water Spirits Blessing (Greater)]

Gaia’s Blessing

Ninatia’s Blessing

Pan’s Blessing Nature Spirits Blessing (Greater)

Friend of the SpiritsSS-Rank SummonerSkill Maker

Blood Sucker (racial)

Honorary Baron of Ruiso KingdomLanguage Comprehension (humanoid) (draconic)Slave MasterSlaves: Rhianna[collapse]