Lord Shadow

She could smell the faint smell of omelet and she wake from her sleep. Maybe that is because of her passive skill, her nose is highly sensitive.

Rubbing her eyes, she could see dawn is just arriving. The sun rises again for a new day.

Looking at the place where the smell originated, she could see a man cooking in a fire pit and beside him was a badger looking around dragging many ape corpses behind the fire pit, eating them deliciously.

She could smell the blood, a heavy smell that pervaded around the campsite. And there he sees him, sitting on the log, in a very relaxed manner, grilling something.

He was sitting on a log branch like it was a bench and he keep cooking. There is also some faint trace of coffee.

Behind the fire pits were a mountain of ape corpses, some were skinned and cut and left in the corner.

It seems that, it would be stored for later consumption.

Beside the corpses were beads, about 10 of them. Sofia then looks at herself and then she realizes she was covered by a blanket and she got up and without saying anything she went to the nearest source of water and cleans herself.

After that she went back to the fire pit and sit beside Azief like nothing happens. Then she started asking about all the stuff that is in front of her eyes, curios.

‘When did you do this?’

‘Last night’ he said as he keep fanning the fire with a paper fan

‘Did you not sleep?’

‘Hmm’ he said nonchalantly.

‘I was bored last night so I ordered Badge to make a fire pit and then I roasted some of the ape meat.’

Then he took one of the smaller slices of the ape meat and eats it, chewing it.

‘How was it?’ she asked

‘A little chewy but it’s not that bad. It tastes like intestines of a cow. Chewy but delicious. Now if I have some spices, I could make some stocks and it will be more delicious. After you rid of the poisonous bile, it’s safe to eat it’

Then he handed a cup of coffee to her.

‘You make coffee?’ she asked surprised. Azief smiles a bit and show her his coffee.

‘I took many of coffee packets when we were in the mall. Also took some pots and kettle. Thank god I didn’t bring any electric kettle. That would be useless.’ And he chuckles alone.

He found some humour in the fact that the everyday routine that he used to do is now so hard to do.

Drinking coffee in the morning which used to be so easy could now be considered a chore.

She just nodded and took a sip of coffee and she feel her body refreshed. Holding it with her two hands, she took another sip. She looks at the omelet and ask.

‘Eggs too?’ Azief could see the way she looks at the finished omelet and he grinned. So he asks.

‘Want to taste it?’ she nodded vigorously.

He conjured up plates from his ring and put one of the omelets into the plates and handed it to her.

Then he cracked another egg onto the cooking pot and that sizzling sound can be heard at their campsites.

It was almost like they are in a retreat or something if you discount the fact that they are monsters nearby and a two large crocodile in the river near them.

She did not wolf it down instead she took the omelet bite by bite alternately switching between eating the omelet and drinking the coffee.

She feel that this was the most delicious breakfast she has ever tasted in her life. Eating grilled snakes and herbs could do that to any person.

Her eyes are now wide open, awake and energized. Then she looks on the heap of corpses and asks him

‘What about the apes? You kill it yesterday?’ He nodded and then continues flipping the egg on the cooking plate.

‘Badge did most of the work. I want him to rank up and become a little bit more useful to me.’

‘A unique rank monster?’

‘Well, if he could rank up that high we have a good insurance for our life don’t you think?’ he said and she nodded.

‘Last night another one killed a Unique Beast.’

‘Oh, I didn’t notice the notification.’ She exclaimed. She really didn’t realize it. She was sleeping so peacefully yesterday that he didn’t want to bother her and it’s not like they will go to that place not when he didn’t even finish his class changing quest right now.

He also got to learn that there is such things as Teleportation stones.

‘You were sleeping at the time.’ He explained

‘Where is it?’ she asked.

‘Germany. By someone called Bradheim’

‘That is a long way from here.’ She said as she slurps her coffee enjoying the rich taste of coffee packets.

‘Yes, and then around dawn another one was killed and dropped a unique skill in Denmark. So, I put my notification windows to log. It hinders my vision if suddenly when I was fighting notification windows appears in the middle of the fight.’

She slurped the coffee again while nodding. Azief just shakes his head. She is not even listening, completely enjoying the omelet and the coffee.

She just finished her omelet and she felt refreshed. She also brought a few packets from the mall but she did not bring any kettle or food ware unlike him.

‘So, what are we going to do today?’ she asked cheerfully.

As they were eating and drinking, Azief told her the plan. They would go and dive and find the Unique skill and grab all the treasure they could find underwater.

He was already smiling in glee.

He also told Sofia about the skill he bought and that when he has enough money he would buy the same skill for her so that their looting becomes faster.

He also told Sofia that he bough a bag of holding that could one ton of weight inside it.

It was a small pouch that can be put anywhere and it can carry anything unless it doesn’t weigh more than a ton.

The only thing it couldn’t do is putting live things inside it. Dead things however, is fair game.

It was 2000 gold to buy the bag making his gold now zero. He is betting on this looting which is why he didn’t mind the 2000 gold which could be sued to buy another life skill book.

He also told Sofia about the fields of bodies not far from they were takings shelter.

Sofia insist they go there immediately but after deliberation they decided that they will check it after the finished looting all the gold and items they could find in the river bed.

So after they finished talking about it, they packed their things wash the food ware, store it back, extinguish the fire they then walked to the river.

***

‘So you’re going first?’ Sofia asked

‘Yeah’ he said.

‘I will get some money and then buy you the underwater breathing skills. Then you can follow me.’

‘Ok’ she said nodding in agreement.

‘You and Badge maintain a lookout on the crocodiles. If they attack, you run. I can handle them’

‘You sure?’

‘Yeah’

‘Ok, if you say so. Dont push yourself too much’ she said and he nodded. Sofia then began her look out.

Azief look at the clear deep water, blue and clear as he calmed himself down, take a deep breath and then he jump and a splash happened.

Sofia looks as Azief dive into the river.

Azief on the other hand has begun his diving. His lung is stronger and have a large capacity and now he could swim underwater he begun diving deeper.

He could see countless of weird fish but none of them did anything threatening.

He kill a few of them with energy fist and it doesn’t look like the EXP it gave him is a lot. It didn’t even make his pillars higher at all.

He could feel only a little bit of EXP enter his body.

When he killed the fishes he quickly put the fishes inside his bag of holding.

Maybe I should buy cooking skills later. He mused

Cooking grilled fish or steamed fish would be the highlight of his day. Even though the world turns into this kind of place, he still wanted some god food.

So, as he thinks about this he keep killing the fishes while diving and collecting. Using his divine sense as long as the two crocodiles enter his range, he would spot them.

The two crocodiles after killing the Supercroc also gain some benefits. They have become larger but not as large as the super croc.

Anyway, he decided to pay attention to them if they ever decided to attack him. If not he would go with his original plan.

Either way, he now could swim and dive underwater, so he doesn’t think he would be pushed into such desperate corners like before.

As he dives even though his eyes has great vision darkness began to set in.

There are some wild fish and an eel that tries to electrocute him but he quickly dispatch the eel with a kick.

With one kick the eel head shattered and he quickly stores it inside his bag.

Then he continued on and then he smiles, looking the shining glittering coins in the river bed.

Smiling, he then went full speed ahead to the river bed.

***

‘Houh’ he panted, breathing hard as he returns to shore

‘You got it?’ Sofia asked.

He nodded.

‘The book or the gold?’

‘Gold’ he said.

‘Where’s the book?’ she asked as she lowered her weapon.

‘I still couldn’t find the book. Need your help with that.’ He is still panting. He pushed himself down there until his lungs almost couldn’t take it.

Sofia just nodded

‘Did you take all the gold?’ She asked as her eyes scanned the river, looking at the two crocs which can be spotted across the shore.

‘No, not yet. I feel pressure on my lungs so I quickly surfaces. I need to increase my proficiency level if I want to dive underwater for a long time.’ He deduced.

Sofia on the other hand was smirking right now, as he looks at him.

‘So you’re going to buy it now for me?’ Azief understand what Sofia means

He nodded and then he quickly buys swimming and breathing underwater book and then quickly Sofia learned it.

The first haul get him about 20 thousand 547 gold after subtracting the cost for the skill books he buys for Sofia.

He also got pill of strength, pill of explosion, pill of experience and pill of haste. There are also some items which he gave to Sofia.

He got about 10 thousand copper and 7000 silver. What he wants is the book or any Pillar Forming Pills.

He checked at the shop and it cost is expensive.

‘I’m ready’ she said after she finished learning the book.

‘Good, now let me take my breath first’ and he sit there on the sand, looking at the clear river water.

He could even see fishes playing around the shores, flitting around.

‘So how are we going to split the loot?’ Sofia asked.

‘One third.’

‘Three for me’ Sofia cheekily said. He just smiles. And his smiles was a menacing one.

‘Alright, I was just kidding.’

‘If you found any Pillar Forming Pill, I got dibs.’ He declared.

‘Good enough. I want pills and bead.’ Then she look again at the river and something crossed her mind.

‘Do you think we can eat crocodile meat?’ She asked.

‘Why? You want to eat it?’

‘Just thought it would be pretty tasty and it’s not like we can be choosy anymore.’ Sofia said, sometime stealing a few glances towards the ape meat that doesn’t look very appetizing.

‘How about the ape meat? That felt pretty good. A little chewy but….eatable.’ he said, trying to promote the ape meat.

He didn’t think that the ape meat is that revolting, instead if he could buy a few spice packets from the Shop he could make a good dish.

‘Yeah, I’m just expanding my horizon’ Sofia said. Then she added

‘And who knows if I would get more bonus effect eating the crocodile meat. Especially if we get the Imperator meat.’

‘It’s Sarcosuchus Imperator’ he said.

‘That’s too long and it almost sounds like a tongue twister. Imperator is easier.’

‘Maybe’ he said. He also got a few bonuses when eating the ape meat but it is small and after eating much of it bonuses doesn’t appear any more other than healing properties.

His pillars only rose a few centimeters each when he eat the ape meat and then stopped after the third slice of ape meat.

For Sofia it raises her stats. He also advise Sofia to balance her stats so that when she reached Pillar Forming, she would get more pillars.

‘That’s not a bad idea’ he said.

Thinking about it those crocs are normal crocs but the Imperator…Ok, the name Imperator is beginning to stuck he mused as he looked at Sofia and grudgingly smile and then continue his train of thought.

The Imperator is the boss, the Jefe, the Godfather of these crocs. It even drops Unique Skill Book and itself a Unique rank monster.

Its meat probably has special properties. Thinking about this, he is getting excited to learn cooking skills later.

‘Finished resting?’ Sofia asked as she put her weapons inside her storage rings. He got up, pat his buttocks and spreads his divine sense around the river to check if there is any threat.

‘I’m done. Let’s go.’

Sofia nodded and she walked to the deep area and then she dived.

Azief on the other hand jumped from the sandy shore and as the pressure of his jump reached the sand which he was stepping, a sandblast is created creating a burst of explosion as he ended up on the middle of the river.

It was an impossible jump but not impossible with the strength and power of his feet.

He dived like an Olympic diver and with minimal strength he was already deep inside the river.

With his clear eyes, he could see Sofia diving deeper like he was. He dived deeper on his area until he reaches the riverbed again.

This time he grabbed everything and put it inside his bag of holdings. Pills, beads, countless of vials and items.

Then he found two skill books but he still could not find the Unique Skill Books.

So as he breathes underwater he change his direction and went to the last location that he remembers where the Imperator took its last breath.

After waddling his way through fishes, eels, and water snakes, he finally see it.

It was like he is seeing a large submarine, a 40 feet long monster with weights that could crush a city if it was dropped from the sky.

Looking at it he once again recalls how lucky he was to survive their encounter.

He swims nearby the carcass of the Imperator and he could see nature is beginning to run its course.

Some creature is eating the meat of the Imperator and when these creatures realizes his presence they came attacking.

Most people would be panicked but Azief on the other hand was calm as a still lake.

About a hundred of those piranha looking fishes comes to him but the moment they came near him, there were fear in their eyes and they retreated.

This is the difference between the evolved and the unevolved.

Those fishes recognize the difference between prey and predator. And right now, standing on top of the food chain is him.

He is not a prey. He is the predator.

And these fishes, blessed by evolution quickly ascertain with their instinct that this particular human is not only more powerful, he is deadly.

And as quickly as they decided to attack him, they quickly scattered. But does he let them? Of course not.

The piranha like fish look delicious and he also want to know what effect would he have if he eats the fish.

So with one Energy fist, his fist send out energy blast and all around him was like an explosion underwater but just a blob on the surface of the river.

Only a few left a full body. Others were smashed into a puddle of blood.

Finished with that, all the fishes nearby the Imperator all scattered away leaving him to do what he came there to do.

As he swim towards the Imperator his sword appear on his hand from his ring.

Then he carved a healthy large meat from the Imperator and stores it inside his bag of holding.

After that he swim around picking up the mountains of gold. And then as he grabbed the gold he spotted the Unique Skill Book, leather-bound in gold and glowing.

It’s the unique skill book! he screamed inwardly.

Smiling he put it inside his bag of holding and keep collecting the treasures in the riverbed. When he felt the pressure on his lung he would then surfaces for a while and then meet up with Sofia.

Sofia uses dagger now as she navigates the water.

She found a few eels and she also found that piranha like fishes. But unlike him, she did a good job in not smashing them into a puddle of blood.

Azief also buys a bag of holding for her and then they both continue until afternoon. From the morning until the afternoon, they scavenge the entire bottom of the river.

And so end the first part of their day.

***