"Yes." Vargel confirmed Benign's suspicions. "It never appeared before."
All three had a moment of silence for what's to come.
"Wait, I sense a force field." Ston held Benign from getting closer to the gate. His eyes peered at the huge construct, and he shook his head. "Less than twenty feet around the gate, toxic force fields are laid there."
Vargel held back Benign as well. "I can't see it but trust his instincts, he's survived many wars."
Benign stepped back and his respect for Ston increased. He knew there was something lurking around the gate but a toxic force field was the last thing he'd have thought of. Ston pulled the steel bow across his shoulders and took out a feathered arrow from his bag. He shot at the gate.
Six inches before reaching the gate, the arrow melted to nothing, confirming his words. "Dark Miasma. Except this one had been made invisible to unsuspecting victims. It's a good thing it wasn't here last time."
Vargel nodded vehemently. Someone like him would've been curious to explore what laid behind the gate, and die silently in anguish.
Benign only hummed. If the gate possibly appeared because of him, then there should be a way to get across. If the miasma was only a defensive system, he should also be able to get past it. Either way, he'd to know what laid behind. If it could support him with weapons, or attack skills, It will be highly welcomed.
[Mission: Unlock the Jade Gate and retrieve the artifact buried there. Rewards: Ownership of the Blades Of Ages.]
"Finally." The promise of the weapons made Benign relaxed. He now had to get past it at any cost.
"Analyse what level this Dark Miasma is." he said softly. "Can Kendrick's breath of fire dissolve it?"
[He'd need help. Fire and Miasma don't mix and this Miasma is a level six. The gates shouldn't be open.]
Benign rolled his eyes. Could Lego hear himself? The gates shouldn't be open yet he just gave him a mission to do exactly that. Was he trying to be scary?
"I have an idea." He told the elves. "We might need to step back. The Firewin—" Then it clicked. Benign stared at the closed entrance of the cave. Firewings couldn't come in.
Ston grimaced as he noticed something alarming. "It's spreading. The miasma is spreading and will probably engulf the cave in a couple of minutes."
Vargel turned pale. He snapped his head to the gate and staggered back. "Wh-What are we... The cave locked us in on purpose!"
Benign ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a fistful. He couldn't accept that he just brought two men to such a dangerous place with no plans as backup.
To be fair, he didn't expect the cave to close itself and he assumed all his enemies would be physical.
The only plan his brain was coming up with was severely self-sacrificial, but he might just take it. It wouldn't be his first time. The best part was he had a regenerative skill, and he gets weapons at the end.
But if it didn't work…? He had barely stayed a day with these men but they were his unit. He couldn't lead them, and let them die.
"Lego, I need that status up and running already. I need to know all the options I have."
[Very well. Status Report... loading...]
[Basic Stats]
- Name: Benign Cross
- Age: 23
- Species: Legal Systemist (Human)
- HP (Health Points): 975/1000
- MP (Mana Points): 1900/5000
- SP (Survival Points): 10/100
- Level: 1
[Attributes]
- Strength (STR): [105]
- Dexterity (DEX): [150]
- Endurance (END): [190]
- Luck (LUK): [12]
[Skills]
[Basic Skill]
- Regeneration: Heals injuries. Current lvl: 5
- Revival: Restores Life. Current lvl: 3
- Language Comprehension: Comprehends all foreign languages: Current lvl: 7
[Unique Skills]
- Hell Rain:
[Balls of fire descend from an open sky.]
[Current lvl: 1]
[Damage: -1000 HP per hit]
[Cooldown: 2 turns.]
- Tamer:
[Control beasts and make them workers.]
[Current lvl: 1 (accommodates 19 beasts/max – 20)]
[Effect: Level One and Two beasts only. Increases their stats by 5%]
- Father:
[Nurture beasts.]
[Current lvl: 2 (accommodates 1 beast/max – 2)]
[Effect: Direct control of beasts and supports growth.]
Equipment
- Weapon:
[Tristab, Damage: -10 HP per hit]
[Trobuct, Damage: -25 HP per hit]
- Armour: [Nil]
- Accessories: [Nil]
Inventory
- Item 1: [Nil]
- Item 2: [Nil]
Status Effects
- Buffs: [Nil]
- Debuffs: [Injured, Effect: -5 HP per turn]
[Alignment: Good]
[System Administrator: LEG 101]
It took Benign two minutes to absorb the information of the status. He understood because of his habit of reading web novels, and noticed his chances of gaining points for skills were strict.
Where were his skill points that could let him get better skills in the future? Or did he really make do with whatever was available as Lego had said?
Ston signalled that the miasma had spread again. Benign stepped back, snapping back to the situation at hand. "Okay, Lego, you said the Dark Miasma is a lvl 6, right?"
[Correct.]
"My endurance is at 190 and when injured, I lose only 5 health points per hit. My plan might not be as crazy as I thought."
His mana points went down badly when he'd barely done anything. His guess would be Hell Rain. "I'd rush in then. There's a handle at the door, I might just need to reach it and it'd open, right?"
[Good luck.]
Benign frowned. That wasn't an answer. Would his plan work or not? He sighed, deciding not to depend on Lego since he stayed on his high horse.
He couldn't depend on his unit this time, so he had to use whatever was available, and at the point, only his 950 health points and his 190 endurance could help them.
"Stay back, you two."
"Uh-Uh, doesn't mean you don't go forward." Vargel stepped in front of him. "I'm already forging a plan. I want to help this time. We might use the hoes to break open a side of the cave, and use it to—"
"No time. The miasma is spreading." Benign interrupted and looked at Ston for confirmation. The elf nodded.
Vargel dropped his note and pen and it disappeared, he folded his arms. "So tell us your big plan first? How can Ston and I help you?"
"I appreciate that, but right now I just need me." Benign replied, walking towards the miasma.
Getting closer, he felt the ominous aura moving around his body and daring him to get closer. He had to take it up on his dare, but one more step and he felt a stone hit him.
He snapped his head to the elves. "Ouch?"
"Get back here, sir." Vargel pointed at his right side with his index finger. "We didn't discuss this plan!"