Monarch Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Ever since obtaining [Skill Stealer], Rayne had spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the kind of abilities he truly wanted to collect.

At first, the answer had been obvious—The stronger the skill, the better.

It was easy to imagine possessing abilities that allowed him to fly across battlefields, cover his body in impenetrable stone or summon devastating attacks capable of wiping out entire formations. Such skills undoubtedly existed somewhere in the world, and if fortune favored him enough, perhaps one day he would even encounter monsters capable of granting them.

Over time, however, his perspective had changed.

Every powerful skill came with a cost. Usually, that cost was mana.

The stronger the ability, the greater the burden it placed upon its user. Someone with an enormous mana pool might be able to rely on such skills regularly, but Rayne had long accepted that even with [Mana Manipulation], his reserves weren't limitless.

A powerful skill that could only be used once or twice before exhausting himself wasn't something he wanted to build his entire fighting style around. Not yet.

Instead, he began looking at his abilities differently.

He wanted skills that formed a foundation.

Skills that quietly strengthened him without demanding constant mana. Skills that remained useful regardless of the opponent or battlefield. Passive advantages accumulated over time were often worth far more than spectacular techniques reserved for desperate situations.

Looking back, many of the abilities he had stolen already reflected that philosophy.

[Umbral Sight] gave him night vision that helped far more than he had ever expected, and [Paralysis Resistance] had already saved him once against Fredrick.

Neither required him to pour mana into them every second, yet both had proven their worth.

That was the direction he wanted to continue pursuing. Especially before entering the Godless Ruins.

The ancient ruins were famous for containing dangers no ordinary expedition could predict. Unknown monsters, poisonous plants, strange environments and forgotten magic all posed threats that brute strength alone couldn't overcome.

Survivability and adaptability mattered.

If he could gradually remove the weaknesses ordinary people suffered from, his chances of surviving would increase dramatically.

That was precisely why the first monster he hoped to hunt to gain skills was a strong but simple opponent.

It was venomfang spiders.

Among the kingdom's monsters, venomfang spiders were infamous for possessing one of the deadliest natural poisons. Travelers avoided forests and caves known to house their colonies whenever possible, and he doubted any adventurer or soldier wanted to fight them either.

But Rayne wanted to. Casper had mentioned information about them to him.

Near Thornbrook Village, one of the settlements along their route, an abandoned cave system had become home to a sizable venomfang spider nest. The expedition intended to stop there for a full day so the horses could recover before continuing toward a mining town.

So, during that time, If he could kill enough venomfang spiders, there was a reasonable chance [Skill Stealer] would eventually reward him with a poison-related ability.

Ideally, poison resistance or tolerance. They should have something like that for sure.

Anything that reduced the effectiveness of venom would become an invaluable asset inside the Godless Ruins.

Compared to many glamorous abilities, poison resistance sounded almost mundane. To Rayne, however, it was exactly the sort of foundational skill he wanted.

It demanded no mana, and it worked constantly. And it would definitely save his life one day.

The only problem lay in obtaining permission.

The expedition couldn't simply spare soldiers whenever someone wished to hunt monsters for personal reasons. Even if he gave a fake reasoning, Captain Edran would likely refuse. Protecting the prince remained their primary objective, not acting like adventurers.

Hunting boars and rabbits was one thing. Moving to a deadly monster nest was another.

Rayne spent much of the ride considering how he might convince the captain.

In the end, he never needed to do so. Luck intervened first.

Not long after the expedition arrived at Thornbrook Village, a messenger approached him telling him that Captain Edran wanted him at a meeting.

By the time Rayne reached the village chief's house, most of the expedition's important members had already gathered inside. Prince Caelan occupied the head of the room while Captain Edran, Casper, Lyra and several others stood or sat nearby.

Unlike the prince or the captain, the ordinary soldiers had spread themselves throughout the village. Some camped outside with the supply wagons while others had accepted offers from local families willing to spare a room for the night.

Thornbrook possessed no inns large enough to accommodate an entire military expedition, leaving everyone to make do with whatever shelter they could find.

Of course, the prince and the captain had gotten the best one.

Rayne quietly took an empty seat, and before he could even wonder why he had been summoned, Prince Caelan spoke.

"I want you to take a small party tomorrow morning before the expedition departs, and hunt the venomfang spider nest."

For a brief moment, he simply blinked.

The request was so perfectly aligned with his own intentions that he almost wondered whether someone had somehow read his thoughts.

Captain Edran noticed his expression and allowed himself a faint smile before explaining.

"The spiders themselves aren't particularly valuable," the captain said. "Their organs are."

He continued by explaining that venomfang spiders produced several glands and organs prized by alchemists throughout the kingdom. Their venom sacs, spinnerets and a handful of internal organs could all be refined into expensive medicines, antidotes and other potions.

The problem was availability.

Venomfang spiders didn't inhabit every region of the kingdom, making reliable sources surprisingly uncommon.

"Since we're already passing nearby," Captain Edran concluded, "His Highness wishes to take advantage of the opportunity."

Prince Caelan merely nodded. "The ingredients may prove useful later."

He offered no further explanation, and Rayne doubted that was the entire reason, but he wisely chose not to pry too much.

Instead, another detail caught his attention when the prince looked toward the quarter-elf standing quietly near the wall.

"Lyra will accompany you."

The mage gave a small nod. "I will do as you wish, Your Highness."

"Her magic should prove useful dealing with large numbers of spiders."

Rayne understood immediately. Sending Lyra wasn't merely about efficiency.

Prince Caelan was giving his personal mage another opportunity to observe him, while simultaneously allowing Rayne to become accustomed to fighting beside one of the prince's closest retainers.

It might have been another test. It might simply have been preparation for what awaited them inside the Godless Ruins.

Either way, Rayne saw no reason to refuse. The mission aligned perfectly with his own plans.

Rising from his seat, he inclined his head toward the prince.

"I'll do it."

A faint smile crossed Prince Caelan's face before the meeting moved on to discussing more of their route from now on, and what problems they might face.

All of it passed in a blur for Rayne.

But through the talk, more than once, he caught Lyra quietly studying him from across the room.

Whether she was trying to judge his abilities or simply thinking about the quest ahead, he couldn't tell.

Nearly half an hour later, the meeting finally came to an end. Although there were still other casual things to talk about, Rayne and Lyra were allowed to leave to prepare for the following day's assignment.

The afternoon air was noticeably cooler than inside the crowded building. As soon as they stepped outside, Lyra turned toward him without wasting any time.

"We're leaving at midnight."

Rayne blinked. "Midnight?"

She nodded. "We don't need to destroy the nest. Our objective is simply to eliminate a few dozen venomfang spiders, collect the valuable organs and withdraw."

He considered her words for a moment before asking, "Why not leave in a few hours instead?"

Lyra frowned. "Do you know anything about venomfang spiders or not?"

"I know the basics," Rayne admitted. "Their approximate level, that they're highly venomous and that they're one of the more dangerous monsters in this region."

"That's not enough." She folded her arms before continuing. "They're nocturnal."

Rayne waited for her to elaborate.

"Most people assume attacking a nocturnal creature while it's sleeping is the safest approach." She shook her head. "Not with venomfang spiders. They possess a racial skill that greatly heightens their senses while resting. Disturbing their sleep only makes them react faster, and a nest full of startled spiders is considerably more dangerous than one that's already awake and following its normal routines."

She paused briefly. "Midnight is when they're actively hunting. They'll be spread throughout the cave system instead of clustering together. That makes them easier to isolate and kill."

Rayne slowly nodded. That actually made perfect sense. Having monster knowledge was truly the best way to deal with them.

"You seem to know quite a lot about them," he remarked after a second. "I don't remember seeing any bestiary among the books you lent me."

"I don't carry bestiaries. They are too valuable even for me. But I know enough about monsters. I've lived longer than you can guess."

For a brief second, Rayne nearly asked how old she actually was.

Lyra was a quarter elf. He knew elves possessed remarkably long lifespans compared to humans, but until now he had never seriously considered whether that extended to those with mixed blood as well.

Fortunately, he had common sense.

Asking a woman her age, especially one he barely knew, sounded like an excellent way to damage whatever working relationship they had managed to build over the past few days.

Instead, he shifted the conversation elsewhere.

"By the way," Rayne said, "I'll be bringing most of my squad with me. Possibly all of them."

Lyra openly frowned. "Why?" Her expression grew noticeably more serious. "Do you really want them to get themselves killed that badly?"

"No,” said Rayne. "I want them to gain experience."

Seeing she remained unconvinced, he continued explaining.

"They won't be leading the assault, and if we decide to push deeper into the nest, they won't accompany us. They're all freshbloods, and encounters like this are exactly the kind of experience they'll need before entering the Godless Ruins. And if the tunnels turn out to be too cramped, I'll simply leave some of them outside."

He looked toward the distant tree line surrounding Thornbrook Village.

"Waiting for your comrades while maintaining vigilance is also part of being a soldier."

Lyra looked as though she wanted to object.

For several seconds, she simply studied Rayne, seemingly weighing whether arguing any further would accomplish anything. In the end, she merely gave a small nod.

"Just make sure they know what they're getting into."

Rayne smiled faintly. "I'll make sure of that."

Satisfied with the answer, Lyra turned and headed toward the temporary quarters Prince Caelan's retainers had been assigned. She probably had preparations of her own to make before midnight.

Rayne watched her disappear down the village road before making his way back toward his own men.

He intended to spend the remaining hours before dinner explaining the quest in detail, ensuring everyone understood both the dangers of venomfang spiders and the role they would be expected to play. Whether they ultimately entered the cave or remained guarding the entrance, every member of the squad needed to know exactly what was expected of them.

As he walked through Thornbrook Village, however, another thought occupied his mind.

Would they truly be ready?

***

As it turned out, they weren't.

Rayne watched silently as the newer recruits instinctively raised their shields overhead while a troop of nightclaw monkeys pelted them with stones from the trees above.

The monsters were quick, intelligent and annoyingly coordinated.

Several darted through the branches before suddenly dropping toward the improvised shield line Rayne's squad had formed between the narrow gaps in the forest. Clawed hands lashed out before the creatures immediately leaped backward again.

The soldiers retaliated with disciplined spear thrusts.

None connected.

The monkeys were already scrambling back up the trunks before the spearheads reached them.

Behind the shield line, the archers loosed volley after volley into the darkness.

Most of the arrows disappeared harmlessly into the canopy.

Night made accurate shooting nearly impossible against such agile opponents.

On top of that, some men looked as if they wanted to break the shieldline and climb up on the trees to kill the monkeys. Sakar was among them, and he looked visibly frustrated.

The large forsaken gripped his weapon so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale, his eyes fixed on every monkey that escaped beyond his reach. More than once, Rayne saw him preparing to break formation and charge after one of the creatures.

Each time, he restrained himself.

Rayne had made his orders perfectly clear. No one was to pursue the monsters alone.

Even if maintaining a perfect shield wall wasn't possible among the trees, they were to remain close enough to support one another.

Another nightclaw monkey slipped away after taunting the soldiers from an overhanging branch.

Beside him, Lyra quietly watched the exchange unfold. Without taking her eyes off the battlefield, she spoke.

"You were right, forsaken."

Her gaze shifted toward him. "Your men certainly need training." After a brief pause, she added in her usual blunt tone, "I only hope that if they're going to die, they do so early enough not to jeopardize our quest."

Rayne simply sighed. Before he could reply, movement flashed through the corner of his vision.

A nightclaw monkey launched itself toward him from the side. His blade left its sheath in a single smooth motion.

The creature never even reached him.

Steel flashed once through the darkness, and the monkey's body split apart before crashing lifelessly onto the forest floor.