Chapter 334: Blaming for nothing
"Ah, this is madness." Luke muttered, his eyes widening as his lips parted in disbelief.
He took pride in his sensory abilities, yet even he couldn’t make sense of the bizarre phenomenon unfolding before him.
He stood almost parallel to the rock jutting out from the ocean. Until now, he hadn’t detected the slightest sign of a settlement nearby, leaving him convinced that Grella had simply mistaken the rock for the location of her tribe.
Yet the moment he reached it, he saw it.
A vast town stretched out before him, its sandy shore serving as the entrance while the settlement itself extended deep into the forest. A massive gate stood at the boundary, leading into the tribe, and beyond it, he could see people moving about and hear the faint murmur of their voices.
It was as though an unseen force had veiled his senses, concealing the entire settlement until the very moment he arrived.
The realization was nothing short of astounding.
"They say our tribe is blessed by God. That’s why no one can see it from afar unless they already know what they’re searching for." Grella smiled, clearly pleased by his reaction.
Luke scratched his head, staring at the settlement in disbelief. "No wonder you got lost. But if that rock doesn’t exist, how do you people ever find your way back home?"
Grella giggled. "It’s only difficult the first time. Once you know what you’re looking for, finding your way becomes much easier."
"And yet, you still got lost." Luke teased, earning a flustered look from her.
"Didn’t I tell you? Those butterflies were one of a kind." She lowered her eyes, her voice growing softer. "Besides, isn’t it a good thing? If I hadn’t gotten lost, we never would have met."
Luke glanced at her, his brows lifting slightly.
She was right.
He had enjoyed his time here, and much of that was because of Grella. And the night they had spent together in the cave was something he knew he would never forget.
He reached for her hand and gently squeezed it.
"I’m glad you enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed yours."
A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and her lips curved into a shy smile.
Then Luke received the system’s notification. His allotted time was nearly over, and since he had already accomplished his objective within the required period, there would be no extension.
He could disappear at any moment.
Knowing that, Luke lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. It lasted no more than a second before he whispered, "It was nice meeting you, Grella."
Her cheeks burned as she closed her eyes, her heart fluttering at the unexpected farewell.
But when she opened them again, Luke was already gone.
....
Returning to his world, Luke let out a quiet sigh. If he could have, he would have escorted Grella all the way inside.
He couldn’t deny that he was worried about her. With how clumsy she could be, there was always a chance she might trip over her injured leg and end up fainting somewhere near the entrance to the tribe.
’Somehow, that doesn’t sound too unrealistic.’ He chuckled to himself as he began making his way toward the market, his strides unhurried.
Now for the reward.
’System?’
[Congratulations on clearing Level Four.]
[Rewards:
+200 G
+5 Attribute Points
+Endless SOS
+???]
Luke was pleased with the first two rewards, but the final pair immediately left him puzzled.
[Endless SOS: A device that can be used an infinite number of times to launch a flare into the sky, signaling an emergency.]
Luke hummed in appreciation.
Quite a useful gadget.
’But what about the last one?’
[Host, this reward is related to your evolution and will grant you a new set of skills. At the moment, it cannot be determined what those skills will be, as you will need to spin the Wheel of Skills, and your affinity will be determined by luck.]
Luke nodded.
He remembered what had happened the first time he awakened an affinity with Sound. The memory alone was enough to fill him with dread when he thought about how many useless elements there were.
’So, I’ll receive a skill that matches whatever affinity I get?’
[More or less, yes.]
He wouldn’t say he was completely satisfied with the rewards, but they would certainly prove useful in the long run.
’Show me my stats.’
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 40]
[Speed: 33.5]
[Defense: 42]
[Intelligence: 26 → 28]
[Gamma: 10,000 → 12,500 → 15,000 / 15,000]
[GP: 1,100 → 1,300]
[Attribute Points: 5]
[GP Required for Level Up: 2,000]
[Gamma Required for POD Level Up: 14,500 / 10,000]
[Abilities]
[1. Echolocation: Level 1 → 2 | 50/200 EXP]
[2. Concentrated Burst: Level 2 | 100 → 130/200 EXP]
[3. Enhanced Perception: Level 2 | 120 → 130/200 EXP]
[4. Shadow Walk: Level 2 | 60 → 85/200 EXP]
[5. Death Scare: Level 1 | 40/100 EXP]
[6. Ghost Walk: Level 1 | 30/100 EXP]
Luke didn’t think much about his allocation. He put two points into Intelligence and the remaining three into Speed.
Stat points weren’t particularly important to him when he could manipulate his attributes at will.
’Hmm?’
Luke’s brows furrowed as a sudden commotion reached his ears from somewhere in the market.
He focused his senses and quickly located the source.
Dalia and Laila were there.
No, the commotion wasn’t merely happening around them. They were at the very center of it.
Without wasting another moment, Luke made his way toward them. As he approached, he heard a woman’s furious voice cutting through the crowd.
"Just admit it and pay! How can you be so shameless about it?"
Laila stood with her arms crossed, her expression furious as she glared at the woman.
Dalia, on the other hand, looked visibly flustered, yet she remained silent.
Before the woman could say another word, Luke stepped between them.
"What is happening here?"
Startled gasps erupted from the crowd as no one had noticed Luke approaching.
People instinctively gave him space, scattering to either side.
The woman who had been shouting at Laila stared at him for a moment before snickering.
"She broke my prized pot. It took me ten days to make, and now she refuses to pay for it."
The woman’s tone irritated Luke, but he kept his instincts in check.
"I didn’t break it. It was already broken. I only touched it, and the top came off." Laila argued, causing Luke to frown.
Laila had no reason to lie about something so trivial. Yet the people around them had clearly been siding with the potter until now.
Luke sighed.
"How much did it cost?"
He was already reaching for his pouch when Laila suddenly caught his arm.
"You don’t trust me, Luke?"
For the first time, her voice wavered.
Luke looked at her for a moment before slowly withdrawing his hand.
"I do."
He turned toward the potter woman.
"If she’s saying she didn’t do it, then that’s the truth."
The woman scoffed.
"And why should I trust her word? Of course you’re defending her."
Luke nodded.
"That’s right. I’m defending her."
His gaze hardened.
"And you have no way of going against me."
Murmurs spread through the crowd as people exchanged uneasy glances.
Luke couldn’t care less about what they thought. If Laila said she hadn’t broken the pot, then that was the truth. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing more to discuss.
The woman snickered.
"Oh, is it because you’re our guardian? Is that why I can’t go against you?"
"No. It’s not that." Luke’s expression remained calm. "You can’t go against me because of this."
With a thought, he summoned his hammer and rested it against the ground before him.
Absolute silence descended upon the crowd.
Several people instinctively backed away. They knew all too well what kind of horror that weapon had unleashed in the past, particularly when it was turned against their enemies.
But this time, Luke wasn’t facing a monster.
The woman had gone pale as well, yet she still dared to speak.
"You... you’re no guardian to us. You’re nothing but a savage hunter."
Luke merely shrugged.
"I never chose that position in the first place, so feel free to insult it as much as you like."
He stored the hammer away before reaching for Laila’s hand.
"Come. I’ll get you a pot far more beautiful than anything you’ve ever seen."
With those words, Luke led Laila and Dalia away, leaving the entire market stunned in their wake.
The three of them soon made their way away
"I’m sorry..." Laila said after they had put some distance between themselves and the crowd. "I could have handled things better."
Luke shook his head.
"You did what was right. If anyone was being foolish, it was me. I was trying to silence the matter with coins. Encouraging thieves and cheaters with more toras would only give them more confidence."
Dalia nodded before adding, "And Laila, for a moment, let’s think about it from her perspective. If she truly believed you had broken the pot, she could have handled the matter privately. As your friend, she should have kept things under control instead of gathering the entire village to witness it. She was clearly trying to exploit the situation and squeeze as much as she could out of you."
Laila just lowered her head. She failed to see her friend’s real face all this time.
Luke sighed, seeing her downcast expression before he told Dalia, "Can you go back alone?"
Dalia glanced between the two of them briefly before she nodded.
Laila asked. "Are we going somewhere?"
Luke faintly smiled. "The best remedy to the foul mood is hunting."