Ezra had seen his father fishing in Lake Onorio, but fishing in an open river was a lot more challenging. The water currents were strong, and the fish were quite agile and lively. As Glup led Ezra to his favorite fishing spot, the other merfolk watched with keen interest. It wasn’t normal for humans to catch fish alongside them, and most preferred to stay away due to their strange appearances and habits. Ezra knew he could not step out of line as his uncle had already made a mess of things, so he followed Glup quietly and listened to every word that came out of his mouth with extreme patience. “Fish clever and quick. But merfolk more clever and patient. To catch fish, you use lure and wait and wait more. When ripple on water, fish close. When crow feather move, fish trapped. You pull and pull. Bring fish out of water. Simple catch,” Glup explained, using his limited vocabulary. Though the instructions were simplistic and rudimentary, it was enough for Ezra to get started. He watc
Competing with a merman in a fishing contest was the last thing Ezra wanted. He knew the merfolk had specialized eyes which helped them see many feet under the surface of water on a clear day, and their reflexes were also much faster than that of an average human’s. Ezra wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation with the fishermen’s guild, but fate seemed to have decreed otherwise. He had already tried his best to dissuade Oshaka, but the chieftain was as adamant as they came. Left with no choice, Ezra was eventually compelled to accept Oshaka’s terms and enter the fishing competition. “I current chieftain. I go first!” Oshaka declared before marching off. One of his followers quickly joined him with an hourglass containing gray sand. Oshaka turned around and raised his harpoon, and cried in a croaking voice, “Libak Wupuk Oshaka! Wuzuk Bluwub Oshaka!” As soon as the hourglass was flipped, Oshaka descended into the river. Raising his arms, he pulled his harpoon back and narrowe
Ezra wanted to ask Marlin about the monocle and learn more about cursed relics, but since he was surrounded by merfolk, he decided to keep his queries to himself for now. Impressed by Ezra’s humility and compassion, Oshaka invited Ezra to join him for a feast, but he politely declined the offer. Handing his father’s letter to the chieftain, he relayed the message and took his leave after receiving a positive reply. “That was expertly handled. You not only managed to win the merfolk to your side but also obtained a cursed relic,” Marlin whispered as Ezra walked away from the merfolk settlement. It was rare for the Gunsmith to praise Ezra, and he relished the opportunity. But instead of getting carried away, he retained his focus. “I still need to acquire the basic crafting components,” Ezra replied, analyzing his enchanted six-shooter. Marlin’s mouth and eye disappeared once more as Ezra reached the bustling market. The local firearms merchant had a small stock consisting of simpl
The new firearm was ready now, but it was still in its basic form. Just like any other gun crafted by a level E Gunsmith, the Pepperbox revolver too had the potential to be imbued with an enchantment. And Ezra had already obtained the item required for enchanting the weapon. Selecting the weapon’s blueprint on his system panel, Ezra tapped on the enchantment option. A translucent yellow circle swung open, emitting a bright golden aura. It had an empty slot in the middle and was surrounded by three concentric rings. [Enchanting available.] [Please add a relic to enchant the weapon.] Ezra carefully reached out and gently inserted the pirate’s cursed monocle into the empty slot within the glowing disk. Almost immediately, the circle changed color, turning from dazzling yellow to tarry black. The three rings around it now displayed three different glyphs encircled by archaic letters. [Relic detected!] [Relic added: Pirate’s cursed monocle.] The ring of light suddenly started spinni
Ezra could not believe what he was hearing. Soul gems were extremely rare gemstones that were often used by sorcerers and mages to trap Greater Souls from their fallen enemies. And a single Greater Soul was as valuable as five hundred Lesser Souls. If Ezra could get his hands on the Soul Gem, he could feed the trapped souls to his Spirit Companion and increase its level even further. However, one thing still confused Ezra. Goblins weren’t known to possess any magic, so it could only mean that they had either raided a mage’s quarters or some unfortunate magic caster had wandered into their midst by mistake. If it was Aurelia, Ezra would have trusted her blindly, but since it was Ramel asking him to join him for an adventuring quest, he felt hesitant to agree. Ramel too noticed the uncertainty in Ezra’s eyes, and he quickly changed his tone. “Come on, now. You know how difficult it is to get an apology out of me, but I’m trying really hard to make amends and become a better person,
As Ezra disappeared inside the smoke, the arch started vibrating and emitting a faint green light, indicating the dungeon had been invaded and was now off-limits for other adventurers. On the other side, Ezra found himself inside an old cave formation with damp, mossy walls and overhanging ledges which led to higher levels. Unlike the wolf dens and bear caves, this dungeon did not offer a straight path to the other side. The narrow tunnels and sloping trails created a complex network of paths, some leading to the center of the cave and others misguiding invaders to dead ends and chokepoints. It was dark inside the cave, but Ezra could faintly make out his surroundings from the light cast by the distant bonfires. Although Ezra hadn’t seen any goblins yet, the unmistakable stench of rotten eggs and fish made it amply clear who the denizens of this dark hollow were. “Clearly the goblins are not too conscious about personal hygiene or sanitation,” Marlin whispered as the cursed eye
Bloodhounds were rare monsters found deep within caves and grottos inside heavily forested regions. And although they shared many habits of their domesticated canine friends, these beasts were nearly impossible to train. However, the Gray-maned Bloodhounds were different from the rest since they weren’t captured from the wild, but bred by goblins in their lairs. This dangerous cross between a Gray Direwolf and a Common Bloodhound birthed loyal pets which specialized in keeping intruders at bay. Ezra knew one step in the wrong direction could spell disaster for him. With sweat streaming down his cheeks, Ezra continued staring at the sleeping Bloodhound. Even though he was more than twenty paces away, he could smell the canine’s foul breath as it exhaled in its sleep. Confronting the Bloodhound head-on seemed like a terrible idea, so Ezra backed away as slowly as he could, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the canine. Suddenly, a pebble crunched under Ezra’s boot, and the Bl
[Eagle eye activated!] [Targets identified: Goblin Raiders.] [Type: Fast-moving melee units.] [Strengths: Extremely good at countering weaker melee units like foot soldiers and pikemen. Can see perfectly even in complete darkness.] [Vulnerabilities: Weak against ranged attackers and spellcasters. Countered easily by mounted units like Orc Wolf Riders and human knights and cavaliers.] [Threat level: low.] The Goblin Raiders were the fighters of the goblin colony and specialized in melee combat and tracking down escaped fugitives and prisoners. Not only were they physically bulkier than their weaker cousins, but more intelligent as well. Ezra knew handling three Goblin Raiders at once would pose a serious challenge and to minimize his chances of being overpowered by the enemy he called his Spirit Companion to even the odds. Pointing his left hand at the Raider standing in the middle, Ezra commanded his wolf to take it down. The white wolf growled and pounced on the Raider before