Chapter 51: Searching For Party
’Let me see what it does,’ Darien thought, raising the ring, ready to slip it on and test it out.
But before he could activate <Faceless Masquerade>, the echo of approaching footsteps reached his ears.
He halted his actions and slowly turned his head toward the silhouettes drawing closer.
Narrowing his eyes, Darien immediately recognized those magus uniforms.
The loud thud of the Deathjackal’s fall had clearly attracted a party from his own academy. They had come to investigate what had caused such a noise and whether it was something worth fighting.
But the sight that greeted them was nothing short of stunning.
Amid the desolate decay lay the corpse of a high-tier Rank 1 monster and one lone Warrior standing over it, calmly inspecting the drops.
"Isn’t that the silver-haired bastard?" one asked once Darien’s snow-white hair became recognizable.
"It certainly is," another answered under his breath.
Glancing at one another, the party exchanged a silent nod before pacing forward to meet Darien, who acted oblivious to their approach.
When they were close enough, Darien turned to face them.
At first, their eyes were locked on him, before their gazes fell on the corpse.
"Woah! Look at all that! Just from a single monster??"
None of these young warriors had ever witnessed such a massive haul from one kill before, so they all stared in open shock.
Fortunately for Darien, no one truly understood the scale of a full drop. When warriors described their loot, they often categorized it simply as high, average, or low.
That meant this party believed the reward before them was extremely high, perhaps a rare 100% or near-100% yield. Never would they have suspected it was an impossible 1000%.
However, their leader, Rashen, lifted his eyes to study Darien more closely. There was a flicker of suspicion behind his calm stare.
For Rashen, he suspected that Darien’s subclass had something to do with this.
However, that was completely not the case.
One of the Warriors finally asked, "Aren’t you even surprised by all this stuff?"
It was obvious Darien wasn’t. If he could turn back time, then he might’ve acted like he was, just to make this scene more believable.
Scratching the back of his head, he gave a casual shrug.
"Well, my spatial backpack is quite full already..."
Silence claimed the group. They stared at Darien in disbelief before exchanging glances among themselves.
Did he just say full?
It wasn’t impossible—it was simply impressive for someone to have a full backpack this early in the First Zone.
The storage size also had to be taken into consideration, but even if it was small, it was the instinct of every Warrior to still find a way to covet everything.
The party couldn’t help but wonder just how much Darien had truly gathered.
"Uh... mind if we help ourselves to some of this, then?" Rashen asked.
Darien shrugged with little care. "Go ahead."
Immediately, the group pounced like starving scavengers.
Darien didn’t mind. He had already collected the Life Core and the Legendary ring, leaving nothing of value that he couldn’t find again in the next high-tier kill.
And besides, he wasn’t lying—his Inventory was genuinely nearing the weight threshold.
Only the most important things had to go in now.
’Expert level already?? No wonder he could solo a Deathjackal...’
’But he’s a dud and a knight. We, mages, are still at Intermediate!’
’There’s definitely something about this guy!’
Darien couldn’t hear their thoughts, but he could sense them secretly inspecting his status as they gathered the loot.
Rashen was one of the magus students who never gave him a moment’s peace back at the Academy.
Now, watching him scavenge from his kill was sweeter than any victory.
They weren’t even in the same league anymore.
’I wonder where my own party had wandered off to?’
Darien would’ve preferred handing all this over to his true party rather than Rashen’s crew, but he hadn’t seen them since his return from the subdungeon.
Knowing they weren’t the type to easily back down and return to the main world, Darien was confident they were still somewhere in the Primordial World.
So, he asked Rashen’s party if they’d come across any of his companions.
He received an unreassuring answer.
They told him the only place they could possibly be was the twilight area of the city—but that place was crawling with Royal Templars.
Rumor had it that those guards were reserving a high-ranked monster there for noble blood to slay personally.
Maybe Jakob and the others had simply wandered too close.
Rashen’s right hand also advised Darien to stay away, warning him that it wasn’t worth the trouble.
But Darien would be the one to determine that.
Thanking them briefly, he left the scene, walking unhurriedly into the shadowed ruins where the lights of the sky barely reached.
Soon enough, more monsters from the darkness greeted the warrior.
Out in the ruins, the eerie cries of Wraith Vultures haunted the air, echoing through the empty desolation.
More Ember Gnats buzzed in fiery swarms between the broken buildings, and from the cracks in the rubble oozed Blood Slimes.
Darien annihilated these Rank 1 monsters without hassle and without casting a single spell.
Just with his sword alone, he tore apart the soaring beasts as they swooped down on him.
His shield resisted the ranged attacks from the slimes and gnats, but once he turned, ribbons of flame trickled from his blade and engulfed every last monster.
[Knight Rank: Expert 12520/250000]
Darien was satisfied with the experience points gained from this wave. He expected to reach the next level in no time.
Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if levelling up to Rank 2 so quickly was truly worth it.
After all, slaying beings higher than his own Rank was the only way he could earn skill points.
Unless he intended to create a skill that allowed him to gain them passively, advancing to Rank 2 too rapidly might actually cut off his own chances—since from then on, the rewards he could reap would come only from Rank 3 and above.
Realizing this, Darien decided he would return to the main world before advancing to Rank 2, so he could take time to think more clearly.
’I need a bigger Inventory,’ he thought, retracing his steps back to the remains of the monsters that had attacked him.
The majority of the loot was crude and unremarkable, but alongside the Life Cores, Darien discovered a few rarer items that managed to catch his interest.
(Item Name: Grimroot Talisman)
(Type: Accessory/ Talisman)
(Rank: Rare)
(LV. 3)
(Description: Grants resistance to poison and disease while enhancing the wearer’s HP by 15%.)
(Skills: nil)
---------------
(Item Name: Damagebane)
(Type: Armor/ Chestplate)
(Rank: Rare)
(LV. 6)
(Description: Converts 50% of all damage dealt by the wearer into restored HP.)
(Skills: nil)
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Darien eagerly equipped both items without hesitation.
Damagebane was his very first armor, and though he already had a magic shield for protection, he still needed a contingency for dire moments—something that could save him when all else failed.
If this chestplate could truly convert any damage taken into HP, then Darien believed he absolutely needed that HP. Whatever managed to pierce his shield and wound him would already be powerful enough to demand such insurance.
"As for this..." he said, studying the Grimroot Talisman.
It was a large charm carved from bone and twisted roots, with a pulsing interior, as if something toxic lingered within.
Apart from the extra fifteen percent HP boost, Darien had another compelling reason to equip it.
Poison was an infamous nightmare throughout the Primordial World—and even in the main world, too.
He knew this firsthand.
This was a survival item just as much as it was an accessory.
[Life Core (Lv.1) ×21 collected]
After walking for several more minutes, Darien thought of giving up on searching for his party mates in this part of Duskfall City.
The farther he ventured into the twilight, the darker and foggier the scenery became, with fewer standing buildings and more decaying, hollowed spots.
Darien concluded it was either his party was dead, or they were never here at all.
"Tsk. If they’re dead, I’m sure Ayn was the one who led the way to the monster," he muttered under his breath.
The warrior finally turned to return toward the city’s heart.
Rashen and his crew had mentioned royal templars stationed nearby. Not wanting to stir unnecessary trouble for himself, Darien decided to raid elsewhere for his kills.
But just as he turned, a sharp whistle sliced through the fog like a blade.
Darien’s instincts spiked along with his heartbeat as he swiftly pivoted back again.
A shimmer of impact rippled across his magical shield. It had just absorbed a very lethal strike.
’An ambush?’ he thought grimly, as three hostile figures burst forth from the darkness ahead.
The haze revealed their outlines, each dressed in warrior outfits with hostility in their eyes.
They had been patiently waiting for him.