Epoch: A Berserker's Rise

Chapter 145: Marbles

Marbles was a little coastal town bordering the Kloss Canal, and was one of many. It had a small population, and not many people came here because of the Great Swamp, so they didn't even have a teleportation array.

But according to Thalia, this was the perfect starting point for them as they would be able to sail on an upward stream that would shorten their travel time by half.

While in the town, Adam didn't bother hiding Neith in his pet space. First, because this was a boring place for her. Moreover, unlike in bigger cities, there was no restriction toward mounts. And the last reason was, he didn't need to hide.

Since Thalia had lost her Shadow Coat, and didn't have a spare one, anyone could know who she was. And Adam was pretty sure the amount of people targeting her was definitely higher than the ones targeting him.

That's why, he had also taken off his own Shadow Coat, and allowed Neith to walk in all her splendor.

Because this was a small coastal town, the level of the inhabitants wasn't anything impressive, most of the villagers were around Level 10, with some going up to Level 20, those beings the guards. But overall this was a peaceful town with close to no fighter.

Not that they needed any, as a coastal town of the Kloss Canal they had the protection of Blackheart Mountain. No one was dumb enough to offend the most dangerous power in the world just to attack a poor coastal town.

While Blackheart Mountain weren't necessarily the strongest among the Racial Powers as all of them were pretty much equal, they were indeed the most dangerous as they were all assassins. You could hide from a Berserker, a Mage or a Swordsman, but hiding from an Assassin this was much harder.

As for the Kloss Canal, it's name actually comes from the first leader of Blackheart Mountain, the first Cave Master, Kloss. As such, the canal, and all it's business, has always belonged to Blackheart Mountain.

So even though Neith was a Level 45 Overlord monster, the villagers didn't panic upon seeing her, and instead warmly welcomed Adam and Thalia. While they weren't afraid, they were still respectful, and in the end Adam and Thalia were even personally welcomed by the village chief. Adam could also see some players from different origins, but some among them recognized him and for some reason decided to hide when he arrived. He didn't mind them though, as long as they didn't annoy him then they were cool.

The village's chief was an old man, just like every village chief in the world as it seemed, and he had a kind face. He was a Catkin, like most of the villagers, and as Adam and Thalia jumped off Neith, he said "Welcome to Marbles! Are you here to get across the canal?"

Adam nodded and said "Yes, we want to go up North, to Kalem." Kalem was the name of the place they were heading to, where the Demon Cult's headquarters were located.

The Village Chief, whose name was Sachi, said "I see. It will take a while for us to prepare the boat, why don't you be our guest while you wait?"

Their hospitality sounded a little suspicions, they seemed too eager, but Adam eventually nodded after sharing a look with Thalia. They would accept their kind intentions, and if that was it, then they would have gained something. Otherwise well, even though Blackheart Mountain was dangerous, he was on a quest to kill dragons.

The two were led to the town's inn while Neith decided to go soak in the water of the canal and sleep. Soon, Adam and Thalia were presented with a white liquid, and Sachi said "This is our town's specialty, the Sukaini. Here, give it a taste."

Adam nodded to him and first smelled the liquid, but even with his enhanced senses he only sensed alcohol, so he decided to try it. As the alcohol entered his mouth, and driveled down his throat, Adam felt a pleasant feeling spread in his taste buds. He circulated his Aura around the alcohol as it traveled through his body, but in in the it turned out to be just that, alcohol.

Adam opened his eyes and said with a smile "It's really good." Sachi, as well as the surrounding villagers, all cheered at his words, as if they meant the world to them. It seemed he had underestimated their love for their beverage.

On his side, Thalia, seeing Adam drink the Sukaini and nod to her, decided to give it a go too. Adam was a warrior so even if there was poison in it he could have dealt with it easily. However, for her, as a mage, if there was poison there her weak body would suffer much more.

But as she tried to drink the liquid, she began feeling how it tasted like. While it tasted good, it was also burning her throat. She forcefully gulped it though, but then entered a coughing fit.

Adam and the villagers began laughing seeing her, making her blush as she coughed. The first cup had been offered to them, and Adam decided to pay for a second one before following the village chief for a visit around the village.

Most of the village was generic, they had things that could be found in any other village. However, there was one interesting thing he never thought he was going to see here.

At some point Sachi led Adam and Thalia to a big stone monument, on which golden names were written, alongside a number. Sachi looked at Adam and said "You are an otherworlder, right?"

Seeing Adam nod, he pointed at the stone monument and said "This appeared when the lot of you appeared. Apparently, there lies a special power in this monument, only accessible by your kind. You should give it a try."

Adam raised an eyebrow, it was the first time he heard of something like this. He walked to the monument, and looked at the golden lines on it. There were 100 golden lines, each composed of an username, and of a number.

Perusing through the different names, Adam was surprised to find a few he was familiar with. Silver Sword, 2Fast4U, Steel Lungs and 69420. The four of them were elite members of the First Tier Guild Dragon Temple, with whom he had fought at the Battle of Rosewatch.

Silver Sword, Steel Lungs and 2Fast4U were respectively classed 21, 33 and 87. As for 69420, he was 11. Adam guessed that this was some kind of ranking, and their ranking was determined by the number next to their names.

The numbers varied, but they ranged from the thousands to the tens of thousands. Adam's eyes wandered to the top of the monument, where the highest name rested.

1. Kaze- 93211

Adam knew quite a bit about the gaming world, and as thus knew that Kaze was the Guild Leader of Dragon Temple. Adam wasn't yet sure of it, but it seemed that this monument had only been used by the Dragon Temple, maybe they were the ones who discovered this village. It didn't surprise Adam no other player had discovered this location yet, after all to get here one had to either be very lucky while sailing on the Kloss Canal, or go through the Great Swamp.

Considering the current level of the players worldwide, he could cross out going through the Great Swamp, so they had probably been lucky.

After a moment, Adam decided to put his hand on the monument, and as he did he received a notification.

[Do you wish to take part in this challenge?]

Adam was quite curious about the monument, and he didn't have much else to do anyway, so he accepted. As soon as he did, his body disappeared from Marbles, shocking Thalia. However, Sachi quickly reassured her that this was normal.