Chapter 28: The way to the hideout (1/2)
After Annoue woke up and she and Shingi took their breakfast more relaxed than usual, Shingi didn't have to hurry to get to the shop today. After that, they started their way towards the hideout.
They made their way through the gate, which wasn't as guarded as before, making their trip shorter. But before they reach the hideout, Shingi motioned for Annoue to stop and keep quiet as he focused his PERCEPTION and MANA SENSE entirely towards the hideout area and detected something.
There were three individuals, and he could get through his MANA SENSE that they were Players. They seemed like they found the tree and the secret room in it, and they were investigating for possible treasures or leads to a quest.
”Stay here and be quiet. I need to take care of something ahead. I will call you when all is clear.” [Shingi]
Annoue's face turned to full worry after hearing that.
”Are you sure you don't want me to help? I am strong.” [Annoue]
Even if Shingi didn't know that the player's level was his knew that none of them were Mages since he detected no sign of mana by any of them. Also, their movements seemed somewhat sloppy and unprofessional. Since the most likely reason they would be here in the first place would be the Dungeon, since it wasn't a high-level one, they wouldn't be ones either.
No matter their level at the current classless, Shingi knew they would have him at a disadvantage, but he had a few tricks up his sleeves that would work better if he was alone.
”No worries. Remember that I am strong too, and this is something I need to do myself. Just wait patiently.” [Shingi]
As he said that Shingi cast his CAMOUFLAGE spell. He combined it with his STEALTH skill and made his way towards the players. Unlike his INVISIBILITY spell, the CAMOUFLAGE was mimicking the surroundings instead of manipulating the light to make him like he wasn't there in the first place. Of course, the rate his CAMOUFLAGE was changing to fit his surroundings while he was moving wasn't that great cause of the limits of the spell. Still, with his STEALTH skill, he was lowering this disadvantage.
And so he made it at a bush, and the players were now at his sight.
All of them seemed to be Warriors, and they had the same choice of weapon. They were all having a whip at their side and no other weapon.
Warriors were able to use any weapon without restrictions, pretty much. Simultaneously, other classes were restricted to a specific one unless they earned a skill or other ability that enabled them to use a weapon they were restricted to use normally. For example, Mages could only use staves as physical weapons. Still, there were many that took Dagger or Crossbow Mastery that was suitable for them and the most easier for the class to get.
The whip was one of the few melee weapons that had a greater reach than others, but its damage was very low, especially against armored enemies. Also, the attack techniques with these weapons were among the most complicated. They were considered the most useful for players who wanted to control the battle and help others instead of win it by their power only.
But there was one more specific reason that some were interested to learn the use of the whip.
'Hmmm, three possible tamers at the same party? Could it be they are part of some Guild? That should be the case, but they shouldn't have earned the class yet. Maybe that is why they are here.' [Shingi]
The Tamer class was one class that was allowing its user to take under his control some beasts, and as they go higher in level, they would be able to control monsters too. Of course, the stronger the monster, the stronger the Tamer needed to control it. If the monster is high INT one, it may not be Tamed—also, some very high-END ones were nearly impossible to be Tamed.
Of course, some Players mostly wanted to tame a creature cause they wanted a pet, so they were aiming for cute or cool-looking creatures.
Shingi remembered that there were some Guilds back in the day who were using the Tamers' abilities to help explore the tower. Each floor had a limit on how many players can be in the party trying to clear the floor but didn't limit the other creatures that came with them like possible tamed ones.
He kept looking over them to get as much information. Even if they didn't speak to each other but just kept investigating the space around them, he was now confident of one thing.
'These are completely beginner ones.' [Shingi]
Even if he didn't know their exact level, he could estimate from their aura, and they seemed to be 5-7 Level as they were a little less tense than Phoenix's. He always kept his MANA SENSE, especially at his encounter with Tycoon and the rest. He noticed that the tenser the aura was, the higher lever they were.
He also noticed that they were looking left and right, just using their eyes to investigate their surroundings. It was a clear sign of not knowing how to use their PERCEPTION fully. They should pick up things and feel the changes in their surroundings with all their senses, not just their sight.
And so he put the cloth he had used yesterday to hide his face during his discussion with Tycoon and Phoenix, and he made his way out of the bush. He also dispelled his CAMOUFLAGE and stopped using his STEALTH skill.
The moment he came out, the players noticed him and drew their whip, but after seeing that it seemed to be just a child, they seemed to be less hostile but still cautious.