15 Welcome Party (1/2)
The moment the melodious voice drifted into the ears of the youths who were still trying to adjust to their normal functionalities, they all had stunned expressions on their faces. Some of them also had an intoxicated look in their eyes.
Unlike the ringing sound from earlier, the feminine voice, instantly awakened them from their drowsy-like state. With their bodies rejuvenated, all the youths in the room had their eyes focused on the parted walls with a curious look on their faces. They wanted to know the identity of the mysterious person behind the wall.
Unlike the other youths, James had a somewhat frightened expression on his face. Because, the same moment he heard the feminine voice, something projected another voice into his mind. Saying, ”Brat, this is my farewell gift to you. Don't forget about our bet. It will be a shame if you died here.”
The reason James's demeanor changed after hearing the voice was because it was the same as the old man's. After his near death experience with the old bastard, he wanted nothing to do with him.
Just as the voice echoed in his mind, the system's notification followed.
<Ding>
Warning! Warning! Warning!
The user's Mana is undergoing subtle changes.
External Force detected in the user's subconscious!
Facial Modification has begun!
Effect; it is altering the facial features of the user!
I cannot detect any harmful side effect of his change!
The user's Level is too low to stop this change!
Estimated time until completion: 60 seconds!
<Ding>
'What?! Damn it! That Old bastard better pray I don't find him!' James cursed within his mind. While he cursed, his face slowly changed. With most of the youths focused on the opening between the walls, they did not notice this subtle change.
As the youths in the room waited, they could hear multiple footsteps from the dimly lit area behind the parted walls.
A few seconds later, everyone in the room had a stunned expression on their faces. Because, ten beautiful women made their way through the opening of the wall. Looking at these beauties, who had seductive bodies and a matching attractive face, it was easy for their natural beauty to mesmerize most people. They were all clad in an elegant pink dress which revealed a significant level of their milky white skin. They each looked identical to each other, it was as if the ten beautiful ladies were decuplets, and they packed their flowing blue hair into various hairdos. They had an oval face, with their eyes having the same color as the hair on their head. Even though they had a small and slightly raised nose, it perfectly complemented the smiles they had on their succulent looking lips, which were pink and a little red.
The only thing that would make one curious about them, was that all ten of them wore no footwear. Instead, different beautiful anklets decorated their ankles. It further made these beauties to have a mysterious and seductive appeal to the males within the room. While the young ladies in the room could not help but wonder how and why the ladies were so beautiful.
With everyone taken aback by the beauty of the ladies, they could hear the same melodious voice again. ”Children, I welcome you to Kynar. My name is Noeny and these are my sisters. It's a pleasure to meet you all!”
The person who spoke, stood in front of the remaining nine beauties, as if she was their leader.
After hearing her voice, all the youths within the room had trance-like expressions on their faces, except James who had a somewhat stern and surprised expression on his face. The reason for this was because, right from the moment the voice of the young lady drifted into his years, the sound of the system's notification went off like an alarm in his mind.
<Ding>
Facial Modification Completed!
Scanning…
Scanning Completed!
Name: Noeny &???
Age: > 300 years.
Race: Sirens
Rank: No affinity for sorcery.
Path: Darkness.
Quantity: 10.
Warning! Warning! Waning!
Call of a Siren detected!
Name: A Siren's Call.
Effects: Ability to cause the user to lose all form of rational thinking.
The user's brain will become comprised if exposed to the Siren's Call for a prolonged period.
The user will enter a subjective trance-like state, while also losing control of all body functions.
System's recommendation: The user's hearing organ will be temporarily deactivate to counter the effects of the Siren's Call.
Will the user like to deactivate the hearing organ?
<Ding>
With a dumbfounded expression on his face, James read the system's notification. Although he had Blay De Tovar's memories in his head concerning some different races within the Continent of Skyhaven, he could not believe that the beauties who stood in front of him were the mythological creatures known as Sirens. Looking at his current face, it differed from his normal appearance. Apart from his eyes, hair, and ears; everything else looked different. With his facial bones somewhat rearranged, James had a rugged look which differed from his former innocent appearance.
Just like the other males within the room, the beauties of the ten young ladies also enthralled James. But, after reading the system's notification, he understood the reason for their beauty.
'System, deactivate it. Use Mana Manipulation to convert their words into letters. I want to read what they are saying,' James said via his mind. Seconds after he gave the order, he felt a ringing sound in his ears, and a deafening silence followed. But, just as his sense of sound vanished, there was a strange unnoticeable blue glow in his eyes. This blue glow resulted from the activation of the Skill - Mana Manipulation, and it converted any word spoken within the room into letters.
”Huh? Miss., where are we? Why are we all in this room? What and where is this Kynar?” a random youth asked. Like most of the youths, he had a confused and cautious expression on his face.
The moment the youth spoke out, it had a domino effect within the room, as several other people threw different questions to the ten beautiful ladies who maintained heart-warming smiles on their faces.
”Where are we? Where is my sister?”
”Father, Mother, where are you?!”
”Did you kidnap us? Who the hell are you people? Do you know who I am?!”
”Please, has anyone seen my sister?! Heather?! Where are you?!”
The room quickly descended into confusion as the youths asked various questions to the ten smiling beauties, while also being wary of one another. Since they wore different attires from various kingdoms and nations, the knowledgeable ones among them could spot the attires of those from the Black Lands and those from the Four Great Kingdoms. Even the youths from some smaller Kingdoms who neighbored each other or had conflicts, identified each other based on their clothing.
The moment the room was about to become too noisy, the ringing sound from earlier echoed for a second time. It caused all the youths within the room to hold their heads because they felt a painful headache from the sound. Unlike them, the ringing sound did not affect the ten beauties. The lady who stood in front of the other nine, motioned with her hand and the ringing sound in the room stopped. Before anyone within the room could react or say anything, the ten beautiful ladies spoke in unison, ”Don't be afraid young ones, we mean you no harm. Please have your seat. We have Items to distribute to you all!”
With ten Sirens speaking together, their voice resonated within the room. Which caused the over two hundred youths to plummet to the floor like trained dogs as they each sat down without saying a word in response. Looking at the eyes of these youths at the moment, one would notice it looked cloudy.
The moment the youths sat on the floor, the young ladies who had radiant smiles on their faces step towards either side of the opening in the wall. On either side of the wall, five of them stared at the children with warm smiles on their faces. Seconds later, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed, and about thirty figures covered in black made their way into the room. The manner in which these figures walked was enough to send a soul inducing fear into the minds of these children if they were clear-headed. Just like the Sirens who all looked identical to each other, these figures who wore a skintight body suit had the same physique with each other and also walked the exact the same way. Their heads were bent in a strange forty-five degree position, as they tried to drag their awkwardly shaped legs. Their height of 6ft also contributed to their odd walking posture, and they strapped a small brown leather bag containing several black rings to their waist.
James who was sitting at a position that was facing the approaching figures, tried his best not to show any reaction on his face, because the system had already scanned their stats.
<Ding>
Scanning Completed!
Warning! Warning! Warning!
Man-Eating Trolls detected!
Rank: Unevolved.
Path: Darkness.
Quantity: 30.
<Ding>
As James read through the system's notification, the urge to kill the old man grew wilder and wilder in his heart. All he wanted was to find a way out of the Island, he wanted nothing to do with a monster's paradise. The moment these Trolls appeared into the room, they spread themselves out. Just like that, the trolls dipped their big hands into the bag hanging on their waist to retrieve a black ring. In the next moment, they placed these rings on the fingers of the youths closest to them, which caused the bodies of the youths to tremble slightly, before the ring magically disappeared into the fingers of these youths. Throughout the process, the youths still had smiling expressions on their faces as they stared at the ten beautiful Sirens.
'System, can those rings!' James said. Cold sweat was already forming on his forehead.
<Ding>
Scanning…
Scanning Completed!
Name: Odon Alloy Rings.
Effects: This is a metal gotten from bathing a mid-grade metal into the Odon Seas for an extended period.
It will place a parasitic Mana in the user's Mana Output - to be triggered at any point.
The user will become temporarily weakened if it's activated!
Prolonged exposure will lead to the user losing control over mental functions, enabling mental reformation.
Limitations: The user's level is too low to stop the effects of this Item.
<Ding>
With the system telling he could not prevent the inevitable, James heart thumped furious as he considered if he should make a run for it. From the system's notification, he already knew that the effects of the Odon Alloy Ring was not something he would like to experience. Especially the part that side he would lose control over his mental functions, making him vulnerable for brainwashing.
Although the thought of running entered his mind, James discarded it. Because, he was certain that the Trolls and Sirens were not the real mastermind. Instead of fleeing, he racked his brain to find a solution to his predicament. Because, the ring allocation was only ten heads away from reaching his turn. While all these was happening, James had to make sure he maintained the same ridiculous expression the other youths had on their faces.
By the time it was four heads away from his turn, the Troll handling his section of the room was about to give the ring to a fair skinned boy who looked as if he was only 16 years old.
He wore a traditional attire, which resembled a Kimono, and he also wore a pair of leather sandals. Observing his face, one would notice that he had a short blue hair on his head, which contrasted with the brown color of his eyes. Although he was not handsome, he was not ugly too. However, he had a sturdy physique, with a height of almost 5ft while seated. One could only imagine how tall he would be if he stood up on his feet. Just like everyone else within the room, he also had a ridiculous expression on his face, but if one were to look closely, they would notice that there was a tinge of clarity in his eyes.
Just like James, this young man was pretending to be under the call of the Sirens. The moment the troll appeared in front of the young man to place the ring on his fingers, an amazing happened within the room. In a ruthless and brutal manner, the young man launched a fierce punch towards the chest of the Troll which caused a loud wheezing sound to reverberate within the room. As it flew, it sprayed a greenish substance on the hypnotized youths in its path.
Surprised by the fist, it sent the Troll flying while its incoherent, loud, cries reverberated in the room. The punch from the sitting giant, was so vicious and powerful that it sent the Troll flying 40m away. The reason the troll only stopped at the 40m mark, was because the bodies of some youths broke its fall. As for the young man who assaulted the troll, he was already on his feet. Measuring his height, the young man stood at a staggering height of 12ft.
The moment he got on his feet, he made his way towards the parted walls of the room, staring at the beautiful Sirens with a fierce look in his eyes. As if he was saying, they would meet the same fate if they stopped him.
Because the other Trolls spread themselves within the room, none of them could react in time. Even the Sirens at the door, did nothing to stop the young man, allowing him to pass through the opening in the walls.
When the Trolls wanted to pursue the giant, the melodious voice of the siren named Noeny echoed, ”Leave him alone and get back to work. We have little time left.”
Although they hesitated, the Trolls heeded the command of the Siren as they went back to distribute the Odon Alloy Rings.
As for the beaten Troll, its haggard breathing and loud coughing echoed within the room. Ignoring its injuries, it tried to get back on its feet to continue distributing the rings. Meanwhile, James had a somewhat stunned expression on his face, because he did not expect that someone else within the room still had their sanity.
'That giant is an idiot. Does he really think they will let him go just like that? What an idiot!' James mused.
He was happy he did not escape too, because of the indifferent way in which the siren reacted after the attack.
James was sure that things would not end well for the giant. But, James was grateful towards the giant, because his act of stupidity bought him more time to figure out a way he could avoid the effects of the Odon Alloy Ring.
Just as James entered a pondering demeanor, a horrifying scream echoed from the parted wall. Accompanied with several sickening growls of what sounded like Monsters. James did not need to be a genius to know that the miserable scream came from the giant. Meanwhile, the faces of the Sirens were radiant the moment the screams of the young man drifted into their ears. Even the Troll the giant attacked became rejuvenated the moment the screams of the young man entered its ears, and in a limping manner, it made its way to its assigned section of the room.
A few minutes later, the Troll handling James's section was placing the ring on the fingers of a young girl who sat beside him. James had an unnoticeable gleam of anticipation within his eyes while he communicated with the system.
'System, once the Troll place the ring on my fingers, send it into my inventory. Use Mana Manipulation to mimic the reaction of the others,' James said.