ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: On the Run
In less than 10 hours, word of the Slave Mine's downfall reverberated across the Central Continent of Quinox, reaching nearly every inhabitant. Quinox consists of different continents governed by various races.
There is the Dragon Monarchy, the Vampire Kingdoms, the Human Empire, the Elven Forests, the Dwarven Mountains, the Beast Cities, the Orc Strongholds, and many others, although their influence isn't as significant.
Races like the Trolls, Ogres, Dark Elves, and Demons are also present. They are commonly classified under the term "Monsters," known for their nature of killing for fun. All these races are scattered across the world of Quinox. However, at the very center, there are three kingdoms: the Drono Kingdom, the Kronox Kingdom, and the Xorax Kingdom.
These three are collectively known as the Central Continent.
These three kingdoms are recognized throughout the Central Continent as the Three Legacy Families. They are one yet distant from each other. Under these three Legacy Families, there are numerous Great Families and Prestigious Families that act as their hands and eyes throughout the continent.
These three families hold immense power, and even though they are not on good terms in some ways, no outside empire dares to invade them.
They are competitive, and thanks to their branches, which extend to the Great Families and Prestigious Families, conflicts and potential wars are often contained on a smaller scale to prevent escalation. Despite their internal rivalries, they are formidable when united, thanks to their legacy and the families that support them.
Among the Great Families that served the Drono Kingdom, the Jacobson Great Family stands out for their prowess in commerce, particularly in trading and selling goods. They are considered the wealthiest among their peers and control various revenue streams, including the Slave Mine.
However, despite its significance, the Slave Mine represents just a fraction of the Jacobson Family's extensive business interests.
Driven solely by profit, the Jacobson Family reacts swiftly to any threat to their financial interests. Within 10 hours of Karsha's uprising and the subsequent fall of the Slave Mine, news of the incident reached one of the branch families affiliated with the Jacobson Family. These branch families serve to extend the legacy families' influence and reach across the continent.
When the news reached the patriarch of the Akido Prestigious Family, he became infuriated to the point of ordering the soldier who brought the news to be beheaded. The fact that their business, controlled by their branch family, was now in shambles left them in grave danger. They already knew how the Great Family they were associated with would react.
"What should we do?" an elderly man with a bald head and white beard asked, sitting among seven others in what appeared to be an urgent meeting. When the news of the fall of the Slave Mine spread, the patriarch called for an immediate meeting to address the chaos.
"What is there to discuss? We just need to mobilize a team to hunt down these good-for-nothing slaves and send them back where they belong," a younger version of the old man spoke, revealing his arrogance and lack of respect for his elders.
"Arrogant and foolish! Do you really think I haven't thought of that? Do you even hear yourself? You want us to send people after slaves who have long run away. Can you identify them just by looking at them? Can you tell if someone is a slave or not just by looking at them?" The old man asked a series of questions, effectively silencing the young, arrogant man.
"So I thought," he added, making his stance clear as a knowledgeable elder.
"So what should we do if sending a team is not viable?" the patriarch, who had been seated the entire time, asked. He was known to be a very calculative but impulsive person. He wouldn't bat an eye at killing someone over something trivial, but when a more calculated approach was needed, he always delivered.
This was one of the reasons he was selected as the patriarch and why the Jacobson Great Family gave him some respect.
"This will cost us, but I believe we can catch most of them by letting the other Great Families lockdown and implement measures to identify the slaves before they enter any city.
After all, they will try to get back to civilization, and through this, we will be able to identify and capture them before they fully integrate into society," another elder suggested, presenting his solution to the problem.
It was a hopeless situation; however, what the elder suggested was the way forward. To catch the slaves who had yet to enter any city, they just needed to block the way into the cities and employ methods to identify these individuals. Crude but viable.
"Gruden, alert the other Great Families and let them know of our current situation. Inform them why we want them to lock their cities for at least a while as we round up the slaves," the patriarch said to the young, arrogant man, who nodded in response.
The meeting ended there, and they all returned to their duties. The next two weeks would be spent rounding up the slaves unfortunate enough to fall into the series of traps set by the Great Families. However, those wise enough to evade capture remained at large, with the chances of them being caught extremely low.
Of course, those who were caught refused to rat out Karsha, who had stood as the leader of the revolution.
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Two weeks prior, Karsha dashed out through the gate, never once looking back. He bolstered his stamina, health, and agility by an additional 100 points, making him swift as the wind. With no particular destination in mind, he simply ran for what felt like an eternity. His only consolation was the stash of snacks and meat he had pilfered from the leader's kitchen.
Nevertheless, his actions would forever be etched in the hearts of the escaped slaves, as well as those who only tasted freedom for a fleeting moment. They owed it all to Karsha. Many of them had spent their entire lives toiling in the mine, only to relish a few precious days of respite before inevitably being recaptured and returned to their shackles.
After a full day of relentless movement, Karsha finally came to a halt beneath a tree, quenching his thirst with water from his bottle.
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< Mana Water Gauge >
Rank: Rare
Item Type: Support
Abilities: [Impurity-Free Water]
- As long as the wielder possesses mana, an endless supply of impurity-free water flows from its depths.
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Despite its modest rank, the item held immense value, particularly to someone like Karsha who paid little heed to item rankings. All he desired was to grow stronger, to return to Earth, and to avenge his family.
"Well, I suppose I'll need to rest a while before continuing," Karsha muttered, leaning against the tree as he reviewed his quest. Sleep wasn't a luxury he could afford, not while he remained in uncharted territory. Instead, he decided to rest briefly, allowing his body to recover while keeping his senses alert for any potential threats.
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< Quest Completed: Escape the slave mine within two days>
< Rewards >
- 1000 Stat points
- 10,000 Exp
- Rare Rank Long Sword
- Tiger strike Dual sword Manual
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Now getting the hang of how the system works, he extended his hand and another long sword appeared. The sword in his hand was similar to the [Devil's Tooth] he had received after the 24-hour wait for the system to reboot. They were the same length, but the new sword had a faint reddish metal that seemed to emanate warmth.
Its handle was meticulously designed to make wielding it as comfortable and relaxing as possible. The blade bore the inscription "Dragon's Fury," etched in elegant script. Karsha dragged his hand over the surface of the tattoo. As soon as his hand touched the blade, a series of texts popped up in front of his eyes.
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< Dragons Fury >
Rank: Rare
Item Type: Weapon
Abilities: [Agni], [Dragon Gaze]
[Agni]: Pouring Mana into the sword produces a fire that, when slashed, sends an arc of pure flame.
[Dragon Gaze]: To enemies prepared to face off against the wielder of Dragon Fury, merely gazing at the sword will render those with low mental capacity catatonic for 5 seconds. Those with high mental capacity will have their senses lowered by 30%, giving the wielder a significant advantage to display the arrogance of Dragon Fury.
The sword in Karsha's hand was indeed formidable. Possessing all the qualities of a great sword, and with its innate ability to render those with low brainpower catatonic for a few seconds, it held significant power. However, the dilemma remained: which of the two swords would he choose? He had used the [Devil's Tooth] for the past few weeks and had grown accustomed to it.
He hadn't paid much attention to the new sword, as it lacked a stronger innate ability like Dragon Fury. Yet, Karsha, having used it for the past few weeks, felt inclined to believe that the sword suited him best. He had seen explosive growth in his swordsmanship. Nevertheless, having to choose between the two swords proved to be a challenge.
However, the system had already anticipated this dilemma and provided a solution: the technique he received from completing the escape quest allowed him to wield both.
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< Tiger strike Dual sword Technique Manual >
Rank: Divine
-- A tiger is fast and deadly, embodying raw power, agility, and intelligence. Now, imagine harnessing those qualities and infusing them into the art of dual swordplay. The result? A potential for greatness, a path to rise to the top using only swords and wit.
Note: Greetings, this is the God of Swords. Those who seek to learn this technique should understand that it despises laziness. If you are inclined to idleness, kindly relinquish the manual before invoking my wrath.
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"Gulp," Karsha swallowed nervously, not because of the description of the manual, but due to the warning left by the God of Swords. He was eager to open up the manual and start learning, but his attention was diverted by the sight of a tiger approaching, standing a whopping three feet tall.
Without hesitation, he threw the divine technique manual into his inventory in a fit of rage before stowing it away.
"I guess there's no rest for the slave," Karsha uttered a joke before dashing toward the tiger, which seemed to have a smirk on its lips. This expression didn't escape Karsha, who instantly felt like he had fallen into a trap.