After that easy fight, the whole hunt became much different. Rather than avoiding any gremlin group, they would follow those with four members and fewer. They would avoid the larger group and be careful even though they had no doubt they would come out better in the end.

 

Once the small gremlin groups got distracted, the clones would swoop in and kill two instantly. The other one or two gremlins never got away considering their shorter legs and their resistance was futile in front of the clones' rapiers and skills. They used and abused this tactic mercilessly; the second day had them a total of thirteen gremlin kills. And the third day gave even more of a harvest, totaling twenty-seven gremlin hearts.

 

It is sufficient to say that these gremlins in small enough numbers were extremely weak to ambush and shock tactics. Injuries were on a minimum, not that it mattered, and morale was high. For a second they dreaded ever fighting the gremlins, but by the end they considered them more of a chore than a battle.

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It was that kind of slaughter.

 

They would have loved to continue, but the numbers of small gremlin groups had decreased drastically. The gremlins got wise to their tactics and clumped together to survive. Regardless of that fact, they had reached the deadline for their hunt, returning later will just put their mother in danger.

 

Alex was packing up from his temporary camp. He hummed a tune as he rolled his bed roll and buried the campfire. He couldn’t be more satisfied with this trip, with the amount of gremlin hearts and herbs he had gotten, this could easily last him for three months if nothing unexpected happened.

 

Though he didn’t expect this to actually last more than a month, he had so much to buy like clothes and actual good medicine. His father had spent all his money that weren’t spent on daily expenses on experimental cures, most of them didn’t do anything and were promptly abandoned. Yet some had effects, they did not make his mother wake but they made the experience for her more pleasant.

 

She smiled a lot, and her eyes were fluttering in her sleep. Whatever she was dreaming of, he would kill for her to experience it again. So, coins for that and more. His home needed renovations, the interior needed actual furniture, the kitchen needed utensils and cooking wear. He needed a ton of stuff, and he was excited to buy it all.

 

He would have to probably go on a hunt again after he bought everything. Next time though, he will be more prepared. He will have even more clones and more swords. He will have everyth-...Maybe he is going a bit numb from social solitude.

 

Alex shook his thoughts of grandeur and packed the final piece of equipment, a large handmade chess board and pieces. He knew how to play the game, and he genuinely enjoyed playing it back when he was young, but perhaps it will serve a far more beneficial reason than personal enjoyment.

 

Chess was a game of the elite. If he could present himself as a noble with his playing skills, he would have a way into the noble circle. And with a little ladder climbing, he was hopeful of reaching someone who would know the ingredients to the panacea. It was a long long shot, nonetheless it was a path. The other way was to become strong enough to be noticed, except that would be hard and time consuming. Of course he would eventually become strong if he didn’t get eaten by a monster mid-way, it just took a lot of time to reach that stage.

 

The last piece of chess slid down into the depths of his pack and Alex tightened the rope on the top. Pulling the bag over his shoulder, Alex put his hands around the neck of the two special bags, the monster and herb bag that were bulging from the contents. He happily skipped away from the black grass field and returned to the normalcy of the world. Mercy was twinkling merrily this day, and Skorn was hidden by her shadow, a good omen for his journey back home.

 

He walked the farming fields, passing by estates filled with wide ranges of fruiting trees. It was idyllic every time he saw this, a very simple life he wished he had. Maybe in the future when all his troubles were resolved, he would buy a plot of land far away from anyone and farm the land.

 

The north gate had an unusually long queue, merchant caravans lined up like a snake and small trolleys of the odd farmer. Alex noticed that the caravan guards looked battered and the vehicle they protected scratched; it was an odd sight for the normally safe roads of the kingdom. Perhaps there was a new dungeon on the road? Nay, he hadn't spotted anything coming from Skorn in the last few days, though he couldn't discount the dungeon fall happening when he was injured.

 

Slumping down on the road, Alex rubbed his hands. Even with the accumulation of muscle from his skills, carrying this much was tiring. He looked around and spotted a small farmer family in the line. Jumping over to them, he waved at them and gave them a smile.

 

"Greetings, do you know what's taking so long? I haven't seen this long line in my whole life!" Alex scratched the back of his head. The father and his daughter turned towards him, the mother was too preoccupied with a baby in her arms.

 

"Greetings back to you, the guards have been real finicky these last few days, bet my donkey someone fucked with a noble." The man laughed and his daughter groaned.

 

"What my dad tried to say is that we don't know. The wait is because of the search they are conducting, they have to check everything and its such a fucking chore." The daughter, now that he looked at her closely, was a bit comely, said.

 

"And the caravans?"

 

"No idea, no monsters attacked the farm and bless mercy for that. We have enough trouble feeding George as it is." The father said back, gently pulling on his donkey as the line moved up.

 

"And you traveller, why are you here?" The daughter spoke up.

 

"Just came back from herb gathering in these last few days. Before I left, the guards were alert but they were not as paranoid to this extent." Alex murmured the last part. Something was definitely finicky, he hoped it was something temporary. "Oh excuse my manners, I'm Alexander but you can call me Alex."

 

"Julliet." The daughter simply said, turning back to her mother when she called for her. Alex stayed hanged awkwardly there for several seconds not knowing how to proceed before he walked behind the family.

 

It took a full third rotation of Genesis's orbit for Alex to reach the north gate. He hated it, his feet were blistering and his hands were aching from holding up his bounty. 

 

If not for the high levels of his skills, he was sure that they would have leveled up from this torture. On that matter, Alex lazily spawned his book from the depths of his soul and gave a satisfied smile at the progress he and his clones had made.

 

[Swordsmanship is now Level 15]

…

…

[Swordsmanship is now Level 24]

 

[Physical Conditioning is now Level 12]

…

…

[Physical Conditioning is now Level 19]

 

To his immense satisfaction, he had acquired enough levels in [Physical Conditioning] to enjoy actual visible muscles. He had faint abdominal muscles now, with them Alex daydreamed all throughout the day of performing feats the legends of old had done.

 

Apart from the antics, he was capable now of spawning a fourth clone without any major setbacks. His swordsmanship had also reached a level high enough for him to finally realise that slashing and swinging with his rapiers was really really fucking stupid.

 

He blamed Venma and Veleya for them being too sharp for it to matter.

 

[Name: Alex Hunter / Age: 16 / Species: Human]

 

[Class: Unformed / Physical Status: Healthy / Magical Status: Null.]

 

[General Skills: (3/15)]

[Swordsmanship, Level 24]

[Physical Conditioning, Level 19]

[Natural Healing, Level 18]

[Gifts and Curses: 

{Cloner}

{Mana Null}

(2/2)]