Tears of Alron (The Alchemist Book #3): LitRPG Series

by Vasily Mahanenko

  Loot received:

  Complete set of level III armor (1).

  Set of reusable lockpicks (1).

  Academy student garb (1).

  Toolkit (1).

  Set of level III magic cards.

  Would you like to update your active deck?

  The boy accepted the suggestion and checked to see what had changed. All fifteen quick access slots were full. Of his old cards, none remained — everything at level two had been dumped into his inventory. But the interesting part was that they’d been replaced by their level three equivalents: Wave of Fire, Enhanced Shield, Electric Strike, Fireball, Cold Ring, and Icicle. Not only did Tailyn just barely meet the requirement for twenty-five wisdom, each use of his new cards cost ten mana. But they were worth it. The new ones were three times as powerful as the previous level, and each sported 500 charges.

  There were new cards, too.

  Chain Lightning did damage to six opponents, though if there weren’t enough of them, the damage was eaten by the card owner. Tailyn was going to have to be careful with that one.

  Weakness reduced an opponent’s parameters by 30% for one minute with the exception of their personal shield. Finally, Tailyn figured out why the dungeon boss hadn’t been able to kill them — his mentor had been constantly weakening it. Forian presumably had the level four card.

  Dark Strike hit hard with dark magic, sapping 100 mana with each strike. That made it expensive, though the fact that nobody had immunity to darkness made it a powerful weapon. At least, nobody except Nemean lions and hydras. They were fine with magic.

  Seek pointed out creatures hiding within a fairly narrow radius. Tailyn set it aside since Vargot was much more effective and could also see through walls.

  Earth Strike summoned a sharp spike made of dry earth that popped up right under an opponent. Of course, it was less about doing damage and more about distracting them, though it only popped up after a shimmering circle on the ground gave advance warning.

  Cleansing cleared all positive and negative effects regardless of who it was applied to, either the caster or the opponent. Tailyn was already familiar with the terminology — buffs and debuffs.

  Enhanced Magic boosted magic strength by 30% for ten minutes. Once again, Tailyn thought, it was a useless card, at least until he got his magic strength up much higher. Elixirs were fine in the meantime.

  Infernal Summons summoned a furious level twenty-five creature made of fire and magma that could fry someone just by being next to them. It wasn’t a bad thing to have around.

  Scout sent out a flying helper that could soar at a range of a few kilometers. Berad had used something similar but more advanced to find Tailyn and Valanil. Living just two minutes and with a limited range, the card was dubiously useful at best, though it was going to need to be put through its paces before a conclusion could be drawn.

  Would you like to create a secondary deck (used when not in combat)?

  It was populated with the rest of the boy’s cards with the exception of his dragon card. After thinking for a while, he kept it in his active deck, replacing his new seek card. If anything happened, he needed the ability to get his pet back in the middle of battle and strap it on his wrist — that extra 3% of armor would always come in handy.

  Valia stepped into his room, having turned her outfit into the yellow robe of an academy student. To Tailyn’s mind, that was a good decision, and he did the same with Vargot. Anyone who came across the pair was going to now think twice before getting in their way.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Valia started, still unable to look the boy in the eye. It wasn’t even that she’d done something wrong; it was more that she hadn’t told him herself. She didn’t have a problem with flirting with other boys.

  “Hey, it’s fine, I was just taken by surprise,” Tailyn said with a smile. “Sit down, tell me what’s up.”

  “I’m thinking about what to do with my hydra and summoned animals. Scout is definitely getting the boot since I don’t need it, but what else should I pull out of my active deck?”

  “Enhanced magic?” Tailyn replied. “I can just use elixirs to — ”

  But he didn’t have time to finish that thought before he was interrupted by the horses whinnying wildly. The pair flew out of the tent, very nearly running into Forian and Valanil.

  “Tailyn, wave of fire,” the boy’s mentor barked. “All around the camp. Now!”

  Ka-Li.

  You used Wave of Fire-III 10 times.

  Charges remaining: 490 of 500.

  Mana –100 (6912).

  Act first, think later. The boy followed orders without asking questions or worrying about the horses — you can’t hurt corpses. As the trees around the camp caught fire, the area lit up, and Tailyn could finally see who they were up against. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. They’d never had to fight anything like those creatures, which were all fangs, claws, spikes, and warts. The beasts moved around on six short, powerful legs. But there was no head — they were similar to the guards in that way. Raptor showed a few dozen of them dashing around the camp, and that was when Tailyn’s perception kicked in.

  Mekbar (monster). Artificial creation. Level 54.

  “The fire isn’t doing anything to them!” Tailyn exclaimed in surprise when he didn’t see the number of opponents they were up against drop.

  “Lightning — they don’t like electricity!” Valanil said, hitting one of them with a charge. But once again, there was no real result. The mekbar just squealed and dashed away from the group of humans. Meanwhile, the tent shook as another of the creatures smacked into the far side.

  “Student, roll it up before they tear it to pieces,” Forian said as he sent a dark strike flying at a different mekbar. Finally, one of the red dots showing up on Raptor disappeared, only everyone lurched in unison. Nobody likes parting with something against their will.

  As it died, a mekbar activated a Mana Absorption aura that consumed 100 mana from all humans within a radius of 100 meters.

  “There are nineteen left,” a stunned Tailyn said. That was the first time he’d encountered that particular method for losing mana. Remembering his mentor’s order, the boy started the dismantling process for his tent. That took just ten seconds, but by the time it was in his inventory, there were already five fewer creatures running around. And with mana disappearing right and left, the group was saved when the remainder dashed off howling into the forest. The forest stopped burning. The fire hadn’t ventured outside the wave’s hundred-meter range, though everything inside it had burned to a crisp. Tailyn accepted Raptor’s suggestion to reach one of the mekbar bodies.

  Loot cannot be received from artificial creations.

  That message, which everyone received, wasn’t a surprise as the group had already come across something similar. But even Forian was taken aback by the next one:

  New local mission: Clear Mekbar Nest. Description: mekbars have once again settled in the Zardan Forest, instilling fear in the surrounding cities and villages. Find their nest and kill them all. Their level is equal to half the sum of all levels in your group, though no more than 100 (local limit). The reward will be substantial.

  “Mage, please tell me you know what local missions are. This is the first I’m hearing of them.”

  Chapter 6

  “ARE EVERYONE’S CARDS recharged?” Forian asked, continuing only once he’d gotten a nod from each person in the group. “Hit them with darkness, push them back with electricity, send the dragon in, and get them to target it. Go! Let’s see what these things can do.”

  Forian knew very well what a local event was. Mages weren’t the only ones who had to develop themselves; the mana-less guards did, too. With that in mind, the god had created a few spots around the capital where high-level fighters could put some work in. And since they went in groups of two or three, the line was months long, which meant Tailyn’s group had gotten lucky — that was the first time a local mission had shown up in Zard
an Forest. The guards hadn’t set anyone to watch it. Otherwise, the group wouldn’t have been let in, especially not during the mission’s active phase. Forian wasn’t even sure if clearing the location was a good idea since he knew the emperor might have something to say the moment they set foot in the nest. He didn’t like his guards getting cheated out of anything.

  Still, Forian’s job as a mentor was to make sure his students were growing, and a local mission was a great way to make that happen. If they’d unlocked the attributes they needed, it would have been perfect.

  “Hold on!” Tailyn said. “I need to make some potions just in case. Give me a minute.”

  The boy just about cursed himself for once again nearly jumping headlong into adventure unprepared. After creating ten alchemical fires and cold explosions for everyone, he spent a while staring at the mana restoration potion. His current alchemy skill meant each flask restored forty-six mana, which wasn’t bad, though it was also nothing compared to what the mekbars were sapping every time one of them died. Tailyn was afraid his mentor would just laugh at a gift like that, but he couldn’t not give it. Once another twenty potions were made, he headed back out into the world.

  “This is for you to regenerate your mana,” Tailyn said, handing Forian the flasks. But while he was expecting a mocking chuckle or a sermon about how mages shouldn’t bother with trifles like that, neither was forthcoming. Instead, his mentor just accepted the gift as though it were his due, saying not a single word in reply.

  “Oh, potions! Thanks, my boy. You’re always looking out for us.” Valanil could tell Tailyn was surprised by his mentor’s reaction and decided to throw him a bone. Forian didn’t respond to that either, just making it clear that it was time to get moving.

  “I’m not going to get into trouble later for wearing this, am I?” Valanil asked, gesturing toward the snow-white academy garb. The box Sadil’s deputy had handed her turned out to also contain mage clothing. Giving in to the temptation, the woman modified her armor, turning for at least a few hours into the academy mage she’d never become.

  “I don’t think Sadil gave it to you just to punish you for wearing it,” Forian said. “Student, it’s going to be morning soon, and the guards will be showing up. Either we go now, or we forget the whole thing. Are you able to make any decisions yourself? Or am I going to spend the rest of my life wiping your nose for you?”

  That put the nail in the coffin of the hurt Tailyn was feeling. Grabbing his staff to clear the underbrush and beat back especially daring mekbars, the boy set off. His scanner did nothing in the mess of trees, which meant he was going to have to rely entirely on Raptor. Of course, twenty-five meters didn’t give them much time to react to attacks, but it was better than going in blind. The scout Valanil launched just showed a dark space — the forest refused to give up its secrets. But no sooner had they gotten a few dozen meters away from the ruined camp, than a notification popped up:

  You entered the mekbar nest.

  Opponents remaining: 51.

  Howls broke out on all sides. The creatures sensed prey and came dashing over to carve it up, and the area in front of the boy exploded in gold sparks as his dragon leaped off his wrist. It didn’t take long for it to take the first blow.

  A red dot flashed across Raptor and slammed into the dragon. A dark ball of intertwined bodies rolled across the ground, making it impossible to see where the mekbar ended and the boy’s companion began. Li-Ho-Dun’s shield began dropping. Afraid of losing his dragon, Tailyn panicked.

  Attack! The boy gave the order, not sure about shooting at the pair himself. But just as a few more shadows flashed by to join the fight, the whole space lit up with three seconds of primordial fire. One short shriek of pain later, and everything fell silent. The four mekbars had evaporated so completely that it was as if they’d never been there. Even though they could run around in fire, they turned out to have no defense against the dragon.

  Your companion reached level 4. 290 experience until next level.

  New ability unlocked:

  Tail whip (active ability). Description: your companion strikes its current target with its tail, vibrating armor to take 2 * magic attack off their personal shield for companion level seconds. Time between attacks: 10 * companion level seconds.

  The dragon took off into the air, and Tailyn’s breath caught in his throat when he saw that it was nearly as big as he was. Not only that, but the dragon’s parameters had all gotten a boost. Its health was maxed out and ready for the next battle, too. Without waiting for Forian to yell at him for wasting time, Tailyn sent his companion in ahead to look for new targets.

  But he wasn’t going to get away from a conversation with his mentor that easily. A few moments later, Forian was right next to him.

  “How much experience does it get from each mekbar?”

  “It used to be fifty-one, but after leveling-up it’s just fifty.”

  “Okay, change of plans. Your companion is going to take care of this mission. Out in the open world, there aren’t that many creatures higher than level ten, so this is a great way for you to get a few more levels for it. Does anyone have a problem with that?”

  “Sit around and get rewarded while Tailyn does all the work?” Valanil responded. “No, I think that’ll be fine with me.”

  “Go ahead, Student. Fly around the area and gradually expand the radius — we need to find where the queen is. Just make sure you don’t attract more than one or two at a time.”

  The dragon didn’t have Raptor, so the only way it could find the mekbars in the dark was for them to jump on its back and try to bite its neck. But the boy wasn’t about to argue with his mentor. And it wasn’t that he was afraid. He himself wanted to level-up his dragon, show the world what it could do, and so he was content flying blind.

  The first trio of mekbars was just a couple hundred meters away from where the previous battle had taken place. They’d found an unlucky deer in a small clearing and were busy tearing it to pieces, paying no attention to the golden glow. And that was their undoing. Tailyn’s companion flew up and scorched them all from less than a meter away.

  Experience received: +150 (to next level: 140).

  “Brutal...completely imbalanced,” Forian muttered as he kept a close eye on the number of opponents remaining. Tailyn’s companion made quick work of the level fifty-four creatures. Its primordial fire completely ignored the mekbars’ personal shields, and they had nothing else that could stand up to it.

  “Surprised, Mage?” Valanil asked, walking over to Forian. “The student has outdone the master?”

  “Surprised,” the man replied frankly. “But not by what Tailyn’s doing. I’m surprised I made the mistake of having him level-up his companion — he might start to think the dragon will always win, which will be his undoing if he sends it in against a good fighter. A simple metal shield to hold back the fire, a crossbow to make up for the disadvantage in speed and distance, and that’s one charge lost from a legendary card. And that’s not to mention mages — a few icicles would do the trick, too. That thing is perfect against monsters, only it’s almost useless against everything else.”

  “That might be the longest speech I’ve ever heard you give,” Valanil said with a laugh, though she was trying to keep the undertone of respect out of her voice. Forian had surprised her with his reasoned and nuanced understanding of the situation.

  “But it’s too late to change my mind,” Forian continued. “The monsters here are perfect for him.”

  Tailyn hadn’t heard any of their conversation, being too busy hunting new targets with his companion. At level four, the time between attacks jumped to forty seconds, though the dragon armor dropped that to just twenty, four of which were taken up by the fire breathing itself. Two more mekbars were sent back to wherever they came from, though Tailyn had a hard time finding more opponents once they were gone.

  But that changed the moment the dragon flew out into an enormous field with a powerful tree right i
n the middle. Even the dim starlight was enough to see that the whole mess of mekbars was right there. Huddling into a line, they were busy carrying meat over to a fat hulk right under the tree. And while the light wasn’t enough to make out the details, the chewing sound made it clear that the beast was going to town. The dragon flew out away from the forest, but that was when Tailyn dropped to his knees. It was like he’d been hit with a surge of electricity.

  Search party found a Stash.

  All group members receive +1 level.

  1 free attribute point available.

  For one long, drawn-out second, everything swirled around Tailyn. The boy was bathed in a blinding light that forced him to squint and lose control over his companion. Come back! But no sooner had Tailyn given the command, than the mekbars began howling. They’d spotted the dragon. Forty-one of them, all but the hulk under the tree, set off in pursuit. That time, the monster target ability played a cruel joke on the group — the monsters all came running to take their target out. And while Tailyn regained control and tried to figure out what had happened to him after his first level promotion, the whole horde of artificial creations together with the dragon showed up right next to the group of humans.