Chapter 14: The First Resource Point

With this, my "training" or should I say, my "familiarizing" with my new and long-term skills was now finished. Who would have thought that I will get a change in fighting style early in this game, well, like I said, those skills are just for convenience, and it is not like I won't use them again and I am not attached enough to physical fighting that I'll sacrifice the advantage my birth has given me, you know?

I am born a caster and caster, I will be.

And while I am thinking of those, a notification appeared dinging on my ear.

Notice [Mastering the basic elements of the world has given you the title: [Commander of the Elements] ]

Mastering? But I just trained with it, aren't I?

Hmm... Or does mastery, in this case, means when I easily acquired the elements, [Guide] please confirm. (Be thankful I'm giving you a lot of screentime)

[Master, yes, it does mean a good initial proficiency of the element and also the immediate knowledge about the early utility and potential abilities of the elements has granted you this title.]

Oh, I see, well, thank you for that wonderful answer [Guide], that just means I got recognized from my analysis, no biggy.

[Master, if you said that in front of a human-like yourself, he or she will cry tears of blood.]

Hey, not my fault if I woke up like this okay? Did I wish for me to have a photographic memory so good that I can hear and remember shit from my mom's belly and never forget about it?

If they want to cry, then let them be!

.... Okay, that's quite narcissistic, I said so as flashes of that giant immediately came into my head that make me come back to reality as I looked at the description of the title.

[Commander of the Elements]: Only those who have a natural genius understanding of the four basic elements can acquire this title.

Effects: 10% Decrease in mana consumption for an elemental spell

+100 Mana

Note: A title cannot be leveled up.]

Oh, neat, but it's a bugger it cannot be leveled up. But still, besides that, this is nice, and what's with the additional mana? It's humongous even for a bonus, even my stat upgrades during level-ups don't give me that big of a bonus, but hey if it's given it shall be received with gratitude, right?

So welcome +100 mana!

With this, the fifty mana needed for the breath magic to be condensed enough for offensive porpuses will be reduced to forty-five, meaning instead of one, I can shoot at least three of those super sharp air blades, similar to the water bullets which need .5 mana so minus ten percent will make it .45 meaning that... It increases

[Master, remove the percent sign and divide the value to 10, .5/10=0.05.]

Nodding in satisfaction one last time with my gains this day alone, I decided that I must continue my journey to the center of the forest, I called my subordinates and they followed behind me... Now that I think about it, it's almost a month that we are walking down this forest right?

But as of now, I can't see any sign of getting out of the first layer, the monsters are still weak and rare because of the strange reason that there is a pair of undead that are following me, just how big this forest is? Particularly, the first layer of the Five-Pronged Forest.

[Guide], I'm talking to you.

[Master, the first layer contains forty percent of the total range of the whole forest, and the forest is the biggest, largest, and most monster-infested forest in the entire continent.]

Forty?

[Master, yes, forty.]

That's big... And I'm thinking of transversing that by walking.

Well, it might be proven as quite the challenge, but it is not like I am rushing for time, I mean, I am a newborn baby who can walk and fight using a staff, so I have all time in the world to stroll in the first layer.

We continued to walk as suddenly, several, successive and rapid notifications appeared in my head.

Notice[ Undead Kabuto has killed a monster, sharing 10 EXP with his master]

Notice[ Undead Kabuto has killed a monster, sharing 11 EXP with his master]

Notice[ Undead Kabuto has killed a monster, sharing 8 EXP with his master]

The notification dragged on and all of it is ranging from eleven to 10 EXP with occasional single digits and rare twelve and up a notification, the notification didn't stop for a while, you don't believe me?

Well, you see, the notifications didn't stop until I am level nine already, [Guide].

What's happening with Kabuto's side?

[Master, Undead Kabuto is slaughtering an orc settlement.]

Slaughtering? Orcs? But isn't he just a starting assassin?

[Master, Orcs are individuals who have high muscle density but don't have a big brain for them to properly use it, thus even an average assassin or any individuals cunning enough can kill hordes of them.]

Hehh... So they have the muscle for brains huh?

[Master, yes, you can put it that way.]

I see, I see, well it seems like Kabuto got to some "manual labor" on his side, but if you are talking about an orc settlement then it must be a cave right? As far as my isekai knowledge brings me, orcs usually can be found in caves that have the most basic of needs, like a water source, food is hunted obviously and this can only mean one thing...

But it is just a day, how come he already found a resource point?

[Master, Undead Kabuto is still an inexperienced shinobi and wants to hastily fulfill your order and thus used brute force and didn't scout the area properly first.]

....

I am speechless for a second as I was absorbing [Guide]'s remark about the actions of one of my subordinates as a migraine started to spread in my head.

So this is what having someone in your wing feels like...

After I said that myself, I sat on a tree and ate fruit in the basket on top of Philo's back and as if on cue, Kabuto suddenly showed up in my back, I glanced at him looking all happy while giving side glances to his seniors with his smug face.

"Fufu... My Lady! I have-"

"You have? You have done what? I'll tell to what have you done, first you, in your deranged desire to fulfill my will, have hastily and recklessly looked for some cave that you didn't even inspect for the interior condition of the cave and proceeded to create a fucking mess by slaughtering those pigs inside their cave."

Of course, this is just all in my mind because I still can't talk physically. After all, it is embarrassing, but for his master to scold him when he thought that he did a great job still stings like shit causing his smug face to a worried expression, but I don't care.

My people should know how to act properly.

"But My lady... I just want to prove myself to you for this will be my first contribution..."

He said meekly, realizing his mistake but still justifying his case.

"That's not the point and you know that, right? Also, consider that I am a human okay? Humans are vulnerable to sickness and thus I want the cave to have the minimum sanitation, I don't want a place that has pig shit on it, do you understand?"

Kabuto lowered his head, and though he is way bigger than my current size, he still looks like a subjugated cat in front of me.

"I understand, I do not know the circumstances, but My Lady needs to take the form of a normal newborn child, I shall learn from this mistake and be a better subordinate that takes his master's current situation into consideration before taking any abrupt action."

Wha... What does he mean by taking a form of a child...? [Guide], do all my subordinates thinks that way?

[Master, no, only Undead Kabuto has a belief of you not in your true form, but Undead Philo and Undead Lyra are now also gaining the belief of you having a "true body".]

What!? Stop it! Stop them immediately!

[Master, there is nothing that can be done for it is already too late, furthermore, Undead Philo and Undead Lyra are just gaining their own will, thus a little injection of ideas into them will immediately be engraved in their minds.]

Oh no... How the hell do I explain to them when I grow up that I am just a normal (not really) human then!?

[Master, I believe that that matter is not part of my concerns.]

Oh, will you shut up? I'm talking to myself now!

Anyhow, I ignored their misconception, after all, it is not hindering their performance, right? Except for this stumble by Kabuto of course that he is already reflecting about.

"...What are you doing...?"

As I am having my mental discussion, I saw Philo and Lyra circling Kabuto swaying their heads and arms, seemingly dancing.

Are they mocking Kabuto?

"Hey stop that, we don't have time for that, anyway, Kabuto, does the orc settlement at least have a source of water?"

Kabuto immediately jumped out of his senior's encirclement that immediately chased after him in which I stopped by raising my palm as I look at Kabuto.

"Master yes, I believe that for now, we should use the underground lake of the cave to sanitize the portion of the cave that is being inhabited by the orcs."

I looked at him suddenly.

"Underground lake?"

"Yes, master, underground lake."

I nodded, grinning a little with my little mouth.

"Here comes your saving grace."

I said that silently and continued.

"Lead the way then."

Finally having some brightness in his face, he nodded with vigor.

"Then please!"

We started to walk with Kabuto and me at the front while Philo and Lyra is in the back, while we are walking I decided to look at my stats.

Look:

Name: Sophia Demiurge

HP: 69/69

Race: Human (Newborn)

Mana: 358

Stamina: Unlimited

[Level: 9/10

EXP: 10/300

Stats:

STR: 20

INT: 40

VIT: 11

AGI: 22

DEX: 34

LUK: 0]

I looked at my stats and can't help but shake my head in disappointment, that's why I don't like games that don't let you custom your stats, except for unusually high STR despite my caster nature, my stats is pretty lopsided with no physical to magical balance at all.

Well, I won't complain though, this is just how I am built in this new world I guess, and a little hard work will surely fill in that gap to a certain extent, and, it seems like I am just a level away from evolving huh?

Will I also be enshrouded in a cocoon if I evolved? Well, that's a very fun thing to find out, right?

As I was thinking about those things, I suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Kabuto, how is the matter about monster settlements that I am asking you going?"

Kabuto looked at me with his confidence back, he said with a puffed chest.

"Master, I have forgotten, but about that, I have located a goblin village of about 800 in population, it has a leader but he is finding his daughter as per the gossip in their streets."

I almost jumped out in joy as I hear the report of my Subordinate, I plan that I will have undead in the vicinity of my resource point to look for it and have them hunt monsters so that they can level up continuously whilst also safeguarding their post (and giving me freebies too), and that where those settlements will enter.

I want to kill all of the people inside that village those orcs will suffice but because Kabuto has to slaughter them alone, I got to settle with goblins, well, not like I can't make it so that they will become strong, for I swear that those goblins will be strong enough to take on the world in the future.

But here comes a problem, how do I slaughter all of them without one or two leaking information to their allies, I mean if they are intelligent enough to have settlements, then that means they are wise enough to make some sort of alliance right?

And I am not confident enough to say that I can take on the whole goblin community of this forest...

[Guide], any ideas?

[Master, no need to fret about the matter for you see, the goblins having a leader, means that the leader is the main brain of the village, thus killing the leader means also gaining, by force, the loyalty of the goblins.

After all, in this world, the strong eat the weak and the weak served the strong.]

Oh, I see, I guess that's one worry out.

I thought so while tapping the leg of Kabuto.

"Good Job, my servant."

______

Note: I updated the math a bit, if it doesn't make sense, well I just invented it so it should be fine. Anyway, that is because I committed an honest mistake about the first formula.

Please feel free to tell any mistake you see, either math or anything you can find so that I can correct it. Thank you