Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 67 - Full Squad

An hour gave Lumi time to prepare properly.

First off, he checked his current stats and skills. It had been a while since he’s done a complete check-up on himself. While it wasn’t entirely necessary to do so, he wanted to review his current status.

[Lumi]

[Level: 20]

[HP - 559]

[MP - 853]

[Int - 201]

[Str - 60]

[Dex - 60]

[Allstat +10%]

[Attack Power - 5]

[Magic Attack - 53]

[Defense - 455]

[Elemental Resistance +20]

More importantly, he checked on his skills.

Since he was level 20, it meant he had received 33 skill points so far. 3 per level, including level ten itself.

[Light Shower: 20/20]

[Light Leap: 1/10]

[Light Shift: 1/10]

[Light Affinity: 1/2]

[Magic Guard: 10/10]

At some point, he had put skill points into Magic Guard. The answer was simple. Any magician without Magic Guard wasn’t real.

Why? Simple.

[Magic Guard: 10/10]

[Transfers some damage received to MP instead. Also permanently increases Defense.]

[85% of damage affects MP instead of HP. If your MP reaches 0, your HP takes full damage. Defense: +150]

It was an active skill, which you turned on and off at will. Typically, every mage would opt to keep it on, because why would you ever turn it off?

He supposed it took concentration to keep on, but any mage worth their salt would find it a non-issue. It was the primary defensive means of any magician.

Lumi shook his head, and returned to thinking about his preparation.

He could ask Azir for supplies, but it was completely unnecessary. He wasn’t so poor that he needed others to supply him with basic health and mana potions. Lumi visited the various shops, unloading his golem drops, stocking up on potions, food, and some other miscellaneous goods.

His last stop was the palace library, where he bought a copy of a map of Mora. Mora was just a small island, even Herene didn’t keep many detailed maps of it. He had to pay extra for a copy to be made, since there weren’t even any spare copies to be sold.

Lumi scanned the map, mentally referencing it against his memories. He wasn’t involved in any of this in his past life, but he was told about it. Allegedly, according to Rena the ’Axe of Justice’ herself, the only hero that directly died in the confrontation with the Dark One was Phoenix Master Henry. The rest, while injured, never had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Which begged the question.

Where are they?

The six of them all disappeared after they fought and sealed the Dark One. So if only one died, where did the others go?

Even Rena expressed confusion at such a conundrum. She explained her own unique circumstances, that she was cursed by the Dark One before his sealing. This curse froze her in deep ice, slowly zapping her powers.

Even more confusing still, she wasn’t the only one that made a reappearance. There were bits and pieces about the other ancient heroes, too.

But why?

Lumi mentally reviewed all the information he knew. There was no reason for them all to be making a reappearance around this time, unless...

Either:

A. In some way or another, they are in control of their situation, and chose to reappear. But that doesn’t make sense, or they’d have come back long ago.

B. The world has some sort of fate, and they are fated to come back to fight the Dark One again. However, I don’t know how much trust I’d put in an ethereal force like fate, which may not even exist.

C. The Dark One’s seal weakening and later breaking directly influenced their return. Perhaps whatever curse or binds are upon them is tied to the seal upon the Dark One. This would also explain why Rena made it out first, given that she was the only one that I know of which had an outside influence assisting her escape.

Lumi let out a breath, and straightened his back. Regardless of the situation, his mission didn’t change. He set out to the sky docks. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The sky docks were on Herene’s eastern edge, a massive complex of platforms and hangars where the Empire’s aerial fleet was maintained. The sight would impress even the most experienced adventurer. It held dozens of ships, ranging from small scouts to massive war vessels, all floating in defiance of physics.

Every single vessel was opulent, designed with care, precision, and quality. It was clear there were standards, with every vessel sharing similar designs.

His assigned vessel was modest, a transport designed for small unit deployment.

It was fast and maneuverable, but not heavily armed. It was perfect for his needs. The ’Silver Wind’according to the nameplate, though someone had added ’Ice Dancer’ in smaller letters below.

A nickname affectionately given by a previous crew, clearly. Given that it hadn’t been removed, there must be some significance to the events behind it.

The team Azir had assigned to him was already assembled near the gate.

They were five knights in distinctive armor, each radiating the quiet competence of elite fighters. While each one’s outfit clearly communicated that they were from Herene, each one held a completely different style. Which made sense, given that they were all different classes. They stood in a loose semicircle, clearly having been discussing something before his arrival.

Lumi gave them a quick scan with the system.

[Valeria: Level - ??]

[Marcus: Level - 53]

[Zara: Level - 51]

[Jin: Level - 48]

[Elara: Level - 49]

The Eclipse Knight stepped forward first. She was a woman in armor that shifted between silver and black depending on the angle. The effect was disorienting, making it hard to focus on her directly. "Sir Lumi? I’m Captain Valeria, Second Rank Eclipse Knight. I lead this team of five. You are now our leader."

Her voice carried the authority of someone used to command, but without the arrogance that sometimes came with rank. Lumi inclined his head respectfully. "A pleasure, Captain."

Yet internally, he narrowed his eyes.

She’s not second rank. Why would she lie about this?