World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 111: Annoyed

The clearing was silent after the Great Root was healed, but everyone was just staring at the dead body on the ground. Fena was watching Nox, her expression clearly pissed but she couldn’t do anything because of his power and the mark on his hand, while the other elves looked scared.

Nox just stood there with a satisfied smile, happy about his new levels.

Serian finally walked over to him, her steps unsteady and her body trembling because the murder reminded her of when she had killed Lola’s sister.

"Why? Why did you have to do that, Nox? She was helpless, she was a prisoner."

’Here we go again with the ’why’ questions.’

"She threatened you, and threats need to be eliminated, so I eliminated her."

"That is not an answer, that is an excuse for murder! We are not murderers, Nox, we are supposed to be better than them!"

’Better than them? What does that even mean? Being ’better’ is what gets you killed.’

"Being better is a weakness, and it’s what got your god-tree corrupted in the first place, so maybe you should try being a little less ’better’."

Her face fell with hurt and disappointment, taking a step back from him.

’Changing? Why would I change? This is who I am.’

"I am changing, I’m getting stronger."

He turned away from her because he did not like her disappointed expression, and pulled up his status screen to look at his new rewards. He had 215 stat points to spend, which was a huge amount.

’Okay, what to spend this on? I’ve got 215 points. I was gassed out after that spike attack and the toad fight, so I definitely need more stamina. Strength and Endurance are still key for hitting hard and not dying, and Perception is always good.’

’I can’t just dump everything into hitting power, being able to fight for more than thirty seconds is more important.’

He put seventy-five points into Strength and another seventy-five into Endurance to boost his core brawling stats, then he dumped a solid fifty points into Stamina so he wouldn’t pass out after one big move, and the final fifteen went into Perception. His body felt stronger and more solid, and he felt like he could fight all day now.

Fena finally walked over with Mela right behind her, and looked from Nox to Serian’s upset face, and then to the dead body.

"What is done is done, the human’s methods are brutal, but the Great Root is cleansed." She turned her full attention to Nox. "You have fulfilled your promise, human, and the Ashen Elves are in your debt."

"I don’t care about your debt, I just want the mission rewards." ’And the EXP from killing all of you if you get in my way.’

"The mission? What mission?"

"I am just kidding, I want the rewards you promised me for fixing your tree."

Her eyes narrowed a little, but she just nodded. "Of course, you will be rewarded." She looked at Serian, then back at him. "You wished to leave this forest, and we will now guide you to the northern edge, but first, you must rest. You have expended a great deal of energy."

"I’m fine, let’s go now."

Serian finally spoke again. "No, we will rest, you are not the only one who is tired." She was still looking at him with that same disappointed expression, and it made that weird feeling in his chest come back.

He just grunted and didn’t argue, because arguing was a waste of time. ’Whatever, a nap sounds good anyway.’

Fena led them away from the clearing, leaving some of her warriors to deal with Lola’s body, and as they walked, he could feel Serian’s eyes on him the whole time, but he refused to look back at her.

This whole ’feelings’ thing was just getting in the way of the important stuff, like getting stronger.

They were led back to the same small house they had been kept in, and the door was left open this time, a silent acknowledgment that they were no longer prisoners. Nox went straight to his blanket and sat down, while Serian just stood by the door, her arms wrapped around herself.

The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, until she finally broke it.

"I don’t understand you."

’Oh, here we go again.’

"There is nothing to understand, I did what had to be done."

"No," she turned to face him, her eyes full of a pained confusion, "what you did was murder a helpless person, and you did it without even hesitating, you enjoyed it."

"She threatened to kill you, and I wasn’t going to wait around for her to get a second chance, so yeah, I ended the threat, it’s that simple."

"It is not simple! There is a difference between defending yourself in a fight and executing a prisoner! What you did was monstrous."

’Monstrous? Maybe. But I’m still alive, and so is she. That’s all that matters.’

He finally looked at her, his expression cold. "Your ’better’ way, your ’honor’, is what got your family killed, it’s what got your entire home destroyed, so don’t you dare lecture me about what works."

The words hit her like a physical blow, and he saw her flinch, her face going pale as the old wound was ripped open again. He felt a small, sharp pang of something he didn’t want to name, but he pushed it down.

’She needs to understand. This is the real world.’

She just stared at him, her disappointment so clear it was like a third person in the room. "You are just like them," she whispered, her voice barely a sound, "the people who hurt you, the ones who only believe in power, you have become just like them."

Before he could come up with a response to that, a shadow fell over the doorway, and Fena stepped inside, Mela right behind her. Fena was holding a small, intricately carved wooden box.

"I told you that you would be rewarded," she said, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. She walked over and placed the box on the floor in front of him. "This is a gift from the Ashen Elves, a token of our gratitude for saving the Great Root."

He looked at the box, then back at Fena. ’A gift? Cool, more loot.’

Serian didn’t even look at the box, her gaze was still fixed on Nox, her expression full of a sadness that made him feel incredibly annoyed.

"I have also prepared supplies for your journey north," she continued, ignoring the emotional drama happening in front of her. "Food, water, and maps of the northern territories, they will be ready for you by morning." She looked at Serian, her expression softening just a little. "Your Highness, we have also prepared a room for you in the Elder’s lodge, a place more befitting your station."

Serian shook her head without looking away from Nox. "No, thank you, Elder, I will remain here."

’What? Why would she want to stay in this crappy hut with me when she could have a nice room?’

Fena just nodded, accepting her decision without question. "As you wish, Your Highness." She gave Nox one last, long look, then turned and left, Mela following her out and closing the door behind them.

Nox stared at the box, then at Serian who was clearly upset. He did not know what to say to her, and he was not going to apologize, so he just picked up the box and opened it.

’Might as well see what the prize is. A new weapon would be cool.’

Inside the box was a simple amulet made of light-colored wood shaped like a leaf, and it had a small, glowing green gem in the center.

’An amulet? Lame. I was hoping for something cooler.’ He focused on it anyway. ’Void Gaze.’

[Heartwood Amulet (Rare)]

[Description: An amulet carved from a branch of a healthy Great Root. It pulses with the pure life energy of the forest.]

[Effect: +10 Endurance. Passive: Slowly regenerates the wearer’s stamina and health outside of combat. The effect is amplified in a healthy forest environment.]

’Health and stamina regen? That’s actually pretty useful.’ It was a good item, so he looked over at Serian and held it up.

"Look at this. Pretty cool, right? Free loot."

She finally looked at the amulet in his hand, but her expression was still sad.

"It is beautiful, but it was earned through a dark deed."

’Seriously? She’s still hung up on that?’

He felt angry because she was ruining the moment for him. "I saved their entire forest, and you’re mad because I killed one person who was trying to kill you, so make up your mind." freewebnøvel_com

"It is not about the outcome, it is about the choice," she said, her voice was quiet but firm, "You had a choice, and you chose to be cruel when you did not have to be."

"Cruelty is efficient," he shot back while he put the new amulet on. "It gets the job done."

"The people who destroyed my home, the ones who served Gorok, they all believed that," she sounded very sad which made him feel uncomfortable. "They believed that power and efficiency were all that mattered, and they burned the world for it. I thought you were different, I hoped you were."

’Why does everyone want me to be different?.’

"Well, maybe you were wrong about me," he said, and did not look at her when he said it. He just lay down on his blanket and turned his back to her, because he was done with the conversation.

He heard her sigh quietly, and then the room was silent again. He expected to feel satisfied because he completed the mission and got a new level, but instead he just felt annoyed because he knew she was still upset.

’Fucking hell, should i just give on the mission?’

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