nagpurpolice Chapter 30 The Corruption of the Shadow Curse
Chapter 30 The Corruption of the Shadow Curse
Faced with the wolf's sudden attack, the old man focused his attention again. He did not panic at all, but skillfully took the longbow off his back, took out three arrows from the quiver, nocked them, and pulled back and released them.
The bowstring snapped, and three arrows flew out, leaving three afterimages in the air before piercing the throats of three wild wolves that were pouncing in mid-air.
At this moment, the other two wolves were already close by.
With no time to draw his bow and nock an arrow, the old man immediately rolled to the ground, and the two wolves missed their target.
Immediately, the old man kicked the mud.
Sand and stones flew up, blinding the two wolves.
The old man bent down, lowered his center of gravity, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and with a sudden push of his legs, he lunged forward, piercing the head of one of the wolves with his sword.
As he drew his sword, another wolf pounced on him.
The old man rolled on the ground again, and at the same time aimed at the wolf's belly, slashing it hard with his blood-stained short sword.
The wolf's belly immediately opened up, and blood and internal organs poured out.
The old man stood up from the ground, his face covered in dust, and dirt fell from his body.
He panted, glanced at the wolf carcass lying on the ground, took out a piece of coarse cloth from his bundle, wiped the blood off his short sword, and then put it back into the scabbard at his waist.
At this moment, the old man turned his head again and looked at Thea.
Ronan used the [Training Birds] command to give the owl bear a speed boost, and it rushed toward the old man.
"Grandpa Kohler!"
As the bear drew closer, Thea finally confirmed that the old man was her neighbor Kohler, and shouted.
Old Kohler looked Thea over and, seeing that she was safe and sound, breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he looked at Ronan and his group.
He saw Thea riding an owl bear and knew it was a druid's trick. He thought Thea was really lucky to have found the druid camp safely and received the druid's help.
He couldn't help but feel grateful to the forest goddess, Melika.
Because he used to wander in the Cloak Forest for many years, he always worshipped the forest goddess Melika.
As Thea got closer, she saw the claw marks on Old Kohler's leather armor. Her heart ached, and she was about to complain about why Old Kohler had risked his life to come here. But then she remembered that it was because she had stolen the map that Old Kohler was worried about her and that's why he came.
Unable to speak, she could only jump off the bear, hug old Kohler, and weep bitterly, apologizing repeatedly.
Old Kohler patted Thea's head and greeted Ronan and the others.
Thea left Old Kohler's chest, wiped away her tears, and began to introduce Ronan and the others, briefly recounting her experiences with them.
Upon hearing that Ronan and the others had rescued Thea from Owl Bear's men, Old Kohler was filled with gratitude.
At that moment, information appeared in Ronan's mind.
Old Kohler is very grateful to you for saving Thea's life without expecting anything in return. You have received 300 XP.
[Experience Points: 4335 XP/6500 XP]
Ronan never expected that the heartfelt gratitude of others would give him experience points.
That is to say, the source of helping others' experience points is the gratitude others feel towards you.
After expressing his gratitude, Old Kohler and his group continued their journey.
Zane cast a sprinting spell on everyone, and it took them three hours to get out of the Cloak Forest.
They continued on their way to Sedge Town without stopping.
Sedge Town is located east of the town of Friendly Arm, and with their brisk pace, they arrived there quickly.
Considering that bringing the Owl Bear into the town would cause panic among the residents, Ronan had no choice but to stop using [Trapping Birds] and release the Owl Bear from control.
To everyone's surprise, their time spent with the owl-bear these past few days has actually tamed it.
Ronan waved for Owl Bear to leave, but Owl Bear stared at Ronan longingly and refused to go.
The Owl Bear is a formidable fighter, and having it by Ronan's side at this stage would be a significant asset.
However, the guardians of Baldur's Gate—the Flamefist Mercenaries—would not allow this large monster to enter.
Of course, if he were a high-ranking official in the Upper District, that would be a different story.
However, even if it could be brought into Baldur's Gate, the Owlbear is such a large creature that keeping it would definitely consume a lot of resources.
He himself is penniless now, how could he afford to keep such a big pet?
So he used the [Gathering Beasts] skill to communicate with the Owl Bear in the Owl Bear Language. After learning where the Owl Bear was hiding in the camp, he made a promise with the Owl Bear that he would definitely look for it again when he went to the Cloak Forest in the future.
Upon hearing this, the bear lowered its head and walked away reluctantly.
Upon entering the town, Thea hurriedly led everyone to her home.
Zane examined Thea's father's illness and told Thea that his diagnosis with Elder Reynolds at the camp was correct, and that the disease was not difficult to cure.
He then took out several bags of herbs from the druid camp from his dimensional bag, handed them to old Kohler, and explained how to use them.
Old Kohler was an experienced adventurer and must have experience in potion making. Zane thought that Old Kohler would be able to understand him quickly.
Sure enough, old Kohler understood immediately and quickly wrote it down.
After accepting the herbs, the old man and Thea thanked Ronan and the others again.
The message reappeared in Ronan's mind.
[Thea's father has been rescued, and Old Kohler and Thea are very grateful to you. You have gained 500 XP.]
[Experience Points: 4835 XP/6500 XP]
At this moment, Zane looked at old Kohler, his lips moving slightly, as if he wanted to ask something.
Old Kohler noticed Zane's expression and asked, "Sir, is there something you'd like to say?"
Zane asked, "Sir, have you ever entered the Cursed Lands of Shadows?"
Old Kohler smiled bitterly: "Yes, more than ten years ago, I overestimated myself and went in once in order to make money. As a result, I didn't complete the mission and my body was also infected with the Shadow Curse."
"I spent a lot of money, even consulted a pastor, but it couldn't be cured. Later, my health deteriorated day by day, and I had no choice but to retire."
"In the past, I could easily take on several owl bears, but now, as you can see, I'm struggling even when surrounded by wolves."
Ronan knew that what old Kohler said was not a lie.
He had seen Old Kohler's stats; he was a level 7 rogue, higher than Elder Reynolds. No wonder Elder Reynolds had such a strong impression of Old Kohler.
Thief is a sub-class of wanderer; thief, treasure hunter, and explorer are almost all sub-classes.
However, Old Kohler's stats are very low, like a professional who has just entered the professional field. It seems that his body has been corrupted by the Shadow Curse.
Zane said, "We are researching ways to remove the Shadow Curse from people. If you have time, you might as well come to the camp for a visit. Maybe we can help you get rid of the Shadow Curse."
"Moreover, Elder Reynolds misses you very much."
Old Kohler said, "I would love to catch up with old friends, but my health prevents me from even entering the Cloak Forest."
Zane said, "Old sir, it's wonderful that you're willing. I will send word back to the camp that you've been cursed, and then a druid will come to fetch you."