Rael hummed in excitement as he was nearly back at Celestara—only a few kilometers remained.
The forest was dense, but there was a little pathway for merchants—basically the only clean path going in and out of Celestara.
Nonetheless, he had taken a small nap, and now it was time to look at a few changes, one of which was the perk he had chosen a few days ago.
It was delayed by a day, and the choices appeared around the same time his 5-day hellish training started.
He wasn't dissatisfied with his pick, since out of the three options, only one was a clear winner.
Premium Dungeon [Special-Unique]
—Create a customizable dungeon that can generate resources, loot, or enemies. All upgrades are currency-based.
It was an insane perk, and now, he could actually start to create a dungeon for himself.
Still, it was a pity...
He could create multiple, sure, but only one of his custom dungeons could be active—which meant he wouldn't get anything from the others.
I'll create one after I'm done with the main quest... Rael thought as he looked back at the spar earlier.
Perfect Notes gave him 50 Experience, and the True Notes gave him 500.
They were far more powerful, but at the same time, they required a lot of focus to perform.
Also, his stats were through the roof now.
Name: Rael Sutekh, The Platinum Overlord [+]
Race: Celestite Archon (Legendary) [+]
Boss Monster Variation: The Pay-to-Win Boss [Vice-General Class]
Experience: 11,340/79,753
•—Balance: 616,822 Trell—•
Health Points (HP): [460,600/460,600] → [659,000/659,000]
Mana Points (MP): [1,761,200/1,761,200] (+1,100,000) → [1,959,600/1,959,600] (+1,100,000)
Strength: 1,128 (+398) → 1,500 (+770)
Agility: 1,098 (+398) → 1,470 (+770)
Constitution: 2,303 (+1,107) → 3,295 (+2,099)
Intelligence: 3,306 (+1,376) → 4,298 (+2,368)
Wisdom: 1,673 (+1,358) → 2,045 (+1,730)
Spell Power (SP): 9,918 → 14,630 (+1,736)
Attack Power (AP): 3,384 → 6,236 (+1,736)
Movement Speed Increase: 549% → 735%
Critical Hit Damage Increase: 88.65% (+5%) → 107.25% (+5%)
+100% Increased Crystal-based Attack Damage
+35% Resistance to all types of Magic Damage
-10% Reduced Physical Damage Dealt
Aside from that, his plans were simple now.
He would return to Celestara, pawn off all the work to Zafira, and then do his main quest.
I just hope she does it fast... I want to recruit those dwarves already, Rael thought with a greedy look.
Finally, he could see an opening in the trees—and with that, a massive crater where Celestara was situated.
"It doesn't look as bad as I imagined," Aria remarked. "But it could use smoother roads. I can't say this was a pleasant journey."
Linlin tilted her head. "But His Majesty slept like a baby? Don't you think you're just being picky?"
Aria scoffed. "Not at all. I just don't enjoy having a sore bottom after a long ride."
"You mean your ass? Yeah, I can relate," Linlin chuckled, earning a glare from Aria.
"I told you to stop being so crass..."
"Am I interrupting something?" Rael asked, puzzled.
These two sure did get close while I slept.
"Not at all. Greetings, King of Ce—"
"Just call me Rael," he cut Aria off.
"Rael," Aria corrected herself. "I'd like to apologize again. I reacted unbecoming the last time we saw each other."
"Don't worry about it. If my parents sent me off somewhere, I'd be pissed too," Rael chuckled. "I'll talk to Zafira about you, since it would be in everyone's best interests if the agreement goes through."
"I'm glad, but my father has specifically told me to follow you around... if that won't be an issue," Aria said with a slight fidget.
"Hmm... you can start following me in a few days. Right now, I'm going to be busy with other stuff, so I won't be around much," Rael replied.
Soon, they entered the elevator and headed down, then made their way into Celestara.
It was as lively as he remembered.
In fact, it might be slightly livelier.
—Oi! Prick, didn't you fucking swear you were not going to kill steal?
—Man, I didn't kill steal shit. You died at the last moment, so I had to finish the mob off!
—Guards! Two naked men near the apple stand! Get their ass!
These players sure make everything chaotic, Rael thought, as nostalgia began kicking in.
He'd visit his shop later—first, he had to head to the palace.
There was a lot of noise, and he was sure that by now, most of these players had realized that the Sutekh surname belonged to the royals.
I'm definitely going to have an annoying ass time back at the boutique... he let out a sigh as he looked through the window, all the while, Linlin and Aria were chatting with each other.
Finally, he arrived, and Zafira seemed to have stepped out personally to greet him.
Rael took a deep breath, corrected his posture, and stepped out of the carriage before heading for Zafira.
Her words were cut off when, all of a sudden, Rael embraced her in a big hug.
"I missed you too, my lovely Zafira," Rael said softly.
"..." Zafira didn't know how to react, so with trembling hands, she hugged him back.
Their hug lasted a few seconds—enough to prove that they were actually married.
Nonetheless, they separated, and Zafira glanced at the new girl, Aria.
But from the looks of things, she already knew her.
"Aria Virelorn, I take it? It's a pleasure to meet you. But what's the occasion?"
"Um...?" Aria tilted her head. "Did His Majesty not tell you about the agreement?"
"The agreement?" Zafira's eyes narrowed as she turned to Rael. "What does she mean by this agreement?"
Rael chuckled. "There's a lot I have to tell you, and there are a few people I'd like to introduce you to as well."
The moment his words fell, Rael glanced at one of the guards, who immediately let out a sigh before approaching.
"It seems my disguise can't get past you, even when I'm wearing armor," Zareth grumbled.
"Naturally," Rael replied smugly and waved his hand toward the palace.
"I believe we should take this talk inside."