webnovel Chapter 216: Bound By Blood! [Part 2]
Chapter 216: Bound By Blood! [Part 2]
"Are you alright, Great Chieftain?" Kael asked as he helped support the young man’s body.
"Hah... I’m... fine." Leone panted for breath. "Don’t... worry."
Earlier, his body was burning hot, making him feel as if the very blood that flowed in his veins were boiling. This was something he felt for the very first time in his life, and frankly, it wasn’t a very good experience.
Leone felt great pain, especially around his heart, which was forced to endure the load of the changes that suddenly washed over his body.
Due to the extreme pain he had felt earlier, he didn’t have the time to read the rows of text that appeared in front of him.
But now that he had regained some of his composure, he looked at the notifications he received and tried to read their contents.
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< Congratulations! You have unlocked a Hidden Achievement called Bound By Blood! >
< Congratulations! You have sworn brotherhood with Logan of the Ravage Tribe! >
< You have gained the skill, Brotherhood [EX]. >
< You have gained the skill, Regeneration [EX]. >
< Your skill, Master Bluffer [EX], has reached Max Level! >
< Your skill, Heroic Aura [EX], has reached Max Level! >
< Bonus Reward >
— Leone Frontera’s Strength and Vitality stat has been increased by 50 points!
— You gained 200 Rare Mount Tickets (Rank 3 Orc Exclusive Mounts Only).
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Regeneration [EX]
— A superior passive regeneration skill that greatly accelerates the user’s natural healing abilities. Wounds, broken bones, and damaged organs recover at an extraordinary rate.
— The greater the user’s Vitality, the stronger the effect.
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Signature Ability: Master Bluffer [EX]
— Has a 40% Chance to bluff his way out of everything!
— Chances of successful diplomacy are increased by 30%.
— Increases all stats by 500% when fighting against con artists, scammers, bluffers, and tricksters trying to separate grandmothers from their pensions.
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Unique Class Ability: Heroic Aura [EX] - [Max Level]
— A passive aura buff with a range of two miles. Can be toggled on or off.
— Increases Attack and Defense of all allies by 30%.
— Increases Health, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration of all allies by 30%.
— Increases the success rate of diplomacy by 20%. This skill stacks with Master Bluffer [EX].
— All buffs stack with Leone’s Territory Skill, Call To Arms!
— All buffs stack with Leone’s Territory Flag Buffs.
————
Leone couldn’t believe his eyes.
Not only did he gain a new skill, but his Signature and Unique Class Abilities also got fully upgraded to their max level.
The boost in the range of the Heroic Aura [EX] skill was perfect for large-scale battles due to its wide area of effect.
On top of that, he gained an additional 50 points to his Strength and Vitality. He had been wishing to get stat points the most because his stats were very pitiful!
Although his stats were still nowhere comparable to his vassals, Leone was happy because it was at least better than before.
The only thing he found regrettable was the fact that the Rare Mount Tickets were only exclusive to Orcs, and they were all Rank 3 Mounts!
What happened to fairness?!
Is this some kind of discrimination?
Fortunately, the surprises didn’t end there. Another notification popped up in front of him, telling him some good news that made him almost laugh out loud.
Perhaps someone heard his complaints earlier, so they decided to throw him a freebie as compensation.
————
< Congratulations! You have completed your 1st Territory Mission! >
[Territory Mission 1]
[Requirements to upgrade to Rank 3: 1/10]
[First Mission: 300 Spartans (Completed!)]
[Mission Objectives]
— Raise 300 Elite Warriors
— All Elite Warriors must have a total Stat Parameter of 300.
— Current number of Elite Warriors [893/300]
[Rewards]
— You have gained 50,000 BP
[Bonus Rewards]
— All Allies gain +10 to All Stats!
— Leone Frontera gains +5 to All Stats!
— You have gained 3 Super Rare Blueprint Tickets.
— You have gained 200 Uncommon Mount Tickets (Rank 2)
— The limit of your Vassal Slots has increased to 15 (Current Vassal Count: 8/15).
[Aslan Tribe Unique Reward Unlocked!]
— You may now assign someone as the Guardian of the Aslan Tribe.
— Not all Guardians are equal. If you make the right choice, the Guardian will receive an awakening. If not, then the Guardian will only gain a slight boost to their current strength.
— You can only assign one Guardian, so choose wisely.
————
Without a moment of hesitation, Leone opened his Status Page to see the stats he had gained with a big smile on his face.
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[Leone Frontera]
Race: Human
Unique Class: Hero King
Strength: 91
Agility: 40
Dexterity: 41
Vitality: 95
Intelligence: 65
————
’Now we’re talking!’ Leone smiled from ear to ear after seeing that his stats had gained a massive upgrade.
Hassan, who was hiding in Leone’s shadow, suddenly felt himself grow stronger as well.
Although he wasn’t part of the Aslan Tribe, he had been recognized as one of Leone’s allies, so he got to receive this unexpected boon.
While Leone was celebrating his increase in stats, a commotion took place outside the fortress.
The ripple of power that had expanded from the young man had traveled across his domain, triggering the sudden increase in the stats of the Aslan and the Ravage Tribe. Some of them were interacting with many powerful warriors from the different tribes, who easily noticed their changes.
The high-ranking chieftains were at the middle stages of Rank 4, which meant they were as powerful as Hassan. As for their elite bodyguards, most were at the peak of Rank 3 and were powerful warriors in their own right.
Last but not least, they had their special forces. These few powerhouses were meant to protect their chieftains from threats that the elite guards would not be able to handle. And all of them were Rank 4. Just like their chieftains, they were as strong as Hassan and were the trump cards of their respective tribes.
The Grimhowl, Warclaw, and Sandreaver Tribe only had a handful of them. Still, they were a force to reckon with.
With their strength and perception, they immediately sensed it when the warriors around them suddenly grew stronger after the ripple of power expanded from within the fortress.
"Excuse me. Do you know what just happened?" Hagen approached one of the guards of the Aslan Tribe who was standing a few meters away from him. "I could have sworn I felt something earlier."
"I’m sorry, but I also don’t know what happened," the warrior replied.
Of course, this was a lie.
And Hagen knew that the warrior in front of him was lying. However, thinking this was one of the Aslan Tribe’s secrets, he decided to try one more time to gather information.
"Is that something that happens regularly here?" Hagen asked with a smile.
The warrior lowered his head and looked at his own feet. Clearly, he didn’t want to answer this question.
The other warriors of the Aslan Tribe that had been selected to guard the villas were ordered not to share any confidential information with their guests, so they decided not to answer Hagen’s questions.
Seeing that he wouldn’t be getting any more answers from the guard, he decided to back down and no longer bother him.
"Thank you, and sorry for bothering you." Hagen patted the warrior’s shoulder before going back to his seat.
"Looks like you’re not as popular as you think." Malik smiled faintly before drinking the mug of tea that had been served to him.
Hagen shrugged, making it seem like he didn’t care. But deep inside, he did care and was very eager to know what had happened just now.
It had only been a day since he arrived at the Aslan Tribe, and yet, many surprising things had already happened around him.
He gave himself a pat on the back for personally coming here because he became curious as to why Gundar favored Leone.
If he hadn’t seen the Orcs nor witnessed Brann’s vassalship ceremony, then he might have dismissed the reports of his sons and his warriors after they returned from visiting the Aslan Tribe.
Why?
Because if they reported what he had seen during his stay, he would find it hard to believe them.
It defied logic and basic common sense.
And yet, if he only tossed his logic and common sense to the side, then everything would make sense.
It would make sense how a fortress was carved out of Grimjaw Mountain in less than a month.
It would make sense why the warriors of the Aslan Tribe suddenly became stronger just by simply guarding them.
It would make sense why Gundar favored Leone so much.
Hagen had come because he refused to toss aside his logic and common sense. He believed that there was a proper explanation for everything.
"Hey. You planned to have a private talk with Leone later, right?" Hagen asked. "Can I join?"
"Now... it wouldn’t become a private talk if you’re also there, right?" Malik smiled wryly. "How about you ask if you could talk to him in private yourself? I’m sure that he will accept your invitation."
"Will he?" Hagen looked very doubtful. "I can sense that he doesn’t like me."
"Well, whose fault is it? Who did not act like a proper ally?" Malik smirked. "Did you notice? The members of the Aslan Tribe also don’t have a good impression of your tribe. Maybe they felt betrayed because their first ally didn’t treat them as one."
Hagen wanted to say that he would have taken this alliance seriously if Gundar had properly explained things to him.
Even now, if Hagen wished, he could put a stop to the war by telling the Darkmane Tribe to stand down.
The Grimhowl Tribe had enough means to do that. However, Leone had insisted on accepting this war without help.
Hagen understood that the young chieftain wished to prove to everyone that the Aslan Tribe was strong enough to defeat a high-ranking tribe.
Leone wanted to make everyone know, especially the high-ranking tribes, that they couldn’t look down on and trample on his tribe without any consequences.
"Well, look at the bright side." Malik smiled faintly. "At least, the Grimhowl Tribe and the Aslan Tribe are not enemies. I’m sure that once the war between them and the Darkmane Tribe ends, they will no longer have a reason to hold a grudge against your tribe."
"Do you really believe that?" Hagen inquired.
"You have Gundar," Malik replied. "Didn’t he call him his great uncle? Since the great shaman and your tribe are joined on the hips, Leone will not want to form any antagonistic relationship with you. Aren’t you lucky?"
There was a tinge of sarcasm in Malik’s voice. He had planned to have a private talk with Leone to form a partnership with him.
A partnership that would make the Aslan Tribe have a good impression of them, paving a path for cooperation and collaboration between both tribes.