HC:Pacifist | Ch. 104 - Telepathy (Patreon)

Roth was at it for 18 hours. Without Soro's help, he wouldn't have been able to learn the language so quickly. He finally got the notification that he had worked so hard for.

Congratulations! You have learned Telepathy.

+100 reputation with the flock.

You're now friends with the flock.

You've unlocked a new title: [Mindfulness].

Mindfulness (Rare)

Title description: You have exercised your brain in such a manner that it becomes not only a world within, but a hand to reach the universe outside.

Title effects:

+ 2 intelligence;

Unlocks new stat insight.

New status unlocked: [Insight].

You have learned to see not only with your eyes but with your mind. You glean more information from examining things.

It's more difficult to fool you with disguises or subterfuge.

With this, Roth now had four bonus stats under his belt. Considering that he started the game with only four primary stats, that, in effect, meant he had doubled his stats!

Besides strength, dexterity, intelligence, and wisdom, he also had endurance, charisma, resilience, and insight. After learning [Camouflage] and getting his hands on his [Witness Protection Mask], he appreciated how important it was to see through disguises.

Thinking about the possible effects of insight jogged his memory. He recalled that one of the stats that enhanced [Search] had been blurred out. Could it be...

Search (Epic)

Skill description: By focusing your senses to exhaustion, your subconscious is activated, and you can feel where a secret room is.

Skill effects:

Active. Locate hidden doors or passages in a 13-meter radius.

Radius scales with wisdom and insight.

Cooldown: 10 hours.

Restrictions: Lvl. 10.

It was as he had thought! Learning a skill like [Search] had been game-changing. Perhaps with insight, he could find even more hidden chambers, which would go along well with his [Pioneer] and [Explorer] titles. Spending all this time amid the flock of sheep had been worth it.

Thanks to the [Inner Light] bonus that granted +10 to all stats and his [Kind Hearted] bonus that gave +1 to all stats, he had instantly jumped from having no insight to having 11! Unfortunately, although the Toxicologist set granted him more cooldown reduction, he had lost the [Woodland Set] effect that gave +1 to all stats. He checked his stats.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Pax

Class: Pacifist

Race: Zoomorph

Profession(s): Broker, Lvl. 10

Level: 22

Affinity: Light (134/300); Nature (1/100)

Alignment: Good (294/300)

Positive relationships:

Badgers (1245/3000); Boars (1313/3000); Corvids (1311/1000); Cyborg Union (1100/3000); Dogs (102/300); Dwarf Exiles (105/300); Flock (125/300); Foxes (1310/3000); Golden Mountain Inc. (864/1000); Greenleaf Inc. (332/1000); Hilsford Garrison Soldiers (103/300); Peace Corps (100/300); Ratans (3251/10,000); Silkworms (10/100); Snakes (1013/3000); Treeants (400/1000)

Negative relationships:

Gazpachos (-1400/-3000); Thadeus (-10/100)

Titles: [Adored]; [Alpinist]; [Art Enthusiast]; [Darksbane]; [Discoverer of Species]; [Explorer]; [First of a Kind]; [Jumper]; [Martyr]; [Marathonist]; [Micromanagement]; [Mindfulness]; [Novice]; [Overachiever]; [Pioneer]; [Polyglot]; [Richling]; [Triathlete]

STATS (64 Free Stat Points)

Hp: 219

Energy: 279

Damage Reduction: 39.6%

Status Resistance: 3.4%

Cooldown Reduction: 11%

Running Speed: 125.4%

Weight: [Light] - (21.4/109 kg)

Strength: 54

Dexterity: 53

Intelligence: 64 (+1%)

Wisdom: 67

Endurance: 237

Charisma: 69 (+5%)

Resilience: 17

Insight: 11

EQUIPMENT

Right Hand: [Plumber's Torch] | +5 intelligence

Left Hand: [Empty]

Shoes: [Sturdy Toxicologist Boots ] | +2% speed; +3 wisdom; +1 intelligence

Bottom: [Black Toxicologist Leggings] | +5% poison dur.; +4 wisdom; +1 intelligence

Top: [Dark Toxicologist Jacket] | +1% poison dur.; +3% damage red.; +5 wisdom; +10ep

Gloves: [Poisonous Toxicologist Gloves] | +2% poison pot.; +4 wisdom; +1 dexterity

Head: [Black Toxicologist Hood] | +2% poison pot.; +3 wisdom; +3 intelligence

Cape: [Errand Cloak] | +10% speed

ACCESSORIES

[Crow Feather Earring] | +1 intelligence; +1 energy regen.

[Cybernetic Scanner]

[Witness Protection Mask]

[Crow Feather Necklace] | +1 wisdom; +2 intelligence; +5ep

[Utility Belt] | +10 kg

[Ring of the Wanderer] | +2 wisdom; 5ep

[Ring of the Wanderer] | +2 wisdom; 5ep

SKILLS:

Stat Bonuses: [Agile Mind]; [Fast Hands]; [Healthy Bones]; [Horse’s Gallop]; [Inner Calm]; [Inner Light]; [Kind Hearted]; [Stone Skin]; [Well Spoken]

Profession Related: [Discount]; [Exasperate]; [Novice Hiring]; [Porter]; [Supplier's Fortune]

Passive: [Basic Toxicologist II]; [Boar's Might]; [Flagbearer]; [Plumber Set]; [Ratan Stride]

Active: [Camouflage]; [Miniaturize]; [Peace Decree]; [Peace Treaty]; [Screeching Terror]; [Search]; [Taunting Roar]; [30 Steps]

Now that he had fully mastered Telepathy, he reached out with his mind toward the nearest sheep. What he found, however, was different from what he had expected.

"Hello, martyr." The voice wasn't that of one individual but like a choir speaking in unison.

"Hi, w-who is this? You don't feel like one sheep."

"We are many, but we are one."

"What does that mean?"

"We are the flock. We are you."

"I don't understand."

"You won't while you are alone. But when the 'you' becomes the 'we,' then you will see." Goodness gracious, it was worse than talking to a crow. He should take notes. The crows would love sorting out the enigmatic sentences these sheep were giving him.

But anyway, he understood that these sheep's minds were connected. He wasn't talking to one, but he was talking to all of them simultaneously.

"I know you've been poorly treated. I want to take you somewhere safe. I know a place where all sorts of animals are safe and protected. I'm the only one who knows it, and I think you'll be safe there."

"We know. We've seen it in you. Take us there, human, and the flock shall reward you. The flock are martyrs too. We know your pain."

Roth broke off the mental connection. Talking to these animals was unsettling. They said profound and personal things as if they could read his mind. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

He considered what they said about being martyrs. After all, they had been locked up and tortured for who knows how long, just like he had. They had been jailed like he had. They had been hurt without hurting back, just like Roth.

They were remarkably similar. He truly wanted to help these creatures. It had been an accident to stumble upon this group when he tried to become a tailor, but now he would see it through till the end.

He exited the warehouse without trying to cancel his badger form. After all, with the five extra percent of cooldown reduction, he could change forms more quickly. Every bit of cooldown reduction helped.

Roth knocked at Soros' door and heard the mental command in his mind, "Come in." This reminded Roth that Soros somehow knew Telepathy. How many secrets did this old man hide?

"How did you learn Telepathy?" he asked mentally as he entered the office.

"I see that you have expanded your mind, my friend. Is it the first time I see you in this form? What are you? A zebra?"

"A badger," answered Roth dryly.

"It was only a joke, my boy. I know a badger when I see one."

"You still didn't answer my question. How come you know Telepathy?"

"Well, my friend, minds, and bodies have developed remarkable potential after the Rain of Fire. All that you have to do is to tap into it. Whatever path you take, if you advance far enough, you come across the boundaries and walls that trap you, and you're given the chance to tear them down. Such was my case. Congratulations on doing so too."

Everyone was saying metaphysical things today.

"Besides, Telepathy is a unique language because it's the only one in which you can not lie. It requires you to open your mind. Sometimes, in business, that can be an assurance." Roth pondered over the significance. Was this a limitation only in place for NPCs? How would the system guarantee that players didn't lie, either?

Regardless, Roth was happy that he had learned Telepathy. After all, maybe he could better communicate with the treeant, for example.

"What do you know about the flock?" Soros stood up and walked, facing the waterfall at the side of his office.

"Throughout my life as a merchant, I have seen many things, young broker. Although I cannot tell you much about the flock, all I can tell you is that it is worth defending. And I'm sure that with your many talents, you'll be able to be closer to them than I ever was." Soros walked back to his desk and knocked on it, signaling a change of subject.

"Anyway, I went to the warehouses, and the Gazpachos have quite a few little trinkets that I'm sure our customers will enjoy. Will you go there now?"

"Yes, I was planning to. I also have unfinished business down there. Hopefully, I can do both in one go."

"Very well."

"I'll be back soon to order the items I'll take on this trade run. But before that, there are some new trade channels that I think we can explore in the city?"

"In the city? Don't you see how many merchants there are on Merchant Street alone? The competition is fierce! For you to find a customer here will be very difficult."

"I wouldn't be so sure. What vegetables do you have?"

"I beg your pardon."

*

Deep within the dark abyss region was an abandoned observatory. Loki had gone to great lengths to unlock the quest line that led him here. If he were to count the gold he'd spent nurturing his team of archaeologists, it would be a scary number, even for him.

But it was worth it. According to his information on the other guilds, everyone was shying away from investing in getting a dark alignment. Loki was not afraid of taking chances. That's how he’d gotten this far.

When Loki started making his wealth in gaming, he had always played with the Rogue class. Being able to perform assassinations, and spying, were right up his alley and fit his character and preferences perfectly.

But ever since that wretched Slayer had beaten him up, he had always been forced to remain immobile. He would have preferred it if he had cut his legs off. But not even advanced reconstructive surgery could revert the damage he had done to his nervous system. Even with the assistance of the gaming pod, he couldn’t move his legs.

The game offered some options for handicapped people, and he did have a wheelchair. But there was no way that he could have the agility required to play as a rogue. Since Loki couldn't go to the battlefields, he supported his guild by doing research and managing.

Most of the time inside the game was spent reading, combing through libraries, and trying to discover recipes for craftsmen, hints to unlocking hidden races and classes, and clues to obscure quest lines. That’s how he had stumbled upon the parasitoids.

The first hint at this quest line had been a memo he found in one of the logs of the astronomy department of the university situated in the capital city. When he first read about the details of the distress signal sent by the observatory and the reports of the lone survivor of the expedition to the Dark Abyss, he knew he had stumbled upon something great.

In the isolation of the Dark Abyss, he'd been able to easily become a hatchling. Now he was only waiting for the opportunity to fulfill the requirements to emerge from his cocoon in his adult form. The phone rang. Who was bothering him now?

“Persephone?”

“S-sir…” The fear in her voice seemed more pronounced than usual. Loki cursed under his breath, and his mood soured. She had bad news.

Ch. 103 - The Song

INDEX

Ch. 105 - Food Subsidy