“Get out of there!”

The adventurer leaps back in attempt to dodge the attack but was too late and is hurled back a couple of paces. But he was able to quickly get back up on his feet.

“Damn it!” The adventurer curses as he took another health potion form his inventory.

“Are you okay?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll take care of this one.” He says as he grabs another bulb shaped vase and throws it at the crystal golem.

The golem blocks it with its right arm that corroded immediately when the vase broke and scatters its contents.

Then with both hands he took several different vases varying on the color and throws it at it.

“Eat this!”

Seeing as the golem is about to lose, Bob sends in another one with a wave of his hand. Another golem emerges from the crevice and start hurling rocks at the adventurer.

“Adventurer allow me to help.” Bob says and start nocking his bow.

Timing it as close as he can to make the adventurer doesn’t get hit but makes him vulnerable to the throws the golem would make.

“Hey!” the adventurer shouted after being almost hit by an arrow.

“Sorry!” Bob shouted back.

By this time the adventurer is losing patience for every arrow that almost hits him. Drinking the red liquid form his inventory more frequent because of the rocks hitting him.

Bob notices this and what caught his attention more is that all the vials that he had thrown on the ground disappears.

‘It really does disappear if the entire content is consumed’ Bob thought.

“That’s it!” The adventurer shouted and took another bulb-shaped vial but this time it matches the color of his shirt.

[Napalm]

After making contact with the golem, a fire spreads and it reaches the other one. Both struggling to put it out, while the adventurer doesn’t let up in throwing the brown vial that explodes on contact.

Seeing that the golems are about to lose. Bob steadies his aims at the adventurer and shot two consecutive arrows at his head and through his chest.

The adventurer looks back at him before falling to the ground.

“Stupid NPC…”

Looking closely at the body to make sure it’s not moving; he moves closer and poke it with a stick.

‘5 minutes, right?’ He thought to himself.

“The both of you, rally with the rest of the Scales, and return here.” He commanded the two standing idly at the mouth of the cave.

“Splendid fight sire. I saw everything up there.” Jack said after leaping from the cliff above them.

“What should we do now?”

“The body will disappear in 5 minutes and hopefully he drops something that might be of use to us. In the meantime, let me inspect the body.”

After a few more moments the body gives off a soft blue light, shatters like a glass but without the sound dispersing in the air before disappearing completely. On the same spot where the adventurer had died, a ring with an intricate design is left. The band has a width that a male would normally use it. Its base color is green and the design is in silver.

“We’ll inspect it later. Bring it back. I’ll go to the farthest look out and see if there’s anything more.”

“Should I order some to fix the hole?”

“It’ll be too risky if another one arrives and it’s not done in time. Leave it be for now”

Bob whistles and Agta emerges from the shadows then they left, leaving Jack alone by the cave.

He inspects the ring, twirling it over his fingers. “Interesting.”

Bob stares at the horizon blankly, crumpling a piece of paper while sitting atop the look out. His thoughts went back to his encounter with the adventurer.

“Class…Potions…Equipment…Respawn point?” He mumbles before looking at the crumbed paper.

Images of the earlier fight flashes before his mind as he tries to remember details that would help him in future conflicts with the adventurers.

A bitter look crosses his face as he blankly stares at the paper, his hands trembling.

‘We’ve already established that they are not normal and will come back to life. But it doesn’t lessen the feeling of killing them.’ He mused.

But his train of thought was interrupted when a raven’s call caught his attention which then landed to a nearby branch. Carrying a small piece of paper saying:

If nothing is urgent at the moment, you must come home and see the ring.

Taking another look at the horizon and seeing no signs of any human being approaches, he whistles and rides Agta back to the farm.

“What is it?” Bob asks immediately upon entering the house.

Jack is holding the ring while holding The Adventurer’s handbook at the other.

“I already memorized the content of this book but I still want to make sure?” Jack said in his meticulous tone.

“Did you learn anything already?” Bob asks again and sits from across Jack.

“For one, this ring is different than the ones you have procured from the earlier adventurers.”

“How so?”

“We’re still not sure what these adventurers drop when they die. But from my collective information they can only drop artifacts and materials obtained from creatures.” He replied without taking his eyes off the book and flipping the page with his fingers.

Bob grabs the ring from his hand. “And this is different how?”

“Still not sure but it is having a mystical feeling through it.”

Only then did Bob notice that something is indeed different about the ring. No mystical sound or light floating around it as he would expect but just the soft green glow that it emits that can go unnoticed without proper observation.

“Why don’t you try it on” Jack asks.

“How do I know that it is safe and it wouldn’t kill me?”

“I know of no ring that could kill someone. I would wear it myself, but sadly these things we call finger is too big.” He flutters his fingers in front of Bob.

They went outside by the porch where Bob cautiously puts it on, glancing to make sure it doesn’t cut his fingers off. The action ended uneventful.

“It may contain magic, why don’t you try chanting one?”

Bob nods and breathes heavily as he braces himself for what he is about to do.

[Fire]

He chants but nothing happens.

‘Maybe something only that alchemist can since this is his.’ He thought

[Corrode]

Nothing happens.