Novel Full Chapter 377 Kids are Kids
Chapter 377 Kids are Kids
The sounds of beasts crying continued to echo through the forest. Some closer to them whilst others were distant. Moon and Frey remained motionless inside the hollow trunk throughout the slaughter, waiting.
Eventually, the cries stopped. The forest returned to absolute silence. There was no longer panicked rustling, or beasts running between the trees. Despite that, neither of them made any move toward the exit. Whatever spirit had swept through the area could still be nearby. Leaving now on the assumption that the danger had passed was a gamble that got people killed.
“I need to prepare another rune.” Frey muttered after a long stretch of quiet outside. “The concealment rune will run out soon.”
He reached into his pouch and laid out his tools in the cramped space before him. Etching instruments, rune chips, luminous ink. Moon didn’t speak, rather, he sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, listening to every sound outside the crevice for any sign of movement.
When Frey began to work, Moon opened his eyes and began to stare.
Frey’s hands moved with the same intensity Moon had observed back at the hideout. This time, Moon noticed something he hadn’t caught before.
Frey was enhancing the concealment rune as he inscribed it. Modifications woven into the base script that boosted the rune’s effectiveness. The enhancement was weaker than what he had applied to Moon’s staff, but it was still a secondary layer of runic work laid on top of the primary inscription that increased its effectiveness.
‘His enhancement skill worked on runes too. Not just weapons and equipment.’ Moon realised, he had yet to use the skill, so he didn’t understand its full potential, so seeing this made his proficiency tick upward as he watched. Little by little, the techniques Frey used became clearer. The way he structured the base layer, the points where he inserted the enhancement script. The ratio between the primary rune and the secondary overlay.
[Rune Enhancement]
[Proficiency: 20%]
Moon closed his eyes again and committed everything he had seen to memory.
Once Frey was done, he placed the new rune at the entrance and activated it the moment the previous one faded. The effect renewed itself, settling in the tree like an invisible veil that hid their existence from prying spirits.
“We’ll need to wait at least a few hours before even thinking about going outside.” Frey said, pulling food from his pouch. “The spirits are acting very odd. They stayed in the vicinity far too long. Something is going on, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He held out a piece of dried meat toward Moon.
“Do you want some?”
“Sure.” Moon nodded and took the beef jerky.
They ate in silence for a while, chewing slowly, listening to the emptiness outside. When Moon was full, he set the remaining piece aside and leaned his head back against the bark.
A few hours passed as the silence outside held.
Moon’s eyes began to grow heavy. Keeping them open became a chore, each blink lasting longer than the last. Eventually, they closed, and seemingly his consciousness drifted somewhere far from reality.
Frey, who had appeared to be asleep against the opposite wall, opened his eyes.
He stared at Moon’s sleeping body for a long moment. Then he whispered.
“Are you asleep, Moon?” The only response he received was silence. Exactly what he wanted. A soft smile formed on Frey’s face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small device. He pressed a button and held it close to his mouth, waiting.
A few seconds passed before a response came. It was a cold, feminine voice “Speak. Quickly.”
Frey straightened up by instinct, “Your Majesty. I’m relieved to hear you are well. I wanted to report that I heard spirits in the vicinity of the base. They were sweeping the area, killing every beast they encountered. It was unlike anything I’ve seen before.”
“I’ve handled it.” The voice replied flatly. “It’s no longer your concern.”
“As expected of Your Majesty.” Frey nodded his head even though she couldn’t see him.
A brief pause settled over the conversation.
“What about your task? You’re not at the base.” Her tone sharpened. “Where are you?”
A smug grin spread across Frey’s face. Where Joseph had failed to get close to the newcomer, Frey had succeeded. The thought filled his heart with satisfaction.
“I’ve completed my task. It was quite easy, actually.” He couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice.
Silence came from the other end. Then, she said, “Good.”
Frey licked his lips. “What is my reward, Your Majesty?”
“A good time.”
Frey’s eyes lit up. His breathing quickened, and a flush crept up his neck. He pressed the device closer to his mouth and whispered.
“I’ll set out now. We’ll arrive in two hours at most if everything goes well.”
“Take as long as you please. Just make sure it takes effect.”
“Will do.”
The device’s connection was cut off.
Frey tucked it back into his coat and looked at Moon one more time.
The young man hadn’t moved. His breathing was steady, deep, undisturbed.
Frey stood up quietly and gathered his things. Then he crouched beside Moon, carefully lifted him onto his back, and adjusted his weight until it was balanced. Moon’s body was loose, his head resting against Frey’s shoulder, arms hanging limp at his sides.
Frey slipped out of the crevice and into the dark forest.
The air was cold, and the spirits had moved on, leaving behind a forest stripped of everything that had been alive in it hours ago. Frey moved carefully, his steps measured, sticking to the paths he knew by heart.
As he walked, a chuckle escaped his lips.
“This kid is much stronger than that idiot Joseph made him out to be.” He muttered, shaking his head. “For an Evolver that’s been here for a single day, his potential is terrifying.”
He adjusted Moon’s weight on his shoulder.
“But kids are kids.” A smile crept across his face.