Chapter 24: Novice Gift Box

"Claim Territory"

Valkar roared, and the golden banner roared with him.

FUSHHH!

A visible wave of golden light erupted from the point of impact, expanding outwards in a perfect, silent circle. It washed over the cave walls, the stone disk, the fire, the two elves, and everything else within its radius. The light was warm, and for a fleeting moment, the very air itself seemed to hum with a new, unseen energy.

Elara yelped, dropping her half-eaten piece of meat as the golden wave passed through her. Sylvana shot to her feet, her wounded leg forgotten as she drew the broken hilt of her sword, her eyes wide with alarm.

"What was that?!" the princess cried, scrambling behind Sylvana.

The golden light faded, but something had changed. The shadows in the cave seemed less deep, the firelight sharper. A subtle pressure, like the atmosphere before a storm, settled over the chamber. It wasn't oppressive, but it was undeniably there.

Sylvana's gaze snapped to the tunnel where Valkar had disappeared. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of fear and suspicion.

'He definitely did something.'

Her warrior instincts screamed that this was a power play, a magical ward, a seal to trap them. But when she recalled how he gently treated her leg and gave them food, that made her hesitate.

'Could it be a ward of protection?'

A ridiculous thought. An orc protecting elves? It was a child's fable. And yet, the alternative was that he was simply a monster with more elaborate methods.

"It's nothing, princess," she said, her voice a carefully constructed calm that she did not feel. "Finish your food and get some rest."

The words were meant to soothe the princess, but they were also a command to herself.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the cave.

The golden banner of the lion dissolved into motes of light, which then were absorbed back into Valkar's body. A new sensation settled over him, a connection to the stone and earth around him.

Ding!

...

[You have successfully claimed this territory. This cave is now your Conquered Zone.]

[Mini-Map Unlocked]

[You are now under the effect: Territorial Advantage.]

[All stats +10%.]

[You are now alerted to any unauthorized entry.]

...

"Good." Valkar smiled, and just as he was about to open the new mini-map, another ding caught his attention.

Ding!

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: First Step of a Conqueror]

[Claim a piece of land as your own]

[Reward: Novice Gift Box]

...

"A reward?"

Valkar immediately opened his inventory and found a new shining box sitting there.

[Novice Gift Box]

[Open? Y/N]

Without a second thought, he selected 'Yes'.

The box dissolved into golden particles, and three items materialized before him: a small leather bag, a crude-looking stone key, an old yellow scroll, and a single golden seed.

Ding!

[Attribute Growth Seed]

[Item Type: Consumable]

[Effect: When consumed, instantly doubles one of the chosen attributes. One-time use.]

[Note: Only effective on attributes below 40]

...

"WHAT!" Valkar's amber eyes widened at the text. Doubles an attribute? Just like that? He looked at the golden seed in his big, rough palm, and he immediately began trembling. 

For a moment, Valkar didn't know what to do; he feared that any wrong move might break the seed.

Can you blame him?

In a world like the Forgotten Lands, strength wasn't just muscle. It was survival. Power. The difference between being the predator and the prey. A single point in strength could mean a cleaved skull or a parried blade. A single point in vitality could mean surviving a poisoned wound or dying in agony.

Now in his palm was an item that could double one of his attributes. He could become twice as strong, twice as tough, or twice as resilient.

The fact that he didn't faint from the shock and the excitement was a miracle on its own.

'Double... attribute...' he thought, his mind going through each one and each possibility. He wasn't dumb anymore and knew what each attribute represented.

"Hold on a second!"

Recalling a certain system notification, Valkar quickly

...

[STATS]

Name: Valkar

Title: The Conqueror

Race: Orc

Level: 5 (Exp: 0/1600)

Class: Warrior

Health: 400/400

Mana: 350/350

Strength: 18

Agility: 12

Intelligence: 35

Vitality: 20

Attribute Points: 8

[SKILLS]

[Rage Lv1] [The Banner of the Conqueror Lv1] [Iron Edict Lv1] [Claim Territory Lv1]

...

"Yes, I leveled up." Valkar's lips curved into a wide grin. He was halfway to level 10 already, and that brought him a little peace of mind. 

Then his amber eyes focused on a new line of words.

[Attribute Points: 8]

"These are the points I got from leveling up."

He knew that. The system had explained it to him or, to be more accurate, it injected the knowledge into his mind. He could allocate them to any of his four core attributes, making himself incrementally stronger.

But the seed will only double an attribute, and only an attribute below 40.

The best use of the seed was to have an attribute as high as possible; 39 is best before using it.

Why 39 and not 40?

Well, Valkar didn't know if the seed would work if he pumped an attribute to 40 before using it. He can't risk it.

"Maybe I should save the seed until I meet Ishtar again?" he muttered to himself. As a goddess, Ishtar will definitely know.

Having his mind set, Valkar stored the golden seed back into his inventory and opened the description of the other items he received.

...

[Stone Key]

[Item Type: Key]

[Effect: A mysterious key that might fit an equally mysterious lock.]

...

"..."

It was like describing water as 'wet'.

Valkar didn't care much and looked at the scroll.

...

[Novice Protective Barrier (Duration 30 days)]

[Item Type: Scroll]

[Effect: When used, creates an invisible barrier around your 'Claimed Territory' that will block any being from forcibly entering, except for those you grant permission to.]

...

"This... this is good!"

Valkar's eyes gleamed with excitement. Thirty days! A whole month of absolute safety! This item's value is immeasurable in the Forgotten Lands.

'With this, I can raise my level in peace. I can let my leg... I mean Sylvana's leg heal. I can think!'

Without hesitation, Valkar used the scroll.

WHOOSH!

The scroll disintegrated in a shower of soft white light that then flew out of the tunnel and enveloped the entire cave. The light was invisible to the two elves, but Valkar felt it, a new layer of security settling over his new domain.

[Novice Protective Barrier has been activated]

[Duration: 30 days]

[You may grant or revoke entry permissions at will.]

Finally, Valkar looked at the small leather bag.

...

[Novice Alchemist's Pouch]

[Item Type: Consumable]

[Contains: 10x Small Health Potion, 10x Small Mana Potion, 10x Small Stamina Point and 5x Poison Antidote]

...

"Useful."

With a simple thought, Valkar opened the Novice Alchemist's Pouch. Immediately, four items appeared inside his inventory.

[Small Health Potion x10]

[Small Mana Potion x10]

[Small Stamina Potion x10]

[Poison Antidote x5]

"Now that everything is settled."

With his newfound security and a cache of life-saving items, a relief washed over him.

Valkar made his way back to the two elves.

They both tensed when they saw him, their eyes full of suspicion.

'They must have felt the barrier,' he thought.

"Here, take these." He walked toward the fire and sat down, then opened his inventory.

Six glass vials appeared on the flat stone near the fire, three different colored liquids swirling within.

Under the stunned gazes of the two elves, he gave both of them one of each.

Sylvana looked from the vials to the giant orc, her lips slightly parted in awe. She recognized these items instantly. She saw them before, back in the royal alchemist's workshop. Health potions were expensive, their creation a guarded secret, each vial worth more than a commoner's yearly wage.

Some low-tier potions could be purchased here and there, but they were always in high demand.

As the royal bodyguard of the princess, she had access to those potions and always carried two with her. Unfortunately, she used both of them during that ambush before they got teleported to this cursed land.

And now.

He was handing them out like they were water.

"How... where did you get these?" Sylvana finally found her voice, her tone a mixture of suspicion and disbelief. She had seen him use some form of magic, the bear meat, but to conjure such rare alchemical items out of thin air? It defied all logic she knew.

'Spatial Magic!' she inwardly exclaimed, that was the only explanation she could think of. 'He has a pocket dimension storage.'

For the first time, Sylvana felt a sliver of fear. The orc sitting in front of her was far more dangerous than she originally thought.

But strangely, with fear also came a weird sense of hope. An orc with such abilities might be their only ticket out of this hellhole.

Valkar simply grunted, his amber eyes fixed on the fire.

"I found them."

It wasn't a lie. He found them inside a box.

Sylvana's violet eyes narrowed. Elara didn't say a word, her gaze shifting between the potent vials and the massive orc. She reached out hesitantly, her small fingers brushing against the cool glass of the health potion. It was real.

"They are yours," Valkar said, leaning back against the cave wall. "Use them as you see fit."

Then he turned to Sylvana.

"You. Drink the red one now. It will close your wound faster." He didn't ask. He commanded.

"..."

Sylvana kept staring at those potions. She wanted to ask more questions about this orc's abilities, but she knew he wouldn't answer.

"Fine."