Fantasy Realm [One Piece] [Harry Potter] [Naruto] - [Progression] [LitRPG]

Chapter 16: Crystals and Scouts

After an hour-long trek, Alex and Roja reach the southern part of the island, following what looks like an old, abandoned road. The southern part of Navalia had lost its importance years ago, offering no resources worth exploiting. As they venture deeper, the landscape becomes rougher, rockier, with fewer trees and shrubs around, the ground uneven beneath their boots.

Roja raises her hand, stopping Alex. "Be careful. We're in open ground here, and there's nowhere to hide if we run into anyone."

Alex groans inwardly. Great. Walking through rocky terrain with nowhere to hide. His legs already ache from all the trekking. For a guy used to sitting behind a computer, this sucks. He wouldn't call himself an outdoor person by any stretch.

Roja shoots him a look. "Get off the road. We don't want to be seen."

Grumbling to himself, Alex obeys, stepping off the road to follow Roja through the rough underbrush. His new fur boots at least make the trek a bit easier, keeping him warm and somewhat comfortable. Still, the dullness of it all doesn't go unnoticed. No action. No treasure. Just an abandoned road that stretches out forever.

Suddenly, Roja pulls him behind a large rock, snapping him out of his wandering thoughts. "Two scouts," she whispers, her voice calm and low. "Baroque Works, no doubt. They're patrolling the abandoned road."

Alex looks up, heart skipping a beat. Sure enough, he spots two figures, walking along the road, weapons visible even from this distance.

Roja squints ahead. "Looks like the cliffs are getting lower the farther south we go. They might be using this part to sneak people onto the island."

Alex whispers back, a sarcastic edge in his voice, "Great. So they've been coming from here all along?"

"Keep your voice down," Roja hisses, rolling her eyes.

Then, with a motion Alex barely catches, a shard of crystal forms in her hand. Without a word, she releases it, the crystal shattering in the air as she peers out toward the scouts.

A status screen flashes into Alex's mind:

Millions Agent: Lvl 0

STR: 6, AGI: 5, PHY: 5, SNS: 4(-2), CHA: 2, MNA: 0, INT: 3 SPR: 3, LUK: 0

Alex blinks in surprise. "You've got an analysis skill?" he nearly blurts out loud, forgetting himself for a second.

Roja slaps a hand over his mouth. "Shut up," she mutters, "and don't make me regret showing you."

She sends him her skill details:

Innate Skill: Exploitation Crystal
Type: Boon
Level: 0 (Base level, can be leveled up)

Effect:
Creates a crystal shard that can be used to analyze enemies. The higher the level of the skill, the higher the success rate. It may fail if the enemy's level is too high. Can only be used once on an enemy. Range increases with each level and depends on the user's INT. Enemies remain unaware when the crystal is activated.

Upon a successful analysis, the crystal imposes a random weakness by reducing two points from a random stat of the enemy. The penalty increases by 1 every two levels.

Cost: 30 Mana & 300 FC to use; +10 Mana & 100 FC per additional level
Duration: The weakness lasts for 1 day by default, with 1 additional day per level.
Tradeability: