The author’s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Balthazar watched the adventurer\u2019s approach from under the water, he kept internally willing him to lean in the other direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you dare, you fool\u2026\u201d the crab kept muttering. \u201cGo away\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The heavy stomping kept resonating closer, one foot on a rock, another on solid dirt, skipping over the puddles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019d better not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Balthazar buckled within his shell as his body caved into the sand under the weight of the overburdened man, who had just stepped on his shell as if it was just another rock. And just as soon as he felt himself pushed down, the weight lifted and the rude boot carried on stepping forward to the next stone, as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat does it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not as if the weight of the man even hurt him. No, he was a big, strong, hard-shelled crab, he could take it. The damage wasn\u2019t physical, the damage was to his pride<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a rushing stream of bubbles, Balthazar lifted himself from his lair, emerging from the surface with the anger of an ancient sea monster being awakened off the deepest of oceans from a centuries long slumber, water rolling down the sides of his shell, determination in his beady eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the mighty lord of that domain turned to the foolish offender, the man continued trying to find his footing on the nearby rocks, still clueless about his rude behavior. The crab stood proudly on all of his eight legs, tall enough to pass a grown man\u2019s waist, and twice as wide, two thick pincers flexed in front of himself in an intimidating manner he knew to always strike fear into the hearts of all the songbirds that dared land on his shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTake that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar lifted his right claw up in the air, the bright light of the sun shining on it like an instrument of righteous vindication, and with one swift downward motion he took a swipe at the man\u2019s right shin, the metal plate protecting it crumpling between his claw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat the\u2014OW!\u201d the adventurer cried, as he tried to turn around and face the consequences of his own actions, but with his right leg firmly held in place by the mighty pincer of karma, he finally lost his balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With widening eyes, the doomed adventurer found himself falling over to the side, his helmet flying off his head, surprise and shock painted on his expression, as he was diving face first into a group of rocks that cluttered the sides of the pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The adventurer\u2019s head hit the stones with a loud crack, his ugly helmet splashed onto the water and floated upside down, his leather pack finally burst open spilling its contents everywhere, and the crab stood there, claw still tightly holding the man\u2019s now limp ankle. He stared down, slightly confused, and gave it a small shake, as if looking for a reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, serves him right!\u201d Balthazar finally said, letting go of the leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rudeness of these adventurers. Not only do they run up and down the path in front of his pond all day with no consideration for how much of a disturbance they cause, but now they would even step on him like some common stone on the road? No way, he would not take that lying down, even if that was his favorite position to be for most of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar turned and looked at the aftermath of the ruptured pack. There were all sorts of random trinkets and doodads scattered around his precious slice of heaven. A large cooking pot had landed upside down on the road, a sword that went flying was now firmly stuck with its tip between some rocks, books of all types scattered by the shore, and even some form of undergarments had somehow gotten stuck all the way up on a branch of the central tree, blowing in the wind like an embarrassing flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An absolute mess. The more he looked, the more chaos he spotted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook at what you\u2019ve done, you idiot!\u201d Balthazar poked angrily at the sole of the adventurer\u2019s boot. As was to be expected, he gave no response. Typical irresponsible adventurer behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he was shaking his shell in disapproval at the man whose face remained firmly buried between the rocks like some lazy child who didn\u2019t want to wake up in the morning, Balthazar\u2019s eyes caught something, a hint of a glint, something small shining from a small brown purse lying on the ground near to where they both were. The sunlight was hitting it directly and reflecting in an even more intense yellow that was ever so captivating for the crab. He had always loved shiny things. Ever since he was a wee little crab playing around in the sand, anything that shined brightly would always grab his attention. He had a very dull childhood, one could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he approached the mysterious source of the glow, he saw it was not one thing, but multiple items that had spilled out of the purse. Perfectly round, thick slices of a yellow metal with some kind of figure carved on its surface, all identical in size, shape, and design. Balthazar had never seen such a thing before, but he knew in that moment that they were simply\u2026 beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the care and precision his massive pincers allowed, he started dutifully pushing his precious new treasures back into the purse, where their beautiful glint couldn\u2019t capture anyone else\u2019s greedy eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crab turned and scanned the treetops, his eyes squinting in suspicion. They were there, always there, with their bird\u2019s-eye view, watching and plotting. He knew it well enough, but not this time, little ones, not this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he turned back to the now closed purse, he saw something else fall out of the adventurer\u2019s pack. Some kind of rolled up tube of a smooth, pale material. It didn\u2019t shine or reflect any light, but it still looked curious. It also didn\u2019t look much like food to him, but he reached one arm forward to get a feel for what that peculiar thing might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh!\u201d Balthazar screamed, and jumped a couple of paces back, which in itself was quite the surprising event, seeing as until then he didn\u2019t even know crabs could jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the bigger surprise came from the mysterious roll, which had reacted to his claw\u2019s touch by lifting itself up into the air, hovering slightly above the ground, while glowing with an intense, humming white light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This crab had seen many crazy things in his life, but never anything like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fine, maybe he hadn\u2019t exactly seen that many crazy things in his mostly sheltered life spent sunbathing in a pond, but even then, he was quite certain that ranked fairly high in terms of insane things to happen to a crab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite his apprehension, Balthazar slowly approached the glowing item again. After all, it wasn\u2019t doing anything, except hover there and ruin the decor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His curiosity took charge, and he stretched a firm, clenched pincer towards the object a second time. He touched it, and a slight shiver ran down his arm, as the tube unrolled itself, revealing a white, bright page, and a set of words appeared, glowing on its surface:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Scroll of Character Creation]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Allocate attribute points: 10]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar remained immobile, staring at the bright, glowing object floating in front of him, one arm still outstretched, as if frozen in time, his eyes dilated, his mouth slightly ajar, as the unfurled roll\u2019s light continued to shine over him, with a soft, low humming sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was in utter shock. It was simply unbelievable, yet\u2026 there it was. How could it possibly be? The confusion and questions bubbling up his thoughts into a turmoil, until they finally reached the breaking point and he broke out of his catatonic state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince when can I freaking read?!\u201d the crab finally said, an involuntary squeal coming out of him as his tensed up appendages stretched out in an expression of exasperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar was sure he had learned many useful things in his life, such as how to roll perfectly round balls of sand, or the most efficient way to slice an apple with his pincer, but reading was absolutely not one of them, yet now he found himself perfectly able to read the words right in front of him as if it was the most natural thing ever. Well, it damn well wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what\u2019s this nonsense supposed to be about anyway?\u201d Balthazar wondered, approaching the glowing scroll in order to inspect the words closer. \u201cAttribute points?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he neared the mysterious item, a few more lines appeared on the surface. Balthazar raised his eye stalks in curious surprise and read the new words. Still without a clue how he was doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Scroll of Character Creation]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Allocate attribute points: 10]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Name: Balthazar]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Race: Crab]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Class: Undefined]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Strength: 3] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Agility: 2] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Intelligence: 1] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He read the lines once, twice, and then again. Not because he was finding his newly found reading abilities fun, but because he was trying to process what all that was supposed to mean. And maybe also because he was finding reading to be kind of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBalthazar,\u201d he said, pointing at himself with his right claw, \u201cthat\u2019s me. And I am certainly a crab, that much I know. I don\u2019t know what a \u2018class\u2019 is, but apparently neither does this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crab scratched his chin with his pincer, pondering on the rest of the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrength, agility, and intelligence,\u201d he repeated to himself, \u201cyep, those are all things I have. But these values next to them\u2026 are they supposed to represent how much of each I have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar felt a slight outrage within him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m strong, no doubt about it,\u201d He said, puffing himself up, \u201cAm I as agile as I am strong? Maybe not, but still pretty agile, I\u2019d say. But\u2026 1 Intelligence? What is that supposed to mean?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was the scroll calling him dumb? Balthazar had half a mind to give the thin piece of parchment a good snip and show it who was the dumb one there. But then again, clawing angrily at an\u2014apparently\u2014inanimate object sounded quite dumb, so he restrained himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm, 10 points\u2026\u201d he slowly considered, \u201cso does that mean that if I press this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reluctantly, Balthazar touched the plus sign next to the Intelligence level on the scroll, and the value changed from 1 to 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh!\u201d Balthazar exclaimed, with excitement in his eyes. \u201cAnd I still have nine points left now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crab crossed his arms in deep consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could spread them evenly,\u201d he began, opening one arm in one direction, as if weighing an invisible object. \u201cOr I could focus on one attribute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stared back at his Intelligence value on the scroll, the low number taunting him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, to hell with it, calling me dumb!\u201d the crab shouted, throwing both claws up angrily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With fierce determination, he tapped the sign next to the Intelligence stat until there were no attribute points left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Scroll of Character Creation]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Allocate attribute points: 0]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Name: Balthazar]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Race: Crab]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Class: Undefined]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Strength: 3]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Agility: 2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Intelligence: 11]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Confirm?]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDamn right I confirm,\u201d Balthazar said proudly. \u201cI confirm that I\u2019m intelligent as hell, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a smug look, he reached out with his pincer and touched the confirmation prompt on the scroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGah!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A torrent of invading thoughts rammed into the crab\u2019s brain like a speeding truck had just hit him. His body felt as if being struck by lightning, and a million questions assaulted his mind. Questions such as \u201cwhat is the meaning of life?\u201d or \u201cwhat the hell is a truck?\u201d ran through him at dizzying speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And just as quick as it started, the feeling subsided all at once, leaving a prostrated crab on the ground, each leg spread in a different direction, mouth drooling off the side, eyes still spinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did not<\/em> enjoy that,\u201d Balthazar said, while trying to stand up and regain his composure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scroll had rolled itself back and dropped on the sand, immobile, as if it had been nothing more than a harmless object. Balthazar poked at it a couple of times, but with no results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he lifted his eyes from the cursed thing, Balthazar gazed upon his surroundings\u2014the pond, with its calm, rippling water, the ancient, wise tree overseeing it, the many moss-covered boulders around him, the open plains stretching far into the horizon in front of his eyes, the warm, powerful sunlight hitting his face, forcing him to put a claw up to shield himself from the brightness\u2014all of it, he was taking it in as if for the first time, and with a sigh he felt like\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNope, everything feels the same,\u201d the crab said with a shrug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He turned around, grabbed the small pouch containing the shiny metal circles with one pincer, picked up the scroll with the other, and started walking towards the small patch of land at the center of the pond, where the large tree was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat an absolute waste of time,\u201d he complained, while carefully holding his arms up to not get the pouch and scroll wet as he crossed the shallow waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor now, I\u2019ll be keeping these safe here,\u201d Balthazar said, while depositing the two items inside the small hole in the ground where he kept all his precious belongings: his collection of oddly shaped pebbles and a dried up pine cone he used to play with in his younger days. All covered up with a flat piece of driftwood, guaranteed to keep nosy birds out. Not really the safest of spots to keep things, now that he really thought about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could have at least gained something from that traumatizing experience,\u201d Balthazar continued, while crossing back to the other side. \u201cBut no, I can\u2019t even seem to read anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He held up one of the books that had spilled over from the adventurer\u2019s pack and stared at its cover, puzzled, trying to make sense of each unknown glyph written upon it, but with no success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBah, pointless!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With one frustrated thrust, he threw the book, which landed squarely on the stones at the edge of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back at the dead adventurer still lying between his bed of rocks, burst pack hanging loose from his shoulders, the crab released one more sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, you\u2019re surely not going to help me clean up this mess, are you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo way!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar jumped in place, startled by the loud exclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he turned, he saw a young, skinny man wearing long gray robes and a tall pointy hat rushing up the road from the same direction the recently deceased (by his own fault) adventurer had arrived earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe it,\u201d the overly excited young man said, \u201cit really is a Tome of Levitation!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The odd fellow picked up the book Balthazar had cast aside just moments before off the ground and marveled at it, holding it with arms stretched, mouth open into a goofy smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been looking for one for ages, and then I find it just like this, at a randomly generated roadside event of all places.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man was so captivated by the book in his hand that he was completely ignoring the fact that there was a crab standing not too far off to the side, staring at him in confusion and disbelief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As if this day hadn\u2019t been bizarre enough so far, Balthazar now had to put up with yet another lunatic adventurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young man began frantically leafing through the pages of the book, his eyes darting from one direction to the other, running through the length of each page like someone afraid the book would be taken away from him at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was nice that at least he seemed able to read it. Balthazar pondered whether he should try to approach and learn more about the mysterious texts, or simply hope the annoyingly excitable man would just leave on his own, when the loud slamming sound of the book being closed cut his thoughts short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEureka! Ha-ha-ha! I finally have it,\u201d the young man said excitedly, book still in one hand, while shaking the other wrist out of his oversized sleeve and assuming a ready stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar watched as he murmured something unintelligible, snapped his fingers, and slowly began rising from the ground, as if being lifted by the shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMagnificent!\u201d the young man roared as he continued ascending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be damned,\u201d Balthazar said to himself, as he continued watching the robed figure going up, already floating higher than the top of the old tree of the pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar wasn\u2019t exactly jealous of the man, not only because he had never really wished to fly\u2014flying was for puny birds, not for mighty crabs\u2014but also because if he was going to feel anything of that sort it would be envy, not jealousy. He wasn\u2019t exactly sure when or how he had learned the difference between those two, but that didn\u2019t really matter right then, because something else up above was recapturing Balthazar\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The small figure in the sky had changed demeanor and had gone from excited joy to frantic concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh crap, crap, crap,\u201d the young man shouted, \u201cwhat was the duration of this thing? I didn\u2019t even check.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was quickly turning the pages of the book back and forth, desperately looking for what he couldn\u2019t find, while trying to maintain his balance with no surface to hang on to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell me this also gave me immunity to fall damage, please, please, please,\u201d he pleaded to nobody in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar watched from below with one claw in front of his non-existent forehead and his eyes squinting with equally nonexistent eyelids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDamn it,\u201d the speck far up in the sky echoed in frustration, \u201cwhere is the part about maneuvering this stupid\u2014oh no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without warning, the slow ascension ceased, being replaced with the high-pitched screams of the robed young man as the gravity of the situation came down on him, just as he was now coming down towards the ground at an alarming speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHeh, the gravity<\/em> of the situation,\u201d Balthazar chuckled to himself. \u201cNice one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crab focused back on the falling figure just in time to watch him slam into the ground with a loud crash and a cloud of dust, the book flying off and landing in one direction, and his pointy hat in another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar approached the mangled figure now carved into the ground slowly and gave his foot a small shake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, this one is not flying again anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as Balthazar finished his sentence, a bright, bold block of text popped out of nowhere in front of his sight, causing him to stumble back and fall upside down on his shell, squeaking in a fright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWHAT! GET AWAY! SHOO!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He desperately waved his claws all over, punching nothing but air, while trying to tilt himself back onto his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the crab finally regained his footing, he continued looking in all directions, trying to shake off the intruder in his eyes, but no matter where he looked, the text followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Opponent killed, experience gained]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Level 7 Wizard slain by [cleverly placed trap]]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [You have reached Level 2!]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow I can read again?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Balthazar regained his breath and composed himself, looking around to ensure no birds or adventurers were around to laugh at his embarrassing moment, he focused back on the floating text covering the center of his eyesight. It was similar to the one from the scroll, except that had existed as if projected from the parchment, floating in the air, while this was clearly inside Balthazar\u2019s eyes, as every time he tried to grab at it his claw did nothing but pinch the empty air in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Opponent killed, experience gained]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOpponent?! And what in the world is this \u2018experience\u2019 anyway?\u201d the crab asked, puzzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Level 7 Wizard slain by [cleverly placed trap]]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWizard\u2026 that must be this guy,\u201d he said, tapping the tip of the wizard\u2019s shoe, who remained firmly stuck in his crater. \u201cAnd what does this mean? What trap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar raised his eye stalks in realization, looked around, first at the dead wizard, then up at the sky where he had been floating just moments ago, and finally at the book that was now lying back on the ground, not too far off from where he had tossed it before the young man appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs this thing blaming me for his death?\u201d Balthazar finally said. \u201cHey now, wait just a moment, I didn\u2019t\u2026 I couldn\u2019t possibly know\u2026 it was his own fault. I did nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He paced from side to side, the words in front of him unchanging, ignoring his pleas of innocence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [You have reached Level 2!]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what\u2019s this supposed to mean?\u201d Balthazar said, finally focusing on the last line of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He wasn\u2019t sure what a level was supposed to mean here, only that whatever it was, the wizard had been a seven, which Balthazar knew was more than two. Yes, he may have been just a crab, but he still knew how to count, it\u2019s a vital skill to anyone with as many legs as he has, never know when you might get into a scuffle and walk away unsure if you still got all your appendages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, he doesn\u2019t look that superior to me now,\u201d the crab said with a disdainful look at the young wizard\u2019s twisted expression of horror still stuck to his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAgain, not that it was me who did this to him, of course!\u201d he hurriedly added, to nobody in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The block of text remained in his sight, and Balthazar began wondering if it would ever go away, or if he was stuck like that forever. Whatever it was, it was inside his head, inside his mind, so he tried to concentrate on pushing it away. The task would have been so much easier if he had the ability to blink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as Balthazar began considering rubbing his eyes in the sand, his focus on the last line of text caused a small click and the words disappeared with a smooth slide to the side, as a new block appeared from the opposite direction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Level 2]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Attribute Points: 1]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Skill Points: 1]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Strength: 3] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Agility: 2] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Intelligence: 11] [+]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Skills]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh, this again,\u201d Balthazar said, staring out into the open, reading the new words only he could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He scanned each line carefully, rubbing his chin with the back of one claw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese attributes I\u2019ve seen before, but skills are something new. And it would seem like I can increase one of these three again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pondered on whether he should select Strength this time, but he never felt himself to be weak. He was the strongest around, no fish or bird ever dared stand up to him. And clearly, even these pesky adventurers were no match for him. One met his own demise after Balthazar did nothing more than give him an attitude-correcting pinch, and now this thing in front of him had just claimed he killed that wizard without so much as even touching him. He was clearly a powerhouse. He didn\u2019t need to be stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He could go for Agility, but he also failed to come up with a reason why he would need to be more agile. He already was agile enough to catch his lunch every day in his favorite feeding puddle. Sure, he never caught any of the annoying little feathery pests that provoked him on the daily, but that wasn\u2019t due to lack of agility, it was just because they could fly, and that was obviously cheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more he thought about it, the more he concluded that Intelligence was once again the way to go. You could never have too much of the stuff. Just look at that wizard guy. He was clearly very focused on Intelligence, with all that speed reading, magic casting, and whatever, yet, look where that landed him. He wasn\u2019t smart enough to avoid falling to his doom. Clearly, you could always use being a bit more intelligent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat settles it,\u201d Balthazar said, and with redoubled focus, he concentrated on the plus sign next to his Intelligence level, making it tick up from eleven to twelve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he was focusing his sight on the option, something behind it caught his attention, a reflection of light coming from the young wizard\u2019s chest. Tilting himself slightly to look around the text, he spotted something small in between the folds of the wizard\u2019s robes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it’s taken without the author’s consent. Report it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excited at the possibility of finding more of those beautiful, shiny pieces of metal he stashed away with the scroll earlier, Balthazar navigated his way around the small crater, trying to see his path while still having the attributes screen taking a portion of his view. With great care, he reached a pincer into the dead man\u2019s robe in order to retrieve the source of the reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he pulled his arm back, he found what it brought between his pincers: a single, small, perfectly circular piece of transparent glass within a delicate silver rim, with a thin chain hanging from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s this thing supposed to be?\u201d Balthazar asked himself, looking down at the strange item between the many words still floating in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on,\u201d a man\u2019s voice said from down the road, \u201cwe\u2019re almost there, we can make it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar broke into a small panic, feeling like someone being caught with their pants down, which was an odd choice of feeling for someone who had never worn pants in their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He turned to the dead wizard, then to the other dead adventurer, the tiny lens in his claw, the attributes screen still covering his eyes, and the crab didn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wish at least this damnable thing wasn\u2019t blocking my view,\u201d he said, vigorously shaking his shell. As he did it, the block of text flew down his field of view, disappearing into a tiny upward arrow that now sat at the very corner of Balthazar\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, that wasn\u2019t so difficult,\u201d he said, turning to look down the road, where the top of two adventurer\u2019s heads were coming into view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back at his right claw, still holding the strange small object he looted from the wizard, Balthazar darted towards the center tree, hurriedly crossing the water and reaching for his hidden stash. With a quick motion, he lifted the chunk of wood covering it and tossed the piece of glass inside where the small purse and scroll already were. He moved the makeshift cover back down before stopping and staring at the tree\u2019s bark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat am I doing?\u201d he said. \u201cI did nothing wrong. I don\u2019t owe anyone anything. Those two idiots out there got themselves killed, and it\u2019s not like I was looting the dead or anything. Well, maybe just a little, but that\u2019s exactly what those adventurers do all day. Who are they to judge?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar turned back to face the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBesides, they\u2019re the ones who keep stepping on my residence, causing all sorts of chaos and mess, dying all over the place, like this is their home. Well, it\u2019s not, and if they\u2019re going to keep trespassing, I say it\u2019s only fair whatever they leave behind becomes my property, as a form of compensation, if nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the now fully determined crab looked back at the road, he saw the duo of adventurers now walking the path in full view. They both carried large leather packs on their backs, not as large as the one the first adventurer from earlier had, but still full and heavy enough to make them show signs of strain while carrying them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one at the front was a young man with dark brown hair that looked like he had been wearing a helmet for hours for how messy it was. Sturdy steel armor covered most of his body, and he had a bold smile on his face that matched his confident walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right behind him was a young woman, wearing a mix of leather and steel, slightly lighter brown hair tied into a ponytail, and a much less enthusiastic expression on her sweating face that matched her slouched posture as she struggled to continue walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou promised this was going to be a quick run, Jack,\u201d the young woman said. \u201cIt\u2019s been two days now, and we\u2019re only going back because we can\u2019t carry any more loot. I swear, this is the last\u2026 hey, are you even listening?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young man was clearly not paying her any attention, as he struggled to step on top of two stones, trying to get closer to one of the swords that had gone flying out of the bursting pack earlier, the one that was stuck between two large rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLeah, look, it\u2019s an enchanted sword!\u201d he exclaimed, pointing at the sword, which seemed to have a thin layer of color glowing across the surface of its blade, waving and pulsating slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, come on, you know we\u2019re overburdened as is,\u201d his partner said, taking a step around the body of the adventurer with the ruptured pack whose face remained firmly planted into the rocks, \u201cdo you want to end up like this guy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, I know, but I can\u2019t let this opportunity pass, I have a good feeling about this one,\u201d Jack said, without looking back, and while trying to devise a way to better reach the rocks holding the sword in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not carrying it, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Leah declared, with the expression of someone who was already tired of the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar was still standing on his small islet at the center of the pond, watching the pair bickering, annoyance growing in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was really getting tired of all those adventurers. First one steps on him and spills trash all over his beautiful home, then another comes by and decides to make an ugly crater in his front garden, and now those two show up, ignore him completely, and begin pillaging his residence? It might have been trash, but it was his<\/em> trash now, and this crab just about had it with their kind. No more standing idly by, expecting things to sort themselves out. He was taking matters into his own hands. Claws. Pincers. Whatever! He was going to show he\u2019s not a crab to be messed with!<\/p>\n\n\n\n With determination in his eyes and shell held high, Balthazar stepped across the shallow water to the edge of the pond, and straight towards the steel-clad man trying to reach the sword still stuck in the stones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, you, listen here,\u201d the crab shouted at the young man, \u201cI\u2019ve had a very stressful day, and my patience is running thin, so you and your friend better scram and leave my stuff alone!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two adventurers turned their heads to face the angry crab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook what you\u2019ve done,\u201d Leah said, \u201cnow you aggroed a crab on us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy\u2026 why is it squealing and waving its arms like that?\u201d the man asked, confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow should I know? Do I look like I speak crab?\u201d she responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFiends! No manners! No respect!\u201d the crab continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s just go, I\u2019m way too exhausted to fight even just a crab,\u201d the tired woman said over the crab\u2019s continuous squealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait, hold on, I think I have an idea,\u201d said the confident adventurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you leave my stuff where it is, take yourselves up that road to wherever you were going, and leave my pond alone!\u201d Balthazar said, agitation spilling from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was to no avail. He could tell they weren\u2019t understanding a thing of what he was saying. He knew already that adventurers weren\u2019t exactly the brightest kind, as demonstrated by the two previous specimens already cluttering his residence, but he hadn\u2019t realized their education was so appallingly bad that they didn\u2019t even learn crab language. Truly a primitive and simpleton race, they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Balthazar reflected on the faults of the adventurer education system, the young man in front of him had taken his pack off, placed it on the ground, and was now squatting down, hastily looking for something within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crab put both of his claws up and tensed up his legs. So there was to be a fight, it seemed. He had already dispatched two adventurers today (sort of), what was one more to add to the list (surely the one by the road would run away in fear once she saw him defeat her friend, right?), all he had to do was give him a good slash and a smash (through his solid steel armor\u2026 that sure looked pretty thick, now that he looked at it up close).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar began wondering if tossing that book the wizard picked up earlier would work a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAha! Here it is,\u201d the smiling man said, pulling something out of his bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he stood up from his pack, he held a small object in his right hand, wrapped in a simple white cloth, and began unwrapping it with his left hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere you go, buddy, don\u2019t be grumpy. I\u2019ll trade you this for that sword. How\u2019s that?\u201d Jack offered, with a wide smile on his face, as he placed the open cloth down on the ground in front of the crab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Balthazar stood with claws still ready, cautiously looking at what the man had just laid out in front of him, when a smell reached him, a smell he had never felt before, but that filled him with the purest of joys and happiness. He did not know what that triangular piece of soft looking\u2026 something<\/em> was, but he instantly knew he must taste it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Completely disregarding the two adventurers, Balthazar lunged forward at the unknown piece of food and tore a small piece of it off with the tip of his pincer, and brought it up to his mouth. The whole world turned brighter around him and he was sure stars could be seen dancing in his eyes. It was soft and slightly humid, with the tiniest crumbly feeling on his tongue. And the taste\u2026 he had tasted fruits before, from bushes and small trees around the area, when the season was right, but this was like something else entirely. Sweet, smooth, with a rush at every bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeriously, you\u2019re feeding apple pie to the crab?\u201d the female adventurer said to her partner with disdain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt worked, didn\u2019t it?\u201d he responded. \u201cLook how happy he is with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without the weight of his pack, the young man climbed up to the stone where the sword was, and with an imposing posture stuck both of his feet firmly to his sides, grasping the hilt with both hands, and with a sharp exhale pulled the blade out of the rocks, lifting it up to the skies with his right hand, its edge shining against the sunlight, a huge victory smile stamped on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYay, hooray, congratulations, chosen one, wahoo,\u201d his companion said in a sarcastic tone. \u201cCan we go now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMock all you want, I\u2019m telling you, I have a good feeling about this sword,\u201d Jack said with conviction, while jumping down from the rocks. \u201cAnd yes, let\u2019s go now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the two adventurers carried on up the road, Balthazar finished eating his slice of pie, no longer caring about them or any silly sword. That had been a life-changing experience. He felt a satisfaction he had never experienced before. His mouth could still taste the subtle delight that had just gone through it. All he wanted to do was lie down, take a nap, and dream about that delicious treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he smiled and his vision began to blur, a sudden block of glowing text assaulted his eyes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [High-value item traded. Experience gained.]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [[Sword of Heavy Might] traded for [Slice of Apple Pie]]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [You have reached Level 3!]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGah! Son of a…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing better than a good nap!\u201d The sun was at its highest in the sky, and the water of the pond was warm and comfortable on the surface, while cool and refreshing near the bottom. At the center of it all, an old and rugged acacia tree with grayish bark grew out of a small […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4099"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4100,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099\/revisions\/4100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"chrome-distiller:\/\/14a6f76c-ebc6-4ead-ab28-5629d4642d51_74d7cf54250c0ab49b74f2cce3964b178659b4b7c17e9cd81ad5b156ffa79931\/dom_distiller_material_spinner.svg\")
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