[You have slain the Earth Demon, Amonga.]
[‘Earth’s Essence’ acquired.]
[+10% to final damage until the end of the Carpathia Defense.]
Clattering.
A bead rolled toward my feet.
Lifting the bead towards the sun, it shimmered, showing off its smooth luster.
A clay-colored bead. This was the ‘Earth’s Essence.’
Simply possessing it boosts the party’s final damage by a whopping 10%.
There are also essences of Wind and Fire, with each essence adding 10% to final damage.
Securing all three would mean a total increase of 30% to final damage.
Though categorized as an item, it was more apt to consider it a buff.
‘Well, just for this episode, though.’
As soon as the Defense of Carpathia ended, all beads turned to ash and vanished from the inventory screen.
A truly regrettable matter.
Nevertheless, it was a buff applicable not only to myself but also to my party members, limited to the Defense of Carpathia.
Certainly a ‘cheat’ level buff.
‘But, no one has managed to kill Mabelga yet.’
Mabelga’s shield amount is 10,000.
Even with a cheating buff of +30%, breaking through was impossible.
‘Gathering essences. Weren’t they made just for Mabelga? Then why can’t we kill him?’
Developers’ oversight, Mabelga got stronger for the latter parts of the game, or perhaps it’s divine mischief! Various theories exploded among the players, but they all led to one conclusion.
‘It’s impossible to kill Mabelga.’
Thus, players gradually began to give up on Mabelga and shifted their focus elsewhere.
‘The hidden piece gained in Chapter 2 is not going to be that great, right?’
A valid point, and I agreed with them.
As more and more people gave up, only one challenger remained intent on defeating Mabelga.
‘That would be me.’
I never planned to give up on tackling Mabelga.
Challenge, challenge, and challenge again.
That’s one of the thrills of gaming.
Meeting Mabelga is only possible via the Academy Route, so while I might not have tried tens of thousands of times, surely it has been over five thousand.
‘Well, even that should count as quite ordinary by now. Anyway.’
And among those thousands of attempts, the one with the highest possibility of success.
That would be now.
With [Divine Imitation], mimicking various family secrets, [Darkness], and a suspiciously powerful puffer rabbit, plus the +30% damage from capturing all three demons,
The Shield of 10,000 HP could be overcome.
‘I’ve also thought of a secret weapon recently.’
While I can’t be sure since I’ve never tried it, based on my experiences so far, it’s likely to be ‘permitted.’
‘I’ll probably take a bit of a beating from that kid… But, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.’
Of course, facing Mabelga and dealing with these concerns comes later.
The immediate task is defeating the demons in Areas 2 and 3, acquiring ‘Wind’s Essence’ and ‘Fire’s Essence,’ and securing the +30% buff.
And getting stronger, even if just a little more, by then.
That’s what I need to focus on right now.
Looking at Amonga, neatly split in half, I was lost in thought.
‘My level hasn’t increased. Well, considering my current level, that’s to be expected.’
All I got was a +10% buff applicable only for this episode and some experience points.
But I had gained something else as well.
[Predation].
A skill and hidden piece I acquired during the entrance exam by killing a transparent slime.
And the skill that would play the biggest role in this episode.
Looking at Amonga’s body, split on the ground.
From the cut surface, black flames caused by [Darkness] flickered.
Touching one side of the body, I muttered softly.
“Predation.”
Black energy oozed from Amonga’s body, swiftly surging into me. Simultaneously,
[With the power of Predation, you’ve acquired the ‘Earthworm Summoning’ skill. Downgraded to F-rank.]
[Earthworm Summoning: F]
— Summons earthworms.
“…”
[Earthworm Summoning]. As the name suggests, it’s a skill to summon earthworms.
A good skill?
“Earthworm Summoning.”
Crunch!
“Kyu?”
A remarkably small earthworm appeared.
About 10cm long, it was a peculiar earthworm with eyes as narrow as mine.
Yes, as you can see, this is an incredibly cheat-level skill…
‘…as if! What a trashy game!’
Utter trash. And within that, a king of trash skills.
It was the most useless skill obtained from Amonga, competing for the lowest rank in the game.
‘I didn’t even hope for a cheat skill like Stone Shower. But why…!’
Why does a good person like me end up with such trash?
Of course, if you raise it diligently, it can be used as a shield, but that’s about it.
An earthworm can only ever be, well, a big earthworm.
‘…Information Window.’
[Zero’s Earthworm Lv. 1]
— An earthworm summoned by Zero.
Unlike Zero, it’s cute.
HP: 100
Owned Skills: Harden
I might be seeing things because of the shock.
“Keke, this is a disaster.”
“Kyu?”
The earthworm looked at me. I looked back at it.
Hmm… the more I look, the cuter it seems.
Especially those droopy slit eyes… such a charming creature… no, bug.
“Keke, well, it can’t be helped. Since we’re linked by fate, let’s get along. I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Kyu kyu!”
Oh, this guy communicates better than expected.
Just as I was about to pet the earthworm…
“Ah! Zero! Danger!”
Suddenly, Luna appeared. She dashed over and kicked my earthworm away with her foot.
“Kyuuuuuu-!”
Twinkle.
And just like that, the earthworm became a star in the sky.
“Phew… There were still earthworms around. That was a close one. Zero, you can’t be careless, no matter how small they are. What would you have done if I wasn’t here?”
How could she have done that?! We would have lived happily ever after!
You murderer! No, insecticide…!
‘Well, I can summon it again, so it doesn’t really matter.’
When its HP hits zero, it returns to the demon world to recover.
It’s convenient to think of it as a type of familiar.
Behind Luna, two more figures appeared: Teron and Daike.
Their gazes turned towards the bisected Amonga.
Fortunately, the flames left by [Darkness] had died down.
“Is it already taken care of?”
“…”
Their gazes were quite sharp.
Just as I was desperately trying to come up with an excuse, Luna lifted her face to the sky and raised her nose high.
“Formation Z was splendidly executed. Just as expected from my proud subordinate!”
“Was the plan for Zero to take it down alone?”
“Can’t you see? The ‘Z’ in Formation Z stands for Zero’s ‘Z’.”
“Was that it… I was careless. My mistake.”
Hey, hey! Don’t fall for such nonsensical wordplay! You’re not that kind of character!
But Teron just kept nodding, thoroughly convinced.
This can’t go on. If Teron’s suspicions deepen, he might become stronger or draw more from the demon’s power than I know.
I have to somehow diminish my worth.
“Keke, I didn’t actually do much. Or rather… it just fell down when I tapped it.”
“Hmm? It looks like a pretty big wound for that.”
Teron examined Amonga’s corpse. The body, split in half.
Hmm… doesn’t that still count as ‘tapped’?
“A single strike… To cut through skin that even my fist cannot pierce so easily. Truly impressive skill.”
Nope, not at all? What a harsh world. Isn’t that worthy of some recognition?
The difference between tapping with a finger and slicing with a sword!
“Especially your current brazenness. It’s a talent I could never have in a lifetime. I hope you appreciate that it’s the part I admire the most.”
That’s a compliment, right?
“Keke, you flatter me.”
“Well, I’m still a bit disappointed. It’s not often we get to fight together like this.”
I want to tell Teron there’s no need to feel sorry.
Before long, we’ll be desperately fighting each other to the death.
Huh? That means something different from what Teron said?
How should I know?
“Teron, there are quite a few injured. You should go check on them.”
“Alright. Zero, I’ll go ahead. Take your time and follow slowly.”
Tap-tap.
Teron, having patted my back a couple of times, left. I should head to Area 2 immediately, but I couldn’t move.
Teron’s hunting dog, Daike, was glaring at me.
“Keke, do you have some business with me?”
“…”
Daike didn’t say anything. Why was he lingering here instead of following Teron right away as usual?
“…not yet.”
“Sorry?”
“I haven’t been defeated. I could have beaten it in one go from the start.”
Daike’s eyes sparkled.
Competitive spirit, jealousy, and ambition—a peculiar mix of emotions in his gaze.
Was he jealous because I was praised by Teron?
Such a cute guy.
“Keke, don’t put me on a pedestal, Daike. Without your help, I couldn’t have won. Yes… it’s called teamwork. Teamwork with a friend.”
“…Friend? We’re merely allies who took down an enemy together.”
“Really? It’s not that being called friends makes us friends.”
“…”
“Defeating enemies together. That’s exactly what makes us friends.”
Was it my imagination? Daike seemed to shiver slightly.
“…What a waste of time. I won’t entertain your sophistry.”
With that mutter, Daike abruptly left.
The cliché of temporary allies becoming friends after fighting together.
I had mentioned it in jest, but such a fierce reaction proved clichés are just clichés.
“…Did I hear that wrong? Did you just call that guy a friend?”
Ah, I had forgotten about Luna.
Crazy about friends. And the cliché that always follows her, ‘getting bitten’.
I must avoid the cliché. Just like Daike who just left!
“Keke, you’re mistaken. Luna is my only friend.”
“Hmph~ Really. That’s right, isn’t it? I’m the only friend you have.”
Luna grinned, her smile angelic.
I had successfully avoided the cliché. Indeed, a cliché is just a cliché.
“I’d appreciate one more promise though. A promise with a friend is absolute, you know?”
“Keke, I’ve never heard such a thing before… but since it’s Luna saying it, it must be right. What do you want?”
“You’re only ever going to have one friend, and that’s me. Come on, promise.”
Luna extended her pinky finger toward me, her smile angelic as ever.
One could accept having only one friend in life.
But.
‘If that friend is Luna…’
I couldn’t accept it. Not even as a joke.
“Keke, the sky is clear. Look. Doesn’t it seem to symbolize our bright future?”
Crack-.
But I couldn’t look up at the sky any longer. Luna had twisted my neck downward.
Hmm, it seems like I won’t be able to look up ever again. Or is that just my imagination?
“Look at me. No, only look at me. I’m your only friend, right?”
“Calm down, Luna. Did you know? Your eyes seem a bit… off.”
“That doesn’t matter. The promise is more important. Come on, make it. If we link pinkies, you’re only ever going to have one friend—me.”
Luna pulled at my pinky.
Such incredible strength. How does such force come from her small stature?
Stay calm. Luna might be a bit lacking in intelligence for her strength.
I just need to outsmart her as usual with my eloquent speech!
“Pinky promises aren’t absolute! Who ever said such a ridiculous thing!”
“My mom did.”
There was no way around it without insulting Luna’s mother.
With the rhetoric that toyed with Caron, Lucia, and Adonis, escape was impossible.
This is bad. If this continues, I’m headed for the worst cliché of being confined by a stalker!
“You’re mine.”
One corner of Luna’s mouth quirked up mischievously.
It was the moment our pinkies linked.
“Is, is everyone alright? Eek!”
Thud-.
Rezé, who had been hurrying towards us, stumbled and fell flat on her face.
–TL Notes–
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noooooo our new pet flew away