Table of Contents

Color Gallery

Title Page

Table of Contents Page

Cast

The Story So Far

Copyrights and Credits

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Forest and the Fluffball of Good Luck

Chapter 2: The Deathbearing Serpent

Chapter 3: The Guardian of the Skypiercing Spire

Chapter 4: Primordial Origin Matter

Bonus Story: The Three Sacred Trees of Ngai Forest

Afterword

Newsletter

Color Gallery

Cast

The Story So Far

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Forest and the Fluffball of Good Luck

Chapter 1:
The Mysterious Forest and the Fluffball of Good Luck

Part 1

ALLO, TREANT, AND I looked at each other with wide eyes, then began to discuss our next steps forward.

The Divine Voice had transported us to this strange, eerie forest lined with massive, crooked trees. Allo and Treant were only here because they were involved with me. Volk, the black lizard, and the others had been left in the other world, where they were no doubt greatly outmatched by the four Spirit Servants the Divine Voice had released to combat them. First, I quickly gave Allo and Treant the rundown about Volk and the others’ predicament, as well as my own speculations about the Divine Voice’s intentions.

‹Our only option is to get stronger here and find a way to escape. The Divine Voice has killed tens of thousands…maybe even millions of people. If it says it’s going to throw the world into chaos, then that’s exactly what it’ll do.›

Even five hundred years ago, in Mia the Hero’s generation, the Divine Voice used its Sacred Skills to manipulate powerful beings into waging war against each other. Before then, too, if the stories were true.

I want to get back to our world as quickly as possible, but at my current strength, I don’t stand a chance against the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants. I need to level up…and maybe even evolve again if I can, and then find a way to escape this world.

And if that wasn’t enough, I also had to find a way to catch the Divine Voice off guard and defy its plans. If I didn’t, it was going to keep using me for its own gain and dispose of me once I’d served my purpose. That much was clear.

This was my biggest challenge yet, but at the moment, I had too little information—and, more importantly, not enough time—to think it through. For now, I needed to focus on the objective at hand.

‹There has to be a way out of this place. Raising my levels and escaping is exactly what that bastard wants me to do anyhow.› I looked around at the endless rows of giant, crooked trees. The moonlight bathed the peculiar landscape in an eerie bluehaze. It felt like if I stared at it for too long, I’d start to think the shadows were moving.

“Well, whether we want to get stronger or find a way out of here, our best bet is to start by exploring the area,” Allo said, peering up at the strange trees.

Treant’s body began to quiver slightly. ‹Y-you want to…explore the forest?›

‹Look, I know it’s scary, but if we just stay here, we’ll never know what happened to our world,› I replied. ‹Our only choice is to check things out.›

‹I-I-I know…› Treant sighed, resigned. Its trunk timidly tilted to the side as it looked around. Then its branches began to quiver once more.

Are you gonna be okay, Treant…? Given its current state, I couldn’t help but question whether Treant had really challenged Aluanne to a one-on-one fight and managed to handily beat her in our last battle. But Allo and Atlach-Nacha had both backed up that version of events; if it were just Allo, I could see her trying to spin a story to paint Treant in a positive light. But Atlach-Nacha would never make something like that up for Treant’s sake.

“Treant, I’m sure Atlach-Nacha is in a whole lot of trouble right about now…” Allo said, staring pointedly at it.

‹Y-yes, you’re probably right. I…I need to get it together!› Treant gulped, then quickly straightened its trunk.

‹All right. So…I feel like there may not be that many vicious monsters here. The Divine Voice is powerful, but it can’t just create a bunch of Legendary rank monsters out of nothing, right? If it could, then it wouldn’t have any reason to go through all the trouble of raising me up.› The fact that it was able to summon a slew of Spirit Servants who were equal to or stronger than me was intimidating, but once beings were made into Spirit Servants, they stopped gaining experience points and could no longer level up. Beelzebub and Eldia’s status screens as Spirit Servants showed that their levels were locked. That meant there was no way the Divine Voice could summon a bunch of Legendary rank monsters to fight me. If it could, it wouldn’t need me in the first place.

‹I see… This forest is a bit creepy, but if what you’re saying is true, Master, then it’s likely that only lower-ranking monsters will appear here. In that case, if we leave everything in your capable hands, we should be able to overcome this situation safely.› A sigh of relief emanated from the mouthlike hollow in Treant’s trunk.

A-are we really sure Treant defeated Aluanne in single combat…?

‹All right, before we scout the area, we’ve got a few things to sort out,› I said. ‹I wanted to wait and see how things went first, but we might not have enough time for that.›

“A few things to sort out…?” Allo repeated curiously. “Like what?”

‹Yup. You’ll see.›

With that, I turned to Treant and used View Status.

Species: Tyrant Guardian

Status: Cursed

Lv: 66/85

HP: 748/748

MP: 309/309

Treant had gone from [Lv: 54/85]to [Lv: 66/85]during the battle with Lilyxila’s forces. It’d benefited from the effects of my Demon King’s Blessing skill, which doubled its experience point gain.

Special Skill “Demon King’s Blessing.” As the Demon King, this skill allows the user to unlock the potential of those who serve them. Raises the evolutionary limits of monsters under one’s command. Also doubles the rate of experience point gain for any monsters of lower rank than oneself.

I, on the other hand, now received four times the base experience points thanks to the combination of my Walking Egg skill and my new Dragon King skill. It made sense for my friends to be leveling up at a much slower rate than me, so this level increase was the best possible proof that Treant had risked its life fighting against Lilyxila’s army in the last battle.

‹Thank you again for all your hard work, Treant.› I lightly patted its trunk with my paw. ‹Your level’s gone up dramatically. You seem like an eternal worrywart, but underneath it all, you’re a pretty tough guy. Even I can see that. And I’m not just talking about stats either. You’ve got the passion in your heart to give everything you have when it counts. At this rate, you’ll be ready to evolve again in no time.›

‹Oh, Master…!› Treant’s trunk shuddered again.

“M-Master Dragon! My turn! My turn!” Allo shouted, throwing her hands up toward me.

‹A-all right, Allo. Let’s see here…›

Allo had already been a pretty high level before the fight. She would’ve needed a lot of experience points to go up even one or two levels from there. If Treant was the only one who stopped Aluanne, Allo might not have gone up many levels this time.

Name: Allo

Species: Levana Liche

Status: Cursed

Lv: 85/85 (MAX)

HP: 729/729

MP: 750/750

So Allo had gone up five levels during the fight with Lilyxila, fromLv: 80/85to Lv: 85/85.

‹Oh! You’re at your max level!› Wow. I hadn’t expected five whole levels. But her magic was probably really useful against the Holy Knights. Maybe that’s where it’d all came from.

“Really? Yay! Praise me too, Master Dragon!”

‹Of course! Great work, Allo! You should be able to evolve now!›

Allo’s evolution cap had been removed thanks to my Demon King’s Blessing, which meant she should be able to evolve into an A-class monster now. Having another A-class monster in our party would give our strength a much-needed boost. And depending on the skills she learned, she might have a whole new battle strategy on her hands.

“I want head pats too! Pleaaaase! Like Treant!” Allo flapped her arms excitedly.

‹U-uh, you’re a little small for head pats, Allo… I feel like I’d crush you.› I extended a single digit of my paw toward Allo, keeping my claw bent toward myself. She moved forward to meet it with a proud but slightly embarrassed look on her face and closed her eyes.

‹When will I be able to evolve, Master?› Treant asked, looking wistfully at the two of us.

Aww. Maybe it was sad because Allo stole its thunder. Sorry, Treant… ‹Don’t worry! You should be able to evolve soon.›

‹But how soon is “soon”? After how many more battles?›

‹Well, I don’t know what the monsters here are like, so it’s a little tough to give a concrete answer…›

Once I’d calmed down the slightly sulky Treant, I decided to go ahead and evolve Allo.

‹Your level will drop for a while, though, which isn’t ideal for walking around in uncharted territory. Are you sure you want to do this?› I asked her.

She nodded vigorously. “Yes! I want to get stronger as fast as I can so I can help you, Master Dragon! Besides, I’m not worried! Not with you here to protect me!”

‹Yeah. You can count on me.› Allo deserved a reward for her unwavering trust in me. I wasn’t sure if we’d come across any suitable monsters for her to grind levels against here, but if it came down to it, I could animate some nearby objects as monsters with Fake Life and she could use those.

That said, monsters I made with Fake Life always felt like siblings of clay girl Allo and tree monster Treant. Creating creatures just to kill them was never a strategy I felt great about employing. If it meant keeping Allo and Treant safe, though, I couldn’t be choosy.

Allo was in her fifth evolution now. She’d gone from a rank F Wight, to a rank E Skull Low Mage, to a rank D Levana Mage, to a rank C+ Levana Low Liche, and she was now a rank B+ Levana Liche. Her next rank would likely be rank A—but probably not rank A+, unfortunately. There was a big stat difference between A and A+. It would’ve been nice if she could get an A+ rank here, but the chances of that were low. I’d seen far more regular rank A monsters in the world; A+ ones were few and far between.

I turned to face Allo. As a being born of Fake Life, I needed to cast Fake Life for her to evolve. Treant looked on worriedly, branches quivering, as Allo balled her hands into tight fists at her sides and closed her eyes.

“Grooooh!” I roared. Fake Life’s black tendrils shot toward Allo and curled around her. Then the black tendrils of light narrowed to points, spiraling around each other before drilling themselves into Allo’s chest.

I let out a gasp. This had never happened before.

The black light faded, and Allo opened her eyes.

They had changed color. Before, both Allo’s eyes were red, but now one eye shone a brilliant gold. Her clothes had changed too: She now wore a flowing black dress with an asymmetrical scarlet bodice.

Walpurgis: Rank A+. A monster known and feared as an undying witch. An eldritch being who will not die, even if decapitated or pierced through the heart. Said to be the queen of all liches who were given life through external means, she rules all corners of the world from the shadows.

A-a rank A+ monster?! That means she’s just one step below me! Once she levels up a bit, she’ll be stronger than Seraphim, Eldia, the Chaos Ooze…all those super powerful rank A monsters!

Whoa… And she won’t die, even if she gets her head chopped off or her heart destroyed? That’s pretty disturbing to mention in her evolution text, but I feel like that info has been questionable in the past…

Name: Allo

Species: Walpurgis

Status: Cursed

Lv: 1/130

HP: 49/49

MP: 750/1168

Attack: 325

Defense: 263

Magic: 888

Agility: 291

Rank: A+

Special Skills:

Grecian Language: Lv 4

Undead: Lv —

Dark Type: Lv —

Body Morph: Lv 9

Privilege of the Dead: Lv —

Master of the Earth: Lv —

Evil Eye: Lv 7

Undead Maker: Lv —

Petrifying Gaze: Lv 7

Fly: Lv 1

Undying Darkness: Lv —

Black Wings of Malice: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Debuff Immunity: Lv —

Physical Resistance: Lv 8

Magic Resistance: Lv 6

Halved Physical Damage: Lv —

Normal Skills:

Gale: Lv 8

Curse: Lv 6

Life Drain: Lv 7

Clay: Lv 7

Regenerate: Lv 8

Clay Doll: Lv 7

Mana Drain: Lv 8

Lingering Rope: Lv 6

Fog of the Dead: Lv 6

Charm: Lv 6

Wide Drain: Lv 6

Dark Sphere: Lv 6

Bloodsuck: Lv 7

Death: Lv 7

Illusion: Lv 7

Vampire Bat: Lv 7

Ravenous Venom Fangs: Lv 1

Dark Kaleidoscope: Lv 1

Title Skills:

Demon King’s Underling: Lv —

Hollow Mage: Lv 8

Everlasting Body: Lv —

Undead Queen: Lv —

Undying Witch: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

H-holy cow… Check out all those new skills!

What was with these crazy specialized stats?! She had twenty-three times more MP than HP! I’d never seen anything like that before. Was she gonna be okay? Her HP could drop to zero in an instant!

A few of her Special Skills caught my eye: Unending Darkness and Raven Wings. She learned Fly too… I wonder if Raven Wings is related?

Special Skill “Undying Darkness.” The user’s body is made of darkness and magic. So long as she has MP, she will never perish. Allows user to automatically regenerate any missing HP by consuming MP.

Interesting… With this, her HP and MP are functionally the same thing. I was relieved to know I didn’t have to worry about Allo’s HP randomly dropping to zero because she tripped over something.

Special Skill “Black Wings of Malice.” Black wings sprout from the user’s back. The wings are more solid than they look and can be used for both attack and defense.

Oho… She’s got wings now, huh? With these and her new Fly skill, she’d definitely be able to take flight. That’d be cool. She’d have to test it out for us later.

Allo had a few new Normal Skills too: Vampire Bat, Dark Kaleidoscope, and Ravenous Venom Fangs.

Normal Skill “Vampire Bat.” Creates vampire bats from user’s blood. User shares vision with their vampire bats. Heavily depletes MP, but if the vampire bat is reabsorbed, most of the consumed MP can be recovered.

Ooh…! This looked handy for some easy reconnaissance and stuff. It reminded me of Beelzebub’s flies. I was a little concerned about what “reabsorbing” a vampire bat would entail, though…

Normal Skill “Dark Kaleidoscope.” Creates a clone of the user out of magic that possesses their own consciousness. Heavily depletes MP, but if the clone is reabsorbed, most of the consumed MP can be recovered.

I see… This is like a clone version of Vampire Bat. The “reabsorbing” stuff sounded kind of grotesque, but maybe it was just worded weirdly?

Normal Skill “Ravenous Venom Fangs.” User’s entire body opens into a gigantic mouth to bite any target in front of it, stealing both HP and MP from the bitten target and inflicting a variety of status conditions.

Whoa. That seems strong, but…her body opens up? Into a gigantic mouth…?

It…was probably best not to think too hard about that one.

“S-so, Master Dragon? How did I do?” Allo asked nervously, fists clenched.

I gave a huge nod. ‹You did it, Allo! You made it to rank A+!›

Her face lit up. “Really?!”

‹Yeah! Now you can show me all your new skills while we explore the forest!›

“You got it! I won’t let this hold you back, Master Dragon!”

Treant watched her with traces of unease in its bark-lined face. ‹Ah, Master! W-we should go explore and level up as soon as we can!›

Okay, okay, no need to rush… In truth, I also felt a sense of urgency pressing me forward. While we were stuck in this vast and eerie otherworldly forest, there was no telling what was going on in our original world. The sooner we made it back, the better.

Part 2

I TOOK OFF INTO THE SKY, with tree spirit Treant and Allo on my back, and flew high into the air. I felt like it was a good idea to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire landscape first, rather than exploring at ground level. From the ground, everything would look like the same unchanging forest, but hopefully I’d find some points of interest from above.

The sky was eerily lit by a pale blue moon. A strange, dark cloud seemed to cover part of the moon’s surface, but no matter how far I flew, it didn’t seem like I was getting any closer to it.

When I looked down, I saw endless rows of those same massive, mangled trees spread out in every direction.

‹What the heck? What’s with this creepy place…?›

There could be monsters underneath any of these trees, but I wouldn’t be able to see them through all the branches. Maybe this creepy forest really did stretch on forever…

‹M-Master?!› Treant called to me. ‹Perhaps we should go down a bit lower soon? If Miss Allo and I were to fall from this height, we surely wouldn’t survive!›

The strange trees—which were larger than me—now looked like tiny grains of rice below us. We’d reached a considerable height. But even from all the way up here, I saw no breaks in the sea of trees beneath us.

‹Hmm… Y’know, if you did a Meteor Stomp from this high, you might even be able to hit the Divine Voice.›

Treant’s branches quaked in panic. ‹M-Master?! I-I want to get down now! Please put me down!›

‹Sorry, sorry. I’m just kidding, Treant.› I craned my neck around to wink at it.

If the forest really was as endless as it looked, then it was safe to assume there was no easy exit from this…dimension, or other world, or whatever it was. I’d always looked past the intricacies of this world of monsters and humans, but the truth was that it had been strange from the very start. Monsters, levels, stats, evolution…and the Divine Voice, a being that felt warped and incomplete somehow, and too limited in its reach to truly be considered the god of this world. Recognizing the weirdness didn’t do anything to solve my current problem, but the fact that such a world really existed made it easier for me to believe this space we now found ourselves in was just an endless expanse of creepy forest.

Knowing the Divine Voice, it could just as easily be that there was no way for me to escape this place. Maybe it just wanted me to desperately struggle to escape, continue leveling up with dreams of going to save my friends in the real world to motivate me, and then eventually die without ever going back… If it did that, then the Divine Voice would still have me as a pawn, as a monster powerful enough to rival its own strength.

‹No… There’s no reason to waste time on such negativity. My only option is to fight and get stronger and keep looking. So I’ll do everything I can to succeed.›

Suddenly, at the very edge of my field of vision, I spotted what seemed to be a massive tower coming into view. For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It loomed over the massive trees around it, rising to an unnaturally, almost grotesquely tall and thin spire that pierced the heavens. No matter how high I looked up, I still couldn’t see the end of the spire. The tower it sat upon was an ashen, earthy color and had images of what looked like monsters carved onto every part of its surface.

It really looked like a completed Tower of Babel.

If this was really a tower from myth, then was the Divine Voice there? I doubted anything good would come from going to see it there, but it’d be nice if it just let us go back to our old world already…

“M-Master Dragon? What’s that…?” Allo asked me, puzzled.

‹I’m not sure… But considering it’s the only landmark for miles, we should probably head for it. It’s a long way off, but if I flew there right now it wouldn’t take long.›

Between the endless expanse of creepy trees and the giant tower piercing the sky, this world seemed to love making the unlikely a reality. The shock of seeing an Adam for the first time fell flat in comparison to these two marvels.

‹I feel like nothing I see in the future could ever surprise me again. This scene will haunt me for the rest of my life.›

‹U-um, Master? For now, may we please land?› Treant asked, its voice shaking.

“What’s up, Treant?” Allo teased. “Are you afraid of heights?”

Treant gave her an annoyed frown. ‹N-no! Heights don’t bother me much! I am no stranger to traveling through the air at this point! But this…is a bit higher than I’m used to…!›

I looked down at the trees far below me, and a tingle ran up my legs. Treant had a point. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if we got caught in an attack up here and my wings got injured.

“You’re so cute, Treant.”

‹D-don’t give me that! You have wings now, so you wouldn’t understand!› Treant fluttered the little wings that served as its arms in indignation. Hmm. I was sure it could fly with those, but they didn’t look super reliable…I had a sudden vision of giant tree version Treant with a massive wingspan to match.

Y-yeah, there’s no way that’d work. It’d look totally surreal; almost as weird as one of those Adams.

‹Master…are you thinking something impolite? I can pick up on your thoughts a little with Telepathy, you know…›

‹S-sorry…›

Just as I decided to land for Treant’s sake, I heard a shout from Allo.

“M-Master Dragon! Look! B-behind you, up there! Something’s coming!”

I immediately looked behind me and extended the radius of my Psychic Sense. Above me, and floating gently down toward us, were three huge, white masses.

‹Finally! Some monsters from this region are showing their faces!›

I definitely hadn’t been expecting any monsters to show up after I’d flown through the air for so long. I turned back around to get a good look at them again. They looked to be about ten meters in diameter, and I could only describe them as featureless, white, sphere-like monsters.

Kesaran Pasaran: Rank A+. An indefinable white sphere. It appears from the sky and then vanishes without a trace. Because of its rarity and the unpredictability of its appearances, it is said to bring good luck to any who see it. However, it is also said that any who see it for a second time in their lifetime are fated to die soon after.

So…what if there’s three of them?! It’s an odd number, so maybe it’s still a symbol of good luck?! Either way, I’d been bracing myself for a dangerous monster, so it was a relief to see they were pretty harmless. It was a little freaky that they appeared out of thin air, but A+ monsters were nothing to be afraid of for me now.

‹All right! Allo, Treant, let’s do this!›

“You got it, Master Dragon!”

‹M-Master?! A-aren’t we going to land first?! You said we were going to land, right?!›

I shook my head. Sorry, Treant, but it’s much more dangerous to turn our backs to three A+ monsters to land instead of just fighting them here. Besides…if you fell, I’d be able to catch you before you hit the ground.

Probably.

Part 3

THE THREE WHITE kesaran pasaran orbs approached us. According to their description, they seemed to basically just float around in the sky and weren’t prone to approaching others. But considering how vast this world seemed, I doubted I’d just happen upon three of them by chance as I was flying. They must have come closer because they saw us as a target. I guess when I get sent to a strange world by something akin to a god, I can expect packs of rank A+ monsters to appear whenever they like.

But at my current strength, enemies like these were no longer a threat to me.

I sent a warning message to the spheres with Telepathy. ‹That’s close enough. If you get any closer, we’ll attack.›

The nice thing about Telepathy was that it spoke using the mind, so I could get the message across even if my target wasn’t intelligent enough to understand words. If I could threaten them into backing off, that’d be better than picking a fight in the air.

But in response, the white orb leading the pack began to glow a bright, brilliant red. The next moment, a thick ray of heat shot toward me from its center. I had to veer to the side to avoid it.

That looked like Heat Beam…the same skill the giant sand centipede used on us. Despite the lingering trauma from my first time dealing with that powerful beam, the kesaran pasarans’ stats were far below mine. I could dodge their attacks with plenty of room to spare, and even if I got hit, I’d be able to recover quickly.

‹Th-that was scary…› Treant muttered. It clung to my back with as many branches as could reach.

The only issue here was that if we got into a full-blown fight, I was going to have to do some pretty extreme maneuvers. Sorry, Treant. Just brace yourself and get used to it.

The two kesaran pasarans trailing behind the first began to glow red as well. Two more Heat Beams seared their way toward me.

I could see them coming with plenty of time, but dodging three wide-range attacks at once was a tall order. If I stopped moving for even a second, they could cut me off and close in from all sides. I flew past the white spheres in a wide arc. The three Heat Beams crossed over each other as they chased after me, but despite the skill’s impressive range, they were still too slow to hit me. There was no way those floating orbs would catch me; at my agility level, I could lose them in seconds.

‹Guys! This looks like a good way to farm some levels. I’ll fly past ’em, and you can whittle them down with your attack skills.›

“Okay! Let’s do it!”

‹L-L-Leave it to us! I’ll get to my next evolution with this battle! I have to!› Treant still seemed nervous about the altitude, but even so, it stood tall and readied itself to fight.

Okay. Let’s take a peek at these monsters’ stats before I swoop past them again. Just in case.

Species: Kesaran Pasaran

Status: Mad God

Lv: 90/130

HP: 2228/2228

MP: 1354/1354

Attack: 1402

Defense: 1408

Magic: 1495

Agility: 1499

Rank: A+

Special Skills:

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 7

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 7

Fly: Lv 9

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 6

Magic Resistance: Lv 6

Poison Resistance: Lv 8

Instant Death Resistance: Lv 4

Normal Skills:

Regenerate: Lv 7

Heat Beam: Lv 8

Yawn: Lv 6

Double Poison: Lv 7

Clay: Lv 8

Hi-Rest: Lv 8

Title Skills:

Former Beast King’s Servant: Lv —

Symbol of Good Luck: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Status-wise, they seemed like fairly easy opponents. Their stats were almost perfectly balanced all across the board, and they didn’t specialize in anything—which meant that against a higher-level monster like me, they were severely lacking in both speed and attack power. After all the levels I’d gained in the fight against Lilyxila, these guys would be a cinch. I got enough practice dealing with long-range attacks during that fight anyway. Lilyxila’s Aparajita form had tormented me enough for a lifetime. These weaker attacks were nothing.

However, they had a status condition I’d never seen before. Mad God, huh? It seemed like an unusual one, similar to the Collapsing God condition the slime got when it evolved into Ruin.

Maybe this status condition was incurable too? The three kesaran pasarans all had the same condition. I should take a closer look at this.

Special Skill “Mad God.” Those who continue to breathe in the toxic air of Ngai Forest will be consumed by a madness from which they will never awaken. They will be haunted by nightmares every moment until their death. Those affected lose both their identity and intelligence, becoming little more than simple beasts who only seek out foreign enemies who do not possess this condition. This skill will never disappear. Ever.

Whoa…this is a crazy skill. Is this place called Ngai Forest? The Collapsing God skill that eventually killed its host was awful, but this isn’t any better. Never-ending nightmares that make them attack other monsters… That’s a tough break.

The implications of the Mad God skill gave me a strong sense of foreboding. This world—Ngai Forest—seemed like the Divine Voice’s miniature garden, where it sent monsters to fight against the vicious monsters already turned mad from the forest’s fumes.

They also had a Title Skill that didn’t make sense to me: Former Beast King’s Servant. Beelzebub, the Beast King of this generation, was already dead. Besides, I’d never heard about Beelzebub having weird puffballs as servants… Maybe it meant they served the Beast King of a previous generation?

By nature, evolutionary limits for monsters without Sacred Skills were quite strict. Most monsters reached their Final Evolution at around rank B+, and no monsters should be able to reach rank A+ naturally. The Divine Voice must have found a way to bring a large number of monsters under the influence of Sacred Skill holders to push their evolutionary limits past their max. Maybe it’d been regularly sending others to Ngai Forest like it did with me…and then the toxic air turned them into mindless tools for its own plans.

Damn it! It’s just toying with us however it pleases…!

I didn’t know what my time limit was for escaping this place before the forest turned us all into the Divine Voice’s pawns, but this was just one more reason for us to get out of here as fast as we could. If we didn’t, we’d be stuck here forever, forced to mindlessly attack whoever showed up until we met our ends.

Maybe this place had originally been the Divine Voice’s dumping ground for monsters with Sacred Skills who’d outlived their usefulness? But if that was the Divine Voice’s whole plan, there’d be no reason for it to release a bunch of Spirit Servant monsters for me to deal with when I got back.

The mysterious spire towered in the distance. Either I hunted down the maddened inhabitants of Ngai Forest to get stronger and find a way to get back somehow, or I’d be infected with the Mad God condition and end up just another hunk of fertilizer for this creepy forest. Either way, the Divine Voice got what it wanted. Its goal was to flatten me.

But just you wait, Divine Voice. I’ll come back, stronger than you even thought possible, and I’ll be the one beating you to a pulp.

I circled around the kesaran pasarans as I thought, avoiding their Heat Beams with ease. I could see their every movement. Yeah, I’ll let Allo and Treant handle these guys. Allo needs to get out of the low-level danger zone as fast as she can…and Treant needs to evolve soon too.

“Master Dragon…? Is something on your mind?” Allo called out to me. She must’ve caught on to my frustration about the whole Mad God thing.

‹I’ll…tell you later. For now, let’s work on wiping these guys out.›

“O-okay!”

I’d been planning to take them out from the beginning to farm levels, but now that I knew about the Ngai Forest’s Mad God effect, I felt much less guilty about it. These monsters needed to be freed from their madness.

‹I-I’ll help too! Leave it to us! I’m getting used to the height now too!›

I sensed a sudden increase in temperature from my back and turned around to look. Treant stood tall, its eyes burning with red light.

‹Let me tell you something!› Treant called to the kesaran pasarans. ‹You are not the only ones who can use Heat Beam!›

A beam of red light sliced through one of the spheres from top to bottom. Tufts of strange, cotton-like material danced around the area.

‹How was that, Master?!› Treant crowed gleefully.

I glanced at the kesaran pasaran’s status screen again.

Species: Kesaran Pasaran

Status: Mad God

Lv: 94/130

HP: 2268/2284

MP: 1321/1414

It…barely put a dent in its HP. That seemed like a pretty powerful blast, but it only did sixteen damage?

Well, I guess it made sense… Treant was a much lower rank, and it had fewer levels in its rank than these guys do—and most importantly, it wasn’t an attack-focused monster. No wonder it couldn’t do much against opponents this strong.

‹Oh, yes!› gloated Treant. ‹This time for sure! I can feel it!›

‹Y-yeah… Great job, Treant!› I called out. ‹Next time, could you try and get a little closer and hit ’em with a skill that’ll give them a status condition, like Guard Lost or Anti-Power, maybe? I’m sure you’ll get some Experience Points from that!›

‹Oh… Right, understood.› As much as I tried to hide it, Treant seemed to sense my lack of enthusiasm. I could feel its blatant disappointment through Telepathy.

Sorry, Treant… But you won’t get any Experience Points like this, no matter how many Heat Beams you fire.

“Master Dragon! Um…may I borrow a little MP?” Allo asked. I nodded. By absorbing some of my MP with Mana Drain, Allo could temporarily increase her magic power.

She placed her palms against my back and began to draw a small amount of MP from me. I glanced behind me to see her glowing faintly with light, powered up from my Oneiros magic.

“Dark Kaleidoscope!” The glowing light turned black, enveloping Allo in darkness. Her outline blurred, and then split into three figures.

That’s one of her new Walpurgis clone skills!

The three figures raised their arms in unison. Orbs of black light formed from their fingertips: three Dark Spheres.

“Aim for the one in front!” one of the Allos called to the others.

“Got it!”

The three Dark Spheres all shot toward the same kesaran pasaran at once, slamming into the white orb in quick succession. With each shot, the kesaran pasaran’s body shuddered and shot out more of the strange cotton. By the third sphere, it was spraying green body fluid into the air.

“Ou, ouu, ouuuuuuuu!” It gave a bizarre howl.

H-huh?! This thing has a mouth…?

Species: Kesaran Pasaran

Status: Mad God

Lv: 94/130

HP: 2085/2284

MP: 1299/1414

O-ooh! Allo did over a hundred points of damage! That’s pretty impressive, considering she’s still only level 1. If she keeps at it, she’ll get a bunch of experience.

‹That did a lot of damage! Keep going, Allo!›

“All right!”

I caught a glimpse of the three Allos high-fiving each other. Interesting… The description for Dark Kaleidoscope mentioned each clone having their own consciousness.I thought they’d be able to speak to each other through their minds to give instructions, but from the looks of things, that was not the case. Allo and her other selves were having the equivalent of a group huddle.

As the three Allos smiled at each other, Treant looked on with lifeless eyes.

‹H-hey, Treant…I’m counting on you to give them some serious status conditions, okay?›

‹Yeah. That way Allo can do more damage and get even more Experience Points,› Treant said sullenly.

‹Hey, c’mon. Don’t let it get you down…›

I swooped toward the kesaran pasaran again to let Treant use Guard Lost, and then the three Allos battered it with another round of Dark Spheres. Once they’d whittled down a bit over half its health, I slashed at it with my Dimension Claws. The white sphere split open, pouring green fluid everywhere, and started to tumble toward the ground.

Gained 5,358 Experience Points.

Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 5,358 Experience Points.

Oneiros Lv 124 has become Lv 125.

All right! One down. Let’s see where Allo’s at.

Name: Allo

Species: Walpurgis

Status: Cursed, Magic Modifier (Major)

Lv: 51/130

HP: 49/69

MP: 347/2208

Wh-whoa! She went up fifty levels with a single monster! Even with the Experience Point boost from Demon King’s Blessing, that was pretty dang impressive. She had the leveling abilities and status of a true master hunter now.

‹Amazing job, Allo! You went up fifty levels at once!›

“Really?!”

“Yaaaay!”

The three Allos cheered. I was glad to see them so happy. But I also felt a little contrite, given the circumstances.

‹Ah, Master! Me next! Me next!› Treant demanded.

Do I have to look…? This is…kind of painful.

Species: Tyrant Guardian

Status: Cursed, Tree Spirit Transformation: Lv 4

Lv: 69/85

HP: 374/769

MP: 318/318

Treant only went up three levels… I mean, levels got harder to raise the higher your level rose, but after seeing Allo shoot up fifty levels at once, it…didn’t feel great. How had Treant gained all its levels up until now? I didn’t even know. Was it always this hard for it to gain levels?

‹Master? How did I do…?› Treant asked.

‹You went up five—no, three levels…›

‹Were you…about to pretend I gained two more levels than I really did?›

Instead of replying, I dove toward the second kesaran pasaran.

The three Allos kept up their Dark Sphere onslaught from my back as I flew by. Now that she was out of her low-level danger zone, her magic was even more powerful; her stats had gone from Magic: 888to Magic: 1538.

Her opponents’ levels were higher than hers, but they were both A+ monsters. If I helped out and gave her an opportunity to unleash her full might on them, Allo could finish the kesaran pasarans off herself.

‹That’s amazing, Allo. A monster your level wouldn’t stand a chance against you and your clones attacking together.›

I felt the pull of Mana Drain once more as all three Allos brought their palms to my back. “Yeah, but maintaining the skill takes a lot of MP…and I can’t move as fast as usual. If I used this badly in a one-on-one fight, I could run out of MP pretty quick.”

As if to prove her point, Allo sucked out quite a bit more MP than I expected. This skill might not be great in terms of efficiency… The skill description said it was costly unless she reabsorbed her clones somehow.

‹Heat Beeeeaam!›

Treant shot Heat Beams at the kesaran pasarans whenever it had the chance. But the kesaran pasarans, who were now wary of Allo’s Dark Spheres and starting to anticipate it from me and Allo, completely ignored the Heat Beam.

‹Treant! Focus on using Guard Lost! You’ll probably get more experience points that way!› I called.

‹But, Master! I can’t get much from Guard Lost! I have to do damage!›

‹J-just trust me, okay?! You’ll get more from Guard Lost!›

Between Allo evolving and her rapid level increase, Treant was clearly getting lost in his own sense of inadequacy.

‹I’m sorry, Treant. But your Heat Beam just doesn’t do enough damage to these guys to be worth using. I’m not saying endurance-type monsters are weak, but you guys have it hard.›

‹In my heart, I know this as well, Master! But…but…! What do I do?!› Treant wailed.

‹Use Guard Lost!›

‹I know that!›

“…If you know that, then do it already,” Allo muttered, exasperated.

It wasn’t that Treant’s status was bad. It was just that its skill set simply wasn’t well suited for our current matchup. Treant wasn’t made for taking on higher-level opponents because its maximum attack power was relatively low—and I didn’t have any skills to make up for that gap either.

‹Master! Take me up higher! I’ll give them a Meteor Stomp!› Treant called.

‹Are you crazy?! From this height?! You said it yourself! If you fall from this height, you won’t make it!›

‹But I can pretty much fly in my tree spirit form too! If I use it while I’m falling, I can at least lessen the impact…›

What the heck? Did Treant have a death wish? I gently tried to dissuade it. ‹There’s no way you can hit a flying enemy with Meteor Stomp anyway! You’ll just hit the ground at full speed! Let’s save it for now, and use it on someone on the ground, okay?›

‹Oh! I know! I’ll harden myself with Statue, and then you can use me to attack them!›

Is that…really a good idea?

As Treant shot its stream-of-thought ideas at me, it carried on shooting Heat Beams at the kesaran pasarans. It just refused to give up.

“Hyah!” Allo slammed her triple Dark Spheres into the second kesaran pasaran’s side. Green fluid splattered through the air, and it began to slow. Its time was clearly up.

‹Nice, Allo! One more hit should—›

At that moment, Treant’s Heat Beam sliced cleanly into the gash in the kesaran pasaran’s body. It shuddered, spurted more fluid and white cotton, and then fell.

‹Yes! Master, did you see that?! I did it! My Heat Beam stopped it! I bet I got a bunch of Experience Points from that!› Treant fluttered its branches in glee.

The three Allos, on the other hand, looked down at the falling kesaran pasaran with complicated expressions. “We did most of the work…”

Well, either way, I was glad Allo’s first fight as a Walpurgis was with some fitting opponents.At this rate, taking down the final kesaran pasaran should be a walk in the park. Treant’s level would at least go up a little too.

On top of that, I was glad to finally get an idea of the kind of place we were in, and that the monsters we’d face here would be rank A+ at most. This place had to be some kind of alternate dimension where the Divine Voice kept all its extra powerful monsters locked up, likely to level up its “chosen ones” like me. The Divine Voice couldn’t just summon Legendary rank monsters out of nowhere; the four Spirit Servants of the most powerful monsters of all time were likely the only Legendary monsters it had at its disposal. I was relieved to know I wouldn’t be running into monsters like Ruin or the Holy Naga around every corner.

At that moment, a chill of foreboding shot up my spine. I felt eyes trained on me from somewhere far higher in the sky. Whoever those eyes belonged to, they were far more powerful than our current foe…

The next moment, beams of black light rained down at us from the heavens—like Heat Beams, but thinner and splintered into multiple rays.

‹W-waaaaah! Master! Those don’t look good!› Treant shouted, panicked.

‹Hold on tight!› I swooped down to speed up and escape the storm of black rays.

The slow-moving kesaran pasaran wasn’t so lucky; when the beams pierced it, it swelled up and exploded, splattering green fluid in every direction.

I caught the blow out of the corner of my eye, and my mouth fell open in shock. Taking out a rank A+ monster with a single long-range attack? Only a Legendary rank monster could pull that off.

I looked up. High above us, a large black sphere loomed. Delicate, swirling lines of light danced ever-changing across its surface. It was almost twice the diameter of the kesaran pasarans.

I couldn’t tell what kind of monster it was from just its appearance. But whatever it was, it was dangerous; that much was obvious.

And just when I thought getting out of here might be easier than I thought…

Part 4

I SHIFTED MY ATTENTION to the black sphere above us. For now, let’s just take a look at this thing’s description.

Origin Matter: Rank L (Legendary). A mysterious sphere believed to have existed since the world’s creation. Said to have been brought down to this plane of existence from a higher dimension. Wielder of powerful dimension and light magic. Time stands still inside the sphere; enemies swallowed by the sphere are sealed inside.

What the heck? What’s with this crazy monster… It’s from a higher dimension? And it stops time? Unfortunately, my prediction was correct: I was facing a Legendary rank monster.

I’d underestimated the monsters of Ngai Forest. A Legendary monster appearing out of nowhere had seemed far-fetched until now. But between the giant sky-piercing tower in an endless forest of trees, the swarm of A+ monsters, and the surprise Legendary monster, I was going to have to get used to being caught off guard here.

Was it even possible to evolve into a Legendary rank without a Sacred Skill? No, there was no way! When the slime evolved into a Legendary rank without one, it got the Collapsing God skill and died as a result.

Although…the fact that this Legendary rank was here must mean it’d been afflicted by the Mad God skill. Even as a Legendary, it was tossed into Ngai Forest by the Divine Voice. Maybe that magic skill was its best attack, and it wasn’t that strong otherwise?

I took a look at my foe’s status.

Dorothea

Species: Origin Matter

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 5524/5524

MP: 6397/6535

Attack: 1852

Defense: 3245

Magic: 4999

Agility: 1721

Rank: L (Legendary)

Sacred Skills:

Beast Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Preta Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Special Skills:

Grecian Language: Lv 5

Psychic Sense: Lv MAX

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv MAX

Fly: Lv MAX

Time Vortex: Lv —

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv MAX

Magic Resistance: Lv MAX

Debuff Immunity: Lv —

Fire Immunity: Lv —

Water Immunity: Lv —

Earth Immunity: Lv —

Normal Skills:

Hi-Rest: Lv MAX

Human Transformation: Lv MAX

Telepathy: Lv 9

Mirror Counter: Lv MAX

Illusion: Lv MAX

Regenerate: Lv MAX

Dimension Slash: Lv MAX

Black Hole: Lv MAX

Dark Ray: Lv MAX

Wormhole: Lv MAX

Big Bang: Lv MAX

Title Skills:

Primordial Sphere: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Former Beast King: Lv —

Former Saint: Lv —

Just like that, my hopes of an easy fight were dashed. This black ball had better stats than I did! I had Magic: 4,615, but the Origin Matter had Magic: 4,999. A couple of direct hits, and even I could lose all my HP in one fell swoop. I was still only Lv: 125/150, so there was a big difference there too. The Origin Matter had a bunch of weird skills I wasn’t familiar with, but the ones that caught my attention first were the Sacred Skills.

Sacred Skill “Beast Realm Path" (Replica): Lv —. A replica of “Beast Realm Path.” The skill itself possesses no power, but it prevents those who evolved with the Beast Realm Path from being afflicted with any of its adverse effects.

Suddenly, I understood why the Origin Matter has been able to live this long as a Legendary rank monster. Maybe the Divine Voice had found some way to fool Laplace into making this replica skill? That way they could feed them to guys like me when I ran out of ways to get Experience Points in the outside world.

From the looks of the Origin Matter’s status…it must’ve been the Beast King thousands of years ago. The replica skill had kept it alive all this time, and the Mad God condition took away its mind so that it couldn’t oppose the Divine Voice. So it continued to wander the Ngai Forest, tormented by the nightmares of the Mad God condition, with one day being killed by some unknown stranger as its only hope of mercy.

…And if Allo, Treant, and I didn’t get out of here soon, we’d all end up the same way.

I knew the Divine Voice was a horrible entity. But the more I learned about it, the more traces of it I encountered in the world, the more its flagrant selfishness made me want to hurl. There was no telling how many others it had left roaming this forest, doomed to the same fate as Origin Matter.

I circled the large black orb at top speed, keeping my distance. Countless black beams of light shot out at me from the orb’s center, skimming past me and then falling to the ground. That had to be the Dark Ray skill I saw in its status. I could avoid them all from a distance, but I doubted I could get much closer.

Origin Matter was the same type as Allo; its attack and agility lagged behind, but it could put up a good fight with its many skills so long as it had MP, so those weaknesses were hardly holding it back.

“Dark Sphere!” The three Allos called, releasing three more black orbs at our foe. But from this distance, I couldn’t do anything to cover her attack; the Origin Matter dodged the orbs easily.

‹Take this!› I slashed at the evading Origin Matter with my Dimension Claws and felt my claws connect. But even an Oneiros’s Dimension Claws barely made the Origin Matter budge.

It’s not like it doesn’t take damage at all…but still, this guy is crazy tough. I was spending all my energy evading the Dark Rays, so I wasn’t in much of a position to counterattack at the moment.

As I pondered how to attack it while staying clear of its Dark Rays, the swirling pattern on the Origin Matter’s surface changed. Suddenly, I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my shoulder.

Crap! That must be the Dimension Slash skill I saw earlier!

Turning to the side, I somehow managed to avoid letting the slash cut deeper. Shoot, that was close… If I took the full force of that slash, we’d all have a one-way ticket to the ground.

With the nature of Dimension Slash, and the fact that the Origin Matter didn’t have any visible slashing instruments or indicators of the direction it was facing, there was no way for me to tell where it was aiming. Not that I could stay in one place for long anyway if I wanted to dodge the continuous Dark Ray onslaught.

As I kept evading, I glanced back at Allo and Treant on top of me. We…shouldn’t be fighting the Origin Matter right now. My level is too low at the moment; I can’t fight on equal terms with it. It’s not like there’s no chance of beating it, but if I want to win, I’ve gotta fight dirty. And Allo and Treant won’t be safe if I do that.

I swooped around the Origin Matter again, threading between its Dark Rays. One of the rays flashed across my tail and I drew in a sharp breath of pain. Between its power, range, and rapid-fire attacks, this felt like a totally broken skill. The worst part, though, was that despite the many attacks, the Origin Matter’s MP hadn’t decreased much at all. Taking on such a powerful monster at this point would be way too reckless.

The pattern on the Origin Matter’s surface changed again. I shot straight up; a moment later, another Dimension Slash tore through the sky beneath my legs. I’d been avoiding them pretty well so far, but between the Dark Rays and Dimension Slashes, if I kept trying to fight, I was bound to get hit at some point.

The Origin Matter’s attacks were a brutal combo against my close-combat specialty. Worst of all, its true strength wasn’t its long-range attacks but its crazy high HP and defense. This monster was more tanky than anything I’d ever fought before. I’d only be able to take it down if I found a way to subdue its attacks enough to fight back, or if I got up close and personal to deal some close-combat damage where it hurt. But both options seemed out of reach for the time being, and even if I did find a way to attack, I’d be the underdog in that fight. The Origin Matter still had plenty of skills in its roster I knew nothing about, and my stats were lacking in comparison to begin with.

‹Allo, Treant! We’re falling back!› There was no reason to continue this fight right now. I could easily outrun it. Dodging its long-range attacks was a daunting task, but still, it felt smarter to run than stay and fight.

I flew around the Origin Matter in a wide arc to escape the Dark Ray. Then, as soon as there was a pause in the onslaught, I swooped toward the ground to make my escape.

‹Origin Matter…once I get stronger, I’ll come back and free you from this forest prison. You have my word.›

I glanced behind me; the Origin Matter came chasing after me, firing another barrage of Dark Ray.

‹Dang… Just can’t let me go, can you!› I dodged from side to side, weaving between the many beams as they shot past me. They slammed into the ground beneath me, knocking down dozens of the huge trees as they went. That skill had some crazy range. This one monster could’ve wiped out the entire world if it were still there. And who knows… The four Spirit Servants who were there right now could be even worse.

I needed to get strong enough to take down the Origin Matter and get my friends and I back to our home world as soon as possible.

If I kept flying in a straight line, though, I risked a Dark Ray hitting me from behind. I swung to the side and shot off at a diagonal, away from the beams’ trajectory. As I flew, I checked behind me again. We were getting farther and farther away from the Origin Matter, and the farther we got, the more time I had to react to the Dark Rays and the easier dodging them became.

Phew, okay. We should be able to make it away from that thing. Good thing the Origin Matter isn’t very fast.

Suddenly, the relentless Dark Ray onslaught stopped, and the air around us went quiet. I looked back.

Did the Origin Matter give up?

The wishful thought had barely crossed my mind before I noticed the Origin Matter’s swirling patterns change once more. O-oh boy. What’s it got for me this time…?

A ring of black light spread out around the Origin Matter. As it did, the air pressure around me increased, bringing my wings nearly to a halt in mid-flight. Then, slowly, I began moving toward the Origin Matter, pulled toward it by the powerful gravitational force now emanating from its frame.

Normal Skill “Black Hole.” Powerful gravity magic which draws any nearby opponents to the user.

It’s like Gravity, but it pulls things toward you! For someone not super specialized in close-range combat, it’s sure got some handy skills!

Although the gravity magic was powerful, when I looked back at the Origin Matter, I realized it couldn’t move much while it was active.

Suddenly, I heard shouts from my back.

“Wah!”

‹M-Master!›

Helpless against the powerful pull of gravity, Allo and Treant were pried from my back. I spun around, hurriedly using Dragon Mirror to transform into a two-headed Ouroboros, and stretched my two necks out as far as they could go to snag Allo and Treant in each of my mouths.

‹Don’t worry, I got ya!›

But because I’d turned, I lost any momentum I still had and began moving toward the Origin Matter faster. It was a seriously a powerful pull! No matter how slow this guy was, it felt like I might not actually be able to get away!

…If that’s how it is, then I guess I’ll have to take the fight to it.

While Black Hole would suck me in toward the Origin Matter, it would also leave the Origin Matter’s weak points exposed. It looked like it couldn’t move well while it was using the skill, and a skill that strong should cost a hefty amount of MP. And if I was close, it’d have a hard time hitting me with Dark Ray or Dimension Slash. I didn’t see any particularly nasty-looking melee skills otherwise…

Special Skill “Time Vortex.” Seals enemy in a vortex of black light. Its victim is cut off from the passage of time. Escape is impossible.

S-so much for no nasty skills, huh?! If the Origin Matter sucks me in, that’s it! My life is forfeit! This is no time for close combat!

I twisted my body back and strained to flap my wings, but all that did was slow down my trajectory a little; I was still getting much closer to the Origin Matter than I’d like.

I extended my front paw behind me and unleashed Dimension Claws. The movement stopped my flight, and I slipped backward, ever closer to the Origin Matter. It, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch as my Dimension Claws tore through it. The light glowing on its surface flickered a little but soon returned to normal.

It just took the hit in stride! But it can only take so many!

I shot off two more Dimension Claws in rapid succession, swinging my arm wide. Two large gouges appeared on the Origin Matter’s surface. The attack threw me off again, and I was instantly pulled closer to my foe.

But at that moment, the black light around me disappeared, and I could move again; the Origin Matter had ended its Black Hole. It must have realized letting me attack it over and over with Dimension Claws while it couldn’t defend itself was a bad idea.

O-okay. Black Hole is powerful but not almighty. All I have to do is resist it for long enough to hit it with a bunch of long-range Dimension Claws.

I righted myself in the air and turned my back to the Origin Matter to beat a hasty escape while I had the chance. But if it hit me with another Black Hole, I was ready to unleash another brutal round of Dimension Claws.

‹M-Master? Is everything all right…?› Treant asked me with Telepathy, sounding a little panicked. I didn’t blame it; it was probably pretty dark in my mouth, and my heads had been moving in a bunch of weird directions for a second with the Black Hole.

Sorry, no time to use Telepathy right now. I’m waiting to see how the Origin Matter will respond.

I’d assumed it would capture me with Black Hole again or attack with a barrage of Dark Rays. But the Origin Matter didn’t move. Instead, the swirling patterns on its surface began to undulate and distort. The patterns split and grew, shining a variety of different colors, and the Origin Matter’s light began to grow brighter.

Uh oh. Is it about to use a different skill…?

By now, I was confident I could overcome both Black Hole and Dark Ray, and it seemed like the Origin Matter felt the same way. It only had one more skill I was unfamiliar with.

Normal Skill “Big Bang.” The air around the user erupts in a massive, burning-hot blast.

It’s…a self-destruct skill?

…Or maybe not? I suddenly remembered the Origin Matter’s powerful Fire, Water, and Earth Immunity Resistance Skills. With Fire Immunity, it could likely avoid taking any damage from the blast.

If I could fly out of range of a blast like that, I would, but at this point, I’d take Big Bang over Dark Ray because I thought I might be able to hit the Origin Matter while it was busy activating it. If I didn’t find a way out of this blast, though, Allo and Treant would get blown to smithereens along with me.

M-maybe I could teleport us with Wormhole? No, no way. Calm down. I couldn’t hope for Wormhole to save me from this. It didn’t move us very far, and it has a super slow activation time. I’d be better off trying to run.

Although it wouldn’t let me instantly teleport elsewhere, I should be able to avoid the Big Bang by using Dragon Mirror to erase my existence for a little while… It wasn’t easy to pull off, though, and the longer I kept it going, the more my MP would drain. On top of that, the moment I reappeared, I’d be left completely unprotected for a little while. It was a useful skill for avoiding a big move…but I couldn’t use it now. Allo and Treant would be thrown into the air and take the full force of Big Bang. No…I needed to find another way out of this.

If Wormhole and Dragon Mirror were both out of the question, then I needed to give up on the idea of completely avoiding the attack. In that case, my best bet was to reduce the damage I’d take as much as I possibly could—even if it was only a little bit.

With that in mind, I used Ideal Weapon. In seconds, thick, bluish-purple armor appeared across my entire body.

Well, this may not be the most effective way to defend myself, but it’s still better than nothing.

Oneiros Armor: Value L (Legendary). Attack: +190. A large suit of armor that glows with a faint bluish-purple light. Made from the scales of the Dream Dragon, who rules over the world of dreams. In addition to high resistance to various types of skills, it completely nullifies the effects of illusion skills on its wearer.

Once I’d donned the armor, I created a Mirror Counter light barrier behind me. There… I’d done everything I could think of. If the Big Bang broke through this stuff, then I was outta luck.

The rainbow patterns coating the Origin Matter expanded, enveloping the orb inside, and glowed even brighter—almost too bright to look at. The next moment, the air around it exploded.

I curled myself into a tight ball with my two Ouroboros heads in the center as my vision erupted in flames.

Damn ranged attacks…! Talk about foul play!

A powerful blast of scorching heat hit my body, flinging me forward. My Oneiros Armor cracked, then shattered into dust and magic light. I felt my eyeballs burn out of their sockets, leaving me blind. The white-hot, burning pain made my consciousness flicker, then fade.

“Master Dragon!”

‹Master!›

Allo and Treant’s panicked cries roused me back to consciousness.

Th-they’re okay. Thank goodness. I’m so glad…

No! I’ve gotta pull myself together! I can’t let us smash into the ground or let the Origin Matter catch up to us after we survived that blast!

First, I healed my melted eyeballs and skin with Regenerate. Then I stretched out what remained of my burned and blackened wings. The force of the blast from Big Bang caught underneath them, sending me burning across the sky at top speed.

As I flew, I glared at the Origin Matter behind me. Although there was now a wide berth between us, it still wasn’t giving up on me; Dark Rays shot toward me again and again. I continued my hasty retreat, rapidly losing altitude to try and throw off the Dark Rays.

But that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to land. When I neared the ground, I curled my body again and used Roll. Suddenly I was on a one-way ticket out of the area at high speed.

At the end of the day, there’s no faster way to get around!

I weaved between the trees, sometimes snapping branches, sometimes bouncing between them, but always moving away from the Origin Matter. It wasn’t long before the onslaught of Dark Rays died down. When I looked back, I saw the Origin Matter flying back up into the sky.

Dark Ray was a powerful, relatively low-cost skill, but even so, the Origin Matter couldn’t afford to keep shooting it at an opponent it couldn’t hit. It must have decided pursuing me any further would be a waste of MP.

After another minute or two careening through the trees, I came out of my Roll. I would’ve liked to create a bit more distance between us and the Origin Matter so I could be sure we really had gotten away, but zooming through the forest with Roll put us at risk of being discovered by any number of other powerful monsters.

I gazed back at the massive black orb of light floating away in the distant sky. If I don’t get strong enough to at least beat you, even if I find a way back to my original world, there’s no way I’d stand a chance against the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants.

So…wait for me. I’ll raise my level and come back stronger before I leave for my home world. Strong enough to free you from the clutches of Ngai Forest.

Part 5

AFTER CONFIRMING WITH Psychic Sense that our surroundings were relatively safe, I lowered both of my Ouroboros heads to the ground and opened my mouths.

‹It’s over. You can come out now,› I said to Allo and Treant with Telepathy.

‹I am glad you made it out of there alive, Master…› Treant, in its tree spirit form, crawled down my tongue and tumbled to the ground. Naturally, it was covered in my saliva. ‹You endured a lot for us… To think such a fearsome monster would roam these lands…›

‹You endured a lot too, Treant.›

I felt bad for putting the other two in such a dangerous situation, even if I didn’t have much of a choice. I really hadn’t been expecting a max-level rank L monster to just appear out of the blue. If all we had to face here was rank A+, a monster of my level wouldn’t have any trouble. Now that we’d encountered the Origin Matter, though, the trees of Ngai Forest loomed even more threateningly than before. If we wanted to survive here, we were going to have to be careful.

But the clock was ticking. If we hesitated, or played it too safe, we’d run out of time to get back to our home world. Even with the dangers of Ngai Forest fully realized, I resolved to strive forward just as fast as before.

Raising my level didn’t have to take long if I found an adversary equal to or slightly stronger than myself. That tight time schedule meant we’d have to take some risks.

My thoughts trailed back to the mysterious tower in the distance. Whatever was lurking there, it had to be dangerous. Going back to our world wouldn’t be easy, that was for sure.

Still, my only choice was to keep moving and hope I was making progress.

Treant attempted to stand up, but slipped on my saliva and toppled over on the spot. It must’ve been a little turned around after all that rolling inside my mouth…

I caught the faint scent of my drying saliva wafting from Treant and winced. Yikes.

‹It is the scent of your mouth, Master. I don’t mind, but…perhaps you should avoid making the same face at Allo.› Treant said, glaring at me from the ground.

‹S-sorry, Treant…› I apologized, then sent a message to my other mouth with Telepathy. ‹Allo…? You okay in there? Can you get out?›

At my prodding, Allo finally crawled out. I ended my Dragon Mirror and returned to my Oneiros form.

Allo turned to me, her pale skin blushing slightly pink, softly stroking her cheek with her index finger. “I…think I’ve finally gotten used to being inside your mouth, Master Dragon.” She raised the back of her hand to her nose and sniffed.

Treant and I both froze, stunned.

‹Miss Allo…are you feeling all right? Perhaps you would prefer if Master used Fake Life on you…?› Treant asked her.

“I-I didn’t mean that in a weird way! I’m glad I’m used to it!” Allo snapped, her face now a bright scarlet.

‹I…I see. Um, well, I’m glad too, and I don’t find it weird. Please don’t be disheartened.›

“I’m not! I’m fine!”

Well…I’m just glad they’re both okay. I looked around, trying to find a place for Allo and Treant to wash up, when I realized something odd. When we were flying over Ngai Forest, I hadn’t seen any rivers anywhere. All I saw were the thousands of strange trees coating the ground below me. Were there no bodies of water anywhere here?If so, that meant we couldn’t secure any fresh water to drink. Well, we should be fine for a few days if we rationed our food and water, but…

‹Aqua Sphere!› A large sphere of water appeared above Treant’s head. It burst like a popped bubble, dousing Treant in water. It shook its body like a dog getting out of a river, spraying water droplets everywhere, then stepped out of the puddle. ‹Ahh… That’s better.›

I stared at Treant, shocked. ‹T-Treant…you can use Aqua Sphere?!›

‹Hm? Can’t you see my skills, Master?›

Now that Treant mentioned it, I did vaguely remember Aqua Sphere being on its skill list. I just hadn’t seen Treant use that spell in so long that I forgot.

Well, I guess that solves our water problem. Man, every family should have a Treant.

‹You should probably help Allo clean up too…›

“No need! I can do it myself!” With a flash, Allo dropped to the ground, her features collapsing into a black blob of light before quickly reforming into her original shape.Dang, was that one of Allo’s new Walpurgis abilities? It seemed strong…Even Allo’s dress, which had been in tatters only moments before, was back to normal.

Suddenly, I realized another surprising development. ‹Wait, Allo. Did you…get your sense of smell back?› She seemed like she could smell my saliva before.

Allo smiled. “Actually, I think so. I noticed it a little while ago.”

‹R-really?!› I moved my face closer to hers to look her in the eyes.

“Yeah! My sense of smell never totally went away, but it was very faint at first. But every time I evolved, it got a little better. And this time, it all came back.”

‹Th-that’s wonderful, Allo! I was worried your senses wouldn’t ever come back.› My heart burned with relief, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

As an undead, Allo couldn’t sleep, or enjoy eating meals the same way she did when she was alive. I’d always questioned whether I’d done the right thing when I resurrected her as an undead with Fake Life.

“M-Master Dragon, it’s okay! Don’t cry!”

‹Why don’t we stop for a bit and have a meal? We can celebrate the return of your taste buds.›

“R-really? I know we don’t have much time…”

‹That’s true, but…it’s been a while since we last ate. A lot’s happened, and I’m sure we’re all pretty worn out. And we just scored ourselves some ingredients for the job.›

Allo tilted her head. “Um…ingredients?”

‹Yup. I dunno how filling they’ll be, but they’re something, at least.›

I looked back at the trail of shredded grass and trees I’d left with Roll. Then I glanced up at the sky to make sure the Origin Matter was nowhere to be seen. I was determined to come back and fight it again one day soon, but definitely not right now.

And then…there were the kesaran pasarans we killed. I wasn’t sure if their meat would still be any good after it’d fallen from that height, but they were rank A+ monsters. I’d like to think there were still chunks of them left around here somewhere.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if the flesh on their bodies could really be considered meat in the first place. But either way…it wasn’t like they were inedible.

Part 6

‹ARE WE…REALLY EATING THESE, Master?›

I turned toward Treant. ‹What? You don’t want to?›

‹It’s not that I am unwilling. It’s just…u-ulp.›

I’d retrieved what was left of the kesaran pasarans, peeled the tufts of something resembling fur from the skin, cleaned the insides of what could maybe be their organs, and hung them on tree branches to drain them of blood. Of course, I wasn’t sure if I could really consider the green ichor inside blood either.

The best way I could describe the kesaran pasarans was that they looked something like giant balls of dandelion fluff. I’d thought they might be some kind of plant-type monster, but its body structure seemed closer to an animal. While I waited for the blood to drain from those, I decided to look around for something else to add to our meal.

First, I checked out a strange, greenish-black weed growing along the forest floor. I sensed a sort of powerful magic emanating from it. Maybe it had some kind of nutritional value?

With a lurch, Treant yanked the weed from the ground and held it out in front of me. The exposed roots trembled and fluttered. But together, the clump of roots resembled a human face.

‹Master! What do you think? Can we eat these?› Treant asked.

I checked out the creepy weed’s description.

Grudgeweed: Value B–. A weed that grows in places where deep-seated grudges still reside. The magic power trapped inside its roots is often used as an ingredient for creating undead, as well as a medium for curses.

Grows in places that house grudges…and it’s a medium for curses, huh?

I was less than surprised that the Ngai Forest was full of grudges and curses aimed at the Divine Voice. These plants must have nurtured themselves on the grudges of all the monsters who came before me.

I stuck my nose close to it and gave it a sniff. A scent like burning hair filled my nostrils.

‹Well, it looks nutritious…but it stinks, so no. It’s a shame, though… They seem pretty valuable otherwise,› I said to Treant, pulling away from the stench.

‹I see…› Treant tossed the weed to the ground in disappointment.

“Master Dragon, look! I found a gorgeous flower over here!” Allo, who was looking around a bit further away, came running toward us excitedly. In her hands, she had a large, red, rather flashy flower. The petals near the center shone a brilliant gold. It was beautiful.

Phoenix Flower: Value A. A flower that is only ever produced via mutation. Never wilts and does not burn when engulfed in flames. Because of these qualities, it was prized as a decoration or talisman for powerful individuals. Its powerful yet comforting fragrance induces a sense of euphoria in those who smell it.

Wh-whoa…! There are value A and B plants left and right here! This sure is a world cultivated by the Divine Voice!

I stuck my nose down near the phoenix flower and gave it a sniff. It had a powerful fragrance that filled me with energy.

“It’s lovely, don’t you think, Master Dragon?” Allo said.

I gave a vigorous nod. ‹Yeah! I bet it’d taste great as a spice. And it’d make the whole dish look a bit more appetizing. Good find, Allo.›

Allo’s face went blank for a second, but she soon broke out in a broad smile. “Eh heh heh… I love it when you praise me, Master Dragon.”

‹Is that so, Miss Allo…?› Treant said, looking at Allo with unease.

We continued foraging for more plants for a while. I spotted a strange mushroom covered in soil near a root of one of the crooked trees. It was a bright yellow color and had a gnarled, rugged shape. As I stared at it, Treant picked it up, dusted off the dirt, and held it out to me.

‹How about this one, Master?›

‹Oh, thank you, Treant. Let me take a look.›

Golden Shroom: Value L+ (Legendary+). A mutation of a conventional mushroom, imbued with the magic of a unique space. Highly toxic, but also possess the power to grant humans immortality. It was once brought to the human world and consumed by a powerful ruler, but that ruler was assassinated a few years later.

A golden shroom… Very interesting. I didn’t know there was a value beyond legendary. This is the first time I’ve seen anything higher. But…it’s poisonous? I mean, we’re all rank B+ and higher, so I doubt the poison would bother us at this point. If a human can eat it without dying, then it’s probably okay. And it grants immortality…? I mean, my Ouroboros evolution was said to live forever, and Allo’s the highest possible class of undead, so neither of us need it.

‹Master…? Is it not good?› Treant asked, disappointed.

I gave the golden shroom a sniff. It smelled nice and appetizing; I felt my stomach rumble with hunger. It didn’t look bad to me. ‹We can probably try it.›

It felt like a bit of a waste to eat it, given its high value, but it wouldn’t do us any good to take it back to our original world. It wouldn’t be easy to just pawn it off to someone, and even if I could explain its value to them and they believed me, something as powerful as a mushroom that grants immortality could start wars. Bringing it back would only result in the same kind of tragedy the description text talked about.

Nah, we were better off just eating it here in one big bite. Hopefully its flavor lived up to its high value.

‹Hooray! I did it! I found something acceptable to eat!› Treant leapt for joy, then ran off to find the next ingredient.

‹Hey, just stay where I can see you,› I called after it. ‹I haven’t picked up on anything with Psychic Sense, but still, there may be all kinds of dangerous monsters lurking around here.›

Allo frowned at Treant’s retreating back, her eyes blazing with competitiveness. I gave a lighthearted chuckle, then turned to one of the giant trees I’d gotten so tired of seeing in this world.

Cursed Tree: Value L (Legendary). A giant tree that grows to a uniform height in the blink of an eye. It is unusually hardy and boosts a strong resistance to all elemental attacks. Those felled grow back before the ones who felled them even notice their absence. However, this tree cannot grow in the natural world. It sprinkles pollen through the air to induce madness in its victims.

I see… So this is where the Mad God condition comes from.

The trees’ hardiness was clear, considering how they held up against me bouncing between them with Roll. They were sturdier than most monsters—even Treant. Trying to burn one down seemed like an exercise in futility.

“Hm…? What’s wrong, Master Dragon?” Allo asked, looking up at me.

I shook my head. ‹Ah…I’ll tell you later. Maybe a meal is the perfect time to have a chat.›

By now, I’d come up with a lot of different speculations that I hadn’t yet relayed to Allo and Treant. I wanted to share my thoughts, but they’d probably be best digested after we’d all had a meal and decompressed from all the craziness of the past few hours.

We carried on our search for ingredients, and eventually we gathered enough together to cook a meal. Allo made a big pot with her Clay, which I then fired to harden. Our plan was to cook the kesaran pasaran meat inside to make it into a stew.

For water, Treant used Aqua Sphere. Then I used Human Transformation and dropped the kesaran pasaran meat into the pot of boiling water. In moments, the water turned a deep green color, and what had to be the kesaran pasaran’s fat began to float on the surface.

I narrowed my eyes, staring at the fat floating in the pot. What’s with this kesaran pasaran meat, anyway? Is it really edible?

‹Here, Master! I’ll put some vegetables in too!› Treant said, holding a handful of mushrooms, flowers, and red grapelike plants in its arms. I studied the twisted golden shrooms. Were those really safe to put in the stew…?

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I muttered, putting my hand on my chin with some trepidation.

‹Master…?›

“I’m not gonna overthink it. Go ahead, Treant! Toss ’em in!”

‹You got it!› Treant trotted over to the pot and plopped all the ingredients in at once.

“Nice… Dimension!” A small clay container appeared in my hand. It was a little jar I’d made on the Island at the Edge of the World; I’d filled it with salt, then stored it with my Dimension skill. I flipped the jar over, dumping the salt into the pot. I wasn’t exactly sure how much it needed, but I thought that should suffice.

‹Hmm…it’s a strange color, Master,› Treant said, peering into the pot.

I looked inside too. The pot’s contents were divided into three distinct colors: dark green fat from the kesaran pasarans, red fruit juice, and a yellowish liquid that seemed to be oozing from the golden shrooms.

“Looks like a traffic signal…” I muttered.

‹Hm? What’s that?›

“Uh, nothing. Let’s mix it up a bit. That might help.”

Treant fidgeted for a moment, flapping its wings as if to scratch itself, before it pulled out a single tree branch. It held it out to me. ‹Here.›

“O-oh! Thank you.” I didn’t know Treant could do that…

After a minute of vigorous stirring with Treant’s branch, the stew was ready to eat. The three of us gathered around the pot to dig in. The Ngai Forest trees were too hard to cut and shape, so instead I used the branch Treant had given me to carve out three simple dishes.

I looked down at the food in my bowl with some trepidation. The three colors of the stew didn’t fully mix with each other; it looked a bit like a tipped-over palette of paint. To top it off, a thick film of green grease covered the stew’s surface.

Oh man… What even were those kesaran pasarans? What kind of creatures were they? I felt like I’d cooked them completely wrong. Maybe we should’ve just grilled and eaten the best ingredients we found instead.

Ugh. Allo’s first meal she can taste in a long time, and it’s a pot of traffic signal mystery meat. Great…

“W…wow, Master Dragon! It looks, um…tasty!” Allo said with a strained smile, fists clenched, dripping with cold sweat.

My eyes met Allo’s. She stared at me intently for a few moments, as if searching for something, then gingerly averted her gaze and looked down.

I appreciate the attempt, Allo, but your face says it all.

“Sorry, Allo,” I mumbled, sheepish.

“N-no, don’t apologize! I’m just honored that you were nice enough to cook something for my sake!”

Treant looked at Allo and I from the corner of its eyes as it raised the bowl to its mouth and took a sip. ‹Mmm! It is a lovely, artistic creation with a rich aroma!›

“T-Treant, you don’t have to play up the praise so much…”

‹What do you mean? Come on, dig in already!›

What the heck?! Did Treant actually like my traffic signal stew?! There was no way it could lie better than Allo, so…

“Aww, Treant! Thanks so much! I love you, buddy!” I set down my bowl and gave Treant a hug.

‹W-wah! What are you doing, Master?! You’ll make me spill the stew! Later! Do that later!› Treant clung to its bowl with all its might, desperate to save it from spilling.

Allo glared coldly as I hugged Treant. I pulled away and sat back down to dig in.

I gave the stew a gentle stir to disturb the film of kesaran pasaran fat on top, then quickly moved my face closer. Okay…the smell isn’t so bad, at least. I think the phoenix flower helped.

Well…here goes nothing. I tipped the bowl back and downed a large portion of tricolored stew in one big gulp.

“Mmgh!” It was spicier than I expected, probably thanks to the phoenix flower. But the spice, combined with the thick fat of the kesaran pasarans and the sweetness of the red grapelike fruits, created a uniquely deep, rich flavor. When I swallowed, I was left with the soft, mellow flavor of the golden shrooms as an aftertaste.

H-holy cow. It’s so good! I can’t believe it!

I scooped some of the kesaran pasaran meat onto my spoon and brought it to my mouth alongside the broth. The meat melted on my tongue, adding even more succulent richness to the flavor. Kesaran pasaran is delicious! This might be the tastiest meat I’ve ever eaten!

“Master Dragon! This stew…it’s really good! Way better than it looks!” Allo said.

“Y-yeah, agreed!” Yup. I knew Allo didn’t like the looks of it. I don’t blame her either.

The three of us happily devoured the rest of our meal. After our break, I decided to talk to Allo and Treant about our plans moving forward.

Through the fight with the kesaran pasarans, Allo had gone from Lv: 1/130to Lv: 61/130. Treant went from Lv: 66/85to Lv: 71/85. Jeez. Allo’s level seriously skyrocketed. If she keeps this up, she might even lap Treant’s level…

Fortunately, Treant had fared much better with its levels this time around. It didn’t do a whole lot of damage in the fight, so seeing it’d gone up five whole levels was a pleasant surprise.

But…the closer Treant got to its max level, the more experience points each level would cost. At this rate, Treant wouldn’t evolve anytime soon.

‹I…I’m nothing but a disappointment…› Treant fell to its knees, lowering its wings to the ground in defeat.

“Hey, that’s not true. You’re doing really well, Treant. It’s just that your stats… Well, they aren’t really geared for leveling up quickly.” I put my hand on Treant’s shoulder.

‹Master…›

“And this time, we don’t have a whole lot of time to spend leveling you up. That’s all. Okay?”

‹Yes, I understand. I will just have to accept that I’ll be left behind this ti—›

“Which is why I’m gonna make leveling you up my top priority, and we’re going to go check out the tower in the distance.”

Treant froze. ‹M-Master?! Are you…are you trying to pull a prank on me?!› It shuddered, then leapt to its feet.

“Nope. I need to level up too, but I still have Final Evolution in my skills. I doubt I can even evolve past my current form right now. So the fastest and surest way to get us strong enough to take down the Origin Matter or other monsters here is to get you to evolve, Treant.”

‹That…may be true, but…I’m not sure I…›

“We were in the air and facing a really sturdy opponent last time, so you were at a serious disadvantage. But you were still able to gain five levels. Getting you leveled up enough to evolve isn’t out of the question. But…it’ll be dangerous. Are you prepared for that, Treant?”

Treant was silent for a moment. Then I watched as a fire lit inside its eyes, and it spread its wings wide. ‹Y-you bet I am, Master! Leave it to me! I’ll fight to evolve with everything I’ve got!›

Part 7

‹SO…I THINK the black orb and the kesaran pasarans are both remnants of a former Beast King and its servants from the past, who lost their sanity because of the Mad God spores. We might face other monsters like them here too, moving forward.›

Allo and Treant listened intently as I laid out my theory about Ngai Forest and its inhabitants. Despite worrying that it might scare them, I also explained the Mad God status condition and how it came from the tree pollen around us.

‹…There’s a pretty high chance that Allo’s resistances won’t do anything against the Mad God condition. I don’t know what the symptoms of it are or how long it’ll take before we’re infected, but from what the Divine Voice said, there should be a way out of here somehow.›

The Divine Voice seemed to be acting under the assumption that it was possible for us to return to our home world. Of course, it was also possible that it just dumped us in Ngai Forest and was trying to fool me into fighting here in the false hope I could get out. But I didn’t even want to consider that possibility. Even if it were true, I’d still fight tooth and nail to try and find a way to escape until our time was up.

‹D-do you really think there’s enough time for me to raise my level enough to evolve…?› Treant asked, worried.

‹At the very least, it’ll take you much less time to raise your level than it would for me to raise mine enough to evolve.›

I drew a simple diagram of the surrounding forest in the dirt with a claw. Where we were, I drew a basic tree and a dragon’s head. Far off in the distance, I drew the towering spire and the Origin Matter in the sky. ‹First, we need to go scout out that tower. There’s gotta be something useful for us in there. It’s the only noticeable landmark in this endless expanse of forest. We can level you up and get you evolved while we make our way to the tower, Treant.›

Treant seemed less than confident about this plan, but when I looked at it, it straightened up. ‹U-understood! I will do my best!›

‹Good. I’m counting on you. Allo and I will back you up, of course,› I added, and Allo nodded eagerly. ‹My guess is that the tower is either a way for me to raise my evolutionary ceiling, or a way to get back to our world…or both.›

“It makes sense that it might be a way to get back to our world,” Allo said, “but a way to raise your evolutionary ceiling? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?”

I shook my head. ‹As I understand it, there should be a total of six Sacred Skills. I have four; I figure the Divine Voice must have the other two somewhere.›

Maybe the whole reason it’d created the Ngai Forest was as a safe place to store its Sacred Skills. The Divine Voice knew I was nowhere close to evolving, so it sent me to Ngai Forest to get stronger, and even showed off its Spirit Servants to motivate me. But to stand toe to toe with the most powerful Spirit Servants of all time, I needed to get more powerful than just going up twenty or thirty levels. The Divine Voice must have had some other reason for sending me here beyond getting to max level.

I’d been completely outmatched during my first clash with the Three-Headed King of Gluttony, Baal. That was about more than just levels; he had to be a whole different rank. Maybe if I had Allo and the rest of my friends supporting me, we might’ve stood a chance against him. But I doubted the Divine Voice was invested in making the others stronger.

That was why my theory was that the Divine Voice had sent me to Ngai Forest so I could evolve. That theory only backed up my belief that there were Sacred Skills here for me to take. If I simply returned to our world, I wouldn’t be strong enough to defeat the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants.

‹If we explore the entire tower and I don’t find any way to evolve, I’m going to go after that black sphere, the Origin Matter.› I crossed out the black sphere I’d drawn in the dirt with my claw.

‹A-are you sure, Master? That was a fearsome monster. There’s no reason to pick a fight with it, is there?›

‹The Origin Matter is like me… No, it’s what’ll happen to me if I fail. I want to put it out of its misery. And if I’m not strong enough to defeat the Origin Matter by then, I sure as heck won’t be strong enough to stand a chance in our world.›

‹Th-that may be true, but we don’t have much time, do we? You said there could be other husks of monsters here with Sacred Skills… If you want to put them all out of their misery, you may be stuck here forever.›

I shook my head. ‹Nope, we don’t have much time. Which is why that’s our last resort if things don’t pan out at the tower. I think the Origin Matter might hold the key to beating the Ngai Forest’s curse.›

“The key to beating the curse…?” Allo repeated, tilting her head.

‹Yeah. Thanks to the Mad God condition, I can’t communicate with any of the monsters in this forest. So at first, I thought the only way to learn about this forest would be to scour it with a fine-toothed comb. But…I actually found out about one place where Mad God can’t reach.›

“So, if we go there, we might find someone who can tell us about the forest?”

‹It’s possible.›

“Okay, then where—”

‹Inside the Origin Matter. Its description said time doesn’t flow there, and there’s a strong seal to keep its victims trapped inside.›

When I first saw that line of the monster’s description, I thought it was a crazy characteristic. But if I used it to my advantage, there was a chance it could save us from getting the Mad God condition from Ngai Forest. The description also said escape was impossible, but if someone on the outside defeated the Origin Matter, I could only assume it would release everyone inside. It wouldn’t surprise me if Sacred Skill users in the past had had the same thought.

There was a nonzero chance that defeating the Origin Matter would release a Sacred Skill holder whom we could communicate with. That said, it was an assumption on top of an assumption, so it wasn’t a particularly dependable strategy.

‹The Origin Matter is so strong that we’ll have to go after it eventually, and I don’t even know if it actually has a Sacred Skill holder from the past inside it or not. But if we run out of other leads, trying to find it again isn’t a bad idea. Whether or not there’s someone inside it to talk to, if we defeat it, we’ll get a tasty hunk of experience points.›

Allo and Treant nodded in agreement.

Chapter 2: The Deathbearing Serpent

Chapter 2:
The Deathbearing Serpent

Part 1

I RAN THROUGH THE FOREST with Allo and Treant on my back. Flying would have been faster, but I didn’t feel safe in the air with the threat of the Origin Matter looming over us. I didn’t want to attract it—or any other monsters of that caliber. And even though the tower was a good distance away, at my current speed, it wouldn’t take more than a few days to get there.

Besides, I want to raise my level up a decent amount before we get there, and evolve Treant if I can too… Can Treant pull it off? It’s gotta, right?

I glanced behind me. Treant was staring at me intently in its tree spirit state. ‹Master…after everything you said, you’re still worried about me?›

Ugh. This was the one downfall of Telepathy…! ‹N-no! I’m not that worried!› I protested, shaking my head.

“Not that worried…?” Allo repeated, head tilted. C-crap!

A-anyway, even if there did end up being some sort of hint at the tower about how to get back to our home world, there was no way I could go back as I was now. I couldn’t even beat the Origin Matter, and the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants were bound to be far stronger.

Whenever I caught the presence of a monster nearby with Psychic Sense, I tried to give it a wide berth. Even if it was a strong monster that would give a lot of experience points, it wouldn’t be great for raising Allo and Treant’s levels. Instead, I was keeping an eye out for a pack of moderately powerful monsters. Thankfully, it looked like there were plenty of monsters around who were just below the kesaran pasarans in terms of strength. While we wouldn’t come across such convenient groups that often, we should be able to find one close enough before too long.

For now, rather than leveling myself up, I wanted to focus on leveling Allo up, making Treant evolve, finding a way to get back to our home world, and getting rid of my evolution cap. I’d get plenty of experience points for myself if I managed to defeat the Origin Matter, anyway. If other Legendary rank monsters roamed this forest, I’d have no trouble raising my own level.

Of course, whether I could win against them or not was another matter entirely. Having this plan in place let me prioritize my other goals, though, and that was all that mattered right now. We were working with an unknown time limit—two of them, in fact, between the Mad God condition and whatever horrors might be happening in our home world while we were gone. There was no way to tell how long leveling myself up would take, so for now, all our other goals took priority

But maybe finding a convenient pack of moderately strong monsters here might be easier said than done… All the presences I’d picked up on nearby so far were single monsters. Maybe we’d have to fight single enemies after all…

But Treant would never get to max level that way. It just wasn’t suited for hunting down higher-level monsters. Allo, on the other hand, could hunt as many powerful monsters as she liked as long as she could use her mobility and protect herself.

I’d always known Treant struggled with leveling up because of its status. Honestly, I hated to say it, but Treant wasn’t really suited for the dangers of this world, period.

‹Master…› Treant called out to me with Telepathy, its voice morose.

I didn’t respond; I just kept running, and kept my mind carefully blank.

Just as I resolved to throw in the towel, my Psychic Sense caught on to a multitude of presences in the distance.

My mouth opened in shock as I realized just how many there were. I’d been thinking a group would be perfect, but I wasn’t expecting a group that large. I couldn’t see them to check their statuses yet, but I had a feeling they might be a good enemy for Treant to farm for levels.

H-hold on. Be careful, me! Don’t go assuming these guys are small fry without knowing anything! That’s an easy way to make a big mistake!

“Gah!” As we got closer, my paw sank into the now-soft ground with a splash that covered my underside in a layer of mud. I stopped moving and peered at the ground ahead of me; it seemed even muddier than where we were now.

Great. A swamp.

‹Allo, Treant, watch out! I think there’s a nest of enemies nearby.›

I noticed two of the presences getting closer. They seemed to think they were approaching undetected, but I could spot them easily. Maybe they’re not great at hiding?

“Givaa!”

Two huge heads emerged from the swampy underbrush on either side of us. I kicked out of the mud and forced my way into the air. Behind me, the two heads snapped their jaws shut on air.

I spun around and looked at my opponents. Six eerie vertical pupils stared back at me from two blue-black serpents; each had an additional eye on its forehead. I could only see their heads, but based on the size, they had to be about eight meters long.

Hmm. They don’t look like much of a threat, but I can’t be too careful. First, let’s check out their status!

Species: Deathadder

Status: Mad God

Lv: 64/100

HP: 632/632

MP: 453/453

Attack: 552

Defense: 361

Magic: 522

Agility: 660

Rank: A−

Special Skills:

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 7

Heat Sensor: Lv 7

Stealth: Lv 6

Petrifying Gaze: Lv 8

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 6

Magic Resistance: Lv 6

Petrify Resistance: Lv 8

Poison Resistance: Lv 5

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 5

Curse Resistance: Lv 5

Normal Skills:

Clay: Lv 7

Diseased Breath: Lv 7

Curse: Lv 7

Gravity: Lv 7

Cursed Fireball: Lv 6

Foul Bite: Lv 6

Regenerate: Lv 6

Filthy Tongue: Lv 6

Call Allies: Lv 5

Title Skills:

Former Beast King’s Servant: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Deathbearing Serpent: Lv —

Forest Prisoner: Lv —

Sorcerer: Lv 7

“Graaaaaaaaaah!” I roared in joy. Finally!

The two deathadders flinched, then began to tremble.

‹M-Master?! What is it?›

‹This is it! The monsters I’ve been looking for! They’re the perfect opponent to level you up! I can’t believe it!›

Usually, when we come across a lucky find like this, there was some sort of catch involved. But the deathadders seemed like fairly easy monsters to deal with. They didn’t have much by way of specialties; their stats were pretty even across the board. A jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type monster. To be honest, they weren’t great evolutions in general, but as enemies, there was no easier target. They were also rank A−; exactly the rank I was looking for.

‹This is great news for you, Treant! I doubt you’ll evolve with just these two, but you should be able to bump up your level quite a bit!›

The deathadders stared at me, still trembling, then opened their jaws wide and let out a bloodcurdling screech. “Givaaaaaaaaaa!”

I turned away from the two deathadders’ extending heads and flapped my wings, increasing my altitude. Their heads followed after me, reaching as far as they could.

‹Are we retreating, Master?› Treant asked, confused.

‹What’re you talking about? I’m doing this to give you a chance to attack, Treant.›

‹Hmm?› Treant tilted its head, peered at me intensely for a few moments, and then nodded. It had to be using Telepathy, I realized.

‹Yup. We’re gonna have to go higher if we want your Meteor Stomp to be strong enough.›

‹U-understood.› Treant responded, sounding resigned.

I flew up to the very tops of the giant trees covering Ngai Forest. The deathadders were a little smaller than I’d thought—closer to seven meters than eight—so I knew they couldn’t reach us up here. They stared up at us from below, hissing.

‹All right! Let ’er rip, Treant!›

‹Y-yes, Master!› Treant leapt from my back and released its Tree Spirit Transformation in midair to revert to its massive tyrant guardian form. It then used Fire Sphere to coat its entire body in flames, then Statue to turn its body into metal. The now massive hunk of burning metal that was Treant dropped down on the deathadders like an anvil. They looked up at Treant, stunned, as if they’d never expected such a bizarre attack. Well, this is what happens when things drop on you from the sky outta nowhere.

A boom echoed through the trees: the sound of Treant landing squarely on the head of one of the deathadders and splatting into the mud. A wave of mud flew into the air and then splashed back down. Treant’s Meteor Stomp had gone off without a hitch.

The deathadder who’d suffered the direct hit floated limply in the swamp, its head sideways, forked tongue lolling out of its mouth. The blow didn’t kill it, but it’d knocked out most of its HP in one fell swoop. The other serpent, stunned but mostly unhurt, looked around in bewilderment.

It was a difficult skill to prepare and we didn’t get many opportunities to use it, but when we did, Meteor Stomp really shone as a powerful technique. And the higher the drop, the more powerful it became. The deathadders were a rank above Treant; that a single attack could nearly one-hit KO one was amazing.

‹Ah! Master!› As I admired the impressive scene, I heard Treant’s panicked cries from below me. Uh oh. No time to gloat. Treant’s still stuck in the swamp!

Treant’s trunk was sticking out from the swamp’s surface. It began to shrink as it used Tree Spirit Transformation in an attempt to unstick itself from the bottom. As it struggled, though, three more deathadders peeked out from the swamp; the impact of the Meteor Stomp must’ve alerted them. All four deathadders spotted Treant at once and locked eyes with it.

‹Masteeeer! Heeeelp!› Treant’s telepathic message sounded even more frantic than the last one.

I immediately swooped down toward the swamp. If I don’t do something, they’ll eat him!

“Dark Kaleidoscope!” Allo shouted from my back, enveloping herself in black light. Her silhouette blurred, then split into three identical shadows.

“Gale!” shouted all three Allos in unison. The three whirlwinds combined with each other, forming a vicious tornado that ripped through the swamp. Mud flew up and into the air; moments later, as the tornado spread, the deathadders joined it. They flew above us, spinning in the whirlwind.

‹Nice, Allo!› I could use this opportunity to rescue Treant! I landed in the swamp with a splash, then grabbed the smaller Treant with my paws and took off into the air again. ‹You too, Treant! You did some serious damage!›

The deathadders’ defense and max HP stats weren’t that high. Treant could nearly kill one of them with a single Meteor Stomp. This was the perfect way to level it up.

‹A-and then I can finally evolve, right…?›

‹Well…I don’t know if you’ll evolve just yet, but you’ll get some levels for sure!›

It was hard to gain a bunch of levels when you got close to max. I doubted that Treant—who struggled to level up even when it was in its mid-level range—would be able to make it all the way to evolution right here and now. We couldn’t afford to get our hopes up.

‹Oh, I see… When I evolve, do you think I’ll be even more powerful than Miss Atlach-Nacha and Miss Allo?› Treant asked.

‹Is…is that what you’re aiming for? That seems a little ambitious…› Hmm. I wasn’t sure.Both Atlach-Nacha and Allo had their specific strengths. Atlach-Nacha got to rank A pretty easily, while Allo had reached A+ by using her impressive hunting skills. Treant always seemed to be slightly behind the two of them.

I glanced at my back. Allo glared at Treant with narrowed eyes.

‹So…where is the one I seriously injured? I want to take it down before it heals itself. It seems like the one who kills it gets the most experience points.› Treant twisted its body around, searching the swamp for its prey. In the last fight, with the kesaran pasarans, Treant had used Heat Beam to kill the kesaran pasaran that Allo weakened. It seemed like Treant had gotten a taste for that strategy.

“Oh…” Allo breathed, looking contrite.

‹What is it, All—oh.›

I realized at the same moment Treant did. The deathadder Treant weakened was already dead, caught in Allo’s triple Gale. Just its snout floated gently on the swamp’s surface, but it was clearly dead.

“S-sorry, Treant…we didn’t do it on purpose, we swear!” one of the Allos piped up.

“Y-yeah!” said a second one. “We weren’t aiming for that one! But it’s hard to control Gale from a distance, so…”

Then the third spoke up. “Uhm…was it bad to attack it? I thought it would be better to take it down…”

The other two Allos looked at the third with wide eyes. Then they grabbed the offending Allo and shoved her into the original, main Allo with a flash of black light.

Are the clones made with Dark Kaleidoscope capable of thinking and behaving differently from the original?

“We’re so sorry about that, Treant!” the other two Allos apologized profusely.

‹Ah, Master! Again! Drop me again! I’ll kill one in one shot this time!›

All right, all right… No need to be in such a rush.

Part 2

AFTER THAT, Treant’s deathadder farming went surprisingly well. I flew high in the sky, and then Treant jumped off me, deactivated Tree Spirit Transformation, and dropped on the deathadders with Meteor Stomp. After that, I flew back down and retrieved Treant from the muck with the help of Allo’s Gale and my own Dimension Claws. Using this method, we succeeded in killing a total of three deathadders.

I rescued Treant from the swamp again and escaped into the sky. The maneuver had felt risky at first, but now it was more familiar. With Allo’s help, I had no trouble keeping the deathadders at bay and retrieving Treant without a hitch.

‹I…I’m not sure I can do it this time…› Treant said, clinging to the tip of my claws and shaking like a leaf.

Oh…is it scared? I guess I don’t blame it. As I collected Treant, I checked its level. It had gone fromLv: 71/85to Lv: 78/85. Whoa! It went up seven whole levels?! Deathadders were rank A−, which was just above Treant’s B+. Between that and the doubled experience from Demon King’s Blessing, Treant could reach max level in no time at all! And there were still plenty of deathadders lurking in the swamp.

‹Treant! You went up seven levels!›

‹R-really, Master?! Okay, then go ahead! Drop me!› Treant flapped its wings happily.

‹You got it! Go, Treant!› I gently tossed Treant back into the air. It deactivated its Tree Spirit Transformation in the air and careened toward the swamp with Meteor Stomp. I dropped down right after it and stopped the deathadders’ movement with Gravity—by now the deathadders knew the drill. If I just dropped Treant, they’d figure out how to avoid it soon, if they hadn’t already.

Treant slammed down on deathadder with another direct hit. Blood and guts splattered out of the deathadder’s mouth to rest on the swamps surface. A swarm of deathadders surrounded Treant, looking for a free meal, but Allo blew them away with Gale.

‹All right! At this rate, you’ll level up again in no time!›

I dropped to the edge of the swamp and managed to swipe Treant up with the very ends of my claws. At that moment, the swamp seemed to rise around Treant, and multiple columns of muck rose into the air. They began to wriggle, then attached to my hind legs. I shook my legs to break them off, but they just kept coming from the swamp, one after another.

Wh-what the heck?! What was going on?! Were the deathadders using Clay?! No, even if they were, there were too many of them…

Then, a swarm of deathadder heads all rose up from the depths around us. There must’ve been nearly twenty of them. There were that many rank A− monsters hiding just below us?!

It seemed like while I was busy dropping Treant from the sky, they’d all been gathering beneath us, hiding their presences.

All of our new opponents stared at me with their three wide snake eyes, faces filled with rage. Even under the influence of Mad God, they seemed to have some ability to think left—enough, at least, to identify a threat to their nest.

I’d underestimated these guys. Of course they’d come after us if they noticed us slowly killing off one nestling at a time. But if we hadn’t, we’d never get Treant leveled up. Our Meteor Stomp strategy was the safest way for Treant to take out superior opponents.

‹We gotta get into the air right now…!› The deathadders all opened their mouths in unison. Purple flames appeared between their fangs; moments later, flaming purple orbs shot at us from every direction.

That had to be their Cursed Fireball skill.I used Illusion to create a decoy of myself, then leapt to the side. One of the orbs hit me in the leg, but it was nothing compared to the damage I’d take if I stayed. The deathadders, now locked on to my Illusion, fired another round of Cursed Fireballs at it.

Okay, we’re out of the thick of it for now. Despite the initial shock, I was glad the twenty deathadders had showed themselves. By using our own skills, Allo and I had managed to avoid them anticipating Treant’s Meteor Stomp. Now we just had to use Treant’s crazy combo to kill as many of them as we could.

I took to the sky once more to toss Treant again, and that was when it happened: Something shimmered on the swamp’s surface. As soon as I noticed it, something broke through the surface and shot toward me, much faster than the deathadders’ orbs.

I reacted late; there was no indication anything was amiss until the moment it flew toward me, and my focus was trained on the deathadders. The figure coming at me was humanoid, but reddish-purple, and far longer than any human being. Its eyes glowed an icy blue, and slippery, sticky mucus covered its entire body. It had no arms; it was just a torso that stretched all the way into the depths of the swamp.

The newcomer opened its mouth and sank its fangs straight into my flesh. The moment it did, I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me.

It broke through my Poison Resistance…?

“Gaaagh!” I swatted at it with the paw I wasn’t using to hold Treant, but it wriggled its body in midair and quickly spun around to come at me from behind. I jumped back and threw out my paw to stop it. The newcomer ricocheted off my claws and splashed back into the swamp even faster than it’d come out of it.

Wh…what the heck was that…?

Whatever it was, it was clearly much stronger than the deathadders. I just couldn’t get over that bizarre shape…

“M-Master Dragon? What was that…?” Allo asked me, voice shaking in fear.

‹No clue… S-some kind of snake, maybe? But watch out, it might come for you next time.› I scraped out the infected flesh on my chest and healed myself with Regenerate. The corroded flesh around the bite reformed and healed over. It was a good thing I was strong enough to handle the damage and effects of its venom, but still… It had a nasty bite, that was for sure.

‹My guess is that it’s the ruler of this swamp,› I said to the others with Telepathy. ‹It must be controlling the deathadders; that’s why they suddenly pulled off a coordinated attack.›

It was way too dangerous to throw Treant back into the swamp with that guy around. Thank goodness it’d gone after me instead of the other two. If it had showed up even a little sooner, Treant would be toast.

‹A-are we…going to retreat now…?› Treant said, looking up at me anxiously. It seemed torn; on one hand, things were getting dicey. On the other, if it didn’t evolve now, it probably wouldn’t get another chance for a while.

I shook my head. ‹We’re on a tight schedule here, which means we need to take some risks. I wish there was a completely safe way to evolve you here, but in a place like this Ngai Forest, that’s a lot easier said than done.›

Treant nodded. ‹Very well. Then let’s get ’em!›

‹Yeah! Let’s send that slimy sucker to space and get back to farming deathadders!›

I flew low over the swamp, searching the area with Psychic Sense. Under the surface, that reddish-colored newcomer swam around at high speed. It was fast, but not so fast that I couldn’t track its movements. Its bite, too, was powerful, but still much weaker than Lilyxila’s Legendary rank attacks.

“Givaaaaaaaa!” The deathadder pack unleashed another round of Cursed Fireballs at me. One of them hit my back, sending out a burst of purple flames.

“Gale!” Allo created another whirlwind and blew the deathadders into the air. Masses of swamp mud splashed into the air in all directions, revealing the swamp’s depths, where a massive snake with shining purple scales slithered frantically, trying to find cover. Like the deathadders, it had three eyes. Its head flared out like a cobra’s and shone with golden streaks, like the sarcophagus of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. As I watched, large, batlike wings spread out wide from its back.

‹Wh-what the hell is that thing…?› And where did the red slithery guy go?

The thought barely popped in my mind before the purple serpent opened its mouth to hiss. Behind its fangs, I saw my reddish pal from earlier, grinning wryly.

‹Seriously? It has a face on its tongue?!› I was horrified. No wonder it looked so weird. It was a tongue with a freakin’ face!

But now, I knew exactly where I needed to attack.

The boss snake had already disappeared into the murky water again, but I slashed at the swamp around it with Dimension Claws. Muck flew into the air again, but there was no response from the serpent. Well, I knew it was there now, but it’d be hard to hit if it kept on moving around…

Five Cursed Fireballs flew at me from a group of deathadders. I dove down lower to avoid them. At that moment, the boss snake’s creepy humanoid tongue shot through the swamp’s surface and straight at me.

It’s fast, but I should be able to counter it soon. Time to check its status!

Merhotepre

Species: Apophis

Status: Mad God

Lv: 130/130 (MAX)

HP: 2154/2154

MP: 1765/1765

Attack: 1842

Defense: 1369

Magic: 1756

Agility: 2058

Rank: A+

Sacred Skills:

Beast Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Special Skills:

Serpent King’s Scales: Lv 8

Grecian Language: Lv 2

Human Tongue: Lv —

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 8

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 6

Heat Sensor: Lv MAX

Stealth: Lv 9

Petrifying Gaze: Lv 9

Fly: Lv 6

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 7

Magic Resistance: Lv 7

Petrify Resistance: Lv 9

Poison Resistance: Lv 6

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 6

Curse Resistance: Lv 6

Falling Resistance: Lv 6

Hunger Resistance: Lv 6

Fear Resistance: Lv 5

Instant Death Resistance: Lv 5

Confusion Resistance: Lv 5

Normal Skills:

Clay: Lv 8

Diseased Breath: Lv 8

Curse: Lv 7

Gravity: Lv 8

Foul Bite: Lv 7

Regenerate: Lv 7

Filthy Tongue: Lv 6

Wide Quick: Lv 6

Wide Berserk: Lv 6

Title Skills:

Final Evolution: Lv —

Serpent King: Lv —

Former Beast King: Lv —

Sorcerer: Lv 9

An A+! And it used to have a Sacred Skill!

I was glad it wasn’t a Legendary rank. If a monster as strong as the Origin Matter could just pop up out of nowhere down here, I would’ve needed to reconsider traveling on foot through Ngai Forest.

Even so, a max-level rank A+ was nothing to sneeze at. And unlike the deathadders, this Apophis specialized in attack and agility, meaning it could strike fast and hard. Its agility rivaled mine. But while it excelled in attack, its defense left it vulnerable to enemies’ attacks. Ideally, I wanted to take advantage of that to defeat it with a single blow.

If we’d been fighting on equal footing, the battle would be over in seconds, but the Apophis seemed content to hide in the swamp with the deathadders and attack me with its Human Tongue instead.

I readied myself to unleash another round of Dimension Claws, this time at the tongue. But then I stopped. Cutting its tongue off wouldn’t kill it. If I made it hide completely, it’d be even more likely to hurt Allo or Treant.

“Vliiik!” The Human Tongue extending from the Apophis opened its mouth again. Black smoke poured out of it—I couldn’t see.

What is this? Diseased Breath?! The tongue can use breath attacks?! What a freaky monster! I doubted the Diseased Breath would affect me; I was more concerned with the fact that I couldn’t see through it. That was probably exactly what it wanted too.

“Gale!” Allo called from my back, creating a small tornado in front of me to blow away the Diseased Breath smoke. Beyond it, I saw the Human Tongue moving; it slithered past me to my left. I spun my wings to the side to catch the Human Tongue, and it sank its fangs into my wing. I felt the tongue’s venom seep into my body, numbing my senses while my wing throbbed in pain. I twisted around with blind force and thrust my claws into the Human Tongue.

“Viiiii!” The Human Tongue shrieked.

‹Gotcha!› I dug my claws in deep and swung them around with all my might. All according to plan. I’d given up on long-range attacks with Dimension Claws and grabbed the Human Tongue instead to fish the rest of the Apophis out of the swamp. The Human Tongue immediately went rigid, attempting to retract back into its host’s mouth. Its face twisted in pain as my claws tore through it. The Apophis tried its best to stay beneath the surface, but it was in vain.

‹Sorry, but I’m way stronger than you!› I pulled harder, putting all my strength into my claws.

With a sploosh,the Apophis’s massive body broke through the swamp’s surface. It stared at me with three wide eyes, shocked. Guess you weren’t expecting that much power, huh?

I gave it a yank, pulling the Apophis toward me by its tongue. The Apophis used its wings to right itself and faced me. It looked like it had given up on resisting and was now preparing to counterattack.

I used Illusion to create a fake copy of myself, trying to throw off its trajectory. There. That should distract it. When the Apophis goes after the illusion, I’ll slice it up with my claws.

The tongue pulled at my claws again. I pulled back, bringing the Apophis closer. When it was within reach, I let go of the tongue and tried to swipe at its head with my claws, but at the last moment, the Apophis flew backward, and my claws sailed past it.

Huh? I totally had that! Is my Illusion not working?!

No, that wasn’t it; the Apophis had Heat Sensor. It didn’t need to rely on sight when it could find me by my body heat!

The deathadders had Heat Sensor too, but they were still easily fooled by my Illusion, so I thought it’d work on the Apophis too. I’d figured the Apophis was just an extension of the deathadders, but this was a former Beast King I was facing. It was on a whole different level. I should’ve assumed it might see through Illusion and prepared for that.

The Apophis lunged forward and bit down on my extended paw. Immediately, my paw went numb, and a slight wave of nausea passed through me.

Suddenly, a ring of black light appeared around the Apophis. I felt my body get heavier, and I dropped down in the air, struggling to stay airborne.

“Graaaah!” It was using Gravity! Was it trying to drag me into the swamp to fight me on its home turf?! Seeing that I was struggling, the Apophis swooped down to sink its teeth into my head.

Oh yeah? Good luck with that! I swung my paw in a wide arc, bending backward to aim straight in the air, and stretched out my claws. They slashed squarely through the Apophis’s abdomen.

My foe fell into the swamp, spraying blood and venom everywhere. I quickly used Dimension Claws, hoping to finish it off. But then a black light covered the Apophis’s body, and it dove into the swamp even faster than before and disappeared.

‹Y-you did it, Master!› Treant cheered from its spot on my back.

I shook my head. ‹Nah. I was hoping I’d finish it off now, but it ran away.› Between the venom from the Foul Bite making my body go numb and the Gravity throwing me off balance, I couldn’t hit the Apophis with my full strength. And because of that, it got away.

The Apophis only came out of the swamp and went on the offensive to get me to let go of its tongue. It suffered the most damage in our fight, but really, I felt like I was the one who was outmatched. Sure, I had it beat in stats, but the Apophis had the upper hand in terms of technique and skill usage.

‹It knows it can’t beat me outright now, so it’ll be even more careful the next time around. We’ll have a hard time beating it now.›

I doubted the Apophis would risk using its Human Tongue against me again either. From now on, it would likely stay in the swamp and employ a safer strategy to fight us. That meant I had no way to outsmart it. To defeat it, I’d have to get much closer to the swamp, but that would put Allo and Treant in danger.

Maybe it’d be better to find a safe spot for Allo and Treant to hole up, then come back to kill it? If I didn’t take down the Apophis, we’d have to hold off on leveling Treant up. I couldn’t drop Treant into the swamp with the Apophis lurking around.

A reddish-purple figure peeked out from the swamp’s surface—the Apophis’s Human Tongue. It had to be using it to scope things out while it kept its body safe in the swamp. Even so, it seemed even more cautious than before; I’d done some serious damage to it earlier.

The deathadders circled the Human Tongue, waiting patiently. If I flew into range, they’d probably hit me with all kinds of attacks at once.

‹Ugh…this sucks.› I’d probably have an easier time if I took the deathadders out first, but then Treant wouldn’t have any left to farm levels with, which was my main goal. I was sure it wouldn’t be too hard to evade the deathadders’ attacks and hit the Apophis though. I should probably ask Allo and Treant to hang tight somewhere else…

That was when I realized something: I didn’t want to drop Treant right now because the Apophis would make it hard to go down and rescue it, but that wouldn’t be an issue if Treant killed it with its Meteor Stomp.

Treant’s Statue skill would allow it to ignore the onslaught of deathadder attacks, and I’d already weakened the Apophis. As an attack type monster, its defense was much lower; yes, it was an A+ monster, but Treant could still take it out with a well-timed Meteor Stomp.

It’s gotta be right underneath its tongue, right? If I drop Treant straight down on top of it, it might work. Even if it doesn’t kill the Apophis outright, I can just fly down and finish it off.

‹Master…? What is it? You seem like you’re thinking about something…› Treant asked.

‹Well…I think I know how I’m gonna boost you up a few levels, Treant.› I answered, peering down at the Human Tongue.

‹Oh. Um. H-how…?›

‹I’m gonna drop you straight onto the Apophis. If you use Statue, you should be able to take it out with one hit. You’ll be the one taking down this rank A+ former Beast King.›

‹What?! A-a-are you insane?!› Treant flapped its wings in panic.

I grinned. ‹Maybe. But don’t worry; Allo and I will be right behind you. Even if you don’t take it out, the Meteor Stomp will make it panic. Then I’ll finish it off.›

‹B-but…›

‹It’s definitely not a safe plan. But if you take the Apophis out, you’ll probably get enough experience points to go straight to max level. We don’t always have the luxury of taking the safe route in a forest like this.›

A rank A+ monster like the Apophis would typically be way out of Treant’s league. But this was different. The Apophis sacrificed its durability for high attack and agility. And now that I’d weakened it, it should be easy enough for Treant to deal the finishing blow. Chances like this didn’t come along very often. It was do or die.

‹Ah…all right, Master! Let’s show them what we’ve got!› Treant shouted, staring down at the Apophis’s Human Tongue in the swamp far below us.

‹Yeah! Let’s do this, Treant!›

I flew higher, sending several Whirlwind Slashes down into the swamp as I did. Not with the intent of hitting the Apophis or deathadders, but to send up peals of mud that would throw them off and prevent them from anticipating Treant’s attack. If I attacked them head-on, I’d make them even more wary. I didn’t want to risk the Apophis retracting its Human Tongue and deciding to escape.

‹Okay Treant, you’re up!› I grabbed Treant and tossed it into the air.

‹All right!› Treant released its Tree Spirit Transformation in midair, reverting to its tyrant guardian form. Then I grabbed a handful of Treant’s branches in both paws.

‹Take ’em down!› I used Gravity. A ring of black light appeared around me, and Treant and I both plummeted down into the swamp.

‹Mm…mmgh…ghwaaaaaaaaaaah!› I couldn’t tell if Treant’s cry was a shriek of terror or a war shout. But as we dropped like stones with Gravity, I threw Treant downward with all my might to increase its speed even more.

I’ve gotta make it fast enough to catch the Apophis off guard and penetrate through the swamp enough to kill it.

Treant plunged straight down at high speed, so fast I was scared it wouldn’t have time to use Statue. But a moment later, I saw Treant’s bark gleam silver and breathed out a sigh of relief. The metal Statue form repelled the deathadders’ volley of Cursed Fireballs with ease.

Apophis’s Human Tongue looked up at Treant in dismay just a split second before Treant crashed down on top of it, crushing it instantly.

Treant’s Meteor Stomp slammed into the swamp with a thunderous roar, spraying mud everywhere and creating a massive hole in the center. The deathadders struggled to keep themselves upright in the resounding waves and quickly disappeared under the surface again. Mud immediately flowed back into the large hole, closing it off again.

“T-Treant? You alive…?” Allo called, sounding worried.

I quickly flew down after Treant, peering into the quickly filling hole.

Was this…a good idea? Maybe I got a little too enthusiastic and threw it too hard. I didn’t know how good Statue’s defensive capabilities were. And Treant wasn’t coming out of the swamp at all… No, it should be fine. If Treant died from the impact, I’d probably be getting experience points right now, since I’d technically be the one who killed it.

Gained 12,350 Experience Points.

Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12.350 Experience Points.

Oneiros Lv 125 has become Lv 128.

T-Treant?! N-no, there’s no way…

For a moment, I was afraid it really was from Treant, and a chill ran through my body. But there was no way. It had to be the experience points I got from Apophis, who must’ve died from the impact. Treant’s rank and level were just too high to die from that. It seemed like a lot less experience points than I’d expect from the Apophis, but maybe the total was divided because Treant and I worked together. If so, Treant was safe, and we’d probably succeeded in taking down the Apophis.

This…isn’t a combination of experience points from Treant and Apophis, right…?

‹Master! Masteeeer! I…I can’t breathe!› As I got closer, I heard Treant’s panicked Telepathy from the bottom of the swamp.

Oh, thank goodness, it’s alive!

At that moment, a swarm of deathadders appeared from beneath the surface, heading straight for Allo and me.

“Gale!” Allo’s three Dark Kaleidoscope forms sent out peals of wind to deter the deathadders.

‹Sorry, Allo, but we’re going in!› I said. I held my breath and dove straight into the swamp.

As I struggled deeper into the murky water, my paw touched something solid. I can’t see…is that Treant’s head?

From what I could tell, Treant seemed to have most of its body buried deep in the bottom of the swamp. Wh-whoa…it goes this deep?

I grabbed Treant’s branches, gave a mighty heave to dislodge it from the bottom, and then pulled it to the surface, struggling. When we got close to the top, Treant finally released Statue, making it a bit easier.

‹I thought I was going to die… The ground under the swamp is very soft, so I should have dropped with that in mind. You could have told me beforehand, Master.›

‹S-sorry… I didn’t expect you to go that fast. It’s on me, really. I thought you’d be okay, but I was a little worried. I just…›

‹Didn’t expect me to succeed?› Treant finished, looking up at me coldly.

‹B-but look, Treant! You did it! You killed Apophis!›

Treant’s eyes softened a little at my praise, but only a little. I checked Treant’s status. It went from Lv: 78/85toLv: 83/85.

Five whole levels, this close to max? Nice! Just two more levels, and it can evolve!

‹And you’re almost at max level! If you finish off the last of the deathadders, you should be able to evolve!›

‹What?! Really, Master?!› Treant stretched out its trunk in joy.

“Is that all it takes to win back your favor, Treant…?” Allo muttered.

Part 3

ONCE THE APOPHIS was defeated, Treant and I went back to safely wiping out the deathadders with its Meteor Stomp. With that out of the way, we moved a little away from the swamp to take a break.

Through that fight, Allo rose from Lv: 61/130toLv: 72/130,and Treant went from Lv: 71/85toLv: 85/85.Finally, Treant was at max level. It was time to evolve.

It’d been a while since the last time it evolved. I was scared I’d never witness it, even as an immortal Ouroboros. But today was the day.

‹Master! Master! It’s time! Let’s go! I’m ready to evolve!› Treant said, flapping its wings excitedly.

‹All right, no need to rush me. I’ve got ya.› I tried to soothe Treant’s excitement, mindful of the danger around us, but I knew how it felt. It really had been a long time. I wanted to congratulate it on all its hard work.

‹Please, oh please, hit me with the strongest magic you can!› Treant prayed.

‹R-right. I’ll do my best.› To evolve, Treant needed me to use Fake Life. I didn’t think charging Fake Life up would do much to change the outcome though… But, hey, I wanted to celebrate this as much as Treant did, so why not?

“Good luck, Treant!” Allo cheered Treant on in excitement. Treant flapped its wings in her direction as well. I doubted the cheering would change much either, but I was glad they were happy.

I used Fake Life on Treant, and its body was enveloped in black light. Inside it, I could see Treant’s form expanding in size. It wasn’t rapid growth; it was more like a slow, constant swelling of Treant’s trunk. It just kept growing both thicker and taller… But as I was thinking that, Treant’s body suddenly began to expand rapidly, with a force that started pulling Allo and I toward it.

T-Treant’s sucking us in…! I grabbed Allo—who stared up at Treant’s new height with her mouth agape—and struggled away from the gravitational pull.

As I got to safety, I turned back to look at Treant. It now towered probably fifty meters above us—more than five times its size as a tyrant guardian.

No way I can hold Treant when it’s in its usual form now.

Treant’s trunk was an amalgamation of many trunks intricately intertwined to form a gigantic, singular tree. Treant’s familiar hollow eyes and long nose remained, though its features were much larger now. Its leaves shone a lush, deep green.

‹Master! Miss Allo! Wh-where did you go?!›

Tremors rocked through the ground every time it moved. Holy cow. Talk about big, loud, and proud, Treant! It’s way bigger than the Ngai Forest trees!

‹D-down here, Treant!› I called.

Treant turned its trunk and looked down at Allo and I. It made a face as one of its branches slammed into another tree, breaking off a handful of branches in the process.

One wrong move in this forest, and who knows what’ll happen…

‹Master! Miss Allo…!› Treant’s enormous face came close, staring at us. Even I felt a pang of intimidation. It felt like a Legendary class to me…

‹Have you…gotten smaller somehow?› Treant asked, confused.

No, Treant. You’ve just gotten way, way bigger…

World Treant: Rank A+. Legends say that when a world is born, so too is a World Treant born to protect and watch over it. A nurturing presence, all nearby flora and fauna will flourish under its protection, and the lands surrounding it become fertile. Many nations have been built with World Treants at their center. The World Treant makes the country prosper, while its ruler vows to rule its subjects justly. Its powerful, eternal life force watches over its subjects forevermore.

With that, Treant had successfully evolved into an A+ class monster. Whoa… A World Treant, huh? Talk about a transformation.

Species: World Treant

Status: Cursed

Lv: 1/130

HP: 538/1258

MP: 21/477

Attack: 197

Defense: 553

Magic: 292

Agility: 169 (338)

Rank: A+

Special Skills:

Dark Type: Lv —

Grecian Language: Lv 3

Harden: Lv 7

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 7

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 6

Fly: Lv 4

Healing Drops: Lv 6

Stalwart Protector: Lv —

Gravity Compression: Lv 5

Soft Steps: Lv 5

Give Life: Lv —

World Tree Bark: Lv 5

Fairy Curse: Lv —

Solid Body: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 8

Falling Resistance: Lv 9

Magic Resistance: Lv 7

Normal Skills:

Take Root: Lv 5

Clay: Lv 5

Hi-Rest: Lv 5

Fire Sphere: Lv 7

Aqua Sphere: Lv 4

Clay Sphere: Lv 6

Wind Sphere: Lv 4

Telepathy: Lv 5

Gravity: Lv 6

Poison Cloud: Lv 4

Physical Barrier: Lv 6

Anti-Power: Lv 6

Decoy: Lv 6

Statue: Lv 6

Meteor Stomp: Lv 6

Tree Spirit Transformation: Lv 6

Berserk: Lv 5

Wood Strike: Lv 5

Wood Counter: Lv 5

Armor Break: Lv 5

Guard Lost: Lv 5

Clay Wall: Lv 5

Tremor: Lv 5

Heat Beam: Lv 5

Barkskin Armor: Lv 4

Reaper Seeds: Lv 4

Eternal Regrowth: Lv 4

Human Transformation: Lv 2

Title Skills:

Demon King’s Underling: Lv —

Devourer of the Fruit of Wisdom: Lv —

White Mage: Lv 7

Black Mage: Lv 7

Dragon’s Lost Property: Lv —

World Tree: Lv —

Wow…it’s a total tank type. It’s hard to believe these are its stats at level 1. It’s still more focused on durability than attack, though… I’d secretly hoped Treant would switch to an attack-type monster because it was so much easier to farm experience points that way, but it looked like Treant was dead set on a complete endurance build.

W-well, maybe I’ll keep that little tidbit from Treant for now. With its new skills, it should have a bunch of new battle strategies, depending on how it uses them.

Its halved agility stat was because of its Solid Body skill; Beelzebub was the same way. By transforming with its other skills, like Tree Spirit Transformation, it could double its current agility.

‹W-well?! How’d I do, Master?!› Treant asked with Telepathy as it stretched out its trunk, waved its branches, and struck a pose. Its voice felt stronger than usual, and it echoed through my brain. It seemed like it liked its new look, at least. And it seemed pretty strong…

‹F-first, mind getting into your tree spirit form for now?› I asked. In its natural state, it felt like the entirety of Ngai Forest would be able to spot Treant. I doubted it’d have a whole lot of chances to use its World Treant form to its full potential, especially in such a dangerous place—we’d be noticed wherever we went.

‹Oh…right. Understood.› Treant sagged, disappointed it couldn’t show off its new form anymore.

S-sorry, Treant. I feel bad, but it’s just not safe.

Treant shrank into its tree spirit form. It didn’t look much different than before; maybe its green body looked a bit more vibrant, but that was about it.

‹Okay. First, congrats, Treant! You’re officially an A+ rank monster!›

‹O-oh?! Hooray! I finally caught up to Miss Allo!› Treant crowed with glee. I didn’t blame it; it’d been trailing behind for so long, it had to feel nice to be on par with its friends at last. It had also learned quite a few new skills: In Special Skills, it got Give Life, World Tree Bark, Fairy Curse, and Solid Body. It also got Magic Resistance, which Treant never had before. And under Normal Skills, it learned Barkskin Armor, Reaper Seeds, Immortality, and Human Transformation.

…Human Transformation, huh? So it can transform into a human now? With Tree Spirit Transformation already under its belt, it felt like the two skills’ roles would overlap to a degree. But now Treant could safely travel in human villages, which could be useful in the future. Even so…I was interested to see what Treant’s human form would look like, or if it’d even look humanoid enough to pass for a human.

Well, I’ll look through the other new skills for now. I’ve already seen Solid Body, Magic Resistance, and Human Transformation, so I don’t need to worry about those. I’m definitely curious about Human Transformation in a different way though…

Special Skill “Give Life.” The user’s life force is powerful enough to turn a withered patch of land into a flourishing garden of flowers with just a touch of magic. While activated, this skill also heals the HP of all nearby life forms indefinitely.

Hmm… Is that…strong? I feel like just healing everything around it is too general. Maybe it can be used somehow? I don’t think it’s weak, but…I can’t think of any use for it, other than just going to the farm of someone I don’t like and making all the weeds grow.

Special Skill “World Tree Bark.” World Treants possess thick, tough bark. It also breaks down magic, greatly reducing damage taken from magical attacks. The bark is frequently used as a base for expensive bark armor. When World Treants lived in harmony with human nations, countless petty thieves would peel the bark off it without permission.

Dang. Poor World Treant. Isn’t it supposed to be some kind of guardian deity? And humans just took advantage of it? I wouldn’t blame it for getting angry at ’em every once in a while.

Special Skill “Fairy Curse.” When hit directly with a magical attack, forest fairies will come to the rescue, counterattacking by casting the same spell back at its user. Their magic will be as powerful as the original attack, regardless of the skill owner’s magic power. The fairies’ magic will only affect the attacker.

Whoa. Fairies? I don’t know much about ’em, but this seems like a pretty crazy counterskill. Between this and World Tree Bark, Treant’s got some serious defense against magic. It’s also got Wood Counter to counter physical attacks, but I’ve never seen Treant use it…

Treant tended to go up against opponents stronger than itself, which thankfully meant it wasn’t at a huge risk of getting into a down-and-dirty fistfight. If that happened, Treant would definitely lose. It’d only ever be safe in a physical fight against opponents much lower in status than itself. These counterattack skills seemed handy as a last resort if Treant got backed into a corner, but they didn’t seem like skills to base its entire strategy around.

That said, unlike Treant, Allo wasn’t super durable, so she could land herself in trouble from a single lucky hit from even a lower-rank enemy. In that respect, Treant’s status meant it might even be a better choice for taking on groups of weaker monsters than Allo.

It…feels a bit plain compared to Allo’s evolution. But really, it seems better-suited for living a stable life in nature.

Normal Skill “Barkskin Armor.” Covers the user’s body in a thick layer of entwined branches, preventing attacks from landing on the user. Can also be used to increase the user’s mass before striking its opponents.

Is this a defensive skill? But it can also be used to attack… While simple, this skill seemed like it could be really useful.

Normal Skill “Reaper Seeds.” Creates plant seeds that siphon MP from those seeded. The closer the skill’s user and its target, the faster MP is absorbed. Once its prey’s MP is completely absorbed, the Reaper Seeds will grow rapidly, destroying the user’s prey.

Whoa. This skill came outta left field. I thought Treant didn’t have much in the way of attack, but if it used Reaper Seeds, it probably wouldn’t need attack power anyway. If the Reaper Seeds could handle a few attacks, Treant could take down all kinds of monsters with this.

Before now, I’d been a little worried that Treant’s new evolution could only defend and heal, but it seemed like its new battle strategy would be to focus on defense and healing while it waited for the Reaper Seeds to sprout and decimate its enemies.

All right. Last skill.

Normal Skill “Eternal Regrowth.” Greatly increases the user’s life force. When activated, a glowing blue-green moss grows over the user’s body, forcing them to regenerate HP until their MP is reduced to less than 1 percent of its total. While using this skill, the user’s defense is greatly increased, but its other stats are halved.

Another super specialized skill…? Well, I guess I couldn’t be surprised. Treant’s skills had always been really situational in their usefulness.

Still, though. This skill abandoned all stats except defense. It felt like the signature World Treant skill, but…it’s not something it could just use willy-nilly. Once the skill was activated, Treant would be forced to keep using it until it was almost out of MP, leaving it with no way to attack. It might be a good skill to use in a specific pinch, but otherwise…it didn’t seem like it’d do much good.

Even so, Treant’s status had just gone through a major improvement, and it had plenty of new and interesting skills to try out. And with its upgraded movement skills like Fly, it’d have a much easier time moving around in the future, gigantic World Treant form notwithstanding.

Wait, huh…? I don’t see the Final Evolution Title Skill in its skill list. I triple-checked just to be sure I was looking in the right place, but it was true: Final Evolution was nowhere to be seen.

Wh-what’s the deal with that? Was this because of the Wisdom Fruit it ate way back when?Could Treant evolve into a Legendary monster? No, there was no way. It didn’t have a Sacred Skill. Its body would collapse if it evolved again, just like the slime did.

‹Well, Master? How’d I do?› Treant asked.

‹Oh, great! Your stats went up a bunch, and your new skills seem pretty strong. I’ll be happy to have you on our team in a fight from now on, that’s for sure!›

‹Really?!› Treant flapped its wings happily.

‹Yeah! Oh, you have Human Transformation now too. Want to try it out?›

But it wasn’t Treant who reacted first—it was Allo. “Ooh! You can turn into a human now, Treant?! I wanna see! I wanna see!” she shouted, eyes sparkling with curiosity. Somehow, she seemed even more excited than Treant.

‹O-oh, really? Very well. Give me a moment.› Treant let out a little huff of self-importance as Allo and I looked on in anticipation. Then its shape contorted, its silhouette stretching taller and wider. Its body dissolved, then congealed into a bark shell with glowing green light seeping from its cracks. Treant’s “human” form looked vaguely like a cross between a humanoid version of its tree spirit form and a seven-headed penguin. Its bark skin was rough and treelike, and its face was identical to its face as a tree spirit as well.

“How do I look, Miss Allo?” Treant asked, striking another confident pose while glancing over at Allo. But unfortunately for Treant, the shining curiosity that she’d held in her eyes before had all but disappeared. She looked ice-cold and disinterested.

Jeez. I’ve never seen Allo with such a cruel look on her face before. She likes Treant’s tree spirit form, but apparently not this one…

“M-Miss Allo…?”

“Hm? O-oh… S-sorry, Treant. Not now.” Without a single word about Treant’s new look, Allo looked away and fell silent.

“Oh… Okay. I see…” Treant gazed forlornly at Allo for a moment, then turned to me. “M-Master! H-how do I look?”

‹Well, uh, you kinda look like you’d fit right in with the likes of monsters like the Adams and Eves on a remote island somewhere.›

But, well, its Human Transformation skill level was still pretty low, so I guess that was to be expected. When I first tried it out, the humans I met thought I was some kind of super dangerous monster and tried to kill me. Happens to the best of us.

At that, Treant quickly deactivated Human Transformation, went back to its tree spirit form, and turned away from us.

‹I…won’t use it again.›

‹S-sorry, Treant… I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Cheer up, okay? I looked pretty bizarre before I leveled up my Human Transformation skill too. Don’t let it get you down.›

Treant didn’t respond. Allo seemed contrite, but unsure of what to say to comfort Treant. She probably regretted letting Treant see how she really felt…

Part 4

AFTER CHECKING OUT Treant’s new evolution, we took a short break to have a meal before resuming our journey to the sky-piercing spire. Because it would struggle to get around in World Treant form, Treant used its tree spirit form instead.

‹I feel like…we’re better off keeping that form in reserve anyway.›

After making our way through Ngai Forest for a while, I noticed an unusually large figure looming out of the darkness ahead. Whatever it was, it looked about as tall as World Treant. As we got closer, I realized it was a giant monster.

It had yellow skin and a single bent leg as thick as its torso. Its face consisted of two large, gaping mouths: one at the top and one at the bottom. In the center, a single eyeball stared, unblinking. Instead of walking, it bounced over and over, an earthquake rippling from the ground with each step.

It kinda looked like an Adam. Maybe it was an evolved version?

‹Interesting… Bigger doesn’t always mean stronger, but either way, that’s a bizarre monster.›

From my back, Treant nodded in agreement. ‹Yup. Size doesn’t equal strength.› World Treant was way bigger than me, but it was no match for me in terms of stats. Fortunately, though, I could just check this giant’s status from afar to see just how strong he was.

Ymir: Rank L (Legendary). An ugly titan statue. Destroys thousands of trees just by walking around and dries up entire lakes just to quench his thirst. It is said that entire continents have been sunk to the depths simply from incurring his wrath.

…Oh boy. Better give this guy a wide berth. I might be able to beat him, but there was no need to challenge a Legendary right now. Even if I got to max level, I still couldn’t evolve. I’d rather focus on hunting groups of weaker monsters and help Allo and Treant farm for experience points for now. They had a lot more room to level up.

Based on how many I’d seen so far, it felt like Ngai Forest was in no short supply of Legendary rank monsters. I’d have my pick of them when I wanted to level up. And between my quadrupled experience point gain and the mountain of experience points even one Legendary would give me, there was no reason to focus on myself now.

Besides…if I was gonna challenge a Legendary rank monster, I’d rather have a rematch with the Origin Matter. That way I could see if it had anyone useful still trapped inside it.

‹It’s called Ymir,› I told the others. ‹Thankfully, he’s so huge that we saw him before he saw us. We’re still pretty far away from him. To him, we probably don’t look much bigger than grains of rice.›

‹It’s a good thing I’m not in my normal form, then…› Treant chimed in, sounding sincere.

Yeah, for real. If Treant had been in its World Treant form, Ymir would’ve spotted it and gone after us. The thought sent chills down my back. I didn’t want to give that guy any reason to chase us down.

‹I’m not a fan of how close he is to the tower, though. It seems like he’s just hanging out around here for some reason.› We were already pretty close to the tower; if we kept up this pace, we’d arrive by the end of the day. Even so, I doubted this spire was the key to us escaping Ngai Forest. Even if it was, I still couldn’t hold a candle to the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants. No, I needed to stay here and get stronger. But either way, I had no doubt that this spire held some sort of hint or clue as to what we needed to do to get stronger and get out of here.

I didn’t know what we’d be facing in that tower, and I didn’t like the idea of following the Divine Voice’s design for me. But for now, that was the only thing I could do.

A vision of the Divine Voice loomed in my mind. Just you wait, Divine Voice…! I’ll come back with a vengeance and settle things once and for all.

‹Master! Look! Look!›

“Master Dragon! Master Dragon!”

I heard Allo and Treant frantically call out to me, breaking me out of my thoughts. ‹Whoops, sorry. Was just thinking about our next steps, now that we’ve made some progress on—›

I was interrupted by a booming ka-thud, ka-thud, ka-thud that shook the ground beneath me. Uh-oh.

I looked up. Ymir, having spotted us, was now hopping toward us, crazed grins on both of his mouths. His face—so different from humans and other monsters—still formed perfect smiles. The mouths were wide and curved up at the corners, and his nostrils flared in excitement. His single eye was wide open. It was the blank, innocent smile of a creature with no higher forms of thought.

As he ran, his arms swung through the cursed trees, crushing and uprooting them with every stride. The forest shook around us. There was no doubt about it—this guy was definitely stronger than me.

Well, I wouldn’t call that surprising. I’m good with magic and being tricky with my skills, but that’s nothing compared to a violent behemoth like this guy.

My eyes met Ymir’s, and his widened slightly, like an animal who’d spotted some tasty prey. A shiver of fear ran down my back in a way I hadn’t felt in a while.

‹Allo, Treant, let’s get out of here!› I quickly arched my back to launch them both into the air, then caught them with my mouth and leapt into a Roll.

Of course, there was no way Ymir could keep up with my Roll. I listened as the sound of him crashing through the trees faded into the distance. Even after I couldn’t hear him anymore, I kept going for a while at the same speed. Finally, when I was confident I’d managed to shake him off, I slowed and let Allo and Treant down.

‹Th-that was a surprise…› Treant said as it tumbled out of my mouth, then got to its feet.

‹Y-yeah… Sorry, Treant. I thought we were far enough away, but he’s apparently got some good eyesight. I’d rather not see him again anytime soon. Sorry to you too, Allo. We probably would’ve been fine if I just hid myself with Dragon Mirror.›

I looked down at Allo to find her sniffing her arm, fascinated. “Master Dragon’s scent…”

‹Allo…?›

“Y-yes?!” she yelped, immediately dropping her arm and standing straight. Was Allo…doing okay? She’d been acting kinda weird lately…

‹Hopefully all that Rolling didn’t attract any weird monsters…› While Roll was the quickest way to move around—and we were now much closer to the tower—Ngai Forest wasn’t the best place to blindly crash through the trees. It was the only way to get away from Ymir, but there was no guarantee we wouldn’t run into some monster even more dangerous than him.

I used Psychic Sense to sweep the area for nearby monsters. ‹Hmm…›

‹Master? Did you find something?› Treant asked.

I nodded. ‹Yup. Just the monsters I was looking for too. Guess running into trouble was a blessing in disguise this time.›

My Psychic Sense had picked up on multiple weaker monsters around us. I wanted to get at least one decent leveling session with Treant before we got to the tower, and these guys seemed like the perfect prey.

All right. Time to see World Treant in action.

“Groooooooooh!” I roared to intimidate the monsters nearby. The forest around us seemed to shudder in fear, and I sensed movement in multiple directions. Then the ground around us began to ripple and bubble, and a handful of monsters emerged from the earth.

“Kroooak!”

“Kroooak!”

They were giant toads, each about five meters long and covered in swollen reddish-purple and orange boils that made their bodies appear almost spherical. Their black skin sizzled and smoked with putrefaction. Just looking at them made me sick to my stomach.

“Kroooak, kroooak!” the giant toads croaked loudly.

Plague Toad: Rank B+. A giant toad. Harbors numerous diseases and curses that cause its body to swell and form boils. It is said that plants will not grow nearby for a thousand years after a plague toad has set foot upon the soil.

Whoa. These things were like natural enemies to a World Treant. And they were rank B+ instead of A−? Perfect. They shouldn’t be too hard for Treant, even at level 1.

‹Master! I will show you my true potential right away!›

‹W-wait, Treant! If you go full-size mode right now, they’ll surround you and beat you to a pulp!›

Man. No matter how you looked at it, a giant, immovable monster was just an easy target. Would Treant ever get a chance to show off its true form?

“Dark Sphere!” Allo released a black sphere of light at one of the plague toads. When the attack connected, the toad exploded, spraying its toxic fluids all around us.

D-dang. Allo sure was strong. I guess that was just what happened when a magic specialist went up against a lower-rank enemy. Every time I saw Allo in action, I was reminded of why it was so easy for her to level up compared to Treant.

“Now that we’re close to the tower, it’s time for me to grind some levels too!” Allo called, then struck a superhero pose.

‹I hope there’ll be enough left for me…› Treant said sadly.

Rather than engaging myself, I decided to fly low around the plague toads. That way, even if they tried to jump up at me, I’d have plenty of time to see them and fly up higher to avoid them.

Keeping distance between myself and the plague toads and moving at a reasonable speed meant the plague toads would struggle to aim at us with any of their long-range skills. And even if they succeeded, we’d have plenty of time to react. Allo and Treant could pepper them with attacks without fear of getting hit themselves, making this a safe way for the two of them to farm experience points and gain some levels.

‹Clay Sphere! Clay Sphere!› Treant fired off a frantic round of clay orbs at the plague toads. One of them connected, exploding a single boil and spewing out more toxic fluid, but the plague toad seemed fine overall. It leapt toward us with a croak.

‹Wh-why didn’t that do anything…?› Treant asked, dumbfounded.

“You’re still only level 1, Treant…” Allo said quietly. But I knew that wasn’t the only reason: At level 1, Allo’s Walpurgis had three times the magic power of Treant’s World Treant. As she was now, Allo would’ve been able to kill the plague toad with a single magic attack.

‹Um, Treant? Do you maybe have any other skills you can attack with?› There was Meteor Stomp, of course, but these were only rank B+ enemies, and Meteor Stomp was both time-consuming and expensive to cast. And now that Treant was so huge, it’d be harder to use Meteor Stomp safely. A giant tree falling from the sky would definitely stand out, and I didn’t want to risk Ymir coming after us. It could be used as a last resort, but I’d rather avoid using it if we could help it.

‹Of course, Master! Say no more!› Treant gulped, then spat a glistening green seed at the plague toads. It landed on one of them and lodged inside one of the boils. At that moment, soft greenish light began to glow from its body.

Oh, nice! Is that Treant’s new skill, Reaper Seeds?

‹There! With that, that plague toad is as good as dead! I’ll suck out all its MP in an instant!› Treant called, voice oozing with pride.

Normal Skill “Reaper Seeds.” Creates plant seeds that siphon MP from those caught inside. The closer the skill’s user and its target, the faster MP is absorbed. Once its prey’s MP is completely absorbed, the Reaper Seeds will grow rapidly, destroying its prey.

Good deal. That skill should take it down. Eventually, at least. Curious about the skill’s effectiveness, I checked the plague toad’s status.

Species: Plague Toad

Status: Mad God, Reaper Seeds

Lv: 66/85

HP: 568/598

MP: 375/377

Hmm…looks like it’s still got a long way to go. Well, Treant’s level is too low to get any closer, so I guess that’s just how it’s gotta be.

‹Heh heh heh! Watch, Master! I’ll shoot another one at a different toad!›

‹Uhh…shouldn’t you put ’em all on the same one?›

‹Oh? Why is that?› Treant asked, tilting its head in confusion.

‹Just…trust me.›

Per my advice, Treant shot three more seeds at the same plague toad. But after the third one, Treant fell over on my back with a groan of pain. Maintaining that many Reaper Seeds seemed to be taking its toll. Welp. Guess it’s not a skill Treant can throw around as it pleases after all.

I flew around the clearing in a circle, checking the toads implanted with Reaper Seeds from time to time. But I didn’t see any sign of them slowing down anytime soon. After leaping up to try and chase us, the plague toads seemed to realize they couldn’t catch us at our current pace, and instead glared at us in annoyance, twisting their boil-laden necks to watch us fly around.

‹Haah…haagh… Look! Look at the anguish on their faces! It’s only…it’s only a matter of time now!›

Uh…really? Treant looked a lot more anguished than any of those toads did…

The plague toads’ cheeks puffed out like they were about to spray us with some toxic spit. They probably had pretty decent range. We needed to be careful here…

“Dark Sphere!” Another black orb shot from Allo’s hand and into the toad planted with Treant’s Reaper Seeds. The toads exploded, splattering fluid and toad bits everywhere. Allo wiped her forehead with her arm, looking satisfied at a job well done.

Treant stared at Allo, stunned. ‹M-Miss Allo…?›

“Did you see that, Master Dragon?! I took down the toad that was giving us grief!”

‹Y-yeah, you sure did, Allo… Thanks for that…› I sighed.

I felt a thud as Treant fell over on my back. For a second, I worried Treant had taken some kind of feedback damage from its Reaper Seeds, but it seemed like this damage was purely mental.

“Y-you okay, Treant…? Hey! Hang in there! M-Master, what do we do?! That toad must’ve attacked Treant somehow…!” Allo shouted, shaking Treant frantically.

I put a paw to my forehead and shook my head from side to side. No, Allo… It didn’t.

‹U-uh, Treant, how about you just focus on attacking with spheres and split the experience points? I know you’re itching to level up, but taking these guys out one at a time like this is a little inefficient.›

‹…Very well, Master…› Treant mumbled, still lying face-up on top of my back.

C-c’mon, keep your head up… You only just evolved. It’s all uphill from here.

‹You’ll get to level 50 in no time that way. And once you’re there, I’m sure you’ll have a much easier time attacking,› I coaxed. Treant sighed and got to work.

After that, we settled into a steady routine. Treant shot at the plague toads with Clay Sphere to chip their HP down, and then Allo finished them off. After a little while, I checked Treant’s status again and was pleased to see it’d made some decent progress.

Species: World Treant

Status: Cursed, Tree Spirit Transformation: Lv 6

Lv: 36/130

HP: 1275/2483

MP: 7/764

Unfortunately, because Treant started with relatively low MP at level 1 and MP didn’t get restored when we leveled up, its MP was almost zero.

‹Master, may I please…borrow a little MP too…?› Treant panted.

‹Sure, take as much as you want. I’ll back off so we can take a break.› I flew higher to perch on one of the crooked Ngai tree branches above us. Treant’s roots lengthened, then attached themselves to my back as it used one of its oldest skills: Take Root. I hadn’t realized it could do that in tree spirit form…

‹That is some crazy high defense, though…› I muttered to myself as I looked over Treant’s status. Its other stats were slowly coming along, but its defense stat was already atDefense: 1120.

You didn’t see many monsters with defense that high… Those plague toads wouldn’t even make a dent in it at this rate. World Treant was more than just a simple endurance type—it was a freakin’ defensive tank. And Treant was only at Lv: 36/130 so far—it still had plenty of levels to go.

Its attack, on the other hand, was still only a measlyAttack: 309. For…rank A+, that was crazy low. I guessed that just meant it couldn’t rely on its physical attack power. I definitely wouldn’t want to get in a physical fight with a World Treant. That fight would last two centuries.

‹A-all right, I should be about healed up now…›

No sooner had Treant finished speaking than something leapt up at us from below in a flurry of motion—a plague toad. I whirled around as it spat a burst of poison mist from its mouth, but there was no need; Allo was already releasing a Gale to blow the poison away.

“Krooo—aak!” The force of the Gale lifted the plague toad off its branch and sent it tumbling to the ground. It must’ve climbed up the branch with High Jump. Of course they waited until now to put their toad qualities to good use…

Other plague toads began to gather at the foot of our tree, hopping under and over each other with wild leaps in every direction. There…sure were a lot of ’em down there. If I dropped Treant on them with Meteor Stomp, it’d probably take out a bunch of ’em with a single blow.

‹Whaddya think, Treant? You’d probably take out at least four of those guys with one Meteor Stomp. That’ll earn you a bunch of levels at once! You in?›

‹You bet, Master! Leave it to me!›

As soon as Treant agreed, I shot higher into the air, thinking. World Treant was so big, I don’t even know where to drop it from… I wanted to make this quick and drop from low enough that the Origin Matter wouldn’t find us…or Ymir, for that matter.

When I was about twice as high as the tops of the forest trees, I decided that’d have to do, and tossed Treant off my back and into the sky.

‹Go, Treant! Take ’em down!›

Treant immediately released its Tree Spirit Transformation and returned to its World Treant form. This was its first time using Meteor Stomp with its new body. Its massive trunk dropped to the ground, turning to metal as it used Statue.

Treant slammed into the ground with the force of an earthquake, tearing the ground around it and smashing five or six plague toads underneath it. It was so loud that I had to cover my ears with my paws.

‹Yeah, that’s a strong move. But maybe it’s better we don’t use it against weaker monsters…›

“Agreed,” said Allo, looking down at the devastation below us.

That skill would send some nasty monsters running our way if we weren’t careful…and I wouldn’t want to use it much in our home world either. If we used it too close to a human village, we could cause a major disaster.

‹C-can’t move…›

The lower half of Treant’s trunk was buried under the rubble, leaving it exposed and unable to escape. In another spot, the ground began to crumble, and soon a new plague toad crawled out and headed straight for Treant.

Allo and I were still high in the air from dropping Treant. ‹Crap! We’ve gotta get Treant, and fast!› I dove toward the ground in a rush of wings.

By the time I landed, Treant had already sustained a plague toad bite—a smack from its poisonous tongue—but was relatively unharmed. It seemed like its defense was high enough now that it could completely block most of the plague toad’s attacks.

‹Let’s try this again!› Treant shouted, and waved one of its branches to send a handful of green Reaper Seeds flying out at the enemies surrounding it. The plague toads, which had been ready to leap at Treant, suddenly stopped moving. Then their bodies began to swell and bulge.

“Kree, kree, kroooak!” They convulsed, writing, as some kind of wooden branches began to extend from their bodies, destroying them from the inside out. Poisonous flesh, fluids, and viscera flew in every direction.

Wh-whoa… That was wild. Treant was now much closer to its targets than it had been in the air, which made the effect happen a lot faster. Between that and the levels it’d gained since then, the Reaper Seeds were wreaking havoc.

“Kroooak!” A remaining plague toad leapt forward to attack, but was promptly caught by a branch with Barkskin Armor applied.

‹Wood Counter!› With a shout, Treant bent its body in half and crushed the plague toad with its oversize branch.

“Kreeek!”

Holy cow! T-Treant’s actually strong now! ‹Great work, Treant!›

‹Look, Master! I did it! I actually did it!› Treant exclaimed.

Treant never would’ve been able to take out this many rank B+ enemies so easily before now. It looked like it’d finally blossomed.

‹Leave the rest of these toads to me!› Treant declared, stretching its trunk in happiness.

“I’d like to level up a bit more too, y’know…” Allo muttered.

I watched Treant battle the toads with a wry smile dancing across my lips, happy to see my friend finally find its stride. But as I looked on, I began to hear a soft ka-thud, ka-thud, ka-thud in the distance.

At first, I paid the noise no mind. But it slowly got louder and louder until it was impossible to ignore, and I turned my head to look at its source.

It was Ymir, sprinting toward us at full speed, his two mouths open wide in glee. C-crap! He found us?! I thought for sure we were far enough away! I knew Meteor Stomp was a bad idea.

‹Heh heh! I’ve got nothing to be afraid of now! I may even pass Miss Allo’s level at this rate!› crowed Treant as it carried on happily toying with the plague toads, as oblivious as ever.

‹Treant! We’ve gotta get out of here! Ymir’s coming!›

‹R-really?! Masteeer! Come get me!›

‹You gotta change to your tree spirit form first! Hurry! My back can’t handle your World Treant form!›

I swooped down, hurriedly scooped up tree spirit Treant, and launched myself into a Roll to flee the scene.

Chapter 3: The Guardian of the Skypiercing Spire

Chapter 3:
The Guardian of the Skypiercing Spire

Part 1

AFTER ROLLING through another few kilo­meters of forest, we managed to successfully throw Ymir off our scent and took to another tree branch to rest. There was no telling what kind of monsters might suddenly show up if we stayed on the ground. So far, I’d managed to steer clear of any danger with Psychic Sense, but I knew we were going to come across a monster who’d slip past it sooner or later. And besides, there could be other monsters like Ymir that’d just barrel toward us so fast that I wouldn’t catch them in time.

‹I would rather not come across that monster again…› Treant sighed. Both it and Allo were exhausted after another bout of Rolling.

But all in all, despite Ymir’s surprise appearance, the battle with the plague toads had been a total success. Treant went from Lv: 1/130to Lv: 69/130, while Allo went fromLv: 72/130to Lv: 76/130. Leveling up would only get tougher for them from here on out, but at this point, they were already strong enough to be powerful rank A+ contenders on the battlefield. I could pretty much cross leveling Allo and Treant up off my task list. I’d still like to get them some levels here and there, but it felt safe to make that less of a priority now.

All that was left was to find a way to raise my own evolutionary limit…and then get the heck outta Ngai Forest.

‹Hold on… What in the world is that?› We were getting close to the sky-piercing tower now, close enough to really take in its size. While the tower reached up into the sky, far beyond my field of vision, its diameter also stretched about a hundred meters across. From a distance, it seemed like a long, pencil-thin tower—and it was, considering its ratio of height to width—but now I saw just how massive it really was.

But right now, the tower wasn’t the issue. The issue was that in front of the tower’s massive door, an armored statue stood tall and motionless, as if in wait.

The figure was nearly ten meters tall. Around thirty arms stretched out from its sides, one carrying a massive greatsword in its grip. The armored giant looked humanoid, save for one missing piece: a head.

It’s not moving at all, but…it’s gotta be a monster, right?

Hecatoncheires: Rank L (Legendary). An ugly titan statue. All that remains of a once-revered Hero. After losing sight of his humanity in blind pursuit of his mission, he lost his head—the very symbol of his humanity—and grew dozens of arms to symbolize his inhumanly superior military prowess. He sacrificed everything he had to attain the power to protect others, and his wish was granted. However, he no longer had anything to protect.

Th-there you have it… A Legendary rank. And it looks like he’s guarding the tower. I don’t think we’ll get in there without a fight.

But man, that description’s weirdly specific…

Hecatoncheires

Species: Hecatoncheires

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 10000/10000

MP: 10000/10000

Attack: 1500+200

Defense: 4000

Magic: 1500

Agility: 1500

Rank: L (Legendary)

Equipment:

Weapon: Colossus Blade: L

Sacred Skills:

Human Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Demi-God Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Preta Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Special Skills:

Grecian Language: Lv 5

Psychic Sense: Lv MAX

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv MAX

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv MAX

Super Regeneration: Lv MAX

Recovery+: Lv MAX

Sixth Sense: Lv MAX

Swordsman: Lv MAX

Mad God: Lv MAX

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv MAX

Magic Resistance: Lv MAX

Magical Decomposition: Lv MAX

Halved Physical Damage: Lv MAX

Debuff Immunity: Lv —

Seven-Type Resistance: Lv MAX

Normal Skills:

Hi-Rest: Lv MAX

Regenerate: Lv MAX

Dimension Slash: Lv MAX

High Jump: Lv MAX

Blade of Exorcism: Lv MAX

Contemplate: Lv MAX

Shadow Dance: Lv MAX

Nature’s Mana: Lv MAX

Title Skills:

Guardian of the Skypiercing Spire: Lv —

Unwavering and Unbeatable: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Former Hero: Lv —

Former Demon King: Lv —

Wh-wh-wh-what the hell? This guy’s a freakin’ monstrosity!!

Hecatoncheires’s status was so insane that I could barely even comprehend it. I’ve never seen anyone with stats in the five-digit range before…His total stat points are off the charts! Even at max level, I’d be nowhere near that jacked. He’s gotta be using some kind of cheats…

Even so, aside from HP, MP, and defense, my stats were much higher. Both his attack and magic stats were the lowest of all the Legendary ranks I’d seen. Hecatoncheires would be a real danger to Allo, but Treant could likely sustain a few hits from him, at least. Still, Treant probably couldn’t deal much damage in return. As a general rule of thumb, if your attack stat was half your opponent’s defense stat, your attacks wouldn’t do any damage. Hecatoncheires had Defense: 4000, so any attack from someone below Attack: 2000wouldn’t even scratch the stone statue. I wasn’t sure even Allo’s magic would damage it. Maybe if she sucked up a bunch of my magic and landed a direct hit with her strongest attack, but even that felt questionable.

Not to mention those crazy Resistance Skills… If I fought this guy, was I really gonna be able to beat him? The Resistance Skills were bad, but he seemed pretty straightforward otherwise. He didn’t have any wild-card attack skills that could kill me in an instant if I wasn’t careful, like the Holy Naga and the Origin Matter had, at least. He could actually be one of the easier Legendary class monsters to take down.

Maybe I could smack him with Treant’s Meteor Stomp from above? Nah, I’d have to drop Treant from way up high to hit him hard enough, and while Hecatoncheires’s agility wasn’t great for a Legendary rank, it was high enough to dodge that. I doubted Treant would actually hit him. And even if we approached the tower from above, he might spot us and use High Jump to attack.

Taking him on at a distance with Dimension Claws wasn’t a good idea either. That was a long-range skill, and I doubted I’d be able to take down an even tankier monster than Treant with just that. I could try it, but he had Dimension Slash anyway. Rather than trading blows at a distance, I’d be better off getting up close.

‹Allo, Treant…wait here for a minute,› I told my friends. ‹I’m gonna go try and blast that big statue guy to smithereens. If you run into anything you can’t handle, shoot some magic into the air to let me know, and I’ll come right back.›

They still weren’t strong enough to do any real damage to Hecatoncheires, and if he saw them, he could kill them instantly. But his attacks shouldn’t hurt me much. He might be a weird, scarily strong opponent…but in reality, I didn’t expect he’d be that hard to fight.

Part 2

AFTER PARTING WAYS with Allo and Treant, I flew toward the tower alone. When I stepped into the clearing, the stationary Hecatoncheires suddenly raised his greatsword in anticipation, as if a switch inside him had flipped from off to on.

So he really was alive… Even after I’d looked at his status screen, I had a hard time imagining this headless stone statue with a bazillion arms in action until I saw it for myself.

‹You’ve been robbed of your own self and identity and forced to guard this place for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. But that ends today. I’m going to end you, Hecatoncheires, and free you from this prison!›

I bounded toward Hecatoncheires and swiped at him with Dimension Claws. My claws scratched his stone skin, and he reeled back slightly. I followed that up with three more Dimension Claws. Hecatoncheires swung his greatsword to counter the attack, but he swung slowly, and far too wide. Compared to my fight with Lilyxila, his counters were clumsy and ineffective; having to block while more attacks kept coming probably didn’t help.

I shot higher into the sky, then spun in midair and veered to the side. A slash tore through the air behind me. Nice. I dodged Hecatoncheires’s instant Dimension Slash attack on the first try.

But just because I did it the first time didn’t mean it was a guarantee. I knew that all too well after my battles with Howgley and Lilyxila.

I swooped toward Hecatoncheires again, closing the distance, and unleashed another round of Dimension Claws. This time, I focused on the gouge I’d made on the right side of his lower stomach. Even a tank like this guy could take some major damage if I got through his outer shell and attacked his insides.

Hecatoncheires had already suffered five rounds of Dimension Claws; my attacks were met with a lot less resistance than I expected. His stats looked scary, but maybe this’d be an easier fight than I thought. If I could keep up a steady flow of damage, I might be able to take him down by just flying around and whittling away his HP with Dimension Claws.

Hecatoncheires blocked my sixth Dimension Claws swipe with his sword, then immediately swung it around to unleash a Dimension Slash. It caught me off guard and I couldn’t dodge in time, and the attack sliced into my shoulder. My scales broke, and blood gushed from the wound, but I didn’t take much damage. I was pretty sure I could take a few of these cuts and still be fine, and he wouldn’t hit me a bunch of times at once, so I could use Hi-Rest and Regenerate to heal between blows too. There was nothing to fear.

Hecatoncheires blocked my seventh Dimension Claws, but my eighth hit. He still couldn’t block me perfectly.

So what was my plan here? If I kept hitting him with Dimension Claws from a distance, I might not need to get close and risk taking more damage. He could have some weird skill I wasn’t expecting up his sleeve.

For now, I’ll check where his HP’s at…

Hecatoncheires

Species: Hecatoncheires

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 9689/10000

MP: 9937/10000

O-okay, dang. This guy’s more solid than I thought…! Sure, I had Regenerate and other skills to use in a pinch, but if I just kept using Dimension Claws, this would be a battle of attrition I wasn’t sure I’d win. Hecatoncheires’s MP was also ridiculously high, so I’d probably run out of magic far before he did and end up being forced to retreat. Not to mention, between hisPhysical Resistance: Lv MAXand Halved Physical Damage: Lv —, I’d be doing a lot less damage per attack, and half damage meant only half the typical MP needed to recover. This was much scarier to me than him having twice my HP.

But magic attacks wouldn’t do much against him either. He had Magic Resistance: Lv MAXand Magical Decomposition: Lv —.

All right…then I’d just have to get in there and fight him in close combat. Even one good hit would do more damage than all those Dimension Claws, so there was no point in wasting my MP on them. This guy was such a physical-stat beast that there was no way a war of attrition could be a viable strategy. He was the tankiest monster I’d ever seen—way tougher than an Ouroboros or World Treant. I hadn’t been expecting him to be so tough to damage. This fight could end up being more trouble than I thought…

I stalled the Hecatoncheires with a barrage of Dimension Claws, then swooped toward him and smacked him with my tail, intending to knock him flying. But Hecatoncheires only staggered slightly—his stone surface cracked from the impact, but he didn’t move.

What?! I should be way stronger than him! The impact should’ve sent him flying backward, giving me another opportunity to attack. Instead, Hecatoncheires’s form suddenly burst into a spray of black mist that flew toward me at a tremendous speed. In the blink of an eye, Hecatoncheires reappeared right in front of me, his sword raised in preparation to swing.

I recognized the skill from his status screen: Shadow Dance.

Normal Skill “Shadow Dance.” The user’s body sinks into the shadows, greatly boosting movement speed.

Simple, but deadly. Underestimating skills that boosted movement speed was a recipe for disaster. Although it was limited, him having a way to upend the gap between our agility stats was bad news for me.

As Hecatoncheires’s blade swung down, I caught it with one front paw and punched him with the other one. Hecatoncheires staggered back. I opened my fangs wide and chomped down hard on his weakened right side.

Ouch. I’m gonna need a dragon dentist after this…but I got him! My fangs sank deep into Hecatoncheires and stuck. Now this was what I called a proper close-range brawl!

Hecatoncheires’s countless fists rained down on me over and over, but I used Regenerate to combat the damage and pounded his chest with my paws. If I could break through his outer stone layer, I’d do a lot more damage!

I reared back and swung wide, claws outstretched. But they tore through nothing but air.

‹Wha…?› At the same time, my fangs lost their grip and snapped shut. Black mist escaped from my mouth as Hecatoncheires dissolved into shadow again, then reappeared a short distance away.

I see… So Shadow Dance wasn’t an attack skill. Well, no, it was pretty strong for attacking as well, but its true value lay in its ability to get Hecatoncheires out of a tight spot at minimal cost.

‹Hmph… Seems like you prefer our little long-range mudslinging match. Fine, then. I’ll play your game.›

Not good… This fight might be closer than I thought. I assumed it’d be easy since he couldn’t knock down all my HP at once, but that was true for both of us.

Hecatoncheires and I stood still for a moment, glaring at each other, but then I pounced to strike. I needed to preserve my MP and avoid using skills to do damage as much as possible. Hecatoncheires’s resources were all focused on defense, physical strength, and recovery. If I kept wasting my MP on attacking him, I’d run out much faster than he would.

In that case, my best solution was probably to take advantage of the difference in our physical stats to deal damage.I’d been hoping to avoid a long battle against a complete tank like Hecatoncheires, but his greatest strength wasn’t his ability to handle a mudslinging match, it was that the longer this fight dragged on, the easier it would be for him to come out on top. From what I’d seen from the battle so far, this was clear.

I leapt off the ground and charged through the air at Hecatoncheires, flying low. He raised his sword to swing, but his attack came too late—I dodged through it and dug my claws into his right side. His stone body cracked.

I whirled in midair and dove back toward him. Hecatoncheires could counter continuous attacks easily by retreating with Shadow Dance, so I needed to attack him slowly, one blow at a time.

Hecatoncheires, seemingly realizing he couldn’t match my speed, held up his greatsword like a shield to protect himself. I tried to slip past his blade and land another blow, but he moved just in time to block my claws. Another round of punches from his many arms fell on me like a storm. I curled my body to defend myself and leapt back to escape.

I thought I’d made it out of his range, but then Hecatoncheires disappeared into mist and reappeared right in front of me, greatsword already mid-swing.

Crap! He chased me with Shadow Dance!

I pulled my wings in front of me to block the slash. His blade sliced through them, sending searing pain through my body.

‹Hng…!› I was focusing too much on attacking. Hecatoncheires’s attack and agility were lower than mine, but he was still a Legendary rank with excellent skills and some major talent with a sword. He was a remnant of a Hero. I couldn’t underestimate him.

I slammed my tail into Hecatoncheires. The blow barely even staggered him, but I used the recoil to create some distance between us.

His Shadow Dance was a major issue. It prevented me from cornering him and made it easy for him to catch up to me. It was perfect for dragging battles out too: The longer the fight went on, the less I’d risk coming in close to damage him, and the more he’d come in to attack.

Hecatoncheires didn’t let himself take too much damage by accident, or unexpectedly, and his attacks were weak but steady. Because his attacks were low-damage and simple, I hadn’t felt like there was any danger. However, this battle was slowly but surely luring me into exhaustion. It was a strange feeling, like he was draining my life away one point at a time. Even now that I’d identified this as Hecatoncheires’s fighting style, I still didn’t feel a sense of serious danger—and that scared me.

Hecatoncheires didn’t have the power to kill me in one decisive blow. But that was exactly why I needed to be even more careful.

I flew up in a spiral, keeping my distance from Hecatoncheires. His main strategy was to counter my attacks and use Shadow Dance to close the gap in our agility, so I’d keep applying pressure from just outside his range and force him to move instead. If we attacked at the same time, my speed advantage should mean I could land some serious hits on him.

I circled around Hecatoncheires from above. He didn’t move. I circled around him again; still Hecatoncheires remained stationary. He didn’t even seem remotely interested in keeping up the pressure.

Huh. I’d thought if I stopped swooping down at him, he’d at least try to use Dimension Slash and that’d give me an opportunity, but now he wasn’t moving at all. When I raised my claws to intimidate him, he drew his sword in response, but that was it.

And all the while, as I tried to bait Hecatoncheires into attacking, he was steadily recovering HP and MP with his powerful recovery abilities. He just stood and waited, a stone gargoyle waiting for the perfect moment to come to life again.

Well, I guess that idea’s a bust. Hecatoncheires wouldn’t try to attack me first while I was up here; that’d only be putting himself at a disadvantage. The thought of peppering him with a million more Dimension Claws was less than appealing as well: He’d probably use that to his advantage to hit me back with Dimension Slash.

Strategy wouldn’t work against Hecatoncheires, I realized. Dealing fatal blows was hard enough, and he could escape from any corner I backed him into with Shadow Dance. I couldn’t outsmart Hecatoncheires; instead, I needed to outmaneuver him. Specifically, I needed a way to repeatedly and continuously inflict damage against his superior stats. But no matter what I tried, Hecatoncheires seemed like he was always a step ahead.

His abilities were so airtight that I couldn’t find any weaknesses to exploit. He was a true guardian. Despite my best efforts so far, he’d barely taken any damage at all. And slowly but surely, he was driving me into a corner.

This wasn’t going to work. I kept feeling like I’d be able to beat him if I took advantage of our stat differences, but I could see that was just wishful thinking. At this rate, I’d run out of juice before Hecatoncheires was even down to half his max MP.

It was time to change my strategy.I needed to somehow get through Hecatoncheires’s defenses and aim to land continuous attacks that would deal massive damage. It felt like Hecatoncheires would only engage in direct physical fights, but I’d never beat him if I kept fighting on his terms. I’d have to use up a lot of MP, but it wasn’t like my current fighting style was getting anywhere. I resolved to try out every skill I had to find out what would cut through Hecatoncheires’s seemingly impermeable defense.

First, I approached Hecatoncheires, swiped at him with my claws, and then quickly disengaged. Although he blocked me with his greatsword this time, our difference in agility meant I could potentially outpace him and do some major damage by aiming between his arms. But this attack method wasn’t particularly appealing. Hecatoncheires’s high defense and recovery abilities meant basic blows would only damage him by a fraction of a percent of his max HP every time.

With Shadow Dance, I always had to be cautious of him escaping while I attacked, so I couldn’t just beat on him over and over. And my stats just couldn’t handle a proper head-on fight. Instead, my goal in this encounter was simply to observe.

After exchanging several blows—him with his sword, me with my claws—I fell back and unleashed a Scorching Breath toward Hecatoncheires. Raging flames flew from my mouth, engulfing him completely.

With Hecatoncheires’s resistances and immunities, using a fire skill to try to hurt him would be a waste of MP. But I wanted to see how he reacted when the flames obscured his vision.

As the flames engulfed Hecatoncheires, his silhouette remained between them, unmoving. He didn’t use Shadow Dance to escape. The flames couldn’t hurt him, so I figured he was saving his MP for more dire situations. He was waiting it out, as always.

I charged forward into the flames and sliced at Hecatoncheires with my claws. He threw one of his many arms up to block me; my claws tore through it, ripping it from his body. I grabbed Hecatoncheires with my paws, then slammed my tail into the ground to force us both into the air.

D-dang, this guy’s heavy…! C’mere, you big, fat hunk of rock!

…Wait. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. If I could hit him with both Celestial Fall and Earth Fall, that’d definitely speed things up a bit, but…

I didn’t even finish the thought before Hecatoncheires disappeared into black mist again and my arms swung through empty air.

…Yup. Thought so. Dragging Hecatoncheires into the air or throwing him off balance meant nothing when he could just get away with Shadow Dance.

Hecatoncheires passed behind me with Shadow Dance, then reappeared with his sword raised. But I was expecting it: If Hecatoncheires was anything, he sure was predictable. And I wasn’t about to let him land a hit so easily.

‹Gravity.›

A black ring of light appeared around me and spread wide. It caught Hecatoncheires before he had time to retreat, and he dropped to the ground like a—well, you know. We weren’t that high up, so there was a good chance using Gravity at maximum power would be a waste of MP. But if I managed to deal a bunch of damage, this could be a viable strategy against Hecatoncheires’s predictable movements, not to mention a way to avoid his massive sword.

The moment before he hit the ground, though, Hecatoncheires vanished into black mist once again, then reappeared a second later. There was no impact sound from the fall.

Great. So Shadow Dance negated fall damage too. If this were a fighting game, that skill would be banned.

I doubted Hecatoncheires would take any physical damage in his Shadow Dance form. Maybe magic damage would work, but it’d be really hard to hit him while he was moving that fast. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t land a single blow.

My higher magic meant I was much better suited to break through his defenses. He had max magic resistance, but he also had max physical resistance, so there was no difference there. But between his lack of aggressiveness and his Shadow Dance, I doubted I’d be able to hit him with Gravidon. I could move with Wormhole and cut him down when I got close, but…no, that one was out of the question. I couldn’t use it to travel very far, and it also cast a suspicious light where I reappeared. Besides, it took too long to activate. There was no way it’d work against Hecatoncheires.

To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when my “legendary teleportation skill” Wormhole would actually come in handy. It was just too situational, and running was way faster anyway.

It occurred to me that maybe I could use it to outwit Hecatoncheires and enter the tower directly, but when I tried to pinpoint the coordinates of my destination in my brain, I felt my skill end as soon as I got close to the tower. It must’ve been protected by some kind of warding spell. Or maybe the area inside was a whole different dimension… Well, I guess this was for the best. I wouldn’t want to be trapped inside the tower without knowing what was inside and with no way of getting out. And I hadn’t been expecting much from Wormhole anyway.

Okay, new strategy.I couldn’t expect to defeat Hecatoncheires by blind luck; I needed to go over my skills with a fine-toothed comb and find an effective way to attack. At this point, I threw all concern for saving MP out of the window. Before I worried about that, I needed to find a way to win this fight.

‹Ideal Weapon.› This was an Oneiros skill that allowed me to conjure a weapon suitable for combating my enemy.

Well…it drained a considerable amount of MP, but this skill had the most potential out of any of ’em. This was going to be a long battle either way. If I could keep my weapon safe, it’d be put to good use. I didn’t need just any weapon either. I need something big, heavy, and strong enough to smash through the hardest rock. Not a slashing weapon, no. I needed a bludgeoning weapon, the best one I could make.

Hecatoncheires had one weakness: His uneven stats that favored defense over anything else. He compensated for the imbalance well with his skills, but with the right Ideal Weapon, I should be able to smash through his weak points.

A massive hammer appeared before me, shining with blue-purple gradient from one end to the other. Carved flower petals decorated the handle. It made for a beautiful and elegant weapon.

Oneiros Mallet: Value L (Legendary). Attack: +130. A giant hammer that glows with a faint bluish-purple light. Made from the bones of the Dream Dragon, who rules over the world of dreams. It is said that these mallets are used by angels to strike the drums of heaven. Any blow from this weapon instantly reduces the target’s physical resistance and defense.

I quickly used Dragon Mirror to change my paws into hands and grabbed the Oneiros Mallet. It offered me some reach, which meant it’d be much harder for Hecatoncheires to counterattack than when I fought with my claws.

Hmm. Oneiros Mallet, huh? An Oneiros weapon specialized in breaking through defenses. Not bad.

I’d never wielded a big war hammer like this before. Well, there was that one time I smacked the shell monster Shin with one, but that was about it. I was a little out of my element, but I’d just have to swing it with all the strength I had. I decided to put my faith in this thing. If I couldn’t make any progress trying to deal damage with this, then this fight with Hecatoncheires was already lost.

I bounded toward Hecatoncheires, swinging my Oneiros Mallet in a wide arc. The hammer flew past his raised sword and struck him soundly in his torso with a resounding boom. The impact knocked Hecatoncheires back a fair distance—much further than I’d managed with my paws.

All right! That’s a good sign!

Hecatoncheires held his greatsword in front of him like a shield. I leapt up and struck him from above, knocking back the arm holding the greatsword.

Yes! The mallet’s got enough reach that I can break through his guard without getting close enough for a counterattack!

“Groooooh!” I slammed the Oneiros Mallet down on Hecatoncheires’s abdomen with a loud crunch. Certain I’d done some major damage, I tried to pull the mallet away—only to realize that Hecatoncheires’s many arms had blocked the blow and were now grabbing on to the mallet. I tried to yank the mallet away, but his grip stayed firm.

Ugh…! This dude sucks!

Hecatoncheires’s blade sliced into my neck. I took a chance and opened my wings, letting the impact knock me into the air and away from him. Clamping a hand over my neck, I moved away to assess the damage.

At first, I’d thought he didn’t manage to guard with his greatsword in time, but he must’ve held off on purpose so he could grab me while I was up close! I could’ve done some major damage while I was there, but he hit me right where it’d hurt the most. He’d probably been planning to catch the mallet and drag me in close so he could cut as much HP out of me as he could.

I healed my neck with Regenerate. While Hecatoncheires’s stats outside of his HP and MP weren’t that impressive for a Legendary rank, they were still Legendary rank stats. He didn’t have the ability to drop my HP to zero the moment I let my guard down, but he could still kill me if he managed to land a few direct hits before I got the chance to recover.

Either way, my Oneiros Mallet was the best chance I had at beating him. If I couldn’t find a way to break through his many arms in this fistfight, I’d never be able to beat him.

“Groooaaaaaah!” With a roar, I took two more swings at Hecatoncheires with my mallet.

His greatsword swung toward my neck again too—but I was expecting that.

I swapped to one hand with my Oneiros Mallet and blocked the blow with my forearm. I used Regenerate preemptively to prepare for the attack, but it was still a heavy blow to a major body part. My scales shattered, and my blood sprayed into the air.

D-dang! This guy knows how to handle a sword!

Despite his current deformed appearance, Hecatoncheires had once been one of the most powerful Heroes of all time. My giant hammer could slow him down, but in terms of raw talent with a weapon, he had the upper hand.

Then I guess I’ll just have to smash him to pieces!

Ignoring the threat to my own body, I slammed my hammer down on Hecatoncheires. He returned the favor, slashing at me with his blade. But I knew if I backed off, he’d hit me with a follow-up attack. Instead, I gritted my teeth against the pain and swung my hammer around for another blow.

Again, Hecatoncheires swung his blade to counter me. This time, I leapt back, away from his blow. If I stayed where I was, I wouldn’t have the strength to parry him, and I’d take even more damage. Despite his low attack power, I still had to contend with his ten thousand HP. Even when I was trying to land a bunch of powerful attacks in a row, I needed to back off every once in a while to recuperate.

Hecatoncheires didn’t bother pursuing me, which meant I was safe to use Regenerate.

Then, it dawned on me: He didn’t fight offensively at all.

Although that limited the ways I could attack him, it also meant I could safely take a break to recover. He did manage to hit me with Shadow Dance once, which meant he’d probably go after me with it again if he was sure he’d land an attack, but he likely wouldn’t keep the pressure on for long otherwise.

Even so, I did just give Hecatoncheires a good beating. If that attack took out even 20 percent of his HP, then there was a pretty good chance I’d be able to beat him with this strategy…

Hecatoncheires

Species: Hecatoncheires

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 9821/10000

MP: 9703/10000

…Welp. Guess this one’s a bust too.

I didn’t mind that much; I’d taken a considerable amount of damage with this strategy as well. And only knocking his HP down by around 5 percent just wasn’t going to cut it. I was sure I’d be able to knock it down a bit more, but Hecatoncheires’s recovery skills were just too powerful. They were likely even more of an issue than his beefy stats. At this rate, he’d kill me before I knocked down even 30 percent of his HP. This guy was beyond tanky.

That was when it all came together for me.

Up until this point, I’d been underestimating Hecatoncheires because of his basic attack sequence, low attack, and his lack of flashy skills. Even against his impossibly high HP and MP, I thought if I worked hard enough, I might manage to whittle down his HP. After all, I’d have plenty of chances to attack, and plenty of skills I could send at him. Because of that, I figured he wouldn’t be as much of a challenge as the other Legendary ranks I’d faced in the past.

But I should’ve been more afraid of this Legendary rank, max-level monster with a surprisingly low attack stat. The more I fought Hecatoncheires, the less I started to believe that I’d be able to take him down.

No…! I can’t give up! Not yet! There are still plenty of other things I can try!

“Groooooaaaa!” ‹Dragon Mirror!›

As I roared, light enveloped my entire body. Then my body began to swell in size. The MP drain of maintaining such a huge body made this transformation all but suicidal against Hecatoncheires’s huge MP reserves. But if I wanted to make even a dent in his HP, I needed a big boost in base attack power.

As I grew larger and larger, my entire body was enveloped in purple scales. My fangs and claws thickened. In moments, I was no longer an Oneiros—I was a Diabolos.

I cast Ideal Weapon again to make my Oneiros Mallet larger to suit my new, wider frame. In this form, my attack stat increased by thirty percent.

All right. Now I’m ready to spend every last bit of MP smashing this statue to bits!

Part 3

AS THE SAME DRAGON SPECIES as my father, Eldia, I swung my Oneiros Mallet down at Hecatoncheires hard. He took the blow in his torso again, then returned the blow with his greatsword.

In this larger form, I was a much easier target to hit. I still took about the same amount of damage, but my new form meant I could counterattack immediately without getting knocked out of position.

I slammed my hammer down on Hecatoncheires as he slashed at me. We exchanged several blows before his blade sliced across my jaw.

The longer we fought with weapons at close range without using skills, the more Hecatoncheires’s true abilities shone. But even if he’d already used some MP to recover, I was definitely doing damage.

I checked Hecatoncheires’s status again, just to make sure, only to find…he still had most of his MP. Shouldn’t I have been doing a lot more damage now? My Oneiros claws only did around two hundred damage each. After Dragon Mirror, that should be closer to five hundred—more than twice what it originally was. What’s the deal?

…It’s not enough. The realization crashed into me like a tidal wave. Even ignoring his recovery skills, I’d have to hit him over twenty times in a row to kill him. It just wasn’t going to work.

I threw my Oneiros Mallet at Hecatoncheires. It slammed to the ground, then dissolved into a million shards of light and faded. While the Oneiros Mallet’s defense and physical resistance negation was effective, it wasn’t good enough to defeat Hecatoncheires.

I used Ideal Weapon to create a new weapon. A large, blue-and-purple sword appeared in my paw.

Oneiros Reisszahn: Value L (Legendary). Attack: +240. A greatsword that glows with a faint bluish-purple light. Made with a fang from the Dream Dragon, who rules over the world of dreams. It is said that whoever is cut by this blade will lose their grip on reality and eventually be drawn into the dream world. Temporarily reduces opponent’s Illusion Resistance.

Reducing Hecatoncheires’s Illusion Resistance wouldn’t do much against his Debuff Immunity. But I had another skill—one that required a sword to use.

Normal Skill “Dark-Dispelling Flash.” Channels holy light into user’s sword to cut down one’s enemies. In the wake of this flash, all forms of deception will be rendered meaningless. The sword deals massive damage that ignores damage reduction from Resistance Skills, Special Skills, Normal Skills, and Status Conditions.

Because this skill ignored both Hecatoncheires’s max Physical Resistance and Halved Physical Damage skills, I could use it to deal some major damage. His high defense was one thing, but those two Resistance Skills were even more important to bypass.

However, this skill had two major problems: The holy light it bathed me in made my weapon much, much heavier, and to prevent it from being a crazy cheat skill against some enemies, it drained a lot of MP. Even if I managed to hit Hecatoncheires with it, it would take a lot more than three or four hits to bring down his HP.

Okay. Let’s see how this goes.

I approached Hecatoncheires. When I raised my sword, however, he dissolved into the shadows and reappeared further away.

H-he used Shadow Dance? To avoid a direct frontal attack?!

I was stunned. Shadow Dance was a powerful skill, but that meant it had to cost a lot of MP. He didn’t seem fond of using it unless necessary, so the fact that he used it now felt encouraging. With his Shadow Dance, Hecatoncheires darted behind me to escape my huge swing. Again, I used Dark-Dispelling Flash, and again he used Shadow Dance to avoid it.

Seems like he’s doing all he can to avoid getting hit with this spell. As a former Hero, I was sure he was intimately familiar with the strengths of Dark-Dispelling Flash.

The light of Dark-Dispelling Flash began to weaken, and I replenished it with more MP. Damn it! I’m the only one burning through MP here!

‹Even after the Divine Voice took everything from you…everyone you wanted to protect! It used you and made you guard this tower for thousands of years…and you’re okay with that?!› I shouted with Telepathy, then swung at Hecatoncheires a third time. Again, he used Shadow Dance to evade me.

‹I…I-I…›

I hadn’t been expecting any sort of response to my frustrated Telepathy shout. But after a moment, I felt the whisper of a telepathic message pass through my mind. It had to be from Hecatoncheires. Did he…still have some trace of identity left?

‹I have…a duty to uphold.› Hecatoncheires changed his stance, used Shadow Dance to avoid my fourth swing, then darted around to my blind spot.

Crap! I thought he was gonna avoid the next one too! But I’ve still got time to block him!

‹You may not enter this place.› As he reappeared, Hecatoncheires’s blade thrust cleanly past my Oneiros Reisszahn and pierced my chest.

“Gaagh!”

Oh man. I’d thought he was good with a sword before, but he was on a whole different level now! The Mad God must have dulled his senses. In this burst of clarity, he’d regained the sword skills befitting a Hero of old.

I hadn’t expected my frustrated yell to backfire like this… I wasn’t sure how it worked exactly, but despite gaining some of his sense of self back, he still believed it was his duty to guard this place.

Hecatoncheires’s headless, multi-armed frame made an odd silhouette, but when he stood straight with his sword raised and his arms spread evenly behind him, he had an air of elegance. If I could only just get through to him!

‹What’s your duty? To be the Divine Voice’s loyal dog? Give me a break!›

This time, when I unleashed Dark-Dispelling Flash, Hecatoncheires dodged it without any need for Shadow Dance. Then he retaliated with a slash of his own. I let go of my Oneiros Reisszahn, jumped back, twisted my body, and somehow caught his blade with my claws.

This guy was crazy strong. If he’d evolved into an offensive type instead of a defense type like Hecatoncheires, this wouldn’t have even been a fight. He would’ve killed me on the first hit.

Hecatoncheires swung his greatsword at my waist. But instead of dodging or defending, I let his blade bury itself in my waist. Wait for it…

Hecatoncheires pulled his sword back and swung again.

Now!

I lunged forward and wrapped my claws around Hecatoncheires’s sword. I knew I wasn’t going to win this way, but there was one last skill I wanted to try: Oneiros’s most powerful attack skill, Hell Gate.

Normal Skill “Hell Gate.” A type of spatial magic. Summons part of the now-abandoned underworld to burn away enemies with hellfire. The hellfire does not affect the skill’s user. Maximum size of the summoned area is determined by skill level. Powerful but costly.

Still holding onto Hecatoncheires’s greatsword, I activated Hell Gate. Black flames erupted around us as the head and arms of a jet-black skeleton rose from the center. The skeleton peeked out from the flames, then grabbed Hecatoncheires and began to drag him into depths of the gate beneath it.

“Graaaaaaah!” I opened my mouth wide and sank my fangs into Hecatoncheires’s body. He quickly dissolved into black shadows and retreated. Where there was once a sword, my claws now met thin air.

I can’t even hold on to his weapon…?!

I could feel Hell Gate draining my HP and MP with every second. I leapt forward to chase after Hecatoncheires. There was no turning back now!

‹I can’t let you get away!›

I passed Hecatoncheires, turned around, and used Hell Gate again. Its black flames engulfed Hecatoncheires once more. He used Shadow Dance again to retreat, but now the black flames covered the entire area, limiting his ability to escape. I knew he didn’t like depleting his MP, so his best bet was to try to flee through the closest opening—which meant I knew exactly where he’d be, and I could hit him.

I opened my mouth wide and gathered as much magic as I could inside it. A ball of black light began to form between my jaws.

As an Oneiros, my magic power was higher than my attack power. Hell Gate should’ve done a number on Hecatoncheires’s armor and HP. So if I wanted to take him down, I needed to do it now, before he had a chance to heal!

“Groooooaaaaaaaaaa!”

‹Gravidon!›

The black orb shot out of my mouth in a straight line toward Hecatoncheires in the very moment he reappeared. It exploded, spraying black light everywhere. The Hell Gate flames around me disappeared as I fell to my knees. My body was enveloped in light, and I shrank in size. Maintaining Diabolos with Dragon Mirror was costing me too much MP.

I used Hi-Rest to recover my HP, but I could feel my MP bottoming out.

I can’t…take much more of this. With effort, I flapped my wings and swooped toward Hecatoncheires to attack whatever was left.

The cloud of dust cleared. And in the center stood Hecatoncheires, unmoving. The cracks in his stone visage were already starting to heal.

Hecatoncheires

Species: Hecatoncheires

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 9435/10000

MP: 8628/10000

…Huh? No way. All that, and it barely made a dent…?

That shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise as it did. Deep down, I’d known it already: I simply didn’t have the stats to take on Hecatoncheires. From the moment I saw his skills, I knew how I’d have to beat him. He excelled in bringing his opponents into simple one-on-one exchanges—that was his specialty. If I had the stats to overwhelm Hecatoncheires during those exchanges, I could easily defeat it. But if I couldn’t, then victory was impossible.

It didn’t matter how many handy countermeasures I could think up to combat him, my stats simply weren’t high enough to compete with his. Surely there were plenty of more efficient ways to deplete his MP than anything I was trying, but even so… After all this time, I’d only knocked down his MP by about 20 percent. Even if I found a strategy that was three times more efficient, it still wouldn’t be enough to take him down.

I had no other choice. I kicked off from the ground and took to the air. There was no way I could beat him right now. My only option was to beat a tactical retreat and level myself up enough to contend with him another time.

Hecatoncheires’s headless frame gazed up at me as I flew away. For a moment, I thought he might come after me, but instead he turned around, walked back to the tower, and returned to his perfectly immobile, statue-like pose in front of its door.

So his duty is to protect the tower, let the other Sacred Skill users prowl the forest alone, and wait for them to succumb to Mad God, huh? Well, too bad. I’m faster than he is.

Defeated, I flew away, intent on returning to take him down soon. But that fight hadn’t all been in vain: I managed to get an idea of which skills could prove effective against Hecatoncheires. That knowledge would be useful when I went up against him again.

…But not right now. That experiment drained far too much of my MP for me to continue fighting. But there had to be a way for me to defeat Hecatoncheires somehow.

Part 4

I RETURNED TO ALLO AND TREANT, waiting a ways off in the trees.

‹Oh, Master! I’m glad to see you’re okay. But that giant statue seemed like…quite the handful,› Treant said with a frown, still in its tree spirit form.

‹Yeah… I wanted to take care of him nice and quick, but I’m just not strong enough yet. Next time, I’ll have to challenge him with all my MP intact.›

“Does that mean you think you’ll be able to beat him next time?” Allo asked, tilting her head.

‹I think so. But I can’t do it alone. Hecatoncheires’s offensive stats aren’t that great on their own. It’ll still be dangerous, but I’m gonna need help from both of you to take him down next time. And a few more levels under my belt too.›

“Of course, Master Dragon! I’m always happy to assist!” Allo chirped.

‹How can I stand a chance against an enemy you couldn’t beat yourself, Master…?› Treant asked.

I nodded. ‹I get why you’re worried. But honestly, this guy feels right up your alley, Treant.›

‹R-really…?› Treant shuddered, its wings flapping worriedly. ‹You’re…you’re not planning to drop me on that giant from the top of the tower, are you?›

I turned my eyes toward the huge spire with no top in sight that Hecatoncheires guarded. I was sure that dropping Treant from that high would do at least ten thousand damage, but Treant would probably also end up as a bunch of splinters.

Allo glared at Treant. “What kind of guy do you think Master Dragon is, Treant?”

‹B-but! Miss Allo, that’s about the only thing I’m good for, so…!›

H-hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. Sure, World Treants were pretty specialized, but that was why it’d be a perfect match for Hecatoncheires.

‹You’ve got Reaper Seeds too, right?› I said. ‹Maybe we’ll try that instead this time. Otherwise, we’ll never get past that headless giant.›

Normal Skill “Reaper Seeds.” Creates plant seeds that siphon MP from those caught inside. The closer the skill’s user and its target, the faster MP is absorbed. Once its prey’s MP is completely absorbed, the Reaper Seeds will grow rapidly, destroying its prey.

If we could manage to stretch out the battle for a while, Treant could drain Hecatoncheires’s MP and kill him that way. The second part of the skill seemed terrifying—and honestly, it just seemed like a bonus, since any opponent would basically be dead once all its MP was drained—but the continuous MP absorption was powerful enough on its own. The lower the target’s magic, the stronger the effect would be, and Hecatoncheires’s magic stat was quite low for a Legendary rank. It would also force him to fight more of an endurance battle than he would otherwise, with his massive HP and MP reserves. It’d be a long battle, that much was certain. But if we could keep Treant safe, its Reaper Seeds would be a great way to chip away at Hecatoncheires’s MP.

‹I-In that case, leave it to me! The deed will be done, or my name isn’t Treant!›

‹Good deal. You can shoot your Reaper Seeds, and Allo will hit him with Dark Sphere. And I’ll keep his attention and give him the long, drawn-out battle he wants.›

My magic skills weren’t going to help. Gravidon was useless, and Hell Gate drained way too much MP; it was just too expensive to use when there was a high chance Hecatoncheires could dodge out of the way. Hitting him with Oneiros Mallet was a far more consistent way to deal damage than a big magic skill, and just smacking him with a weapon didn’t cost MP. Using Dragon Mirror to transform into a Diabolos was costly too, and it didn’t have a great payoff in terms of boosted damage, so that probably wasn’t worth it either.

‹Yes, I’m sure that will work! Gosh, I’m starting to feel like we can win this fight!› Treant flapped its wings excitedly.

‹Yeah! If I take leveling up into account, I bet the three of us could knock down Hecatoncheires’s MP by 60 percent or so!›

‹Yeah! Wait…huh?› Treant froze, then tilted its head in confusion.

“So…what about the other 40 percent, Master Dragon?” Allo asked.

‹Right now, if it’s just us three, I’d guess we had about a 10 percent chance of winning. But I have a plan.›

“A plan…?”

There were three main ways we could increase the damage we did to Hecatoncheires. One: increase our stats. Two: establish an efficient routine for dealing damage. And three: get reinforcements.

‹I think it’s about time we go hunt down that Origin Matter. I’m sure we’re strong enough to beat it now.›

My original plan had been to try going after the Origin Matter again if we ran out of other options. Now that we were higher level and more evolved, and given just how devastatingly powerful Hecatoncheires seemed to be, it made sense to go after the Origin Matter before challenging Hecatoncheires again.

Of course, unlike Hecatoncheires, the Origin Matter was a total offensive-type monster. If we slipped up or left ourselves exposed without recovering, it could kill any of us in an instant. In that sense, fighting the Origin Matter would be far more dangerous than fighting Hecatoncheires.

Still, killing it would give me a bunch more experience points. There were sure to be more kesaran pasarans around too, meaning Allo and Treant could raise their levels easily as well. But that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to fight it.

Special Skill “Time Vortex.” Seals enemy in a vortex of black light. Its victim is cut off from the passage of time. Escape is impossible.

Inside the Origin Matter’s Time Vortex, the flow of time was stopped. That meant going inside it was possibly the only way to avoid becoming a victim of Ngai Forest’s Mad God condition. If there were any former Sacred Skill users who’d let themselves get trapped inside in an attempt to escape the forest’s reach, they might be able to help us.

Of course, this was a naive hope. Maybe Time Vortex didn’t actually stop the effects of Mad God. Maybe no one else had ever thought to try it, and the Origin Matter was empty. Even if there was someone in there, there was no telling what kind of intentions they’d have. I could even end up facing a powerful, lucid foe.

But right now, this was the only chance we had. And, heck, maybe there’d be a way to raise either my or Allo’s evolutionary cap inside the Origin Matter. Either way, though, we’d never beat Hecatoncheires at our current strength. We just had to do what we could right now and go from there.

Chapter 4: Primordial Origin Matter

Chapter 4:
Primordial Origin Matter

Part 1

ALLO, TREANT, AND I traveled back the way we’d come. Rather than flying, we took the ground route to avoid being noticed by the Origin Matter. Now that we were gearing up to fight it, I could just as easily fly up to lure it in and save us the trouble, but I still needed to recover some more MP before I was ready to fight.

And so the three of us walked through the trees on foot. I used Psychic Sense to scout for any packs of monsters Allo and Treant could use to grind out a few more levels. I’d need both of their help to take down Hecatoncheires; that was why they were going to help me take down the Origin Matter too. It was a dangerous path to tread, but we didn’t have the luxury of a safer option.

Even so, I knew we’d lose a lot of time by resting before our fights with the Origin Matter and Hecatoncheires. I was certain there was something in that tower, something that reached the heavens, and maybe even our world outside of this little forest box. If we let Hecatoncheires prevent us from entering, we’d be stuck here forever, and the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants would bring the outer world to ruin. On top of that, if we stayed here much longer, we were at risk of succumbing to Mad God.

“Master Dragon?” Allo spoke up from her seat on my back. “Do…do you hear that? I think someone’s crying.”

‹Someone’s crying…?›

“Yeah… It sounded like a girl crying.”

Hmm. I wouldn’t expect to see any humans here. Especially not a young girl.

I searched around with my Psychic Sense but didn’t detect anything unusual nearby. I felt like Allo must’ve just imagined it. But…

‹Can you tell where it’s coming from?› I asked her.

“Yeah. It’s coming from over there.”

I craned my neck to see where Allo was pointing. I still didn’t feel anything, but I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to go check it out. Maybe we’d learn something. And it wasn’t too far off course, anyway.

I knew if I flew into the sky, the Origin Matter would show up sooner or later. We were basically just wandering right now, hoping to run into something we could use to level Allo and Treant up a bit more.

“There! Did you hear that?!” Allo shouted as I bounded forward. But I didn’t hear a thing.

‹Did you hear something, Treant?› I asked.

‹No…›

Hmm… I was getting a bad feeling that Allo was hearing something she shouldn’t have been hearing.

“Y-you really didn’t hear that?! Now it sounds like there are three of them!”

My Psychic Sense was still silent.

‹Hah hah, all right, Miss Allo. Very funny. Don’t scare us like that…› Treant chuckled. It was trying to sound lighthearted, but I could hear the tension in its voice.

“Maybe it’s because I’m an undead…” Allo sounded perplexed.

Was she? I wasn’t exactly sure a Walpurgis was considered undead. Maybe un-undead?

Treant looked a bit like a penguin ghost while it was in its tree spirit form, but it still didn’t seem to like the idea of ghosts roaming the forest. Isn’t it a bit late to be scared of a little ghost, Treant…?

‹Well, that’s definitely creepy. But sorry, Allo, we gotta keep mov—›

At that moment, I heard several soft sobs from the trees around us. I immediately went on high alert and sent out another wave of Psychic Sense—and this time, although it was faint, I sensed a few entities nearby.

I wonder why Allo picked up on them so much earlier than I did. Maybe she’s more attuned to spirits?

From the shadows of one of the black trees around us, a girl appeared. She wore a torn, dirt-colored dress with a bluish-black hood that obscured most of her face.

Banshee: Rank A. A collection of spirits brought together and reanimated with dark magic to haunt the living world forevermore. They lure unsuspecting victims in with their mournful cries, then pluck their souls and add them to their ranks. Any who hear mysterious cries from deep within the forest would do well to steel their hearts and turn back before it is too late.

A rank A monster, huh? Looked like a perfect opportunity for Allo and Treant to boost their levels. And if Allo was right, then there could be more than one of ’em around.

Species: Banshee

Status: Mad God

Lv: 103/120

HP: 1744/1744

MP: 1124/1124

Attack: 958

Defense: 642

Magic: 1263

Agility: 1225

Rank: A

Special Skills:

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 4

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 5

Undead: Lv —

Dark Type: Lv —

Shriek: Lv —

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 4

Magic Resistance: Lv 5

Poison Resistance: Lv 6

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 6

Confusion Resistance: Lv 3

Petrify Resistance: Lv 3

Normal Skills:

Curse: Lv 6

Reaper Claws: Lv 5

Double Poison: Lv 6

Ghost Step: Lv 7

Dark Sphere: Lv 7

Soulsuck: Lv 6

Death: Lv 5

Cursed Song: Lv 6

Call Allies: Lv 5

Title Skills:

Former Saint’s Follower: Lv —

Weeping Woman: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Although the banshee’s stats didn’t seem particularly remarkable, she had a bunch of disturbing skills I’d never seen before. Ghost Step, Soulsuck, and Cursed Song… I was sure none of these skills would curse my friends to death, but… I decided to check ’em out, just to be safe.

Normal Skill “Ghost Step.” The user’s appearance fades, making them much harder to detect.

…So that’s why I didn’t pick up on them.I didn’t like the idea that there could be a bunch of banshees hiding out in the forest around us at any moment. This version was probably a lot more effective than other presence-minimizing skills.

Normal Skill “Soulsuck.” Siphons MP from any opponent via physical contact. The skill’s effect is greatly increased by sucking directly through the lips. If the target’s MP is fully sucked out by this skill, their soul will become property of the user.

Wh-whoa… This one sure matched the banshee description. It had to be one of their signature skills. Seemed like a stronger version of Mana Drain.

Normal Skill “Cursed Song.” A song that sounds like a pitiful cry. Temporarily reduces status of its target. Those enthralled by the song will lose the ability to move even a finger.

Yikes… Another nasty skill. The description said it reduced stats, but from the way it was written, it sounded like it lowered overall attack and magic power. And I’d already heard the cry. Was I already enthralled? I didn’t feel any weaker, at least…

‹Leave it to me, Master! Sit back and watch me put my new levels to good use!› Treant shouted. It charged straight at the banshee, still in its tree spirit state.

“M-me too!” Allo added, running after Treant.

‹H-hey! Be careful, you two! There’s probably a bunch of these things floating around here out of sight!› I warned. Although she was ranked lower than Allo and Treant, the banshee was a higher level. And there was definitely more than one of them.

I raised my paws in anticipation but stayed behind. My goal was to level Allo and Treant up and preserve as much of my own MP as possible. I’d only interfere if they ran into trouble.

‹Let’s do this! Clay Sphere!› An orb of clay appeared above Treant’s head and flew toward the banshee, but she sidestepped it with ease. The banshee’s status was pretty balanced, slightly favoring magic and agility. Her speed meant Treant would have a hard time hitting her with any of his magic attacks.

“Dark Kaleidoscope!” Black light enveloped Allo’s silhouette, which then split into three figures. All three of them shot toward the banshee from different directions, trapping her between them. The three Allos raised their hands in unison and conjured orbs of black light in their palms.

“Dark Sphere!”

While Allo’s agility wasn’t quite as high as the banshee’s, she made up for it with her technique. The banshee dodged two of the orbs, but the third one hit her in midair, and she cried out as black light exploded around her. When the light faded, she was nowhere to be found. But this was a rank A monster; despite Allo’s high magic power, I doubted she’d be able to wipe her out in a single hit.

‹Watch out, Allo! She’s gotta be hiding around here somewhere!› I called.

Allo’s six eyes scanned the area.

“Aaaaaaaaah!” The banshee suddenly reappeared out of thin air and tackled one of the Allos to the ground.

“Eep!” Allo yelped.

The banshee had sustained major damage from Allo’s Dark Sphere; her left shoulder had been blown off, and her hood had fallen from her head. Beneath it, I could see she was covered in murky brackish fluid. With the hood up, she looked like a girl, but the face hiding under her hood was far from human. Her mouth gaped unusually wide, and her eyes stared, unblinking—she didn’t have eyelids. Her skin looked like crackling, rotted bark. Long, venomous claws stretched from her flailing fingertips.

‹Allo!›

“Aaaaaaaaah!” The banshee sank her claws into Allo’s chest.

Damn it! The banshee’s invisibility skill is bad news! I’d wanted to leave this fight to the other two because they were strong enough to handle it, but a high-level rank A monster was still a dangerous foe. Maybe I should’ve let Allo fight from on top of me instead…

Whether this Allo was the real Allo or not, I had to save her. I moved to unleash my Dimension Claws at the banshee. But at that moment, Allo’s outline collapsed, then expanded to fully cover the banshee. A set of huge fangs appeared in the air along with what could only be described as a monstrous, gaping mouth.

“Ah!” The banshee froze, caught between the mouth’s fangs. Then the mouth bit down hard on her, spraying her brackish blood in all directions. The banshee flailed wildly, trying to escape, but the mouth opened and chomped down once more. This time, the banshee went limp, her arms dropping to the ground lifelessly.

Th-that was sick… Allo had bound the banshee in place, then transformed into a mouth that could counterattack quickly. This was one of the skills she’d gotten from evolving into a Walpurgis.

Normal Skill “Ravenous Venom Fangs.” User’s entire body opens into a gigantic mouth to bite any target in front of it, stealing both HP and MP from the bitten target and inflicting a variety of status conditions.

I’d thought this sounded like a crazy skill when I first saw it, but it was even crazier than I thought.

The giant mouth disappeared with a puff of smoke, and Allo emerged, back in her normal form.

“D-did you see that, Master Dragon…?” she asked shyly.

I slowly lowered my eyes to the ground. ‹Uh…I just happened to be looking down, so I didn’t see anything.›

Allo peered at me with narrowed eyes, suspicious.

‹H-hnng… Once again, I didn’t get a chance to earn any experience points…› Treant moaned, dropping to its knees.

But at that moment, another cry echoed from the clearing.

‹Hey, watch it. It’s not over yet. We’ve still got company!› As I spoke, another dozen or so banshees appeared at the same time, surrounding us. Some sat on tree branches above us, while others crawled along the ground.

Whoa! That was four times more banshees than I was expecting! I couldn’t decide if we should back off, or if I should give the others a hand or something. While Allo and Treant had the stats to take on one or two banshees at a time, they were both quite slow. The banshees could gang up on them and attack.

‹Maybe we should retreat and—›

“Leave it to us, Master Dragon!” one of the Allos shouted. “We can’t waste too much time on these guys! We’ve got this!” The other two balled their hands into fists to show their determination.

Allo’s one tough cookie, that’s for certain… Sure, splitting into three costs a lot of MP, but that shouldn’t put her at too much of a disadvantage…right?

‹Yes! Let’s continue the fight!› As Treant chimed in, one of the banshees lunged at it using Ghost Step. Treant was knocked over. It rolled around on the ground for a moment before getting to its feet, winded. Three banshees surrounded it immediately.

‹Treant!› I shouted.

‹Ah! Master…›

‹Go ahead! It’s okay! We’ll just have to run when Ymir shows up!›

Treant tilted its head for a moment in confusion, but then its eyes widened and it nodded. ‹V-very well! I’ll take your word for it!›

Immediately, Treant’s figure expanded, shooting high into the air, as it took on its World Treant form. Multiple banshees gathered at the base of its trunk, scrabbling at its bark with their claws, and Treant shuddered with the force of the attacks.

Allo looked at me, panicked. “M-Master Dragon! In that form, Treant’s just a huge target!”

‹Don’t worry, Miss Allo! These attacks are nothing! Wood Counter!›

Treant’s massive branches swiped at the banshees, sending them flying. Before Treant evolved, Wood Counter hadn’t been that strong, but coming from a World Treant, it did major damage to the somewhat frail banshees. Sure, they were high-level and had balanced stats, but Treant outranked them; it shook them off like puny flies. There was just too much of Treant for any of their attacks to deal a reasonable amount of damage.

“Whoa… Treant’s strong,” Allo muttered, dumbfounded.

‹Have no fear, Miss Allo! I’ll draw the enemies to me!› Treant said proudly, stretching its trunk to full height.

Th-this looks really encouraging! This might have been the first time Treant has looked so confident. More than that, it was the first time it’d shown me I could depend on it in a fight. Whatever it was, Treant, who until now had always seemed like it was at a loss for what to do as a durable tank-type monster, seemed like it’d finally caught its stride for the first time.

Our battle with the group of banshees continued, now with big Treant leading. And Treant did beautifully. It blocked the incoming banshee attacks and sent the banshees flying with Wood Counter over and over. Although Wood Counter couldn’t kill them in one hit, it did enough damage for the three Allos to kill the banshees with their Dark Spheres as Treant flung them away.

With this strategy, Allo and Treant could manage even the dozen banshees with ease. When Treant’s HP started to get low, I healed it with Hi-Rest.

One of the banshees crawled toward me instead. I quickly backed off, made a wide turn, and led her toward Treant instead.

Allo and Treant were in complete control against this banshee horde. They really had gotten stronger. When there were five banshees left, though, they all suddenly disappeared. At first, I wondered if they’d all run away…but I doubted it. None of the enemies we’d encountered with the Mad God effect seemed lucid enough to flee.

The next moment, an ear-splitting shriek rang out from the trees. It was different from the cries we’d heard before; this shriek felt like it was grabbing my brain and shaking it around. Was that…their Cursed Song skill? The one that temporarily reduced the stats of whoever hears it?

The five banshees all appeared again, surrounding Treant. Black light gathered at each of their fingertips.

Oh, crap. They’re working together. They must have realized Treant would just smack them away with Wood Counter, so now they’d lowered its defense with Cursed Song so they could all hit it with a barrage of magic attacks at once.

‹Treant! Get outta there! That’s gonna hurt!› I called.

‹Don’t worry, Master! I can take it!› Treant’s bark thickened, becoming stronger and more durable. As a World Treant, it should’ve been able to minimize damage from magic attacks, but that didn’t mean it could negate damage completely.

I looked on anxiously as five shots of Dark Sphere crashed into Treant, shaving off chunks of bark.

‹Hnnnnnnnnngh!›

‹Treant!› Oh man. That really had to have done some damage.

‹Allow me to return the favor!› Five black orbs of light appeared in a circle around Treant—the same number of Dark Spheres it just took. Each of them shot toward one of the banshees and exploded, engulfing them in black flames. But Treant didn’t know Dark Sphere…

Wait, was that…Fairy Curse?

Special Skill “Fairy Curse.” When hit directly with a magical attack, forest fairies will come to the rescue, counterattacking by casting the same spell back at its user. Their magic will be as powerful as the original attack, regardless of the skill owner’s magic power. The fairies’ magic will only affect the attacker.

Yeah, it had to be. Those Dark Spheres were way stronger than they would’ve been with Treant’s magic stat. Its usability was limited, but Fairy Curse was in fact a vicious skill.

‹D-did you see that, Master?› Treant asked, wincing in pain.

Y-yeah, it was pretty cool, but kinda sloppy…

I used Hi-Rest on Treant again. After that, Allo and Treant finished off the weakened banshees with Dark Sphere and Heat Beam, respectively. When the battle was finished, Treant reverted to its tree spirit state, and Allo deactivated her Dark Kaleidoscope.

‹I…! I actually actively participated in the battle this time, Master!› Treant flapped its wings happily. ‹I did it!›

‹Yeah, you sure did! You both did a great job. I’m sure you both got a bunch of levels from that fight.› I hadn’t expected them to do so well against that many high-level rank A monsters with almost no assistance from me.

Suddenly, Allo’s eyes narrowed, and she looked around anxiously.

‹Allo? What’s up?›

“I just…heard more crying, but…” At that moment, a final banshee dropped from the branches of a nearby tree. She opened her mouth wide and stretched her claws out, reaching for Treant.

C-crap! There was still one hiding in the trees! I lunged to kill it with Dimension Claws, but before I could, the banshee’s body tore open with a sickening rip, spraying blood and guys everywhere. What looked like a tiny tree root poked out from its torso. The banshee rolled over on the ground, twitched a few times, and went still. Then a beautiful flower bloomed out of her head.

‹Th-that startled me… I’m glad I thought to use Reaper Seeds.› Treant looked back at the mangled banshee corpse and shuddered, branches rustling.

It was a handy skill…but it left quite the impression.The flower growing from the banshee’s head was now in full bloom, swaying from side to side in the breeze.

After things had calmed down and we’d taken a moment to clean up, I checked Allo and Treant’s levels again. Treant had gone from Lv: 69/130to Lv: 91/130, and Allo went from Lv: 76/130to Lv: 94/130.

Nice. They were both in the second half now, where leveling up started taking way more experience points, and they’d both gained around twenty levels. They were in sight of their max levels now. Taking out a bunch of rank A monsters at over level 100 meant earning a delicious buffet of experience points. The fact that they managed to take them out with no assistance from me had helped a lot too.

“That was awesome, Treant! You did amazing!” Allo praised.

‹R-really? You think so, Miss Allo?!›

Treant and Allo chattered happily. It warmed my heart to see the two of them so cheerful.

‹Um…Master? How did we do?› Treant asked, glancing at me.

‹You guys were great. Judging by that fight, I think you’ll be a key part of taking down that giant in front of the tower.›

‹Oh, Master! Now you think too highly of me!› Treant wriggled, its leaves shaking.

I suddenly snapped my head up and peered into the distant sky.

‹Ah…Master? What is it? Did you sense something?› Treant asked.

‹Nah. I was afraid I’d see Ymir charging at us because I praised you.› That was what had happened last time… And after we’d pulled out our World Treant, I wouldn’t be surprised. I was starting to feel like Treant succeeding at things was bad luck…

Treant fell to the ground with a thud. ‹Just what kind of monster do you think I am, Master…? Don’t joke about things like that. You’ll jinx us.›

‹S-sorry. But don’t worry, we’re pretty far from where we found Ymir the first time,› I assured it, sheepishly scratching my head with my claws.

Now we were ready to take on the Origin Matter. After taking a short rest to make sure we were all in top condition, we’d take to the skies to challenge it.

“Um…Master Dragon? Do you hear something?”

‹What? Another leftover banshee?› I scanned the area.

Then, in the distance, I heard a booming ka-thud, ka-thud, ka-thud that sounded all too familiar.

‹Oh, crap! It’s Ymir! He really did find us!› I yanked Allo and Treant into my jaws and leapt forward with Roll to zip between the trees away from the direction the sound came from.

Maybe Treant succeeding at things really was bad luck…

Part 2

THE THREE OF US LAY DOWN in Ngai Forest to take a well-earned rest. With Allo and Treant’s levels raised, we were finally ready to take on the Origin Matter.

Maybe I was being a little hasty, but all three of us were reaching a point where we’d need a lot of experience points to level up. It would take much longer now to get stronger. And if we didn’t get our levels up quickly, there were plenty of powerful monsters here that could kill Allo or Treant if we ran into them unexpectedly. This wasn’t a situation where we could avoid taking risks entirely, I knew that. But the bottom line was that the time it would take to fight weaker enemies just wasn’t worth the reward. Instead, we needed to take on the Origin Matter. With Allo and Treant leveled up, there was no better chance than right now.

The Origin Matter had a lot of scary skills that could kill us instantly. When I’d looked at its status screen before, I recognized a lot of the skills on it as ones I’d seen firsthand before. I knew their range and method of attack, and I shared this information with Allo and Treant so we could formulate a strategy.

But even though time was of the essence, we couldn’t take on an enemy like the Origin Matter while we were spent from the battles we just fought. I needed to make sure all three of us were fully recovered before we went looking for another dangerous fight.

Between my Psychic Sense and Treant and Allo’s perceptiveness, I felt relatively sure we’d notice if any monsters approached, even if we were sleeping. But as former Sacred Skill holders and their followers, the monsters here had plenty of tricks up their sleeves. One of us would need to stay awake and on guard.

The sky here never changed color, meaning there was no way to gauge time, so I told the others to wake me up when they were ready to swap shifts to check their HP and MP, and otherwise took turns keeping watch with them. As an Oneiros, I could recover without sleeping, so we didn’t really need to set a watch rotation. But right now, time was of the essence. I had no clue how long we had until Mad God overtook us; we all needed to rest as efficiently as possible.

Allo hadn’t been able to sleep before, but it seemed like she could now that she was a Walpurgis. Maybe she really was different from an undead now after all…

“It’s okay, I don’t really need to sleep anyway. I can take the whole watch…” Allo offered.

I shook my head. ‹I’m not about to burden you with that. You’re probably exhausted from all these battles, and we haven’t had a chance to sleep since we got here, so rest up while you can. I’d rather take the first watch anyway.›

“But…”

‹And both you and Treant will have to take an active role in this fight against the Origin Matter. Even if everything goes perfectly to plan, there’s no guarantee we’ll beat it. It’s a Legendary rank monster at max level. We’re going to run into some complications that we just can’t prepare for ahead of time. If we’re not all completely on our game, we might not all make it out of the fight alive. So get some rest, Allo. Not just for you, but for all of us… So we can take that Origin Matter down and get back to our world. Together.›

‹That’s right, Miss Allo!› Treant chimed in. ‹If you slip up because you didn’t get enough sleep, we’ll all be in trouble!›

“…All right.” Allo nodded in assent.

‹Hm? Master? What’s the matter? You look worried,› Treant asked.

I quickly tried to fix my expression, but now both Allo and Treant were looking at me uneasily.

Urgh… If I kept my mouth shut, they’d just get anxious… ‹O-oh, it’s nothing, really. It’s just, when you say things like that, Treant, it sounds like foreshadowing for the future.›

‹M-Master! Do you think I’m some kind of bad omen?!›

‹N-no, of course not… Sorry, Treant. It just crossed my mind. Anyway, you guys should get a good night’s sleep.›

‹Well, regardless, I will take your warning to heart, Master.›

We decided our watch order would be me first, then Allo, and then Treant. When Allo and Treant swapped, I’d get up to check their recovery as well.

My watch ended without incident, and I woke Allo for her turn and then fell asleep. Allo woke me again as she roused Treant for its watch. I checked their stats, then settled back in for another snooze.

When I woke up again, I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. I’d slept a lot more deeply than I thought I would. The mental exhaustion must’ve caught up to me. Setting up watch shifts had been the right decision.

First, I checked Allo’s status as she slept, leaning against my face. I was glad to see her HP and MP were at max again. Next, I checked on Treant, who was sprawled out on the ground in its tree spirit state. It, too, seemed fully recovered.

All right. That meant it was time for us to head for the Origin Matter.

‹…Wait. Hold on a second. Why were all three of us asleep?!›

The last person on watch was…Treant! What the heck?! You’re supposed to be on guard duty, Treant!

Suddenly, Treant woke up and looked at me sleepily. ‹Good morning, Master! My, I feel ready to take on the Origin Matter now! Let’s go! I’m ready to fight with all my World Treant might!› Treant stood tall and put its wings on its hips in a dramatic pose. Then it paused. ‹Wait…that’s strange. Why was I sleeping just now?›

Treant must’ve taken my encouragement to get a good night’s sleep a little too much to heart…I put a paw to my forehead. Well, at least we weren’t attacked…

‹O-o-oh! Forgive me, Master! Don’t you worry! I…I will make up for this blunder in the battle to come!›

“Treant…” Allo, roused from sleep by the commotion, rubbed her eyes before hitting Treant with a cold glare. Treant bowed its head in shame.

H-hey, I mean, I slept a lot harder than I thought I would too. Treant must’ve been exhausted. At least it’s fully rested now, right?

Part 3

I COOKED UP some of the kesaran pasaran meat I’d stowed away with Dimension, and Allo, Treant and I sat for a quick meal. Then we prepared to take to the skies.

Ngai Forest was a world of eternal night, illuminated only by the eerie blue light of the moon that rarely made it through all of the giant tree branches to touch the ground below.

‹Tch. This forest sure is spooky,› I muttered to myself, then stretched my neck out and narrowed my eyes to peer into the sky.

It was somewhere around here that we ran into the kesaran pasarans…and the Origin Matter too. I figured it should show up again if we flew up there.

‹All right… Let’s do this.› I put Allo and Treant on my back, checking over their stats one last time.

The Apophis we’d fought earlier was clearly a much weaker opponent than the one we were about to face. Until now, I’d managed to raise Allo and Treant’s levels considerably while still being confident that they wouldn’t come to any serious harm. Hecatoncheires, while formidable, wouldn’t pursue me too far away from the tower, so I was never in any danger of being killed in my encounter with him.

But the Origin Matter was different. On top of its considerable HP and MP, it had the highest magic power of any monster I’d ever faced, as well as a wide range of powerful skills at its disposal: Dark Ray, which it could fire in rapid succession; Dimension Slash, which could attack instantly without warning; and Big Bang, a skill that was near impossible to avoid. I couldn’t defeat the Origin Matter alone—I needed Allo and Treant’s help, which meant their lives were at stake. Even if the Origin Matter acted according to all of our predictions, even if we gave the fight everything we had, it was possible that wouldn’t be enough to emerge victorious.

This would likely be the most dangerous battle we’d faced in Ngai Forest so far. If we managed to defeat the Origin Matter, though—and especially if we found a former Sacred Skill holder stuck inside its Time Vortex who hadn’t yet succumbed to Mad God—then we should be strong enough to defeat Hecatoncheires.

It was do or die.

I shot straight into the sky, soaring far above the black, crooked frames of the Ngai Forest trees. After a few moments of tense silence, the only sound the beat of my wings as I kept us airborne, a massive black sphere appeared in the distance.

It was headed straight for us.

The black sphere’s diameter rivaled my full length, from nose tip to tail. Fine, glowing lines swirled over its surface like ever-flowing ripples of water.

The Origin Matter.

I’d thought we’d run into a couple of kesaran pasarans before it showed up, like last time, but it seemed as though it was on its own this time.

Dorothea

Species: Origin Matter

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 5524/5524

MP: 6535/6535

Attack: 1852

Defense: 3245

Magic: 4999

Agility: 1721

Rank: L (Legendary)

Sacred Skills:

Beast Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Preta Realm Path (Replica): Lv —

Special Skills:

Grecian Language: Lv 5

Psychic Sense: Lv MAX

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv MAX

Fly: Lv MAX

Time Vortex: Lv —

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv MAX

Magic Resistance: Lv MAX

Debuff Immunity: Lv —

Fire Immunity: Lv —

Water Immunity: Lv —

Earth Immunity: Lv —

Normal Skills:

Hi-Rest: Lv MAX

Human Transformation: Lv MAX

Telepathy: Lv 9

Mirror Counter: Lv MAX

Illusion: Lv MAX

Regenerate: Lv MAX

Dimension Slash: Lv MAX

Black Hole: Lv MAX

Dark Ray: Lv MAX

Wormhole: Lv MAX

Big Bang: Lv MAX

Title Skills:

Primordial Sphere: Lv —

Final Evolution: Lv —

Former Beast King: Lv —

Former Saint: Lv —

Those sure are some crazy good stats…

I shut my eyes for a second to calm my nerves, took a breath, and then glared at the Origin Matter.

‹I’ve come to release you.›

At my words, the lines flowing across its surface suddenly spiked, then began to move faster. It was getting ready to fight.

‹Allo, Treant! Give it all you’ve got! Don’t let up for even a second!› I called to my friends.

The Origin Matter’s magic stat was so high that Allo would only be able to take one hit, and Treant could only barely endure one as a full-size World Treant. And if I took a full, unprotected hit from its ace skill, Big Bang, it might even wipe me out.

I’d thought through a variety of different measures for dealing with Big Bang, but the best I could come up with was “Well, if we can’t avoid it, we’ll just have to fortify our defenses ahead of time.” Big Bang’s explosion had a large radius, so I’d resolved to defend myself and then get as far away as I possibly could to minimize the damage we took. That was all we could do.

The Origin Matter had seemed reluctant to use Big Bang the last time we fought, so I was hoping it wouldn’t use it repeatedly. But depending on how the Origin Matter used it, Big Bang could end up being a finisher move. Personally, I would’ve preferred not to challenge a monster that was in danger of blowing up at any moment, but I couldn’t see any other way for us to get strong enough to defeat Hecatoncheires except taking on the Origin Matter.

The Origin Matter’s patterns changed again as it released a storm of Dark Rays in our direction. That skill’s power, range, and minimal MP cost was a dangerous combo. It could be fired continuously to blow any enemy out of the sky. The Origin Matter also liked to throw in the odd Dimension Slash here and there to disorient its targets and make them more susceptible to getting caught in the Dark Ray rain.

To take on the Origin Matter, we first needed to perfectly dodge through the many Dark Rays it would fire our way. If we couldn’t, there was no way we’d be able to compete with it. It’d be tough to launch my own attack while I was busy dodging the storm of Dark Rays, but we couldn’t just keep dodging them until it ran out of MP. We’d have to attack at some point.

I’d discussed all of this with Allo and Treant the night before, and we’d worked out the best way to handle the Origin Matter. First, during the opening phase, we’d focus on avoiding the Dark Rays and steadily getting closer without attacking. If we were too aggressive and focused on attacking too much, we’d get hit with the Dark Rays.

I flew around the Origin Matter in a wide circle and slowly closed the distance between us, constantly changing my altitude to avoid the Dark Rays.

As I got closer, the Origin Matter’s strange, glowing brilliance seemed to engulf me. If I got trapped in that thing’s Time Vortex, it was over. I probably wouldn’t get out for hundreds of years, if not thousands.

‹Treant! You’re up!› I called.

‹Y-yes, Master!› Concentrating, Treant conjured one of its glowing green Reaper Seeds and shot it at the Origin Matter. The seed stuck in its surface, then sank inside it.

Nice. That should knock out some of its MP, at least.

Reaper Seeds were more effective the closer Treant was to its target, and the Origin Matter had a far higher magic stat than Treant. But still, if it had any effect at all, it was better to use it than not use it. Considering the Origin Matter’s high HP and MP, and its powerful recovery abilities, I was assuming this battle was going to drag out a while. Even if Reaper Seeds wasn’t very effective, the longer the battle lasted, the better it would be to have used the skill right at the start.

Treant unleashed a second, and then a third round of Reaper Seeds at the Origin Matter as I circled around it. This was the most seeds Treant could maintain at once. The Origin Matter wasn’t moving as it concentrated on Dark Ray, and all three seeds met their mark.

‹But…are they gonna work? You sure they’re not just getting sucked into the Time Vortex?›

‹Y-yes, they feel like they’re working. I think,› Treant replied, less than confident.

Either way, phase one of our plan to defeat the Origin Matter was successful. I swooped around the black orb again, keeping just ahead of the stream of Dark Rays.

Time for phase two.

I continued circling around the Origin Matter at a reasonable distance and concentrated on avoiding its attacks. Now it was Allo’s turn. At this point, Treant was on complete standby. Thanks to the Origin Matter’s various resistance skills, the only skill Treant had that could even do damage was Wind Sphere. We couldn’t get close enough for Treant to use any of its physical counter skills without risking getting damaged by the Origin Matter’s Dark Rays or caught inside its Time Vortex. And considering Treant’s lacking magic stat, Wind Sphere wouldn’t do enough damage to be worth wasting MP on it. Treant did have Heat Beam too, but the Origin Matter had Fire Immunity, so that was out. And if Treant’s Anti-Power or Guard Lost could hit it, I wouldn’t have to worry about its Dimension Slash, and it’d be a lot easier to break through its high defense…but the Origin Matter’s Debuff Immunity ruled out using any sort of status conditions.

Instead, Allo used Dark Kaleidoscope to split herself into three. Then the three Allos all cast Dark Sphere at once, shooting multiple black orbs at the Origin Matter in quick succession. The black orbs slammed against the Origin Matter’s surface and exploded, shrouding it in black light.

Still avoiding the Dark Rays, I took a quick glance at its status screen again.

Dorothea

Species: Origin Matter

Status: Mad God

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 3287/5524

MP: 6342/6535

With the Origin Matter’s high defense and max magic resistance, I was afraid Allo’s Dark Spheres wouldn’t do much, but it looked like just one sphere did more than four hundred damage. That was enough to encourage it to start draining its own MP with Regenerate.

I knew the Origin Matter’s attack pattern this time around, which meant I could respond to its attacks with a cool head. And because Allo could attack it without getting close, I could safely keep away from its Dark Rays.

Just as I had that thought, one of the Dark Rays burst right behind my tail… Okay, so I wasn’t completely in the clear, but as long as I was careful, I was sure I should be able to continue avoiding the Dark Rays.

The Origin Matter began to move randomly in the air, clearly not a fan of getting hit with that many Dark Spheres at a time. Some of Allo’s spheres shot past it before dissipating.

“Could we…maybe get a little closer, Master Dragon?” Allo asked, frustrated.

‹Sure… On it.› If we couldn’t drop the Origin Matter’s MP more, we’d run out of MP before it did. I was going to have to use a lot of MP on upping our defenses before it used Big Bang—and on healing us afterward—so I wanted save as much MP as I could here.

I closed the distance between us and the Origin Matter, still circling around it. The Origin Matter’s swirls began to change, and the Dark Ray barrage slowed for a moment. I knew it was gearing up for a Dimension Slash, which meant I had a brief chance to attack.

‹Hold on! I’m gonna dive!› I pointed my nose down and swooped toward the ground in a nearly perpendicular line. A slash appeared in the air just above me. ‹Yes! I dodged it!›

I veered up again and beat my wings to regain some altitude, then swiped at the Origin Matter with my Dimension Claws.

That was the moment.

When the Origin Matter stopped shooting Dark Rays and focused on Dimension Slash, that was the moment I could safely attack it.

My Dimension Claws streaked across the Origin Matter’s surface with a screech. All right. It’s a little scary, but it works!

‹Allo, I’m gonna back off for a second to regroup. Hold off on Dark Sphere until I get closer again!›

“O-okay!” chorused the three Allos.

I veered away from the Origin Matter to regroup and avoid the Dark Ray downpour, then calmly closed the distance again. Three more Dark Spheres shot toward the Origin Matter and exploded.

It was working… We were steadily chipping away at the Origin Matter’s HP. The fact that its skills were split between Allo, Treant, and me was a significant advantage for us. But because I was focused on evading, I couldn’t deal as much damage either. One simple mistake would be enough to completely throw our advantage out the window.

So far things were going almost exactly as planned. We needed to widen our advantage as much as possible here, and then deal some massive damage to finish it off in phase three!

‹Hmm…? What’s that stripey pattern mean?› Treant wondered.

The curtain of Dark Rays thinned as the swirls on the Origin Matter’s surface began to change again, flattening out into straight lines. I’d thought I could identify the different swirl variations and their associated skills, but this one was new. I backed off a little, just in case it was something I didn’t expect.

Then a Dimension Slash tore through the air right past me, grazing my right shoulder. I lost altitude for a moment as I righted myself.

‹Tch! I let it hit me! Damn.› If it was just a regular Dimension Slash, I should’ve just dropped down to avoid it instead of backing off. Dimension Slash could hit at nearly any range; backing off wouldn’t do anything to help avoid it.

Another slash appeared in the air right above me. What? It’s spamming Dimension Slash?!

Unlike Dark Ray, Dimension Slash’s damage relied on attack power, meaning it was both weaker and cost a decent amount of MP. This wasn’t a skill I’d choose for rapid-fire attacks. All those Dark Spheres must’ve pissed it off…

The barrage of Dimension Slashes continued. While less numerous than before, the Dark Ray storm was closing in behind me as well. Every movement, every dodge mattered. The Origin Matter’s featureless spherical shape gave no indication for when it was about to unleash a Dimension Slash, making it that much harder to evade.

I knew that if I messed up even once, it could hit Allo or Treant. Allo could endure one hit, but she’d still be knocked off me. My only choice, I realized…was to take the Origin Matter head-on. That way I could at least keep the others safe.

I flew up and spread my chest wide in midair, facing the Origin Matter. The next Dimension Slash tore through my body from jaw to abdomen, immediately followed by a Dark Ray. I leapt to the side but couldn’t dodge it completely; the ray sliced my side open, scales dropping to the ground below.

“M-Master Dragon!” Allo cried.

‹I’m fine! It wasn’t that much damage!› As long as I managed to avoid a direct hit from Dark Ray, I should be fine.

I immediately dove down at a diagonal to make some distance and used Regenerate and Hi-Rest to heal my wounds and restore some HP while I gathered myself.

It was a good thing this fight was happening in the air. Even when I took a direct hit and lost my stance, I could dive down to get away, and there were a lot more directions for me dodge out of the way. It’d have been a lot harder to avoid the Dark Ray and Dimension Slash combo on the ground.

Part 4

AFTER BACKING OFF to regroup a little, I soared higher again and returned to my original circling around the Origin Matter, avoiding its Dark Rays as I went. Those two hits had almost wiped me out, but I’d managed to recover quickly. I’d been expecting to take hits that hard during this battle at some point; not everything could go smoothly, after all. But the fact that the Origin Matter went off script from its usual attack patterns to unleash a barrage of Dimension Slashes at me was a worrying sign.

Its attacks weren’t that strong; it just caught me off guard last time. If it tried that again, I was sure I’d be able to keep the damage to a minimum. But if it kept on mixing up its attack patterns, I might be in trouble. If I dropped my guard, the Origin Matter’s rapid-fire Dark Rays could drain my HP in an instant. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on evading if it suddenly decided to throw a bunch of Dimension Slashes in a row into the mix. It’d found a way to break through our steady maneuvers.

Was it time to move to phase three? No…not yet. Phase three would drain Treant’s MP really fast. If we ran out of MP before we managed to take it down, we’d have to retreat and heal up again. It wasn’t time yet. We needed to wear it down with Allo’s Dark Spheres a bit more first.

We did just that: kept our distance and let the three Allos batter the Origin Matter with more Dark Spheres. The Origin Matter responded with more single- and multi-attack Dimension Slashes, but by quickly dropping and rising in the air, I managed to avoid them with only a few grazes to show for it.

‹All right… We’re starting to wear it down a bit. There were a couple of close calls, but nothing too weird.› As soon as the words left my mind, though, the Origin Matter’s patterns began to swirl randomly again.

Tch! Another round of Dimension Slashes?!

While this attack pattern felt arguably good for us, given its high MP cost, the real issue was the fact that it disrupted our own attack sequence. On top of that, if I made a wrong move, the Dark Rays would end up turning us into pincushions.

‹Going up!› It was faster and easier to dodge by diving down, but if the Origin Matter anticipated that I’d always go down, it could offset its Dimension Slash to hit me.

I shot upward, dodging through the Dimension Slashes and Dark Rays as I went. Even so, the slashes grazed against the ends of my wings and limbs.

Ugh. Given the circumstances, I’d just have to deal with a little damage here and there…but this Dimension Slash onslaught sure was annoying. It was way less efficient than Dark Ray, so it shouldn’t have done much even if the Origin Matter spammed it over and over. But it seemed like it was getting fed up with us too. Maybe it thought that if it kept going it’d wear us down eventually.

‹Okay! I’m diving down!› I called to Allo and Treant before swooping into a dive. The Dimension Slashes chased after us, managing to land a few heavy cuts across my back and abdomen.

A few Dimension Slashes landing wasn’t the end of the world, though. It was definitely much better than a direct Dark Ray hit. On top of dealing damage, Dark Ray would damage my skin, which meant I’d have to spend a lot of MP on both healing and regenerating my damaged body parts.

To avoid this, our best bet was to keep some distance and take time to regroup. Fortunately for us, the Origin Matter didn’t seem too keen on closing the gap and attacking us relentlessly.

Dorothea

Species: Origin Matter

Status: Mad God, Reaper Seeds

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 3952/5524

MP: 4271/6535

O-okay. We’ve knocked out about a third of its HP.

Splitting into three Allos with Dark Kaleidoscope meant three times the number of attacks, which depleted Allo’s MP reserves far faster than usual. She was bound to be getting low. But we’d made good progress.

After we regrouped, I’d have Allo make one last push, then move on to phase three and take the Origin Matter down.

‹Ah…Master? Just ahead, there’s…something strange happening,› Treant piped up.

I shifted my gaze. Ahead of us, a black mist was beginning to form in the air. For a moment, I was confused.

Then it clicked.

‹Is that…a Wormhole?!› I knew Wormhole was in the Origin Matter’s skill list, but I’d almost forgotten about it.

I’d always thought Wormhole wasn’t that useful because it was slower than moving normally. But it was choosing to use Wormhole to move instead of chasing me so it could catch me off guard! With my attention divided between dodging the Dimension Slashes and Dark Rays, I’d noticed the black light that formed at Wormhole’s destination too late.

It had been using Dimension Slash over and over, depleting its MP, to herd me toward the Wormhole without me noticing it!

The Origin Matter emerged from the black mist ahead, unleashing Dark Ray as it went. At the same time, the Dark Ray it fired before going through the Wormhole approached me from behind. We were stuck in the worst possible pincer attack.

I clenched my teeth. I’d really underestimated Wormhole’s usefulness. If I’d been more on top of things, I could’ve avoided this. I never thought I’d end up ­getting impaled with Wormhole!

I dove at full speed, careening left and right at random, desperately trying to avoid the Dark Rays above us. But these evasive movements were more a prayer than anything; it was impossible to fully grasp the Dark Rays shooting down at me from both front and back.

‹Master! Forgive me for asking for forgiveness instead of permission, but I think it’s time to move to phase three!› Treant shouted. It leapt from my back.

Treant’s small body swelled in size, spawning numerous treelike roots from its entire body to completely cover my left side. This was Treant’s Barkskin Armor skill.

‹No, that’s a great idea, Treant!› I yelled back. ‹Talk about perfect timing!›

Phase three of our plan to defeat the Origin Matter involved attacking the Origin Matter with all we had while Treant used its Barkskin Armor to defend us. That was why I’d had Treant conserve its MP until now.

I thrust my left side forward, using Treant in its Barkskin Armor form as a shield as I shot toward the Origin Matter. The final stage of the operation to take down the Origin Matter was to suicide charge it with Treant acting as my shield. In its Barkskin Armor form, Treant could withstand at least a single Dark Ray strike.

But Treant still had one more skill to use.

‹Now, Treant! Let’s take this thing down!›

‹Yes, Master! Get ready for…Eternal Regrowth!›

Glowing, blue-green moss began to sprout all across Treant’s Barkskin Armor.

Normal Skill “Eternal Regrowth.” Greatly increases the user’s life force. When activated, a glowing blue-green moss grows over the user’s body, forcing them to regenerate HP until their MP is reduced to less than 1 percent of its total. While using this skill, the user’s defense is greatly increased, but its other stats are halved.

This was why we had to wait until the very last phase to use Treant’s Barkskin Armor. Eternal Regrowth boosted Treant’s recovery and defenses, but cut its other stats in half in exchange. On top of that, this skill would be active until Treant ran out of MP. This window we had until Eternal Regrowth ended was the best chance for me to launch my attack against the Origin Matter.

We needed to settle this fight as fast as we could.

With enough time between hits, Treant could withstand two Dark Rays or more. Treant’s role wasn’t strictly limited to defense either.

I charged toward the Origin Matter and unleashed a Dimension Claw at it, then a second. ‹I’m ending this here and now!›

Claw marks appeared on the Origin Matter’s smooth black surface, only to heal over a few moments later. However, when I checked its status, I saw that healing from my attack had made a significant dent in its MP.

A Dark Ray shot down directly in front of me. I thrust my left shoulder forward and blocked it with my Treant armor. ‹Sorry, I can’t avoid this one!›

‹Don’t worry, Master! I can take it!› At Lv: 91/130, Treant boasted an impressive HP: 4408and Defense: 2011. Those stats rivaled even my own as a Legendary Oneiros. To top it off, Treant’s defense was boosted with Eternal Regrowth, meaning its defense likely far surpassed mine right now.

‹Guh!› Splintered tree roots flew through the air and toward the ground, along with a handful of glowing moss particles, as the Dark Ray struck my Treant armor, carving a neat hole through Treant’s frame.

‹Y-you okay, Treant?›

‹I-I’ll be fine. As long as I don’t take too many hits in a row…› Treant’s voice betrayed a hint of anxiety. But this was where its true abilities came into play.

‹All right, Treant! Show ’em what you’ve got!›

Treant’s armorlike body began to glow brightly. From the thickest part of Treant’s body—what you’d call its core—a black beam of light shot into the air.

‹Allow me to return the favor!› Treant shouted. The black beam curved in midair to strike the Origin Matter with a perfect bullseye. The Origin Matter’s body shuddered violently with the force of the impact.

Special Skill: “Fairy Curse.” When hit directly with a magical attack, forest fairies will come to the rescue, counterattacking by casting the same spell back at its user. Their magic will be as powerful as the original attack, regardless of the skill owner’s magic power. The fairies’ magic will only affect the attacker.

Yes! Treant did it! Thanks to the reflective effects of Treant’s Fairy Curse, the Origin Matter took a powerful Dark Ray with its own 4,999 magic stat. That one had to hurt. It did more damage than I could have even if I channeled all my MP into a single skill.

‹Well? How’s it feel, Origin Matter? I see your Dark Ray bullet hell is getting thinner!›

I unleashed two Dimension Claws, one right after the other. The Origin Matter’s previously unmoving frame now trembled with each attack. Our onslaught was beginning to take its toll; the Origin Matter’s automatic recovery skills were struggling to keep up.

“My turn! Time to put the rest of my MP to work!” The three Allos fired another barrage of Dark Spheres at the Origin Matter. Despite how invincible it had seemed when we first saw it, the Origin Matter couldn’t be far from defeat.

‹We can do this… We can beat it!›

‹Master, I’ve recovered my HP! I think I can handle another Dark Ray now!› Treant shouted.

‹Got it!› I moved to guard with my armored left side, but then I saw the Origin Matter’s patterns change again and instinctively moved my right side forward instead. Moments later, a Dimension Slash sliced through my body.

‹Guh!›

‹Master! I could’ve taken that hit for you!›

‹No, no… Save your health for Dark Ray. The damage from your Fairy Curse counter is a lot higher than any of my attacks. You can’t counter Dimension Slash, so it’d be a waste to let you take the hit.›

‹I see…›

‹Four hits. You need to hit it with four Fairy Curse hits. Then we’ll pretty much be in the clear.›

‹Understood! Leave it to me, Master!›

I circled around the Origin Matter, firing Dimension Claws as I went. Having Treant to shield my left side gave me the confidence to attack more aggressively than before.

Once again, a Dark Ray shot toward me, and I blocked it with Treant. Again, Treant used Fairy Curse to shoot another Dark Ray into our spherical foe in return. The Origin Matter took the hit and staggered, then dropped lower in the sky, clearly nearing the end of its strength.

Then the patterns on its surface changed again, this time swirling into a massive vortex. Black light began to spread out from its body.

‹Here it comes…› My wings came to a halt in midair, and I slowly began moving toward the Origin Matter against my will.

Normal Skill “Black Hole.” Powerful gravity magic which draws any nearby opponents to the user.

This was the same skill the Origin Matter had used last time to pull me in, right before it used Big Bang.

“Waaah!” The three Allos clung desperately to my back.

‹End Dark Kaleidoscope and let go!› I ordered, and Allo quickly returned to her original form and released her grip on my scales. I quickly reached up and caught her in my mouth before she could get sucked toward the Origin Matter.

I strained against the pull of the Origin Matter’s Black Hole with every ounce of strength I possessed. However, slowly but surely, I was sucked in by the skill’s powerful gravity magic.

I held my breath. This was where the real trouble would start.

Treant, Allo, and I had prepared as many answers as possible for each of the Origin Matter’s attacks—that is, up until this point. But I’d failed to come up with a solution for its Black Hole and Big Bang finisher.

The amount of damage I could mitigate from Black Hole depended entirely on my own efforts to stay away, and whichever skill the Origin Matter chose to follow up with. There was no way for me to predict the outcome, but no matter which skill it used, I was pretty much guaranteed to take some major damage once Black Hole was activated—especially if it decided to follow it up with Big Bang.

There was no way to predict whether we’d survive its Big Bang, or what kind of state we’d be in afterward. All we could do was try to prepare ourselves for it as best we could. Only one thing was certain: Whatever happened, this skill was bad news for me and my friends. I needed to figure out how to get out of our predicament with as little damage as possible.

Black Hole was a powerful skill. However, the Origin Matter couldn’t use any other skills while it was activated. The moment it was interrupted, the Origin Matter would likely respond with another skill—potentially Big Bang, like last time.

Suddenly, the gravitational force pulling me toward it stopped.

‹It’s gonna attack!› I surged forward, trying to get away as fast as possible.

Behind me, I heard the sound of another Dark Ray barrage ripping through the air. Looked like it was holding off on Big Bang for now.

I veered around to face the Origin Matter, successfully dodging the thinning Dark Rays as I went. I tried to use Dimension Claws, but the Origin Matter used Black Hole again. The gravitational pull yanked me toward it, throwing off my aim. The moment I started resisting Black Hole, though, the Origin Matter released it again, sending me tumbling backward in the air.

‹Crap!›

I pulled my Treant shield over me at the last moment to deflect the incoming Dark Ray. This, in turn, activated Treant’s Fairy Curse, sending another Dark Ray back at the Origin Matter.

‹Master…I believe I am nearing my limit,› Treant panted, clearly in pain. It sounded like that fourth shot was going to be a close one.

The Origin Matter shrouded itself in black light again. But this time, instead of Black Hole, it was using Wormhole. I noticed a black mist appearing in the air near us.

‹You’re coming for us, huh?! Well, that skill is much less scary when I know you’re using it!› I moved away from both the Origin Matter and its Wormhole destination. As I did, another Dimension Slash sliced into my body.

‹Urgh…!› Needing to avoid two specific spots seriously limited my options for evading. The Origin Matter must have known that—it’d set up the Wormhole to make me back off, then used Dimension Slash right where I’d be flying.

The blow threw me off balance, preventing me from dodging the Dark Ray that now seared through the sky toward me. Treant had just taken a hit, so instead I caught the blow with my right side.

“Gaaaah!” I screeched in pain as the ray blew a huge hole through the right side of my stomach. The impact sent me flying, but I managed to somehow turn around and quickly right myself. Treant clung to my left side in armor form, while Allo was safe inside my jaws. It was a good thing too; otherwise, I would’ve probably thrown them both into the air when I flinched with the pain.

Suddenly, I felt the pull of Black Hole on my weakened body.

Activating such a large-scale skill multiple times in quick succession had to be doing a number on the Origin Matter’s MP. It must’ve given up on trying to preserve it for later and decided that wiping us out was its top priority now.

I needed to dodge the Dark Rays, but Black Hole was stopping me from moving freely. And once the Origin Matter shifted through its Wormhole, I’d have to deal with Dark Rays from two different directions at once. My head was starting to spin. I looked over at the Wormhole again, expecting to see the Origin Matter appear there at any moment. Gotta calculate where the Dark Rays will show up based on its location, and…

Suddenly, the black light gathering in the air for Wormhole dissipated. But the Origin Matter was still exactly where it had started.

I gritted my fangs. The Origin Matter had used Wormhole to fake me out! It was never going to actually warp through it!

I never thought that stupid skill could be used for such an effective strategy!

The Origin Matter shot another round of Dark Rays at me. They caught me off guard; I didn’t have time to block. The rays gouged through my shoulder, hind leg, and back. Cursing, I immediately used Regenerate to repair my injuries. I’d managed to avoid getting hit this entire fight, and now that the Origin Matter was almost dead, it was hitting me head-on!

No, it was okay. I still had some MP left. And I didn’t think the Origin Matter was planning its attacks that far ahead. Turning Black Hole on and off so much had to be draining its MP like crazy—and that just showed how desperate the Origin Matter was. Getting attacked didn’t feel great, but that severe MP drain had to be even more painful.

The Origin Matter activated Black Hole again before I was done healing. I struggled against its pull with my half-reformed body. This Black Hole felt more powerful than the others; the Origin Matter was clearly trying to finish me off.

Here comes its finisher…! Now that my HP and MP were a little bit lower, the Origin Matter was clearly pulling me in to unleash its high-power, wide-range Big Bang and kill us all. I really didn’t want to get hit with another Big Bang, but I couldn’t avoid it. The key would be how quickly I could recuperate after the blast and whether I’d be able to avoid its follow-up attack. Unfortunately, I needed to take that hit first.

This fight would end a lot faster if Treant could turn Big Bang back on the Origin Matter with Fairy Curse, but the Origin Matter had complete fire immunity. And even with Eternal Regrowth, I doubted Treant could endure a Big Bang on its own.

But if we could all survive it, we were all but guaranteed to take the Origin Matter down.I clenched my fangs and looked back at the Origin Matter behind me. We’d make it through this… We had to!

The gravity from the Origin Matter’s Black Hole was still pulling me in.

‹Treant… End your Barkskin Armor and go back to your tree spirit form,› I ordered. In its current state, Treant was somewhere between its normal and tree spirit states. It would be too heavy to carry in its World Tree form, but its defense would be too low to take a hit in its tree spirit form. But if Treant took a direct hit from Big Bang in its current form, it could die.

I’d already decided: I was going to tank the blast from Big Bang the same way I did last time. And when it was over, I’d end the Origin Matter with my own two hands while it was out of MP. This marked the end of Allo and Treant’s involvement in the battle.

‹Master…be safe.› With that, Treant retracted its Barkskin Armor and returned to its birdlike tree spirit state. I reached for Treant before it could get sucked into the Black Hole and managed to catch it in my mouth.

When I was a few meters from the Origin Matter, its Black Hole stopped. The swirling patterns on the Origin Matter’s surface began to undulate and distort as the light from inside it began to glow brighter and brighter. I remembered this pattern: It was the same one I saw before Big Bang last time.

‹All right, Origin Matter!› I cried, eyes blazing. ‹Let’s have one last endurance battle, just you and me, shall we?›

Like last time, I used Ideal Weapon. Thick, bluish-purple armor covered my entire body.

Oneiros Armor: Value L (Legendary). Attack: +190. A large suit of armor that glows with a faint bluish-purple light. Made from the scales of the Dream Dragon, who rules over the world of dreams. In addition to high resistance to various types of skills, it completely nullifies the effects of illusion skills on its wearer.

With that out of the way, I used Mirror Counter to create a barrier of light between me and the Origin Matter.

‹Master…it may not do much, but I can use Give Life as well.› Give Life was a World Treant skill that healed everyone inside its radius.

‹Sure… Anything helps. Thanks, Treant.›

A prismatic, rainbow light enveloped the Origin Matter. Then it exploded.

In an instant, I could see nothing but flames. The blast from Big Bang felt like being punched by a gigantic, flaming fist. It took mere moments for both my Mirror Counter and Oneiros Armor to burn to crisps and crack into dust. My entire body was engulfed with blistering heat. My vision went black as my eyeballs burned out of my head.

Yeah…can’t say I love that sensation. But I needed to repair my body and recover my HP before the Origin Matter chased me down.

I spread my wings, healed them with Regenerate, and caught the Big Bang blast underneath them to shoot forward in a steep dive.

Once I land on the ground, I’ll escape with Roll! Although it meant letting the Origin Matter automatically recover some of its HP and MP, I needed to be careful here. If I didn’t, it could kill me.

But right before I hit the ground, my wings began to slow. ‹Huh…?›

I looked behind me to find the Origin Matter using another Black Hole to pull me toward it.

Uh-oh. This thing is dead set on killing me!

I’d thought the Mad God effect would mess with its ability to think rationally, but it seemed like the Origin Matter remembered that I’d survived the Big Bang and escaped from it last time, and was keen on making sure it didn’t happen again.

Thankfully, I still had the speed boost from the Big Bang blast behind me. I used Dragon Mirror to enlarge my wings and ride more of the undercurrent. But eventually, my body slowed, stopped in midair, and then began being pulled back toward the Origin Matter. Maintaining such a powerful Black Hole for this long was probably draining the Origin Matter’s MP like crazy, but it likely knew it would lose this fight if it let me go now.

I hurriedly regenerated my Oneiros scales, knowing they’d make a big difference in the raw damage I took.

‹Hi-Rest! Hi-Rest!› Warm light spread from my mouth as Treant used the last of its MP to help heal me.

‹Thank you, Treant!›

I figured the Origin Matter would in all likelihood try and hit me with Dark Ray after it pulled me in with Black Hole. If I survived that, I could probably take down the Origin Matter with Dimension Claws now that it was basically out of MP. It seemed unlikely it could afford to keep continuously shooting Dark Ray anymore either. Even with its fairly low MP consumption rate, the Origin Matter probably couldn’t use it over and over if it was down to less than a tenth of its max MP. If the Origin Matter kept sucking me in, and I did my best to stay away, it would run out of MP sooner rather than later.

As I thought this, though, the Origin Matter’s Black Hole stopped. I shot forward as fast as I could to get away.

The Dark Rays should be coming any second. Any second now…

But as I fled, I didn’t hear the telltale swish of Dark Ray piercing through the wind behind me.Had it…used all its MP on Black Hole?

I turned around to look—only to see the Origin Matter’s swirls glowing iridescently once again, signifying another Big Bang.

‹A-another one?!› I wasn’t finished using Regenerate yet, and I still hadn’t recovered all my HP. I quickly used Mirror Counter and donned my Oneiros Armor again.

‹J-just in time…!› I panted. Then the second Big Bang blast engulfed me in flames once more.

My Mirror Counter and armor shattered almost instantly. The explosion scorched my newly formed scales and all the skin where my scales hadn’t reformed yet, making it crackle and pop with the burning heat.

I didn’t have as much time to prepare myself for this Big Bang, and so I took far more damage from this one than before. My consciousness began to fade as the flames engulfed me.

‹Hi-Rest!›

Treant’s healing skill brought me back from the edge of consciousness. But then a massive shock ran through my back, pain spiking through my body.

Dust flew up around me as I crashed to the ground, my wings completely burned away by the blast. But somehow…I survived.

‹Allo? Treant? You two okay…?› I called out to my friends with Telepathy. If the flames from Big Bang got inside my mouth at all, Allo and Treant wouldn’t stand a chance.

“W-we’re okay! But, Master Dragon, you’re…”

‹Don’t worry, I’m fine. I knew I’d be able to heal right after as long as I didn’t die. My MP is getting pretty low, though, so I can’t fully recover just yet.› As I spoke, I began to repair my body.

First, I focused on my eyes and made sure I could still move everything. The rest could wait to be healed with my auto-recovery skills.

The double Big Bang had been a surprise, but even the Origin Matter had its limits, and it seemed like it had officially met them. However, even one or two Dark Rays would be enough to finish me off in my current state. My victory seemed assured, but I couldn’t risk letting my guard down now.

I was eager to get back into the sky so I could move in three dimensions to avoid any Dark Rays, but I didn’t have enough MP left to regenerate my wings. Maybe I should dodge with Roll for a bit while I recover, then wait for a safe opportunity to strike?As I rose to my feet to start moving, the Origin Matter appeared in the air beneath the canopy of massive black trees above me.

A black light surrounded it as it cast another Black Hole. I could think of only one reason why it might be doing this: Rather than waste MP on the less-accurate Dark Ray shots, it wanted to draw me in close enough to unleash a third Big Bang.

‹Y-you gotta be kidding me. It’s using it again?! Is that even possible?!› I sank to the ground, digging my claws into the black tree roots beneath me. My tail and the lower half of my body began to float toward the Origin Matter, stretching me uncomfortably. I couldn’t even handle a Black Hole right now! If I wasn’t careful, I might not even make it to the Big Bang…the Origin Matter could suck me inside first instead!

For now, I focused on regenerating my wings so I’d at least have a way to resist the gravity pull in the air. But no matter what I did, if I took a Big Bang right now, my HP would drop to zero.

What do I do?! I never thought the Origin Matter would launch a triple Big Bang attack when it got driven into a corner!

I checked the Origin Matter’s status screen. Sure enough, it had just enough MP left to use Big Bang one more time. And now, thanks to its recovery skills, it had more than 70 percent of its maximum HP remaining. Defeating it before it used Big Bang didn’t seem very realistic. There was a very real chance that whatever I did, it would activate that skill first and blow us to smithereens.

The black tree I was clinging to to avoid getting pulled in by Black Hole began to break apart from the force. I managed to spread my wings wide to prevent the Black Hole from sucking me in faster, but this was a temporary solution.

Seriously…what the heck do I do?! Come on, there’s gotta be a skill I can use to get out of this…

The more I racked my brain, the more I realized I had nothing. No skills to use, no strategy to come out of this alive. My mind went blank.

N-no! I’m not giving up! I’m not giving up until this is over!

This wasn’t just about my survival. If I died, so would Allo and Treant. And worse, our entire world would be destroyed by the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servants!

With me dead, there would be no point in the Divine Voice holding our world hostage anymore, and no reason to let the Spirit Servants run rampant. But the Divine Voice would do it anyway, out of sheer spite. It was painfully clear to me now that that was just the kind of entity the Divine Voice was.

‹Master…? How long do you think that Black Hole will last?› Treant asked from inside my mouth.

‹It should be over soon! Any longer and the Origin Matter won’t have enough MP left for Big Bang. I’m not that worried about Black Hole itself, though,› I answered, unsure what Treant was getting at.

‹I see. That’s good, then.› At that moment, tree spirit Treant pushed my jaws open with its wings and leapt up to my nose, holding on tight to avoid getting sucked in by the Black Hole.

‹T-Treant?! What’re you doing?! If you come out now, you’ll get hit with Big Bang!› I shouted.

Treant turned its head to look in my eyes. ‹Master, Miss Allo…it has been a pleasure. If…if I do not survive this, then I leave the rest to you.› Its wooden face, of course, was as expressionless as always, but I could see a hint of sadness behind its eyes.

“Treant…?” Allo called, confused.

‹H-hey, Treant! What’re you talking about?! Don’t tell me you’re—›

‹Do not worry! I still have a bit of time before Eternal Regrowth ends, so allow me to protect you from the blast! I should be even tougher than you now, Master! But…if worse comes to worst, please tell Atlach-Nacha that I did my best!›

With this, Treant spread its wings and let go, allowing itself to be sucked in toward the Origin Matter.

‹Treant! No! Treant!!› I called out desperately, but Treant didn’t turn back.

Moments before Treant collided with the Origin Matter and got sucked into its sphere, the Black Hole ended. Any longer, and the Origin Matter would’ve run out of MP for Big Bang.

As soon as Treant dropped, it ended its Tree Spirit Transformation. Its form immediately stretched tall as the massive trunk of its World Treant form took shape, glowing softly with the light of Eternal Regrowth. Its roots quickly spread deep into the ground, and its branches fanned out above us.

Between the Origin Matter and I, a massive tree now stood tall, blocking me from harm. I looked around it to see the Origin Matter’s lines changing rapidly, shimmering with that telltale iridescent hue. Its light and the blue glow of Treant’s Eternal Regrowth seemed to meld together in the air.

I could only stand by and watch, stunned, as the Origin Matter activated its final Big Bang.

My vision was overtaken by the fiery red blast. I probably should have moved back a little to minimize the damage I took. But I just stood there, staring at Treant in a daze as the flames engulfed it.

But the moment the flames reached Treant, another explosion boomed through the clearing, and flames roared to life. This time, though, they came from Treant, forming a barrier of flames that blocked the Origin Matter’s Big Bang from coming any closer.

Treant was using Fairy Curse.

Special Skill: “Fairy Curse.” When hit directly with a magical attack, forest fairies will come to the rescue, counterattacking by casting the same spell back at its user. Their magic will be as powerful as the original attack, regardless of the skill owner’s magic power. The fairies’ magic will only affect the attacker.

Unlike the Origin Matter’s Big Bang, which radiated in all directions from its source, Treant’s Fairy Curse sent the Big Bang blast at the Origin Matter specifically. As a result, the flames erupting from Treant’s body transformed into dozens, maybe hundreds of spheres of light that all flew toward the Origin Matter, preventing its blast from getting any closer.

The two Big Bangs collided in midair with a deafening boom that echoed across the clearing. Treant, the Origin Matter—perhaps even the entire world—were engulfed in a brilliant white light. Inside it, I could only watch, helpless, as fine cracks began to spread across Treant’s trunk.

‹Treant…›

The white light faded. As though time itself had stopped for a moment in the light and now began to move again, massive, charred chunks of wood flew into the air, then disintegrated and scattered in the wind.

While the Origin Matter’s complete fire immunity blocked the fire damage from Big Bang, it did nothing against the impact of the blast. Centered on a specific target, the skill was even more brutal than usual. Several of the nearby trees were knocked over with the force of the impact. The Origin Matter flew backward and slammed into the ground at high speed, gouging a massive crater into the surface.

The Origin Matter trembled, barely moving, not yet able to rise from the ground.

Dorothea

Species: Origin Matter

Status: Mad God, Reaper Seeds

Lv: 140/140 (MAX)

HP: 1387/5524

MP: 8/6535

At long last, the Origin Matter’s formidable MP was almost depleted.

But Treant, on the other hand…was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t like it could’ve gotten lost, or the explosion threw it somewhere else. Treant was massive. If it got blown into the air, I would’ve noticed that before I saw the Origin Matter. But Treant was gone.

‹Treant…? Hey, Treant? You there?› I called with Telepathy, panic rising in my voice. But my mind felt strangely calm. Deep down, I was already certain. Treant’s body had been consumed by the raging flames of the Big Bang. It was gone.

First Partner, now Treant.Once again, I’d lost a dear companion. The understanding of what Treant’s absence meant washed over me, along with an overwhelming surge of despair.

‹It…it’s all my fault. I knew we didn’t have a way to deal with the Big Bang. But I made us fight the Origin Matter anyway. And now, Treant’s…›

“…Master Dragon.” Allo’s voice cut through my clouded thoughts. Blearily, I looked at her. “Treant said…the rest was up to us.” Her voice was soft, pained with loss, like every word was an effort.

I nodded. The Origin Matter was still a few paces ahead of us. It had crawled out of its impact crater and quietly floated through the air, trying to escape before we noticed.

Without any MP, the Origin Matter had no way to attack us. I flew after it and tore into it with my Dimension Claws, then again. It made no effort to defend as I unleashed the finishing blow.

Light started to seep from the Origin Matter. Its perfectly spherical form began to warp in different directions. The fluid lines across its surface twisted and distorted into chaos, as if spinning out of control. Then the Origin Matter fell to the ground with a clunk and began to melt into the ground, spread out like a viscous black liquid.

Gained 77,420 Experience Points.

Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 77,420 Experience Points.

Oneiros Lv 128 has become Lv 139.

It was the most experience points I’d ever earned from a single opponent. But I couldn’t bring myself to feel happy about that fact right now. We’d managed to defeat the powerful Origin Matter, but the despair I felt at losing Treant far outweighed any sense of accomplishment.

No… Keep it together. I have to be strong.

Defeating the Origin Matter was a means, not an end. We took it on because we wanted to find out if there was anyone stuck inside its Time Vortex. Anyone with a Sacred Skill that hadn’t yet been corrupted by Mad God.

Special Skill “Time Vortex.” Seals enemy in a vortex of black light. Its victim is cut off from the passage of time. Escape is impossible.

But even if there was someone inside the Origin Matter, there was no guarantee they’d be friendly. There was no time to mourn Treant right now. I needed to identify whatever creature came out of the Origin Matter before it was too late.

A faint shadow began to emerge from the edge of the Origin Matter’s melting remains. I watched the figure carefully, holding my breath. This monster was a former Sacred Skill holder who’d been imprisoned in the Time Vortex for hundreds of years. I had no idea what to expect.

‹Ah, Master… Wh-what in the world just happened?›

What emerged from the melting remains of the Origin Matter was none other than a completely charred Treant. It was burnt black, shrunken, and crumbling, but there was no mistaking the distinctive high nose and round, sunken eyes of my friend.

‹T-Treant?!› I rushed over and lifted it up with my front paws to nuzzle it with my cheek. ‹Thank goodness… I can’t believe it! You’re alive! I thought you were done for…!›

‹Um, Master…I know you’re happy to see me, but I’m on the brink of death here! I-If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love a bit of healing magic…!›

It was then that I realized my scales were scraping away pieces of Treant’s charred body with every rub, leaving it even more withered than before.

‹Oh! S-sorry!› I hurriedly cast Hi-Rest and Regen to heal Treant and regrow its missing limbs. Before my eyes, Treant’s robust trunk and branches began to regenerate.

Apparently, when Treant’s body had been blown to pieces from the impact of the Big Bang, the force of its Fairy Curse counter sent it flying into the Origin Matter’s Time Vortex. Residual gravitational force from the Black Hole might’ve factored into it as well…

By all accounts, Treant should’ve been dead. If it had been thrown into the air even once after taking that attack, the fall damage would’ve killed it instantly. The fact that Treant stood in front of me now was nothing short of a miracle.

Part 5

I LET ALLO OUT OF MY MOUTH so the three of us—including tree spirit Treant—could speak face-to-face.

‹Treant, were you the only one stuck inside the Time Vortex?› I asked.

‹A-actually, I do not remember anything past getting sucked in,› Treant responded, uncertain. ‹I don’t know…›

Speaking of which, the description said time didn’t flow inside the vortex, right…?

At that moment, the pool of liquidated Origin Matter began to evaporate into black mist with a soft hiss. The mist formed itself into six monsters standing shoulder to shoulder. They possessed a variety of strange features: a humanoid giant with two bull heads, a lump of rock covered in blinking eyes, and so on. One of them was a large ogre-like figure with its face in its stomach and no head; I wondered if it was from the same evolutionary line as the Adams.

Naturally, I’d considered the possibility of more than one monster being stuck inside the Time Vortex as well. The Origin Matter had been stuck in Ngai Forest for a long, long time.

A chill ran down my spine. All these monsters had to be at least rank B+. I wouldn’t have been shocked if there were some Legendary rank ones mixed in too.

Drool oozed from the mouths of every monster, beneath lifeless eyes. Their faces held no trace of emotion. No! They were all consumed by Mad God!

Treant, Allo, and I were all spent after our last battle. Getting dragged into a fight now would be deadly. ‹L-Let’s get outta here!›

As I called out to my friends, another voice spoke from the trees above us.

“Godspeed Flash.”

Black blades sliced through each of the six monsters. The monsters slumped to the dirt, dead. Their corpses turned black, then began to sink into the ground beneath them. It all happened in an instant.

As we looked on in stunned silence, a woman descended from the darkness above us. Her long hair flowed behind her, dancing through the wind. In her hand, she carried a greatsword longer than she was tall. A black cloak decorated her shoulders.

The woman glanced at us, then turned to survey her surroundings. Her behavior displayed a clear intelligence absent from the other Mad God-afflicted monsters.

This woman had to be what I’d been hoping to find inside the Origin Matter: a former Sacred Skill holder still free from the effects of Mad God.

The woman turned to face me and smiled. “I see. It seems you defeated our captor. I take it you are this generation’s holder of the Sacred Skills,”—she looked at Allo and Treant—“and your retainers, correct?”

Her smile seemed to not reach her eyes. I was suddenly struck with the certainty that I’d seen her face somewhere before.

Wait. She has the same face…as the Clay Hero I fought during Umukahime’s trial.

“What is the matter? You look surprised. But you took the time to defeat the Origin Matter, despite knowing you only have so much time before Mad God overtakes you. I thought you did so because you wished to meet me. Was I incorrect?” The Clay Hero lookalike spoke with an aloof air.

Allo stepped in front of me warily, as if to guard me. I didn’t blame her for being cautious. There was something strange about this woman. She seemed willing to communicate, but even so, I found myself wondering if I could really trust her.

‹Allo…it’s okay. I’ll talk to her.› As Allo backed away, I checked the woman’s status.

Mia Mitrenia

Species: Thanatos

Status: Mad God (Minor), Cursed, Human Transformation Lv MAX

Lv: 150/150 (MAX)

HP: 3333/6666

MP: 4321/4444

Attack: 2222 (4444) +444

Defense: 1106 (2212)

Magic: 4444

Agility: 3320

Rank: L (Legendary)

Equipment:

Weapon: Blackfly Sword: L+

Sacred Skills:

Hell Realm Path: Lv —

Special Skills:

Grecian Language: Lv 8

Undead: Lv —

Unbreakable Skin: Lv MAX

Body Morph: Lv MAX

Privilege of the Dead: Lv —

Underworld Mirror: Lv —

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv MAX

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv MAX

Tentacles: Lv MAX

Fly: Lv MAX

Reaper’s Aura: Lv —

Dark Type: Lv —

Wicked Dragon: Lv —

Psychic Sense: Lv MAX

Mage: Lv MAX

Swordsman: Lv MAX

Undercover: Lv MAX

Instant Death Gaze: Lv MAX

Fearsome Gaze: Lv MAX

Master’s Demonic Gaze: Lv MAX

Enchanting Gaze: Lv MAX

Evil Eye: Lv MAX

Mad God: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv MAX

Magic Resistance: Lv MAX

Debuff Immunity: Lv —

Dark Immunity: Lv —

Light Resistance: Lv MAX

Normal Skills:

Shockwave: Lv MAX

Echo Blade: Lv MAX

Godspeed Flash: Lv MAX

Floating Form: Lv MAX

Hollow Moon: Lv MAX

Blade of Exorcism: Lv MAX

Hi-Rest: Lv MAX

Holy Sphere: Lv MAX

Dimension: Lv MAX

Clay: Lv MAX

Alchemy: Lv MAX

Venom Fangs: Lv MAX

Scorching Breath: Lv MAX

Diseased Breath: Lv MAX

Human Transformation: Lv MAX

Regenerate: Lv MAX

Death: Lv MAX

Telepathy: Lv MAX

Dark Sphere: Lv MAX

Fake Life: Lv MAX

Dark Rest: Lv MAX

Decaying Breath: Lv MAX

Filthy Tongue: Lv MAX

Life Drain: Lv MAX

Detachment Beast: Lv MAX

Hi-Slow: Lv MAX

Eclipse: Lv MAX

Title Skills:

Final Evolution: Lv —

Former Saint: Lv —

Former Demon King: Lv —

Stalwart: Lv MAX

Tenacious: Lv MAX

Giant Killer: Lv MAX

Martial God: Lv MAX

Laplace Authority Interference: Lv 2

Reaper: Lv —

Despite my unease, there was one thing for certain. This woman was Umukahime’s master: Mia, the former Hero, also known as the Demon King Alchemia. And considering her incredible status screen, she’d make a formidable ally.

I couldn’t believe she was still alive. I’d heard so many stories about her, and they all made her out to be a person of true character. I felt a lot safer trusting her than I would have trusting a complete stranger.

But all the same…now that we were finally meeting face-to-face, there was something peculiar about Mia’s aura that made the scales on the back of my neck prickle ever so slightly.

Bonus Story: The Three Sacred Trees of Ngai Forest

Bonus Story:
The Three Sacred Trees of Ngai Forest

ALLO, TREANT, AND I trudged through Ngai Forest on our way to battle the Origin Matter after turning back from the Skypiercing Spire. We’d just taken down the horde of weeping banshees, boosting Allo and Treant’s levels significantly. I now felt like we were strong enough to take on the Origin Matter we’d had to run away from the first time we encountered it.

I called out to the others behind me with Telepathy. ‹We’ve been traveling for a while now. Let’s take a break.›

Ngai Forest was vast. We had a lot of ground to cover between the Skypiercing Spire and the area where we first encountered the Origin Matter.

‹Master, may we go a little farther first?› Treant asked.

I hadn’t expected Treant to object to taking a break. It was usually the first person to suggest one… Had we taken too many? I mean, I understood the urgency. A bunch of the Divine Voice’s Spirit Servant lackeys were wreaking havoc on our world as we spoke, not to mention the fact that we had no idea when this Mad God affliction would start affecting us. But still, Allo and Treant had to be exhausted—physically and mentally. If we weren’t in top condition, we wouldn’t stand a chance against an opponent like the Origin Matter. I got that Treant was anxious, but we still needed to take breaks when we could.

‹Oh! I am not opposed to taking a break, Master.› Treant flapped its wings. It must have picked up on some of my thoughts with Telepathy. ‹However, I sense a powerful magical presence up ahead, so I would like to check it out first.›

‹A strong magical presence…?› I repeated, confused. I didn’t sense anything… Had Treant sensed something before I did? I’d kinda thought I’d be a little better at that sorta thing, considering our stat and rank differences… Besides, I didn’t think Treant had any perception skills…

‹Call it intuition, but I feel as if I sense a few fellow members of my genus.›

‹Your…genus?›

‹Indeed. I believe I feel the presence of trees who possess magic, ones different from the other cursed trees around us.›

How did it know that without any related skills? Interesting… I guessed it was just intuition. It wasn’t like I could only do the actions listed in my skill set. But did that mean Treant’s “genus” was trees imbued with magic? I suddenly wondered if we’d stumbled across a colony of Treants.

‹Got it. Sure, let’s check it out first. It might teach us something useful about this weird place. But if it looks dangerous from a distance, we should avoid it.›

Following Treant’s directions, I moved toward these alleged trees that possessed magic. As soon as I laid eyes on them, I knew they were the ones Treant was talking about.

Three strange trees stood side by side in a clearing, apart from the cursed trees. Each were around five meters tall—a decent height for a normal tree, but far shorter than the cursed ones. All three trees possessed distinct, abnormal characteristics.

‹Wh-what the heck…?›

One tree bore a variety of golden fruit on its branches: apples, bananas, oranges, ones that looked distinctly grapelike…and more unusual ones I couldn’t remember the names of. They all shimmered the same shade of gold.

The second tree had deep hollows along its trunk and branches, each filled with what appeared to be crushed fruit pulp and juice, like a variety of fruits had been stuffed unceremoniously into it at random. A thick, honeylike substance dripped from its hollows. As we got closer, I noticed a sweet scent in the air. Had someone stuffed fruit into this tree? But, like…why? What for?

The third tree had what could only be described as chicken meat hanging from its branches. There was no other way to describe it; they looked just like raw, plucked chickens with their heads removed and all the blood drained from their bodies.

Those things look ready to get cooked to a crispy golden brown and served up on a dinner platter. Why’re they hanging from a tree like a bunch of fruits?!

“Wh-what is this…?” Allo stared in wonder. I could see why. This scene looked like something from the kind of nightmare you got while you were home with the flu. I felt like my head was about to explode. There went my hope of learning anything about Ngai Forest. The only thing clear to me was that common sense didn’t apply here.

‹Oooh! What yummy-looking fruits!› Treant exclaimed, completely oblivious.

‹Fruits?! Which ones?!› The golden fruit didn’t look edible, the fruit on the second tree was all crushed and mushy, and I wouldn’t call those lumps of meat fruit… Was Treant hallucinating or something?

The tree spirit in question hopped off my back and made to move toward the trees. I threw out a paw to stop it.

‹Wait, Treant! These are no ordinary trees! I’ll scope them out first to make sure they’re safe. Just hang back for a sec!›

Honestly, I felt like it’d be smarter to just pretend we never saw these trees and walk on by. There was something wrong with these things. But Treant hung its head in disappointment when I stopped it. It seemed fascinated by these strange trees, and I’d have felt like I’d let Treant down if I just told it to ignore them.

I warily leaned closer to the first tree, the one with golden fruit.

Tree of Gold: Value L (Legendary). A tree which bears golden fruit, as described in countless fairy tales. Long ago, two small countries waged a long, bloodthirsty war over the land where this tree stood. By the time one country emerged victorious over the other, the damage caused by the war was so great that the tree’s golden harvest was no longer sufficient to cover the cost. Ironically, the very next day after the war ended, the tree withered away.

Oho… A legendary tree? And those fruits weren’t just golden in color…they were real gold. In our outside world, this tree would be worth a fortune. But in Ngai Forest, it was nothing more than a pretty decoration. Regardless, I was relieved to know there was nothing particularly dangerous about the Tree of Gold—even if it did have a pretty disturbing story attached to it.…

I turned my attention to the second tree—the one with the many hollows.

Tree of Sacred Wine: Value L (Legendary). A tree said to have been created by the god of wine-lovers. The hollows of this tree flow with rich honey, and various fruits grow and ripen inside them. The fruits swell and crush each other, then mix together with the honey and ferment into fruit wine. It is said that just one sip of this rich, sweet wine can turn hell into heaven.

Another legendary tree… This forest was full of all kinds of wonders. I was worried that there might be monsters around throwing fruit into its hollows, but I guess it was all done by the tree itself. How convenient. So, thankfully, the second tree didn’t seem dangerous either.

The alcohol produced by the Tree of Sacred Wine is highly addictive, inducing pleasure and a powerful hallucinogenic effect. Countless rulers, great sages, and renowned scholars have succumbed to the wine’s effects and wasted their lives away in a haze of drunken pleasure.

Whoa. This wine sounded less like alcohol and more like a dangerous drug. Just when I thought this tree was harmless… Well, I guessed it was fine as long as we stayed away from the wine, but it didn’t feel like a safe tree to be around for long.

Finally, I looked at the third tree, which bore the big hunks of what seemed like chicken meat.

Tree of Meat: Value L (Legendary). A tree which bears flesh, referred to in parables from Church of the Holy God. Said to bear fruit which closely resembles chicken meat.

The Church of the Holy God…that was the religion Lilyxila and the Holy Land Lialum followed, that worshipped the Divine Voice.

But…this wasn’t just fruit that looked like meat. It was meat. Even I could see that. My eyes trailed toward the cleanly severed necks of the chicken carcasses. How could anyone look at these things and call them fruit?

Of course, no such fruit truly exists. The tree is only used as a metaphorical symbol to teach followers lessons on unconscious selfishness.

But it’s literally right in front of me?! I agree, this thing is way too weird to be real, but here it is! In the flesh—­literally! Don’t think you can gaslight me…

Regardless, the Tree of Meat didn’t seem dangerous. But my head was starting to spin from the influx of information on these weird, fairy-tale trees.

“Well…? What do you think, Master Dragon?” Allo asked timidly.

Well, they didn’t seem dangerous, at least. But honestly, they kind of creeped me out. I’d have preferred not to stick around long.

I knew exactly how I thought about them. But when I looked at Treant, it gazed hopefully back at me, eyes sparkling.

I sighed. ‹They’re kinda weird…but I don’t think they’re dangerous. Since we’re here, let’s take a break.›

‹A wonderful idea, Master! I heartily agree!› Treant exclaimed, flapping its wings in excitement.

I tore off a “fruit” from the Tree of Meat to examine more closely. It felt exactly like a chicken carcass. I brought it to my nose and gave it a sniff; sure enough, it smelled like raw chicken too. Then I opened it up and looked inside, just to be sure. Its bones were still intact, but there was also a hollow cavern where the internal organs had been removed. Looks like chicken meat to me. How much more do I need to second-guess this fake fruit?

‹Master! I have a feeling that fruit would taste better if you cooked it before eating it!› Treant called.

I couldn’t tell if it was being sarcastic or not. ‹Uh…what a coincidence. I was thinking exactly the same thing.›

With a small puff of Scorching Breath, I roasted the not-chicken fruit. Then I tossed the whole thing in my mouth, bones and all.

‹How is it, Master?› Treant asked.

‹Mm…I was a little worried about how it’d taste, but it’s actually delicious. Nice and filling, full of fat, superrich…› Yup. Definitely chicken.

‹Oho! So the fruit’s flesh is thick, juicy, and rich in flavor?!›

‹You’re…not joking, are you…›

Treant tilted its head, confused.

Either way, my taste-test was over. I roughly tore off five pieces of chicken meat (I refused to call it fruit anymore), cooked them through with another puff of Scorching Breath, and tossed one chunk to Allo and Treant, respectively.

‹Whatever it is, it seems safe to me. Dig in.›

With that, Allo, Treant, and I settled down for a meal. I pulled out the salt jar I’d stored in my Dimension while Treant used Aqua Sphere to provide some cool drinking water and Allo made some cups with Clay.

‹Ah…does salt really go well with this fruit?› Treant asked, skeptical. I chose not to answer.

Instead, I turned to Allo. ‹How’s it taste? Good?›

“Yeah! It’s delicious!” Allo answered cheerfully between bites.

‹This…is chicken, isn’t it?› Finally, Treant got the picture. Allo looked at Treant with a wry smile.

Yes, Treant… Both Allo and I knew that from the moment we saw it.

‹I suspected as much from its appearance, but I wasn’t sure…›

Hmm. Really, Treant? You did?

Before I could respond, Treant spoke again. ‹What about those fruits, Master? Are they edible?› It pointed at the Tree of Gold.

‹Mmm…well, they’re pure gold, so probably not.›

‹What? Just pure gold? That is a shame…› All the gold in the world wouldn’t help us right now, so Treant’s reaction was more or less the “right” one, but it still felt like a bizarre conversation.

I plucked an apple from the Tree of Gold and popped it into my mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it with a gulp.

‹Well?›

‹Yup. Just a big hunk of metal. No point in trying to eat it.›

“That’s how you chose to test it out…?” Allo gave another wry smile. “What about that tree? It smells really sweet.” Allo pointed at the second tree, the Tree of Sacred Wine.

‹The fruit that tree produces supposedly rots and gets turned into alcohol. But it’s apparently pretty addictive and partly poisonous, so I wouldn’t recommend trying it.›

“You could probably drink it, Master Dragon. But I doubt we could mess around with it.”

Well…I didn’t think there was any alcohol in the world potent enough to get an Oneiros drunk. If it were that strong, I’d give it to all the monsters here—and the Divine Voice to boot. Anyway, Allo also had Debuff Immunity, so I doubted drinking this wine would have any negative effects on her.

As Allo and I were laughing and chatting, Treant dropped the chicken meat it was holding with its wings and abruptly stood up.

‹Treant…?›

Treant didn’t respond. Instead, it started staggering over toward the Tree of Sacred Wine.

‹H-hey! Treant?!›

‹Master…! P-please, help me! My…my legs won’t move…›

Allo’s face went pale. I felt the blood drain from mine as well. Treant had totally been poisoned by the wine! Allo immediately leapt to her feet and ran toward Treant to push it to the ground. Treant stretched out its neck, flapping its wings weakly in protest.

“Master Dragon! Do it! Now!”

‹G-got it!› I dug my claws into the ground beneath the Tree of Sacred Wine to uproot it, then unleashed my Scorching Breath at close range. The flames engulfed the Tree of Sacred Wine, burning it to ashes in seconds. I smacked at the flames that spread to my body to extinguish them.

It felt a little wasteful to destroy a Legendary value item, but… No, it would do a hundred times more harm than good if I left it here, so it was probably for the best.

‹You saved me, Master… Thank you…› Treant murmured in relief.

‹Of course. I should’ve burned that thing down the moment I saw it,› I muttered, staring down at the Tree of Sacred Wine’s ashes along the forest floor.

Man…Ngai Forest was a realm of absurdities. There were legendary monsters and items around every corner. It felt kind of like a folder with all the unused data from a game inside it. Between the status screens, monsters, and experience points, this world had always felt like some kind of game to me, but still…

‹Hmm…?› For some reason, the thought tickled my mind for a moment. All the difficulties I’d experienced in this world until now, this strange forest, the existence of the Divine Voice…everything seemed to be connected by a single thread.

‹Master? What’s wrong?› Treant asked, looking up at me.

‹Nah, nothing. Just thinking…› At that moment, the ground shook violently.

‹Allo! Treant! Jump on my back! Something’s coming!› I ordered. Allo and Treant scrambled onto my back at once.

Then, the ground before us broke apart, spraying chunks into the air.

“Boooooooooooooooooogh!”

A terrifying howl echoed through the air, seeming to make the entire world quake in fear. A massive, pitch-black monster emerged from the raised ground. It had multiple heads, each with a different number of eyes.

Zaratan: Rank L (Legendary). A giant turtle with a strange appearance, revered by humans as a guardian deity of the earth. It is not hostile to humans or other creatures, and lives a peaceful, eternal existence. It is said that plants and trees which embody all human wants and desires grow from its back. However, humans dwelling in the land of the Zaratan are believed to lose themselves to corruption and selfishness and wage war with each other, ultimately leading to their downfall.

Whoa…! That’s wild! So those three trees’ weird properties came from this guy?

While it is generally peaceful, it shows no mercy to those who harm the plants on its back. When angered, it fights with overwhelming strength and powerful curse magic to slaughter its opponent.

Oh. Is that why it suddenly showed up?

We were gearing up to fight the Origin Matter—we couldn’t afford to get in a fight with another Legendary rank monster right now. It was time to get out of here.

I decided to take to the sky with Allo and Treant and fly away. Thankfully, this was a turtle monster, and turtle monsters were notoriously slow. According to its description, its stats favored attack and magic. And it seemed pretty solid, judging by its appearance. If the other stats were high, then its agility was likely quite low. I doubted I’d have much trouble outrunning it.

‹Master! That turtle, it’s using Roll to give chase! And it’s gaining on us!›

You gotta be kidding me.

‹I just wanted to take a little break! There are too many OP monsters in this freakin’ forest!› I shouted to the wind.

At that moment, a giant with one eye appeared in the distance. It sported dirt-colored skin and two mouths—one on the top and bottom of its face. Between them, a single large eye stared vacantly at us. Then the giant ran toward us, a broad, empty grin plastered on both its mouths.

‹Ugh! Now Ymir found me too?!›

Once again, I was reminded that there was no room to relax in a place as dangerous as Ymir’s forest.

Afterword

Afterword

HELLO, EVERYONE! This is your author, Necoco.

Thank you very much for purchasing Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling,Vol. 13!

The cover art for this volume features Illusia, Treant (as a World Treant), and Allo (as a Walpurgis)! There are actually a few kesaran pasarans on the back cover as well, and on the inside flap, you can catch a glimpse of the one-eyed giant Ymir peeking out too. Did you notice? Actually, at the time I’m writing this afterword, the cover art is the only thing that’s been confirmed, so Ymir might be hiding under the inside flap text… I hope you can see him though. His design is so cute! I hope his face isn’t hidden, but you never know… It’s pretty low, so I think it’s okay, but still…

We changed publishing companies starting with Volume 13, which has made things a little complicated. My apologies to all our readers… This time, the series has moved from Earth Star Novels to SQEX Novels. This wasn’t due to any kind of internal conflicts or disputes; it was simply that the editor I’ve been trusting with Dragon Hatchling moved to another company, and I wanted to continue delivering Dragon Hatchling at the same level of quality that we have so far. My editor also assured me that they would do their best to maintain the series’ original format. My illustrator for Dragon Hatchling will also continue to do work for the series. Rest assured, Illusia’s story will continue to be delivered through NAJI Yanagida-san’s beautiful work moving forward!

In addition, the manga adaptation will continue to be published by Comic Earth Star, so please rest assured about its future as well. The manga adaptation just finished the Little Rock Dragon arc! Its portrayal of the showdown with the slime was wonderfully intense too, so please check it out if you haven’t yet! It’s on to the desert arc next, where we’ll get to see Illusia’s old friends like Nina and Ballrabbit again. I can’t wait!

—NECOCO