Black Lightning's Chant
Nakan Jungle, one-sixth into the giant crocodile's carcass. A cave formed of flesh no one's eyes could reach. Two blood-soaked bodies pressed against each other. The blood smeared on our skin was from the lizardmen and Garkan. Fun fact: it's at least twenty times stickier than human blood. I just learned that myself. That viscous blood filled the space between us with a squelching wetness.
This is something.
Kiara's outfit was already outrageously bold and brimming with feral allure. Now, her curves were etching themselves brazenly against my back with no escape. I tried to shake off her arm. But it didn't budge an inch. Of course not. This was a woman who tore monsters apart with her bare nails.
"Let go."
"No way, just a little longer."
"The wave isn't over yet."
"It will be soon."
She was right. The Nakan Jungle warriors weren't slacking either. They'd rushed to join us on the battlefield and fought diligently. Monster presences were dwindling fast as a result.
I get it. Excess contribution points...
I turned my head to look at her quietly. I couldn't bring myself to ask her to let go.
Kiara met my eyes and flinched for some reason, loosening her grip on my arm.
"Don't look at me like that..."
Like what? Anyway, the message got through, so that was a relief. I quickly slipped out from under Garkan's neck.
Wave 54 Cleared!
Summoned unit 'Slasher Berga''s contribution rated highest grade!
Excess contribution points available for collection! (Excess contribution affects grade recalculation.)
"Phew..."
I let out a long breath, sheathing my dagger at my waist. Things got tough once Kiara joined in midway. Was she treating it like a competition? Still, I'd pulled it off.
One step closer to A-rank... and pain tolerance...!
"Berga."
The now-familiar voice called me.
"What is it?"
Her cheeks flushed, she fidgeted shyly. This felt oddly familiar...
"I have something for you."
"What?"
"Um... a gift?"
She kept beating around the bush. She was the type to cut straight to the point usually.
I held out my hand silently.
"Not here!"
What now?
"Inside."
Huh?
"Come into the stockade. I can give it to you there."
My heart pounded. Utterly involuntary.
Is Cold-Blooded even working properly...?
Kiara's hand trembled faintly as she tugged my sleeve. Was this...?
Then, white light filled the edge of my vision. Along with it...
Stay longer in the summoned battlefield?
(Warning) Time stayed incurs Cron charges.
Despite the management office's outrageous practices, my hand drifted to the left side of the popup.
3-hour extension approved. 150 Cron deducted.
Remaining Cron: 1,500
The white light enveloping me faded as if it had never been. Kiara, watching, pursed her lips briefly before breaking into a wide grin. Her cat-like eyes seemed a bit rounder too.
"So, what's this about?"
"In a bit."
"Isn't that your spot?"
"I like it here."
How did it come to this? Everything was fine until we entered the stockade. The Nakan warriors moved in perfect unison.
"That insane hunt earlier..."
"One-shot the great monster?"
And the warriors' whispers.
In Nakan, they call elite monsters 'great monsters,' huh.
We'd arrived at the barracks in the deepest part of the stockade.
"Come in. Inside."
Up to there, it was as expected. Thanks to Cold-Blooded doing its job, my heart had calmed. The gift was probably some reasonable material reward. A weapon would be great, potions fine too.
The interior was cramped. Even for a commander's barracks. It felt cozy, like a typical Nakan home—perfect for her small frame. Beast hides on the floor, a low platform and table for receiving guests in one corner. And directly opposite... a bed.
Anyway. I headed to the platform first. Kiara hesitated a moment, then followed a beat later with quick steps.
The right side of the low table had leather decorations and a fur cushion.
That's Kiara's spot, right?
Huh? Kiara sat right next to me. Skipping her own spot? I'd sat politely on the left.
She stared at me. Why?
For real?
"S-so, what's this about?"
"In a bit."
As expected, nothing happened. Kiara just stuck close like a cat, purring softly sometimes. Staring into my eyes. Stroking my dagger, my arm... my bicep.
My bicep.
"I have to go soon. Tell me the point. Make the extension worth it."
"Always about value!"
"...Only twice. This makes three."
"Anyway! The gift, just a sec... Oh. Thanks first."
"For what? Garkan?"
"No, the extension. I... was gonna call you again next wave anyway."
What? More than that.
Why was she so fixated on me?
"What do you mean?"
"Obvious, right? Said I'd give a gift. Have to if you leave."
Ah, just the type to keep her word.
"But you staying for me? Felt good."
"...I see."
Yeah. Can't just take without giving back. Call it even.
Especially since she said thanks.
Silence fell again. Our eyes met by chance. Kiara flinched at my gaze, then rushed to speak as if in a hurry.
"G-gift! Here!"
"Alright."
I held out my hand. But instead of something landing on it, a verbose alert window popped up.
Commander Kiara (hereinafter 'Party A') enters into a sponsorship contract with hero Slasher Berga (hereinafter 'Party B').
Party A shall, in good faith, provide support for Party B's mercenary activities regarding...
Huh? Something familiar appeared again. But slightly different.
Sponsorship contract...?
Long-term sponsorship contract with commander available.
With sponsorship, acquire Cron at commander's discretion even without direct summon to waves.
Sponsorship requires mutual agreement.
Discretion? Cron? Basically, she'll send money whenever she feels like it...?
"Why this?"
"You're fun. Makes me happy. Won't summon anymore."
Needed interpretation. Probably cutting unnecessary summons to invest in high-performance premium mercs. The phrasing sounded like a big shot offering sponsorship to her favorite player, but that was pure Kiara style.
"...What do I do?"
"Come often."
Even more cryptic. Surely meant help when her overwhelming combat power hit a wall.
"And... don't die. That's why."
Ah.
Her words chilled my blood. My rubber-ball thoughts settled in an instant.
Right. This was a battlefield. I'm a mercenary. Objectively strong. Not guesswork—really. But strength doesn't guarantee survival.
In this vortex, I had to endure 1,000 years. No—survive.
Silly for the human cannonball who crushed a crocodile's nape to think it, but still. Survive.
Exploit this system to the max. Save 30,000 Cron. Open the gate. Escape the Waiting Room.
Couldn't serve the full 1,000 years.
In that sense, Kiara's worry was appreciated. The sponsorship even more so.
I gazed at her steadily. Locked eyes with the twin amber gems embedded in her small face.
"Thanks. I promise."
Kiara's gaze shook, then fled.
Time was like Kiara. Utterly capricious. The 30 seconds treating my arm felt eternal; the 3 hours in the barracks like 30 seconds.
Not that we did anything.
Really.
Now it was time to go. I stood to take one last look at the Nakan Jungle before returning. Wanted to carry even a faint green afterimage back to the white Waiting Room.
Hm? A bear-sized warrior blocked the barracks entrance. Vaguely familiar. The one swinging a massive axe up front after I killed Garkan, mopping up the rest.
He knelt. And not just him. Other warriors too. Faces from the battlefield.
What the...?
"He who hunted the Swamp Ruler—who?!"
The bearish warrior bellowed.
"'Black Lightning!'"
"It's you. Nakan way of honoring warriors. Hehe."
Kiara, now at my right, whispered in my ear with a playful smile.
"He who pierced the great monster's nape—who?!"
The shout rippled like waves. No other Nakan warrior before the barracks matched my eye level.
"'Black Lightning!'"
Fists slammed the ground. In perfect unison, shaking the earth. Like drums. No—weightier, duller. The vibration climbed my heels to my spine.
"He who proved his strength—who?!"
They fell silent. Dozens of eyes fixed on me. As if naming me with their stares.
White light filled my vision's edge. Before the glow dragged me to the white prison, I gathered those colorful gazes one by one. Left to right. Ending in the bright yellow eyes swallowing me.
This time, I didn't look away.
And then.
"See you again."