Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 010 Final Countdown (Complete)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stories always differed among people about when that thing had first appeared in the Yagon Great Plains.
Some said it showed up after the Demon God's descent.
Others claimed it had been there even before then.
One thing was certain: even Liliss remembered that creature fairly well.
Though her assessment was rather stingy, calling it a perfect fixture for sunbathing.
If it weren't so lazy that it barely moved at all, its threat level might have been unimaginable.
Those lost in the Yagon Great Plains, do not head toward the distant hill.
For that is the heart of the Yagon Great Plains.
Those whose lives are threatened in the Yagon Great Plains, head toward the distant hill.
For it is a land of silence where no battles are permitted.
The name of the beast that feeds on the earth's energy and slumbers eternally in the same spot...
Behemoth.
The ruler of the Yagon Great Plains, the unmoving calamity, the incarnation of laziness—
that creature had finally stirred its massive bulk, which hadn't budged in a hundred years, to eliminate the pests that had been disturbing its sleep lately.
For the past two years especially, some noisy intruder had been making its mood foul, but even so, it hadn't moved.
Because it was too much of a hassle.
But today, when the racket became utterly intolerable, it ended two years of deliberation and heaved its enormous body into motion.
"That's..."
"Ack! Big fella's comin'!"
As the colossal hill drew near, using earth magic to propel its gigantic form, Gloria and Mimi's expressions gradually hardened.
They had realized they were Behemoth's targets.
Having lived in Dungeon City, Gloria knew of Behemoth's existence.
Mimi might not have known the name "Behemoth," but during her two years in the Yagon Great Plains, she had certainly become aware of it.
Even in her mad rampages, she had instinctively sensed its danger and never approached carelessly.
But neither of them was afraid.
Alone, maybe—but now that they were two, they both thought they wouldn't go down easily, entering combat stances without hesitation.
"Looks like we'll have to talk after dealing with that thing first."
"Agreed-nya."
And then the earth began to erupt.
***
"Let's sort this out for now."
Jeras Pairan decided to lightly recap the story line that lay ahead.
The entrance exam—the game's starting point and tutorial—had just ended.
Nothing had truly begun yet, but with the worst wild cards, Liliss and Yuha, who could bolt anywhere at any time, he couldn't assume anything would follow the original plot.
The game Otherworld Academy Adaptation Period could be broadly divided into four phases.
Each phase ended at the close of a school year, and the final chapter of the last phase, Phase 4, was naturally a battle against the sealed Demon God.
"The Phase 1 final boss at the end of first year was definitely Behemoth."
In terms of raw individual strength, it wasn't the kind of spec you'd expect for a mere Phase 1 boss.
However, due to its massive size, it had extremely sluggish movements and served as a huge, unavoidable target no matter what you did, so there was a strategy for it.
Plus, when you actually faced it, it appeared quite weakened.
It hated moving its main body so much that its only attacks were earth magic.
On top of that, Behemoth normally never moved from its spot in the Yagon Great Plains.
Meaning, as long as you didn't provoke it first, it should never become an enemy.
Though in the trivia settings, there was info about how Liliss had forcibly made Behemoth move to her desired spot a hundred years ago so she could sunbathe and nap on top of it.
But Liliss was here anyway.
"The Demon God Cult tried to tame Behemoth and failed, causing it to rampage—that's probably the story."
For the Demon God Cult, which dreamed of the Demon God's revival and the continent's destruction, Behemoth must have seemed like a delicious prize.
Just moving shifted the Yagon Great Plains' position on the map.
A walking calamity, through and through.
Its sluggishness came with incredibly tough hide, making subjugation difficult, and even when it did move, the scale was in centuries.
So people around generally judged it most efficient to just leave it be.
"The cult figures if they can tame it, great; if not, as long as it rampages, that's fine too."
Unfortunately, there was no way to preempt this plan in the game.
First-year life at the academy—involving powering up and gathering allies—ended with the Behemoth fight, transitioning to Phase 2 where the stage slowly expanded outward.
In short, it was a necessary story branch point.
"The cult's failure weakens Behemoth anyway. But..."
In the game, the player didn't handle the entire Behemoth fight solo.
Only parts were directly controlled; most was pushed through story.
Especially as Behemoth, manipulated by the Demon God Cult in the eastern Yagon Great Plains, began heading south toward the Heavenly God Church's heartland.
Since it marched on the Papal Palace, most of the damage dealing fell to the church forces.
"And that's what brings her into the academy."
The undisputed best support you couldn't recruit mid-first-year.
Heals if you need heals, buffs if you need buffs.
Even ignoring everything else, her versatility made her top-tier, so aside from hardcore veterans chasing hard endings, she was essential.
If Claire was a staple character, this one was practically mandatory.
Claire had replacements; she didn't.
If her academy storyline got derailed, the Demon God fight would truly become hopeless.
So even if he could prevent Behemoth's rampage, whether he should was questionable.
Of course, no concrete prevention method came to mind anyway, so no need to agonize.
"Plus, casualties are basically zero..."
But preparing to take it down more easily seemed fine.
Jeras quickly ran through a list of items to counter Behemoth's earth attributes.
"Mountains of stuff to do."
However, right here—
Jeras, who knew one thing but not two, overlooked something. Or rather, never even considered it.
The variables weren't just Liliss and Yuha.
***
"Hm."
[A pink-haired woman was sighted at the academy.]
No further details.
She must have withdrawn immediately the moment her pink hair entered their sight, he thought—no helping it.
At the same time, he clicked his tongue, realizing intel on academy events would be spotty for a while.
But now that he knew she was there, a dip in surveillance quality was inevitable.
"Do not surveil her directly under any circumstances. Do not provoke her."
Especially in recent centuries, as she focused more on amusement, she only killed particularly rude individuals rather than massacring—touching her brought nothing good.
Generations of storied history proved it.
Why stir up trouble for pure loss?
The emperor, lounging languidly on his throne as he heard his minister's frank report, suddenly recalled something.
"Come to think of it, there's Duke Baker's inspection tour in the academy's first semester."
Knowing Duke Baker's true nature, the emperor straightened up and issued a crucial order to his minister.
Staying passive like this would spell trouble even for him as emperor.
So he resolved to act swiftly.
"Bar Duke Baker from entering the imperial palace until his academy inspection concludes."
"Pardon?"
The ban on Duke Baker—one of the most influential among dukes—shocked the minister, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
Without the order, Baker would have stormed the palace breathing fire.
Realizing the emperor had foreseen this far, the minister was impressed.
"As expected of His Majesty."
"Make it so. And just to be safe, relay that intel around when he's nearly arrived at the academy."
"Brilliant! Understood, Your Majesty!"
Sorry, Duke Baker, but if he heard this, he'd cling to the emperor's robes begging not to go—unavoidable.
Not that he thought the info would stay secret forever.
He'd learn through his own means eventually.
The man rarely visited the palace anyway, so it should be fine for now.
"Vampires should be handled by vampires—that's only right."
That was half the reason for the emperor's actions.
Of course, the gap between those two was like heaven and god—no surprise there. What could he do?
Still, since Baker derived from him, he'd avoid excessive measures, the emperor thought irresponsibly.
Imagining the ever-stoic Duke Baker's face crumbling, the emperor stifled a laugh.
"The ducal house was established to handle her in the first place. Time to fulfill that duty, Duke."
After the inspection, he'd summon Baker for an audience by solemn imperial decree and scrutinize his expression closely, the emperor vowed.
"To bring such amusement to my weary life amid heavy burdens—your loyalty touches this emperor deeply."
The other half? It just looked fun.
***
Two slaves were battling an enemy they might not handle.
The possessor sighed over his upcoming schedule.
The emperor was staking his position.
Yuha waited demurely yet desperately on the bed for Liliss, purifying herself with a bath before their grand event, to emerge from the bathroom.
But his precious one couldn't stay still, flopping about like a freshly caught fish, her presence impossible to hide even under the towel.
"Sex! Sex! Sex!"
At the thought of finally having sex after three years, he was in a state of extreme excitement.