Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Wind Blowing on the Plateau (1)
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From time immemorial, gimmicks involving falls or being devoured had always meant instant death, no questions asked.
You've defeated the hidden boss of the Cursed King's Tent, Shadow of the Stars!
The time it took for the message to appear matched exactly how long it took food to reach the stomach.
Arzan nodded as she smacked her lips, savoring the taste.
"Surprisingly sweet. It'd probably taste like this if you mixed wild strawberries with beetle grubs."
"That's exactly the kind of info I wanted to know."
Amplify the "cool" in "cool beauty" by about 200 times, and you'd get a character like her.
A new message appeared in place of the kill notification.
You've killed an intelligent being from another world for the first time. Resistance to all elemental damage and mental strength have increased!
The Weed Horde activates. The mental strength growth rate of the entire horde slightly increases!
Just skimming it was satisfying.
As expected of a hidden boss—the rewards were substantial.
A smile crept onto Bran's lips.
'For once, it feels like the rewards far outweigh the effort.'
Mental strength growth was always a mood booster, no matter when you saw it.
It was useful for literally every character, after all.
And on top of that, a bonus for slaying an intelligent being from another world for the first time!
It was more than generous—practically free.
"Oh. My god."
But the party's mood was far from good.
Clang.
The field shovel slipped from Benden's hand.
"...Um, am I seeing this wrong?"
Ilrak, frozen like a statue, finally spoke.
"Arzan, did you just... eat that monster?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck."
Ilrak's face paled.
She rushed over in a heartbeat and grabbed Arzan by both shoulders.
"Hey. Are you insane?!"
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What if something happens? Spit it out right now!"
She shook Arzan's body back and forth violently.
It looked just like soothing a pet dog that had swallowed a bug.
Arzan shook her head.
"I'm fine. It was so small I didn't even feel it going down."
"Small or not, it's a monster from another world! How could it be fine?!"
"I've eaten worse, so don't worry. Ilrak, you're surprisingly sweet despite your tough exterior."
"What?"
"I didn't expect you to worry about me like this today. Your body is steel, but your heart is silk."
It was blunt praise, straight to the point.
Ilrak's ears turned red.
She stammered, at a loss for words, then let go of Arzan's shoulders.
"W-what nonsense is that? I just don't want to deal with a corpse for no reason."
"Thanks for caring. But really, I'm fine."
Arzan smiled.
Seeing her relaxed expression, Bran raised an eyebrow.
Fine, huh. Was she, really?
Ilrak finally set aside her worries with a sigh.
"Ugh. If you say so..."
"Urk!"
Right then, Arzan retched.
Her upper body lurched, and her deer mask fell off.
She dropped to one knee, clamping her mouth shut.
"Keurgh! Gah!"
"Kwaaak! I knew it!"
Ilrak cried out in alarm.
Just as she was about to deliver a vomit-inducing punch to Arzan's gut...
"It's fine, Ilrak. I'm not dying."
"Bran."
"It's a side effect of Predation. Like you said, it's not your average freak."
Bran stepped between them.
It was the reaction he'd expected, so no surprise there.
A leather waterskin was already in his hand.
"Drink this. It's a bit different, right?"
"Keurgh... Hah... Thanks."
Arzan stood with Bran's support.
She drained the waterskin in one go and wiped her mouth.
"...Embarrassing. I made a fuss for nothing."
"It happens."
"The absorption isn't showing up clearly either. First time for this."
"That's because that jellyfish was too strong. Clear your mind and wait a bit."
It was the same system as in the game.
The stronger the prey Arzan devoured, the longer it took to absorb their abilities.
Along with the skill slot limit, it was the handicap that balanced her universally acknowledged cheat trait, Predation.
In the game, there'd be a timer like [Time until Predation complete: 00:00] by now.
Shortest was a day or two; longest, a month.
They'd caught it too easily, but Shadow of the Stars was originally a formidable boss.
'No idea how long it'll take. Should be faster since it was reproductive tissue.'
Still, it was worth the wait.
Shadow of the Stars' skills were irreplaceable.
A unique skill exclusive to boss monsters, impossible for humans or players to learn!
As he pondered rubbing her belly while waiting...
【Kyaaaaaah-!】
A chilling scream that sent chills down their spines echoed out.
It came from Kael and Nahm's direction.
"What the— what happened... holy fucking shit!"
"...Dwarf god."
The party whipped their heads around in unison and gasped.
A dramatic change unlike before was unfolding.
Kael was no longer holding Nahm.
"...!!!"
He knelt on the ground, hands clasped in prayer.
Incomprehensible chants poured rapidly from his tiny lips.
Nahm floated before him, about a meter off the ground.
【Kyaak! Gigig! Kieek!】
The deer's skull had long since peeled away.
Black tears streamed from beneath its inverted eyes.
Her limbs splayed out, back arched toward the ground like a bow—it evoked the heroine from an exorcism flick.
"Madam! Pull yourself together, madam!"
Rahir called out desperately, but no response came.
Beast-like roars echoed across the dawn plateau.
"Damn it, I don't know what's going on, but we have to save Kael at least!"
"I-it failed after all?"
The party groaned.
Arzan clenched her fists.
She didn't know much about purification rituals, but her instincts screamed something was wrong.
Just as they moved to act...
"No."
Bran stopped the three of them.
A meaningful smile played on his face as they turned.
"The opposite. Kael did it."
"What?"
"Hah, that bastard actually..."
The party, Arzan included, was dumbfounded.
It looked like a total failure to anyone— what was he talking about?
Bran continued.
"It looks worse on the surface, but it's not. See that? Something going in and out of Nahm's nose and mouth?"
"Nose and mouth... whoa, it is!"
"That's proof purification is almost done. The fragment in her head is making its last stand. It's resisting with everything it's got because it doesn't want to be evicted."
The party's eyes widened.
Sure enough, sinister energy repeatedly entered and exited her nose and mouth.
Like a refugee fighting forced deportation.
'Time for the finishing blow.'
From experience, a little help would tip the scales.
Unlike the earlier fierce battle, both should have their senses back now—exploit that.
Finishing blow. Finishing blow.
As Bran pondered methods, he snapped his fingers.
"Aha."
A flash of inspiration hit.
"Arzan. Go to Nahm."
"Pardon?"
"Hurry. Just get in her line of sight."
"What do you... fine, got it."
It made no sense, but Arzan followed Bran's words.
He always had a reason, after all.
She approached swiftly and stood before Nahm.
"...!"
And froze.
The deer's skull lay shattered, revealing Nahm's bare face.
Nahm's unmasked face was strikingly similar to her own.
Except for eye and hair color, they could pass for twins.
"So that's it."
Arzan chuckled softly.
She understood why Bran had asked her.
And what she needed to do.
Nahm, floating supine, wasn't looking at her.
So make her look.
Arzan leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"Mother."
"[...What?]"
A serene voice.
Nahm's blackened eyes briefly regained their light.
She locked eyes with Arzan and froze.
"[Narhhael.]"
Her daughter's name.
Arzan had worn her deer mask throughout the battle, so this was Nahm's first time seeing her face too.
Nahm's true voice emerged.
"[No way. How...]"
Arzan gave a wry smile.
The same reaction Rahir had when he first saw her.
She'd planned to say something like "I've missed you," but the words stuck in her throat.
Nahm descended from the air and faced Arzan.
She slowly raised her hand and touched Arzan's cheek.
"...My daughter."
No more distorted voice.
Tears streamed down Nahm's cheeks.
Not black tears—clear, pure ones.
As the outer god's influence faded from her eyes...
"Haaap!"
Kael let out a spirited shout and rose.
Flash!
The holy power he'd gathered exploded outward.
It enveloped Nahm in a blaze of light.
Her head snapped back.
"Keurgh!"
"Hey...!"
Arzan caught her as she collapsed.
The scales tipped fully.
A dark blue glow burst from Nahm's open mouth.
Exhausted, Kael pitched forward.
"Ah...!"
"Kael!"
Bran lunged and caught him.
He was completely spent, breathing raggedly.
His unfocused eyes darted around before he tilted his head.
"...Bran?"
"Good work. You're one hell of a guy."
He'd overexerted himself; he could barely see straight.
Understandable.
He'd accomplished something incredible, but now wasn't the time for praise.
The final stretch remained.
Whoosh.
The glow from Nahm's mouth took form in midair.
"W-what is that?!"
Benden yelped.
It was like a deep-sea will-o'-wisp.
The silently burning glow radiated an indescribably ominous aura.
Bran carefully laid Kael down and looked up at it.
"Finally crawled out."
Seeing it in person was something else.
A fragment of the final boss, encountered at the fastest possible timing.
Suddenly, red warning windows appeared before Bran's eyes.
The presence of another world crushes you!
The outer sea's emptiness overwhelms you!
■■'s authority denies your existence!
Warning! All stats are greatly reduced!
One after another.
His body grew heavy.
The so-called outer pressure.
The party, staring at the glow, froze like statues.
"Urgh!"
"F-fuck, what is this?!"
"My head...!"
A natural reaction.
No messages for them, but they felt it too.
Even this mere fragment exerted pressure rivaling berserk Silien.
The glow's true nature: a fragment of the outer god.
The root of all evil that drove great sorcerers mad.
Ruuuumble...
The fragment slowly surveyed its surroundings before rising into the air.
"[...]"
It had judged there was no reason to stay and was leaving.
Even as a fragment, it retained minimal ego.
Left alone, it'd return to the outer god—or Nahm's master.
Slowly, leisurely crossing the sky.
An infuriating strut, but most players couldn't stop it.
"Damn it, stop...!"
"My body... won't move."
Its mere presence dominated the area; they couldn't withstand the pressure.
Just extracting it from Nahm guaranteed a standard happy ending—no need to push further.
But.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Sometimes, there are exceptions.
"[...?]"
The fragment vibrated, turning toward the voice.
Bran had leaped in and was slashing downward with his longsword.
Right at it.
Fwoooosh-!
A dark blue wave erupted from within the fragment.
The presence of another world intensifies!
The outer sea's emptiness amplifies!
New warnings appeared.
At this level, the pressure alone could kill most creatures.
Sure enough, his body grew even heavier the moment the messages popped up.
Blood vessels burst in Bran's eyes.
Blood trickled from his ears and nose.
But that was no reason to stop.
"[...?!]"
The fragment vibrated violently.
Too late, it sensed something wrong—but aside from pressure, it had no defenses.
The longsword's blade dug into the dark blue mass.
No room for error.
Bran gripped the hilt tightly.
"Hup."
Everyone in our crew has their role.
Kael: support.
Ilrak: destruction.
Benden: historical research and intel gathering.
Arzan: ranged attacks and utility.
Bran's role was set too.
It had been vague before, but now he knew for sure.
Unyielding mental strength withstands the pressure!
Charge ahead first.
Pave the way for the others, even if it means rolling in the dirt and getting hurt.
The longsword traced a broad arc and exited downward.
Splaash!
The outer god's fragment split in two.
The mangled glow vanished into the dawning sky.
Dawn was breaking.
Against the brightening plateau, a golden window appeared.
You've defeated the fragment of ■■.
All remaining darkness in the Cursed Plateau has been completely eradicated!
The message he'd waited so long for—the true happy ending.