The Overlord's Fruit and Silverback Chimpanzee Akimus lv129

The Silverback Chimpanzee Akimus lv129—the fruit of the overlord, huh. The name felt a bit ominous, but just looking at it, it seemed like the best fruit I'd seen so far. Better than that "radiant fruit" supposedly forming on the massive root in the central zone a few days from now. I wondered what its effect would be. Something like, "Become a strong and ruthless overlord." But when I checked the description...

Somehow, it felt subtle. An overbearing aura—what could that mean? Like haki or something? Not that technique from some pirate manga, right? Still, shortening "overbearing aura" to haki didn't seem wrong. "Kinda ambiguous..." That was my impression. All the fruits I'd eaten so far had tangible effects. They made my body more efficient, let me share experience points, lent me useful skills like emergency return. But an overbearing aura?

-If it's a mental skill like Intimidation, it'll be better than you think.

Mental skills, huh. Come to think of it, I didn't have any mental-related skills. But more than that, there was something I couldn't wrap my head around.

"Don't I already exude plenty of overbearing aura?"

-?

I didn't like the way Pellelian was looking at me.

"Look at this."

The boss had sneaked right up to the enemy leaders and stolen their fruit, but there were monsters lounging around carefree as ever. I approached them and let out a fierce hiss.

"Saaak!"

They freaked out. The owl flapped its wings wildly, and the mole burrowed into the ground. I shot Pellelian a look that said, see?

-If startling them counts as an overbearing aura, then cockroaches jumping out from under the bed are overlords among overlords.

"...Yeah, when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you put it that way."

-Mental skills are completely different. You'll see if you look at your father. He seems to have something like a charm skill, a mental one.

I hadn't been able to check his status window properly—he hid it meticulously. I checked on Dad right away. He was napping.

"Uh..."

Something seemed off with his condition. He looked drained. He usually never let anyone see him sleep; he'd vanish somewhere when it was time. But now he was just lying there, limp.

I asked the gorilla about the situation.

"Big... handsome snake... seems sick."

Yeah, not just sleeping.

"From last time... no energy..."

The other monsters kept their distance from Dad. They'd come right up to me, no problem—why not get within 10 meters of him?

-He probably has more of an overbearing aura than you. As the leader of the pack, it's a blow to my pride. But somehow... I'm worried.

I slinked toward Dad. He still didn't open his eyes.

-Ho, he really looks bad. Pellelian scratched his chin, intrigued. Was it okay to be that interested in someone else's dad being sick?

-Ahem, I'm knowledgeable about monster ecology, aren't I? Just trying to diagnose the problem.

Pellelian made an excuse. I hadn't expected him to look that sheepish.

-I've been building up a bit of power, so I can manage a check-up.

Then he acted like he was doing me a favor.

-Put the ring against your dad's body.

"Like... this?"

I gently—very gently—laid my tail on Dad's body. He was Dad and all, but he still scared me a little. What if he suddenly snapped and ate me? Dads had always been terrifying since my past life.

-Wait a sec.

Pellelian chanted some odd incantation. Unlike me, he couldn't do chantless magic. Kinda pitiful. Oblivious to my thoughts, he finished the spell. The ring felt slightly warm. Pellelian pressed his ear to Dad's body.

-Uh... Then he frowned. What? What is it?

-Mana depletion. No way. Pellelian spoke like a doctor discovering a rare disease.

-A monster of this level shouldn't recover mana this slowly.

"Explain it to me too."

-His body's balance is off.

Pellelian's explanation wasn't too hard. Monsters have mana. Using skills or magic consumes it. Mana is real power, so using it all makes your head spin and leaves you exhausted. But it naturally replenishes over time. Dad's recovery wasn't working right. His mana regen was ridiculously slow.

-He must've used a high-mana skill like Destruction Beam recently... but still weird. He should've recovered by now.

"Is he sick?"

-Maybe... Pellelian focused harder.

-No... it's leaking. Most of the replenishing mana is draining somewhere.

Where was it going? A crack in his dantian or something?

"What do we do?"

-Not much choice. Find and fix the bodily issue, or feed him mana-replenishing stuff. Like mana potions.

Was Pellelian's check-up too rough? Dad suddenly rose. His eyes flashed as he convulsed wildly.

"...Ah."

He looked at me in surprise. I'd already burrowed halfway into the ground. Good, he recognized me—I came back out. My heart nearly stopped. He definitely looked exhausted. I pondered for a bit. I hadn't eaten the crimson root fruit yet. Partly because its effect was ambiguous, but also recalling the previous fruits' effects.

"Should I just give this to Dad?"

-That fruit?

All the fruits so far had been nutrient-rich. Not as much as potions, but packed with mana regardless of effects. Of course, there was a bigger reason.

-Efficiency-wise, yeah.

The description on the overlord's fruit: "The intensity of the aura is proportional to the power of the monster that consumed it." Even if I'd gotten stronger, our crew's top firepower was still Dad. He looked cool and massive—perfect for exuding an overbearing aura. I held up the fruit hesitantly. Wondered if Dad would want it.

Ssssk—

He wrapped his tail around me. What the hell!

"You eat it."

"Huh?"

My kid was trying to be filial here.

"Me again?"

He just stared without answering. No choice—I crunched and swallowed the overlord's fruit. Sweet. Only then did he release me. Such a taciturn guy. He tapped my head with his tail. Somehow, it didn't hurt my pride.

Whoa! Emergency Return was lv20, right? This new skill was only lv2. But I got more excited instead.

"It's a higher-tier skill."

-Yeah. You can tell from the name.

Couldn't compare Heavenly Thunder Command lv1 to Magic: Static Electricity lv10. Higher skills had a different vibe from the start.

This was Conqueror's Haki! Pellelian, who'd gotten the explanation through me, nodded.

-Overlord is the higher skill of Intimidation.

"You know it?"

-Yeah, the heroes of the era—only a talented few had it. For a mere snake to wield it...

He said it like that, so no helping it. Time for a real test. No point trying it on my minions—they were already under me. I rode Dotbakyi down the cliff. This Shadow Forest wasn't just monkeys and bugs, obviously. Those were the main groups, but plenty of other monsters too. None strong enough to challenge the silver monkey or bug king, though. I went hunting for them. Didn't take long. A herd of deer grazing. I patted Dotbakyi's head, and she slowed to a stop. Not ordinary deer—these were monsters that sometimes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ate meat. Sharp teeth gave it away. The lead buck raised its head, wary of me.

"Grrrng..."

Tough growl for a deer.

Yeah, the boss, huh. It stepped forward growling, protecting the others. Vicious antlers—not like normal deer, spiked like thorn branches. Bloodstained red, rotting flesh and torn hide dangling raggedly.

"Grrng!"

Scraped its hooves like a warhorse. Impressive spirit. I like you. Time to test the new skill.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I didn't expect visible effects. Thought mental skills only affected the target. Whoosh! A gale-force wind flattened the grass. The area darkened, temperature dropped a few degrees. If I had hair, it'd be whipping wildly—like a demon lord descending! No hair, so just Dotbakyi's mane fluttered. The deer took the intangible pressure head-on. Plop plop. Timid ones shat marble-like pellets. Glanced at the ones behind—they bowed or knelt. Wow, burns a ton of mana. But the lead buck stood firm.

-Deer with spirit.

I glared and held the skill. "Ah." Realized it—the leader had passed out standing, eyes glazed.

"This is insane."

Overlord's effect exceeded expectations. Can't underestimate mental skills. I leaped to the buck, slashed its throat with my tail. It came to, whimpering.

"You, you, and you."

Picked three combat-capable ones, including the leader.

"Join our crew."

Twenty was too few. Once their will broke, taming was easy.

That easy? Would've made the indoor zoo easier. Aim for 50 first.

* * *

The cliff is ruled by a small snake and a big snake. Word like that must've spread among the local monsters. Makes sense. Monsters loitering nearby had vanished. Absorbed into the zoo or fled in fear of snakes. I checked my elevated achievement.

Over fifty minions now. Street casting and occasional hunts swelled the numbers. Still the smallest group, but elite-only, I prided myself. The achievement's "exudes leader-like presence"—hard for me to feel, but apparently I looked dignified now. Used to get underestimated and ambushed due to my size; not anymore. Fewer preemptive attacks even without Overlord. The massive root in the center—the radiant fruit ripening there. Time to go for it was nearing. Dad's condition improved short-term. Hunted local monsters for magic stones, fed them to him.

"Eating magic stones" has limited effects. Magic stones brim with demonic essence, essential for evolution, slowly restore mana. But no instant levels or power-ups. Using precious stones like mana potions is inefficient.

-Magic stones need digestion. Yours is decent, but not easy. Higher grades burden stamina more when converting to mana.

"Not just 'cause you don't wanna share your stones?"

-...Not entirely, but true. That snake looks frail too.

The truth vow still held, apparently. He explained:

-Magic stones shine in magic or alchemy. High-grade ones catalyze grand magic for individuals. Potions too.

"Beginner magic didn't need 'em."

-Grand magic.

"They're super expensive, right? Mages must be money pits."

-Traditionally, yes. Pellelian bankrupted fairy society finances before exile, apparently.

"Still, let's use some high-grade ones."

-...

"Grind for potions. Hate it? Eat 'em whole."

-Fine, fine. I'll make 'em.

"Thanks~"

With Pellelian's help, I made mana potions. Way harder than stamina ones—barely two bottles. Enough to top Dad up a bit. A few more days, maybe two or three more. A brief respite. Me and the monsters enjoyed it. But as always, disaster strikes unannounced. Something worthy of the name. A lion owl with mane-like feathers flapped around. Normally nocturnal—what wind blew? Purple sky blurring day/night? Or dutiful patrol? I lounged by Dad, watching the owl. Boom! Owl exploded, leaving feathers fluttering. Realized soon after: hit by bullet-like stones.

"Oh, owlieeee!"

I bolted up in shock and rage. Even Dad, lounging half the day, did too. Someone appeared. The usually brave gorilla trembled.

"Gr-gr-gr-grandddd...!"

Futile attempt to hide behind me. Was she calling me, or reacting to the silver monkey striding over? Couldn't tell.

The enemy general appeared alone. Killed my subordinate right away. Tsssk—my scales blackened instinctively. Dad blocked my front. His massive form rising was no joke. But the silver chimp showed no fear.

"Big, handsome... snake. Formed a new pack, huh?"

He was grinning. Not scared?

-Thinks your dad is the boss.

Ah, got it. Hm. No need for me to step up as leader here. I peeked from behind Dad at the chimp.

"Silver monkey..."

Dad's telepathy rumbled.

"Come to die?"

Nice! Coming alone—crazy monkey. But the chimp chuckled.

"Came to kill you and your minions."

That confidence was unsettling. No way...

"You. Half-baked."

The chimp pointed at Dad.

"Mana-deficient sick snake!"

He already knew Dad's issue? Came alone thinking he could wipe us out. Silverback Chimpanzee Akimus declared:

"I alone can kill you all!"