Strange Conversation (2)
The lower half of the unvaporized werewolf thudded to the floor like a sudden downpour. All that remained where the creature had stood were its massive, shaggy paws, still planted firmly on the ground. The explosion had erupted from the center of its body and surged upward, so apparently even its feet had managed to leave a trace.
Whoa… So this is Flame Explosion…! No wonder the conditions were so strict! It just one-shotted the thing clean.
Of course, I’d chipped away at it with Skeleton Bombs beforehand, so maybe that helped. But judging by the visual impact alone, the setup hardly seemed to matter.
Once I got this ability, the real challenge would be figuring out how to stack all five marks as quickly as possible.
Haha! I need to get this fast. But… why isn’t the skill leveling up? Come on, Fireball!
Skeleton Bomb Lv.7
- Processes bones from personally slain monsters into magic bombs for storage. When thrown, deals damage equal to 360% of Attack Power.
- Higher-grade bones grant additional damage.
- Currently stored: 0/62
Fireball Lv.1
- Deals 150% of Magic Attack Power as damage.
- 25% chance to inflict the status ailment Burn.
- Burn: -30% Health Recovery, -25% Defense
Skeleton Bomb, which I now handled as naturally as my own hands, had already met its requirements. But Fireball showed no sign of leveling up whatsoever. If it would just rise two more levels, I could unleash that devastating Flame Explosion.
I guess it makes sense. I haven’t really done anything noteworthy with Fireball, so why would it expect anything?
I collapsed to the floor, lost in thought. The moment the Flame Explosion had surged upward remained burned vividly into my mind. The more I replayed the scene, the higher the corners of my mouth crept.
This is fun. It’s practically worthy of being called an ultimate skill.
A shiver ran through me—pure pleasure from briefly touching a new realm. Even though I was on the verge of death, the ecstasy I’d never felt in my entire life made me chuckle to myself. That was when a golden orb slowly descended from the ceiling.
Huh? Tania! You’re back!
As Tania appeared, every trace of the werewolf that had been scattered across the chamber vanished without a trace. I’d hoped maybe I could snag some bones, but that really had been too greedy.
······Just what… are you…?
Tania sounded considerably shaken. Had she really thought I couldn’t beat her?
Wasn’t I pretty good? What do you think? Were you surprised? Hehe~
I wondered what kind of expression she would make if she had a human face. Maybe she’d be clicking her tongue with her arms crossed, staring at me like some unknown lifeform she’d never encountered before.
I really wanted to tease her a little more, but unfortunately the situation didn’t allow for it.
Hey, Tania. Sorry to spring this on you, but I think I’m about to die. If there’s any reward, could you give it to me a bit faster?
Having died several times before, I instinctively knew my time was almost up. My legs had already crumbled into dust and I’d been sitting on the floor for a while now. The body that had begun cracking the moment I used Flame Explosion showed no signs of recovery.
Even if I did get the skill, this state was a problem. If I ended up like this every time I used it… Well, Flame Explosion certainly had incredible destructive power, but if it was a skill traded for my life… Hmm. Shouldn’t it show even more power than this? I didn’t think my life was worth so little.
Tania answered the question I’d asked while worrying I might not receive my reward.
Even if you die right now, the reward will be granted the next time you are summoned. Defeating me in my Mimicry form grants a reward. That is the most absolute rule that exists in this place.
Oh… I see.
A chilling wave of energy suddenly swept across the chamber. It sounded like the breath of some colossal creature exhaling in its sleep. The sound soon vanished, but it was intense enough to remind a dying being of the terror of death once more.
What the hell was that…?
Hehe… It has been a very long time since my master showed such a reaction. For some reason, they seem extremely pleased thanks to you.
……Hmm. Does your master have some kind of skeleton fetish? They’re not around here somewhere, are they? This master of yours.
That can’t be. That person resides in a place beyond even dreams. And please refrain from making such absurd guesses… A skeleton fetish for them… How dare you…
It was a joke. Though this really isn’t the time for jokes.
Still, for the aura of someone in such an unreachable place to be felt all the way here… No matter how I tried to gauge what kind of being it was, the scale simply didn’t compute.
Crack… crack…
Now even my arms were beginning to split apart like dry firewood.
The sound of cracking is pure ASMR.
To think you can say such things in this situation.
…Do you even know what ASMR means?
It is an acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. In your country’s language, it is called white noise.
Uh… How do you know that? You’re one suspicious Mimic!
It is only natural for me to take interest in matters connected to my world.
…Is that natural? You really are a curious Mimic, aren’t you?
Heh. Let’s just say that’s the case.
It was strange. This being was a Mimic that hunted intelligent lifeforms like fish in a dungeon. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out how she would know such things. No wonder our conversations never felt awkward.
Well, anyway. I won. Hahaha!! Ha. Ha. Ha!
……
Even though the Mimic was a smooth golden orb, I somehow felt like she was sighing at me in exasperation.
Obsession
Huh? What’s this?
This is what you call an inventory function.
Whoa, so this is that heaven-tier skill I heard about! The name’s different from what I imagined, but whatever. Shall we check the next reward?
You speak as if you left something in storage… Normally only one reward is given alongside Obsession. However, since you have pleased my master, I shall grant one additional reward.
Oh! Buy one get one free!
…When you put it that way it sounds incredibly cheap. Still, this is truly astonishing. In all the time since I was born, this is something I could count on one hand. You should show a little more reverence toward my master!
I’d need to know who they are to show reverence. So what’s their name?
Th-that is…
Can’t say, huh?
Ahem— I shall proceed with the rewards.
Tsk…
The two rewards shall be the one thing you desire most and the engraving of a mana circuit.
The thing I desire most? What would that be… Maybe a notebook that instantly kills anyone whose name I write? Like Jo Giman’s?
There are artifacts similar to that. Jo Giman… You speak of the Avatar of the Seven-Headed Dragon. To kill a being of that caliber, a considerable price must be paid.
I was surprised that the Mimic could immediately connect the name Jo Giman to the information that he was the Avatar of the Seven-Headed Dragon, but the existence of an instant-death artifact was even more shocking.
It exists? I was just throwing it out there… So how big is the price to kill that guy?
The Seven-Headed Dragon is a divine entity comparable to the Lost Titan I showed you earlier. A human who has become its avatar would alone be an achievement worthy of being recorded in the Book of Akasha. Therefore, at minimum… one billion lives would be required.
What?! Are you insane? That bastard is worth a billion lives?
Value is relative. If you were to weigh ordinary beings who appear and disappear like flowing river water against that man called Jo Giman, even a billion lives would be too few.
……
My head was spinning. Talking with Tania made me feel so utterly insignificant that I almost felt like everything I was doing right now didn’t matter.
Sigh… Get a grip. There’s no way she’d give me something that amazing just for beating a werewolf. Maybe a greatsword? I could really use a greatsword right now… By the way, what’s a mana circuit?
It is a circuit that raises your mana affinity. With this circuit, the difficulties caused by lack of mana will be greatly reduced. It will even increase the mana recovery rate of your connected comrades.
Whoa— Just drawing one circuit does all that? You really are amazing!
Child… I can hardly believe there exists a being who calls me that. Even my master has never done so… You are strange from the start. Normally, the very idea of conversing with me is blocked the moment challengers enter this space.
Really? Maybe it’s because I’m a monster… Anyway, how do you engrave the circuit? Should I just stretch out my arm?
I don’t understand what stretching out an arm means, but the circuit has already been engraved.
??
I wondered if she was messing with me, but I really could feel that my body had changed dramatically from just moments ago. And then a message appeared.
Mana affinity has risen dramatically!
The world’s mana has begun to gather endlessly around you.
When I quietly observed my inner self, I saw golden circuits densely engraved inside my bones—circuits that had been invisible before.
Whoa…! Dramatically increased! As expected, the Golden Mimic Tania is incredible! Amazing! Awesome! The best!
Ahem… This much is quite easy for me.
The Mimic in her golden orb form tried to act indifferent, but the way she bounced frantically across the floor made it obvious she was thrilled by the praise.
So the mana gathering around me positively affects my comrades too.
Correct.
Crunch…
Uh… Now the floor is right in front of my face.
My chest had weathered away so much that my vision had dropped all the way to the ground. It was even hard to see the floating Mimic now.
……About a minute left? Guess I’m dying again like this.
…In any case, the concept of death no longer applies to you, does it? The summoner will simply call you again.
In truth, I was in an ambiguous position with a limited number of lives, but it seemed the Mimic hadn’t figured that out yet.
Well… I guess that’s true? Anyway, it’s a shame. Such a shame…
I do not understand what you find regrettable. You have achieved victory. Among those summoned to this place, the rate of those who leave victorious does not even reach thirty percent. You may be proud.
No, not that. You have this weird tendency to miss the point, don’t you?
What do you…
I’m sad about parting with you! Do I really have to say it out loud? Even though I’m not saying it.
……I do not understand. There is no connection between us. There is no reason for us to form a bond.
I know… But I like you. I don’t know why, but I felt that way from the first time I saw you. Maybe because I think we’re in similar situations… I don’t know.
……You… like me?
Yeah. So we can’t see each other again?
……That is correct. The principle is that once an entity has entered this space, they cannot enter again.
Ugh… I see…
In this life, I’d finally met someone who felt like they could become a friend for the first time… The deep sense of regret left an ache in my chest. I did have Yeonhee, but she was more like a… well, anyway. Parting with Tania was incredibly disappointing.
So, after thinking hard, I asked about the question that had come up earlier.