Azeras – Day 18: Two Days After Secretly Reattaching the Severed Arm
The Tamed Monsters list has been updated with 『013』.
I'd thought the process failed midway because it took so damn long, but luckily, she must not have particularly sharp senses—surprisingly dull, in fact.
Still, that took forever.
I never imagined it'd drag on for two whole days. It couldn't have been due to hostility. She wouldn't have even realized she was being tamed. If she had, she'd have ripped the arm off.
Just because her threat level is SS-grade, does taming normally take this long without hostility or affinity?
Apparently, that's the average time required for an actual SS-grade taming with no resistance or favor. Anyway.
I hunkered down in the shelter for now, hoping the one-armed monster would come find us on her own, just like the Fire Slime had. Tamed monsters seem to instinctively sense my general location.
However, even after she appeared on the list and a good chunk of time passed, she still hadn't shown up.
Should I go drag her here myself?
I'll look for her after dinner. As I chewed on some meat with that in mind, a familiar puppet figure emerged from far down Passage 7.
Spotting her, I waved happily.
"Oh, hey—you're here?"
Tamed Monster No. 013. The one-armed monster—the Loner—had come to us on her own.
The Loner's name is Azeras. Her ability is Heavenly Martial Arts.
She explained that Heavenly Martial Arts is one of the martial disciplines from the world where she used to live.
"The world you lived in... was a place called Heaven Realm?"
"Yes... The gods', world."
Azeras nodded as she answered, then introduced herself as a half-god, half-human born between a god and a human.
"A half-god from the gods' world, huh..."
"I've met someone who called themselves a god. But they were too weak to really count as one."
"Yeah. Threat level was A-grade."
"Gods... aren't grand beings. Just... ordinary lifeforms with strong powers... Strip away the abilities, and they're no different from humans."
As I chatted with the allies, Azeras chimed in. I agree. Gods aren't all that different from humans. They're just a superior race born with special abilities. Put simply, a species with higher base stats than humans.
And among gods, those with even greater abilities are called transcendent beings, I suppose.
I haven't actually met a transcendent being, but guessing from threat level... probably SS- or SSS-grade.
Of course, that's purely in terms of raw strength. SS-grade or higher that's just brute force without mystical powers doesn't quite fit the transcendent label. Like my old self... more precisely, pre-seal me.
At minimum, they need to be able to grant status windows or something to others to earn that title.
Anyway. Seeing a real half-god born of god and human was fascinating.
"Azeras. Besides martial arts, any other special abilities?"
"Martial arts... besides... special... abilities... none."
I decided to overlook her halting tone. Most of her pre-monster memories had returned, but her intelligence hadn't caught up yet. It'll develop in time, traveling with me.
After that, I had all sorts of conversations with Azeras. Stuttering through tales of her explorer days, life in Heaven Realm, how even after losing explorer status, eating monster waste didn't make her stronger but the habit stuck as instinct post-transformation. The story of how she lost her arm, and more.
She shared her past openly, like unloading old stories to a friend over drinks.
Unfortunately, Azeras didn't know the exact way to become the labyrinth's dominator either.
As we bloomed our chat over dinner...
Pururu suddenly asked.
What a time to wonder.
"Didn't I show you her explorer log when you were curious before? It said the Loner was female. You remember, right?"
"Does it really matter? This..."
I sighed, glancing at Azeras. Feels kinda rude, but... whatever. The allies are curious.
"Azeras. You're a girl, right?"
"......"
Azeras's eyes flickered. She fiddled with the monster mass on her head.
"No way... this thing... makes me look not girly...?"
She muttered softly, confirming she is female. Feels like I hurt her feelings. I hurriedly explained.
"No, I've thought you were a girl from the start. The allies kept saying you looked like a guy, so I had to ask."
"Allies..."
Azeras stared into space, as if cursing the invisible allies. (For reference, she already knows about the allies.)
And the allies right now...
Playing innocent, like they'd never doubted. Quick to flip the script, these allies.
Day 19 in the labyrinth. Team 2, who had been scouting Passage 7, switched to Passage 5.
Passage 5 houses the vast underground world where Poison Apples dwell.
Azeras was assigned to Team 4 for scouting, alongside Iris (who'd been on standby in Passage 5). Their sector: Passage 7.
Since it's where Azeras originally came from, she'll be familiar with it.
—"Ugh... mapmaking... hard..."
On Iris's eyeball screen, Azeras frowned while sketching the map as she advanced. Her lowered intelligence was making even cartography a struggle.
Still, she had to do it. To redevelop her atrophied brain.
"Nah. That's part of her body. Forcing it off would hurt."
"Tried that last night. Didn't work. Maybe cuz it's been too long since she lost it—Medical Mushroom's fluid was useless."
As I bantered with the allies, Azeras halted on Iris's screen.
A wall blocked her path.
"What? Dead end?"
—"No... path... exists."
Azeras stood firm, slowly tilting her head up. Iris's screen followed, revealing the ceiling.
A massive hole pierced the ceiling, stretching impossibly high, its end impossible to gauge.
To continue scouting from here, we'd need flight. I asked Azeras.
"Azeras. Can you fly?"
If not, I'd recall her for now. Float her with Jellyfish-002's levitation magic after dinner and resume.
But no need.
—"Just... jump up."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Azeras began ascending the "sky" with light steps. Not wall-climbing, but kicking off empty air, as if invisible platforms dotted the void.
"Impressive."
I praised her, but wasn't surprised. I could do that much too. Pre-seal, that is.
As Azeras kept rising...
—"......"
She paused mid-kick, pointing diagonally.
—"There... monsters... fighting."
Iris swiveled. The screen showed what Azeras saw.
—"Should we... just ignore?"
Azeras awaited orders. I hadn't given her the severed arm. No secret taming possible.
Didn't want needless fights, but...
"Azeras."
—"Yeah..."
"You like chicken?"
Skip the orangutan. But we need that chicken. Can't pass up chicken meat.