Fights Are Still... Munch Munch
Fights were still... munch munch. An unpleasant sound filled the air around them. It was the noise of Elton's summon being devoured.
How...?
Of course, Copy's binding had worked perfectly. The mid-level monster hadn't budged from its spot. What had moved was him—he'd stepped right into his own trap.
Grrrrrumble.
The mid-level monster that had digested the White Tiger glared at the two of them. Elton flinched in shock, thrusting out his hand to resummon the White Tiger. But summons that died in battle couldn't be revived right away.
I-I have to run...
The most rational choice was to flee this instant. His opponent was a mid-level monster, but not just any—it might even be a higher-level one hiding its power. There was no other way his White Tiger could have been taken down so helplessly.
However...
...If I run now.
The dead White Tiger would be lost forever. Reviving a summon required its relic, and right now, that relic was inside the monster's gut. If too much time passed, the monster's stomach acid would dissolve even the relic, absorbing it as its own power.
"R-Run!"
Too late—far too late. Elton's mind finally overrode his instincts, opting for the rational choice.
But it was already too late to escape.
—Krraaah...!
The sudden shout and movement were seen as a threat in the wild. To the monster, their actions screamed aggression.
And so it counterattacked.
Part of the monster's body stretched out like a whip. It lashed toward the fleeing pair.
Splat—Elton and Copy, ankles snared, were yanked into the air.
"Guhhh!?"
Only then did Elton realize why his summon had been devoured without a fight. The monster was a slime—one that could freely morph its body and resist physical attacks. The burning pain in his ankle suggested it had some acidity too.
"C-Copy! Hurry! Do something!"
"Gaaaaahhh!"
"Fuckin' useless pig bastard!"
Yet Elton unconsciously denied his own stupidity had led them here.
As its captives flailed helplessly, the monster instinctively knew it held the upper hand. They were prey. It was the predator.
Prey caught by a sated predator had two fates: plaything or emergency rations.
Unfortunately for them, it chose the former.
Thud, thud.
"Gaaaaah! Blugh—bleeeeurgh—!"
Whirled and spun in midair, Elton and Copy endured unbearable gravitational acceleration and vomited. Yellow bile sprayed through the air.
In his agony, Copy achieved a startling breakthrough.
"Gaaaaahhh! Dryad!"
The second Original Art he'd never awakened in his life. Countless thorny roots erupted from the Ent Dryad's body like spikes.
Shwick!
The tendrils binding them were severed, dropping to the ground. The two crashed down with a thud and bolted down the slope.
Well, Elton did. Precisely Elton.
"Fuck! Fuuuuck—!"
"W-Wait...!"
Boom—the hefty Copy tumbled. Elton glanced back, saw him fall, but had no time to help.
"I'll get the teacher!"
No matter how fast he fetched help, Copy was done for. Copy knew it instinctively.
"S-Save me!"
But Elton didn't look back, sprinting downward, ever downward. Watching his partner abandon him, Copy seethed with inexpressible rage.
"That... that goddamn bastard...!"
And there was only one place to vent it: the monster eyeing him.
"Y-Yeah... come at me, you fuckin' monster freak!"
In theory, a 3-star summon could solo a mid-level monster. Wood-affinity Ents could damage slimes.
So it was worth a shot.
"Come on!"
The coward Copy became brave Copy in that moment.
Splat—!
"Gaaaaah!"
The monster scattered his feeble resistance with ease. The fat, slow Copy couldn't dodge, rolling in pain.
Co... mmand...
Meanwhile, lacking proper orders, the Ent clashed head-on with the slime. Predictably, the poison-affinity monster held every advantage. While the Ent resisted admirably, its wounds multiplied against the regenerating slime.
Copy couldn't rise.
Not even as the monster swallowed his summon.
Munch munch.
Copy stayed down.
"...!"
The monster approached. Copy crawled, tears and piss streaming.
I want to live. God, please let me live. I'll work hard from now on. Obey my parents, lose weight, donate lots. Just give me one chance.
"Save me—!"
"Anna."
"Yes, Master."
And God answered his prayer.
Though it wouldn't make him slim down or donate, of course.
* * *
We kept climbing the mountain. We were so relaxed, chatting idly along the ridgeline.
"Is this really training if it's this easy?"
"...You didn't do shit."
"I’m in charge of the cuteness!"
"Even that's not you being cute."
"Girls who nitpick like that aren't popular, y'know?"
Sheera and Stella kept bickering, Noah trailed silently behind me, and we were buzzing like it was a picnic. Zero tension.
...Sheera was right.
Too easy to stay tense. I worried if this counted as training.
But that worry vanished soon enough.
—Gaaaaahhh!!
The kids' eyes snapped to the ridgeline above.
"...Was that a scream?"
"Sounded like those guys from earlier."
"W-What do we do!? We gotta hurry...!"
Hearing the scream, I nodded to Anna. Hoisted on her back, I shouted to the three girls.
"I'll go ahead—follow me!"
No waiting for replies. Three 3-star summoners could handle even a high-level monster. Stella even had a 4-star.
Their lives weren't at risk.
Riding Anna's back, we soared up to the scream's source—the mountain peak. Bursting through dark foliage and soaring trees, we hit the summit. The roars grew louder.
And there, a monster assailing a student.
Response: swift.
"Anna."
"Yes, Master."
Debut with the finisher. Holy Cross.
Holy-affinity skills were super-effective against all monsters.
—Kieeeek!!
Sure enough, struck by the beam, the monster fled like a cockroach dodging light.
As it retreated, I swiftly rescued the fallen boy.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Hah... huff... haaah!"
"Snap out of it. What about the other guy?"
"E-Elton—EltOOOOON!"
"He dead?"
He shook his head frantically. Good—he denied it.
Then why the waterworks? And how the hell did two 3-star summoners fail against one monster?
Pathetic.
I shoved him aside and eyed the monster facing Anna. It had retreated from the beam, but Anna's light wasn't invincible.
Tough bastard.
If a tank like her could one-shot it, she'd be 4- or 5-star material. Her offense was just a tad lacking compared to her durability.
"My apologies, Master. I failed to fell it."
"It's fine. Anyway... that wasn't the goal."
—Krrrrr...
The beam faded; the pained monster advanced slowly, rage boiling. Its writhing tentacles swayed, ready to claim lives.
But too much time had passed.
"Salamander."
Whoosh—!
A fierce flame jet erupted behind me. The monster, blocking with tentacles, shrieked at the fire clinging to its body.
—Z, KEERRRR!!
"Idiot."
Stella, Noah, and Sheera arrived late. Petting Salamander's head, Stella eyed the monster that had blocked her attack.
"Who blocks a fireball? Shoulda dodged."
"Hmm, too big for poison. Pass this time."
"Crush it...?"
The girls assessed the monster. Not as sharp as me, but academy cadets—specialists at slaying monsters with summons.
I fell back, joining them.
"Like I said earlier."
"I'm tank, Stella's DPS? Got it."
Noah summoned hers: the Marble Golem Statue. The massive giant appeared, hostility aimed at the monster.
—I will... crush...
Its giant foot slammed down. The slime burst like a water balloon, spraying debris.
But I shook my head.
Not dead.
With my game system, I could tell instantly. Dead meant EXP; alive meant nada.
Regrettably, the slime lived.
"It's alive."
"That thing?"
"Amorphous monsters don't die if the core's intact. Didn't study?"
"...Who you lecturing?"
Stella scowled, stepping forward. Salamander beside her flicked its tongue in flames.
"I'm the top entrant."
"Fifth now, though."
"...Shut up."
Thwap—she tapped Salamander's crown. It sprayed liters of flammable liquid instead of fire.
Foul oil stench filled the air, ignited by a spark.
—K, kkreeee!
The monster became a fireball, writhing in agony. An unburnt tendril probed, but Anna's shield held.
Soon, it left two relics behind and vanished.
* * *
"...Thanks, really."
Copy, slumped on the ground, got his summon's relic back and expressed gratitude. Pressing the half-erased pattern against it restored the faded glyph.
That's how you revive summons...
If you couldn't recover the relic in time, it hardened into an heirloom. Few had the soul power to resummon anyway, so the summon was lost forever.
Slightly different from the game.
"Give this to him yourself."
I handed him the other relic. No questions about where Elton fled or why the pair split. Fat guys' drama? Not my circus.
"...Thanks."
Copy bowed deeply, lost in thought. We descended with him.
The gathered kids and teacher greeted us.
"—Copy? You're safe!"
"...Elton."
Spotting Copy—and the glyph on his hand—Elton beamed, rushing over.
"I was so worried."
But his eyes chased the relic in Copy's grip, not his face.
Copy sighed deeply, thrusting the relic forward.
"Ah, th—"
"You thought I was a pathetic fuck, right?"
"Wh-What? No way I'd think that!"
"You're right. I am pathetic."
Thud—Copy handed it over with cold eyes.
"But you're a coward piece of shit. A worthless one."
With that, the two suddenly threw down.
I watched from the side, thinking:
As expected, trash-on-trash fights are the most entertaining...