Through the Rapids
"Watch out, Jamie! Here it comes!"
"Wh-what?!"
Booooom!
Out of nowhere, something like a tree fruit came flying through the jungle.
Simon jerked his waist back to dodge it, and the fruit sailed past him into a tree on the far side. With a heavy thud, the trunk caved in deeply.
"...Whoa."
Jamie let out a gasp of admiration.
"If that hit your head, a barrier wouldn't save you."
"Duck! More coming!"
Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom!
The thing hurling the fruit was a long-armed monster that brought monkeys to mind. It was pulling fruit from a pouch on its belly and flinging them around wildly.
"Hup!"
Simon, well-versed in Matu, was weaving his body this way and that to slip past them. Jamie tried to copy him, took a few hits, and clearly gave up on the idea—spreading defensive Jet-Black magic circles across both her arms instead.
Thwack!
THWACK!
But after just a few fruits slammed into them, the defensive circles were reduced to tatters.
The moment Jamie's face went pale, Simon glanced back at her.
"Can you keep holding out?"
"Si—Simon! In front of us!"
A massive boulder had suddenly reared up ahead of the rapids. It sat in a position so perfectly suited to smashing their raft to pieces that it felt almost malicious.
Simon raised Jet-Black beneath both feet, anchoring himself firmly to the raft, and stretched out his right arm.
"Come out, all of you!"
A subspace tore open and the skeletons shot out like lightning. The instant they emerged, they broke apart, bone segment linking to bone segment to form a long pole.
Simon gripped it, planted it against the boulder, and pushed with all his strength.
Grrraaak!
His strength plus the skeletons' pulling force. The raft barely twisted sideways and scraped past the rock.
"Amazing!"
At some point Jamie had come up beside him, holding out a shield to cover them both. Simon thought their teamwork was rather decent—but in the end, a flying fruit blew the shield apart anyway.
"Pick one, Class President!"
Simon shouted, dodging the incoming fruit.
"Do we tough this out? Or do we do it my way?"
"I'm not in Group 7! What's your way?!"
"Overdoing it!"
The speed of the raft drifting downstream and the speed of the monkey monsters clambering after them through the trees were almost the same. Even now, the monkey horde had swollen to an enormous size.
"Ugh!"
Jamie was an aspiring curse mage. Unless a curse specialist specialized in wide-area curses, they struggled to make a big showing in situations like this.
"F-fine! I don't know what you're planning, but hurry!"
The corners of Simon's mouth curled up as he opened a subspace.
"Come forth. Deimos."
"What?"
SPLOOOOSH!
The subspace opened, and an undead made of whale bones burst out and plunged into the river.
'So that's the summon that made Simon take first place in the 3rd BMAT!'
Of course Jamie had heard all about the famous Deimos too.
Simon stretched out his fingers.
'Cloud.'
Turquoise smoke flew out like a rope and coiled around the Deimos swimming alongside the raft.
'Fine control...!'
Simon's fingers moved with the delicacy of a pianist. The turquoise thread that wound around the Deimos came back to wrap the raft tightly, then settled into Simon's hand.
"Pardon me, Class President."
Simon flung it at Jamie. The turquoise smoke began coiling around her body.
"W-wait a second! Why am I being tied up?!"
she shouted, face going red.
"It's to anchor you to the raft."
Simon moved the Cloud so that Jamie was pressed flat against the raft as if she and it had become one thing. He wrapped his own body in the Cloud as well, then lowered himself as much as he could and lay down beside her.
"Let's go! Deimos!"
-Kyeeeeeeee!
The Deimos took the raft in tow and began charging through the rapids. The surrounding scenery suddenly started sweeping past at a staggering pace.
SHAAAAAAA!
In an instant, the Deimos overtook the pursuing monkey monsters and tore ahead. Huge walls of water whipped up on either side.
"Faster! Run faster, Deimos!"
Simon shouted.
"T-t-t-too faaaaast!"
Jamie, lying beside him, was blinking back tears and desperately searching for her mother.
Simon had long since left the pace of this 'game' far behind. The Deimos was moving forward faster than the monkey monsters could come out of the jungle.
'Right. Left. Right again.'
Simon stayed sharp, focusing on the Deimos's senses. He lightly skirted the rocks that appeared here and there. The monkeys' attacks never landed at all.
'One clean run all the way to the goal!'
It felt as though a distance that even Simon considered long had been wiped out in a single stretch.
Then a new screen flickered into view.
[New record goal confirmed.]
[Bonus Objective: Hunt the boss monster.]
'What?'
Simon's head turned.
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
Some creature running on two legs through the jungle was chasing down the Deimos as it shot through the rapids.
He couldn't see its shape clearly, but every time the monster moved, trees were torn up by the roots and hurled into the air.
'A bonus objective?'
By default, finishing the game required completing only one core objective—but he knew from reading the rulebook that a bonus objective appeared when certain special conditions were met.
Then he saw the monster leap for the river where he and Jamie were.
"Simon! Above us!"
Simon's gaze was already tilted upward.
'Can't block this one.'
Deliberation lasted an instant, and his action came fast.
He severed the Cloud connected to the raft immediately, then stamped on Jet-Black and launched himself skyward. Jamie, still linked to him, was yanked into the air along with a scream.
CRUNCH!
The gorilla monster's fist obliterated the raft. Fragments went flying in every direction.
Tap.
Simon, who had escaped by the skin of his teeth, touched down on the ground, and Jamie tumbled down after him.
"Insane, that's insane!"
Jamie cried out, white-faced.
"Now I get how much Meilin and Cami suffer with you!"
"I merely make the best choice available at all times."
Just then the gorilla monster came splashing up out of the water and charged at the pair, its huge body drenched.
The two of them quickly took up combat stances.
-KROOOAAR!
The gorilla monster swung its fist.
'Open Gate!'
Two tentacle blades rose from beneath Simon's feet and crossed—and the gorilla's fist slammed into them.
BOOOM!
The tentacle blades wavered and bent. An absurd, monstrous strength.
"Ngh!"
Simon, linked to Overlord's senses, frowned as he took a measure of the impact himself. At the same moment, the other four blades slashed clean through the gorilla's body.
Blood fountained from the four wounds, and the gorilla flew into a rage.
"Nice one!"
Snatch!
Jamie, who had at some point climbed a tree, leapt down behind the gorilla monster, sweeping her hands along its back as she descended. Wherever her palms touched, flowers bloomed.
<Curse of Daisy>
The effect was superb. The gorilla writhed in evident agony, twisting its body as it clawed at its own back.
"That's a curse mage for you!"
The moment Jamie hopped away and ran, the gorilla monster went chasing after her.
Then Simon charged boldly, passing between the gorilla's legs with a sweep of his arm. Jet-Black coiled around his fist.
<Hong Peng Original — Chakgeom (Fixed Blade)>
SHRAAAAAK!
The Jet-Black blade strike sheared cleanly through the gorilla's Achilles tendon. As though the strength had drained from its leg, the gorilla fell to one knee with a heavy thoom.
"Phew."
Simon sprang back to his feet and planted himself in front of Jamie, shielding her. She too halted her retreat and readied a curse.
-KROOOAAR!
The enraged gorilla monster dragged one leg behind it as it came barreling at them like a war chariot.
Simon dropped his arm and stepped in beside Jamie.
"Simon?"
"Get down!"
He pressed her shoulder, forcing her flat against the ground.
"Wh-what are you doing! The monster's right—!"
Simon snapped his fingers.
"Ocean Current Cannon."
"!"
KWAAAAAAAAANG!
A bullet of water came flying out of nowhere from the direction of the river, took the charging gorilla's body head-on, and carried it straight into the cliff wall behind.
GRGRGRGRGROOOM!
The cliff caved in deeply, and the gorilla's body burst apart. It became a bloody mess, its muscles and entire skeletal frame crushed to paste.
"Whoa...!"
Jamie couldn't close her mouth.
Simon rose, walked over, drew his short sword, and mercifully ended the gorilla as it lay groaning in agony.
[Bonus Objective Complete]
[Please claim your reward.]
The gorilla monster scattered into the air and vanished, leaving nothing behind but two pairs of glasses sitting where it had stood.
'This is the reward?'
The two decided to split them one each. Simon put on his pair and looked around, but nothing seemed to change.
"No idea what kind of artifact this is."
"Let's just take them for now. I'm sure we'll find a use."
The two set off again and made their way back to the valley.
"A-ha."
Right beside the freshly wrecked raft's debris, a brand-new raft was sitting there waiting. Apparently hunting a monster earned you a replacement.
The pair boarded the new raft, and the Deimos took the lead once more.
"You know, though."
Jamie crossed her arms.
"In the books my mom used to read me when I was little, there's usually a waterfall waiting at the end of rapids like these."
"...You'd better watch your mouth."
SHAAAAAAA!
Sure enough, a waterfall appeared right before their eyes. Jamie let out a horrified scream.
"Wh-what are you doing! Make Deimos stop!"
"Hold on."
Simon pointed ahead.
"That's the exit leading outside, right?"
Beyond the waterfall, a portal hung in the air hundreds of meters up. Anyone could see it was the exit.
"Y-you're telling me we have to go INTO that to finish? We're in midair!"
"Looks like it."
He didn't think it was beyond them. Simon immediately recalled the Deimos into subspace and brought out his skeletons.
"Bone Armour."
The skeletons began snapping onto his body one after another. He dressed Jamie in a set as well.
"I've got something to add too."
She drew curse magic circles across her own body and his.
"It's a spell that increases an enemy's weight—but tuned in reverse, it makes you lighter instead."
"Okay. On my signal, stamp the Jet-Black and jump. As high as you can."
"Got it."
Jamie nodded, face tight with nerves. The lip of the waterfall was right in front of them now.
"Now!"
The two of them stamped down hard on Jet-Black and leapt into the air.
The raft rode the wave and plunged over the edge without them, while the pair's bodies floated upward. The exit portal was visible just ahead.
'The distance is a little awkward, but—!'
Simon issued the Absolute Order to the skeletons in Bone Armour form.
Using the skeletons' 'pulling' force to drive him upward as far as possible, he created a kind of gliding effect.
"I just cast the curse too!"
His body was definitely lighter. With both arms stretched out straight, the two of them sailed toward the portal.
"We did it!"
Simon let out a joyful shout. Jamie winked.
"Meeting Special Admission No. 1 himself—I've been eating good. Thanks! See you in class tomorrow!"
"You did well too. Hope you find your next card fast."
Their bodies passed safely through the gate.
SHAAAA!
When Simon came through the gate, there was the same valley as before. Far in the distance, Kizen's castle walls were visible too.
He had made it back safely.
"That was pretty fun, actually."
Simon took the indigo card in hand and celebrated. Best of all, the glasses had come through unscathed as well.
Simon left the valley and climbed up onto dry land.
Two whole hours had already passed. Checking the time, he put the glasses on once more and looked around.
"!"
An exclamation of pure astonishment burst from Simon's lips before he could stop it.
'...This thing is incredible.'