Chapter 194: The Mermaid Princess and the Perverted Prince (2)
Chapter 194: The Mermaid Princess and the Perverted Prince (2)
When it comes to fantasy, you can't leave out "Monmus"—monster girls, or rather, demi-human races.
Succubi could be considered demi-humans too, but they have a slightly different vibe. The Monmus I’m talking about are those who lean a bit more toward the "magical beast" side of the spectrum.
And right here, in front of me, was the exact kind of Monmus I had been hoping for.
[A mermaid appeared!!]
This feeling...
It was like fishing for Carp Queens and suddenly hooking a Golden Carp Queen.
It felt like I’d just tossed my line out once on a whim and landed the big one.
[Phew, I need to calm down. I don't want to scare her off.]
The creature, presumably a mermaid, remained still, peeking just her head above the water and watching us.
[She’s not running away. She’s definitely curious about us.]
"Curious...? Do you think a mermaid can understand what we're saying?"
[Most intelligent beings can understand our speech. It makes it easier for them to toy with us, after all.]
"Ugh."
Laura grimaced.
"Saying they 'toy with us' sounds a bit cruel."
[It is cruel. Just as succubi squeeze the essence out of human men, these creatures will toy with us too. If we’re captured, that is.]
Much like a pod of dolphins playing with their prey, tossing it back and forth with their tails, we would surely become toys for the marine demonkind if caught.
They might pull you under, then bring you to the surface just before you drown to let you take one breath, only to drag you back down again.
Humans aren't exactly innocent either, considering the horrific deaths they deal to demonkind, so I’m not one to judge. Still, from the perspective of the victim, it’s nothing short of hell.
But...
What if I could capture them and put them to work in the Dream Factory, just like the succubi?
What if I could make them function not as demons, but as citizens of Fermaton?
[Mermaids are profitable. Absolutely!]
"How are they profitable?"
[We’ll figure that out step-by-step once we catch one. If we catch it and it turns out not to be profitable, we can just release it or dispose of it.]
Did she hear me?
I hoped not.
If she had, she would have fled by now. Seeing as she was still there, she must not have heard.
[Serica. That thing isn't dangerous, is it?]
"It’s incredibly dangerous."
Serica gripped her sword, her expression tense.
"That’s a lure, Lewd Man."
[A lure? ...Wait. Don't tell me.]
"As expected. You realized it immediately."
Serica was a veteran adventurer who had roamed up to the 50th floor as if it were her own backyard, and I was a hardcore player who had run quests up to the 100th floor every single day.
Naturally, I had a decent grasp of all the monsters that appeared up to the 100th floor.
I might not be able to recite the monster codex in order from floor 1 to 100, but I could instantly recall what kind of beasts appeared on which floors.
[Tsk. Forget it. Laura, get back. That’s not a mermaid.]
"If it’s not a mermaid... is it a fishman?"
[I’d prefer it if it were a fishman, but unfortunately, that’s just an angler.]
A deep-sea angler.
A hideous version of an anglerfish—a classic example of the monsters found in the Infinite Labyrinth.
[Watch closely.]
I strode forward.
I clenched my fists, ready for anything. The mermaid's head, peeking above the water, slowly drifted toward me.
And then.
The mermaid's head suddenly shot high into the air.
Kyahhhhhhh—!!
A massive shark with a maw over two meters wide lunged at me.
"Lewd Man!!"
Clang!!
I kicked its teeth with my foot while thrusting the sledgehammer between its front fangs and twisting.
I was worried the sharp teeth might shear through, but fortunately, Paladin Sonata’s armor was strong enough to withstand even this monster shark’s bite.
[Serica!]
Slash.
Before the words even left my mouth, Serica leaped over me, swinging her blade.
Kieeeek...
Two strikes.
One severed the lantern-like tentacle, and the other grazed the head as if to slice it clean off in a single motion.
[As expected of Serica. Impressive.]
"...And Lewd Man is equally magnificent for facing such a beast head-on."
After exchanging quick compliments, I stepped back and gripped my sledgehammer again.
[You son of a bitch.]
Wham!
I slammed the sledgehammer into the Angler Shark’s teeth.
The blow, delivered with my full weight and strength, shattered the teeth into fragments that sprayed into its gullet. Blood began to pour as the sharp shards embedded themselves into the soft tissue of its mouth.
Pshhhhh.
Black smoke began to billow from the Angler Shark’s body.
The blue sea started to turn crimson. I gripped my sledgehammer and retreated.
Tap.
Serica, who had used my shoulder as a stepping stone to jump back, flicked her sword to clear it of blood and seawater.
[It dangles a mermaid’s head in front to lure prey, then snaps them up instantly. Tsk. There’s a limit to how much 'fishing' I'll tolerate.]
"To think a magical beast would use such a sophisticated deception..."
[That’s exactly why it’s a magical beast. In places where the struggle for survival is fierce, the methods for hunting prey become more sophisticated and cunning. It’s a wilderness where the weak cannot survive.]
Most monsters living in the deep sea use methods like this.
In a dark abyss where no light exists, using a twinkling lure to attract prey and then swallowing them whole is a textbook hunting strategy.
[Typical Infinite Labyrinth. It knows exactly how to make people feel disgusted.]
The fact that it tried it on me—and the fact that the "lantern" wasn't just a ball of light but a realistic mermaid’s head—was deeply unpleasant.
[Laura. Imagine if that head had been floating there with its eyes closed. What would you have done?]
"I probably would have thought someone was drowning and tried to help..."
[Exactly. The beasts in the Infinite Labyrinth are truly steeped in malice, as if they were born solely to kill humans. Tsk.]
They really are wretched things.
[Damn it. This ruins my plan to build a beach resort.]
"......."
[If monsters like that show up, I’ll need a way to control them. Nobody wants to use a beach soaked in monster blood.]
What a waste.
If it had been a controllable beast instead of a monster like that, I could have used it for the resort.
'How do games use monster-infested areas as beaches?'
I couldn't understand it.
An event where monsters clearly appear is one thing, but is a swimsuit event really more important than being attacked by a monster like that?
Yes!
A swimsuit event is worth exactly that much!
Limited characters released in swimsuits!
Character-specific episodes shown by releasing them as separate characters rather than just skins!
And the gacha!
Swimsuits are a massive source of income for game companies. Anyone can see that revenue graphs peak during the swimsuit season.
—You don't need to pull regular Serica, but you MUST pull Swimsuit Serica.
—What's a 'Swimerica'? Is that some kind of magic spell?
—Boomer detected.
—No, seriously, what is Swimerica?
—Swimerica is short for Swimsuit Serica...
Furthermore, what if that character has insane performance?
—I'm quitting because I couldn't pull Swimerica. Fuck this.
—Imagine not having Swimerica.
—Fuck, stop giving me Ruji!! I want to see Swimerica, not this dickhead!!!
Those who fail to pull her fall into despair, those who hit the pity ceiling are enraged, and those who get her in ten pulls start luck-shaming everyone else.
Swimsuits have value.
I came here to realize that value, but reality is not a game.
[A shame. But I suppose it’s fine since I saw one possibility.]
"A possibility?"
[Yeah.]
I picked up a fragment of the Angler Shark’s tooth that I had shattered with my sledgehammer.
[Laura. Could you lend me the back of your hand for a moment?]
"Hehe. You’re going to test my shield, aren't you?"
[Yeah. Just in case you get hurt...]
"I won't get hurt, so go ahead and scratch away."
[Alright then.]
Crackle.
I scraped the shark tooth fragment against the back of Laura’s hand, but not even a faint red mark was left on her skin.
[A mana shield made from a Mythstone... impressive. As long as we aren't in a place where Mythstones become useless, this really is the ultimate armor.]
"I can tell you for certain, there is nothing stronger than a Mythstone. These are artifacts left behind by the ancient gods. It’ll be the same even if we go down to the lowest floors of the Infinite Labyrinth."
[Even if a monster that can suddenly erase all mana appears?]
"That’s why Mythstones are even more valuable. Even if all other equipment fails, a Mythstone won't break."
In other words.
The power of a Mythstone is superior to any other force.
They are indestructible, and as long as you have one, you are extremely safe from attacks within the Infinite Labyrinth.
The reason it’s not "true" invincibility is that Mythstones carry their own inherent penalties.
[It can protect the body up to the total amount of mana the Mythstone can hold, right?]
"...Yes."
Unfortunately, Mythstones are not infinite energy sources.
Even if a Mythstone reduces an enemy's attack to 1 damage...
What if every 1 damage drains 1 MP?
And what if we assume the Mythstone’s maximum MP is 10,000?
What happens when all the MP is depleted?
At that point, unless you can replenish mana quickly, you just become a pervert fighting in the middle of a battlefield wearing nothing but a swimsuit.
[I’ll have to be careful.]
"Well, it’s fine. It’s not like anyone would fight the final battle for the fate of humanity in a swimsuit, right?"
[I suppose so.]
This wasn't game logic; this was reality.
And because it was reality, I didn't judge everything by game standards.
[This proves we can fight safely even in swimsuits. Serica.]
"...Um, Lewd Man."
[The Mythstone Anal Beads are yours.]
The second Mythstone we acquired.
It was substituted as Serica’s swimsuit (skin).