60
Chapter 60
I used the Evolution skill.
Then, two choices appeared before my eyes.
Dungeon Dragon Teddy Bear.
Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear.
Even though I had a bit of trouble making choices, I didn't think I would agonize over it for long this time.
Unlike before, detailed information about the race I would evolve into was displayed, thanks to the Helper skill reaching level 2.
In addition, the rewards from the Evolution were also written down.
Now, I no longer needed to guess what kind of race it would be just by looking at the name.
This Helper guy is becoming a huge help as time goes on.
More importantly, Helper.
Is there a feature like a free trial?
[Question confirmed. There is no free trial feature.]
Then again, there's no way something like that would exist.
This isn't a game, it's reality.
Anyway, before picking a race.
I decided to first express my sincere gratitude to Helper.
Bow, bow, bow, bow.
After bowing my head once to the east, west, south, and north.
I stretched my arms into the air and stuck my face out.
Come here, Helper!
You've been a good boy, so I'll give you a kiss!
Mwah, mwah!
"Kkuo?"
"...?"
"Why is Bear Baby acting like that all of a sudden? Sometimes he takes weird actions I just don't understand..."
[.......]
There was no response.
It was only natural.
Helper was just a skill.
Not a living creature with an ego.
Still, it's a bit disappointing.
After I even went through the trouble of giving a kiss.
Pfft!
[Would you like to select [Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear]?]
No, you punk!
I haven't said anything yet!
You're trying to force the Evolution on your own.
[Would you like to select [Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear]?]
The exact same notification popped up again.
It didn't seem like it was forcing me to choose it unconditionally...
It probably just seemed to highly recommend that option.
It looked like Helper even gained a recommendation feature.
Hmm.
Honestly, I was also more drawn to the Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear.
But seeing that Helper recommended it twice, does that mean the other option, the Dungeon Dragon Teddy Bear, is that bad?
As I held my doubts, Helper brought up some text.
[Upon Evolution into [Dungeon Dragon Teddy Bear], you will be unable to leave the Dungeon.]
Ah, so that's why it wasn't recommended.
The Dungeon Dragon Teddy Bear seemed to be a race that couldn't leave the Dungeon even if ownership was shared.
Still, wouldn't it not really matter?
I felt like I would be able to leave if I underwent Evolution into another race.
[Question confirmed. Upon Evolution into another race, leaving becomes possible again.]
See.
My prediction was right.
As expected, I might be dumb, but I'm also smart.
Ahem, anyway.
Even so, I had no intention of choosing the Dungeon Dragon Teddy Bear.
My heart was already leaning towards the Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear anyway.
Even before receiving Helper's recommendation.
Becoming 15 times bigger wasn't really my thing.
[Would you like to select [Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear]?]
Alright! Let's go!
To the wildly Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear!
[Selection complete.]
[Wildly Luck Snatching...]
[...?]
[Correction.]
[Evolving into the Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear.]
Flash!
Light flashed from my body,
[Evolution is complete.]
The Evolution was completed in an instant.
"Kkuo?"
"...!?"
"What the, didn't Bear Baby's body just flash? Did he perhaps... use the Evolution he showed us last time? He looks exactly the same."
Just as Helper had announced, there was no change in my appearance.
***
[Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear lv.27]
┗Pw.81 (+14)
┗Rnk.Superior (Limit Breakthrough Unavailable)
[Consumption Mana: 13,850/15,120]
[Domain: Luck]
[Skills]
[Helper lv.2], [Evolution lv.3], [Action lv.2], [Teddy Bear Camouflage lv.1], [Bloodsucking Enhancement lv.1], [Flame Manipulation lv.3], [Synthesis lv.1 (Unavailable)], [Rolling lv.2], [Gourmet lv.1], [Dragon Mimicry lv.2]
[Current Physical Adaptability is 29.]
Level decreased by 1.
Gained 3 additional power.
No appearance change.
In addition to the rewards displayed in the options, I also obtained new rewards.
Evolution skill leveled up.
Dragon Mimicry skill leveled up.
These were rewards that weren't in the preview.
It seemed like not all the rewards had been displayed after all.
I guess the Evolution skill leveled up because I've used it so much by now.
And I also had a good guess as to why the Dragon Mimicry skill leveled up.
Dragon Mimicry lv.1 - Luck Breath.
This was the breath I originally had.
Dragon Mimicry lv.1 - Misfortune Breath.
This was the newly acquired breath.
Having two types of breaths I could handle naturally raised the level of the Dragon Mimicry skill.
But my Physical Adaptability had drastically dropped.
It was a shame. Since my previous Physical Adaptability was quite high, I had hoped to undergo Evolution once more right after finishing this one.
Well, I just need to Level Up again, so it's fine.
Swallowing my regret with effort.
I decided to listen to the explanation about the Misfortune Breath.
Helper, explain quickly.
[What is Misfortune Breath? Question confirmed. Submitting answer to the question.]
[Misfortune Breath steals the luck possessed by the opponent. The space left empty by the luck you snatch is filled with misfortune.]
[The misfortune applied to the opponent will occur within 24 hours.]
Hmm.
Understood to some extent.
Then how is the snatched luck applied to me?
Is it applied in the form of a Buff, like the target hit by the Luck Breath?
...No, probably not.
I don't think I can cast a Luck Buff on myself.
Seeing as the Luck Buff from the Luck Breath cannot be applied to the user themselves, that is.
[The Luck Buff is not applied separately. This is because those belonging to the Luck Domain are practically always under the effects of a Luck Buff.]
[Upon snatching an opponent's luck, your Assimilation Rate with the Luck Domain increases.]
So there's something called an Assimilation Rate too.
I can roughly guess what the Assimilation Rate is.
If it gets higher, I guess luck would just happen more often or something.
Helper, can you tell me what my Assimilation Rate is at right now?
[Unable to verify.]
[The level of the Helper skill is too low.]
Eesh, tsk tsk.
Such an unhelpful guy.
[.......]
When I finished checking the explanation for the Misfortune Breath.
Star Fox, who had left to pack her things, returned humming a tune with a bundle strapped to her.
"Heehee! I'm back!"
Hmm. Should I try shooting her with it?
I want to check the Misfortune Debuff.
...No, forget it.
It would be a big deal if she got hurt.
I decided I would test out the Misfortune Breath tomorrow by going outside the Dungeon and shooting it at a monster I didn't like.
***
Morning dawned.
I went out for a bit to try using the Misfortune Breath.
I left Ailee, the Puppeteer Doll, and Jjokkomi waiting in the Dungeon.
I originally planned to go out with Tosuni, but she didn't come over to play today, as if she had some busy business.
Of course.
That didn't mean I was alone.
"Where are you going! Huh? Where are you going!"
Because the Fox was following closely behind me.
It wasn't like I brought her along.
She was just following me on her own.
Well, she's an idiot, but she's reliable, so I just left her be.
"Tell me where you're going to play! Ah, you can't talk because you're a Teddy Bear, right? Heehee!"
It's fine that you're following me, but keep it down.
With a fierce expression.
I brought my front paw to her mouth.
Shh!
"Gasp? Mmph!"
The Fox shut her mouth.
It seemed my intention telling her not to make a sound was conveyed.
As I took the lead and walked ahead again, she followed closely behind me with her mouth tightly shut.
She listens well, at least.
While moving like that.
I spotted a monster.
[Venomfang Rat lv.30]
┗Pw.60
┗Rnk.Uncommon
"Squeak, squeak squeak."
"Ew! It's the bad, nasty-tempered rat race!"
It was making a somewhat obnoxious expression.
To put it bluntly, its expression was very punchable.
This wasn't criticizing its appearance.
It was just criticizing its expression.
Alright, I've decided to shoot the Misfortune Breath at that guy!
Your crime is making an expression like that!
[Using [Dragon Mimicry lv.2] - [Misfortune Breath].]
One of my hands transformed into a Dragon Doll.
Soon, the Dragon Doll's jaw opened wide, and an ominous Black Breath shot out.
At a glance, it felt similar to the Chaos Breath.
"Whoa! That's a fascinating skill!"
"Squeak?!"
While the Fox was surprised.
The Misfortune Breath instantly wrapped around the Venomfang Rat's body.
Its body was perfectly fine.
[Venomfang Rat lv.30]
┗Pw.60
┗Rnk.Uncommon
<Misfortune Breath Applied - 23:59:59>
The Debuff was applied properly.
Then there was only one thing left to do.
Namely, to get out of here quickly!
Goooom-!
I immediately turned around and started running away by Rolling.
"Why are you running away! Are we playing tag!"
The Fox ran alongside me as I rolled away, asking with a puzzled expression.
She could run fast too if she set her mind to it.
Anyway.
I could win if I fought.
If my goal was hunting, I wouldn't have run away and just poured out attacks.
But my goal wasn't hunting.
The purpose of this outing was to capture the moment the Misfortune Breath took effect.
***
The misfortune didn't occur immediately.
It happens within 24 hours of the Debuff being applied.
To witness the misfortune happening with my own two eyes, I decided to tail and observe the Venomfang Rat for about three hours.
Since I couldn't follow it around for all 24 hours.
I found the Venomfang Rat again quickly.
When I sneaked back to where it originally was, it was just sitting there resting.
It must have been taking a break from the start.
[Venomfang Rat lv.30]
┗Pw.60
┗Rnk.Uncommon
<Misfortune Breath Applied - 23:30:22>
I kept the information floating.
I had to keep checking it like this to definitely capture the moment the misfortune occurred.
Now, I wondered when and what kind of misfortune would strike.
Full of anticipation, I hid in the bushes and carefully watched the Venomfang Rat.
Of course, I was also using the Teddy Bear Camouflage skill so it wouldn't notice me.
"I don't know what game this is, but it's still fun. Heehee."
The Fox giggled, whispering in a low voice beside me.
Huh? Wait a second.
But she doesn't have a Camouflage skill, does she?
Then she's practically leaking out the energy of her Mana?
Whoosh, I turned my head and looked at the Venomfang Rat again.
The guy hadn't noticed the Fox's presence at all.
I guess it's a very dense guy.......
I decided to stop using the Teddy Bear Camouflage skill.
Since I was just wasting my Mana for nothing.
The moment I took my eyes off the Venomfang Rat to stop the Camouflage skill.
Rumble-
The earth shook, and suddenly a Slow Stone started rolling in.
No, why is that appearing out of nowhere?
Rumble-!
The Slow Stone was rolling right toward the direction where the Venomfang Rat was sitting and resting.
"Squeak?"
The Venomfang Rat realized the Slow Stone was rolling in, but it was already too late.
The massive body of the Slow Stone had already reached right in front of the Venomfang Rat's nose.
Wait, don't tell me?
[Venomfang Rat lv.30]
┗Pw.60
┗Rnk.Uncommon
The Debuff that was applied to the Venomfang Rat had disappeared.
Shortly after,
Squish-!
The Slow Stone rolled mercilessly, crushing the Venomfang Rat in one hit before passing right by.