Chapter 260
Crackle!
A small bolt of lightning coursed through the 'One Flash' that Luna unleashed.
It was a skill she acquired from her fateful encounter with Adonis, the 'Lightning Sword' effect.
"Arrrgh!"
Dark blood gushed from the deep wound in Kroga's chest. And then,
Thump!
The enormous body fell forward.
[You have defeated the 'Wind Demon Kroga'.]
[Your level has increased.]
Rolling towards her feet was a bead.
The bead radiated a clarity akin to a clear sky.
It was the 'Wind's Essence'.
[You have acquired 'Wind's Essence'.]
[You currently possess 'Earth's Essence' and 'Wind's Essence'.]
[Until the end of the Carpathia Defense, final damage +20%]
'It's finally over.'
The fight was so lengthy that a sweet taste lingered in her mouth.
It started on turn 7 and ended on turn 16, naturally feeling lengthy.
Kroga's 'Wind Spear' that forces players to hide behind rocks every 2 turns, combined with the Wing Bugs that require aerial judgment.
A dreadful gimmick combination that melts away precious turns.
That's precisely why players prepare and optimize routes to move rocks before the fight in the second zone.
'Well, I couldn't use it because of Principal Dwener's “contribution”.'
Having breached this zone on turn 16, turn 17 will be used for moving, and only by turn 18 can the next battle commence.
Considering that the demon Balmonga dies on turn 22, this was not an ideal situation.
But.
'It's not the worst.'
It was just more turns used than expected, but it was still within the expected range.
So, for now, it's time to enjoy the rewards.
Depending on which skill I gain from 'Predation', my strategy might need adjusting.
"Keke, Luna, well done."
I spoke to Luna, standing in front of Kroga's corpse.
However, no reply came.
"...?"
I quickly approached Luna.
Luna wore a blank expression.
What's gotten into her now?
"Luna?"
I manipulated Luna's face from side to side with both hands, but there was no reaction.
Had she fainted while standing?
I pulled on Luna's cheeks.
Soft. Squishy.
Hmm, such a wonderful (?) texture. If there were a doll made of this material, I might carry it around all day.
I stretched Luna's cheeks outward.
Incredible! She is quite a beauty.
If she were to compete among flatfish, Luna would surely take first place.
Eh? And among people?
Hmm... perhaps a rank that can't quite be expressed in numbers?
Snap!
Suddenly, Luna turned her face sharply and bit down hard on my fingers.
It was unclear why Luna had been dazed, but one thing was for certain.
My finger was definitely broken.
"It hurts, Luna."
"It hurt me too. Why are you pulling my cheeks like that?"
"Keke, shouldn’t Luna take responsibility for zoning out?"
"Is that all you have to say before you die?"
"I'd like to add that Luna is the greatest beauty of the continent."
"You sure talk smooth..."
As I was applying a potion to my finger, Luna, looking at Kroga's corpse, spoke up.
"Was that 'One Flash' really mine? You didn’t use it secretly instead, did you?"
It was natural for Luna to be skeptical. But this achievement was undoubtedly her own.
The synergy of 'One Flash' and 'Lightning Sword', along with Luna's comparatively high stats and skill level.
Plus the +10% final damage increase from 'Earth's Essence'.
Kroga, crawling on the ground, couldn't withstand it.
"Keke, it was definitely your 'One Flash', Luna. My 'One Flash' is much bigger and more beautiful. Luna, you're just starting to leave the earthworm stage, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, but in return, I have big, sharp teeth."
Snap!
The sound of teeth clashing echoed by his ear. If I hadn't stood on my tiptoes, my ear would have been gone.
"Hmph! Just wait. I’ll show you a 'One Flash' that's even greater than yours soon."
"Keke, I look forward to it."
"Anyway, that was my 'One Flash'... I really am amazing, aren't I?"
Luna was brimming with pride. Fuming, crying, laughing, boasting.
It was quite the spectacle.
‘Well, this current expression suits her much better.’
The reason Luna was granted the use of 'One Flash' was straightforward.
'Yuridia doesn't seem too concerned with the Lester family.'
Unlike Teron, it seemed she had no dealings with the Lester family.
Actually, it's fair to say she had none at all.
That's why she granted permission for the use of 'One Flash'. Moreover.
"To use 'Wind Spear', you need to be at least a third circle, right?"
"It's not absolute. What matters is the casting and the amount of mana."
"Come to think of it, did that guy even cast?"
"I was hiding behind a rock, so I couldn't see. Well, it's unlikely he didn't cast. He's no Archmage."
As evident from the conversation of the magicians from Yuridia's faction, the children were too shocked that I had used magic.
They showed no interest in Luna's final attack.
'That must have really shocked them.'
The fact that I had used magic, and Kroga's magic at that, must have been a huge surprise.
Enough to make them forget about the 'One Flash' Luna had unleashed.
Huh? And I'm not suspected?
'Well, I'm already known as an odd one.'
No reason to suspect me. Just a bit stranger, right?
"Could it be a pact with a demon? He received the demon's power right before the demon died."
"And one more thing! It's clear there was betrayal. The demon gave power to help himself, but then the demon was betrayed right away."
"To strike a demon from behind! Such heinous wickedness!"
"Luna is in danger! We have to save her!"
The whispers among the children grew louder, along with their suspicious glances.
Just for using a demon's magic, and this is the treatment I receive.
It was truly unjust.
"Everyone, calm down."
As the uproar grew, Yuridia stepped forward. She pointed towards me.
"Though it's been hidden until now, in truth, Zero is a magic prodigy. That's why he could use magic. Right, Zero?"
Well, it's not a lie. 'Divine Imitation' could mimic any magic.
"Keke, that's right. Haven't I always told you? For me, magic is like murder."
"Hmm... You would have looked really cool if you hadn't always said that."
"Keke, I'm a handsome man even when I'm quiet, no?"
"Well, let's just say that's the case. Winning the fight with the demon is more important anyway. Everyone, raise your hands! Let's declare victory!"
Yuridia's declaration of victory. But the children seemed more interested in the other comments.
"Did you hear? He would have looked cool."
"Considering what just happened... Isn't it a bit dangerous?"
"It's like something out of a novel. True love needs a villainess. Is Yuridia taking on that role?"
"Even if it's Yuridia, that might be a bit much..."
Whisper, whisper.
The whispers among the children grew louder. Even louder than when they were suspicious of me.
"Hey, everyone! That's not it! Zero and I aren't involved at all! Everyone? Are you listening?"
Yuridia struggled to calm the commotion.
And in this moment of uproar.
'This is an opportunity for me.'
I slowly approached Kroga's corpse to use 'Predation'.
Just as I was about to place my hand on Kroga's body.
"Huh?"
Something caught my eye. Something fluttering in a pale green light.
I recognized it immediately.
'It's an item.'
And not just any item, but a piece of equipment. Among the items that Kroga could drop, only one fluttered like this.
[Storm Cloak: A]
A cloak imbued with the essence of storms. It felt weightless.
Defense: 10
Movement speed: +10%
'Jackpot!'
An item with a 1% chance of dropping when defeating the Wind Demon Kroga.
Its stats were less impressive than expected, but its real advantage was the various effects that could be 'imbued' onto it.
And, conveniently, I had an item that could be used for imbuing.
[Transparent Substance: S]
A clear substance. Its use was unknown.
Obtained from defeating a transparent slime during the entrance exam.
'The original plan was to use it on full-body armor...'
But that could only be made after chapter 5.
Considering survival in the current situation, looking forward to chapter 5 would be foolish.
'A cloak isn't a bad option, after all.'
I applied the transparent substance to the Storm Cloak, and then...
[Silent Storm Cloak: S]
A cloak imbued with the silent aura of a storm. It is completely weightless.
A mysterious cloak that can hide its presence.
When still, it can perfectly conceal any trace of its bearer.
Defense: 10
Movement speed: +10
When moving: Increases Stealth by 50%
I had secured an S-grade cloak that could even deceive Caron.
The rewards time wasn't over yet.
"Predation."
As I laid my hand on Kroga's body and activated the skill, dark energy flowed into me.
[Through the power of 'Predation', you have acquired the 'Wind' skill. The grade has been reduced to F.]
[Wind: F]
- You can manipulate the wind.
Wind.
It's a skill with fairly high versatility, akin to flying or surfing in some games.
'Although it can be used as a basic skill...'
It has lower damage compared to other skills.
Specifically, the 'coefficient'—the percentage of mana converted to damage—is low.
Extremely low.
If [Wind Spear]'s coefficient is about 250%, then [Wind]'s is probably around 30%?
And this disparity grows as the skill's grade increases.
Though it's a lengthy explanation, in short, [Wind] is a magic of terrible efficiency.
'Hmm, it's tricky.'
Currently, my magic stat is 122.
Considering that Yuridia's magic stat is around 130, mine is exceptionally high.
At the time when Bineus attacked the Academy, I had invested stats into magic to increase [Demon Slave]'s damage, and that's how it ended up this way.
'Wind.'
I used [Wind] for a simple experiment. Then,
"Aaahhhhh!"
"Why is there such a sudden wind!"
"Cough, cough!"
Dust billowed up, causing the children to scream.
Yes, a skill with such a poor coefficient that it couldn't even knock down a child.
That was [Wind].
'Is raising dust all that a 122 stat can do... Huh?'
No, there was something else fluttering in the wind. The children's hair and school uniform skirts were swirling around.
Hmm... perhaps it's a better skill than I thought.
Not because of the fluttering skirts. It's because of the refreshing breeze it creates.
"Wow... even with slit eyes, you see everything, huh?"
"Keke, Luna. I was merely admiring the beautiful scene nature has provided."
"Such a typical pervert’s comment. Close your eyes before I bite you to death."
"My eyes are already closed."
Because I am slit-eyed.
Then Luna poked her finger in my eye.
What did I do to deserve this!
"Right. But where is Rezé?"
"Keke, maybe she's nearby, enjoying the scenery?"
"Do you even know Rezé? Ouch..."
"What's wrong?"
"I got dust in my eye..."
It seemed the dust stirred up by [Wind] had gotten into Luna's eye.
I carefully blew into Luna’s eye to help clear the dust.
Perhaps a rather large piece of dust had gotten in. A slight tear trickled from Luna's eye.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
"Huh?"
An unexpected rumble from the ground. We both looked behind us.
Something was running towards us on all fours from a distance, sparks flying from its hind legs.
Yes, something running on all fours.
Our house rabbit, the pufferfish rabbit, Rezé.
'...Why is she running on all fours?'
Had she decided to live the life of a real rabbit instead of a human?
If so, I should compliment her. She had finally realized her true identity.
Was it the power of [Lightning Rush]? Rezé reached us in an instant.
"I'm gonna, gonna kill you!"
"...?"
The first words Rezé said upon seeing us were, 'I'll kill you.'
Only the whites of her eyes were visible behind her long bangs.
It was clear from one look that Rezé was not in a good state.
What happened? Did she eat a bad carrot?
"Ah, a demon."
"Yes?"
"The demon that tormented Luna! I'm gonna kill youuuu!"
Huh? The demon that tormented Luna is right there, dead.
But Rezé's gaze wasn’t directed there; it was fixed on me.
"..."
Only then did I realize. The 'demon' Rezé was referring to was me.
"Ugh! Why is there so much dust..."
Luna vigorously rubbed her eyes, causing a tear to stream down.
At the same time, Rezé’s eyes rolled back.
"Dea, death! Atone with your deathhhhh!"
Rezé pulled out a small bow and started shooting blunt wooden arrows at me.
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-!
...My house rabbit has gone mad.
--TL Notes--
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