The lower half of the werewolf, unable to transform, thudded down to the ground like a heavy rainstorm.
All that remained in the spot where it had stood was the large paw of the werewolf, with rough fur sprawled out beneath it.
An explosion surged upward from the werewolf’s heart, leaving its mark on the ground, at least in the form of its paw.
“Wow… this is Flame Explosion…! The conditions must be pretty strict! It certainly delivers a solid one-hit KO.”
Of course, this was probably only possible because I had gradually dealt damage with the Skeleton Bomb up to that point, but based on the visible effect alone, it didn’t seem to matter.
Once I gain this ability, the key will be figuring out how to stack it five times in the shortest amount of time possible.
“Ha ha! I’ve gotta get this soon. But… why isn’t my Fireball level up?!”
=====
Skeleton Bomb Lv.7
– Converts the bones of monsters you have directly defeated into magic bombs, which can be thrown when needed to inflict damage (360% of attack power).
– The higher the grade of the processed bones, the more additional damage is inflicted.
– Stored: 0/62
=====
=====
Fireball Lv.1
– Inflicts 150% damage of magical attack power.
– 25% chance to cause the [Burn] status.
– Burn: Reduces health recovery effect by -30%, defense by -25%.
=====
The Skeleton Bomb, which I had come to use effortlessly, had already satisfied its conditions, but the Fireball showed no signs of leveling up at all.
Just two more levels and I could unleash the incredible power of ‘Flame Explosion.’
“Is it too obvious? There’s gotta be some action with Fireball before I can expect anything.”
I lay on the ground, lost in thought. The moment the Flame Explosion erupted etched itself as a vivid memory in my mind, and as I replayed that image, the corners of my mouth began to lift.
“This is fun. It’s a skill that truly deserves to be called a finishing move.”
Shuddering slightly with the thrill of having just touched upon a new realm.
Although I was about to die, I chuckled to myself, overwhelmed by a sense of euphoria I’d never felt before, when I noticed a golden sphere slowly descending from the ceiling.
“Uh? Tanya! You’re back!”
As Tanya appeared, the traces of the werewolf’s remains that had scattered in all directions had already vanished without a trace. I wondered if there was a chance I could gain some bones, but that was just greedy thinking.
“…. Who on earth are you…?”
Tanya looked quite flustered. Did she think I wouldn’t be able to beat her?
“How do I look? Surprised you, didn’t I? Hee hee-”
I was curious what kind of expression Tanya would make if she were in human form. Would she cross her arms and stick her tongue out in annoyance? Probably with the face of someone seeing an unknown creature for the first time.
I had a strong urge to tease her mercilessly, but unfortunately, the situation didn’t allow for that.
“Hey, Tanya. Sorry for saying this suddenly, but I think I’m about to die? If you have any rewards, could you give them to me a bit quicker?”
With several experiences of dying, I instinctively knew that my time was running short.
My legs had crumbled to dust and I slumped to the ground, and the body that began to crack while using Flame Explosion showed no signs of recovery at all.
Looking at myself, even if I gained a skill, that would pose a problem. If using it caused this much trouble each time…
Flame Explosion surely possessed tremendous destructive power, but if I considered it a skill in exchange for my life… well, shouldn’t it at least show more power? I didn’t think my life was worth just that much.
Tanya answered my question about not receiving a reward.
“Even if you were to die right now, the reward will still be given upon your next summoning. You will receive the reward for winning against me. That is the most absolute rule in this place.”
“Oh… I see.”
Suddenly, a chilling wave of air swept through the area. It felt as though the exhale of a colossal being was echoing, and while it faded quickly, the potent aura was strong enough to rekindle the fear of death in someone on the brink of dying.
“What the heck is this…?”
“Fufufu, it has been a long time since my master reacted this way. For reasons unknown, he is very pleased thanks to you.”
“… Um. Does your master have a skeleton fetish or something? He’s not somewhere around here, is he?”
“Certainly not. He resides in a place unreachable even in dreams. And please do not entertain such absurd assumptions… How dare you suggest a skeleton fetish for him…”
“Just kidding. I suppose this isn’t really a joke-worthy situation anyway.”
Despite being in such a distant place, the presence of that entity was palpable here… I couldn’t even begin to gauge what kind of being it was.
Crack crack—
Now, my arms began to split like dry firewood.
“This cracking sound is totally ASMR.”
“I can’t believe you said that in this situation.”
“… Do you know what ASMR even means?”
“It stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is referred to as white noise in your language.”
“Oh… how do you know that? You’re a suspicious mimic!”
“It is natural for me to be interested in the affairs of the world connected to me.”
“… Is that so? I guess you’re a curious mimic after all.”
“Hmm, let’s just say that.”
It was strange. This mimic was hunting sentient beings, like fishing in a dungeon. I had no idea how it could know such things.
There was something oddly familiar when we talked.
“… Well, anyway, I won. Ha ha!! Ha. Ha.”
“……”
The mimic had a smooth, spherical form, but for some reason, it looked like it sighed at me in a contemptuous manner.
“You have acquired the trait [Obsession].”
“Huh? What is this?”
“What you refer to as the storage function.”
“Whoa, is this that skill exclusive to the Celestial Realm? The name I thought of is different, but that’s okay. Now, shall we check the next reward?”
“… You speak as if it’s something entrusted to you… Originally, it is the principle to give only one reward for [Obsession], but as a reward for satisfying my master, I will grant you one additional reward.”
“Oh! 1+1!”
“… You saying that makes it feel significantly cheaper, but this is indeed a remarkable occurrence. It has happened only a few times since I was born. You should show more reverence towards my master!”
“I need to know who it is to show reverence. So what’s their name?”
“Th-that…”
“Can’t say it, huh?”
“Cough cough- I’ll finish what I was doing.”
“Tch…”
“The two rewards will be one thing you desired most desperately and a mana circuit will be engraved onto you.”
“My most desperately desired thing? Like a notebook that can kill Jo Gi-man upon writing his name in it?”
“There are similar artifacts, but Jo Gi-man… refers to the incarnation of the Seven-headed Dragon. To kill such an existence, you would have to pay a significant price.”
It was impressive enough that the mimic could connect the name Jo Gi-man to the information of the incarnation of the Seven-headed Dragon, but the existence of an artifact with an instant kill ability was even more astonishing.
“… There are such artifacts? I was just throwing that out as a joke… What kind of price would it take to kill that guy?”
“The Seven-headed Dragon is a divine being comparable to the lost titans I showed you earlier. If it’s the incarnation of that Seven-headed Dragon, simply becoming known in the [Akasha Chronicle] would require a significant feat. So at the very least… a billion lives would be necessary.”
“What?! Are you kidding me? That thing’s worth a billion lives?!”
“Value is relative. If you were to weigh ordinary beings, who appear and disappear like flowing water, against that man named Jo Gi-man, even a billion lives might be seen as few.”
“……”
My head was spinning. Talking to Tanya made me feel so small that the things I was doing now felt so insignificant.
“Phew… I need to pull myself together. Just because I caught the werewolf doesn’t mean I’ll get something extraordinary. Maybe a great sword? For now, a great sword would be the most necessary… by the way, what’s a mana circuit?”
“It’s a circuit that enhances your mana affinity. With this circuit, the difficulties you face due to lack of mana will be greatly reduced. Even the mana recovery of your connected companions will rise.”
“Wow— just one circuit can do that? You’re really something!”
“… I can’t believe there’s someone who refers to me in such a way. Even my master doesn’t do that… It’s quite strange, to be honest. Typically, challengers enter this realm and have their ideas completely blocked from conversing with me.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because I’m a monster or something… But anyway, how do I get this circuit engraved? Do I just stretch out my arm?”
“I don’t know what extending your arm means, but the circuit has already been engraved onto you.”
“??”
I wondered if it was pulling my leg, but suddenly, I could feel a notable change in my body compared to moments ago. A message floated up.
[Your mana affinity has dramatically increased! The mana of the world is beginning to flow ceaselessly toward you.]
As I quietly contemplated my inner self, I could see the golden circuits densely engraved within my bones, which had not been visible to my eyes.
“Whoa…! Dramatically increased! Truly, the golden mimic Tanya is magnificent! Incredible! Awesome! The best!”
*Cough cough… this is just a simple act for me.*
The mimic, appearing as a golden sphere, tried hard to act nonchalant, but seeing it bounce around excitedly off the ground indicated that it was quite pleased with the compliments.
“So the mana flowing toward me also positively impacts my companions.”
“That’s correct.”
Crackle—
Oh… the ground is now right in front of me.
As it got low enough that I could see the ground up to my chest, it became hard to spot the floating mimic in the air.
“…… I wonder if there’s about a minute left? I’m dying again like this.”
“… Either way, the concept of death has disappeared for you, so it doesn’t matter, does it? That summoner will call for you again.”
In fact, I was in a murky position where I had a limited lifespan, but even the mimic seemed unaware of that.
“Well… that’s true? But it’s disappointing. So disappointing…”
“I don’t understand what you find disappointing. You have won. Among all the beings brought here, the winning rate is barely 30%. You should feel proud.”
“No, I’m not talking about that. You have a tendency to misinterpret things a bit strangely, don’t you?”
“What do you…”
“I’m disappointed to be parting with you! Do I have to say it out loud? Not like I’m doing that, of course.”
“…… I don’t get it. There’s no connection between us. There’s no reason to have a bond.”
“True… but I like you. I don’t even know why, but since the first time I saw you… I guess I just feel that way.”
“…… Do I… make you happy?”
“Yeah. So we won’t be able to see each other again?”
“…… That’s correct. Once a being has entered this realm, it is against the rules to re-enter.”
“Ugh… I see…”
Finding an entity I felt I could finally be friends with in this life… a bitter sadness weighed heavy on my heart.
I did have Yeon-hee, but Yeon-hee felt more like a… well, anyway, parting with Tanya was incredibly disappointing.
So, lost in thought, I decided to ask the question that had been bothering me earlier.
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