༺ Speedrun (2) ༻
“…Five minutes?”
Riru’s immediate response was as predictable as expected.
First: A reaction that showed how she failed to understand anything.
“…What are you going to do in five minutes? Are you saying you’re going inside?”
“…I said, I’m going to hunt down the Warden inside within five minutes.”
Second: Denial.
“It’s not the time for jokes. The Scorching Zone is filled with Demonic Creatures that are incomparably more dangerous than the ones we hunted in the—”
“Yes. And I’m saying I’ll catch the most powerful and dangerous one in five minutes.”
“…”
After hearing me repeating myself again, finally she realized that my words weren’t a slip of the tongue or nonsense I chose to spout.
Riru, who was looking at me with a face surpassing horror and verging on despair, soon held her forehead and sighed deeply.
“…You’re making that face again.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s the same face you had when you said you would catch the Sea Serpent.”
Riru crossed her arms and glared at me.
“Anyone else would think it’s just ridiculous nonsense. But for some reason, you act like you’re really sure it would work.”
“…”
How strange.
Her words sounded like a compliment… But her tone was filled with anger…
“Whenever you make that face, you always babble about crazy shit as if it’s a walk in the park.”
“…”
“So, fine. Go on. Say it. What do you plan to use me for this time? You didn’t bring me here without any reason, right? Are you not going to include me in your nonsensical plan?”
Her words were spot on, I couldn’t even rebuke her.
Eleanor, paired and sent off with Talion. Yuria, paired and sent off with Iliya.
There was a reason why I divided the teams in such a manner.
This team was no exception. I had a very specific use in mind for her.
“Riru.”
Saying so, I tightly grasped both of Riru’s arms with my hands.
“…Eh?”
Riru blinked dazedly at this sudden action.
As I closed the distance between us while holding her arms, her face rapidly turned red.
“…What…are you doing?”
Her voice trembled slightly.
I was prepared to hear her say something like, ‘How dare you lay your hands on me?’, followed by a punch to the chin, but fortunately, doing this much didn’t seem to be that bad for her.
Well, considering that she didn’t immediately crack my head open like an egg when I mentioned bullshit about concubines, she must have some degree of favorability towards me.
That was why…
At the very least, I was confident she wouldn’t immediately kill me for what I was about to do.
“I have something to tell you.”
I continued, locking eyes with Riru’s trembling pupils.
“…What is it?”
“This is about you and me.”
“…”
Realizing that my expression was far more serious than normal, her body started to tremble.
The trembling evolved to tremor; her entire body was practically wriggling about. At the same time, the flush on her face deepened even further.
“…Wh-What i-is it about? Stop beating around the bush and just say it.”
“…”
What was she so embarrassed about?
This was the same person who led a rough life, someone who’d wildly beat the shit out of anyone who got in her way.
Never did I expect that she would become so… Unstable… Almost dangerously so… After I approached her like this…
Her face was as red as a ripe tomato. Her eyes were spinning. Maybe it was just my imagination, but even her breathing seemed a bit shallow.
[Usually, someone like her is unexpectedly weak to physical affection. After all, other men definitely wouldn’t have gone near her because they got scared of her.]
‘Caliban.’
[Yeah?]
‘Why are you talking so much when you haven’t had much experience with romance either?’
[…]
‘I already know all about how you were too busy with swordsmanship training and knight duties to have time for that. Smh.’
As I inwardly clicked my tongue, I meticulously double-checked my words before voicing them out.
So…
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Riru Garda
[ Trust Level 1 ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
About this…
Setting the reward aside…
Since her favorability was already at Trust Level 1, it should be high enough for me to get away with what I was about to do.
“Do you remember when I said I would take you as my concubine?”
“…Y-Yes, I guess t-that did h-happen?”
“To be honest, that was a lie. Just as you suspected. I have no intention of forming that kind of relationship with you.”
“…Um, t-then?”
“Taking you in as a concubine is an act of disrespect. A woman like you deserves a much higher position than that.”
Riru’s eyes started spinning even faster.
“A-A higher p-position than a c-concubine is b-better for me?”
“Yes.”
“D-Don-Don’t y-you already have t-that woman who is the legal wife?!”
“Eleanor? She doesn’t matter.”
I snipped her words at the bud.
As if to say that she didn’t need to worry about that woman in our relationship.
Riru flinched and chewed on her lips.
Her flush had reached a level where her face couldn’t get any redder.
Now, it was undoubtedly noticeable; Her breathing had turned into pants.
“…Hey, you bastard. T-This kind of thing is— You know!”
“Yes.”
“Y-You should have s-set the mood a b-bit better and chosen a nice place to tell me! A-And g-give me s-some time to t-think! I-I’m a woman too, you brat! Respect my opinions as well!”
Riru was practically on the verge of tears as she rambled on. At this sight of her, I nodded my head.
Anyway…
My goal was to ‘use’ her to clear this area within five minutes.
After all, Yuria and Eleanor, whom I sent to other hunting grounds, would have surely finished their own hunts within that time.
‘…I can’t just directly throw her into a battle.’
Even though a huge thread was twisted in the canvas that was the boss battle, Riru was still someone who had a key part in defeating the Apostle of the Reversed Sea.
Unlike Eleanor and Yuria, she had not fully fused with a Fragment and was not at a point where her specs had significantly increased.
Therefore, she had to be handled with utmost care. She must not get hurt, after all.
And…
In order to finish the hunt within five minutes without sending her into battle…
I had no choice but to step in myself.
“Yes. So I shall ask for your opinion.”
And to do that, this method was the most effective…
At the very least, it was something I could handle to a certain extent.
“What do you think about being friends?”
Each and every one of Riru’s movements froze completely.
“…What?”
“You’re your own person. A woman with her own individual rights and personality. Instead of receiving such heinous treatment by becoming a concubine to someone like me, isn’t it much better to be friends, united by trust and camaraderie?’
“…”
“You think so as well, right?”
Riru’s face went blank upon hearing this.
She seemed to be calmly pondering the meaning of my words.
And then…
“…What did you say?”
A blue aura began to emanate from her body.
And that was exactly the reaction I was waiting for.
System Message
[ Detected a moment of danger. ]
[ A powerful being is about to turn hostile towards you. ]
[ Skill: Desperation raised to A-Grade. ]
System Message
[ Devil’s Aura is detected! ]
[ ‘Fallen’s Seal’ reacts! ]
Mhm.
There we go.
I knew a Devil’s Vessel would get insanely furious just from hearing such words come out of my mouth.
‘…With this, the buff is ready.’
Thanks to an increase in my specs due to the recent daily training with Riru, my stats, inflated by Desperation, had reached a level not far behind some decently strong beings.
Moreover…
[ Infinity Gauntlet ]
Equipment: Unique
Description: Gauntlets with various effects from the usage of all kinds of high-quality materials.
[ ▶ Dragon Scales: Receives Endurance that never breaks or wears out in any situation. ]
[ ▶ Ectoplasm: Displays a very high fusion rate with various Special Powers. When enhancements or buff skills are casted on the equipment, the effect is doubled. ]
[ ▶ Starsteel: Highly resistant to various curses and reacts most sensitively to the divine. ]
[ ▶ Adaptive Leather: Automatically copies the target’s attributes when struck. On the second hit, automatically weakens the target’s attribute. ]
If I also had something like this…
It meant I could manage to do pretty monstrous things on my own.
“…”
But…
A-Grade was still really not enough…
“Oh, also. Riru.”
“…”
I added another remark to Riru, who was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.
“I don’t really like women with shitty personalities.”
“…”
“Try to fix that temper of yours that flares up at every little thing. Eleanor doesn’t do that, you know?”
System Message
[ A moment of danger has been detected.]
[ Determined the situation to be a significant, massive, and absolute threat to your life. ]
[ Skill: Desperation raised to EX-Grade. ]
System Message
[ You voluntarily did something so batshit crazy that it is no different from throwing your life away as if it’s worthless! ]
[ The enhancement condition of ‘Skill: Desperation’ has been unlocked! The condition in question has been added to the Gift Tab! ]
“…”
Okay, for now, it seemed that the drug was working pretty well.
The problem was that it was working too well.
Hatan U-Jul took on serious strides as he entered the control room.
After all, it was the Hunter’s Night, one of the most important events in the Forge of Struggle.
Therefore, as a Dean and a War Chief, it was only natural for him to feel heavily burdened.
“Scorching Zone. No issues with the control system.”
“Snowfield Zone. No issues with the control system.”
“Jungle Zone. No issues with the control system.”
Hatan nodded slowly as he received these reports.
“Track the vital signs of all students.”
Laying down such an order, Hatan checked the visuals of each ‘hunting ground’ displayed on the screen.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the scenes unfolding were the most chaotic in the history of this institution.
Intermediate-Grade Demonic Creatures that normal students wouldn’t even be able to escape from, let alone confront, were sprawled everywhere.
And even the High-Grade Demonic Creatures, who were supposed to be slumbering even during this period of time, were frequently visible.
It was to the extent that even signs of the ‘Rulers’ of each Demonic Zone were detected; beings that one might see once in decades.
After all, the presence of the Sea Serpent, Ruler of the Sea, had already been confirmed.
‘It shouldn’t have been this chaotic originally.’
It was indeed a bit strange.
From the perspective of an experienced hunter, the most logical reason for these Demonic Creatures to awaken would be the presence of a stronger Demonic Creature nearby.
However…
What being could possibly make these Wardens, Rulers of their respective Demonic Zones, so fearful? It was utterly incomprehensible.
‘…But still, this year…’
As tumultuous as the environment was, it was fortunate that someone stood out just as much, shining far brighter than others.
Hatan smirked as he recalled the guy who had recently succeeded in the insane feat of ‘dragon hunting’.
There was no doubt that he was an extraordinary person.
‘If it’s him…’
He might not just stop at the Sea Serpent and instead, hunt another Ruler in a different Demonic Zone.
It would be a great undertaking that was not easily achieved even by warriors who had left their names in history, let alone students.
Perhaps he might even go beyond two and reach three.
And if that happened…
In front of all the War Chiefs, he would receive the title of ‘Great Hunter’, a title not given to anyone since the establishment of the Tribal Alliance.
Even Hatan, known as the greatest hunter in modern times, could not even dare to think of receiving such a title.
And more importantly, that man would gain the authority that came with being recognized by ‘all the War Chiefs’.
At the very least, when it came to dealing with ‘Demonic Creatures’, the entire Tribal Alliance would have no choice but to heed his words.
“-an. Dean!”
While Hatan was lost in such thoughts, someone reported to him in an urgent voice.
“Rulers have emerged s-simultaneously in three Demonic Zones! They are currently engaged in battle!”
“…”
Hatan glanced at his watch.
Only 3 minutes had passed.
But what the fuck did he just hear?
“…Check again that it’s not a device malfuncti-”
“The Ruler of the Jungle Zone and the Ruler of the Snowfield Zone are dead!”
“…”
What.
Didn’t you say they just emerged?
Didn’t you say the battle had just begun?
Before Hatan could utter another word, the report continued from an employee who looked like they had lost their breath.
“F-For now, we will transmit the visuals from the Scorching Zone, the only area where a Ruler of a Demonic Zone is still alive!”
With those words, the screen began to display the scene of the Scorching Zone.
At the very center of the screen were Riru Garda, emitting a blue aura from her body for some reason, and one man.
And the following scene that unfolded from those two was…
Undoubtedly…
A sight that could be called a natural disaster.
༺ Speedrun (2) ༻
“…Five minutes?”
Riru’s immediate response was as predictable as expected.
First: A reaction that showed how she failed to understand anything.
“…What are you going to do in five minutes? Are you saying you’re going inside?”
“…I said, I’m going to hunt down the Warden inside within five minutes.”
Second: Denial.
“It’s not the time for jokes. The Scorching Zone is filled with Demonic Creatures that are incomparably more dangerous than the ones we hunted in the—”
“Yes. And I’m saying I’ll catch the most powerful and dangerous one in five minutes.”
“…”
After hearing me repeating myself again, finally she realized that my words weren’t a slip of the tongue or nonsense I chose to spout.
Riru, who was looking at me with a face surpassing horror and verging on despair, soon held her forehead and sighed deeply.
“…You’re making that face again.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s the same face you had when you said you would catch the Sea Serpent.”
Riru crossed her arms and glared at me.
“Anyone else would think it’s just ridiculous nonsense. But for some reason, you act like you’re really sure it would work.”
“…”
How strange.
Her words sounded like a compliment… But her tone was filled with anger…
“Whenever you make that face, you always babble about crazy shit as if it’s a walk in the park.”
“…”
“So, fine. Go on. Say it. What do you plan to use me for this time? You didn’t bring me here without any reason, right? Are you not going to include me in your nonsensical plan?”
Her words were spot on, I couldn’t even rebuke her.
Eleanor, paired and sent off with Talion. Yuria, paired and sent off with Iliya.
There was a reason why I divided the teams in such a manner.
This team was no exception. I had a very specific use in mind for her.
“Riru.”
Saying so, I tightly grasped both of Riru’s arms with my hands.
“…Eh?”
Riru blinked dazedly at this sudden action.
As I closed the distance between us while holding her arms, her face rapidly turned red.
“…What…are you doing?”
Her voice trembled slightly.
I was prepared to hear her say something like, ‘How dare you lay your hands on me?’, followed by a punch to the chin, but fortunately, doing this much didn’t seem to be that bad for her.
Well, considering that she didn’t immediately crack my head open like an egg when I mentioned bullshit about concubines, she must have some degree of favorability towards me.
That was why…
At the very least, I was confident she wouldn’t immediately kill me for what I was about to do.
“I have something to tell you.”
I continued, locking eyes with Riru’s trembling pupils.
“…What is it?”
“This is about you and me.”
“…”
Realizing that my expression was far more serious than normal, her body started to tremble.
The trembling evolved to tremor; her entire body was practically wriggling about. At the same time, the flush on her face deepened even further.
“…Wh-What i-is it about? Stop beating around the bush and just say it.”
“…”
What was she so embarrassed about?
This was the same person who led a rough life, someone who’d wildly beat the shit out of anyone who got in her way.
Never did I expect that she would become so… Unstable… Almost dangerously so… After I approached her like this…
Her face was as red as a ripe tomato. Her eyes were spinning. Maybe it was just my imagination, but even her breathing seemed a bit shallow.
[Usually, someone like her is unexpectedly weak to physical affection. After all, other men definitely wouldn’t have gone near her because they got scared of her.]
‘Caliban.’
[Yeah?]
‘Why are you talking so much when you haven’t had much experience with romance either?’
[…]
‘I already know all about how you were too busy with swordsmanship training and knight duties to have time for that. Smh.’
As I inwardly clicked my tongue, I meticulously double-checked my words before voicing them out.
So…
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Riru Garda
[ Trust Level 1 ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
About this…
Setting the reward aside…
Since her favorability was already at Trust Level 1, it should be high enough for me to get away with what I was about to do.
“Do you remember when I said I would take you as my concubine?”
“…Y-Yes, I guess t-that did h-happen?”
“To be honest, that was a lie. Just as you suspected. I have no intention of forming that kind of relationship with you.”
“…Um, t-then?”
“Taking you in as a concubine is an act of disrespect. A woman like you deserves a much higher position than that.”
Riru’s eyes started spinning even faster.
“A-A higher p-position than a c-concubine is b-better for me?”
“Yes.”
“D-Don-Don’t y-you already have t-that woman who is the legal wife?!”
“Eleanor? She doesn’t matter.”
I snipped her words at the bud.
As if to say that she didn’t need to worry about that woman in our relationship.
Riru flinched and chewed on her lips.
Her flush had reached a level where her face couldn’t get any redder.
Now, it was undoubtedly noticeable; Her breathing had turned into pants.
“…Hey, you bastard. T-This kind of thing is— You know!”
“Yes.”
“Y-You should have s-set the mood a b-bit better and chosen a nice place to tell me! A-And g-give me s-some time to t-think! I-I’m a woman too, you brat! Respect my opinions as well!”
Riru was practically on the verge of tears as she rambled on. At this sight of her, I nodded my head.
Anyway…
My goal was to ‘use’ her to clear this area within five minutes.
After all, Yuria and Eleanor, whom I sent to other hunting grounds, would have surely finished their own hunts within that time.
‘…I can’t just directly throw her into a battle.’
Even though a huge thread was twisted in the canvas that was the boss battle, Riru was still someone who had a key part in defeating the Apostle of the Reversed Sea.
Unlike Eleanor and Yuria, she had not fully fused with a Fragment and was not at a point where her specs had significantly increased.
Therefore, she had to be handled with utmost care. She must not get hurt, after all.
And…
In order to finish the hunt within five minutes without sending her into battle…
I had no choice but to step in myself.
“Yes. So I shall ask for your opinion.”
And to do that, this method was the most effective…
At the very least, it was something I could handle to a certain extent.
“What do you think about being friends?”
Each and every one of Riru’s movements froze completely.
“…What?”
“You’re your own person. A woman with her own individual rights and personality. Instead of receiving such heinous treatment by becoming a concubine to someone like me, isn’t it much better to be friends, united by trust and camaraderie?’
“…”
“You think so as well, right?”
Riru’s face went blank upon hearing this.
She seemed to be calmly pondering the meaning of my words.
And then…
“…What did you say?”
A blue aura began to emanate from her body.
And that was exactly the reaction I was waiting for.
System Message
[ Detected a moment of danger. ]
[ A powerful being is about to turn hostile towards you. ]
[ Skill: Desperation raised to A-Grade. ]
System Message
[ Devil’s Aura is detected! ]
[ ‘Fallen’s Seal’ reacts! ]
Mhm.
There we go.
I knew a Devil’s Vessel would get insanely furious just from hearing such words come out of my mouth.
‘…With this, the buff is ready.’
Thanks to an increase in my specs due to the recent daily training with Riru, my stats, inflated by Desperation, had reached a level not far behind some decently strong beings.
Moreover…
[ Infinity Gauntlet ]
Equipment: Unique
Description: Gauntlets with various effects from the usage of all kinds of high-quality materials.
[ ▶ Dragon Scales: Receives Endurance that never breaks or wears out in any situation. ]
[ ▶ Ectoplasm: Displays a very high fusion rate with various Special Powers. When enhancements or buff skills are casted on the equipment, the effect is doubled. ]
[ ▶ Starsteel: Highly resistant to various curses and reacts most sensitively to the divine. ]
[ ▶ Adaptive Leather: Automatically copies the target’s attributes when struck. On the second hit, automatically weakens the target’s attribute. ]
If I also had something like this…
It meant I could manage to do pretty monstrous things on my own.
“…”
But…
A-Grade was still really not enough…
“Oh, also. Riru.”
“…”
I added another remark to Riru, who was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.
“I don’t really like women with shitty personalities.”
“…”
“Try to fix that temper of yours that flares up at every little thing. Eleanor doesn’t do that, you know?”
System Message
[ A moment of danger has been detected.]
[ Determined the situation to be a significant, massive, and absolute threat to your life. ]
[ Skill: Desperation raised to EX-Grade. ]
System Message
[ You voluntarily did something so batshit crazy that it is no different from throwing your life away as if it’s worthless! ]
[ The enhancement condition of ‘Skill: Desperation’ has been unlocked! The condition in question has been added to the Gift Tab! ]
“…”
Okay, for now, it seemed that the drug was working pretty well.
The problem was that it was working too well.
Hatan U-Jul took on serious strides as he entered the control room.
After all, it was the Hunter’s Night, one of the most important events in the Forge of Struggle.
Therefore, as a Dean and a War Chief, it was only natural for him to feel heavily burdened.
“Scorching Zone. No issues with the control system.”
“Snowfield Zone. No issues with the control system.”
“Jungle Zone. No issues with the control system.”
Hatan nodded slowly as he received these reports.
“Track the vital signs of all students.”
Laying down such an order, Hatan checked the visuals of each ‘hunting ground’ displayed on the screen.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the scenes unfolding were the most chaotic in the history of this institution.
Intermediate-Grade Demonic Creatures that normal students wouldn’t even be able to escape from, let alone confront, were sprawled everywhere.
And even the High-Grade Demonic Creatures, who were supposed to be slumbering even during this period of time, were frequently visible.
It was to the extent that even signs of the ‘Rulers’ of each Demonic Zone were detected; beings that one might see once in decades.
After all, the presence of the Sea Serpent, Ruler of the Sea, had already been confirmed.
‘It shouldn’t have been this chaotic originally.’
It was indeed a bit strange.
From the perspective of an experienced hunter, the most logical reason for these Demonic Creatures to awaken would be the presence of a stronger Demonic Creature nearby.
However…
What being could possibly make these Wardens, Rulers of their respective Demonic Zones, so fearful? It was utterly incomprehensible.
‘…But still, this year…’
As tumultuous as the environment was, it was fortunate that someone stood out just as much, shining far brighter than others.
Hatan smirked as he recalled the guy who had recently succeeded in the insane feat of ‘dragon hunting’.
There was no doubt that he was an extraordinary person.
‘If it’s him…’
He might not just stop at the Sea Serpent and instead, hunt another Ruler in a different Demonic Zone.
It would be a great undertaking that was not easily achieved even by warriors who had left their names in history, let alone students.
Perhaps he might even go beyond two and reach three.
And if that happened…
In front of all the War Chiefs, he would receive the title of ‘Great Hunter’, a title not given to anyone since the establishment of the Tribal Alliance.
Even Hatan, known as the greatest hunter in modern times, could not even dare to think of receiving such a title.
And more importantly, that man would gain the authority that came with being recognized by ‘all the War Chiefs’.
At the very least, when it came to dealing with ‘Demonic Creatures’, the entire Tribal Alliance would have no choice but to heed his words.
“-an. Dean!”
While Hatan was lost in such thoughts, someone reported to him in an urgent voice.
“Rulers have emerged s-simultaneously in three Demonic Zones! They are currently engaged in battle!”
“…”
Hatan glanced at his watch.
Only 3 minutes had passed.
But what the fuck did he just hear?
“…Check again that it’s not a device malfuncti-”
“The Ruler of the Jungle Zone and the Ruler of the Snowfield Zone are dead!”
“…”
What.
Didn’t you say they just emerged?
Didn’t you say the battle had just begun?
Before Hatan could utter another word, the report continued from an employee who looked like they had lost their breath.
“F-For now, we will transmit the visuals from the Scorching Zone, the only area where a Ruler of a Demonic Zone is still alive!”
With those words, the screen began to display the scene of the Scorching Zone.
At the very center of the screen were Riru Garda, emitting a blue aura from her body for some reason, and one man.
And the following scene that unfolded from those two was…
Undoubtedly…
A sight that could be called a natural disaster.
