Chapter 453: Retainer’s Egg
Boom!!!
A gigantic hole had been created, accompanied by a gruesome and terrifying sound that resonated loudly in the area. For the players who were struggling to combat the Abyss monster and its overwhelming power, this event came as a complete surprise.
This occurrence could be described as the perfect opportunity to experience the sensation of pretending to be in a ceasefire only to unexpectedly turn against each other. It was quite unfortunate for them to lose such a neutral monster, one that could have greatly boosted their scores. However, everyone was aware that placing trust in someone else to hunt the neutral monster and earn points also made them vulnerable to being killed by those very players they had trusted.
Most of the players were at a similar skill level, all being high-ranking players. Consequently, they posed a significant threat to one another. In this challenging competition, what they needed to rely on was their ability to assess the situation, their class's extraordinary abilities, and, most importantly, their control.
The problem lay in the fact that neutral monsters with such formidable powers had never existed before. If it wasn't a bug, it had to be something they had introduced intentionally in the end. Nevertheless, the public was firmly convinced that the game company was venturing into new territory.
Two neutral monsters had been identified. One was a grotesque creature covered in eyes and tentacles, while the other was a pair of humans—one appeared to be a man in his early twenties, possibly even younger, and the other was an incredibly beautiful woman who could leave anyone in awe.
Determining whether they were players or neutral mobs was a challenging task, especially considering how they roamed the map at random, attacking any players who crossed their path. However, experts in the academic community believed that achieving such an incredible reaction speed with control alone was beyond human capability. Consequently, the community collectively decided to believe that the two were indeed neutral monsters.
Of course, they weren't the sole topic of discussion in town.
[Did you see the neutral mob couple? If you refrain from attacking them, they won't attack you. So, I zoomed in on them from quite a distance. Wow, I'm getting excited.]
[This is incredible! Is it really true?]
[The graphics team has clearly invested a lot of effort here. They deserve a bonus.]
[Woah. I’m looking at my wife over there.]
[Yes. Next, f*cking otaku.]
This was the reaction of people to real-time posts and updates. When it came to the man, they could easily dismiss him as quite dashing and handsome. But as for the woman, there were no words sufficient to describe her beauty except as jaw-dropping and eye-popping. Of course, opinions about these two individuals remained highly divided.
[Aren't they neutral mobs? I knew they were bold enough to rob players, but I didn't expect them to do it so openly. Besides, I've never heard of a player like that before.]
[To be honest, there's no way there's someone in reality with faces like that.]
[It's a game, so you can customize your characters, you know?]
[For female characters, it's all about the chest area and body proportion.]
One faction strongly believed that they were merely a gimmick from the game company, or an additional neutral mob for the game. It was ironic and amusing that they believed these two gained power and were classified as neutral mobs solely due to their appearance. However, the other side had a different perspective.
Since then, several videos had been posted, further fueling the controversy.
"Gotcha."
.
Slash.
[He did get him. The neutral mob, that is.]
[Hahahahahahahaha. Look at Woo Jong-Seok getting his head bashed in.]
[My God, did they expect us to react to an attack like that? All I saw was a fist flying on the screen just now, though.]
[I tried to put the video in slow motion, but the attack landed precisely on a vital point.]
[This is insane! Is it genuinely possible for a person to target a vital point and strike it with such precision?]
In the end, this solidified their theories and led them to conclude that the two were formidable obstacles, precisely created as neutral mobs by the game company.
Of course, complaints poured in about why the company had introduced monsters that could not be defeated within an event map. However, opinions remained divided, with the other side arguing that these were passive monsters.
However, at that moment, a video emerged that put an end to all the public discussions and debates. It was a video featuring the two neutral mobs. The video depicted the man observing the players as they battled the horrifying monster, one that could send shivers down anyone's spine. Then, he produced a bow from an unknown source, and a flash shot out from the man's bow, releasing an overwhelming force that caused the gigantic monster's body to explode instantly.
[Is that damage for real?]
[That’s pretty much the same damage as a nuclear bomb, right?]
[What bullshit is this? While the humans over there are in chaos, are they still capable of dealing enough damage to kill each other?]
[The most pointless controversies to bring up in this game are bugs and hacks. You don't even understand the code's structure well enough to attempt hacking.]
[But can't the game company just create and distribute hacks?]
[Strangling themselves with their own hands? That actually makes sense. Hihi.]
[Perhaps the neutral mobs are fighting because they aren't allies?]
[True. That human mob shot an arrow at that tentacle monster and wiped out the rest of the players because this was a one-plus-one event, right?]
[Unbelievable! Are you suggesting he's a player? With that skill level and appearance?]
[Moreover, there's no such thing as max-level damage in this game, considering all the additional elements. It's even set up so that top-ranked players can't reach the end and attain max level.]
[Crazy shitty f*cking game.]
[If someone’s stronger than you, then it becomes a shitty game. Hahahahaha.]
[Anyway… Queen, please step on me. Haa… haa…]
[Crazy f*cker. Hahaha.]
The video posted by a man named Michael had added to the confusion within the gaming community. And the game company's response? They claimed there was no issue whatsoever.
***
There had been no interference from beginning to end. Essentially, the entity that had invited Davey to this world was the one who defeated the Abyss monster.
Sleesia, who had already disappeared, had spread tumors and roots in countless worlds before her death. At first, Davey thought this might be the case. However, there were still many suspicious aspects. He found it highly unlikely that Sleesia could move within a virtual reality space. More importantly, Davey confirmed that Sleesia had nothing to do with this world after examining the shards and fragments left behind by the gigantic Abyss monster.
"A fake?"
Perserque and Davey had conducted numerous experiments and studies with the fragments left by Abyss creatures. As someone naturally curious, Perserque had thoroughly examined every part of the creature's fragment, except for the tentacles, and had contributed many results to their research. This Abyss monster, though it appeared very similar, turned out to be a fake.
"So, they used something posing as an Abyss monster to summon me here?"
Then, a bright light flashed momentarily before settling in Davey's hands. At the same time, Davey and Perserque's bodies slowly dissipated. This was only natural, as they had exhausted the amount of time they could spend in the world the dimensional key had sent them to. Davey had no lingering attachment, so he accepted it.
When he regained his senses, Davey saw Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, who were fast asleep on the bed, Illyna, who had fallen asleep with her head on the table, and Rinne.
‘Ah, what a peaceful moment.’
Davey then picked up Illyna and gently placed her on the bed before sitting down at the table to examine the sphere he had brought from the world filled with countless skyscrapers.
Whenever Davey used the dimensional key and completed a task assigned by the Goddess Freyja, she would reward him with metamorphosis stacks and additional rewards. In this case, there weren't many additional rewards.
However, this was the first time he had encountered such a dull and uneventful case. His metamorphosis stack remained unchanged, and all he received was this unknown item. Naturally, there was a way to determine the nature of this item.
"Go, Perserque, I choose you!"
"Haa..." Perserque glanced at Davey with an expression of pity but accepted the red sphere he handed her. Simultaneously, a strange energy began to flow in her blood-red eyes.
Davey's power was limited to opening and viewing his own status window. However, the possessor of this power had the ability to see through objects.
"I believe... it's an egg?" Perserque exclaimed in surprise, furrowing her brows as she examined the small object in her palms.
"What? That's an egg? That tiny thing?"
"That's not the issue here, Davey," Perserque responded, her tone filled with seriousness. "It contains holy mana, but it's significantly different from ordinary holy mana."
While it shared a sense of holiness and majesty, it possessed a distinct power. In other words, whoever sent this item had a power similar to and on par with that of Goddess Freyja.
***
"My God, my head..."
"Ah... Please, have some of this." The highly anxious rabbitfolk maid assisted the groaning Illyna in grabbing her hair while offering a small glass of water.
"Ugh." Groaning in frustration, Illyna hastily composed herself and put on a solemn expression. "Goodness, thank you."
The rabbitfolk maid smiled awkwardly, as if to indicate that she hadn't witnessed anything, after witnessing Illyna's attempt to project her haughty imperial family member's demeanor to conceal her earlier disheveled and disastrous state.
The rabbitfolk served as a maid in this establishment, replacing the grace and kindness she received, but this place was truly...
‘This is very fun!’
In fact, the other beastfolk felt the same way. They were the ones who had been rescued from the slave market, and for the most part, they were content with the uneventful occurrences in this territory. However, even though they had stayed here to repay the favor, they found it amusing because there were quite a few interesting things happening in this place.
"Ugh... Where is Prince Davey?" Illyna frowned, her hangover persisting despite her best efforts to conceal it.
The rabbitfolk smiled and held the tray with both hands, replying, "He's in the open grounds."
Following her words, Illyna walked with familiar ease and opened one of the windows along the hall. There, she saw a man standing alone in the empty field, holding a wooden sword in his hands. It appeared that the man had sweated profusely, as he had discarded his shirt. Surprisingly, the man's physique was well-toned and proportionate.
‘He has a proper build, with muscles that aren't off-putting. If I were held in his arms, then…’ Illyna's thoughts trailed off.
"Ha... What on earth am I thinking?" Illyna frowned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
She remembered Davey mentioning that he had undergone metamorphosis. Then, she observed as Davey ceased his movements and sat down in front of the scarecrow, as if engaged in a staring contest.
Illyna, finding his training method absurd and ludicrous, closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she quickly glanced at Perserque, who was seated next to Davey, gently stroking what appeared to be a jewel. For a brief moment, Illyna questioned whether it was truly a jewel or not, as it seemed too large to be one. Perhaps it was an egg? The issue was that she had never seen such a shiny egg in her life.
"Are you awake?" Davey, still seated in front of the scarecrow with his wooden sword sheathed, stood up slowly.
"You're quite diligent, Davey."
"I'm different from someone else, you see."
"Well, my apologies for that. What were you even doing? Engaging in a staring contest with a scarecrow?"
Among all the training methods she was aware of, this particular one did not exist. Hence, Illyna couldn't help but wonder if Davey had devised his own training method. After all, he had sat in front of the scarecrow without uttering a word for a full five minutes.
"A staring contest? Ah, I've been waiting for it to move."
Illyna raised an eyebrow in disbelief upon hearing Davey's words.
"Will it actually move just because you're staring at it?" Illyna inquired as she approached the scarecrow and gave it a gentle tap.
Fwoosh…
At that moment, the scarecrow, crafted from sturdy and robust metal, began to tremble as distinct lines appeared across its body. Then, it gradually started to disintegrate.
"Twenty-four pieces, huh? I still have quite a long way to go," Davey commented calmly as he walked past Illyna, who was gazing fixedly at the crumbling scarecrow.
Illyna couldn't help but stare at the scarecrow in a daze. Having touched it with her own hands, she was well acquainted with the material it was constructed from. "This... is this black iron...? Did you cut through black iron with a wooden sword?"
Black iron was a notoriously tough material that was difficult to cut, even when heated. So, it was considered common knowledge that something with a black iron core should not have been easily sliced through by a wooden sword.
Davey answered faintly, “Divine Sword. You can call it the Psyblade.”
The mind was the heart, and the blade was the sword. The scarecrow disintegrating into pieces just by Davey's gaze and contemplation of cutting it was perfectly in line with the literal meaning of Mind Slash.
"What in the world... That's... too frightening..."
"If you aren't familiar with it, it can indeed be quite unnerving. Hurry and prepare yourself. We'll head to the Kingdom of Briouk immediately."
Illyna, having shaken off her amazement and fear, leaped up and urgently shouted, "Davey!"
"What is it?"
"I want you to examine my sword! I'm a Sword Master now too! If you grant me this, I'll assist you in fulfilling one of your wishes!"
"A wish? I don't really have any wishes, though."
"Ugh..."
"Well, I just happened to be in need of an opponent to test this out with. It hasn't been easy to control my strength lately."
While his words could be interpreted as "sparring partner," they actually meant "experiment subject." Nevertheless, Davey consented and nodded in response to Illyna's desperate plea, which seemed like an attempt to hold onto something.
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