Harumi frowned. She’d rather be anywhere else but the boardroom. Sure, she was happy to help with the dragon investigation. She wanted to avenge her family…but this room. It just drained her.
“Liru’s so lucky,” she said offhandedly.
“When she gets off work, she’s mine,” the succubus said then grinned evilly.
Harumi sighed. Her thoughts drifted back to Clyde. She blushed. Future husband and they already had a child on the way.
Sadly, she could feel the caress of the Supreme’s influence. She hoped nothing odd happened to the baby. Her natural shielding would prevent her from losing control of any urges—so a normal life. Maybe.
Harumi felt bad for some of the demi-human races that just wanted to live in peace, but suffered under the influence. She hoped they’d finally find a way to get rid of it once and for all.
Just then, Ruri entered the room, tail wagging.
Harumi…caught a scent of excitement. She waited for the white-haired girl’s revelation, but she didn’t spill it. The pink-haired young woman looked at the time, but dinner was hours away.
“I think I found her,” Tear finally said. “Using your faint memories and her lingering magic, I…got her city. Now it’s Ruri’s turn.”
The hellhound princess narrowed her eyes.
“That’s not what you said in the text.”
“Oh, you’ll still get that,” Tear said. “Think of this as a paid job. I’m sure even a pampered princess like you needs to experience a little labor once in a while. I bet even Matsume would agree with me.”
“I’m not pampered,” Ruri said defensively, faint blush on her face.
“Then you won’t have a problem with using the magical part of your nose,” Tear said, grinning devilishly. Harumi knew she had her.
Ruri folded her arms, pouting.
“You’d better hold up on your end of the bargain, succubus.”
“Everyone get ready,” Tear said.
“What city is it?” Harumi asked.
“Corpolanis,” Tear answered.
“Isn’t that place famous for its steaks?” Ruri said. “So that’s…”
Harumi’s mouth began to water at the thought of steaks.
“I’m probably going to skip out on the eating,” Hinako said. “I don’t think there’s anything that could stand toe to toe with Yuki’s cooking.”
“That, I agree with,” Tetra said, “but to be honest, I prefer Harumi’s food.”
Everyone blinked. Harumi smiled, blushing.
Tetra shrugged.
“Don’t get me wrong, Yuki’s impressive, but Harumi’s food has the perfect balance of love, intense skill, and even a little motherly warmth.”
“Thank you,” Harumi said. Nina burst into the room, anime-diving into the young woman.
“I love your food too, Harumi.” She snuggled her face into the kitsune’s breasts.
“Aren’t you on a blood diet, leech?” Ruri said.
Nina stuck her tongue out at the hellhound.
“I only require a small drink per month. Other than that, we eat just like everyone else.” She shook her head. “Any idiot could tell you that.”
“Why you—”
“Enough,” Hinako snapped. “We’re going to track down the stalker from yesterday. We’ll stop and sample the famous steaks, but no spoiling our dinner. Yuki’s making a giant hot pot for tonight. Temperatures are going to drop.”
“It is kind of chilly outside,” Nina said.
“Lucky you,” Harumi said to the vampire as she caressed her head. “Experiencing the outside world while Tear held us hostage.”
Everyone laughed. Harumi pouted. Eventually they filed out the room to get dressed.
“Where’d Noona go?” Tetra asked.
“She’s out with Kanako and Matsume,” Hinako replied.
“Ah.”
Thirty minutes later, Tear warped the group. The magic they sensed upon arrival was not what they expected.
**
Lightnaris, Capital City of Terravon…
In a random sushi café composed of ruby, Clyde and the others snacked. The young man allowed himself to drift in his thoughts, while the women conversed. He simply felt confused. Why did the Falcon attack, completely unprovoked? Was he on the Viper’s side? If not, why go all psychopath on him? It seemed like the good old days of simply talking and sharing information was all gone. Did the moron know anything about the looming threats? His attitude reminded Clyde of one of those idiot try-hard gamers that everyone hated online. Maybe a real life Halo asshole. As if his threat would make Clyde run out of the city, screaming at the top of his lungs. That fucking douche nugget.
The thought of Sol brought the young man’s blood to a boil. The women could take care of themselves just fine, although the use of Negative Ki caught them off guard. Magic-based shields was useless against it.
Clyde wouldn’t deny that the strength of the Falcon exceeded his own. If the level didn’t make that obvious, the fight did. He’d learn from the experience, while reminding himself never to become this much of an asshole.
While Sol’s level paled in comparison to his prior foes, he was somewhat glad that he took on someone of this caliber without relying on Stone Mode. True Power or not, when he first arrived to Satovia, Clyde knew nothing of it or deities.
Still… Sol knew about the stone-viper games, yet chose to attack the Stone. Which meant, he was totally okay with the Viper potentially ending the universe. Unless the Viper wasn’t the enemy…
What if this turned out to be some player vs. player nonsense and they were all but gladiators for the gods to watch and laugh at? He couldn’t imagine an asshole like that dancing to the whims of the Watchers. Grasping for straws, Clyde. Grasping.
Clyde shook his head. He had no time to dwell on fucking morons. Honestly, the only reason why he didn’t call a meteor was because he actually cared about the lives surrounding him. He took a gamble with the Mystic Destructive Lightning, but at least it went after the designated target. Meteor…Well, everyone knew that ability. He’d be no better than the Inquisition if he carelessly activated the skills.
[Silver tier skill : Meteor. A powerful skill with highly destructive capabilities. Send down a giant meteor to destroy your enemies. Just…don’t accidentally blow up a city with it. Does cosmic, colossal fire, explosive, and earth damage.]
He sighed, letting go of the thoughts of the Falcon. A lost cause was a lost cause. At least Dark wasn’t as much as an asshole as that one. An edge lord, sure, but he at least understood the fate of the universes. Or at least the young man hoped he did.
The Viper was someone who casually killed off an entire population of innocent people without remorse. And the Falcon wanted to kill Clyde?
Clyde’s blood boiled again. He couldn’t expect everyone to be on his side or to be reasonable. If they met again, the young man hoped he’d have access to Stone Mode so that he…He’d what. Kill him? He’d have to do what must be done.
Abruptly, a soft cookie was stuffed into Clyde’s mouth. He looked up from the table to see Alice standing in front of him, glaring. He chewed.
“Are you done sulking now?” she said.
Clyde chuckled.
“Sorry. I was trying to process things. Hell, that fight drained a hell of a lot out of me.”
Alice’s expression softened to worry.
“Should we go back?”
Clyde sensed a tiny tread of disappointment in that voice. He had worries about the Falcon over universal issues, but no proof of the man’s motives. Second, the fight physically drained him, not mentally. That’s what he told himself.
“Not yet,” Clyde said, giving Alice a reassuring smile. “After almost getting my ass handed to me on a platter, I just needed to rest. His level was two fifty. I’ve been in this world for two months. We fought many assholes, slain an entire legion of Inquisition with levels above one thousand and yet, I’m still not that high. There’s a chance he eith
er arrived here before me or gains triple the experience…” His voice trailed off. Alice caressed his cheek.
The other dreaded conclusion in which Clyde didn’t want to think about, was that all of the EXP distributed itself evenly throughout the team. It made sense—he had to admit it. This explained why he didn’t jump at least five hundred levels. Even against Melody’s mother, the Abyss, Hideo, and other powerful opponents, he didn’t gain as much EXP as he hoped.
Maybe the payoff was that Clyde could learn all of the elements, access Stone Mode (which took him outside of the leveling system), and gained incredible abilities through marrying and having children. Even the women and children benefited from this. What a broken system , he thought.
After paying the bill, the party explored the city and just enjoyed each other’s companies. Natalia even convinced them to stop at a famous art museum. It turned out to be owned by a foreign nation called the Lewdlands. It was essentially a sex museum. Alice herded them out within minutes, a silent promise to the loli for retribution humming in the air.
“Onii-chan, Alice is going to bully me,” Natalia said, hopping on his back. Airi sighed.
“I wanted to see the giant golden penis,” she said, soliciting a glare from the half-demoness. Clyde snickered. Melody softly facepalmed, her blush finally fading.
Abruptly, the young man noticed someone familiar up ahead, arguing with another woman. They walked over, curious.
“What’s going on, Liru?” he asked. The other woman spat to the side.
“I’ll be filing a complaint to your employer,” she barked while stomping off, muttering choice words to herself.
“Are you okay?” Alice asked.
Liru sighed, eyes teary.
“I’ll be fine.” She shrugged. “Every now and then, we are dispatched for home visits in the case of troublesome students. It’s usually the wealthy ones like that that gives us trouble.” She sighed.
Clyde noticed that they were indeed standing in front of a giant house made of gold and gemstones. He couldn’t imagine the rent in this city.
“We’re about to head home,” Clyde said. “Need a lift? Jump-o-spress is ready.”
Liru smiled.
“Thank you.”
“It’s no problem. That’s what friends are for, right? Or something cheesy of the sort,” Clyde said. He heard Natalia groan. “Don’t you start, witchling.”
Liru laughed.
[Your relationship with Liru had changed from associate to friend level 2.]
It was time to talk with Naoko about old grudges. Maybe focusing on why they actually came to this nation would take his mind off that loss.
**
Hotel…
Sol ended up canceling all plans, not in the mood for messing around. Well, after-workout sex was nice, but he didn’t feel like it. He wondered why at the last second, he decided to let the Stone live, using a bullshit excuse. The reason was simple, really.
The Stone didn’t utilize his full power, even while getting his ass kicked. Did he not take Sol’s promises seriously? To be fair, the young man didn’t activate Falcon Mode.
He didn’t need to. There was simply no point of wasting that energy just to end a fight in two seconds. He allowed the battle to replay in his head, then chuckle. Everybody got one warning. If he encountered Clyde again, Sol wouldn’t hold back.
To give credit where it was due, for a lower level, he did pretty well. To take Sol’s attacks and even remained conscious after being thrown into buildings…Not bad. Not bad at all. But an easy kill like that bored the young man to no end. The Stone couldn’t be that weak. From visions of someone with the power to shake the universes like him, to a counterpart that lazily wiped planets, the Stone and Vipers were irresistible challenges.
And besides, Sol’s own role in the stone-viper games could end with HIS victory, if he played his cards correctly. Testing the Stone…if the visions were bullshit and the Viper also turned out to be this weak, then the stone-viper games could become The Falcon’s Game. All of the glory would be his. The Bright Ones allowed the head start because they believed in him. And he trained vigorously to not let this opportunity slip away.
After showering, Sol dried himself off and headed back into the room. A woman was in his bed, tapping at her smartphone. She yawned.
Sol put on fresh clothes, sighing at the audacity of people from this world. He took the time to leer at her and almost smiled. Too bad his sense of danger wouldn’t let him pursue any pleasantries.
“My door was locked pretty good,” Sol said. “Either you’re a damned good climber of five fucking stories or you have electronic lock picking abilities on the level of a god.”
The young woman grinned. Wearing a short yellow dress that almost matched the blonde hair, she gave off a…wait…what was this he felt?
She stretched, purposely revealing black panties, before standing.
“Flattering, but you’re wrong on both accounts. I’m Risa of the Soulless family,” she said. “You probably know us as the owners of Dragoon Inc. I couldn’t help but observe the last of your little fight from earlier.”
Sol shrugged.
“Yeah, you’d better go. That’s your only warning. I’m too tired for this shit.”
The woman’s smile widened. He felt no fear from her whatsoever. Just confidence.
“Don’t be like that,” Risa said. “A man with your talent should have nothing to hide, which is why I’ve got an offer for you. You see, that particular group may have close ties with something I must confirm. If you tell me everything about them, no matter how little it is, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me. Or pay you…fifty million in cash.”
“And why should I spill anything to you?” Sol said. “I’ve got no reason to trust you or care about your problems.”
“What do you have to lose?” Risa said. With one wave of her hand, she magically revealed a large suitcase of money. “I just want information and I’m willing to pay for it with cash or my body. My virginity.” Sol rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, Risa continued. “I’ll even show you how to dispatch a worm the right way. You know you’d want to see it.”
She winked and allowed her power to leak into the room for just a brief second. Sol…couldn’t believe it. This woman…
“I’m an elder dragon, so show some respect,” Risa said. An elder? She looked eighteen, maybe even younger. “Sit and let’s talk. It seems like I’ll have to be extra persuasive. Maybe help you out with your problems as a sign of goodwill.”
Episode 54 (Part 2)
Lot City, Yaponiya…
Etsuji stood over the corpse of the dispatched lich, shaking his head. The monster girl could’ve given him the answers to his questions and continued on with her life. She even claimed that the Stone had turned everything around for her. A load of bullshit in attempt to save her own skin.
“As if I’d trust the word of a demon.”
He watched the purple flames of despawning burn away a good source of information. Torturing couldn’t get this one to budge. What a shame. So much information.
Etsuji retracted his metallic aura. Another day, another dollar. Such an otherworldly saying.
“A lich that called herself Asu with a ridiculous tale of being a Stone Maiden in training.” The man chuckled. “Demons really do have a sense of humor.”
As he walked away, he crossed Asu off his list. “I hope this Naomi will be more talkative. Lucky her, she’s not a demon. Or maybe she could be.” He sighed, looking at her picture. “Please be human. That way, I won’t have to hurt her.”
He easily leapt to the rooftop of a nearby café that was once called the Equip Masters. The well-respected shrine maiden, Clare, thankfully still owned it. He’d take his wife if it weren’t for the large female staff, wearing quite the appealing maid outfits.
Another day, another day. Wizards of the shadow should not have to come out of retirement for this shit.
**
Ri
ng City, Terravon…
Instead of dropping Liru off, Clyde ended up taking her to the safehouse. Apparently Tear needed to have a word with her, but was running late due to a discovery in a city called Corpolanis.
Neko and Ako were lounging around in the living room. Well, Neko lounged. Her sister seemed to be meditating, samurai-style.
Yuki delegated orders to Maki and Sophia while preparing a hotpot. One glance at the news on the main TV confirmed plummeting temperatures that night. He glanced at the hardworking demoness, eager to try the dish for the first time in his life.
Someone tapped on his leg. He looked to see the kid elf staring back at him with kuudere eyes.
“Let’s take the discussion to the boardroom. Liru, this is about dragons. Would you like to join?” Clyde said.
“I do!” Natalia cheered, hopping on the young man’s shoulders.
“I’m going to go bug Chika,” Alice said.
When he looked at Airi, noticing the stars in her eyes, the young man dropped his question. She’d never forsake the chance to learn something new. A woman like that could actually give Chika a showdown for the number one spot at Sato academy.
“Nyaa, guess what,” Neko said in Clyde’s ear. He turned to stare blankly at her. “I sense an Omen’s sphere.”
“It is nearly two hours away, nya,” Ako said, “And on the move. Given the time, going after it now would bear no results.”
“Nya, I never said anything about going now,” Neko said.
Ako turned to Clyde, eyes glistening.
“Master Stone, I could go in your stead to scout. If I fail, then I shall commit—”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Clyde interjected. “One thing at a time. So anyone who wants to hear the cute elf kid talk, follow me.”
Kanako emerged from a room as they started down the hall.
10.The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #10 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 15