Clyde didn’t bother analyzing the other two—the ex-military man looked buff enough to rip him in half with just his stare.
[You’ve entered combat!]
"No system, you can’t do this to me," Clyde said as he took off running. Or so he thought he ran, but the military guy grabbed his arm. He almost had a face full of knuckles, but something strange happened. At the last second, the man’s fist froze.
[Alice overrides your party.]
[Alice’s radiance has covered the party.]
Full of energy and confidence, Clyde pulled out of Rodger’s grip. Despite the radiance, the young man knew he stood no chance. The jar head was fucking level sixty-four. Yet…Alice still controlled the battle. Wasn’t her level just twenty-seven?
"Who are you people?" Melody said, her eyes on Alice.
The demoness held up a hand. Lights shined everywhere like the glimmer of an upbeat nightclub.
[Alice uses Targeted Strike Bolt]
Spotlight shone from nowhere on Melody and her entranced goons. Blue lightning smacked against them from the shame invisible spot in the sky. They dropped.
[Enemy party has been inflicted with paralysis]
"Let’s get tacos now," the demoness said then stuck her tongue out at the enemy group. "Stupid humans."
[Alice ended the battle.]
Holy fuck. Clyde thanked the stars that the demoness was his friend. Broken and overpowered—that level twenty-seven had to be fake. Maybe…. she hid it like Harumi.
"Tacos it is." His craving allowed him to forget the fact that if it wasn’t for Alice, he would’ve gotten the shit beat out of him by some serious high-levels.
Just then, he stopped as realization dawned on him. Alice….was the demon lord’s daughter. She had to be!
Episode 7 (Part 3)
Clyde let the clues bubble in his mind. She had minions at her control. She was able to return to the palace at any time, according to her bad-mouthers and housed amazing, broken powers.
And of course, this being anime and all—the trope slipped under his nose. But for the demon lord’s daughter to give him a favor without a price—Clyde was either super lucky or in danger. It’s got to be the danger. Still, she didn’t seem so bad.
When the duo entered the taco establishment, a waitress sat them down at a table. She served them tea and took their orders. Clyde gave Alice a brief wry look at the amount of sweets she ordered. The demoness shrugged.
"You’re the demon lord’s daughter, aren’t you?" Clyde said.
Alice stayed silent for nearly a minute, expressionless. It made him nervous, but Clyde held her gaze.
"I am heir to a certain throne, one which is rooted to my home world," Alice said, her voice calm, reminiscing. "My dad’s a jerk and hates humans. I…don’t mind them so much—I lived here my entire life. You see, my mother was a good demon, not well-liked by others, but a peaceful woman. She helped others a lot, especially homeless humans. You may even saw her as a well-respected human world politician. Then one day she simply vanished without a trace. I try to be like her. It’s not so hard to deny my hidden nature—it’s just a matter of being myself."
Clyde nodded, respect for the demoness slinking through his veins.
"I like the way you are," Clyde said. "There’s no need to be like the others. Oh, and thanks for saving my ass back there. They would’ve monkey-stomped me into oblivion."
Alice looked surprised, as if being thanked was the oddest thing to her.
"Why do…you thank me? I tried to hurt your friends. Do you not hold that against me?"
"First of all, they attacked first like idiots," Clyde said. "That was a clusterfuck of misunderstanding and self-defense. Second, it’s courteous to give thanks for a helpful deed. In your case, you saved me from dying."
[Your relationship with Alice has changed from friend-teasing and sexually intense craving, to friend- closer level 1, sexually intense craving. Her demoness nature will continue to radiate a sexual craving around you due to compatibility.]
[You have earned 1 additional summon. Number of summons left: 2.]
"I think I like this human way of thinking, "Alice said, nodding to herself.
The waitress appeared with their food and the two wasted no time devouring the meal. Clyde paid the bill, though to his surprise, Alice said, "next time, food is on me. I’ll sneak the money from my dad’s stash."
"No need to do that," Clyde said then chuckled, "but I do have a question."
She looked at him with glistening red eyes of pure innocence. "Do you think you’ll be able to convince your dad not to spawn his army in this city."
"Nope," Alice said simply. "In our world, if you have a disagreement with someone, you challenge them. You and your party will have to rip the pride out of him. That or kill him."
"You’re just okay with us fighting him?" Clyde said, skeptical.
"Yep. Don’t mistake my heart as human. We don’t have attachments to fathers. That being said, demons find it honorable to die to a worthy foe. If you somehow best my father, I will see true strength. I may even fall for you." She giggled. "Good luck getting as strong as him. I can’t help you there."
"I see," Clyde said. "I’d like to know more about demons later. Where I’m from, they are nothing more than an ancient myth."
"How rude," Alice said then smiled.
"Well, I’d better get going," Clyde said. "Class and all."
Alice nodded then cheerfully started off in the opposite direction. Clyde turned around for the bus stop and bumped into Chika. He noticed a glow around her. An aura. The anger aura, purple, and could put even some Dragon Ball characters to shame.
"Who’s she?" Chika said, her voice eerily calm. Somehow, that made Clyde feel awkward.
"A friend of mine, Alice," he answered, somehow managing to tune out the aura. Chika gave him a skeptical look then shrugged. The aura vanished.
"Want to come over to my place tomorrow?" she said. "I could use some company. And I have chocolate fudge sundaes."
"You’ve won me over already," he said. His analyze suddenly triggered without his conscious command.
Chika
Level: 18.
Type: *%&d##%%%
Relationship: Friend- closer level 1,???.
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Stats: Chika’s erected barrier prevents you from seeing her stats.
Special abilities: Overwhelming intimidation level 10. Sway.
Skills: Deep Slash level 15. Triple thrust. Speed burst.
Magic abilities: none.
Secrets: your relationship isn’t high enough for you to pierce her veil; however, she can reveal secrets to you on her own.
Clyde tried to will his mind to show Chika’s type, but it continued to glitch. What was going on? Her skillset seemed normal, but that level. Did she know about the gifts? If so, why didn’t Harumi say anything? Something felt off, but he believed in Chika...kind of. This glitch stood beyond her control. He hoped so. He’d have to bring her up to the others just in case. To be honest, he just wanted to feel optimistic.
[Quest: Go to Chika’s place tomorrow. You have already accepted this quest. Reward: 400 EXP. 30 dollars.]
When the two made it back to campus, Clyde spotted Niaomi and waved. The green-haired anime girl smiled then returned the gesture. She also added a wink. He felt Chika’s anger aura…or…jealousy aura, briefly flare. That almost made him laugh, but feel a bit hollow inside. He wasn’t native to this world. Relationships could never happen. Well, maybe so. He’d take some time to consider it before taking the risk. The Viper could show up abruptly and home, he’d go, if he lived.
He re-checked her relationship level. It was still closer level one, yet strings of jealousy around other women showed. Maybe the heart just couldn’t be tracked by some looming system.
"See you later," Clyde said after walking the silver-haired girl to class. Chika looked as if she wanted to kiss him.
"See you," she
said, face flushed then entered her classroom.
As Clyde walked into Sciences class, a ranting from a young man named Seth caught is attention. He took his seat, listening.
"I’m telling you, I saw something unnatural in my damn backyard dude! I’m not making it up." His voice had a hint of surfer in it, which solicited an internal chuckle from Clyde. "The shadow was too big to vanish that fast."
"You sure aren’t drinking too much," a girl seated behind him said.
"I don’t drink," Seth said then he looked at Clyde. "You believe me, right, dude? No one else will. You’re my only hope, dude."
This is what I get for half-listening, Clyde thought.
[Quest: Investigate the strange sighting in Seth’s backyard. Accept? Reward: 1400 EXP, $250.]
Clyde selected yes, a little surprised by the larger reward. The other students laughed and made jokes, but Clyde held Seth’s gaze.
"Just show me tonight," he said. "I’d like to see if this thing exists or not."
Seth nodded.
"Come on by," he said. "I’m sure nothing will stop it from coming again, dude. Like a whole week in a row. It’s freaking nerve-wracking. Cops can’t seem to find anything."
Clyde nodded, a chill tickling the edges of his spine. Something about this possible monster spawning felt wrong. Very wrong.
Episode 7 (Part 4)
The thought of Chika plagued him as he walked to his last class of the day. Something felt off, wrong. So many bad feelings this day, but that glitch for Chika’s type. It never happened with anyone else. Could it be…a barrier? Toru asked of her something the other day. Did he know of Chika’s not-so-average level but said nothing? He ran a mental tally on her analysis, though the tinge of guilt slapped him around like the back end of a fish tail.
First, she emitted enough jealousy aura to fill the tank of a large plane and well-before the appropriate level. They were good friends, but he didn’t try anything yet. Second, the level. Sure, Clare was level twenty-two, but for someone who trained like her, that was understandable. Chika on the other hand, not so much. Third, the type glitch. What could that be hiding? Chika texted him a lot, but more like a girlfriend, rather than a friend, which he was okay with—besides, anime girls, being anime girls. But…something about that…. The signs. The glitch. The random letter within that glitch that may not be just random. Fourth, her skillset. Deep slash level fifteen. Holy shit—Clyde could only dream of the perks. Triple thrust. These were skills of a blade. Skills… of a blade. Glitched type. Immense jealousy that promised something later. Deep slash level fucking fifteen, while level eighteen.
Oh shit.
Clyde’s anime trope senses had ramped into severe mode. Not Chika…. Not his friend. He wanted to scream at the sky. She was so funny, smart, pretty. But aren’t they all? But…she showed nothing. Shit! Shit! Shit! If Chika was what he suspected, and Toru knew, he’d rain hell on him then get the fuck out of dodge.
His last class helped clear his mind just a bit, rewarding him with a silent grin.
[You have reached Crafting level 3! The world of creation is becoming clearer to you!]
Clyde fell back to worry as he left the final class. How did he miss these signs? He shook his head, clearing his mind. He wasn’t a goddamn harem main character, yet he let things slip like one. He let the trope bully him right into a nightmare. He was an idiot and now could be paying for it.
He decided to wait for a bit in a private study room of the library. It was empty, except for the student assistant playing on her phone. That’s when he remembered the book in his inventory. He pulled it out.
[You have found the book of Flash Step. Item value: priceless. Opening this book will teach you the special ability, Flash Step. Warning, it will vanish after one use.]
Like before, the book gave an intense shimmer into golden sparkles, inserting the knowledge into his head like a downloadable program.
[You have learned the special ability, Flash Step!]
[Let it be known that special abilities, unlike special attacks, can be efficiently used outside of battle. They will still consume MP.]
Abruptly, the door to the study room closed with a thud and someone ran off. Clyde leapt from the chair and hurried after the perp. No one was there when he left the library. The girl at the counter didn’t budge, her headphones and calm demeanor, signaling that she wasn’t the spy.
"Did you see who ran through here?" Clyde asked. The girl shrugged.
"No idea who she is."
"She? What’d she look like? What color was her hair?"
"I don’t trust you, perv," said the girl said then tuned him out.
"Are you serious?" Clyde said. "Oh my go—"
He stormed out of the library, but before setting off to find Toru, his eyes stopped at the suggestion box pinned on the wall. He wrote, "Tell your student assistant, the girl that’s here after school, to do her fucking job!" then put it inside without signing his name. Anonymous baby, he thought.
He turned and noticed something on the ground, inches ahead. A card. Great, another goddamn unneeded annoyance, Clyde thought. Why were they appearing around him?
[You have found an Action card. Item class: bizarre. Fever Draw, a card said to be a tool of a once legendary deck.]
[The cards effect’s and abilities cannot be revealed to you until the contract is formed.]
Clyde shook his head then put the card in his inventory. Maybe he’d fetch a good price for it later. He sent a text to Harumi, calling a meeting. She, Toru, and Kitome would meet him on the rooftop. As he searched for the nearest set of stairs, Clyde was struck with the familiar feeling of being watched.
"Shit," he said softly. He flash-stepped around the corner, only to bump into the popular girl. "Fuck shit shit."
Maki.
Level: 8.
Type: Egomaniac.
Relationship: unknown.
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Stats: Relationship isn’t high enough.
Special abilities: Relationship isn’t high enough.
Skills: Are we really doing this again, ya dolt!
Magic abilities: see above, dunderhead.
Secrets: see above. Goofball.
"Sorry about that," Clyde said then attempted to step around her. Maki blocked his path, smirk on her face.
"What’s your name, new boy?" she said, standing in Clyde’s personal bubble. Her body language laid it out too much on the seduction. She either had faith that her ridiculous fan club would spawn out of nowhere to save her or held no sense of danger to potential assailants.
"It’s Clyde," he said then tried to walk off again, but the egomaniac wasn’t having it, blocking his path again, smiling.
Clyde’s temper was finally about to peek its head—because his day wasn’t going quite well, when Toru suddenly walked in between the two of them. His manner disappointed Clyde a little.
"Oh, Maki," he said, blushing. "Hey."
Clyde could feel the enmity ooze off the young woman, but she still held onto her friendly mask.
"Hi Toru," she said, eyes never leaving Clyde. Toru gave her a blank stare, possibly insulted for being half-ignored.
"Anyway Toru, let’s go," Clyde said. "We still have to talk about that thing."
Maki looked as if she wanted to object but the duo was already halfway down the hall. Not today bitch, he thought.
Sadly, as he took the last step to the rooftop, Clyde’s thoughts trickled to his friend. His friend, who may not be right in the head…
Episode 7 (Part 5)
On the rooftop, there were chairs arranged in a semi-circle. In them were Harumi and Kitome. The heat wasn’t too bad thanks to the cool breeze and clouds that passed over the group. Clyde sat next to Harumi.
"Are you alright?" she asked before he had the chance to tear Toru a new one. Her big, glistening eyes doused his anger like a summer rain donning on a campfire.
"Be straight with me," he said to the group. "So
mething…isn’t—"
As if summoned, Chika came through the door, eyes bright, cheerful expression stirring the guilt within him hard.
"Sorry I’m late," she said then sat in the open chair next to Clyde. She sat close enough that her sweet-smelling perfume threatened to entice him. "Toru invited me to the meeting."
Clyde shot Toru a glare. Toru hid within a blank stare.
"What were you going on about?" Kitome said.
"Later," Clyde said. "Men stuff I’ll discuss with Toru. Right now, we have a guest."
He could feel Chika’s vibe around him, an air that shimmered with enough happiness to fix a city. Unnatural happiness.
Toru began the meeting with an overview of the fights for Chika’s sake. He explained the demon lord threat, the gifted, and monster. The silver-haired girl asked a few questions, which got answered.
"Will you join us? We could use your help," Toru said.
"And how many times do I have to tell you," Chika said. "I’m not cut out for any fighting. I do want to support you guys, help Clyde. I’m not happy to see him brought into this crap." Her voice was sharp like a knife’s edge, at the end.
"Think about it," Toru said. "Anyway, let’s speak battle strategy."
He glared at Kitome.
"What?" the blue-haired anime girl said. Toru let the glare roll for another fifteen seconds then lectured. After he finished, getting the party’s agreement, his eyes landed on Clyde.
"Just who are you?"
"Pardon?" Clyde said, giving him a skeptical look.
"Who are you? A weakling…no not a weakling, but a power level that low shouldn’t be able to stand up to levels that far exceed your own. It’s like you’re breaking the rules."
The Anime Trope System Page 11