Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 118: Wiping the Slate Clean - The Infamous Slum Sprites

Before Daisuke could reach for the unimpressive railing, a silver tentacle suddenly shot out from the shimmering pool and firmly latched itself around his wrist.

SQUISH!

"What tha—"

Before he could materialize the Lipanthyer's Fang in his free hand, another tentacle coiled around his other wrist, holding them firmly in place. Daisuke clenched his teeth, but instead of panic or outrage, the Composure stat had him focusing the Eye of Verity into the glowing pool.

There, he spied the upper half of a fiend that resembled a giant squid. Its lower half, which was still submerged beneath the water, was entirely translucent, rendering it practically invisible to the naked eye.

But the Eye of Verity wasn't your typical eye; it didn't just perceive the world in colored images—it was able to distinguish the various energies that made up the world, the most predominant being mana that existed within all living things.

Then how was this bastard able to—

Daisuke's eyes widened with revelation when he deduced that the water, at this point, must be completely suffused with mana from the prolonged exposure to the crystals.

Hence, in addition to the fiend being able to make itself translucent, it was also being disguised by all the mana present in the pool.

Following this discovery, Zephyr bared fangs wrought of mana and lunged at the appendages that had his partner incapacitated. But before his fangs could find their mark, another thick tentacle shot out from the water like a speeding bullet and coiled around the charging canine.

"Grrr!"

Zephyr didn't bother to squirm as he was hoisted into the air like a weightless kite. His maw dilated as a ball of hell fire stirred within. Again, the fiend was faster—its beak-like jaws fell agape, firing off a series of electrified needles that struck both the pup and Daisuke.

Zephyr let out a pained holler as he was electrocuted, then his body fell limp under the weight of the paralysis debuff that followed. Daisuke swallowed his own scream when he noted Zephyr's motionless form.

DING!

[You were subjected to a debilitating attack. Αφινίτη's Blessing has countered the threat and preserved the integrity of your motor skills.]

"Sh-Shit!" Daisuke cursed beneath his breath, steam rising from his twitching body.

When the Intimidation skill promptly failed to work on the monster, several icicle-shaped projectiles began forming in midair, aimed to strike the creature's bulbous eyeball. But the moment the Magic Missiles began forming, they quickly dissipated.

"...Huh?" Daisuke was barely able to raise his head. His eyelids had suddenly become heavy, his limbs growing weary.

Just before the glow from the Eye of Verity vanished from his pupils, he peered down at his wrists and noted that his mana was gradually being absorbed by the monster. Zephyr was being drained, too.

"M-Mana Drain?" Daisuke murmured breathlessly, his eyes slowly drifting close. "You gotta be... shitting me."

***

"...s!"

"...ks!"

"...Haxks!"

Daisuke gradually drifted back into consciousness to the sound of muffled voices and persistent sniffling. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open, and the blurred outlines of two familiar figures came into focus—both far too close for comfort.

"G-Guys! He's awake!"

"Haxks!"

Ribbit and Garrett burst into hysterical wails before flinging themselves onto their former leader. Daisuke grunted from the impact, and then cringed as the two began smearing their snot-covered faces all over his clothes, adding to the mess already left behind by his encounter with Jean.

"I'm so happy you're alive!" Ribbit cried, his flushed cheeks not as plump as Daisuke remembered.

"Y-You had us worried sick!" Garrett exclaimed, then his expression became dejected. "...We're so sorry for going behind your back. We just... didn't want to resort back to eating scraps again."

"Hm! Hm!" Ribbit nodded in agreement, snot bungee jumping from his large nose. Without a shred of hesitation or shame, he got down on all fours and bowed his head low in apology.

For a moment, there was silence. Garrett had his head lowered too. In the corner of the dark enclosure, Daisuke spied four kids huddled together, their expressions morose. But they too hung their heads in repentance.

Brek stood at the front of what was beginning to seem like a metallic cage suspended above a pool of water. He had his back turned, his face shrouded in shadow. "Figured you'd still be alive," he murmured with a hint of petulance. "You never did know when to call it quits."

The accusing words were followed by an awkward silence, then the Beastkin's disposition evidently changed, his shoulders now hunched. As he mustered the courage to fish for the answer to a question that was weighing heavily on his mind, his fingers balled into nervous fists.

"April... is she... okay? Did she... survive?"

"...She's fine," Daisuke responded empathetically, not a hint of blame or hostility in his tone of voice.

Brek's shoulders visibility tightened at the light-hearted response, his body jerking as he sobbed soundlessly. He had painfully lost his little sister to starvation when they were younger.

Frustratingly, there was nothing he could have done at the time, but when he joined the Slum Sprites, he was determined to prevent the same tragic fate from befalling the other kids who had become something of a family to him.

But his reckless ideals had almost cost April and Daisuke their lives. Was their livelihood worth several loaves of bread and fresh produce? Would he be able to eat again knowing that his actions had gotten them killed?

"...Thank you," he uttered between his tears, "for staying alive... and for protecting April. I was a fool, and I'm sorry."

"No, it's my fault," Daisuke returned wearily, stumbling when he attempted to stand. Ribbit and Garrett quickly assisted. "When I roped you all into this, I vowed to myself that I would take responsibility. I'm sorry for being selfish when mom died; I should've been more attentive and considerate of you guys."

Bittersweet smiles spread across everyone's lips at the compassionate words. Daisuke's refusal to reprimand them was just one of the many prime examples why he was their leader, and being reminded of that just now made their recent betrayal sting even that much more.