A girl with black and white hair leaning against the wall is seen trying to solve a Rubik's cube. Behind her, a double-edged scythe, her very own weapon.
"A Rubik's Cube? That takes me back." A man with long hair said as he walked closer to the girl. A look of worry on his face. But was masked by fake optimism.
"Getting one side is easy, but getting two sides is hard." The girl answered, continuing to solve the puzzle in her hands.
"That may be true. They are toys whose advent was spread by the Six Great Gods six hundred years ago." The man explained, walking closer. The girl glanced at him.
"So, what has happened to bring the officers together?" The girl asked, feeling bored of the small talk, and decided to get on the point. The man's expression turned dull.
"There was a report submitted." The man said. The girl was quick to reply, not letting him explain more.
"I didn't read it." She said, making the man sigh, "It's easier to just ask someone who knows the situation." She continued, going back to the Rubik's cube.
"Has 7th Seat's "Thousand Leagues Astrologer" prediction gone awry? They've gone forth to subjugate the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, right?" The girl asked, taking a glance at her colleague before going back to the Rubik's cube.
"They've engaged an unknown vampire-like undead, and Cedran and Beaumarchais were killed, while Kaire was severely injured, so they withdrew." The man reported. He shifted to the left and stared behind him, somewhat paranoid.
"8th Seat "Myriad Barriers" and 9th Seat "Divine Chain," huh?" The girl said, completing the red side of the cube, "So, which one is stronger--that vampire or me?" She asked, moving her head to the side to stare at the man.
"You are." The man said with no hesitation. He once again stared behind him, shifting and looking paler than ever.
"I see. That's too bad. I thought I might experience defeat." She said, looking to the side. She narrowed her eyes, seeing the man have a slight panic attack.
"Come to think of it, the Sunlight Scripture has been wiped out, right?" She asked, dismissing the man's suspicious behavior by continuing the conversation.
"Probably." The man answered in a quick manner, looking behind once more, irritating the girl, "Word is that they were done in by a magic caster named Ains Ooal Gown. However, not a single body was left behind." He continued.
"Oh? Are they strong?" The girl asked, looking up. Actually intrigued by the man.
"Good question. Their captain, Nigun, was outdone by the Blue Rose." The man explained. The girl felt disappointed at that.
"That's no measure of strength at all, is it? Is there no man who can beat me?" She asked, rubbing her belly as she looked down at it.
"No matter how ugly or twisted they might be. Even being inhuman is no matter. After all, they'd be a man capable of beating me." she continued, her voice changing in tone.
"How strong would a child born of myself and such a man end up being?" She said in a crazy tone.
"We also have another problem. Someone is trying to build a Kingdom near Slane Theocracy. It had beaten our knights before. And injured "The Strongest Human."" The man reported. The girl looked up once again in intrigue.
"The higher-ups think this is nothing of concern. But something bothers me... the day "The Strongest Human" returned from his siege, I felt like something was wrong with him." The man reported, sweating uncomfortably.
"He did return back there with Quintia, right? I'm sure it is of no concern... unfortunately. Someone deemed powerful would've killed "The Strongest Human" already." The girl answered, dismissing the problem as she returned back to the toy.
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A dragon laid, sleeping. It heard a footstep, making it open its eyes. An old lady stood there, a smile on her face.
"It has been a long time, Tsa." The woman greeted, smiling at the dragon. Tsa stood up, not saying anything, "What's wrong? Have you even forgotten how to say hello?" The woman teased.
"Ha-ha, sorry, Rigrit. I was trembling with emotion at seeing my old friend again." The dragon said, giving a dry laugh.
"Friend, eh? My friend is that empty suit of armor over there." The woman said, staring at a set of armor that greatly resembled the dragon.
"I have been apologizing for that for 200 years, haven't I." The dragon said, "I can no longer travel with you in this body, you know." It continued, signifying that it had a different form before.
"So, you're still an adventurer now, aren't you?" The dragon asked, changing the conversation as the woman stared back at him.
"I've retired. I've let that girl Inberun take over for me. That crybaby! She kept carrying on, so I told her if I beat her, she'd have to do as I say. And I gave it to her good!" The woman said, laughing afterward at the memory.
"You're about the only human who could beat her." The dragon complimented. Whoever this Inberun is, she might be a strong persona.
"Well, I had my friends to help me. Not to mention, while that girl may be strong, there are stronger." The girl said, showing her humble personality, "Like you, for example." She continued.
"If you hadn't constrained yourself, you'd be the most powerful being in the world." The woman said, redirecting the compliment to the dragon.
"hmm... I'm not so sure." The dragon said, raising its head to stare at the armor that's shown multiple scratches and a hole on the right shoulder plate.
"There may be a power in motion to corrupt the world once again." He said, recalling the fight with a vampire responsible for the damage in the armor.
"An aftershock of 100 years ago..." The woman said, staring at the armor also, "Is this one not working alongside the world?" She asked, trying to still find light in the darkness.
"No. I would consider this one evil in nature." The dragon admitted. There was another target he found that has evil comparable to the other one... maybe more.
"Rigrit, I hate to do this after you've given up being an adventurer, but may I request a favor of you?" The dragon asked.
"What is it?" The woman asked, the smile still on her face like it's just another day at work.
"I'd like you to gather information on items that rival guild weapons. Or rather, special items from Yggdrasil. And please bring me the book about the "Viruses."" The dragon said, surprising the woman a bit.
"The "Viruses"? Weren't those eradicated already?" The woman asked. The dragon just sighed and looked down at her.
"I believe they are back with us right now... and stronger than ever." The dragon said. The woman stared at him in disbelief.
"By the way, what happened to your ring? I doubt there's anyone who could have taken it from you." The dragon said, changing the conversation after the atmosphere became too tense.
"I gave it to the youngster." The woman answered, looking at the finger that once had the ring.
"That's an item that transcends human bounds. I'd rather it not fall into incapable hands." The dragon said but quickly retracted it.
"Ah, but if you've made the decision, that's good for me." The dragon said, closing its eyes.
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"Creator! Creator! We have a problem!" Deborah shouted, running to your location as you watched the J'avo work on the fields.
"What is it, Deborah?" (Y/N) asked, turning around to look at the girl. She stepped closer and handed you a flyer.
The flier contained a picture of the remains of a Lycan. (Y/N)'s eyes widened. It was the Lycan he left at E-Rantel after he took the corpse of Clementine.
"Where did you get this?" (Y/N) asked, staring at Deborah with fear. The girl pointed outside the walls.
"We saw a group of adventurers outside carrying this flyer." Deborah answered, "I asked them about it, and they said it was an immediate quest by the Adventurer's guild." She continued.
"What for?" (Y/N) asked, his hands shaking slightly.
"The remains of the Lycan contained Adamantite and is in high demand right now. The adventurers told us that the Kingdom set a high reward to find where the creature came from." Deborah reported. (Y/N) acted calm and thanked Deborah.
"Fuck! How could I be so fucking careless!?" (Y/N) cursed, kicking the dirt, "I need to take care of this... but how?" he asked, pacing around.
After pacing around for a while, (Y/N) finally found a solution. But it would require him to blend around as an adventurer again.
"Alcina, I need your daughters to accompany me. Kindly tell them to go up here." (Y/N) requested. Alcina followed his order without hesitation and pulled out of the Hive Mind.
While waiting, (Y/N) morphed into his adventurer outfit. Not long after, the three already arrived and kneeled in front of their creator.
"Let's go, girls. We'll be adventurers again. Also, Don't stall. We need to leave right now." (Y/N) explained, the girls all nodded, and they all flew towards E-Rantel.
<Small Timeskip>
The three arrived in E-Rantel and immediately went to the adventurer's Guild. The girl on the counter greeted them with a smile and dropped four Adamantite dog tags, surprising (Y/N).
"Congratulations on reaching Adamantite with sir Momon." The woman smiled as (Y/N) took the dog tags and passed it with the Dimitrescu Sisters. He then returned the copper ones.
"It's good that you're here. There was a creature that dropped adamantite when it died. There has been a hunt to find these. Here you go." The woman said, giving (Y/N) a flyer of the quest.
"Yeah... I heard of it." (Y/N) said before giving the woman a forced smile.
"Anyways, what happened to the adamantite the creature dropped?" (Y/N) asked, grabbing Daniela closer as he felt her try and seduce another adventurer.
"No eating!" (Y/N) commanded through the hive mind. The girls pouted and looked around the Guild.
"The adamantite is currently on bid right now. Many adventurers and nobles are in the town square getting ready for the bidding." The woman answered. (Y/N) thanked her once again.
"Let's go, girls!" (Y/N) ordered. He walked out, and the three followed him. Daniela blew a kiss on an adventurer before leaving.
"No mingling with the commoners either. You're royalty! what would Alcina think?" (Y/N) said, shaking his head slightly.
"Why us? Daniela was the only one who was trying to flirt with the adventurers." Cassandra whined. (Y/N) scratched his head and chuckled.
"My bad. But keep that in mind, girls. I'm not here to ruin your fun. This is also for your and our kind's protection." (Y/N) said, teaching them that the world is dangerous for the likes of them.
The three arrived at the town square and saw the crowd in front of the newly made stage. Atop it was the skull of the Lycan covered in adamantite on a pedestal.
"Wait here, girls. I'm going to take a look around." (Y/N) ordered before walking towards the crowd.
He got a better look and saw the auctioneer and the assistants beside the stage getting ready for the bidding. (Y/N) scoffed and returned to the girls.
"What now?" Bela asked, looking at the auctioneer walking up the stage.
"We wait." (Y/N) said, causing the girls to whine. He watched closely and saw that there was a problem.
The auctioneer got down from the stage and started shouting at his assistants. Using his enhanced hearing, (Y/N) heard the commotion. It seems one of the assistants broke a piece of the adamantite.
He watched as the guards walked up to the stage and guarded the skull. The auctioneer walked back to the tent along with his assistants.
"Change of plan, girls. Go inside that tent unnoticed and make sure no one gets out." (Y/N) said. The girls all giggled and turned to flies.
(Y/N) watched as the girls got inside unnoticed by the guards and the common folk alike. He smiled and walked to a nearby alleyway.
"Did you get him?" (Y/N) asked through the Hive Mind. Bela answered yes, "Good, get me a strand of hair from the auctioneer." (Y/N) ordered.
A couple of flies flew out of the tent carrying a strand of hair from the auctioneer and flew closer to (Y/N), dropping it in his hand. The scientist smiled and devoured the strand.
"Good work, girls. I'll take it from here." (Y/N) said, mutating into the auctioneer with a deranged smile.
"What about the man things?" Daniela asked. (Y/N) sighed, already knowing what they wanted.
"Alright, you can eat them. Make sure no one makes a sound when you do so, and don't make a mess!" (Y/N) ordered. The three sisters thanked him before (Y/N) disconnected from the Hive Mind.
(Y/N) copied the auctioneer's mannerisms and personality and walked to the stage. One of the guards walked closer to him and leaned closer, "What's the situation, Sir Earl?" The guard asked.
"Everything's quite fine." (Y/N) said, acting disgusted and pushing the guard aside. Just like how the auctioneer Earl Abel was, "I just need to examine it." (Y/N) continued, walking past the guards.
He took the skull and the pillow it was on and carefully returned to the tent. He arrived and saw the girls draining the blood of the victims in a nearby metal bucket.
"Remember! No mess!" (Y/N) said before dropping down the skull. He examined how it looked and made an exact copy of it using the Mold.
Once he got the look perfect, he buried a small Cadou in the middle of it, "Good, now for the auction to continue." (Y/N) said, replacing the original with the Mold copy.
He walked outside and continued the auction. Using the skills he got from the auctioneer, he perfectly got the auction to continue.
<Small Timeskip>
The auction took at least a couple of hours. Considering how rare Adamantite is, Nobles competed to get the skull as decoration. The adventurers didn't even stand a chance.
The auction was concluded, and the noble who won was called up on stage. (Y/N) shook his hand and carefully passed the fake skull to the noble with a smile.
"Congratulations!" (Y/N) said, clapping as the Noble grabbed the skull and turned around to brag it, showing it in his hands in front of the crowd.
The noble was surprised when the skull started moving uncontrollably before melting into a thick dark ooze. The people in the crowd all gasp in shock as the ooze forced itself into the man's mouth.
"What in the devil!?" (Y/N) acted fearful as he ran down the stage. The guards all ran up the stage and pointed their spears at the noble who writhed in pain.
Not long after, the noble started mutating into a Lycan, scaring the crowd. It roared and immediately pounced on a guard, bit his neck, and took his spear.
"That should remove the notoriety of the Lycans." (Y/N) chuckled, walking to the tent while the people all scream and run around trying to get away.
He walked inside and saw the three relaxing on the make-shift beds after their meal, "Did you really eat them all?" (Y/N) asked. Bell shook her head and pointed behind her.
"We left one to gift to mother." Cassandra said. (Y/N) looked behind the bed and saw one of the assistants tied up and unconscious.
"What good daughters you are." (Y/N) said, patting Daniela in the head, "Go home now. I need to see how this will turn out." (Y/N) ordered. The girls all left, having their fill, and flew back home, carrying the unconscious man.
(Y/N) walked outside the tent and saw that the Lycan was still alive and kicking. The guards couldn't handle it, and even the adventurers present were having a hard time.
(Y/N) morphed back to his adventurer outfit and walked to the fight. The adventurers all stepped back, seeing the adamantite dog tag.
"Creator's Sorry." (Y/N) mouthed as he dashed and grabbed the Lycan and ripped its head off. The adventures stare in awe, seeing (Y/N) dispatch the creature quickly.
(Y/N) dropped the head as it dissolved with the body, leaving behind a skull like before. One of the adventurers tried to grab it, but (Y/N) intercepted.
"No, don't! That's a trap. These creatures are crafty. If you grab that, you'll turn into one of these." (Y/N) said, making the adventurer back away quickly.
(Y/N) grabbed a red carpet from the stage and used it to take the skull of the Lycan before covering it completely. He left with a smile, leaving the adventurers confused.
"Mission accomplished." (Y/N) chuckled as he walked through the gates of E-Rantel and into the forest.
<Timeskip>
(Y/N) arrived back home and went inside his room, using the Lycan skull as a decoration. It looks rather good on a desk. (Y/N) sat on the bed, relaxing after a day's work.
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Welp, this is a new chapter after a long break. I just got a new pc, and it took us a couple of days to get wifi on it. I'm thankful to get this chapter out, and no, I didn't give up on it.