There will be another chapter released tomorrow.
Peace.
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—
/Smile…/
Found you.
'Underneath the protective stone dome sealing the depths of the spring, a large creature prowled in the dark.'
'Its body was asymmetric, its flesh decaying and healing simultaneously, transmuting with every second into another form as its corrosive poison seeped onto the water, destroying its own body before being reconstructed by the Spring's mystical power.'
'Purified and corrupted, time and time again, reconstructed, time and time again into a stronger vessel.'
'Even if little by little an ant' step at a time.'
'Due to the immense Vitality of the Spring, its body never decayed, nor did it lose strength as it kept releasing poison to its surroundings, turning the once clear and pristine water into a shade of pure dark and violet, bubbling with toxins.'
'It needed nothing to sustain itself; the purest energy became the strongest nutrient, pushing this once ordinary creature with a finite lifespan onto an undying, immortal abomination.'
'It was hard to say what this once was, as nothing he had ever seen resembled this beast.'
'Whatever it looked like in the past was now completely and utterly forgotten by the mass of dead flesh that composed its body.'
'Hundreds of fillers coiled around it, locking it in place as they clung to the walls like chains, making the monster seem like a snake as it floated deep within the spring.'
'Or like some sort of fleshy hive clung within an abyss...'
'Silver figured out the creature's main strength from a simple study. Somehow, the creature found a way to connect itself to the source of the spring through its fillers, which granted it near immeasurable power.'
'That much was a given as he knew of the fact from Bhera's words; the question he just needed to answer was how, and here was the first line of it.'
'As for where this unending degree of energy came from?... He couldn't tell, it was likely some form of Spiritual Magic that persevered through the centuries, an imprint of the Ancitent Great Spirit's Magic, not anything new as their footsteps could be seen everywhere.'
'But mayhaps, beyond his understanding, it could be the simplest answer of them all: Divine Intervention.'
'If one could not understand the world... Leave it to the Gods to explain it.'
'If the Gods created the world, why wouldn't it have their touch, after all?'
'Most of the Gods drew delight in the imperfection of men and from their conflicting ideologies... Just like the Dungeon, the world was filled with places mere mortal understanding could not devise an answer for.'
'With that in mind, he arrived at a final answer:'
'If he could not understand the source, nor was there the possibility of destroying it, then he just had to pull it out before it could react and fight it on land where its advantages were gone…'
'But could it be so simple?'
'The strategy of fleeing from a monster or drawing it towards a disadvantageous environment was as old as written time. Heroes of the past, lacking in strength, had to make do with ingenuity to survive; that was how ordinary people hunted down the equivalent of Level 4 and 5 threats of today.'
'Even in modern times, such strategies were employed. Who would so foolhardily face a monster in its natural habitat?'
'A-Ahem...'
'Well, although the words may sound straightforward, pulling the gargantuan creature from its nest a hundred meters under highly corrosive water and a several-ton heavy seal full of magical inscriptions was something likely not even Gareth would've been able to do.'
'At least not without some injuries and complaints from the old dwarf...'
'Though if he worked with Finn and Riveria, they would likely be able to come up with a solution... Maybe Riveria would've frozen the water or boiled it down completely; who knows?'
'Regardless, this was a monster that was stronger in its home ground than outside of it, exactly like Amphisbaena, who, despite its large sluggish body when on land, becomes a Level 6 beast when inside the many lakes of the Water City where it could move around fast and efficiently.'
'But different from that, while Amphisbaena may be dangerous when in water, its defenses and overall strength remained the same, a good wack, be it when its inside or outside of the water, would still do the same damage. Several other variables aside...'
'On the other hand, in this monster's case, while it's in the Spring, it becomes nigh immortal.'
'And Silver wasn't willing to test how far that immortality extended... The Vitality within the Spring was endless even to him.'
'He would even go as far as to say there was likely no one alive who could instantly kill it, as Silver feared this monster could just 'revive' from any injury for as long as its magic stone wasn't broken... There was even the harrowing chance its magic stone mutated or fused with the Spring's Source.'
'Thankfully, however, he hadn't heard of one such event happening...'
'And although there were people with peculiar abilities that when bent together would possess unparalleled single target power, putting them together was another issue in its entirety... Not to say the idea of keeping the spring intact was an essential detail that had to be kept.'
'What point would there be in gathering the strongest heroes of Orario just to have them raze this entire area to dust, and with it, the miraculous spring?'
'This was a monster that required extreme effort and planning to be slain, and maybe it was why Ouranos decided to abandon Belthane rather than send more Adventurers to hunt it down.'
'This was a strong and troublesome monster, a combination more than deadly… However, for as long as this creature remained within the Spring, what was there to worry about anyway?'
'Maybe that was what Ouranos thought once, even if that meant the suffering of thousands.'
'Given his compassion for the world, he would've considered Belthane during Zeus and Hera's rise, but as intelligent as he was, a God in Tenkai was not Omniscient... If they ever truly were like that.'
'Though if there were a God to hold such a title, then Ouranos, father of the Sky, would be the one to hold it.'
'Silver could only wander what made him reconsider sending anyone to take it down during the absolute height of their fame. He did not believe the fact the old God forgot about it...'
'It couldn't be, right?...'
"..."
Hm...I can try pulling the creature from within but… That wouldn't work very well.
The problem with this approach is that I also don't know if the monster has some sort of, 'immaterial connection', with the Spring; if it's something spiritual or even arcane in origins, things could get a little complicated.
There are two ways I can envision me defeating this on my own… Three if I add me just wrecking the Spring to oblivion... This could lead to many things, though I won't consider them as they're an absolute last resort.
If I have to break the Spring to defeat the monster, I might as well postpone this for later, as I could be dooming these people to a painful and slow death.
For the first idea, I can pull it out and kill it on land, but I doubt the creature would fight me outside of its home ground, most monsters with this degree of strength would possess some intelligence... However, that isn't always the case.
The Spartoi are pretty strong, but they're just a bunch of dumb skeletons... Dumb, Level 4 Skeletons that can use most weapons with the same level of proficiency as a Martial Master... But unintelligent when alone.
Which they usually aren't since they're generally in the presence of their King.
Anyhow...
It would likely try to flee, but that would be boring. I came here to fight for the sake of that sweet Excelia, not for sport... It isn't sport... It does sound like it, though...
... The other way would be… To find its Magic Stone and shatter it immediately with a single attack... Another boring solution to my problem.
This is the safest option. The Swamp King is in a deep sleep, and it won't be able to react to me getting close and striking its weak spot… No, I don't even need to do that.
I can cut it into two pieces right now if I prepare enough.
As I said, the swamp King is immortal, not unbreakable. I could cut it in two, but it would surely heal.
If I put enough effort into it, I'm sure I can do the same to Amphisbaena, though such strong Plasmids are still uncomfortable for me...
The problem is what I thought of before. If I shatter its skull, would it die, or would it persevere?
There has to be a point of no return, where, regardless of how much Vitality there is within the Spring, it cannot bring someone back.
Even if it can... Would it still be the same being?
... I'm getting ahead of myself.
That said… This is enough for now, my hand hurts.
'With a pained expression, Silver pulled his hand from the Springwater, looking at it as he waved it around, trying to "cool it down" a little since it was burning.'
'Unfortunately, it wasn't.'
'His entire skin seemed to have vanished, leaving only his muscles, causing him extreme pain as his nerves flared chaotically.'
"..."
'The sight of his hand caused Bhera some distress. She was disturbed and somewhat worried, despite everything he had done so far to her children…'
'However, Silver never lost his cool. Soon enough, soothing light enveloped his hand, and his skin began to grow rapidly.'
'Within a few minutes, his hand was back to how it looked, though it would still need severe treatment from him for a few more hours for it to be fully functional again as his body settled down.'
'This was a surreal level of healing compared to healing his eyes and arms, but those and these are completely different.'
'For once, he had risen in Level, strengthening all of his Plasmids, and second, one was reconstruction from a completely charred state. This was regrowth from decay.'
'The superficial healing of his skin or most tissues was far too easy for him to perform... Now, recreating a limb wasn't as easy and intuitive...'
"Phew..." He exhaled as he waved his hand around, the pain still lingering in his bones
I wanted to try and see how my Constitution would fare against its Corrosion, but living without Abnormal Resistance is shooting myself in the foot, huh?...
Or maybe, this monster is just that high of a menace, it could be both as well.
Anyhow, I learned a lot today. I can start making my preparations now.
'Silver looked around a bit more and noted a few more details at the back of his head before turning around and going for the exit of the clearing.'
"Hm? Aren't you going to fight it? Getting cold feet? After all that talk?" Bhera asked as she saw Silver go for the exit
'Silver turned to face Bhera, somewhat confused, but then, it came to him.'
'His actions were indeed contradictory, so he saw the need to explain himself.'
"Oh? Is that what it looked like? It's not anything like that."
"I came here to make my preparations, I'll fight it once my weapon's repaired. I'm not that reckless of a person, okay?"
"Before you speak, I never said that it had to be now, I only came here to check it, and I did, I'll fight it tomorrow at the earliest. I'm sure you can tell if that's a lie." Silver's voice was filled with determination as he smirked and walked past her, noticing her expression
"Tomorrow at the earliest can still be next year by the latest." She said with a calm tone as she followed him with her eyes
'Although... It was still to be seen if he would commit to his words...'
"I won't take that long... Ahem..."
"I've looked at it, and overall, I don't think it's impossible, though we'll have to wait and see later."
"The biggest issue here should be cutting the monster's connection to the Source. If that can't be done… Then I'll have to brute force my way to its Magic Stone, if it even exists after all this time." He said as his expression changed to a pensive one
"I've never seen such a monstrous example of a monster's mutation, this isn't an Enhanced Species, much less an Irregular... Maybe this is what a monster can achieve if they're allowed to run wild for long enough."
"It's unique enough to be it's own classification. Though I could be wrong, the only way to know is by opening it up..."
"But as exotic and curious this situation is, it evokes some caution."
"... You talk as if either were easy, besides, when did you possess any caution?" Bhera asked as she crossed her arms and unknowingly pressing her arms underneath her bosom
"..."
Damn...
'Silver quickly shook his head as he washed his mind clean, adopting his serious face again.'
"Sigh, so? What's your plan? The second thing I hate the most after being ordered is the 'unknown'."
"... Funny, I thought that was what the Gods enjoyed the most." Silver retorted as he walked onto the swamp, leaving Bhera behind
"You'll see for yourself, I have some ideas and they will suffice."
"Above all, I'll try my best not to break this place too much, though don't hold me accountable if I damage the area a bit."
"See ya." He said as he waved his hand to her
"..."
This child...
'Bhera was left in the spring with a calm and serene expression. Her thoughts seemed a mystery, but just when she was about to leave…'
"... Actually, I can't just leave you here. So uh… Forget I said that." Silver said with a half smile as he returned from the forest, realizing his mistake
'He seemed a bit embarrassed as he coughed out loud, looking away as he waited for her to walk past him. He tried making a cool expression, but her emotionless gaze caused him to stop trying to act tough.'
"..."
He's really intriguing.
'Bhera did not seem to react to his words or actions, merely walking as if nothing had changed… But inside, she had a change of heart or better put; she confirmed something about him.'
'And so, the two returned to Belthane where many awaited their return… Especially after the fiasco that was Silver's and her children's encounter...'
'This, of course, included two very angry and upset Goddesses… Which soon enough, would become three.'
…
/Later.../
/Chatter.../
"... I'm really, really sorry about this!" Hestia exclaimed out loud as she bowed to Bhera
"Cough... Why are you apologizing when I did nothing wrong?" Silver protested on the side before Artemis hit his head lightly
/Bonk!/
'He was sitting on a chair, on a corner, though at the very least they kept his decency by not pushing him to face the wall.'
'He was willing to go with their antics as he felt he "deserved" this, but he wasn't going to be treated like a child.'
'At least... That is what he told himself, reality would beg to differ if Hestia released her divinity and told him to sit down...'
'No matter how much of a tough guy he liked to play when around others, if she did something like that, would he be able to keep a straight face?'
"You have no right to speak after breaking your promise." Artemis said coldly as she sat down on a chair next to him, her legs crossed as she looked at him dismissively
"I didn't break my promise; they were the ones that went after me, and after I stated my reasons for being here, the Elf over there got all worked up for some reason!"
'His words were slightly obnoxious and misleading, but Silver wasn't lying... Which only made things worse.'
'Who was he trying to fool here, exactly?'
'The 100-year-old Elf who saw pretty much everything there was to see? The blind man who couldn't care less as he couldn't see?...'
'The three goddesses who lived for tens of thousands of years, maybe? Their age was irrelevant anyway...'
'Maybe the Naive Princess lived with a mask on her face... But what would he gain by fooling her?'
"What?! I... I did that but..."
'Before Uskari could finish 'defending' himself, Hestia interjected:'
"You're one to talk Silver. You could've easily not fought them, but you did. We could've talked our way through things, but you provoked them and cultivated this outcome!"
"This isn't the first time you've done something similar. I haven't forgotten what happened in the past!"
"Above all, you caused all this mess when you could've finished everything swiftly!"
"..."
"Ouch..."
'While Silver remained quiet, Uskari's pride shattered as his head dropped.'
'Come on... At least leave him some room to breathe...'
"And in the end, that's causing trouble, so don't push the blame away because it's irrelevant anyway!"
"... You're getting better at this." Silver said with a sigh as he looked away
Artemis is teaching her way too much; this isn't good; I like the easy-to-fool Hestia...
"Uhuhu, I'm getting lessons from... HEY! Don't try to diverge the topic!!"
"Tsk."
...
/A few minutes before.../
'Moments after Bhera returned with Silver to Belthane. They met Hestia and Artemis, who were rallied by Talvi after the mess Uskari, Lidari, and Silver created in the old ruins near one of the plazas.'
'Right now, they were in a large room inside a Manor, the home to all of the Priestesses and the so-called "royalty" of this nation, Talvi's house, somewhat isolated from the rest of the country as it was here they received their education and grew to perform their duty.'
'It can be seen as a depressive and desolate prison to some, but to Talvi, it was her home.'
'She never felt chained here. She was as free as she could be, although the chains bound to her feet were just that long...'
'In the end, it was the best place to talk and discuss things away from the eyes and ears of the Belthane's people, although right now, this was mostly a scolding session by the Goddesses... All three of them.'
'Hestia and Artemis were upset for Silver's lack of care and clear provocation of the other side, but his futile attempts at shifting the blame from himself were a habit they disliked very much.'
'Silver usually acted out of his volition whenever he felt like it; however, whenever he could, he would try to find some moral justification to act, even if he had to force it into existence, which only made its morals questionable.'
'It was forceful but effective, though some... Most, would digress if his actions were righteous or not.'
'When he pushed Ishtar to a War game, many showed doubt at his actions. As chaotic as they were, they couldn't be ignored, as he was acting in the same way Evilus was, and no Familia wants a rogue First Class adventurer causing trouble left and right.'
'When he proved his actions to them, despite unwilling to, then they let him be, not that they forgot what happened...'
'This time he was on the right, would this remain the case?'
'Meanwhile, for Hestia and Artemis, no matter what he said to defend himself, Silver's actions were as obvious as they could be.'
'The moment they heard a few details... No, even before that, they already realized what had transpired and what his intentions were, such was the thinking ability of a God.'
'Some were better than others at that...'
'Meanwhile, Bhera reprimanded her children for going against her orders. She did say before she hated variables, and her children acting like that was somewhat not within her plans... Not that she hadn't predicted it.'
'She knew them better than anyone, just like Hestia and Artemis knew Silver, but that didn't remove the unpleasantness of the situation.'
'Because she knew and loved them, her children acting out of her orders was so much of a bother to her that even when given her laidback attitude, she ended up stepping up to voice her distaste and disappointment.'
'Though, her attitude was so tame compared to Hestia's and Artemis' that it made Uskari reconsider what benevolence truly was...'
'And in this realization came his spite.'
"..."
Heh, serves you right.
'Uskari looked at Silver as his two Goddesses pinned him down, throwing words at him whenever he tried to speak.'
'Silver tried to talk but Hestia didn't let him off the hook easily as he did technically commit terrorism by "attacking" another country...'
'Belliting others like that wasn't what Hestia wished of Silver, and even though he gave "excuses" such as trying to show them that reality isn't as crushing and that they can "fight fate", Hestia knew better than to give in to his sweet words!'
'A thin smile rose in the corner of Uskari's lips as he saw Silver's defeated expression, a weak satisfaction for what the man just had him go through.'
'But at the same time, there was a certain degree of envy, as he also wished for attention from his Goddess...'
'Though not in a romantical sake. Gods... Don't even joke about that...'
'He knew better than to love her... Not because of her identity as divine, but merely due to her rotten personality.'
'Some girls were better refrained from approaching... Or even interacting...'
'No matter how divine and sweet their voice may seem.'
...
"And... Huff... I'm done."
'After what felt like an eternity of verbal torture and many light knocks to his head, Hestia finally lost the strength to speak, so she sat down to relax.'
'Soon enough, Silver got her a cup of cold water, and she took it down without even saying anything. However, she quickly realized he was trying to be smooth, so she shot him a side eye before turning to Bhera.'
"Once again... I'm really sorry; we have no business shoving our nose around..."
"But you were going to, weren't you? What's the point of playing gentle now? I hate liars almost as much as those who order me around, so stop it. It's horrid to listen to your excuses."
"..."
"You're no different from him. Like God, like Child..." Bhera replied dismissively as she smiled at Hestia
"#!! Understood." She said as she gnashed her teeth
'She really wanted to bash out at her, but she knew they were in the wrong, so she kept quiet and took it all in.'
'Before she could say much on the matter, which there wasn't much to anyhow given she didn't know what to say, Bhera broke the ice by saying:'
"I hate being in the dark. So tell me your plan, how to intend to kill the Swamp King?" She asked out loud as she looked at Silver
"..."
Sigh... Just what is it that you don't hate?
""...""
'Everyone went silent, waiting to hear his words, including Hestia and Artemis, who were very interested in his plans.'
'Technically speaking, although he caused trouble, he should've gathered enough information to know if a raid against the monsters was feasible, and more than anything, they wanted that monster dead so everyone could live without worries again.'
'Talvi and the others were also largely silent, watching from the sides as they waited for his words.'
"My plan? Well..."
"Given its nature, I'll tackle this issue the same way I would when facing Amphisbaena... You do know what that is right?"
"I didn't ask you that."
"Very well... I'll pull it out from the spring and kill it on land."
'That was Silver's number 1 plan, which he eventually chose after thinking for a few moments.'
""?!""
'While Talvi and the others were shocked by his unconcerned tone and words, Bhera was interested in the aftermath and the process itself.'
"How? The Swamp King is fused with the Spring of Life, and it won't be coming off so easily."
"Its connection can be broken by Talvi's magic, but its range is so weak it does little but damage part of the monster's main body."
'She said nothing, but it was implied in her words:'
'That was why the Priestess was a Bomb; she was meant to be devoured while her magic is in effect; this act causes the Swamp King to suffer severe damage, leading to its hibernation.'
'If the Priestess Magic was stronger, this issue wouldn't exist. Unfortunately...'
'There were variables at play beyond Bhera's control.'
"So even if you can bring it out from within, how do you plan to reach it without melting into a puddle? Your arm didn't fare well when faced with its concentrated poison." She said as her expression sharpened
"That is a simple answer; I just don't need to touch it physically." Silver replied with a shrug as he looked at the window
"Silver... At least try to respond properly..." Artemis said with a sigh as she patted his head lightly
"Look, I... I'm a bit tired, that's all." He said as he turned to Artemis
"Explaining what I can and cannot do has always been a little of a headache for me, and right now, I'm not really in the mood to go into the specifics."
Honestly, I'm just a little tired of all the words people have thrown at me since I got here.
Seeing these poor and pathetic people rubbed the wrong way in me, also, Bhera is more chaotic then Loki with her words, she poked at me so many times already I'm on the verge of losing my cool.
No... Just by thinking like this... Actually, I already did.
She won, she broke my darned patience.
'But Bhera wasn't willing to stop at that. She needed a more conclusive response.'
"How can we trust you if you won't open your mouth to us?"
'That was when Silver decided to be direct and tell a piece of his mind:'
"Who said I need your trust?" Silver retorted coldly as he looked at them
"Silver!"
'Hestia was surprised by his rudeness. This wasn't how he usually was... Was the poison affecting his mind as well? It would be greatly concerning if it was as well.'
"No, I won't listen this time." He said as he got up from his seat, pushing Artemis away gently as he did so, causing her to frown
'Silver walked to a window, looking at the swamp.'
"You see that? The deplorable ugly swamp?" He blurted out as his eyes sharpened
"It's disgusting, and it's bothering my Goddess. That's all I need to know."
"She doesn't like it, so I'll remove it from this world."
"I don't need your recognition, I don't need your trust, much less your help." He said as he walked past them, making a gesture as if he was about to cut it all down
"Because it's already apparent you all aren't able to offer me any."
""...""
'Uskari and Lidari did not reply, although their expressions were rather evident...'
"Now that's out of the way, for your previous question..."
"First, I need to fetch my weapon, then I'll prepare some things and take it down."
"Then... You watch..."
'He was going to say something else, but part of his rationale returned, and he realized there was no reason snapping at her at all.'
'So he closed his mouth, focusing on his Plasmids...'
/Shuum!/
'The wood in front of Silver distorted, becoming a portal which he quickly stepped through, vanishing from the room.'
/Creak.../
'The room creaked as it returned to its natural state, baffling those who remained behind... For the most part.'
'Lidari and Bhera were still as emotionless as ever...'
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Notes