With her hands in her pockets, Nera had arrived with the monkeys in her sight. She met them at the edge of her Mother Goddess' territory.
She rushed here to get this over with as soon as possible. She needed to go make sure Alchemy was okay.
That being said, the moment the monkeys got in range of her identification, Nera realized that if a fight were to break out, she wouldn't make it out alive, much less finish this in time to help out elsewhere.
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| | | | | = | Nera closed the system panels. It's not like she wanted to engage such a walking disaster, but then what? Did she give them a free pass to Alchemy? 'A genuine [Hero++]... He's lawful leaning, though. Not to mention his highest stat? INS? That's not an extra stat from [The Edge of the Universe]. What could it be? Insight, maybe?' Despite the monster in front of her, she felt her heart flutter. Not to mention that the ten monkeys he brought had danger ratings from A- to S. While the danger rating was a crude gauge of power that could be ignored with significant martial prowess or skills, like in her case, this was too much. Generally speaking, anything below C meant their stats were negligible compared to yours, with C meaning their base stat total was similar to yours, B being slightly higher, A being about 50-70% higher, S being roughly double, SS being anywhere from two to five times stronger, an SSS referred to having anywhere from five to 10 times. That's assuming the Danger Rating doesn't factor in anything else like she thinks it does. From Alchemy's memories stored in the hivemind, Alchemy drew some theories but nothing concrete. Even then, they're a bonafide [Hero], meaning they have something that exalts them above any others of their kind. Being a [Hero] unit meant you were an existence on the level of a mythological hero like Hercules, Sigfried, or Arthur Pendragon. On top of having two plus marks? To say you were among the best demigods would be an understatement. The only silver lining here was that Rio was only around level 50. If he had just become a [Hero], chances were he didn't know how to use his newfound power. 'A knowledge seeker, huh? Perhaps a battle isn't necessary after all.' She hadn't thought much about the name, but now, seeing an extra stat she'd never seen before, she couldn't help but be curious. On top of that, something about this Rio character made her feel… Familiar. Rio's eyes were closed the entire time, yet when Nera's eyes met his, the latter smiled and began to speed up, his cane hobbling along with him. "Are you the Witch of this land? The so-called Goddess?" Rio asked, stopping only a few meters away from Nera. "By your classifications, a [Witch] I am. Unfortunately, I'm not the one you seek. My name is Nera, Mother Goddess' direct aid and her guardian. May I know your name, King of the Knowledge Seekers." Nera answered, giving a polite bow. She was a little annoyed being compared to her Mother Goddess, feeling rage well up, but she managed to contain herself. Rio's eyebrow raised at Nera, knowing the name of his people. Ali had reported that Alchemy knew her name somehow, but Rio didn't fully believe it. Since her supposed Aid knew their people's name, the Goddess' ability must naturally be more robust. "Hohohoho! You're quite the mysterious one." Rio responded, caressing his beard. "As you've said, I am the King of the Knowledge Seekers. I am often called "Monkey King," and you may call me as such." 'Monkey king, huh? He's underestimating me because Mother Goddess didn't come herself…' Nera rolled her eyes. It wasn't a big deal, but the small things were beginning to add up. "Myself aside, it's quite rude for the ruler to ask for sincerity and not even show up themselves. Might I have an explanation?" Rio's words were sharp. Sharp enough to put the Thornskirmishers on guard, getting ready to attack, only for Nera to call them off immediately. "Mother Goddess is… Preoccupied with other guests. She sent me here because she believed our natures were inherently similar." Nera made up a lie on the spot, banking on the feeling of familiarity. "Similar? Oh ho ho ho ho, you're Goddess certainly is an interesting character." Rio paused. "So, pray tell, how exactly are we similar?" Opening one of his eyes, a wave of pressure washed over Nera, giving her a suffocating feeling. She used the same technique on the wolves and monkeys in their initial fight, but Rio's was dozens of times stronger than hers. Killing intent. Killing intent so strong that it could manifest as a force similar to her [Gravity Well] If not for the fact that she was used to her own gravity, Nera would be rendered completely unable to move. 'Choose your next words carefully, Nera. Don't screw this up for Mother Goddess.' Nera took a step back, shrugging off the weight placed on her as she coughed and cleared her throat. "As I've said. I am Mother Goddess's aid. I was born through my Mother's will to understand the world and figure out why the world acts in the ways it does. In other words, although we are of different species, I, too, am a Knowledge Seeker." Nera wasn't one to gamble. With her Analytic stat, it was quite literally against everything she stood for, but her choices were limited here. The Knowledge Seekers was a bizarre name for an entire species—especially their leader, who has their own unique species with "King" in it. They had to be a mutation of some sort. This was all conjecture and guesswork, but Nera imagined them as an offshoot of normal monkeys. However, through a mutation of some kind, perhaps that of becoming monsters, they gained sentience and the thirst for knowledge. If that was indeed the case, then they weren't much different. As much as it pained her to say she was the same as a group of vermin, that was the most logical conclusion she came to. The monkey king went silent, pondering her words. Shortly after, his smile grew wider. "Interesting! Then, assuming you are correct, I ask you this: Aid of the Goddess. Why are we stuck to the ground when birds are free to fly? Even when we have magical abilities that they do not." Nera let out a small laugh as she failed to hold it back. This monkey dared to ask Nera, the wings, about gravity and aerodynamics.