This woman is a monster! She absorbed the Karma as fast as a glutton. What took her a few seconds would take me an hour at the very least!
Calm down. Don’t show it on your face. I’ve been mistaken in thinking that this woman is just crazy. Does she not feel anything at all? It’s her first time going through Karma absorption.
“How was it?” I barely hold back my bewilderment.
Tears begin to trace down her blood-soot-shit-streaked cheeks. Monika lowers herself to the ground as she sinks beside the lifeless corpse of the worm.
What is she doing? Is she still spiteful about the worm’s stunt?
Her naked body shivers from the cold and the remnants of pain that still course through her. Monika wraps her arms around the massive worm. She presses her face against the scaled hide, whining.
“I’m sorry,” Monika whispers. Tears continue as Monika cradles the worm's corpse against her battered body. “I’m so sorry…”
I don’t understand. I don’t understand anything at all. Why would she do that? What is she trying to accomplish by doing all this? Trick me into thinking she has compassion? Why is she acting? She must have seen the worm’s memories of slaughter and destruction. Just what is this hypocrisy?
“Monika…” I say her name for the first time. “Why are you crying?”
Monika freezes. The torrent slows to a trickle as numbness begins to settle over her. She continues to clutch the worm's corpse. The gasps are replaced by an unsettling calm in her glassy and unfocused eyes. The pain that has wracked her body and soul smoothers into an expression of apathy.
“Hel,” she calls. “Why are you just standing? Go get me the others' hearts as fast as possible while I allocate the points,” she says calmly. “Time is of the essence. Do you not get it?”
Both her expression and voice come off differently. I have never seen someone switch their behavior so fast. The more I try to understand and get the gist of her character, the more questions begin to emerge inside of me.
Why did you cry? I want to ask again. I’m too curious. But that would be out of character.
“Sure,” I say while turning back. My attention remains on her while I’m occupied gathering the hearts. She absorbs them at a faster rate than I collect.
It suddenly dawns on me. Why would she show me her inventory if she hid it before the battle? What did she do while I was engrossed in killing the swarms of worms?
Monika is scheming something. There is no telling what this woman can accomplish given enough time. I had no idea what the Willpower of SS+ meant. Only archdemons have access to the interface of the Akashic Record. The highest skill I have seen is of the fourth rank, B.
SS+... Just what the hell is this? Rank 5, 6, 7? How? There are only six ranks to my knowledge. What is Willpower in the first place? An ability to remain unfettered by obstacles? An ability to push ahead?
The difference between rank 4 and rank 6 Willpower, per se—what is it? Was it the Willpower that let her absorb the Karma so fast? What makes her special among the dozens who can persevere through the unimaginable? Doesn’t matter. I need to fulfill my plan as soon as possible.
“Are there any use to these corpses?” she asks, absorbing the last heart. There are more than a hundred lifestones lying beside her from the hearts.
Karma |F+| |17/225|
|C| You are the first candidate to attain Karma |F+|
|+2500 LS| |+250 CP|
This is truly a miracle. I involuntarily gasp at the screen.
“Does your inventory have a capacity limit? We could sell the corpses once we get outside,” I tell her. “Of course, they would barely fetch any price.”
“Then forget about it,” she runs a hand across her gleaming head. “I’m unsure as to how I want to allocate these points,” she glares at me. “Explain.”
What is this sudden commanding attitude? We were on equal grounds just a moment ago.
“It depends on what you want to pursue—whether you want to become a Spiritualist or Elementalist.” I waste no time and continue. “To simplify, Spiritualists fight with their bodies and invest in strength and agility while Elementalists are—” I point at myself. “In Earthly terms, mages.”
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“Elementalists invest in Spirit and Affinity, Affinity and Soul for Seekers.” I contemplate for a moment. “Since you have the Soul of C-, I would suggest investing in Affini—”
I watch her pour 3 points on agility and 6 on strength.
“...” I am speechless. “What are you trying to—”
“Hand me your coat,” she says while standing up and approaching me. “You don’t expect me to roam naked, do you? My petite body would catch a cold,” says the petite girl who’s just put 6 points on strength.
“You have 320 creation points! Just craft a robe or something!” I yell at her. Does she even have any idea how many sigils I’ve spent on it? It is not a mere—
She presses her shit-laden hands against my premium coat. “Take it off,” she says calmly. “Are you deaf? I’ve expressed myself clearly. I don’t like repeating myself.”
Fine! You win! Just you wait! I take it off while trying to retain my calm. “What do you plan to do with points? And are you planning on walking with this coat only?” I ask her.
“Right, points,” she says while completely ignoring my latter question.
I do understand that we’re in a cave, but… is my Charm not working at all? She is completely unfazed by a man watching her naked body. Would it kill to spend a single CP on damn pants? As a woman, I’d be ashamed, at the very least. I do look handsome, after all.
“Creation,” she says.
—Creation—
Summon
Alchemy
Craft
Inventory
“Alchemy,” she adds.
—Alchemy—
Runecraft
Brewery
Embroidery
Enchantment
Ritual
“What a mess,” she mutters. “Brewery.”
—Brewery—
Potion
Elixir
Essence
I have a bad feeling. There’s no way she would—
“Potion,” she follows.
—Potion—
Strength Potion
Agility Potion
Stamina Potion
Affinity Potion
“Wait! You have no idea how terribly it’s going to affect your body! Reason above all else!” I hurriedly clasp my hands against her mouth.
Monika blankly stares at my face.
“Potions are great, sure. But their aftereffects are irreversible! They affect the very soul! What you’re planning on doing is pure recklessness.” I try to explain.
Monika hooks her leg around my ankle. It catches me off guard. She places a firm hand on my shoulder and pushes. I crash to the ground and lay there momentarily stunned.
“Don’t meddle in, kid. I'm done playing with you,” she says in an authoritative tone. “Strength Potion.’
—Strength Potion—
|E| 1 CP
|D| 7 CP
But what she does next baffles me. Monika buys twenty E-graded Strength Potions, then Agility, and then Stamina. What is she doing? I have no idea.
What potions do is momentarily increase your rank to its maximum capacity. For example, if you have a Stamina of E- and take a Stamina Potion, you’d have E+ Stamina for a certain duration. But the power comes at a terrifying cost. Just what does she—
Wait. No. No way.
“Summon,” she says.
You have to be kidding me.
“Succub,”
What follows are the twenty crimson circles consequently forming on the rocky ground.
The first one emerges from the swirling vortex. The succub has flowing red hair and dark eyes. Her skin color is slick with blood red. Curved black horns jut from her forehead and spiral upward. Bat-like wings extend from her back. She kneels with one knee on the ground and places her hands on her lap.
The second creature follows with its form slightly more lithe. Its skin is a shade darker, almost maroon. Her horns resemble a crown of thorns and are shorter but more jagged. Her long and razor-sharp claws are capable of rending flesh with ease.
The third’s eyes are pools of pure darkness. Her mouth is filled with rows of poking teeth while her hands end in hooked talons.
They emerge subsequently. Their skin tones are either lighter or vivid kinds of red. They all have a resemblance to Monika on their faces.
I’m stuck frozen and struck speechless.
What she did just now is create twenty new living beings—not just living beings but her children who share her looks and blood. All that just to sacrifice them, gruesomely, ruthlessly.
Monika beams with a smile as she raises her hands high. The coat floats majestically in the slight breeze of the summoning circles.
One by one, twenty living forms materialize on top of those circles.
“My children,” Monika yells. Her eyes fill with crazed mania.
One by one, her children fall to the ground and kneel with utmost respect.
“You have a sacred mission to fulfill.”