His scream reached the sky, pierced the ears, and touched the hearts of everyone within the dojo.
At this point, if there is anyone that doesn’t understand his raw guttural feeling from having to watch them over and over again, they wouldn’t even be a person.
“...Yeah, we know. Sorry about that.”
“Kyu (But of course, even we have self-awareness.)”
“OH REALLY!!? SELF-AWARE THIS HAND ON YOUR CHEEKS!!!”
“Kyukyukyu~ (No way, you're not qualified yet to touch these beautifully white dimples~)”
As such, they also understand his feeling of wanting to stretch her cheek from one end of the dojo to another, as he mindlessly flails around at breakneck speed, while Dragon tauntingly presents it out of reach.
Soon enough though, he found himself lying completely flat on the ground from sheer exhaustion, his open back getting perched on by this cat-like dragon, slowly licking her paw adorably.
“Kyu (Well, isn’t that good for you anyway? Thanks to us, you get a lot more visitors and trainers looking to join this Dojo, so isn’t that really great.)”
“Tsk... If any one of them actually came here to train, that is. OI, YOU WANT TO TRAIN, OR KEEP LOLIGAGGING AROUND LIKE NOBODIES!? 10 LAPS, ON THE DOUBLE!”
Glaring annoyingly at the increasing amount of onlookers just staring at them while doing nothing, he immediately bounces back up and commands them all to get back into shape with the fury of the thousand sun, scaring their wits out, and their legs spinning.
Huffing and puffing at them angrily, he soon calmed his breathing, and returned to business.
“Anyway, that’s not what I want to complain about. Though annoying, these kinds of things happen in phase whether any upstart came here to show off…”
“Ah...what do you want to complain to us about, then? I don’t remember us doing anything bad at all.”
“Kyu (Mhm, at best it’s completely justified violence)”
Perching on top of her head again after a long fall, Dragon tilted her head along with Marigold, wondering what it was about.
Seeing them being so clueless together annoyed the hell out of his soul, but he kept it in, and let his exasperation out.
“Tsk, of course you don’t (if you did, I don’t think this entire capital would have survived...). Moreover, I heard you have been running around the city helping people out, so thank you for that."
“Aw, thanks!”
“Kyu (No prob, no prob. Any official reward for that?)”
“Hmph, isn’t my thanks enough? ‘As the Headmaster, I commend you’ and so on so forth… However, do you reallly need to help out that many people?”
Reaching into his personal space pocket with both hands, he laborly brought out a tall tower of papers, and dumped it right in front of their sight. As they stare at the pile closely, they soon realize what it is.
“Mister Headmaster, is that all…”
“Yes, this pile alone is appreciation letters. Just how many people out of 10 million residents do you intend to help out here?”
“Um...as best as I can?”
“Kyu (Wow...see, this is why I always tell ya to tone down on your philanthropy.)”
“Eh, don’t you also help as many people as me also?”
“Kyu (Yeah, and I take no credits (read: responsibilities) for this as well. Aren’t I grand?)”
Ignoring the usual stretchy-stretchy scene, he continued, this time bringing out a basket full of gifts and presents.
“Not only that, check all of this out: Gems from Shinework Jewelry, fabrics from Miss Lysa’s Silk Shop, fruits from Mother Nature, etc...Why the heck do you keep helping out all the famous people in this city, is it on fucking purpose?”
“I mean, those people also tend to be prime targets for the many unscrupulous people wandering around this place, so we tend to go there often…"
“Kyu (It’s only right that they give us all this, after we have to save their asses so many times...Oo, these pastries is on me!)”
“Even the special rainbow cream puff from Allamo’s Bakery...even I haven't gotten a discount at that place, for fucks sake…"
Staring daggers at them so happily digging through the gifts with annoyance and a slight tint of envy, he grumbly mumbled to himself. He knows it's just too repetitive to get riled up by their antics at this point, but still…
“Fucking hell, what the heck have you guys done within these 3 weeks? Do you guys even want to conceal yourself at this point…"
“Hm?”
“Kyu?”
“...It’s nothing. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg, by the way. Back in our office, we have a ton more letters for you guys alone…. All of these letters that we have to sift through for some reason.”
Quickly catching his word back and putting it aside, he pointed behind his back through the opened door, where they could see piles and piles of paper being constantly processed and looked over by the people within, constantly shifting and moving and sorting each letter into different piles.
“Aw...Thank you, you shouldn’t have. We could take care of this ourselves, you know.”
"Kyu (Yeah, thank you for dealing with the annoyance)"
Seeing how hard they work, both of them politely thank him, with a neat straight bow. Seeing just how curt that little dragon act pissed him off deep inside, but he decided to just express it with a deep click of the tongue.
“Tch… Don’t thank me, not like I want to do this as well, but your goddamn entourage wanted to do otherwise. Not like I can leave her alone to do that shit, so what can I do…”
“Entourage?”
"Kyu (Ah, he probably means her…)"
Right on cue, No.1 came to her side with an even bigger pile of letters in hand, along with the rest of her group. Greeting curtly to Dragon, she stated her report as if it were a matter of course.
“Greetings, Miss Dragon. I have taken it upon myself to check through all the letters and gifts that you and your sibling have received... Ah, along with the Headmaster's help, of course."
“As I said, it's nothing. " The Headmaster silently scratched his head.
“Kyu (Good job out there. What’s this giant pile of letters you're holding onto, then?)"
“Merely just miscellaneous stuff. Other... Blasphemous stuff.” No.1 gritted her teeth with sheer contempt.
“Marriage proposals, invites to service, even adoption offers as well, for some inexplicable reasons…” Juggling the letters on her right hand, No.2’s kiddy voice and cute face doesn’t hide away her abject disgust.
“Um... W-We even found some letters about taking you in as their official pet, which enrages us so hard we accidentally burn it away...T-The pile that the Headmaster presented to you earlier is the only pile we found acceptable enough to let you read it…” Next, No.3 stammeringly says, hiding her hateful eyes beneath her bang.
“... Of course, threats are eliminated." Finally, No.4 uttered simply, as she crumbled a letter into dust.
“She means the letters, of course. So, what should we do with all of these... Undesirable letters, Miss Dragon?" (No.1)
Skimming and flicking through some of the letters with her little paw, and being a little bit amused at how unreasonably angry they are for her, she carelessly put it back and spoke out her mind.
“Kyu (Well, I don’t care much about those letters, and neither are they, so do to them as you see fit. Same for every other one you deem inappropriate as well)"
“Thank you for your blessing, Miss Dragon. We will gladly comply."
With a flick of her finger, the giant piles held between their hands instantly get shredded to pieces with absolute prejudice, before the ripped rubbish gets cleansed away with a dark, shadowy flame. Watching the fire and smoke for quite a while, their empty eyes began to fill with thoughts that remained unseen…
Giggling at their over-dramatic act, Dragon then returned her gaze back to Headmaster, who was grumbly complaining to them once again, seeing that the mail delivery brings on another batch for them.
“Great, now another batch comes... Oi, how will you deal with this? We obviously can’t deal with that forever.”
“I mean, we could try helping you out with sorting through what should be sent to us in the first place, but…"
“Kyu...(That doesn’t solve the root cause of us just being too popular... Oh, what’s a plight indeed, whatever shall we do~)”
“Grr, stop acting like this isn’t any of your concern… If I get buried alive by those piles of letters over there, I swear I will haunt you til the end of days."
“Please don’t... We need to ask Big Sis's opinion about this first before we make our final judgment."
“Kyu~ (Bossess has the final say, since she's the boss~.)”
“Is that so... When is she done with her stuff over there?”
“Just now.”
Along with a stoic voice, and a loud swipe, bodies began to fly from where she was to all around the dojo’s open ground. One flies into the roof with their strawed wings tattered, one plugs themselves into the wall with their butt hanging open, and one of them skids their clothes face across the coarse ground, straight to the place where they stand.
[Daily Quest: Trial of the Dummy God (Rank EX). Completed!]
[Completion rank: EX]
[Calculating result…]
[EXP Gained: 30,000,000 * 500 (Overlevel bonus)= 15,000,000,000 EXP!]
[Due to [Obsession of a Fairy], your team has received an additional 3,000,000,000 EXP]
[You have decided to split the EXP reward evenly between all of your team members.]
[Your team has received +10*2= +20 on all stats]
[Due to [Obsession of a Fairy], your team has received an additional +10 on all stats]
[Your team has received 10,000 Dummy Coupons for each member.]
[Your team has obtained the skills [Dance of the Sword Valkyrie], [Divine Pitch], [Instant Casting]]
[“Though I can’t hack into the content of ⬛ quest just yet, if it’s just this much…”]
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[Due to [Obsession of a Fairy], your team has extracted additional rewards.]
[Your team has obtained Sword Valkyrie’s Featherblade x1]
[Your team has obtained Divine Musical Notes x1]
[Your team has obtained Divine Mana Gem x10]
[“That’s revenge for me not being able to hack in more Dummy Coupons. They always have such tough security…"]
[A certain fairy is strangely proud of what she has done.]
“...So you have taken my blade as well. No matter, the lap pillow’s privilege will be mine!”
“Hmph! You can have those crummy little notes I made in my free time! Next time, you will finally acknowledge my song!”
“...I will see you again then.”
Awkwardly pulling themselves out of the rubble and fixing themselves, they made their cheap C-tier provocation toward Rose, before wrapping themselves up dramatically under a divine light. Making a polite gesture, she bade them farewell before returning her view toward the group.
“Big Sis, how will we solve this problem?" Marigold immediately asked, "It looks like this will go on for a while, as long as we keep helping out."
“Hm...Well, our goal within this capital has not been completed yet, so we still need to stay in this place for quite a while longer." Rose gently put her hand beneath her chin, deeply thinking “And, of course, as long as we keep coming here, so are the letters."
“Tch, that's right...Can't believe I have to say this, but I wish you girls moved out of this fucking kingdom soon. " The Headmaster spat out his word, grumbling at this predicament.
“And we will, soon... But not yet. Now to solve this problem… Headmaster, can you make an official announcement outside?” Rose asked.
"Hmm... Well, I can definitely put out an announcement board outside for all to see, as well as spread the news around. What do you want to say, exactly?"
“Well, just a simple word of thanks for all the appreciation letters, along with the statement to ask people to not send more than one letter to us, as we don't want to bother the Headmaster's dojo…"
“... That’s it? That’s your solution? I thought you would go for something more thorough and certain than a goddamn request notice.” The Headmaster raised his eyebrow skeptically.
“It’s the least intrusive one I have thought of so far. It should be effective enough though, since your words should hold enough weight to make most people listen to you."
“Hrmm... You could say that, but what about the rest of them? Most of the unsavory ones belong to the type of people that don't give a hoot at what I said, since heck, they don't make those kinds of letters in any respect of you in the first place (as absolutely idiotic and death-seeking that was).”
“For them, let's see…” Rose then turned toward the shadowy elite four, who were still checking, shredding, and burning letters, and asked them for a favor “Can you keep around some of the letters you’re intending to burn, so we can make an example out of them?”
“Ah, Miss Dragon’s Esteemed Sister... It would be a good way to make sure they will never reveal their face ever again. We will only pick out the most shameful and humiliating one for Miss Dragon's sake." No.1 calmly replied, with a sinister glint in her glasses.
“Public humiliation, eh... What will you say to them, then?” Headmaster asked, intrigued.
“Nothing complicated. Just telling them that if they want to ask for those things, they need to come before our blade first.” Rose speaks decisively, with a sharp glare in her eyes. “Still though...”
“Ah, to the point, got it. Can't say I dislike that attitude." The Headmaster silently agrees. "Still though, what?"
“Just a minor concern that I have, but… That is an alarming ratio of letters being sent toward us, between the pure heartfelt one, and one filled with desires and eccentricity."
“Now that you talked about it... I would like to say that it is a common thing around here, but not in this amount.” The Headmaster remarked as he watched another mountain of letters coming in.
“Moreover... We’re just skimming through it, but the figures behind all of these bad letters don’t belong to the capital’s side, at least as far as we’re aware.” No.1 chimed in.
“Well, obviously. Those guys have way bigger brains to disregard the queen's word... But if that's so, that really is an alarming number. Hey Roadside Rose, where the heck do you even find that many ‘secret admirers’?”
“Not that we want to attract them, for obvious reasons, but... Even accounting for duplicates and chains of letters coming from the same person, that is still quite a substantial number of people. Considering the current problem within the capital, the queen’s position, our place within the web of connections, rough estimates of political power struggle, various influencing sides…”
As Rose kept muttering to herself, she suddenly began to adopt an elegance and graceful manner. From how she gently taps her delicate fingers, to how her eyelid softly opens and closes, to even how it seems like flowers of violet beauty will sprout all around her…
In a flash, with a purple glint to her clear ebony iris, it was as if she was a sophisticated and dignified noble, who is well-known and well-placed within her own circle, a princess all too used to the delicate and volatile politics within the royal's corner…
“Big Sis, you’re turning on your Princess Mode again.”
“Kyu (You're becoming even more Bossess than usual. Does all these things need you to worry that much?)"
“Ah!...Thank you for your reminder, Marigold. And you’re right, JustADragon, this isn’t something to concern ourselves about, at least not yet.”
“Um! We can go past this quite easily. No need for you to worry!"
“Kyu! (In the first place, bring it! Anyone dumb enough to mess with us will eat our knuckle’s sandwich!)”
“Fufu… Thank you for your confidence.”
Being reminded and reassured by the two beside her, she immediately switches out of the mood she is in, and immediately returns to her usual demeanor. She then proceeds to give them her gratitude, with a gentle pat on their head.
Still, the sudden Royal-like demeanor managed to catch the Headmaster off-guard, with how…Refined she can be.
“Erm… What’s with that earlier? You almost felt like the Queen for a moment there.”
“It’s nothing, just me thinking around and round... Speaking of, I think you should talk to the queen about this, to ask for her opinion.”
“So even you can’t help but be bothered by it... Well, even if I didn’t tell, she should know about this already, but I will personally give her your word. Headmaster’s promise.” He slams his chest with confidence.
“For the sake of the Absolute Dragon’s peace and quiet, we will dedicate our strength to get to the bottom of this as well. You have our promise.” Observing the Headmaster giving out his promise, No.1 and the rest also follow suit, while gently putting their hands over their chests.
“I will take your word for it, then. Now, back to our primary concern.”
“Ah, right... You’re going to write it yourself, right?”
“Exactly. Truthfully, there is also an additional measure I can take, but I need to learn about something first.”
“Hm? You, of all people, need to learn about something?" The Headmaster asks incredulously.
“In fact, it’s what we’re planning to do today, originally.”
Looking at the figure still lying flat on her face near them, Rose then slowly approached her, and gently woke her up.
Scrubbing her little doll-like eyes, the dummy slowly stands up groggily, holding her giant hat on top of her head. Taking a big, long yawn, she finally opens up her eyes and dazedly takes a look at her surroundings.
"Urgh... It's still too early. Who dare wake me up from my well-deserved sleep?~~"
“Hello, nice to meet you again.”
“Ah, it’s yo-AYAH! IT’S YOU!!!”
Realizing who was in front of her, she suddenly jumps up with a scare, before falling down on her butt again, dirtying her meticulously designed robe of cosmic blue. With a fright, she instinctively moved away from Rose, even as she was trying to help her stand up.
“Let me help you stand up, please. You’re dirtying your precious clothing.”
“GAH, stay away from me!!! Are you going to swipe and bonk at my head again?”
“Our fight is already over, so I have no reason to do so. Now take my hand, please.”
“No way, you’re going to suplex me and make me reveal the content of my underwear! Save me, Marigold!!”
“There, there…”
Scrambling toward Marigold, the wizard dummy hugged her tightly, with tears streaming out of her face. Can't be helped, Marigold proceeded to calm her down gently with a gentle rhythmic pat on her back, until her breathing was calm again.
“It’s okay, Big Sis won’t hurt you any more. I guarantee it.”
“*sniff* Really? Big Scary Sis won’t harm me any more?”
“Big Scary Sis already turns into Big Kind Sis, so she won’t harm you any more. Besides, aren't you promising us before that you will teach us about magic?"
“*sniff* Teach you…?”
“Yeah, teach us. You said you were quite the wiz before, right?”
“Yeah, I am quite the wiz... I am quite the wiz... I am the wiz…”
“...Yes! I Am The Wiz! I’m The Grand Wizard!”
Regaining her calmness, she also regained her confidence back, with a thunderous roar. With a grand magic staff adorning her hand, she stands with her head held high, under a brightly multi-colored light and a powerful gust of wind.
“Sorry for giving you such a shameful sight earlier, and failing to introduce myself properly. Well, no more!"
“Here I am, standing tall again, The Grand Master of Magic is here! The Peerless Sage, The Great Vizier, and the mind behind the Grand Unified Form! My name is Merlis, the Grand Genius Who Has Ascended Among The Stars!”
“Hear My Name, Be At Awe, and Be At Ease!”
A mighty stab of the staff, following that, a mighty wave.
A grand and powerful wave of cosmic blue mana flows unceasingly from the center of it all, covering the dojo’s ground with a divine and powerful force, knocking everyone outside the center and blowing them far away, swept under the might of a cosmic storm.
In the middle of it all, at the eyes of the storm, she stands tall and mighty, like a wise figure of old, full of knowledge, of wisdom, and of peerless power, never seen before until her beginning, wouldn't be seen again since her end.
“You want to know how magic works? The origin of it all? The Grand Design?”
"Verily! If you have so desperately asked, then I shall comply. For today, Merlis's Grand Magic Class will have its grand opening!”
(Kyu (... We ain’t that desperate though?))
(Yeah, but let's just let her have this)
(Kyu (Well, of course, I understand the feeling of wanting to show yourself off.))
Right in front of their understanding eyes, the wizard dummy continues to make her grand entrance for a while longer, her ego almost piercing heaven.
Only when Rose kindly asks her to begin teaching, does the lesson begin peacefully.
----------------------------------------
Skills and Abilities:
[Instant Casting
Rank: EX
Type: Support/Active (Storage)
Description: The secret invocation techniques devised by the Grand Master of Magic, allow the user to instantly cast any spell in an instant, through the subtle manipulation of space and time.
Effect:
*You can instantly cast any magic spell of rank EX and below.
*Able to store any magic of rank EX and below beforehand, to then activate it at the moment’s notice. You can save up to 10 magic spells at once.
You can spend (1MP/minutes of cooldown) to reduce the cooldown of any magic spell to 0 instantly.
]
[Divine Pitch
Rank: EX
Type: Passive (Toggle)
Description: The secret practices devised by the Divine Muse, to obtain a divine voice that can sing to the heart of the world. Any action involving your voice will be akin to blessing itself.
Effect:
*Gain a 50% increase in performance for any action which requires an invocation.
*When singing, gain a 20% increase in all statues for yourself and your allies within the range of your voice.
*Depending on the content and meaning of your song, you will grant a corresponding effect on your desired target.
]
[Dance of the Sword Valkyrie
Rank: EX
Type: Active (Attack/ Continuous)
Description: A divine sword dance technique made by the Sword Valkyrie, with the intent to overwhelm your opponents with an elegance and graceful waltz of death. The more one follows the flow of carnage, the more deadly the dance.
Effect:
*Upon using the skill, apply [Wings of the Valkyrie] status to oneself. The skill will remain active for as long as the status stays active.
*[Wings of the Valkyrie]: Upon receiving the status, you will sprout illusionary wings behind yourself, that will grant you the ability of flight, and gradually fill with feathers the more you fight. Gain 10 feathers beforehand, and 1 feather for each successive damaging hit. Gain 1% STR, DEX, and AGL status for each feather on your wings. Lose 1 feather for each 10 seconds you haven't conducted a successful attack, and if you have no more feathers left, this status is deactivated.
*Slash (Cost: 1 feather): Create a slash of divine energy toward your opponents. Deal damage equal to 100% your normal attack.
*Thrust (Cost: 1 feather): Charge and attack in a straight line, piercing through all enemies. Deal damage equal to 300% your normal attack and inflict [Knockback], while moving straight at 300% your normal movement speed for upward of 3 seconds.
*Dash (Cost: 2 feathers): Increase your speed and maneuverability for an instance. Increase your movement speed by 500% for 1 second.
*Soar (Cost: 3 feathers): Soar into the sky with a flap of your wing, attacking everything in front of you with an upward sweep, bringing it into the air. Deal damage equal to 300% your normal damage, and apply [Float] effect to your target that lasts for 5 seconds.
*Dive (Cost: 3 feathers): Dive from the sky into the ground at high speed. Deal damage equal to 500% your normal damage, and apply [Stun] effect on your enemies for 5 seconds.
*Blink (Cost: 5 feathers): Instantly teleport to any position within a 200 meters radius. Also, create bright flashes of light when you teleport, that apply [Blind] and [Stun] effects for 1 second.
*Storm (Cost: 10 feathers): Creating a storm of feathers around your position, engulfing all your targets. Deal damage equal to 200% your normal damage per hit within a 1000 meters radius, lasting for 10 seconds. Each hit also deals [Bleed] to the targets.
*Call (Cost: 10 feathers): Create a shrieking call that inspires your allies while extinguishing your enemy's will to fight. Within the range of your scream, deal damage equal to 70% your normal attack and inflict [Fear] and [Deaf] statuses to all your enemies, while applying 10% ATK up and [Bravery] status to all your allies for 1 minute.
*Scatter (Cost: ? feathers): Scatter your feathers into a protective barrier around yourself and your allies. Nullify 1 attack in exchange for 1 feather that made contact with that attack.
*Judgement: Expending all your feathers for a final attack, and sending it toward every target within range. Each feather will deal damage equal to 100% * (total feathers expended) your normal attack, and have a high chance of inflicting a random debuff once hit.
Cooldown: 24 hours
]
Items:
[Sword Valkyrie’s Featherblade
Type: Weapon
Rank: EX
Attack: 10,000
Durability: 10,000/10,000
Requirement: Learned [Dance of the Sword Valkyrie]
Description: A legendary sword used by the Sword Valkyrie, famed for being as light as the feather, and as swift as the wind. When one performs the dance of conflict, the sword soars freely in the air.
Effect:
* +20% AGL, STR, and DEX while in combat.
* Gain +1% damage/hit while in a combo.
* Gain [Telekinesis] while using [Dance of the Sword Valkyrie].
* While using [Dance of the Sword Valkyrie]: you can recover 1 more feather with each successive hit, and increase the performance of each technique by 0.5%/feather.
]
[Divine Mana Stone
Rank: EX
Type: Material
Description: A special mana stone filled to the brim with divine energy. A precious material that can only be made within the heavenly realm.
]
[Divine Musical Notes
Rank: EX
Type: Books
Description: A certain note that is filled with divine inspirations from the Divine Muse. Reading it will allow you to gain comprehension and understanding of the beauty within songs.
]
[Dummy Coupon
Type: Exchange material
Description: A coupon given out to one who completes the Dummy's Daily Quest. Can be used to exchange for items within the Dummy Market.
]
----------------------------------------
Extra notification for Rose (because I have no idea where else to put this):
[You have defeated an overwhelming opponent against all possibilities! You have earned the title [Equaling Titan], replacing the title [Equaling Goliath]]
[Your skill “Against The Odd" have been upgraded to "Against All Odds"!]