“There are already over 300 apprentices, but barely 10 percent of them possessed grade-B talent or above. Considering that, how many of them have talent comparable to mine?” A caprine-beastman with dark maroon hair uttered in a condescending tone. “If you miss this chance, you’ll regret not having me as your captain!”
“Fuck off, trash.” A group of six country bumpkins, a party of apprentices with members having a balanced role led by a girl, dismissively reject her offer. “Talent is not everything, and everyone knows Remaki villagers are burdens, you’re all bark and no bite. Scram before I’m forced to take action!” She pulled her short sword towards the caprine-beastman, Kaishin.
“Y- you!” Pointing towards the group leader with frustration, she ground her teeth in indignation. There was nothing that she could do since nobody from that small party wanted to accept her. Suppressing the humiliating defeat, she left the group and moved away from the crowd. She eventually returned to her own tent, silently sobbing in the corner. After all, that team was not the first one that rejected her.
Now that four Hunter teams have gathered with their group of apprentices, the convoy is no longer as quiet as before. The distribution of their tent depends on their talent. Grade-A talents are given their own personal tent, grade-B talents share tents between two people, grade-C talents have four people per tent, while grade-E talents have ten people per tent.
With more apprentices present, they were commissioned by the official Hunters to accomplish minor tasks such as gathering rank 0 resources, corpse dismantling, et cetera. Their contributions are rewarded in resources, which can be crystal coins or other services such as healing or even minor inheritances if they accumulate sufficient contributions. In this environment that stimulates the economy of cultivators, competent apprentices are more desirable than those who have lacked skills. This pushed the apprentices to either improve or contribute.
As a result, most tent occupants are constantly changing, with a team of apprentices usually occupying one to increase familiarity, allowing them to nurture relationships and synergy over the course of their journey.
Considering the tents for apprentices are of equal sizes, grade-A talents like her enjoy a higher standard of living. However, to her, the empty tent represents a sense of failure, intensifying her feelings of loneliness. It serves as a constant reminder of her perceived shortcomings and the absence of companionship, making her feel even more isolated.
At this point, a tap could be heard from her tent’s zipper-door. Before she was able to wipe her tears, it was opened and the outsider entered without permission.
“It’s me.” Mordred scanned the interior, searching for Kaishin, who had hidden herself behind her bed. “I heard you’ve been trying to group up with other apprentices. Explain yourself, why would you mingle with inferiors?”
Quickly wiping her tears away with her sleeve, she stood up and pointed at Mordred. “It’s because of you, Satoru! I hate you for not bringing me as your captain in your last sortie! I thought you cared about me, but you went on alone without even consulting me!”
Mordred raised his eyebrow, his frustration evident in his eyes. “You were the one who didn’t accept my offer,” he seethed, his voice laced with anger and disappointment. In a fit of rage, he slapped her outstretched fingers away before forcefully grabbing her collar, tightening his grip. “It’s no wonder your peers isolate you, you’re just a fucking joke of a talent. I’ve told you about your potential, but you didn’t listen. Can you see for yourself that it was you who made your life miserable! Cease this self-destructive behavior and open your eyes!”
His words hung heavy in the air, each syllable cutting through Kaishin’s fragile heart. She trembled under his grip, her eyes welling up with tears that betrayed the pain she had been silently carrying. “Y-you…” she stammered, her voice choked with sorrow. “I wanted to be useful. I wanted to be the captain of my own group, someone who people will look up to, not a subordinate.” Her words cracked with desperation as she tried to compose herself. “I hate it here, I just want to go home!”
A clear, crisp sound resounded as Mordred slapped the girl. His palm imbued with minor sound-path methods that caused a shock to run through her sea of consciousness, pausing the colliding of thoughts and emotion for a brief second. This allowed her to compose herself and listen to what Mordred had to say without the influence of emotion. “What did I tell you about your ego? Stop being a pitiful piece of shit that thinks everything revolves around you. You know what’s the biggest difference between you and me?” He paused, “If there’s someone who’s better than me, I wouldn’t mind being their lapdog.”
Still seething in anger, he continued. “Would that make me weak? No! I would use my time to improve so that I could best and make them my lapdog instead. I wouldn't stop even if it kills me. I will definitely become a vengeful ghost that will haunt my enemies, and this should be your mindset instead of being a pitiful piece of shit who cries, wallowing in self-pity.”
Mordred’s intense words filled the tent, his words ringing with a mix of hostility and a challenging spirit. He wanted to ignite a blaze of passion within Kaishin’s heart, pushing her to rise above her self-imposed limitations and embrace a new path of relentless growth and determination. However, unless she embraced her shortcomings, teaching her various things wouldn’t lead to satisfactory results. Efforts are extremely important, but knowing where to put them is even more so. He didn't want her to channel her energy in the wrong direction, it would be a waste of time and energy.
“I can’t go out there and rack up achievements like you!” She rebuked, her voice quivering with a mix of frustration and desperation. “I don’t have a magic machinery artifact, nor the skills to fight on the frontline. And let’s not forget, nobody wants a strategist like me who has no combat resources. Don’t tell me about using our peers as our chess piece. My village’s reputation precedes me, and I’m trapped in this cycle. No one trusts me enough to give me a chance, and without that trust, I can’t prove my capabilities. It’s an endless loop, and I can’t get out of this!”
“You think you’re the only one who suffered!?” Mordred’s voice boomed, carrying the weight of his own past struggle. “I’ve fought tooth and nail just to survive, to claw my way up from the depth of despair. I know what it's like to go hungry, to feel the biting cold seep into your bones, but I didn’t let that define me! You have a roof over your head and food on your plate. That’s more than what many others have.” He released his grip, letting the girl fall down and sob.
< Your Majesty, why are you wasting time on this woman. > Astaroth sent a telepathic message before he was able to continue pressing forward. < If you really need companions, I wouldn’t believe a person of your caliber couldn’t scheme a justification to get us a pair of Mortal Shells. Considering you have two demons following your beck and call, us trio would be more than enough to play as Hunter apprentices. >
Continuing to use his words to push Kaishin into a mental breakdown, Mordred replied, < My memories are unreliable, there’s no telling when I can get them back. Therefore, I need to practice brainwashing before I can get onto the main course, which is Sakuya. I need to refine my methods so that it will be effective on her, and Kaishin is a great stepping stone to achieve that. >
< Oh my… is the Ancient Devil King of Purgatory World back from his slumber? > Asmodeus, who rarely made comments, entered the conversation after sniffing a scent of entertainment. < For some reason, my [Sudden Inspiration] couldn’t tell what method you are using. Would you mind elaborating, Your Majesty? >
The next stage of the ‘procedure’ after pushing her into the brink of mental collapse, is to raise her self-worth and confidence in herself while implanting a seed of reliance towards him. To achieve that, Mordred’s stance changed from carrying a wrathful tone into that of sweet honeyed words. It contained empathy that made Kaishin experience the exhilarating sensation of being accepted and understood for her shortcoming, not knowing that she was slowly being brainwashed by him.
< It would’ve been weird if you were able to uncover my sound-path true inheritance. After all, it is designed so that you can’t even hear it. You can plunder my soul-path inheritance by dismantling my truesoul, but you won’t be able to do the same with my sound-path ones. > Mordred felt it would be rude to ignore Asmodeus. Unlike Astaroth, she’s of the same rank as him. < In the common tongue, it is called Enigmatic Soundwave Engineering True Inheritance, which protects all my sound-path true inheritances from being stolen. >
There was a pause from both demons. < Um, Your Majesty, you haven’t told us the true inheritance’s name… >
< See? I told you. > Mordred replied while continuing his treatment towards Kaishin. < Just as Asmodeus can somewhat ignore the laws of causality to pry for information, I too, have a method that shields my sound-path true inheritances from the constraints of causality. For example, my sound-path inheritances are Shield Harmonics True Inheritance, Heaven and Earth Songs True Inheritance, Silent True Inheritance, Triple Extreme Sound True Inheritance… Thought I suppose Triple Extreme Sound is already well-known, it is no longer enigmatic but I’m sure you couldn’t even hear the true message conveyed through our telepathic communication. >
< Your Majesty… can you stop joking around by repeating True Inheritance three times before Triple Extreme Sound. > Astaroth pleaded once more.
< No, I get it. The content of his telepathic message is longer than what it should have been. I didn’t sense any information-path methods being used, but the length of the message and the content doesn’t add up. It is as he said, it must be an automatic concealment method that even he can’t unravel to us. > Asmodeus replied. < I understand. I wouldn’t pry on your sound-path method further. >
< As it should be. > While Mordred was distracted with the demons, his brainwashing session has progressed into the last step. “With that said, I believe your strength wouldn’t be wasted if you join me.”
“You’d really do that for me?” Kaishin’s eyes were glimmering in hope.
“I haven’t mastered my bloodline abilities yet, but I believe with some training, giving you some enslaved beasts is within the realm of possibilities.” Mordred confidently stated. “The original Blastscale Wryflake wyvern can only enslave other wyvern species, but Miss Katyusha said there’s no known Blastscale Wyrflake Wyverian in this world. I might be the first one with perfect compatibility with this bloodline, so I’m thinking of exploring more options, considering my method of domination isn’t through spirit or soul suppression but by planting bombs.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
After some pondering, Kaishin accepted the terms. “Alright, fine. I will become your strategist. In return, you will have to provide me with resources, okay?” The girl is no longer frustrated and depressed as she had found a pillar to rely on.
…
“Captain, we need to hurry up.” A short girl in a tight combat suit whispered towards the woman behind her. While holding back the waves upon waves of insect beasts encroaching upon the two with her railgun, she pulled out several autonomous weapon systems from her dimensional storage: sentry guns having spider-like mechanical legs. The sentry guns manifested beside her with a flash of prismatic pixels. Their presence reduces the pressure on her part, allowing her to gain a brief respite from the onslaught.
“Shh.” The woman in asymmetrical power armor behind her hushed.
Currently, the two of them are cornered in a metallic corridor, the path blocked by a giant blast door. Even with specialized explosives, the door wouldn’t budge, and the captain is aware of this fact.
She’s a specialist, after all.
And so, what she’s doing is not to bruteforce it open, but to hack upon the technomagic locks. As of now, progress hasn’t been smooth sailing, but the captain’s hands were not idle. Her fingers dance upon the holographic keyboard, incessantly sending attacks towards the firewall, chipping away the defenses of the blast door’s lock.
“Captain, mechanized insects have been spotted, they no longer die under one hit.” Ayame, the petite, big breasted arcane gunner, reported as she switched her weapons into a flamethrower to push back the waves of enemies.
She unleashes jet-like bluish-purple plasma streams from her 2-meter long waist-mounted heavy flamer. Most metal would melt under the lightning fire, but the stainless steel corridor miraculously withstand the blistering temperature. Nonetheless, the noxious fumes and searing heat emitted by the burning insects make it unsafe to breathe, even if she’s a rank 1 cultivator. Anticipating the potential spread of a lethal pathogen carried by the mechanical creatures, a flicker of prismatic pixels manifest a gas mask, providing her with protection against microscopic threats, whether magical, biological, or mechanical in nature.
“Captain?” Ayame rushed her once more, but the captain did not reply.
As if sensing her mounting desperation, the enemy forces respond by deploying larger, heavier, and more damage-resistant models. Previously, dog-sized scarab-like or locust-like mechanical beasts were the most common, with very few mantis-like models reaching human size. However, the tides have now shifted. Towering at a staggering height of 3 meters, giant crab-like machines emerged, their formidable front limbs serving as shields to protect their fellow mechanical insects from harm. Meanwhile, the mantis-like models, equipped with laser weaponry, seize the opportunity to retaliate from the safety of their cover.
Ayame cast a brief, concerned glance at the unresponsive captain, her frustration evident in her eyes. However, she quickly redirected her focus back to the chaotic battlefield before her. “Damn it, her ‘20 minutes adventure’ has locked us in a time-dilated technomagic labyrinth.” Despite her frustration, Ayame knew that she had a crucial role to fulfill—protecting the captain. She understood that the captain was her only hope of escaping this perplexing and labyrinthine dimension, so she steeled herself for the fight ahead.
Flashes of prismatic pixels, as if a digital object is being downloaded into realspace, began manifesting behind Ayame. The outline of the object is a 2.25-meter tall humanoid armor. The download speed is actually very fast, but charging mechanical crab posed a significant threat with its formidable speed. In a matter of seconds, the mechanical beast would be able to reach the two, but Ayame has already finished downloading her power armor. She leaped back calmly, and the sleek, futuristic knight-like power armor opened up its front section, allowing her to pilot the armor with seamless precision.
As a surge of electricity coursed through her veins and is being circulated through the armor’s interior, Ayame’s senses are in overdrive. Various tactical and combat mods flared to life, enhancing her physical performance across all parameters. In this heightened state, she felt a fleeting sense of weightlessness as the power armor temporarily nullified the effect of gravity, granting her increased agility and maneuverability.
With a resounding boom, Ayame shattered the sound barrier, propelling herself from a standstill to mach speed in a mere instant. The acceleration subjected her to intense g-force that could render an ordinary person’s brain into mush, but Ayame, immune to motion sickness, remained fully conscious and in control. As she surged forward, bolts of lightning erupted from her power armor, obliterating the shield-wielding mechanical crab with a lance that materialized in her grasp during her rapid acceleration. The force of the impact reverberated through the air, leaving behind a trail of destruction in her wake.
Using her power armor’s artificial gravity manipulation, Ayame swiftly reversed her momentum, propelling herself back to her captain’s side. As she arrived at the optimal position, she initiated a download sequence, materializing a large caliber cannon in place of her lance. The lance, consumed by prismatic pixels, dissolved into digital fragments, making way for the powerful weapon she now wielded. Waiting to unleash devastating firepower, Ayame braced herself for the next wave of enemies by taking up her railgun rifle sidearm.
With the destruction of the crab-like model, Ayame’s line of sight was clear, and she took advantage of the opportunity to snipe the exposed mantis-like models. Precision shot from her railgun rifle eliminated the mechanical insects one by one, reducing their numbers with each well-aimed bullet.
As she focused on her sniping, the relentless barrage of lasers from the remaining insect beast intensified. While their accuracy left much to be desired, the sheer volume of laser fire put a strain on Ayame’s energy shield. Reacting swiftly, her shield flared up, absorbing the energy of the incoming laser and dissipating it harmlessly.
Despite the mounting pressure, Ayame maintained her composure, steadily picking off the mantis-like models while she waited for the large caliber cannon to finish up its setup. She knew that her precise marksmanship would be crucial in thinning the enemy’s ranks before unleashing the devastating power of her cannon.
Ayame consciously chose to avoid relying on the power armor extensively due to its high energy expenditure and the rapid accumulation of fatigue it caused. Having encountered situations like this before, this was not her first time being forced to don the miniature mecha, she was well aware of the toll it took on her body. However, it was either battling a swarm of mechanical insects, or decoding the firewall. Even with an AI Unit supporting her, she prefers to kill as it is less tedious.
“Captain, I will activate [Ikazuchi Hō Mk. 1], brace for impact.” Ayame reported as the large caliber waist-mounted cannon finished being downloaded into the material world and found its optimum firing solutions, becoming fully operational. The heavy railgun had been primarily designed as a vehicle-mounted weapon, not for anti-personnel use. Despite the enhancement provided by her power armor, Ayame was fully aware that firing the railgun would place a significant burden on her physical body. However, she considered it a necessary sacrifice to confront the unrelenting horde of mechanical insects rather than engaging in a prolonged battle.
As Ayame focused on protecting the captain with her energy shield while waiting for the cannon, the strain was becoming increasingly evident. With each passing moment, the shield’s durability dwindled, the constant barrage of ranged attacks taking a toll. In just ten seconds, the shield’s strength had been diminished by a staggering 70%. This was not a reflection of the shield’s weakness, but rather a testament to the overwhelming volume of firepower directed at Ayame from the relentless enemy forces.
Fortunately, her decision to use the cannon was a correct one.
BOOM! As Ayame unleashed the power of her cannon, thunderbolts and lightning crackled through the air, creating an awe-inspiring display of force. The vehicle-mounted weapon proved to be highly effective in clearing out large numbers of foes, especially within the confines of the narrow corridor. Those who were not directly struck by the lightning projectile met their demise from the devastating secondary thunderbolt wave.
The sheer destructive power of the weapon forces her to erect a directional energy shield that protects the captain behind her. Otherwise, the captain would be affected, thus slowing the hacking attempt.
Clink! Superheated slags are being ejected by both Ayame’s power armor and the weapon on her waist.
Reloading her fuel cells, she surveyed the corridor, now littered with molten biomechanical wreckages of her enemies. “Captain, I can only use that one last time until I completely repair my organs. Otherwise, the nanoms in my body can’t keep up.”
As soon as she said that, the captain’s finger stopped moving. “Switch?”
Ayame politely declined. “No thanks.”
“Hmm. It’s finished, anyway.” The captain tapped the holographic console one last time, before the blast door opened.
“How hard was it?” Ayame inquired. Her guard is still up as she could see some mechanical insects are starting to gather for another push in the distance.
“This minor inheritance should be explored by two teams of twelve Hunters. You counted as ten, so I need to compensate for the other fourteen,” the captain simply admitted. “Although it's barely six hours, it should be around a few days in the main world. We need to pick up the pace so we don’t miss the Shinkansen.”
“Right.” Ayame followed up the captain’s footsteps, entering the extremely wide room while leaving the blast door closing on its own. “What can you tell me about this inheritance?”
"This is the early minor inheritance of the Great Archmage, left behind long before he ascended to become the renowned refinement-path expert in Morgen World, likely during his time as a rank 2 Lord," the captain explained. "It should contain his early methods of biomechanical life-alteration surgery. While none of our team members currently require it, you can make a copy of this inheritance and report it to Galatreon." The captain's footsteps halted momentarily as she surveyed the vast, circular design of the room.
“Is there something wrong?” Ayame raised her cannon on reflex.
As if responding to her question, the center of the room has its floor split up, unveiling a rising platform that carried forth a colossal biomechanical monstrosity. Standing at an impressive height of 4 meters and measuring an astonishing length of 24 meters, this creature epitomized the convergence of magic and science. With a metallic skeletal wingspan nearly half the length of its body, the hulking beast commanded attention and instilled a sense of dread in all who beheld it.
"Reactive scale armor, hardlight energy wings, missile launchers," the captain observed with a quick glance at the imposing figure, as its systems began to activate. "Magic Machinery Wyvern, intriguing." She reached for the weapon affixed to the back of her power armor, a massive shield resembling a door, paired with a gunlance. "Switching to [Combat Configuration]!"
In a sudden burst, the captain’s worn and battle-scarred asymmetrical power armor sprang to life, excluding plumes of superheated air as if ignited by an internal nuclear furnace. With an accelerated rise in temperature, dormant systems were swiftly powered, bringing the armor to its full operational capacity. “Support!” the captain called out, her voice resolute and filled with urgency.
“Understood!” Ayame responded, deftly securing the cannon into her dimensional storage as she downloaded an anti-materiel sniper railgun into existence. With a graceful leap backward, she positioned herself strategically, providing support from a distance while entrusting the frontline to the hands of the captain.
“ROAR!” The magic machinery wyvern rushed towards the captain, and the last battle to plunder this labyrinthian space’s inheritance has begun.