Chapter 56
Chapter 56 - Smiley
BlueDye: Bro, use a spell or something!
Adam caught the message out of the corner of his eye. Apparently the chat feature was still active despite him being in combat, probably because this was technically a staged battle... though it certainly didn't feel staged to him.
“I'd like to, but my mana's blocked,” he replied.
Ever since the kraken had wrapped its tentacles around him, he had completely lost his connection to the mana inside his body. He could still sense it swirling throughout his veins and organs, but it refused to answer his commands and be shaped into a spell.
Even if he could cast something, he doubted any of his offensive spells were strong enough to so much as scratch the massive sea monster's itch. After all, he was a pure support class with nerfed damage.
Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone.
Two deafening cracks split the air.
Purple flashes streaked across the battlefield before slamming into the tentacles wrapped around Adam's legs. The explosions punched fist-sized holes through the thick flesh, forcing the appendages to recoil and release their grip.
Adam dropped straight into the sea with a loud splash.
Mei had used one of her new spells, [Explosive Shot], to rescue him.
[Explosive Shot]
A highly volatile spell which explodes on impact. (Careful where you aim it!)
Effect:
Big Bang: Creates an explosion on impact. Size of explosion is controllable. Smaller = higher single-target damage.
Smiley the Kraken thrashed its countless tentacles through the air as its cheerful grin twisted into an angry frown. Its enormous black eyes shifted away from Adam and locked onto Mei instead.
Adam resurfaced where he'd fallen and quickly found his footing. The water was surprisingly shallow, rising only to his chest as he backed away from the wildly flailing monster.
Before he had taken more than a few steps, a blue-and-pink blur shot past him, leaving a trail of bright blue flames in its wake.
Granessa charged through the water as though it didn't exist, her feet meeting no resistance from the waves or soft sand beneath them.
The random ability Mei had rolled onto her swimsuit, granting unrestricted movement through water, couldn't have been more perfectly suited to the situation.
With a powerful swing, Granessa's burning axe slammed into one of the kraken's thrashing tentacles. The enchanted blade carved halfway through the barrel-thick limb before wrenching free. Blue flames immediately spread across the wound like burning oil, racing over the creature's rubbery flesh and leaving charred black skin behind.
From farther back, Mei continued firing explosive magic bullets with careful precision, blasting away any tentacles that tried to interfere.
Meanwhile, Desmond enthusiastically narrated the battle for the live audience while 3Y3 zipped through the air, capturing every dramatic angle.
“Mei is using the spell [Explosive Shot] to keep Smiley's tentacles at bay while Granessa hacks the injured limbs to pieces. Adam is silently observing. Is he waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike... or is he simply useless? Let's wait and see.”
“Hey! I can hear you!” Adam shouted.
By now he had reached shallower water where it only came up to his waist. Rather than rushing in blindly, he watched the battle unfold, searching for wherever he could be the most useful.
So far, Smiley hadn't launched any real attacks beyond grabbing his legs and dangling him upside down. Adam couldn't tell whether that restraint was because this was a planned exhibition match or because the legendary kraken was simply toying with them before getting serious.
He blinked, suddenly remembering something from the briefing memo. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a clear, perfectly monotone voice.
“Wow. This fight would have cost us our lives if we hadn't been trained by the expertly crafted Impossible Difficulty Tutorial, proudly managed by the amazing Tutorial Administration Department.”
The moment the last word left his mouth, as if responding to a scripted cue, Smiley submerged beneath the waves and disappeared into the sea.
“Eh? Is it over?” Mei asked.
She glanced over at Adam before lowering her voice.
“Was that one of those advertisements they wanted us to say?”
Adam nodded.
Dood: Fake and lame. No one even died.
“Is it truly over?” Desmond mused.
The answer came a heartbeat later.
The ocean erupted.
A pillar of teal seawater blasted nearly a mile into the sky as Smiley burst from beneath the waves like a living missile. The colossal octopus launched itself upward at a speed no creature of its size should have been capable of reaching.
This time its tentacles weren't flailing.
They had twisted tightly together into a massive cone above its head, each tip pressed together until they formed a gleaming metallic point that resembled the head of a gigantic harpoon.
Smiley the Kraken activated [Harpoon Torpedo].
[Harpoon Torpedo]
A high-damage skill with devastating penetration power, activated by propelling the body through the water at high speeds while coating a weapon or appendage in extremely sharp metallic-element mana.
Effect: Deals massive single-target damage and penetrates all defenses.
The sharpened point was aimed directly at Mei.
It was moving so impossibly fast that by the time she recognized the attack, there wasn't even enough time to think about dodging.
Acting on instinct alone, she squeezed the triggers of both pistols.
Two [Explosive Shots] streaked forward.
The blasts detonated against Smiley's charge, but the explosions barely slowed it. The metallic coating around the bundled tentacles absorbed most of the impact, allowing the kraken to punch straight through the smoke without losing momentum.
An instant later, the shining spear of tentacles pierced the center of Mei's stomach.
The bundled appendages burst out through her back in a spray of bloody seawater.
For a brief moment, everything stopped.
Desmond fell silent.
Granessa's flaming axe slipped from her grasp and splashed into the water, still burning despite being submerged.
Even 3Y3 faltered in midair, its lens fixed on the impossible sight.
Mei blinked before slowly looking down at the tentacles protruding through her midsection.
Her expression turned oddly thoughtful. She reached out and gently poked one.
“Huh... it doesn't hurt.”
Standing beside her, Adam suddenly coughed violently.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he stumbled onto one knee.
The golden-trimmed bronze breastplate covering his chest was spiderwebbed with fresh cracks.
[Aegis of Protection] (Legendary Spell)
A magical replica of the famous armor and shield wielded by the god Zeus and goddess Athena of Greek mythology. It commands near-perfect protection and terrifying divine power.
Effects:
Form of Zeus: The shield transforms into a breastplate. Personal defense increases by 90%, and all damage dealt to allies is redirected to the wearer.
Judgement of Zeus: Once the accumulated damage reaches a critical point, the wearer may unleash it upon a chosen target once per battle.
Form of Athena: The shield remains in its original form. Increases the party's defense by 80% and heals all allies for 20% of their maximum health whenever the shield blocks a powerful attack.
Athena's Grace: If an ally receives fatal damage heal them to full health and remove all status effects.
Medusa's Gaze: Activate the gorgon head attached to the shield or breastplate, petrifying everything within its line of sight for three seconds.
Ignoring the pain, he raised a trembling finger toward Smiley.
“Judgement of Zeus...” he whispered weakly.
A divine bolt of lightning tore through the cloudless sky followed immediately by a deafening peal of thunder.
It struck the crown of Smiley's enormous balloon-shaped head with blinding force.
Electricity exploded across the kraken's body, causing its limbs to convulse before the bundled tentacles tore free from Mei and recoiled instinctively.
The gaping hole through Mei's stomach closed almost immediately, flesh knitting together as though she'd never been injured. Aside from leaving a scar around her belly button.
Adam, however, doubled over and coughed up another mouthful of blood before hastily casting [Heal] on himself.
Warm green light flowed over his body, mending the damage he'd taken, including the cracks his breastplate had suffered from absorbing the attack for Mei.
A few moments later, he pushed himself back to his feet looking considerably healthier.
His appearance was as ridiculous as ever.
He still wore the far-too-small speedo, but now an ancient bronze breastplate trimmed in gold covered his torso. At its center was the face of a beautiful woman with writhing snakes for hair. In one hand, he held an open spellbook from which he had cast the legendary spell, [Aegis of Protection].
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Even the chat had gone completely still. For several long seconds, not a single message appeared, as the viewers struggled to process what they had just witnessed.
The silence was finally broken by Smiley.
“Waaah!”
The enormous kraken began wailing like an injured child. Large pearly-white tears streamed from its pitch-black eyes as it wore the most aggrieved expression imaginable.
It twisted and flung its tentacles through the air, slapping the ocean's surface in every direction like a giant baby throwing an earth-shaking tantrum. Waves rolled outward with each strike, soaking everyone standing nearby.
“Ahem...” Desmond cleared his throat. “It looks like that's the end of the battle. Or perhaps this is some advanced technique meant to lower its opponents' guard?”
As if someone had flipped a switch, the frozen chat suddenly came back to life.
Messages poured across their vision faster than they could read them.
HottieHunter: Damn... :drool:
AdamMadeMeGay: Adam made me gay.
SeeCuteGirl-iClick: What's up with that chest piece? I thought Adam couldn't wear armor or clothing anymore?
BlueDye: That's a high-level Legendary spell, not equipment. Also, no homo, but that looks good on him. If he'd just put on a pair of f**ing PANTS!
「Author note: Bonus points to whoever gets the reference BlueDye is making here. 