Chapter 7

□＜Old Leve Orchard＞ Exterior Ray Sterling

Thanks to Nemesis, after defeating the [Demi Dragon Worm], I picked up the [Sub-Dragon Beetle's Treasure Chest] that had dropped to the ground, and carried Miriane out of the <Old Leve Orchard>.

I didn’t even think about going to help Lilianna.

The status window showing the party members indicated that Lilianna was still alive, and there was no way such a miracle could happen again and again.

If I got overconfident here, it would surely end in disaster; I had a premonition of that.

“Retreating is the right choice. That girl Tian won’t die. She has the strength to win in a one-on-one match, even if it takes time.”

Nemesis, who seemed to be my <Embryo>, analyzed the battle situation like this.

“You seem to know more about this world than I do, even though you were just born.”

It seemed she even knew about Lilianna, whom I hadn’t met.

Do you remember the time when you were in the 0th form?

“You may not be human, but you are in a human form. There are such mysteries. But, Master, if you have any curiosity, shouldn’t you start revealing the secrets now?”

“……”

I started to understand that Nemesis likes to speak in a roundabout way.

Well, I guess I understand the meaning too.

In short, she’s saying, “Check my abilities on the status screen quickly.”

When I opened the ‘Detailed Status Screen,’ a new item called <Embryo> appeared.

I opened it immediately, and a window displaying Nemesis’s appearance and parameters appeared.

Nemesis

TYPE: Maiden with Arms

Form Reached: Ⅰ

Equipment Attack: 50

Equipment Defense: 15

Status Corrections

HP Correction: D

MP Correction: G

SP Correction: F

STR Correction: F

END Correction: E

DEX Correction: G

AGI Correction: G

LUC Correction: G

The equipment attack and defense values are the numbers when using Nemesis as a weapon, which are the same as ordinary weapons and armor.

The corrections are the status corrections that are always applied just by having the <Embryo>... Nemesis. These are not fixed value increases. Also, G is the lowest rank of correction.

Incidentally, the status that grows when leveling up also receives this correction.

“Hmm?”

She’s not very strong.

Comparing her to the bear costume is odd, but even without that, her status doesn’t seem particularly high.

That’s only natural, as Nemesis is still just born as an <Embryo>.

But then, why could we defeat the [Demi Dragon Worm]?

As I was wondering, I found an item called ‘Owned Skills.’

‘Owned Skills’

《Counter Absorption》Lv1:

Generates a light wall that nullifies attacks equal to the number of stocks.

At Lv1, stocks recover one every 24 hours in <Infinite Dendrogram> time, with a maximum of 2.

Active Skill

《Vengeance is Mine》:

Deals fixed damage and ignores defense, doubling the total damage received from the target within the last 24 hours.

Additionally, the damage reduced by other skills or items and the damage nullified by 《Counter Absorption》 are also added to the damage counter.

However, once used, the damage counter for that target is reset.

Active Skill

“This is it…”

《Vengeance is Mine》... a skill that returns double the damage received from the opponent.

I understood. That’s why I could defeat the Demi Dragon Worm.

I received three attacks from it, which were reduced by the [Dragon Scale] effect. Additionally, Nemesis’s skill, 《Counter Absorption》, nullified one attack.

In total, four times. If the damage was reduced to 1/10 and was 90, the original damage was around 900. Four times that is 3600 damage. With the skill effect of 《Vengeance is Mine》, it becomes around 7200 damage.

I don’t know how much HP the Demi Dragon Worm had, but it must have been less than 7200. Or maybe it was a direct hit to the head.

“...Even if the secret is revealed, it still feels like a miracle.”

That one-hit kill happened because I was weak and the opponent was strong.

The items my brother gave me helped me survive several near-death situations.

Most importantly, Nemesis’s unique skills matched perfectly.

“Quite a convenient result, huh?”

An <Embryo> is a one-of-a-kind entity tailored to the individual’s personality, biorhythm, and qualities.

Looking at the result, it seems almost planned.

And a skill that gets stronger the more damage you take... it feels like I’m being treated like a masochist.

“To be clear, this is the result of continuously observing the Master. There is no mistake.”

Nemesis seemed offended.

And she’s responding to my inner thoughts.

“But, observation?”

“The 0th form is the period when the <Embryo> observes the Master. Once the <Embryo> finishes observing what kind of person the Master is, the first form is born. Of course, the form and skills can differ based on the Master’s experiences and actions.”

I see.

So, my experiences since the game started are reflected to some extent.

Thinking back, I remember bumping into Lilianna right after the game started, and the battle with the [Demi Dragon Worm] where I received a lot of near-death damage.

If this skill is the result, I have no choice but to accept it.

“...I think 《Counter Absorption》 is based on the Master’s personality.”

“Huh?”

What does that mean?

“Ah, that. By the way, TYPE: Maiden <Embryos> are quite rare. You should be grateful and savor your happiness.”

Indeed, Cheshire said there were no Maidens in the regular categories.

It might be rare, and I’m grateful for the information, but having a girl as my personal <Embryo> feels a bit awkward.

“Awkward? Awkward?”

Oh, you can hear my inner thoughts.

“I can hear them! What do you mean by awkward? This is the perfect match! Beauty! Rarity! What’s unsatisfactory?”

“No, it’s not that Nemesis herself is awkward, but the fact that she came from me...”

While we were having this conversation, Lilianna appeared at the entrance of the <Old Leve Orchard>.

Her armor was dirty with mud and dust, but she didn’t seem to have any serious injuries.

“Miria!”

When she saw us, she ran over.

She checked her sister’s sleeping face and sighed in relief.

“Thank you... for protecting my sister... really, thank you...!”

Lilianna thanked me, and tears were streaming down her face.

“Uh, yeah...”

I was at a loss.

I didn’t know how to respond.

“Indeed. You should be grateful to my Master and, more importantly, to this Nemesis.”

...And that’s my <Embryo>.

I get it. Nemesis likes to speak in a roundabout way and also likes to be condescending.

Her personality is different from mine.

“Is this... yours?”

“Yes, it’s my <Embryo>.”

Lilianna looked at Nemesis with a bit of surprise.

“So, as I thought, you, the brother of that person, are also a <Master> chosen by an <Embryo>... But a Maiden...”

As she was about to say something,

‘Hey! Escaped from the underground world, bro!’

With a sound effect, Bear Brother burst out of the ground.

“...Oh.”

He was alive.

Sure, his status was always blacked out, but he was still there.

Moreover, Bear Brother wasn’t holding his Gatling gun but a shovel in his right hand.

Did he use that to dig through the ground?

‘Underground tunnel completed, bro!’

Immediately after, the ground shook slightly, and the hole from which Bear Brother emerged was sealed with falling soil.

‘Immediate cave-in, bro!’

Loud and clear.

“Are you okay, bro?”

‘Yeah! I cut and threw those guys with Baldr’s fourth form, bro!’

“Fourth? Not the Gatling gun?”

‘That was the second form, bro.’

So, there are various forms.

“I don’t know, but some <Embryos> can use previous forms at will. Bear Brother must be one of those.”

...So, Bear Brother is your brother?

Yes, your brother.

‘Is that black girl Ray’s <Embryo>, bro?’

Black girl. Short for Black Li.

They’re both the same.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Ray Sterling’s <Embryo>, Nemesis, Maiden with Arms. Nice to meet you, Bear Brother.”

It seems Nemesis will call your brother Bear Brother.

“By the way, bro, if you were alive, you should have come out earlier. We were almost dead here.”

Four times, to be precise.

‘That was difficult, bro. I was battling those Demi Dras underground, bro.’

Demi Dras...?

‘The underground cavern was full of Demi Dras. I’m not afraid of bugs, but it gave me the chills, bro.’

“...”

That many?

...It’s a good thing we didn’t stay longer.

“Are there really that many...? That’s terrifying, ‘Beginner Killer.’”

Indeed, it’s a trauma machine.

‘Originally, there shouldn’t have been any Demi Dras here...’

“Huh?”

‘But I took care of all the ones I found, so they won’t increase. Anyway, let’s get back. We need to get Miria home too.’

“Yeah, let’s go back.”

So, Ray, Nemesis, Bear Brother, Lilianna, and Miriane started their journey back.

Since it was close to the capital, we arrived quickly, and we parted ways with Lilianna and Miriane at the gate.

At that time, Lilianna said, “I will definitely repay this favor,” and the awakened Miriane gave us each a [Rem Fruit] from the basket she had been carrying, saying, “Thank you.”

Watching the sisters hold hands and head home,

[Quest [Missing Person - Miriane Grandria] completed]

A message appeared, and I finally felt the quest was over.

“It’s over...”

I felt like I had just survived a terrible ordeal at the beginning.

“The reward is just one Rem Fruit. It’s a bit disappointing considering the effort.”

It’s a fruit worth about 500 yen in Japanese currency.

But I think it has more value than that.

I polished the Rem Fruit on my clothes and took a bite.

The Rem Fruit had a taste like strawberries and a texture like apples.

But that one bite was more delicious than strawberries or apples.

It tasted like a sense of accomplishment.

‘Let’s celebrate, bro. Let’s have dinner, bro. Since it’s Ray’s first day, I’ve prepared a feast, bro.’

“Really?”

‘I’ve prepared a mountain of meat and vegetables, bro. The best quality, bro.’

“Wow, that sounds tempting.”

It sounds delicious. Nemesis seems to agree... wait, do <Embryos> eat?

‘And for dessert, I’ve prepared [Rem Fruits], bro.’

“Oh... oh?”

‘I bought out all the [Rem Fruits] from the market this morning for dinner, bro. All you can eat, bro.’

“...Hey.”

Indeed, the reason Miriane went to the <Old Leve Orchard> was because there were no [Rem Fruits] for sale, right?

That means...

“You’re the one who caused this, Bear Brother!!!”

That day, my exasperated scream echoed throughout the capital.

To be continued

It's 7/9.

The prologue quest is now resolved.

The next and the one after that are the epilogue and explanation chapters.