Chapter 99 Other World Adventure (2) Beginning of an Adventure (2)
Author's Note:
Character Map:
"X" = Loid Orcus (protagonist)
"(X)" = Loid Orcus (strong inner thought)
°X° = Makina
•X• = Soul Goddess Aksa
^X^ = Sebastian (AI Assistant)
X>X = Chat Window/Panel in the Livestream
*X* = God and Goddess
#X# = Deities
Others:
[X] = Status Board/What is written on it/ Status Window (New)
--- = POV Change
|||| = Time Skip
(X) = Explanation/author/ A.U.T.H.O.R.
([X]) = Sound effect
{X} = Buttons, or something that may cause a certain action
---
°...First off, I should better edit the stream, as what happened at the end is not favorable for the ALZ Brand Status, especially as the heir showed such a performance. Now that I think about it, upon reflection, it seems there will be a major revision in Loid's schedule, particularly his training time.°
^Haha, as expected of Lady Makina. How caring. It seems my master will have a hard time upon waking, for his own sake.^
•Haha, well, I'm glad to teach that weak attendant of mine. He almost stained my honor and dignity of being the goddess of Soul by being knocked out at the end.•
At that, the comical bubble burst as Loid frowned and shivered, as if a chilling wind was brewing around him. And indeed, there was—though not literally.
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(Loid POV)
Let me tell you this straight: it's been six days, and I was unconscious for a day at the start, but the past days have been hell—especially with the training from the three of them. I wasn't expecting Sebastian to join mthe circle of my mentors.
When I woke up, although I was given time to rest, as soon as I said I was well-rested, which only took an hour, Goddess Aksa immediately bombarded me with new magic spells to learn. Makina then made me refine and sharpen those spells, and Sebastian taught me how to apply them in combat as I refined the skills to a certain degree.
Experiencing those days is something no mortal body should endure, but I'd rather not dwell on it any further.
Anyway, it's been six days, and though it may seem abrupt, I'm now outside the labyrinth. Let me explain why we've moved on.
•But it's a waste. That trial was designed so you could continue gaining experience by defeating the knights, leveling up, and then, upon reaching a certain level and defeating most knights, leaving only one, the boss would appear. That was supposed to be how you'd pass the trial. But I must say, you're impressive, my attendant, for beating my trials so quickly. I applaud you for that, though it's a waste indeed.•
"....."
°.....°
^....^
I almost snapped at the goddess as usual, but this time Makina scolded me a little later than usual. Maybe she understood my sentiment, though I can't be sure. Still, it's comforting to think so.
Setting that aside, the important thing is that we're now outside, venturing into the unknown. Of course, the stream is on.
X>Well, look at that! To your right, what's that plant? Even as a professional botanist, I've never seen anything like it. That must be new! As expected from another world, a new horizon for humanity—no, for us Earthlings.
X>Wait, did you see that thing that just passed by? That insect surprised me! It has squirmy legs and looks like a jellyfish, but it's flying. What kind of biology is that? Even I, a renowned entomologist would be baffled. Is it even an insect?
X>What's that? Another new discovery! What a treasure trove for scientific exploration.
X>What that, that new, what discovery series etc.
The chat panel filled up with messages from professionals and experts, pushing the usual commenters into the background. Although their voices were barely visible amidst the sea of expert chatter, the viewer count remained impressively high—higher than ever before, at least for me. But this isn't our usual stream.
Let's set the stream aside for now.
According to the goddess, the labyrinth is located on an island just a few miles away from what's left of a continent, a remnant of devastation from the war. It's the last haven, a place where god's grace resides and their mortal children live, as the rest of the world is drenched in miasma from the war's end.
Before we can reach the continent, we have to face the forest that surrounds us. Yes, a forest. This means that before we can set foot on the continent, we must venture through the forest and then cross the sea. Many preparations are needed for this journey.
Headache. If I must say it straight, the hard work of gathering everything we need to get things done is exhausting.
And glossing over this topic again...
Well, it didn't last long, as not even a moment later, a beast jumped at me and slashed my head from my body.
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"AHHH, that hurt!!! S###!"
I shouted as I sat on the chair, only seconds after losing my head.
•Dead again?•
"Yes, infuriatingly so. But before you start with the snarky comments, at least I found a place where I can gain exp. So, I'm in a hurry. Bye-bye."
•I'm not that petty.•
"(Still petty, though.)"
•HEY! What did you say?•
"I'm off now. Bye-bye."
As I left, I remembered the stream turns off every time I die. More specifically, when the human-like drone—mimic or fragment, similar to a fraction but different as it is disposable—that I control through a conscious connection dies, the stream cuts off. Initially, the viewers were frustrated by this interruption, but after a few tries, they began using the stream downtime for discussions about what they had seen, taking their debates to other forums and platforms.
Well, glossing over this aside, I resumed my form back to when I first combated the Red Ant Queen, the deadly beauty of the first trial, and the not-so-chivalrous but impressive Lonely Knight. The "lonely" part is important, so I'll say it twice because if not for that knight, I wouldn't be here, beaten, trained by them, and hunting outside while doing recon—a task that becomes a pain every time the proxy I inhabit dies.
A white portal appeared, oozing toxic rainbow-colored goo that gathered at my back and entered my body. Once it finished, the portal disappeared, leaving behind more mass from the minions that emerged from it.
A gooey mass squirmed at my back, gradually forming wings inspired by a flying species specifically a particular insect.
The shape became clear: thin, dragonfly-like wings with toxic rainbow colors following the wing pattern. With that, the wings flapped like a dragonfly's, befitting the best hunter insect with most succesful hunt observed if I give a trivia. I was on the hunt and would not fail.
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for now it short, busy as usual and may little procrastination, as their, meh, leave it, just have a good read and day to come