Chapter 21: Originium Arts, Kid!

Tn: Note in advance, Tn: In China, Originium is also called as [Source Stone], it sounds similar to cobblestone when spoken, hence Steven's confusion.

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Fortunately, Steven's actions weren't any less effective just because their principle was simple. If anything, the young Inquisitor standing beside him was completely dumbfounded.

In less than a minute, the endless swarm of terrifying creatures—once as vast as an ocean—had been reduced to nothing but scattered flesh and debris.

A distinct aroma of roasted fish filled the air.

Ahead of Steven, the monstrous horde that had relentlessly pursued them was now completely gone, as if they had never existed.

Only after finishing his work did Steven casually shake his hand, then pull his Netherite Sword from the ground.

He was a man of his word—since he had promised to help Irene deal with these pursuers, there was no way he would keep her waiting too long.

The only thing that annoyed him was how stingy these so-called "Sea Terror" turned out to be. It was as if they were completely irrelevant to the world's overall plot, since they hadn't even given him a single WAP (World Acknowledgement Point).

A full minute of effort and nearly a stack of cobblestone used up, and this was all he got?

Being a good guy was really more trouble than it was worth. Next time, he should think twice before jumping in just because someone flattered him a little.

"…How did you do that?"

After a long silence, the Liberi girl finally forced the question out, her voice filled with disbelief.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the sight of powerful warriors in battle. 

She had even witnessed Saints in action before. 

But none of that had ever shaken her as much as what this young man had just done.

Throwing a one-meter-wide stone block wasn't exactly an impossible feat in this world. However, doing it as effortlessly as Steven had—and at such ridiculous speeds—was absolutely beyond what any normal person could achieve.

"Hmm, just a little bit of technique, some dedicated training, and a tiny bit of gravitational assistance?"

Steven answered the girl's question with complete seriousness.

This particular strategy had been something he came up with on the spot while testing the mechanics of this world. 

After all, in this world, it seemed that a certain physicist with the last name "Newton" still had his coffin lid firmly in place—meaning that objects he placed wouldn't just float in midair for no reason.

That was why he had the option of using his blocks as projectiles in the first place.

Of course, this also meant that his dream of building a floating city was temporarily out of reach.

He would have to wait until he understood more about this world's mechanics before revisiting that idea.

"So… this is your Originium Arts?"

Irene swallowed hard, her mind finally piecing things together.

Now she understood why her superiors had treated Steven with such friendliness.

If this guy ever decided to go against them, even if she teamed up with Dario, they probably wouldn't even stand a chance.

Admitting this reality was a huge blow to her pride, but in the end, she had no choice but to accept the truth.

No wonder Steven was so relaxed all the time.

For someone like him, whether it was the Inquisition or the Church of the Deep, neither organization could truly contain him. He could go wherever he wanted.

"Uh… how do you know this is Stone Arts?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "To be precise, it's Cobblestone Throwing Arts. Don't be fooled by how effortless I made it look—each throw requires careful calculation of angle and force, you know."

"Cobblestone actually has a lot of different uses, you know?"

Steven obviously didn't notice the slight difference between "Originium" and "Cobblestone," and he mistakenly thought Irene had accurately recognized the blocks he had been throwing as cobblestone blocks.

Excited by this perceived recognition, he enthusiastically started bragging to the girl about his "technique."

At that moment, the terrifying image he had just built up as a monstrous powerhouse completely collapsed.

Irene's expression grew more complicated as she looked at him.

No matter how powerful someone was, if their brain wasn't working right, they were beyond saving.

"You… don't actually know what Originium is, do you?"

Her worldview was shaken yet again, but by now, she was starting to feel numb to it.

When it came to Steven, it seemed like encountering absurd things was the most normal thing in the world.

"Eh? You're saying the 'Originium' you're talking about isn't the same as the 'Stone' I'm talking about?"

Steven froze for a second before realizing that the "Originium Arts" she was referring to was probably something entirely different from the basic building material he had in his inventory.

"What do you think?"

"I have no idea."

This time, Steven was genuinely clueless.

He had never actually played Arknights. All he knew was that the game had a notoriously bleak setting, a confusing plot, cute waifus, and that the protagonist's base of operations was called something like "Rhode Island"—which had a bunny-eared girl that the fanbase loved jokingly calling a donkey.

That was about the extent of his knowledge regarding the Arknights world.

"You… seriously."

Irene covered her face with one hand, struggling to find the right words to describe him.

"If you don't know how to describe me, then just don't. More importantly, this situation isn't over yet. These monsters were just small fry to warm us up—the real threat is probably on its way now."

Noticing Irene's odd expression, Steven knew she probably had nothing good to say about him, so he quickly changed the subject.

Rather than discussing something pointless, it was better to focus on the boss fight that was likely coming up.

But as he scanned the area, Steven suddenly realized something important.

"Wait a second—where's my daughter? Where's my adorable, clumsy daughter?"

Only now did he notice that the girl who was supposed to be by his side—Gladiia—was nowhere to be seen. 

His face instantly darkened.

How had he managed to lose his daughter in the short time he spent showing off?

He had already accepted Gladiia as his "adopted daughter" by default, so he had no issue casually referring to her as such in front of Irene.

"Wasn't she always sticking to you? How would I know where she went?"

Irene also realized the problem.

She had been so stunned by Steven's display of strength earlier that her brain had practically stopped working—there was no way she would've noticed where the quiet girl who always clung to Steven had gone.

Come to think of it, with how fast that girl had moved when she ran away earlier, a few minutes would've been more than enough for her to vanish completely.

"I knew it… showing off never ends well. Especially when you do it on purpose—there's always karma."

Steven chuckled bitterly, but he wasn't too worried about Gladiia's safety.

She might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she had solid combat abilities.

Besides, finding her wasn't going to be a problem for him.

After all, didn't he have the Minimap Mod?