Somewhere in space above the corrupted planet was a newly created base in form of a spaceship, inside which resided the demon monarch's assistant, Neria. A demon with a feminine gender, red skin, and three horns of different colors adorning her head, she wore armor that portrayed her as a warrior. Seated elegantly on a chair within the base, she observed the screen in front of her, monitoring every zombified human on the planet and noting their activities.
Neria: "Why are most of these ants acting clueless even after receiving instructions on what to do even after becoming a regional zombie? If this continues, it will be detrimental as I won't meet the criteria when he returns after a hundred years to harvest. I need a way to make them obey my commands, 'system'."
The system interface displayed a question mark on its surface. Neria then briefed the system about the planet's situation and the impending harvest, before inquiring about the best possible strategy to manipulate them.
The system interface responded, suggesting the answer is 'time.'
Neria: "Time? What do you mean by that?"
System interface: "Humans fear various aspects, but what they fear most is their time running out, which leads to death. So, I suggest employing the 'time of death' strategy."
Neria: "That's it............."
Back to Lim's fight.
Lim rushed towards the merman, delivering punches to various parts of its body, but they couldn't pierce its hard scales. The merman chuckled in a low tone, mocking Lim as weak. Enraged, Lim retorted, declaring he wasn't the only one with special powers.
Lim then retrieved a rod from the ground, embedding it into the earth. As he withdrew the rod, sands and stones adhered to its tip, forming a sharp edge. Earth properties rotated around the handle, gradually transforming into sharp particles.
Lim swung his self-made spear from a distance, catching the merman off guard. Earth particles rose with immense speed, striking the merman and forming scratches on its armor. Lim then appeared above the merman with his spear, but the merman retaliated by shooting sharp scales from its arm.
Reacting quickly, Lim created a foothold in the air with earth particles, changing his direction and avoiding the attack. As the merman punched him, Lim blocked with his spear, pushing them both into the water. Struggling to swim, Lim realized he could move his fingers slightly and used telekinesis to retrieve his sinking spear.
Meanwhile, the merman summoned a tornado-like water skill to push Lim deeper underwater. Using telekinesis on the spear and then used it to hit himself which propelled himself out of the water and created an earth foothold above its surface. He observed the merman preparing another attack from underwater.
Anticipating the danger, Lim gathered more earth under his feet to withstand the pressure. As the merman unleashed a high-pressure water attack, Lim sustained multiple injuries, but they healed instantly. Floating above the water with the earth particles he attached to himself to levitate using telekinesis, Lim controlled the earth around him with telekinesis, while the merman lurked below, waiting to ambush.
Lim gathered earth particles on the water's surface, causing a rotation that drew all water dwellers towards the middle, including the merman. Seizing the opportunity, Lim hurled his spear at the merman, piercing its chest. Despite the wound, the merman boasted about its high regeneration speed and dived underwater to escape detection.
Lim extended his hand towards the water, controlling the unseen merman's movements and brought him out of the water. Confused and in discomfort, the merman questioned why Lim could control him without earth particles. Before he could react, the merman's head exploded, and he died. Lim absorbed his energy, gaining some of his skills.
Lim: "Pretty smart of me to incorporate earth particles into his being, but it was all in vain as my sleeping sister couldn't witness my triumph."
