Ashley: She’s going to escape. Level 30.

 

That was Ashley’s last message before her status changed to Offline. The Guild window told a grimmer story.

 

GUILD MEMBERS

 

Amelia Laflamme	Online	Unconscious
Anastasia Blank	Offline	Killed in battle
Ashley Yates	Offline	Suicide
Bella Blank	Online	Injured. 50% HP

 

Although this battle is almost over, our current situation looks quite bleak.

“Aaron, have you contacted Bella yet?!”

“Yes, I have shared our destination with her. She’ll arrive shortly.”

Alan bit his lower lip as he continued forward at full speed. Once I cross these trees…

He recognized his surroundings immediately. It was the path he crossed on Smaio’s cart the day he returned to The Novus, and it was his first training ground after returning to Unus Town.

His feet stepped on a branch, alerting the fleeing woman. She had crafted a pair of legs with her Shadow Construction Unique Talent. Her face quickly changed from alert to mocking. 

“Would you look at that? My prey came looking to be devoured. It seems I can still do it,” Serenity murmured, trying her best to stand firm, but it appeared that her two new legs were painful to stand on.

Alan stood his ground, watching his surroundings in case he caught a glimpse of a living shadow trying to reach him.

“Aaron? How much time until Bella arrives?” 

“30 seconds.”

“Where is Ashley?” Alan asked, taking a step forward.

“She’d rather eliminate herself than become my hostage,” Serenity replied, smirking. “But you already knew that. Are you making time for an ally to arrive?"

“Aaron…”

“There is a buff Bella could use, but it’s dangerous. If she overextends too much, she would hurt her body. It’s the mechanical variant of the Berserk skill.”

“Tell her to do it. I’ll apologize to her later.”

“Requesting permission to Bella Blank to use the Overdrive skill on her. Request accepted. Auto-casting--”

“Can you afford to daydream in a moment like this?!” Serenity sneered, making him feel shivers.

“Over us!” Aaron yelled inside Alan’s mind.

Alan jumped to his side, barely able to escape from getting stomped. His face got covered in dirt and grass as he rolled aside, dodging an elongated, enormous claw.

What the hell is this thing?! Is not a possessed User!

Before he could take a moment to admire the killing creature pursuing him, Alan heard a battle cry and saw Bella kick the huge monster in the head, making it step back.

“Master, are you okay?!” she cried, shielding him. A red aura surrounded her body, pulsating with constant static. Her usual laid-back attitude had been swapped for an urgent, fierce expression on her face.

“She looks dope! Aaron, you said this was a risky, temporary boost, do you think she can make it?”

Alan quickly checked Bella’s status window. Level 20. He then looked up at the creature Ashley warned him about. “Why does it look familiar?”

“Scanning,” Aaron said. “Level 30, Wereweasenox.”

“Were… Weasenox?”

The two-legged beast, with an elongated snout and sharp mole-like claws, roared enraged as if it could remember Alan using it as a punching bag for the last week. It charged against them, but Bella helped Alan jump by carrying him. As they traveled midair, Alan could see Serenity’s triumphant smile in the distance.

Don’t tell me she’s controlling this beast. Did she make it evolve?

“I’ll get out of the way,” Alan whispered after both landed. “Fight with everything you have.”

“Understood, Master Alan.”

The Wereweasenox stopped targeting Alan and focused on its new prey. Its claws reduced trees to smithereens and pulverized rocks the size of a human, but Bella was quick enough to dodge every swipe.

“And yet, she hasn’t landed a single attack. It’s as if she has the strength but she doesn't know how to use it. 

“That’s right, Alan. NPCs are constantly learning from you, the Users. In her case, she lacks combat experience.”

“How much time will the boost last?”

“It depends on her Vitality and the damage she receives. Minimum 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Maximum 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Here is a timer.”

Alan glanced at it inside his sight of vision. 49 seconds since she activated it.

He gritted his teeth before discerning Serenity’s smirk in the distance. Still thinking you’re going to win, huh?

“Okay, that does it. Give me control of her.”

“Auto-casting, Puppet Master.”

 

Congratulations! Thanks to your compatible Unique Talent, your ‘Puppet Master Lvl 1’ Active Skill has been promoted to ‘Advanced Puppet Master. Lvl 1’!

 

In front of Alan appeared a virtual 35-key keyboard and a 4-button mouse. It’s quite different from the retro controller I used to train Anastasia with.

“Bella has accepted the connection, Alan. Whenever you are ready.”

He swallowed before placing both hands on the floating devices, and a pair of virtual glasses materialized in front of his eyes. A single mistake and we’ll lose our target forever.

“I’m ready,” he whispered, grabbing the mouse and positioning his left-hand fingers on the keys designated to control Bella’s movement. He could see her left foot twitch when he made a test.

The Wereweasenox roared, throwing a swipe charged with mana, and the resulting force looked like blades of wind cutting the ground in their path.

Bella dodged with anticipation.

That thing isn’t targeting me anymore since Serenity still wants to get me. Let's take that to our advantage!

“Here we go,” Alan whispered, making the once maid of the Dragon’s Belly charge forward. The Weasenox tried to impale her, but she jumped successfully, landing on its humongous right arm. Shen then ran over it while pulling out her shotgun, reached its head, and unloaded 3 shots at the beast’s head before it could retaliate.

“What the actual hell, Alan Warden?!” Serenity cried, making her pale cheeks turn red. “Is it stubbornness I see?! Isabella chased me ruthlessly because she’s programmed to do so, but why are you acting the same?! Could it be stupidity, perhaps?!”

Why did he mention Isabella? Don’t tell me that… Wait, let’s leave that for later!

“Lady,” Alan said, chuckling, without taking his eyes off the battle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Wereweasenox! Use Berserk, now!”

As the monster roared, exerting a fire aura, Aaron warned: “It has the same effects as Overdrive.”

She wants to finish quickly too. Let’s bet then.

He commanded Bella to circle the enemy and shoot it in the ribs, back, and knees. The Wereweasenox, although huge, could not land a hit on her, making the ground tremble every time it stomped or hit the ground.

Alan then dedicated a split second to glance at Serenity, but she had vanished.

“Aaron, keep an eye on the enemy.”

“She is surely using a Hiding Skill. I do not have the necessary…”

“Just visual confirmation. Watch my back.”

“Understood.” the small spirit with a skull for a head nodded and changed into incorporeal form.

The Wereweasenox HP's bar had been depleted to 30%, while Bella was at 35%.

"Wasn’t she at 50%? Did she take damage?"

"No. The lost HP is due to the toll on her body for using Overdrive."

"Can we use Modding on her shotgun?"

"Yes."

"Maximize its firepower. All in."

"That would destroy the weapon after 1 use."

"Do it."

"The weapon is overheating, Master Alan," Bella informed.

"I know. Is it burning your hands? I'll take care of you when this is over. I promise."

"Thanks, Master."

The Wereweasenox concentrated heat on its maw and released it as a destructive beam, burning the ribbon on Bella's head. She dodged by sliding behind it at the last second, reaching the monster's belly.

"Serenity is here!" Aaron cried inside Alan's head. "At our 7 o'clock!"

I knew it.

At the same time Bella unleashed the full power of her shotgun, Alan drew his handgun and blindly shot in the aforementioned direction.

If I had missed, she’d have gotten me by now.

Following that thought-process, he pressed the trigger two more times before turning around and pulling out a collar provided by Jane Andersen.

"Use this, Alan Warden. Good luck," she had said.

The Wereweasenox's guts and blood bathed Bella while Alan dashed to put the collar on the wounded Serenity, whose body was collapsing to the ground. Three wound shots adorned her stomach.

See, Clara? We were right. She has low Vitality.

Alan reached out her hand, ready to capture her when he noticed a smirk on her face.

"Flare!" someone cried from a distance, and a burst of fire hit Serenity.

"NO!"

Alan jumped over her body and rushed to put the collar on her neck, but Serenity's body dissolved in a glimmering spectacle of sparkles and pixels, making the collar fall over the burning grass.

"I would step back if I were you, darling. You don't want to get burned, do you?" a gentle feminine voice said behind him.

Alan first shut his eyes, exhaled, and turned to see a group of Slime people uphill, 100 feet away from him. He identified the Advanced Slime that cast the killing spell, and glanced at the woman beside it, wearing a pink long coat, half-rim glasses, and a sideways ponytail.

As Bella approached him and a system notification celebrated that he was now level 9, Alan chuckled bitterly before putting on his best, friendly smile. "Hi, there! Did you do that to help me?"

"Of course I did, darling. That Max-Leveler was attacking you, wasn't she? I could not stand here just watching. Poor thing, you’re not even level 10."

"Are you by any chance Viola Lang?"

The woman tilted her head and frowned. "Do I know you? If yes, sorry, but I don't remember your face."

"We've never met, but I know about your work helping evolve the Slimes. They're my friends, you know."

Viola turned to Smollet, the bulky level 20 Advanced Slime, who nodded.

"Do you like what I did with them?" she asked, beaming and clapping.

"Of course! I'm a big fan of yours!"

"Oh, you’re making me blush! It's good to hear that a User is that accepting of NUs!" Viola strolled to him and the group followed her. "I intend that by next year, all monsters will evolve into NUs like these. Isn’t that great?"

"That sounds interesting as hell!" Alan said joyfully, also walking towards her. "Is that part of the next Novus’ update?"

She winked at him and raised her index finger close to her lips. “That’s a secret.” She then sighed and looked around. “By the way, do you know what happened here? I came to see who had hurt my poor Slimes, and they told me there was a battle between Max-Levelers?” She pouted, looking him in the eye. “Was that woman attacking you also responsible? Who the hell was she? If you know something, tell me so I can speak to her and give her a good ol’ Lang scold.”

Alan stared deep into her eyes before shrugging. “Lady, I have no idea!”