“How am I supposed to carry this?”

Seeing how large the hammer was, D’Atch regretted that he’d going to leave the weapon there because his hand was injured.

[You can deposit that with me until your wound is healed.]

“I shouldn’t have questioned the thing that could create anything at will….”

As the device shone it golden light toward the Fang Hammer, D’Atch was about to ask how could it able to do so but tossed that aside.

[Done.]

[Now. What is your next destination?]

The device made D’Atch went silent for a little bit.

“Seeing how the tri-horn wolf was that strong… I’m not sure if I should go to the center or not.”

[Why do you want to go to the center in the first place?]

“I don’t know. Rubaegia said that she came from that place which means it must be a really amazing place, right? I thought I’ll travel there just for fun but now….”

“Maybe I’ll just live here, in this forest, forever. This is a nice place after all.”

After saying nothing for a while, D’Atch spoke up casually.

[Aw, I thought we were going to have some fun…]

The device said regrettably.

“Well. Maybe I’ll check the desert area out for a bit.”

“Since the dog has passed away. I should go inform the girls”

D’Atch said casually then stood up and asked the device the destination to the slime den.

……

“God Damn! That tricky alien! If I meet it next time, I’ll beat it up real good before asking!”

Few hours passed by, Zeke was finally free from the paralyze effect.

“You said you’d patrol the surrounding. How did you end up that far?”

It was noon that time. Carl was preparing lunch for Zeke and sleeping Adria.

“I heard a loud slamming sound, so I went to check out.”

“But I got something more than that”

“System. Call Mr.Lee for me”

There was a horror in Zeke’s eyes when he recalled those corpses underground.

[It’s me, Zeke. What’s the matter?]

After wating for a few minutes, Lee Damien answered through the device.

“Mr.Lee, how many participants that entered before me?”

Zeke asked hurriedly.

[About 20-30 persons I think? Almost half of them had already withdrawn back to earth. The rest including you guys are still in contact with us.]

“I thought it was like 100 or 1,000…”

“Is there anyone not in contact with you guys?”

Carl heard the number was very little, he was surprised but Zeke immediately spoke up like it was very urgent.

[No? Everyone is still in contact with us from time to time. No one is offline right now.]

Lee answered while the voice of female operators could be heard in the background. It seemed they were checking as they communicating with Zeke as well.

“S*it! Could you send someone here right now?!”

[What?! What happened?]

Suddenly, his face changed to horrified and Lee responded in serious manner as well.

“About 2-3 hours ago, I fought with the giant wolf.”

“The ground was destroyed everywhere. I saw about 6-7 corpses were dug up together with the ground!”

[Are you sure those corpses were human?]

“Yes. And that alien I encountered before… I saw him killed one with its sword.”

“Worst thing is, it got our device too!”

After Zeke’s voice fell, he could hear the voice in the background of the call being in chaos. Many shouts exploded.

[We will send experts there to retrieve the corpses. You guys stay there. Don’t move yet!]

After hearing nothing but chaos behind the phone for a while, Lee came back and ordered the trio.

[Sir! We can’t pass the gate! Black fog was blocking us off from entering that world!]

[F*ck!]

Zeke could hear those conversation from the call. His eyes suddenly shrank.

“No…..it knows that I called for help?!”

[Don’t worry, Zeke! We will find a way to enter! I’m hanging up now. Remember, don’t panic and don’t move unnecessarily!]

“What…should we do?!”

Zeke looked at Carl in despair making him speechless no less than Zeke.

“We’ll just do like we have been doing!”

Adria suddenly spoke up trying to cheer everyone.

“Zeke, you have always been confident! That alien has nothing compare to you! I believe in you!”

“Ye-yeah! If he really was stronger than you then he wouldn’t flee like dog like that!”

Seeing Adria tried to cheer Zeke up, Carl added.

“That’s….that’s right! I can’t lose my calmness….”

“Thank you, Adria. Thank you Mr. Carl.”

Hearing the cheers, Zeke’s face was relieved from anxiety as he tried to calm down as well.

“Let us wait and stay here for a while. We’ll contact them again this evening.”

Carl handed plates of food to the kids making them nodded in agreement.

……………

 

“Rubaegia! Rosetta? Where are you guys!”

After reaching the pond, D’Atch saw no one as he tried to walk around to find them.

The woods dome had already disappeared but no one was to be seen. D’Atch began to have a bad feeling.

“Rululurlrlu!”

A green slime came out of a tall bush beside the pond. It quickly rushed to D’Atch and was jumping around trying to tell him something.

“What? Could you transform yourself and tell me like Maka and Mako?”

The slime only jumped around making him even more confused.

But the green slime was smaller than Mako and Maka. It didn’t have an ability to transform in any shape to communicate with him.

“Hey, device. Could you speak his tongue?”

Seeing the slime could jump around, D’Atch guessed that it couldn’t transform so he asked the device to translate for him.

[I can try.]

He slowly squatted down and pointed the device at the green slime.

“Rurlulrlurl!”

[Uh huh.]

“Rururlullu!”

[Uh. Yes.]

“Rurururur!”

[Ya. Uh yeh.]

“What?! You actually know how to talk with animals?!”

Seeing the device responded to the slime, D’Atch was very surprised and thought a human’s device was really amazing.

[No, I don’t]

“You piece-!”

THUMP!

As D’Atch was about to spit on the device, a loud explosion happened not far from the pond.

D’Atch quickly picked up the little green then quickly ran to the explosion.

…..

“Stop it, Rube!”

“Arghhhh!”

“Gah!”

Rubaegia altered her left hand into a large hammer then slammed toward Rosetta.

“Hey! What are you guys doing!”

D’Atch came to the scene and was very confused.

“D’Atch! Stay away! Rubaegia is acting weird!”

Rosetta shouted at D’Atch as she manipulated the nearby fallen trunk to block the hammer.

Thooomp!

“What the heck?!”

“..!!!”

D’Atch noticed that her mucus body’s color slightly changed in color.

Her body was normally dark blue color, but now it had a tint of purple in there.

“It was like that human!?”

He recalled the minion of mysterious horror he fought before.

“No…..Fuuuck!”

When he realized that the only way to stop the violent creature was to kill, it distressed him into an anguish.

[The Slime Queen has not been completely corrupted.]

“Then how do I save her?! Please tell me!”

In his woe, D’Atch begged solemnly.

[The method…has not been discovered yet…]

[I am sorry.]

The device’s sorry sound only made him even more heartbreaking.

“Big bro. I’m cold…”

“No……”

A past memories seemed to flash upon his eyes as he murmured to himself.

“……No! I can’t give up like this! I have a promise to keep!”

After went silent for a few minutes, suddenly, the grief in his eyes was blown away. He was now filled with resolution.

“Aghhh! Rubaegia! Please!”

At that moment, Rosetta was pushed to the ground and begged her friend to stop but the slime queen was already slammed her hand-hammer down!

Thump!

“Rubaegia! She is your friend, Rosetta!”

D’Atch quickly rushed in and protected the nymph with his shield.

[Proof of Friendships is a special boss-rarity type weapon! It won’t be broken easily!]

“D’Atch!”

“Wake up, Rubaegia! Are you really going to hurt your friend?!"

As the slime queen put more pressured to the shield, D’Atch kept calling her.

[Proof of Friendships is a special weapon! It won’t be broken easily!]

The device still reported the same situation out loud.

“Aggggghh!”

“What you doing?”

“I’m making a shield for him as an apology!”

“Rosetta….you near killed him for me…you love me that much?”

“Yes. We are friends, remember? I love you like you’re my family! My trees kin!”

“Like greens?”

“Yes. Like greens!”

"Then I love you too!"

“And I love D’Atch too! He helped my kids. He played my kids. He is my family too!”

“Then I’ll love him too! A friend of my friend is also my friend!"

"I’ll put some of my body in too! We three will be friends forever!”

“Yay!”

As Rubaegia was grunting violently, the voice of the device seemed to make her remember something.

“Proof of Friendships is special! It won’t be broken easily!”

“Friends?……”

Rubaegia heard the device’s words unclearly as she muttered.

Crack…

“D’Atch!”

Thump!

As Rosetta saw that the shield was cracking and about to destroy, she quickly manipulated the roots nearby and pulled both her and him away making the hammer hit the ground and shattered the shield to pieces.

“No…..”

The nymph saw her own friend smashed their proof of friendships to pieces, her face was heartbroken.

“….”

“Ro…s….Drey….arsh….”

When the Slime Queen saw the shattered shield, tears began to flow down from one of her eyes as she tried her best to say her friend’s name.

D’Atch rushed in and hugged her without hesitation, trying to calm his friend.

Seeing D’Atch rushed in and hugged her without fear, Rosetta also rushed in and embraced both of them too.

“Ughhhhhh!..Noooo!....Friends!.....Run!..Now!”

“Please!.....”

Rubaegia covered her head like she had a headache. She tried to fend it off and told them to run away in a broken voice.

“No! I won’t abandon my family!”

“I will help you…”

“This time, I will not let you go!”

They both tried to comfort Rubaegia as she tried to break free unwillingly.

[A powerful will is blooming from your soul!]

[Your determination to save your dear one has awakened your true skill!]

[You have awakened a passive skill “The Miracle”!]

As the device reported, a light shone brilliantly from below their feet.

[With The Miracle passive skill, you received a Bond Sprout!]

The remaining broken wood pieces from the shield glowed and then they joined together and become a small glimmering sprout rooting itself on the ground.

The sprout then sprayed out tiny orbs of lights around it and into the air waves after waves and then spread throughout the area by the wind.

“…”

“I…sorry…..”

Rubaegia slowed down then finally she stopped pushing and embraced both of her friends as she crying.

The dark purple tint slowly faded off from her mucus body and dispersed into the air as the orbs of light touched her body.

[You have created a miracle! The Bond Sprout has an ability to destroy the dark energy!]

The device said joyfully as the area was filled with warmth from the Bond Sprout.