Chapter 204: After the 5th wave

The 5th monster wave of the -Final frontier- quest had something that no one had expected.

Once the titan-class monsters' forces had passed the first line of defense and enter the killing zone of the second line, an obnoxiously strong attack - a high power beam - was lunched somewhere from the mountain range deep inside the monster territory and decimated everything in its path, both titan-class and Sloth soldiers alike.

Yet despite that seemingly impartial nature of the attack, it was the human side that suffered consequences far greater than monsters...

...

...

"IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT HE WAS ON THAT ROOFTOP! YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT HE DIED!"

Were the words that monk 89-F shouted in Mika's face before she was forcibly escorted out of the gathering hall, KICKING AND SCREAMING, by the rest of her squad before she could do something more radical and get herself in serious trouble.

"It's alright Mika, it wasn't your fault."

Corvus put his hand on Mika's shoulder and assured in a calm voice.

"..."

But there was no way that the ashen-haired girl could agree with him, was there?

If she only wasn't so selfish and just stayed put like the rest of her friends from the Wrath family, bruiser 97-F would still be alive.

...and the worst part was, that the two of them didn't end up on the roof because of the training or anything.

It was just that Mika wanted to rest there since she wanted to see if she can check on what was going on at the second and first lines of defense through the ever-thinning fog.

Bruiser 97-F wouldn't even think about going there on his own if not for Mika's wish.

The girl clenched her fists.

"...my fault...!"

She whispered through her teeth, with tears forcing their way out.

And then...

/Unique hidden achievement for -Final frontier- unlocked

Innocence lost

+8000 to every base status point (except LUC)

"GHUAH...!"

Mika fell down on her knees and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"MIKA?! Someone! She needs a medic!"

Corvus gasped and shouted for help, kneeling by the fallen ashen-haired girl.

***

Mika was taken to the medical wing for a checkup and treatment.

"She suddenly gained an enormous amount of status points - it is a miracle that she even survived."

The young, bespectacled girl in an oversized lab coat looked away from the unconscious ashen-haired girl sleeping soundly in the simple bed and explained to the worried people of the Wrath family and the not so worried Dandelions who also were there for some reason...

"What do you mean suddenly gained status points?"

The copper-eyed Ti asked, shaking with worry.

"I contacted medic 7 who was the one examining this person right after she arrived at Sloth territory, and by comparing the results of the appraisals, I can safely say that except for LUC, all her stats increased by over 8000 points each."

"8000?!"

Even the seemingly uninterested Dandelions all gasped when an insane number was mentioned.

"Yes. This is unprecedented. Honestly, we have no idea how she is still alive. Our research says that a singular increase of anything above 1000 status points results in the subject's body's destruction in one way or another."

The young medic explained.

"That's why I called for sir gene... I mean, for sir Shanks. Could you use Sophia and try to look for an answer in the system database?"

She turned to the Dandelions and asked.

"...of course I could check. But I refuse."

"...!"

Shanks' calm answer stunned everyone.

"You...!"

The white-haired Corvus gritted his teeth and walked over to the rat-faced man and tried grabbing him by the armor, but got stopped by the other three Dandelions stepping in front of their leader.

"I don't care who you are or was! If you refuse to help Mika, I will...!"

He threatened, trying to glare at Shanks past his companions.

"Your young lady is safe. Since she survived the initial shock, the rest is for her body to adapt to new capabilities. Medic 13 here didn't ask for help with the treatment, but for guidance for the next batch of experimental Sloth soldiers... I didn't run away from this place as a child to rejoin them as an adult."

"Huh...?!"

Shanks explained in the same calm voice, causing Corvus to flinch.

"I apologize for my behavior, gene... s-sir Shanks."

"...?"

The white-haired young man looked over his shoulder to look at the medic, just to see the young bespectacled girl blushing and looking away in embarrassment.

"Ah... oh... I... I'm sorry..."

Corvus backed down and unintentionally nodded his head - something in Shanks's tone was making him treat the rat-faced with even higher respect than the avatar of wrath.

"Then, my lord, does that mean that Mika will be fine...?"

Now it was Ti's turn to approach the adventurers and ask, pushing past the dispirited Corvus.

"...!"

And then she flinched, realizing how she addressed the adventurer.

"Yes, like I've said, since she survived the initial shock, the only thing left for her is to rest as her body will adapt. She might be unconscious for a while but ultimately she will be fine."

The three Dandelions stepped back revealing the indifferent rat-faced man.

"Thank you, my l... sir!"

Even though Ti was cautious about how she speaks, she almost addressed the adventurer as someone of a higher position than her, something like that hasn't happened to her ever before.

...and even though she stopped herself from using overly respectful words, she still bowed to him...!

"...tsk... don't worry about your odd behavior."

"...!"

Shanks spoke as if reading in Corvus's and Ti's minds, making them flinch.

"Because of the unexpected situation that demands special attention, the higher-ups of the Sloth soldiers have decided to completely remove the seals from my skills, stats, and affinities. What you are experiencing right now is the effect of my inborn affinity, right to rule. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."

He explained and bowed his head just a tiny bit.

*thump*

"...!"

Which resulted in everyone in the room, except for the unconscious Mika, to drop on one knee and lower their heads as if pledging themselves to the one true ruler.

"..."

Shanks gritted his teeth, looking with pained eyes at his two best friends and even his wife acting the same way.

Since the right to rule was an affinity and not a skill, it couldn't be turned off.

"Stand up. I have a skill that speeds up the process of adaptation to status point changes, it will make young lady Mika recover sooner."

He sighed looked away as the other got back up with utterly confused faces.