Chapter 329

Chapter 329

Due to my Unyielding Commander skill, I was immune to mental status effects, making the Succubi Legion completely powerless against me.

Last time, they charmed a Troll Legion to fight in their place.

This time, they seemed to have put some thought into it, equipping gear that converted their magic power into physical strength.

They just keep finding ways to fight. Ive got to give them credit for their relentless effort.

"But that doesnt mean you can beat us with physical strength alone."

Whoosh

With a dry wind, the sight of the defeated Succubi Legion sprawled in front of the fortress came into view.

The Succubi were completely annihilated.

I can confidently say, Id beaten them into a pulp this time. No chance of recovery for these bastards.

"Why...?"

Salome, who was lying miserably among them, muttered in a sorrowful voice.

"Ash, I just want to be friends with you... Why are you rejecting me like this?"

"Should I be friendly when your methods include seduction, kidnapping, and brainwashing?"

I growled menacingly.

"Before that, Im a human and youre a monster. From birth, were supposed to fight and kill each other, arent we?"

"Why not break that prejudice and engage in cultural exchange between species? Who knows, we might come to understand each other!"

"Cultural exchange? What culture?"

"Like, mutual understanding through the exchange of love culture...?"

As I lifted my staff in annoyance, Salome hastily brushed her pink hair aside.

"Hey! Honestly, Im pretty decent, right? Not to brag, but there hasnt been a man who resisted my seduction, other than you!"

"..."

"Plus, I put a lot of thought into my outfit this time! I conducted a survey in the dream realm to find out what human men like, and I chose the most preferred outfit!"

Her outfit was definitely unusually revealing for this fantasy world. Was it some sort of swimsuit?

Salome began to dance awkwardly, chanting something like fall for me~ fall for me~.

I sighed in disbelief. These monsters seriously dont understand shame... Ugh!

At that moment, Evangeline, who was watching from behind, whistled.

"Wow, if I were a guy, I would have fallen for her out of courtesy."

"Thankfully, youre not."

I glanced at the reactions of the other party members.

Damien covered his eyes with both hands, while Lucas twisted his helmet 180 degrees to obscure his vision. Boys...

"Um..."

Junior was scrutinizing Salome with a dead-serious face. Whats with her?

"No, it seems slightly possible..."

"Possible? Whats possible?!"

"No, not that! I mean"

Juniors face flushed red as she hurriedly waved her hands.

"Given that mental status effects are nullified right now, it seems possible to capture this Succubus and study the principles of her charming magic!"

"Oh, so thats what you meant."

Anyway, our opponent is a Succubus, whose main skill is seduction. Lets all be careful about making misleading comments.

I let out a heavy sigh and crossed my arms before speaking.

"Look, Salome. Imagine a frog crawling around naked in front of you. Would you find that erotic?"

"Uh...? Frogs dont wear clothes in the first place, do they?"

"Exactly. Thats the point."

Salome cocked her head, seemingly confused.

Frustrated, I yelled at her.

"To me, you and that frog are the same!"

For a hundred, a thousand times, try to seduce me while youre naked, you monster! Think Ill fall for it?

Tears welled up in Salomes large eyes.

"How could you compare me to a frog? Thats too much!"

I was being generous by comparing you to a frog, you brat. At least frogs have some cute aspects. They even serve a useful role by eating pests like flies.

I extended my staff to create a magical blade and spoke coldly.

"Listen, Salome. Consider this a final act of mercy before I kill you. Even if you look human, theres no way Ill be seduced by you."

"What, why? How can you be so sure?"

"Because Ive been fooled by too many people who are only good on the outside. Ive become too seasoned to fall for it anymore."

Back on Earth, my job had been an internet broadcaster, a game streamer.

What did that mean?

It meant Id dealt with toxic viewers, trolls, and perverts of ambiguous gender throughout my broadcasts.

A viewer who sent annoying voice donations using a voice changer for half a year turned out to be a man.

A cute female character in my guild whod been friendly since the games open beta turned out to be a man.

Even a vTuber whod decked out their avatar beautifully, co-streamed new games, and even did marriage content with me turned out to be a man!

Then it happened.

Wobble.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, my vision began to spin.

Ah, this felt similar to the overwork symptoms from a few days ago...

Wobbling, I collapsed forward.

"Senior?!"

Evangeline quickly caught me, and the rest of the party members rushed over in alarm.

Junior, who rushed in front of me, examined my eyes and rummaged through her bag.

"This is mana exhaustion!"

"Mana exhaustion? Whats that?"

"When you use more magic power than your limit, this happens! Quick, get a mana potion!"

As I tasted the harshness of the mana potion poured into my mouth, I slowly thought.

Ah.

Of course.

[Imperial Edict] is a high-performance skill that summons a fortress using magic power. I shouldnt have used it so carelessly...

This game isnt that forgiving...

My vision gradually darkened.

I lost consciousness.

***

Ash fainted due to mana exhaustion.

Mana-related injuries were not something the priest Damien could heal. This was Juniors expertise.

Junior quickly poured a mana potion into Ashs mouth and used her own magic power to help circulate the mana in Ashs body.

Something felt off!

Materializing magic is an extremely wasteful technique.

Even Dusk Bringar, the possessor of the dragon bloodline, would break into a sweat every time she drew her magic-formed greatsword.

And it wasnt just the size of a greatsword; Ash had summoned a fortress, albeit a small one.

Ashs magical power was woefully insufficient, even after draining every last drop. Summoning and maintaining the magic in the first place had been a near-impossible task.

This isnt ordinary magic. Theres some secret hidden.

But that secret wasnt what mattered right now.

Ash had recklessly tapped into his magical reservoir, and the runaway magic was now boiling over, demanding payment.

At this rate, all of his magical energy would burn up, just like what had happened to Jupiter who had suffered from a magical overload.

The mana potions I have now wont be enough! How can I stabilize it?!

In his desperation, Junior poured his own magical energy into Ash and racked his brain for solutions, but no viable options came to mind.

Should I use the teleport gate to get more mana potions? But how many potions would even be in the Lords Mansion... and by the time I get back, itll be too late...!

Ashs magical reservoir greedily devoured the incoming mana. Junior sensed that his own reserves were rapidly depleting as well.

Thats when Lucas rushed forward, rolling up his sleeve.

"Extract my life force and give it to the Lord!"

"What? Are you nuts?!"

"Doesnt the Lord need a mana transfusion? Then this is our only option...!"

"Dont be ridiculous! Youll risk killing yourself too, Captain Lucas!"

Transferring magical energy to someone else required an extremely intricate control over magic flow, a method available only to those of the Mage class.

Being a knight, Lucas intended to transfer his own life force directly to Ash. Junior, however, vehemently refused.

This method might refill Ashs mana, but it would almost certainly kill or incapacitate Lucas.

"Its better than letting the Lord die! Hurry!"

Lucas didnt back down; he took another step closer and shouted.

Behind him, Evangeline and Damien also rolled up their sleeves with resolute faces.

Every member of the party was prepared to die for Ash.

Despair painted Juniors face as he looked around at everyone. Finally, he firmed up his resolve and nodded.

Just then

"Theres no need for such sacrifices. Everyone, step aside."

A brusque female voice echoed.

"?"

Everyone turned in surprise to find a white-haired woman standing nearby, her face obscured by a tattered robe.

She was the guardian and watcher of the Lake Kingdom dungeon.

She was Nameless.

"Ash helped me find a piece of myself..."

In her hand shimmered a white object that looked like a puzzle piece.

Gazing intently at that piece, Nameless offered a faint smile.

"Shouldnt I return the favor?"