Linkmas V2c3

Volume 2 Chapter 3 Rumi – Part III

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 Two years have passed since Rob disappeared.

 Now, I’m with my friends from the Saint Guardians, challenging the boss of the 80th floor of the Somirkas Dungeon, the “Dark Dragon Eclipse.” Many adventurers have tried to defeat this dragon, but no one has succeeded against this powerful enemy.

 *ROAR!!!*

 ”Ugh… ah…”

 The battle begins with the Dark Dragon Eclipse’s ‘Roar of Despair,’ which lowers our abilities.

 ”I’ll heal you! ‘Sanctuary’!”

 Ms. Ami, the ‘Saint,’ casts a holy barrier magic.

 This magic restores HP and status effects until it is broken.

 Right after getting healed, Mr. Izana and I take positions on either side of the Dark Dragon, while Mr. Tarian provokes the dragon by shouting and poking it with his spear to draw its attention.

 Ms. Meira stays close to Ms. Ami, ready to support her with her magic sword if things get dangerous.

 First, Mr. Izana rushes in close to the Dark Dragon and activates his ‘Sword Saint’ Level 7 skill, ‘Flash Blade Combo.’

 ──Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

 While the Dark Dragon is distracted by Mr. Izana, I activate my unique ability, ‘Divine Thunder Spear,’ summoning the divine artifact [Divine Thunder Spear] from the divine realm.

 ──Zzzt!

 This spear consumes about half of my current MP just to summon, making it a costly skill, but its power is immense.

 I attacked the dark dragon that was distracted by Mr. Izana with my [Divine Thunder Spear].

 ”I’m going for it!”

 ──Boom──!!

 ”──Grroooaarrr!”

 The dark dragon was paralyzed for a moment by the powerful lightning attack.

 That’s when Mr. Izana activated his ‘Sword Saint’ Level 10 skill, ‘Divine Judgement.’

 He jumped high and struck the dark dragon’s neck with a slash wrapped in holy energy.

 ”Take this!”

 ──Slash!!

 ”Grroooarrr!”

 A lot of blood gushed from the dark dragon’s neck, but it was still alive.

 Flapping its wings and swinging its tail, the dark dragon blew us away.

 Then the dark dragon exhaled a black breath of darkness.

 This was a group attack called ‘Dark Breath,’ and getting hit by it would cause fear.

 We quickly retreated to Ms. Ami’s side, and she activated her ‘Saint’ Level 7 skill, ‘Divine Barrier.’

 This skill completely blocks all attacks for a certain time.

 We stayed protected by Ms. Ami until the breath stopped, and during that time, we used magic potions to recover our MP.

 After that, we repeated our earlier strategy a few times, and we finally defeated the Dark Dragon Eclipse.

 ******

 Name: Rumi

 Job: P*nis Care Master Lv.5

 Level: 99

 HP: 12980/12980

 MP: 9999/9999

 SP: 9999/9999

 Strength: 812

 Stamina: 999

 Speed: 832

 Dexterity: 800

 Intelligence: 822

 Magic Power: 999

 Spirit: 911

 Luck: 36

 Job Skills: Angel Service Lv.6, Love Ring Lv.4, Love Barrier, Slurping Lip Burst Lv.2, Dream Grip Lv.3, Jiggly Wave Lv.1

 Unique Abilities: Talent for Spears, Divine Thunder Spear, Swift Wind Lightning, Fire Attribute Affinity, Earth Attribute Affinity

 Skills: Spearmanship Lv.7, Body Techniques Lv.5, Ki Manipulation Lv.5, Ki Detection Lv.5, Ki Cloak Lv.5, Magic Control Lv.5, ‘Magic Detection’ Lv.5, Mana Cloak Lv.5, Fire Magic Lv.3, Earth Magic Lv.3, Healing Magic Lv.3, Barrier Magic Lv.3, Gathering Lv.4, Poison Resistance Lv.5, Paralysis Resistance Lv.5

 Thanks to the huge experience points I got from defeating the Dark Dragon, I reached the growth limit of level 99.

 The feeling of achievement at that moment brought me joy that was beyond words, but… that joy was quickly blown away by something added at the bottom of the status window.

 …

 ……

 …There were strange items listed with Rob’s name.

 The content was so shocking that I couldn’t believe my eyes. It said this:

 (Help Wanted! ‘Sword Saint’s Soul’. Looking for someone to inhabit Rob’s sword! If you’re willing to become a Sword Saint Spirit from the human realm and join Rob on a journey to defeat all the Demon Kings in Yggrasil, please press the application button~♪ If you want to know more details first, please press the inquiry button! *This job offer is only sent to those strong enough to have maxed out their level.)

 As I read the message, I felt a tightness in my chest.

 …But, inhabit a sword? What is a Sword Saint’s Soul?

 It was as unbelievable as the letter from Rob 2 years ago…

* * *

 After several days of exploring dungeons, we returned to the town of Somirkas and received shocking news at the Adventurers’ Guild reception.

 ”…The Sphere Kingdom has been destroyed?”

 Mr. Izana asked the receptionist again.

 ”Yes. Eight days ago, a Demon King attacked the Sphere Kingdom, and after 5 days of war, I heard that the Sphere Kingdom was destroyed. …Mr. Izana, you lived in Grove Village, right? The Demon King’s army will likely come to Grove Village soon. I’ve already informed the village head, Sir Russell, so I think it would be best for you to talk to Mrs. Emma and consider moving to this town or the capital.”

 The receptionist suggested moving to Mr. Izana with a slightly worried expression.

 ”…I, I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

 Mr. Izana turned to us and gave instructions for our next actions.

 ”…Everyone, Rummie and I are going back to Grove Village for now. No matter the outcome, we’ll be back here soon, so please wait for us at the usual inn.”

 ”Just to be safe, shouldn’t we go with you?” Ms. Ami said with a worried look.

 ”No, even if the Demon King’s army is already here, we would just run away. …If it’s just running away, I’m confident I can escape even if the Demon King is there. Rummie has a movement ability called ‘Swift Wind Lightning,’ so it should be fine.”

 ”Okay. …Even if there are enemies in the village, keep the fighting to a minimum and come back quickly, okay?”

 ”Yeah. …Alright, Rummie, let’s hurry home.”

 ”…Ah, yes!”

 After seeing Rob’s name in the status window, my mind was filled with that thought, leaving no room for anything else.

* * *

 When we returned to the village, we activated ‘Magic Detection’ to check the whole area.

 Fortunately, it seemed the demon race hadn’t arrived yet. …It might just be that Ms. Emma took care of them.

 ”We’re back! …Emma, Nana, gather in the dining room!”

 Once we got home to the Cartwood house, we called for Ms. Emma and Nanna.

 Ms. Emma quickly showed her face, and Nanna came out of her room right away.

 ”Welcome back. I heard about the Sphere Kingdom from Mr. Russell yesterday. …I wanted to wait here until Rob came back, but I can’t just sit around. Izana, which do you think is better for moving, the royal capital or Somirkas?”

 ”Well… Emma and Nana, please head to the royal capital. It’s much safer there than in Somirkas. …I’m going to stay in Somirkas and fight against the Demon King’s army with my friends when they arrive. …Rummie, you should also evacuate to the royal capital; the enemy is just too dangerous.”

 ”…Ah, okay. I understand.”

 My mind was filled with thoughts of Rob, and no matter what was said to me, I just gave empty replies.

 ”Hm? …Rummie, what’s wrong? You seem less energetic since we left the dungeon.”

 ”…I’m sorry. …I need to go to my house for a bit.”

 I couldn’t sort out my feelings, and the words slipped out.

 I couldn’t stay like this; I decided to head to my house to find some kind of answer.

* * *

 When I got home, I nervously opened the status window and pressed the inquiry button

 Another window popped up, and words started to appear.

 (Yes, thank you for your inquiry! I am the goddess Vanessa, Gracia Seraphim Revalus! Since it’s long, you can just call me Goddess or Lady Vanessa~♪ Are you interested in the job offer?)

 (…What is this? …This seems way too suspicious.)

 (Hmph… How rude to call me suspicious! I’m currently busy attaching a holy attribute to Rob. If you have no business, could you please press the exit button or close the status window?)

 (Wait… Can you read my thoughts?)

 (Well, that’s because it’s me. I can easily do that. …So, do you have something to say? Or not? Please, no small talk!)

 (A, um!? …Is Rob there!?)

 (Hmm? Of course he is! …Can you not ask weird questions?)

 At that moment, my heart skipped a beat.

 For me, who had been dreaming of reuniting with Rob, hearing that he was there was like a ray of hope.

 (Can I meet Rob!?)

 My heart raced, and I couldn’t help but call out.

 (…You want to come to the divine realm? Only those who become Sword Saint’s soul can do that.)

 (W-why not!? I just want to see Rob!)

 I accidentally shouted my feelings.

 (Sigh… Teleporting takes a lot of power. I can’t just use my power to let you meet him.)

 (Ugh… If I become a Sword Saint’s Soul… will I not be able to hug or kiss Rob?)

 (Oooh, you’re interested in becoming a Sword Saint’s Soul? It has a humanization feature, so you can do that. But, if you haven’t absorbed any Demon King cores, you can only maintain the human form for about 5 minutes.)

 Hearing that made me feel a bit relieved, but at the same time, I felt a growing anxiety inside me.

 What would I have to sacrifice to be by Rob’s side?

 (…What is a Sword Saint’s Soul?)

 (It’s the most important piece needed to turn a sword made from materials in the divine realm into a holy sword. You could say it’s a soul wrapped in a holy attribute. The locals are weak, but they are good at easily gaining holy attribute compatibility!)

 (…Um, why did you take Rob to the divine realm?)

 Questions kept popping up in my mind.

 I was filled with a strong desire to get him back as soon as possible, so I asked about the true intention behind it.

 (Haah… I judged that he is the best child to defeat the Demon King. …Can you please refrain from asking questions that have nothing to do with the Sword Saint’s Soul?)

 Her words made my heart swirl with anger and sadness.

 Why did Rob have to bear such a fate?

 (…Is Rob still in the divine realm because you couldn’t give him the holy attribute for the past 2 years?)

 (That’s right! It’s been really tough… I thought of preparing a holy sword as insurance since I couldn’t attach it, which is why I decided to post this job offer!)

 Hearing that answer made my heart ache even more.

 (…Rob’s letter said he would return in about a year.)

 That was the only thing I could rely on.

 (Ugh… It seems like it’s taking a bit longer than I expected… Because of that, I’ve been sleep-deprived lately… Anyway, let’s end the pointless talk here. Can you tell me if you will become the Sword Saint’s Soul or not? I’ll keep quiet about anything else.)

 Her words pierced my heart.

 I felt like choices were spread out before me, and I understood that I had to make a decision.

 My answer… was already decided.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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