u201cNakah kamu yakin kita tidak boleh membiarkannya benar-benar mengeluarkan Mimicry World Core itu dari lantai ini, kan?u201d pertanyaan Wyrmgod kepada Ular Beracun yang Liar.
u201cMemang terasa kontraproduktif juga, kalau dia memutuskan untuk memperkenalkan kembali Karmic Plague yang sudah punah sekian lama ke dalam multiveru201d, Minaga setuju dengan lembut.
u201cRelax, dia tidak akan benar-benar mengeluarkannya,u201d Ular Beracun yang Liar melarang tangannya. u201cDia hanya akan memakannya dan menyerap seluruh pengetahuan cara membuat plague.u201d
u201cDanu2016 itu
bsp outcome yang bagus?u201d Minaga bertanya dengan nada netral. u201cSepertinya ide bagus untuk mengajarkannya tentang plagueu2026 terutama mengingat catatan keputuannya yang selalu cerdas dan well-thought-out.u201d
u201cMari kupercaya, dia tidak akan menjadi Muridku yang Benar jika dia tidak setidaknya tahu cara membuat plague,u201d Ular Beracun tersenyum. u201cTidak berarti ia harus membuatnya, tapi tidak ada yang salah dengan mempelajari caranya.u201d
u201cSaya yakin hampir setiap faksi di dunia ini akan tidak setuju dengan penilaian itu,u201d Wyrmgod menghela napas.
u201cSaya pula yakin setidaknya setengah dari mereka memiliki aturan tertulis di suatu tempat bahwa alasan mereka tidak boleh mengganggu aku adalah karena takut aku akan melempar plague ke mereka,u201d Vilastromoz mengangguk.
u201cMmm,u201d Wyrmgod memikirkan sambil bertanya. u201cJika ia benar-benar mengeluarkannya, aku akan merebut World Core-nya, tapi jika ia memaksurinya atau mengubahnya dengan cukup, aku akan biarkan ia pergi dengan syarat tidak ada kemungkinan plague bisa kembali.u201d
u201cSepertinya adil saja,u201d Vilas bersimpul.
u201cDan untuk adil, aku pikir kebanyakan faksi tidak akan mengganggu Ular Beracun yang Liar bahkan tanpa plague,u201d Minaga berkata. u201cDan aku memang mengerti ada nilai dalam belajar membuatnya, karena ada beberapa konsep yang cukup menarik. Omong-omong, sejak kamu adalah ahli di siniu2026 apakah mungkin untuk membuat plague yang menghilangkan Bloodlines yang memungkinkan orang yang memilikinya untuk merusak setiap dan semua pengalaman labirin yang menarik? Sedangkan teman-teman aku bertanya.u201d
Untuk memberi kejelasan, Jake tidak sedang merencanakan sesuatu yang berlebihan seperti double suicide ketika ia meminta orang tua itu untuk menusuknya. Ia hanya tahu bahwa yang akan dilakukannya bukan hal yang ia yakin bisa dilakukan dengan tenang normal, jadi ia memutuskan untuk menggunakan sistem mekanik dengan cerdik.
u201cKamu ingin memicu skill defensif yang aktif dari serangan mematikan?u201d bertanya Sword Saint, yang dengan cepat memahami apa yang sedang terjadi.
u201cAaaa, itu satu,u201d Fallen King mengangguk dengan pemahaman, yang juga pernah merasaknya sendiri.
u201cPersis,u201d Jake tersenyum. u201cDan aku rasa Erosion itu skill terbaik untuk digunakan karena relatif mudah untuk dielakukan dibandingkan slash, karena hanya satu garis air. Benar, menggunakan skill Transcendent mungkin berarti aku menilai keulegalanku berlebihan, tapi aku ingin memastikan sistem akan menganggap ini serangan mematikan.u201d
Sword Saint memikirkan sejenak sebelum mengangguk. u201cWajar saja.u201d
Jake mengucapkan terima kasih saat ia berbalik ke anggota partynya yang lain. u201cSebaiknya beri jarak untuk menghindari serangan lain. Ah, tapi Dina, mungkin tetap dekat. Seseorang mungkin butuh penyembuhan. Lagi pula, seseorang pasti butuh penyembuhan.u201d
u201cApa yang kamu rencanakan!?u201d Dark Witch bertanya dengan kasar. u201cDan apa yang kamu lakukan dengan Mimicry World Core itu? Ia harus dimusnahkan, atau seluruh ini sia-siau2026 tunggu, kamu berencana menyimpannya? Jika begitu, aku akan-u201d
u201cRelax, sial,u201d Jake melarang. u201cSedang mencoba mencari cara untuk menghancurkan Karmic Plague tanpa kamu harus mengorbankan hidupmu.u201d
u201cu2026 Aku sudah bilang aku bersedia dengan takdirku,u201d Dark Witch memandang rendah. u201cDan kecuali kamu bisa memanggil seorang dewa, apakah kamu sungguh yakin kamu atau siapa pun di sini bisa melakukan apa pun?u201d
u201cEh, aku cenderung overconfidence dan reckless, tapi aku tetap benar dan berhasil. Dan intuisiku mengatakan aku bisa melakukannya,u201d Jake mencoba meyakinkannya. Tidak terlalu efektif, tentu saja.
u201cMelvin, janganlah konyol. Jika Karmic Plague melepas di dalammu, kematian adalah satu-satya,u201d Dark Witch mengkritiknya.
u201cLagiu2013, percaya padaku. Aku juga tahu cukup tentang plague dan bahkan Karmic Plague. Setidaknya biarkan aku mencoba. Skenario terburuk, kamu mati; kondisi terbaik, kamu bertahan hidup. Berbuat tidak ada sama sekali identik dengan hasil terburukmu, jadi mengapa ragu?u201d
u201cKarena jika terjadi sesuatu yang salah, Karmic Plague mungkin tidak akan hancur, akuu2026u201d
u201cDiskusi ini sedang menggulung diri dan membuang waktu orang ramai,u201d Fallen King berkata dengan nada teruak. u201cJake di sini adalah Chosen of the Malefic Viper, jadi kamu sebaiknya mempercayainya. Jika ada C-grade yang bisa melepaskanmu dari Karmic Plague, itu dia.u201d
Dark Witch sudah akan protes ketika Unique Lifeform menyebutkan Jake sebagai Chosen, dan mata penunya melebar lebar. u201cAkuu2026 Aku tidaku2026 Aku minta maaf atas-u201d
u201cJadi kamu siap?u201d Jake bertanya. Ia sedikit teruak karena Fallen King mengungkapkan rahasia itu begitu saja, tapi hal-hal menjadi membosankan.
u201cAkuu2026 ya. Aku akan mempercayaimu, Chosen of the Malefic One,u201d Dark Witch mengangguk tegas, suaranya sedikit retak. Jake bahkan melihat sekilas harapan di matanya, yang hanya menambah motivasinya untuk bertindak. Di dalam hatinya, ia tahu ini tidak penting karena mereka berada di dalam sebuah dungeonu2026 tapi ia tetap ingin melakukannya.
u201cBagus,u201d Jake tersenyum. u201cSekarang, inilah rencanaku. Sambil bertahan kontak fisik dengan kamu, aku akan memecahkan World Core di dalam perutku tepat ketika Sword Saint memberi serangan mematikan. Ini akan memperlambat waktu bagiku saat Karmic Plague hancur, pada saat itulah aku akan memanipulasi energi karmik dari dalam perutku kepadamu. Sebelum itu, aku akan mensuapkan racun ke dalam plague dalam mu yang akan bereaksi dengan energi karmik ini untuk hanya menghancurkan Karmic Plague beserta bagian jiwa yang kamu isolasikan bersamanya. Ini masih menghancurkan Karmic Plague, tapi lebih seperti memotong tumor yang terinfeksi sebelum ia mendapatkan sinyal untuk menyebar ke seluruh aliran darahmu.u201d
u201cSaya tidak yakin apa maksud analogi terakhir itu, tapi aku rasa aku mengerti,u201d Dark Witch bertanya. u201cApakah aku perlu melakukan sesuatu?u201d
u201cJangan melawan dan fokus pada melindungi jiwamu. Bisa jadi akan berantakan, dan pasti akan menyebabkan pengalaman yang tidak nyaman,u201d Jake berkata.
Dia mengangguk saat Jake memperlambatnya duduk, dan Jake pun berbalik kepada Sword Saint. u201cButuh waktu untuk menyiapkan sesuatu sebelum dimulai, jadi mungkin butuh waktu sebelum kamu perlu mencoba membunuhku.u201d
u201cSiap untuk mencoba menusukmu melalui kepala kapan saja,u201d Sword Saint tersenyum saat ia berdiri di samping Jake, memastikan serangannya tidak akan mengenai Dark Witch.
Jake duduk dengan cara sila kaki sambil Dark Witch duduk di hadapannya. Ia meletakkan kedua tangannya di punggung wanita sambil secara halus mengaktifkan Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar, menuangkan sedikit racun sambil memindai tubuhnya melalui Sense.
Tanpa perlawanan, bahkan menahan energi vital alami, Jake cepat menemukan bagian Jiwa yang terinfeksi. Kasusnya jauh terbaik yang pernah dilihat Jake, tapi ia masih berada dalam situasi genting. Biasanya, Karmic Plague akan mendiami seluruh jiwa, tapi penyihir telah berhasil mengisolasi ke sekitar area perut. Setidaknya sebagian besar. Beberapa serpihan juga mengenai area lain. Menghapusnya akan menyebabkan kerusakan besaru2026 tapi mungkin bisa bertahan hidup.
Dengan konsentrasi intens, Jake melakukan dua hal sekaligus. Pertama, ia menambahkan racun ke dalam penyihir menggunakan Sentuh sambil u201c menginfeksi u201d plague. Ini untuk memberinya pengaruh atasnya saat ia mencoba menguasai Karmic Plague. Ini juga tempat kekurangan kekuatannya terlihat.
Sebabnya ia tidak bisa hanya menghancurkan Karmic Plague sendirian adalah karena perbedaan level yang melekat antara Jake dan penciptanya. Jika Jake adalah level A, ia yakin bisa menyembuhkan sepenuhnya tanpa harus mengambil risiko besar atau bahkan butuh World Core. Namun, seperti halnya sekarang, yang bisa dia lakukan hanyalah mencoba membantu proses penghancuran berjalan dengan baik. Hal yang cukup jika tujuan keduanya berhasilu2026
Ia perlu memengaruhi Mimicry World Core di dalam perutnya. Sesuatu yang tidak benar-benar bisa dilakukan saat ini. Tentu saja, Jake sudah tahu caranya: melalui Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar. Masalahnya adalah skill yang hanya bisa digunakannya Palate hanya terhad pada Cultivate Toxin, skill umum yang buruk.
Tapiu2026 selama begitu lama, Jake tahu bahwa skill buruk itu sebenarnya tidak perlu. Ia tidak pernah menggunakannya. Sebaliknya, ia menggunakan Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar untuk kebanyakan hal. Jadi, pertanyaannya adalah: mengapa harus memisahkan keduanya? Jawabannya jauh lebih jelas. Ia tidak akan. Dan ia percaya bahwa jika Cultivate Toxin menjadi bagian dari Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar, maka Palate akan memungkinkan Jakub untuk menggunakan Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar pada item yang ditelan.
Jake hanya perlu menghendaki fusion sambil mencoba memengaruhi World Core yang ditelan. Ia hampir tidak merasa apa pun, seolah sistem sudah menunggu ia berhenti menjadi idiot dan menyelesaikannya, seketika setelah memulai, notifikasi muncul.
*Skill Fusion Detected*:
[Cultivate Toxin (Common)] + [Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar (Legendary)] --> [Sentuh Ular Beracun yang Liar (Legendary)] (Rarity Unchanged)
Jake memilih untuk tidak memeriksa deskripsi yang diperbarui segera karena ia yakin cara kerjanya sesuai keinginannya. Ia juga tidak memikirkan rarity yang tidak berubah atau fakta bahwa ia merasakan seolah-olah dapat cukup banyak Intelligence semalaman. Malah, ia fokus pada Palate dan Mimicry World Core.
Langsung setelah itu, ia merasakan Sentuh aktif pada Mimicry World Core, membuktikan kebenarannya. Ia melihat ke dalam Soulspacenya dan melihat u201cpayudau201d Palate dan core yang berdenyut pelan saat Jake secara perlahan memengaruhi. Hanya sekecil dorongan, dan ia merasakan Karmic Plague yang melawan setiap langkah.
Fokus mendalam, Jake menekan keras pada core sambil memaksakan kontrol sejauh yang bisa. Dengan pikirannya yang terbelah, hal ini sulit, tapi Jake enggan menyerah. Ia tahu dengan pasti bahwa benar-benar mengubah sesuatu tidak akan terjadi, tapi selama ia bisa sedikit memengaruhi plague untuk bertindak berbeda ketika bertemu dengan energi plague yang lainnya yang dipengaruhi dalam Dark Witch, ia cukup. Dengan napas dalam-dalam, ia beralih ke tahap berikutnya setelah merasa bahwa mendorong core lebih jauh tidak akan berhasil.
Kamu pasti bisa, ia meyakinkan dirinya. Bagian berikutnya adalah saatnya segalanya diputuskan. Jake mulai meragukan rencananya saat ia secara perlahan menyerap pengetahuan tentang Mimicry World Core, menyadari bahwa hal-hal tidak sepenu
“You know we can’t allow him to actually bring that Mimicry World Core out of that floor, right?” the Wyrmgod questioned the Malefic Viper.
“Does seem kind of counterproductive if he decides to reintroduce a Karmic Plague that was wiped out a long time ago back into the multiverse,” Minaga nodded in agreement.
“Relax, he isn’t gonna actually bring it out,” the Viper waved them off. “He is just going to eat it and consume all the knowledge of how to make plagues within.”
“And… that’s a good outcome?” Minaga said in a deadpan tone. “Totally seems like a good idea to teach him about them… especially considering his track record of always making well-thought-out decisions.”
“Come on, would he really be my Chosen if he didn’t at least know how to create a plague?” the Viper smiled. “Not saying he should make one, but nothing wrong with learning how to.”
“I am confident nearly every other faction in existence would disagree with that assessment,” the Wyrmgod sighed.
“And I am confident at least half of those have a rule written somewhere that one of the reasons they shouldn’t fuck with me is out of fear I will throw a plague at them,” Vilastromoz shook his head.
“Hm,” the Wyrmgod thought for a while. “I will reclaim the World Core if he brings it out, but should he consume it or sufficiently alter it, I shall allow him to leave with it as long as there is no chance of reintroducing the plague.”
“Sounds fair enough,” Vilas shrugged.
“Also, to be fair, I think most factions wouldn’t fuck with the Malefic Viper even without the plagues,” Minaga said. “And I do guess there is value in knowing how to make one, as there are some very interesting concepts at play. Speaking of which, seeing as you are the expert here… would it be possible to make a plague that wipes out Bloodlines that allow those possessing it to ruin any and all interesting labyrinth experiences? Asking for a friend.”
Just to clarify, Jake wasn’t planning some over-the-top double suicide or anything when he asked the old man to stab him. He just knew that was he was about to do wouldn’t be something he had confidence in pulling off under normal circumstances, so he decided to indulge in a bit of clever use of system mechanics.
“You want me to trigger that defensive skill of yours that activates from a lethal blow?” the Sword Saint questioned, having quickly picked up on what he was getting at.
“Ah, that one,” the Fallen King nodded in understanding, having also experienced that one himself.
“Exactly,” Jake smiled. “And I reckoned that Erosion thing is the best skill to use as it seems pretty easy to dodge compared to the slash, considering it is just one line of water. True, using the Transcendent skill may be me overestimating my durability, but I want to assure the system will consider it a lethal blow.”
The Sword Saint considered for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough.”
Jake thanked him as he turned to his other three party members. “Better make some distance to not get hit by anything. Ah, but Dina, probably stay close. Someone might need healing. On second thought, someone will definitely need healing.”
“What exactly are you planning on doing!?” the Dark Witch butted in rudely. “And what exactly did you do with the Mimicry World Core? It needs to be destroyed, or all of this is in vain… wait, do you plan on keeping it? If that is the case, I will-“
“Relax, jeez,” Jake waved her off. “Trying to figure out a way to destroy the Karmic Plague without you dying in the process.”
“I… I already told you I am fine with my fate,” the Dark Witch said dismissively. “And unless you can call down a god, do you honestly think you or anyone else here can do anything?”
“Eh, I tend to be overconfident and reckless, yet I still turn out to be correct and have things work out for me in the end. And my guts are telling me I can pull this off,” Jake tried to assure her. Not very effectively, mind you.
“Trusting your gut? Don’t be ludicrous. If the Karmic Plague is unleashed within you, death is the only outcome,” the Dark Witch criticized him.
“Again, show some trust here. I also know quite a bit about plagues and even Karmic Plagues. At least, let me give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, you die; best-case, you survive. Doing nothing is literally the same outcome as your worst-case scenario, so why the hesitation?”
“Because if something goes wrong, the Karmic Plague may not be destroyed, I-“
“This entire argument is getting circular and is wasting everyone’s time,” the Fallen King said in an annoyed tone. “Jake here is the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, so you should show some trust. If any C-grade can rid you of the Karmic Plague, it’s him.”
The Dark Witch was about to protest as the Unique Lifeform mentioned Jake was the Chosen as the lizard woman’s eyes opened wide. “I… I didn’t… I apologize for my-“
“So you’re on board?” Jake asked. He was a bit annoyed at the Fallen King spilling the beans like that, but things were getting tedious.
“I… yes. I shall trust you, Chosen of the Malefic One,” the Dark Witch nodded resolutely as her voice slightly cracked. Jake even saw a hint of hope in her eyes, which only reinvigorated his desire to pull this off. Deep inside, he knew it didn’t really matter as they were in a dungeon and all… but he still wanted to do it.
“Great,” Jake smiled. “Now, here is my plan. While in physical contact with you, I will break the World Core inside of my stomach right as the Sword Saint hits me with a lethal blow. This will make time slow down for me as the Karmic Plague is destroyed, at which point I will manipulate the karmic energy going from within my stomach into you. Before this, I will infuse the plague within you with a toxin that will react with this karmic energy to only destroy the Karmic Plague along with the part of your soul you isolated together with it. This is still destroying the Karmic Plague, but it is more like cutting out an infected tumor before it gets a signal to spread the cancer to your bloodstream.”
“I am unsure what you mean with that final analogy, but I believe I understand what you mean. Will I need to do anything?” she questioned.
“Don’t fight back and focus on protecting your own soul. It may get hairy, and it will definitely be a thoroughly unpleasant experience,” Jake said.
She nodded as Jake motioned for her to sit down as he looked at the Sword Saint. “I will need to set up some stuff before I begin, so it may take a bit before I need you to try and kill me.”
“Happy to try and stab you through the head any day,” the Sword Saint smiled as he stood to the side of Jake, making sure that his stab wouldn’t also hit the Dark Witch.
Jake sat down with his legs crossed as the Dark Witch sat in front of him. He put both his hands on her back as he subtly activated Touch of the Malefic Viper, pouring in a tiny bit of poison as he scanned her body through Sense.
With her not resisting at all, even suppressing her natural vital energy, Jake quickly found the portion of her Soulshape infected. Her case was by far the best of anyone Jake had seen, but she was still in a precarious situation. Usually, the Karmic Plague would inhabit the entire soul, but the witch had managed to isolate it to somewhere around her stomach region. At least most of it. Small slithers also hit other areas. Removing it would lead to some serious damage… but likely survivable.
With intense focus, Jake did two things at once. Firstly, he pumped more poison into the witch using Touch as he “infected” the plague. This was to allow him some influence over it as he more or less tried to usurp control over the Karmic Plague. This was sadly also where his lack of power came in.
The reason why he couldn’t just destroy the Karmic Plague his own this way was due to the innate difference in level between Jake and the creator. If Jake was A-grade, he was confident in being able to cure her entirely without having to take any major risks or even needing something like the World Core. However, as things were, all he could do was try and nudge the destruction process in a favorable direction. Something that should be enough if his second objective went well…
He needed to influence the Mimicry World Core within his stomach. Something he couldn’t really do currently. Of course, Jake already knew how he wanted to do this: through Touch of the Malefic Viper. His problem was that the only skill his Palate only allowed him to use on a swallowed item was Cultivate Toxin, a shitty common rarity skill.
But… for the longest time, Jake had known that shitty common rarity skill wasn’t really necessary. He never used it. Instead, he used Touch of the Malefic Viper for most things. So, the question was: why even keep them separate? The answer was even more obvious. He wouldn’t. And he believed that if Cultivate Toxin became part of Touch of the Malefic Viper, then Palate would allow him to use Touch of the Malefic Viper on any item swallowed.
Jake needed to do little more than will for a fusion as he tried to influence the swallowed World Core. It barely took any effort on his part, almost as if the system had been waiting for him to stop being a moron and just get it done, as shortly after he began, a notification popped up.
*Skill Fusion Detected*:
[Cultivate Toxin (Common)] + [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] --> [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] (Rarity Unchanged)
Jake chose to not check out the updated description right away as he knew it worked the way he wanted it to. He didn’t dwell on the unchanged rarity either or the fact he felt like he had just gotten a bunch more Intelligence out of nowhere. Instead, he focused on Palate and the Mimicry World Core.
Instantly he felt Touch activate on the Mimicry World Core, proving he had been correct. He looked within his Soulspace and observed the ”stomach” of Palate and the core pulsing within as Jake slowly influenced it. It was naught but a slight nudge, and he felt the Karmic Plague fight back at every step.
Focusing on the core thoroughly, he put a lot of pressure on it as he exerted as much control as he could. With his mind split, it was difficult, but Jake refused to back down. He knew that truly changing anything wasn’t going to happen, but as long as he could slightly influence the plague to act differently when it encountered the other influenced plague energy within the Dark Witch, it should be enough. With a deep breath, he moved on to the next stage once he felt that trying to prime the core more wasn’t gonna happen.
You got this, he assured himself. The next part was where everything would be decided. Jake began to feel slight doubt about his plan as he slowly absorbed knowledge about the Mimicry World Core, becoming aware that things weren’t entirely as he had hoped.
It was true that destroying the core could be done by activating the formation on it. It was also true it would just collapse and not actually explode and harm anything around it. The problem was that Jake had decided to eat it… and imploding it within his Soulspace was not something it was designed to do. In fact, he couldn’t even activate it.
So Jake decided that rather than use the built-in destruction formation, he would slightly alter the formation on the core himself and change it from a harmless explosion to something a bit more destructive. This did still mean one thing, though: Jake would have to bear the brunt of effectively having a World Core explode within his own Soulshape.
”Be ready,” Jake communicated to the Sword Saint as he saw the old man get in position – sword raised and all.
He was worried about handling the fallout of an exploding core. Luckily for him, it was going to happen within his Soulspace, and as long as the resulting explosion was something he understood, he was confident in handling it. Well, having a part of him handle it anyway. The amount of energy that would be released was substantial, but Jake had an even more substantial and powerful source of pure energy he could make use of to suppress it.
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!