Maybe if he rubbed one off, the young man would stop caring. The moment Seth covered himself with a blanket in an attempt to look as if he was about to take a nap, Fuyoko, Ming, Neko, Ako, Matsume, Sazuki, Kiko, Airi, and even Noona glared at him. NOONA, his only hope of peace during Harumi’s absences, stared at him skeptically. At least Kanako slept and Tetra drove. The lights turned on as if to promote his “shame” to all viewers.
“What?” Seth said, holding back his urge to explode.
“I have a hunch you’re about to do something disgusting,” Matsume said. “I can smell hormones in the air.”
“He’s moving too carefully,” Airi said.
“I’m on the tip of an unpleasant vision with him,” Ming said.
All of the women of the bus gave Seth “the look.” A sudden climatic moan from Undine ripped all the attention off the young man to his relief. Everyone stared dumbly.
Shaking his head, Seth closed his eyes, deciding to nap in truth. At the next stop, he’d fap in his hotel room or go out to pick up a girl, if the stop wasn’t at a dead town.
**
Spiritual instance…
[Your party has entered combat!]
Clyde examined Meatbot’s menu. He laughed.
“Meatbot, fuck them up. Attack!”
Harumi softly facepalmed.
“You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?”
Clyde shrugged.
“We may as well have some fun from this.”
Meatbot moved slow at first but gained speed. Clyde…winced when the first thing the giant food creature did was shove the carrot up the dinosaur’s ass. The dinosaur screamed like a grown man in pain, killing over.
For some reason, Meatbot didn’t bother to retrieve his carrot. Harumi shook her head in disgust, maybe bafflement. Clyde chuckled.
“Meatbot, use your special attack! Finish this.”
The scorpion wasn’t as dumb as its companions, closing on the food monster quickly, lunging its stinger. Meatbot dodged again and again with unnatural speed, then countered with a meaty punch. The force of the blow rocketed the scorpion into its ant companion.
“Nice one,” Harumi said, small smile on her face. She yelled, “FINISH HIM MEATBOT!” That surprised the hell out of the young man.
The food creature saluted and then roared. Its green and orange aura burst into life around it. Then it took…a Kamehameha stance? Dark green energy materialized around its fingers.
[Meatbot activated Special tier skill: Ass-Burning Pepper Blast.]
Clyde blinked as the food monster unleashed a blast of magic that matched the colors of its aura. It hit the enemies like a plane accident, burning them to a crisp within seconds.
“Well damn,” Clyde said.
“Can you create more than one of him?” Harumi said.
“I wish,” Clyde answered truthfully. “Maybe when I’m strong enough.”
He figured leveling up within his cooking perimeters should do the trick.
[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 9 million EXP. Potion of Gloominess. Item class: bizarre.]
Meatbot gave a salute before despawning in a display of snowflake-like sparkles. Someone clapped from behind. Clyde turned to see Natalia sitting in a lawn chair, drinking a glass of…something. The system revealed it to be apple juice.
“You did well,” Natalia said, anime-diving into Clyde. He gave her a head pat.
“Okay, go ahead and pull the carpet from beneath our feet,” the young man said. “What’s the next part of this training. I can’t summon a food creature for a while due to the cooldown.”
“A rightful cooldown,” the loli-witch said. “That thing was strong. Pervy-nii, not even I could do that. Onii-chan, you’re so cool. Just like the time when you caught that arrow before it could hurt Harumi nee-sama.”
“Please don’t ever call me that again,” Harumi said tiredly. Clyde gave her a look of understanding.
“Anyway, husbando onii, your speculation is correct. There is a second phase of today’s training.” Natalia gave him a Gin smile. “I’m going to get you to push back against the wall that blocks your powers. So, fight me pervy-nii! Harumi no healing until this is over.”
Clyde stared at her blankly.
“So let me get this straight. Like every goddamn cliché out there, you believe that fighting and whacking each other endlessly for some reason will reduce the—”
[Quest. Fight Natalia. Reward: significant Stone Mode recharge time reduction. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. It ends when Natalia concludes the training session. So good luck surviving.]
Clyde gaped. Questioning anime logic led to nothing. Seriously, they were going to whack the powers back to normal like cavemen.
“Never mind, I shall follow your wise ways Natalia-sensei,” the young man said as he took his place.
Natalia pouted.
“That’s Natalia-waifu to you.”
“No,” Clyde said simply.
“Yes,” Natalia quipped.
“No,” Clyde deadpanned.
“Ye—”
“Enough already,” Harumi interrupted. “Fight time now, talk over.”
“She’s got a point,” Clyde said, laughing. “Don’t hold back, my evil loli-witchling.”
“Ooh, pervy husbando I’m going to make this hurt,” Natalia said. Softly, she continued while pointing a shaky finger at him. “But it hurts me more than it hurts you! Remember that.”
[Your fiancée Natalia has challenged you to Spar.]
Name- Natalia
Level: ??? (Compressed)
Type: Supreme Magi/Witch.
Relationship: Cherished. Your fiancée.
Name: Clyde.
Level: 145
Type: Main character/ Stone. Mystic.
HP: 500% (+110%)
MP: 600% (+80%)
Ki: 300%
Natalia’s level…what happened to it? No, he wouldn’t question this. The situation would fall under the anime sudden revelations trope.
“Are you ready pervy-nii?” Natalia said, holding her golden staff in a fighting stance.
**
In the skies…
Matsuko was at the lowest point of her life and not even death could be a relief for her. Bonded to He Who Paints the Night, the fallen angel had fell once again. She knew Achilles lied about letting her go free on Satovia. She had nothing to lose.
Instead of silently signaling for one of the most powerful dark gods around to ambush Melody, Matsuko would instead warn her. Then she would shatter her own soul just so the dark god couldn’t catch the woman. Non-existence was better than Achilles’s hell.
All she ever wanted was just to be free. Mistakenly turned into a fallen angel by taint that came out of nowhere, Celestial wouldn’t take her back. They…couldn’t cure her. After being thrown from Master to Master to live like a penniless servant, she stumbled into a mysterious shadow with large horns, standing nine feet tall. A dark god…
Desperation led her to believe the honey-coated tongue of such a being. Melody represented a new generation of dark-element gods that could be reasoned with for once. Matsuko would cast aside her existence to save her. She just wished…if only she accepted her friendship.
It was time to make amends.
**
Spiritual instance…
“Muster your willpower, onii-chan,” Natalia said as she bashed Clyde through six trees. “Awaken husbando onii.”
[Your HP has dropped to 252%]
Clyde cast another skill, refusing to backdown. She’d given him four opportunities to quit, but he declined them all. For some reason, the young man seemed to almost catch a smile from her.
[Clyde activated Angel spirit wave.]
[Angel Spirit Wave [evolution 2]. Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious.: Shoot a wave of concentrated spiritual energy. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 9%. Chance to do triple damage on dark creatures: 35%. Does holy and purity damage. (Mystic counterpart is availab
le.)
[If conditions are met, this attack will become Fallen Angel Spirit Wave instead. Will do demonic and taint damage. Chance to cause agony at 11%. Chance to do triple damage on non-dark creatures at: 37%.]
He regretted doing that immediately, remembering one of Natalia’s trademark passive skills. He dove to the side as her reflect activated. Natalia teleported next to him.
Clyde ducked under her staff swing then took aim.
[Natalia activated Modified silver tier skill: Energy field.]
The young man only saw lights. He came to when his back hit the ground.
“You call yourself the leader of Team Stone? More like a rider! Because we’ll be carrying you. Team Stone’s burden!”
Clyde’s eyes glowed red as he snarled. He…would not. Black aura burst around him, instantly filling up the entire spiritual instance.
He blinked upon realizing Natalia hugging his leg, tears pouring from her eyes.
“I didn’t mean it,” she said. “You don’t have to push yourself. If you push too hard against the clog, then you may accidentally convert all of your holy aura to darkness. Then it’d eventually become taint. You…could disappear. Please don’t disappear. I don’t want you to.”
Clyde sighed.
“You mean to tell me if I get angry, like any normal person, I’ll lose myself. What kind of—”
“There is something I hid from you, onii-chan,” Natalia said. “Naoko and I wanted you to overcome your roadblocks without knowing it existed.”
“What.” Clyde said flatly.
“In addition to your own pressure clogging your Stone Mode, there is a small amount of taint in there. I’m not sure if it was from Princess Dire or the elder dragon. This instance was designed to cleanse it. And you’re very close…I just didn’t know you’d explode with it.”
Clyde sat.
“So training is also just to buy time for this place to get rid of the taint?” Clyde asked. Natalia nodded. “Then let’s continue. I won’t give in.”
Harumi smiled.
“You can do it, Clyde.”
Needlessly to say, Clyde got his ass handed to him, albeit gently.
After the training, Clyde received the prompt he’d been waiting for.
[ The Stone Mode within pulsed and strengthened. Recharge time significantly decreased! ]
Episode 57 (Part 1): Movements.
Bus…
Neko and Ako glared at each other, cards in their hands. Clyde watched with a blank stare on his face, Alice next to him also staring blankly, Toru-style. They were really playing old maid.
“Nyya, you’d better choose wisely,” Neko said as she held up her cards, grinning evilly. Ako selected a card without hesitation and then immediately regretted it. Neko chuckled. “Judging by the look on your face—”
“I do not understand how humans enjoy this, nya,” Ako said.
Neko snickered.
“Don’t blame them because you’re bad at games.”
She selected a card that wasn’t the joker from Ako’s hand, winning the game. Neko poked one of her sister’s large breasts.
“Why do I keep losing?” Ako said.
Natalia sighed.
“Your brain must be lost in your boobies. How—”
Neko covered the loli’s mouth.
“If you tell her, she’ll never learn.”
“You’re giving her all the clues with your bad poker faces,” Clyde said in Natalia’s stead, gaining a playful appalled look from Neko. Natalia almost bit the catgirl’s hand, but she moved it away in time.
Alice reached for a chocolate bar on the table, but Tear quickly swiped it away. The half-demoness grimaced. Noona gave her a smile of understanding.
“I hate healthy eating,” Alice said, pouting. The succubus sighed, shaking her head.
“If you want to keep your perfect smile, I suggest sticking to our eating plan,” Tear said. “Even Natalia keeps up with her eating habits.”
“You tell her, Tear!” Natalia said as she pulled off the wrapper of a chocolate bar, three times the size of Alice’s. She smiled innocently against the succubus’s scrutinizing glare.
“Harumi, it seems like we’ve got two guests for the death—running session tonight,” Tear said. The puppy-eyes that Alice and Natalia tried, washed through the succubus. “Let’s add in a ton of exercises. Your favorites.”
“I refuse to participate,” Alice said, folding her arms, snuggling into Clyde. “I have a date tonight.”
Tear laughed.
“I don’t think so—you’re not getting out of this.” She plucked Alice into the air with a single hand. Right then, Clyde imagined that this would be a moment that the half-demoness would assume a chibi form to add more humor to the scene.
He closed his eyes, intending to sleep, exhausted from the training when a weight knocked the air out of him.
“Oof—why did you toss her on me?” the young man wheezed.
“It was an accident,” Tear said in a way that made him slightly suspicious. She even changed the subject. “Anyway, we’re approaching the next hotel. Everyone—”
“Is it true that you’re going to Jump the bus back when we finish up the business in Alon?” Noona interrupted.
“Of course,” Tear said. “I don’t hate trips, but if Clyde has nowhere else to go, then we’ll head back.”
“Jumps only work if you’ve actually stepped foot in the location,” Clyde said.
“Not necessarily,” Natalia said, “but one would need a lot of magic and mastery over instantaneous movement to warp. Not to mention the ability to carry all party members.”
“Not even I can pull that off,” Tear said. “Believe me, I’ve tried. Maybe in a thousand years.”
Sazuki continued to gape.
“I sure hope someone’s going to teach me all of this.”
“Oh yeah that reminds me,” Clyde said, “Toru, give our newest full Team Stone members some rundowns. Natalia or someone can summon a monster or two for practice.”
The student council president shot the young man a Toru-style blank stare.
When Tetra parked the bus, they peeked outside only to see a mob of monsters surrounding the front doors.
“Husbandoooo onii,” Natalia cooed. “One more training session. Get on it!”
Clyde closed his eyes to take a nap. “Don’t go to sleep,” the loli comically snarled, whacking him with a paper fan. She passed it back to Misaka.
“I’ve just pulled up a news article on this,” Airi said. “The monsters are demanding the demolition of the hotel. Apparently it's violating their rights.”
Tear folded her arms.
“This hotel has existed here for more than twenty years. Why start this now?”
“Apparently a fire witch started a rumor to get them riled up,” Airi said.
“Only idiots would blindly believe things from someone suspicious,” Sazuki said. An evil grin emerged on the young man’s face. The student council president frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She folded her arms in a way that attempted to cover her breasts.
“Toru, as Natalia stated, training begins now. Take our new personnel out there to clear the way for us—”
“No way,” Sazuki interrupted. “We don’t have weapons.”
Clyde’s grin widened. Natalia pouted, having her words used against her wishes.
“Kiko’s a vampire, so she’ll be fine. As for you.” He warped the wind blade from his inventory. “Here you go. It’s normally Old Reliable for me, but this is a gift. Take care—”
“I want a gift from you,” Chika interrupted, then chuckled. “I’m kidding.” She eyed Sazuki, although not seeming to hate her anymore. “Don’t die.” She turned away, arms folded.
The student council president sighed.
“As harsh as ever.”
Chika grinned.
“Maybe. But these days, you don’t irritate me as much.”
Kiko threw an arm around the silver-h
aired girl.
“Chika loves me at least.” She snuggled into her.
Chika laughed.
“Hey, cut it out. And go kick some ass.”
“Misaka, you fight with them too,” Clyde said. The phoenix girl flinched. The young man remained unaffected by her glistening and pleading eyes.
“I want to go!” Noona said. “I need the right costume, but—”
“This is a newbie training session Noona,” Clyde said. A drop of sweat fell from the back of his head. “Anyway, enough talk. Move out.”
**
Lot City, Yaponiya …
“Don’t shake it like that, it may break,” Ichiko said to Jae. The gluttonous emotionless girl sighed. She held something called a gaming device which fascinated the Stone Maidens. They were gathered around Jae as she showcased the handheld’s current presentation. Something Asu called Loli Saga Fighters. The colors, the characters, and overall charm captivated the girls who never owned electronic devices. The teachers never allowed such things into the boarding school.
“I’m surprised she hasn’t dipped it in peanut butter and tried to eat it,” Megu said.
“Whose thingy is that anyway?” Emi said.
“Asu said Natalia,” Ichiko replied.
“Ah. She must be some kind of tech wiz,” Emi said.
“How do you turn on this stupid thing,” Megu said searching for buttons on the television. “I don’t understand these SmartScreen models.”
“Banging will not make it magically turn on, Megu,” Ichiko said tiredly. “You have to…” She froze, suddenly intimidated by the device.
The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #11 a LitRPG [Alice Edition] (ATS) Page 10
