Chapter 61. Perfection
Necro walked beside me with the saint behind us on our journey to the centre of the island. The burnt grass beneath our feet rose up in a cloud of black ash whenever we took a step.
It's going to be a little close, isn't it…
The money I earned after selling all of the Summoner's items was 900,000,000 dollars. If we add my previous balance, the money adds up to 32,427,000,000 dollars. It'd cost money to lay down the groundwork as well, so this might not be enough money…
"Should I sell it?"
Necro turned to me as he cheerfully continued walking.
"Hmm? What are you planning on selling?"
"For now, [Grand Thief's Vault] and [Boiling Blood]. I don't need them anymore."
"You're not saying that just so that we'd hear it, right?"
"Of course not."
I would need the their powers for the place that I'm going to. Because I can't use mana.
"Aren't you happy since this is the last part of our journey?"
"Of course I am! I can just see my future laid out before me. A future of success and delight! Hoho!"
His steps were light, and his face displayed a smile of utter delight. He was the complete opposite of the depressed saint.
Why?
Was he not depressed? Wasn't it normal for someone to be worried? Afterall, his long-time comrade was in the dumps.
Was he not sad to hear that the saint was about to die in the near future?
This was far too different from the attitude he showed me in the past. What happened to the Necro that seemed to be about to cry when the saint first showed her problems? Necro changed the subject as I quietly watched him.
"Ah. Wouldn't you have to buy some new abilities if you're going to fight the Hero? You have to raise your stats as well. When are you going to do that? Why not do it now? Hmm? Don't you want to?"
"Who knows."
"Let's do it now. We're outside anyways. Isn't it better to do it with all of us watching? Or is it not?"
I don't get why he's so hurried about this. Was he curious? Did he want to confirm something? Does he just want to change the topic? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. The calculations were all complete.
"Hold on."
I stopped walking and activated Heart of Gold. The saint slowly closed the distance between us.
"……"
To think I'd hesitate now… Even after making the decision between killing the Hero or instead to use the money to revive the saint, I was still hesitating. Was I doing the right thing? The saint looked at me activate Heart of Gold, then looked away uninterestedly.
"What? Why are you hesitating now? Want me to pick the abilities for you?"
I returned to reality after hearing Necro's voice.
"…It's nothing."
Right. I already made my decision. I just have to follow my original plans.These are all just useless thoughts—. I sold everything that I didn't need anymore and opened the abilities page.
[> Heavenly Demon Technique: 50,000,000 dollars] [ Red Lotus Dominion: 11,000,000 dollars] [ Already Purchased: 83,000,000 dollars] [ Phase Shift: 12,000,000,000,000 dollars] …
I can't buy the Heavenly Demon Technique, since I couldn't use mana. Then the first thing i had to buy was the Red Lotus Dominion.
[Red Lotus Dominion] – Rank: C+
– A theory of thermodynamics that a certain theorist came up with. It allows one to control heat up to 5000 degrees centigrade. At the same time, it allows the user to absorb a bit of heat for objects hotter than 5000 degrees.
This should allow me to deal with the eternal flame somehow. I don't know if I can completely block it, but it should allow me to lessen the damage I might sustain from it. I put it in my shopping cart and immediately clicked on the next ability.
[Phase Modulation = Phase Shift] – Rank: S+
– An ability that allows the user to shift the axis of the universe. If certain conditions are met, the user can dodge certain physical and mental attacks.
An ability that was a combination between dimensional teleportation and standard teleportation. Like the Red Lotus Dominion, it used an unknown form of energy. This should help me escape the Hero's Reality Manipulation. Since the battle was probably going to take place in the sky, I'd have to get something that would keep me up.
[Higgs' Rule] – Rank: B-
– An ability to manipulate weight and gravity.
I need a defensive ability as well.
[Eight-Layer Defense Matrix (八代空殼)] – Rank: S
– A slowing field composed of eight layers. Any potentially dangerous objects that enter this barrier will be slowed and marked. The slowing effect becomes amplified for each layer.
This should be good enough in terms of abilities. I shouldn't need any more offensive abilities. Any more would be useless in this war of attrition. Plus, the Hero's time stop ability and teleportation ability made me doubt if I could even hit her. I might as well just increase my attack stat directly. Speaking of that, I should go buy some of those now.
[> Health: 10,000 dollars] [ Mana: 20,000 dollars] [ ! ] [ Attack: 100,000 dollars] [ Incantation: 200,000 dollars] [ HP Regen: 1,000,000 dollars] [ MP Regen: 2,000,000 dollars] [ Defense: 1,000,000 dollars] [ Magic Resistance: 2,000,000 dollars]
Currently, my defense stat was set at 101(+80). I'd probably have to set it to 2000(+80) if I want to block her attacks.
"Would raising Magic Resistance mess with your necromancy?"
"No? Probably not?"
I could feel a hint of nervousness from Necro's voice. It felt like he was hiding something, but…
"Is that so?"
I should be fine. I still haven't paid him back for a few things and killing the Hero should allow him to reach his goals. I wasn't planning on hunting him down for whatever he was planning on doing either. He was a person who gave me life as well as a second chance.
What was the worst he was going to do anyway? Rebel against the king?
I took my attention away from Necro and focused on my power again. Currently, my Magic Resistance was 75(+50). If I take a look at the Hero's strength and speed, Hirganrel was virtually useless.
I should raise it to a thousand, just to be safe.
Same goes for health and health regeneration. I increased my health to 50,000 and upgraded my regen stat to be the same. This allows me to recover 50,000 every second, turning me pretty much immortal. I wouldn't need the saint's salvation ability with this. I upgraded my attack and spell stat, then checked my shopping cart.
[Shopping Cart] [01] Red Lotus Dominion: 11,000,000 dollars
[02] Phase Shift: 12,000,000,000 dollars [!] [03] Higgs' Rule: 850,000,000 dollars
[04] Eight-Layer Defense Matrix: 6,800,000,000 dollars
[05] Defense: 1,899,000,000 dollars [!] [06] Magic Resistance: 1,850,000,000 dollars [!] [07] Health: 498,200,000 dollars [!] [08] Health Regeneration: 4,998,000,000 dollars [!] [09] Attack: 1,994,800,000 dollars [!] [10] Incantation: 1,000,000,000 dollars [!]
– Total: 31,901,000,000 dollars
– Balance after purchase: 625,756,303.60 dollars
<Some of these items cannot be refunded after their purchase. Are you sure about buying them? Y/N>
Of course it's going to be a yes. I became enveloped in light after completing the purchase. I don't look any different compared to before, but…
I wonder what my level is equal to like this?
"I finished purchasing. I raised my defense and magic resistance. Let's try test…"
The saint approached me while cracking her knuckles as I talked to Necro. Almost as if she'd been waiting for this for quite some time.
"…I won't use the Eight-Layer Defense Matrix for now. I want to see how much damage I would take."
As soon as I finished talking, the saint ran in with her strengthened body. She stomped her feet firmly into the ground and smashed my stomach with a shining buster unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Pshhh.
It seemed amazing and all that, but… It didn't work. I felt like dying when I first got hit by it, but I didn't feel anything now. Maybe she just got weaker?
"Ugh…!"
The saint beat at my stomach in anger. The damage accumulated was still zero though.
[I'm always honest. Each of my blows are filled with love.]
I thought of what she had told me in the past.
"This is good."
I pushed away the saint lightly. The only thing she could do now was to watch. Not that I expected anything else from her.
"Next, to test my attack."
I teleported in front of a giant boulder with phase shift. I flicked the boulder with ten percent of my power. Immediately the boulder that seemed to weigh at least fifty tons got blown away with a bang. The only sign that the boulder ever existed was the giant hole in the island I created. A small storm was created a while later and fire began to sprout from the path of destruction I just created.
"I'll have to be careful."
Even the clouds shifted when I attacked with the miniscule amount of my strength. I moved back to my previous spot with phase shift and picked up the dumbfounded couple to our next location. Towards the source of magic that kept this giant piece of dirt afloat.