The gadorma cried, its remaining leg scraping the dirt as Alice's healing closed the wound.
It wasn't mercy, it was a preparation to exploit it.
"Alright," Nate said, approaching the lying monster. "Let's begin."
The healing didn't regenerate its lost leg, meaning it remained decapitated.
Arthur blinked. "The girls barely deal any damage. How will you solve that?"
"That's a silly question, Arthur," Nate replied softly. "It's not a big deal, one of us can lend them a few weapons."
Arthur's lips parted slightly before closing again; he couldn't argue.
No one spoke after Arthur, allowing Nate to explain in detail.
"Everyone has to deal two thousand damage points, but Alice must ensure the monster remains alive," Nate said, approaching the gadorma with the party.
Ivy hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage. "Can I go first?" She asked.
Nervousness was written across her face.
Either for the cruelty she was about to commit or the fear struck by the gadorma's intimidating size.
Nate didn't know, but it amused him greatly.
'Well, I'm glad she's pushing herself forward,' he thought, choosing to give her the opportunity.
"Sure thing, here is my sword," He smirked, nodding approvingly.
He believed she couldn't carry an axe with her stats, so the sword was the best option.
Curiosity dominated his emotions, wondering how she intended to handle it.
Ivy snatched the sword, approaching the target with trembling hands.
"Aaaah!" She screamed, thrusting the sword deep into the monster's veins.
It cried from the pain, sending Ivy running for her life. She left the sword behind, stuck in the monster's flesh.
Aruther approached the sword, only for Nate to prevent him. "Stop it, let her cook."
Nate didn't like hesitation, and the situation before them was perfect to banish Ivy's cowardice.
The gadorma was out of energy, and even if it roared at her, there was nothing it could do as long as she was far from its jaws.
"Get yourself together and pull the sword back," Nate said, his tone smooth but weighted.
Ivy felt the pressure crush her. She was wasting time, delaying the party's progress.
Shame roasted her, she hated it. Fear was dominant, lingering inside her.
However, she knew she had to push them down.
'It can't move, it's harmless!' She roared internally, choking her negative emotions.
"WAKE UP, FOOLS! THERE IS A WAR ON THE DOORS!!!"
Suddenly, an image of Nate's fury flashed before her eyes. The stern warning rang in her ears like a drum.
She shook, remembering the sight of the flaming crab getting destroyed.
She didn't wish to end up the same. Not by Nate's hands nor by Infernum's monsters.
Believing worse was coming soon, she chose that ruthlessness over mercy.
"I will do my part!" Ivy announced with a brave tone.
Sneaking back to the monster, she raised her trembling hand before gripping the sword.
With a heavy pull, Ivy yanked the sword as the monster roared in fury. However, it was different than before.
She surprisingly stood her ground, curbing her paranoia and fear.
The gadorma roared angrily, taking another stab to the guts. Knowing it couldn't harm her, Ivy continued her assault.
Her actions made Nate proud, he was pleased with her development.
'Great, only Alice remains now,' He thought, assuming Alice would face the same issue.
Ivy took a few minutes, slashing and stabbing the collapsed monster.
Finally, she celebrated loudly. "Woo hoooo, I nailed it!"
"Of course you did!" Alice chimed in, healing the wounds Ivy left on the monster.
Oliver smirked, complimenting her. "You make me proud, I hope Alice puts on a good show."
"She should," Nate smiled. "Give her the sword." He said.
"No, I want the axe," Alice responded.
While she congratulated Ivy on the surface, she was a little jealous of her.
It was a competition in her eyes. Losing wasn't an option; she sought victory.
"Sure, here's it." Arthur approached. He handed her the axe.
Alice exclaimed, "It's heavy!"
But she didn't let it go. Instead, used all of her strength to lift it.
She bit her lips, not allowing the weight to hinder her.
Approaching the target, she hammered down, lodging the axe deep within the monster's flesh.
The gadorma grunted, knowing the outcome.
It would roar, its attacker would run, then it would get healed and attacked again, and again.
Even as a monster that purely acted on instinct, it knew any action was useless at this point.
It drowned in deep despair, slowly waiting for death's embrace.
"Fuck!" Alice grunted, pulling the axe back felt worse than lodging it.
The axe's weight contributed to her struggle, causing her to huff and puff every time she swung it.
'I should add some points to strengthen myself,' she thought, taking a short break to heal her target.
She was struggling.
Doing both, the healing and the attacking, was tough. But thankfully, Ivy was there to help.
At first, she refused the help in the name of emerging victorious.
'This is not working, why even compete in the first place?' She questioned herself.
Was it even right? This was a time of war.
On one hand, she wanted to grow stronger. On the other hand, she wanted to show off her might.
But the former was great while the latter was fruitless.
It wasn't going to save her life when in danger.
So she threw her delusions away.
Competition was no longer on her mind, she focused on growing stronger.
So she repeated until an entire chunk of the monster's flesh was completely gone.
She breathed heavily a few minutes later, having finished her job.
"How is it still alive?" She asked, feeling extremely wrong.
Nate's face turned grim. He knew the truth, but telling them could end up negatively.
Unfortunately, their curiosity far surpassed his expectations. They agreed with Alice, pressuring him to answer.
"Fine," Nate said. "I will tell you once we are done," he announced, intentionally delaying the truth.
Telling them now wasn't an ideal action; it would stop them because of sympathy.
"That's alright, can I go next?" Oliver asked, not minding it in the slightest.
Nate nodded; they could go first if they wanted.
He didn't care since he planned for Hunter and Hobo to do the job for him.
Oliver and Arthur took a few minutes each. They didn't struggle like the girls since they had combat-oriented classes.
"Step back," Nate said upon his turn's arrival. He turned around, signaling his summons to attack.
He reminded, "Don't kill it, please!"
"Grehk!" Hobo saluted, only for Hunter to rush at the monster.
The weasel-like creature bounced on the gadorma's back, ripping a huge chunk of meat before retreating.
Hobo swung his staff, sending a single fireball.
The gadorma roared; the attackers' damage was far worse compared to before.
It recalled its decision, regretting it. It wanted to defend itself, but it was already past the point of taking any countermeasure...
So Alice healed, ignoring its plea, and Nate's summons indulged in their merciless assault.
"Finally," Nate exclaimed.
The achievement's notification appeared.
[Cruel Mercy Achievement completed successfully!]
—Requirement: Deal 10,000 Damage to one target without killing it.
—Reward: 6,000 Experience, +5 Vitality, +5 Strength