It is then that, turning his head, Venti notices something further away on the plain:
Two round, massive silhouettes, swaying gently.
Large Pyro Slime, glowing with heat.
Archive: A monster created by the sedimentation of Pyro dispersed throughout nature.
Though its intelligence has not increased with its size, it is very hot.
During dry seasons, it can cause wildfires.
It will spit forth blazing fireballs when angered, and will turn dark when it is feeling down.
A most expressive slime, indeed.
Large Electro Slime, streaked with tiny purple sparks.
Archive: A monster created by the coalescing of Electro dispersed throughout nature.
Due to the abundant Electro within its form, it will deliver an electric shock to its surroundings from time to time.
At present, some have attempted to harness this energy to aid in production activities. Perhaps some new science will be born from this...?
They're about ten meters apart, but clearly visible… and dangerous.
Venti frowns.
Venti: "What are these two slimes doing here?"
"Wait?"
A thought flashes through his mind.
A word, almost an echo of ancient or forgotten knowledge.
Something he doesn't remember learning about… and yet he knows it.
Overloaded
Venti: "Over...loaded?"
He repeats in a low voice, narrowly dodging a rotating arm from the Guardian.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Venti: "That one almost hit me."
A small shiver runs down his spine.
Venti: "Why... why does that word sound familiar?"
"Like I know what it feels like..."
He observes the two slimes.
Pyro and Electro... two opposing elements.
An elemental clash forms in his mind, an instinctive mechanism he doesn't fully understand.
Venti: "If I bring them closer... if they make contact... a reaction could..."
He doesn't have time to finish his thought before another blow from the Guardian lands right behind him, sending clods of dirt flying in all directions.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Venti grips his bow tightly, his gaze flickering between the Guardian, the Slimes… and the mysterious fragment of memory.
Venti: "Overloaded… overcharged explosion… it might sound crazy, but… it could work."
The decision forms in his mind.
He doesn't have a weapon powerful enough, nor the stamina to continue…
But he has a plan.
A dangerous plan.
A risky plan.
A plan that could either save him… or obliterate the entire plain.
He swallows hard.
Venti: "Well… let's tempt fate."
Venti quickly devises a plan as audacious as it is dangerous.
He knows his arrows can't pierce the Ruin Guard's armor, but he has something even more powerful at his disposal:
An elemental reaction.
His idea is simple in theory, but perilous in practice.
He plans to lure the Guardian to the location of the Large Pyro Slime and the Large Electro Slime.
Once close enough, Venti will use his mastery of the Anemo element to create a powerful blast, not to directly injure, but to hurl the two slimes together, bringing them closer to the Guardian.
By combining the Pyro's burning energy with the Electro's unstable discharges, he will trigger an "explosive overload," an "Overloaded" powerful enough to damage even a metal Titan.
His role will be to orchestrate the perfect collision:
A precise, controlled blast that will amplify the impact and disperse the elemental energies explosively.
The result could be devastating… but it might be the only chance to neutralize the Guardian quickly while minimizing the risks to the city.
Venti tightens his grip on his bow, knowing that this plan leaves him no room for error.
One wrong move, and he'll end up at the center of the explosion he's trying to trigger.
As Venti lunges toward the two enormous slimes, he realizes his plan carries a major risk: he will inevitably be nearby when the elemental explosion occurs.
Venti: "If I'm too close, I risk getting hit."
"But if I'm too far away, I won't be able to create a blast powerful enough with my current level to trigger an elemental reaction."
But then an idea suddenly struck him, as reassuring as it was life-saving. He remembered he had twelve skills.
And that two of them could help him in this situation.
Two of his skills, which he was still barely mastering, could allow him to avoid the worst: Intangibility and Teleportation.
Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
As the ground trembled under the mechanical footsteps of the Guardian pursuing him, Venti quickly considered his options.
If he activated his Intangibility at the precise moment of detonation, his body would become immaterial, allowing the explosive blast to pass through him without suffering any damage.
This required perfect timing, but It's a safe solution, provided he can keep his cool.
Teleportation, on the other hand, is far more unstable.
He only managed to move a few meters earlier… but even a short distance could be enough.
If he manages to trigger his spell just before the Pyro and Electro reactions combine, he could propel himself out of the impact zone, even if the jump is imprecise.
The choice between the fragile precision of Intangibility and the risky escape of Teleportation will be made in a fraction of a second.
Now, Venti knows he's not just fighting the Guardian of the Ruins:
He's also fighting his own control over his powers.
But one thing is certain… if he wants to survive his own plan, he'll have to execute his movements perfectly, like a dance guided by the wind.
Venti: "Well, let's hope this works."
Venti took a deep breath, then activated one of his most discreet yet incredibly useful abilities: Mass Reduction.
His body suddenly became lighter, almost ethereal, as if gravity itself had decided to release him.
Venti: "I need to be faster."
His steps gained speed and fluidity: he literally leaped from one point to another across the field, propelled by an almost supernatural momentum.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffff
Thanks to this newfound lightness, he covered the distance between himself and the two enormous slimes in an instant.
Venti: "Great, I'm ahead of them."
Venti could now see the two large slimes in front of him more clearly:
- One of them was orange, emanating such intense heat that the ground literally glowed beneath it.
- The other, purple in color, released small sparks that vanished into thin air.
Venti: "You're less cute than the little hydro slime from earlier."
PLOP PLOP
PLOP PLOP
The gelatinous creatures, which had been idly waddling about, reacted immediately to his approach.
The large Pyro slime swelled up, spitting out a few orange sparks, while the large Electro slime emitted a deep, irritated buzz.
Venti: "That was close."
Adult slimes never hesitated: When something entered their territory, they attacked.
Venti didn't know this and was busy dodging the guardian's blows.
But for Venti, this was exactly what he'd hoped for.
PLOP PLOP
PLOP PLOP
The two monsters began to move toward him, drawn by his elemental energy and his sudden intrusion.
Their synchronized, almost instinctive movements gradually transformed the clearing into a true convergence point: the Ruin Guardian, rumbling heavily behind him, the crackling Pyro slime, and the spark-laden Electro slime, were all approaching the same spot.
A smile spread across Venti's face.
Venti: "Perfect."
"Everything was coming together as planned."
With their natural aggression and instantaneous reactions, the slimes had allowed themselves to be drawn exactly where Venti wanted them to go.
Venti: "That's good, gather yourselves together. With that, I can use my elemental energy and get rid of you all."
Now, all that remained was for him to orchestrate the next step… like a conductor leading an opera, he was ready to unleash an elemental explosion capable of destroying the mechanical colossus that was pursuing him.
As the two slimes moved toward him, the guardian was now behind Venti.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
The ground trembled abruptly behind him: the Ruin Guardian had just delivered a vertical blow, one capable of pulverizing a tree in an instant.
Venti felt the massive shadow fall upon him, the air contracting beneath the speed of the mechanical arm.
But instead of backing away… he activated his ability.
Venti: "Teleportation."
Bam.
His body vanished in a gust of wind.
In a fraction of a second, he reappeared a few meters to the right, just out of range of the steel fist, which crashed into the ground with a deafening roar.
Shards of earth flew all around, but Venti didn't waste a second.
Venti: "Everything is in place."
The Guardian turned toward him, gears whining, eye sensor glowing a menacing orange.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
But the bard had already raised his hand.
Venti: "Perfect."
FFFFFFFFffffffff
He channeled his Anemo energy, focusing it with precision, like a breath about to become a storm.
As soon as he felt the pressure reach its peak, he unleashed the spell in a compact vortex.
Venti: "Farewell, Wood Golem."
The blast crashed straight into the Pyro slime.
The monster, already unstable by nature, hurled bursts of fiery sparks in all directions upon contact with the Anemo.
FFFFFFFFFFFFSSssssssss
The shockwave immediately struck the large Electro slime, whose energy-charged body crackled violently from the heat.
A chain reaction was triggered in a fraction of a second:
- Elemental Pyro particles hit the Large Electro Slime
- Elemental Electro particles hit the Large Pyro Slime
- Elemental Pyro particles hit the Large Electro Slime
- Elemental Electro particles hit the Large Pyro Slime
- Elemental Pyro particles hit the Large Electro Slime
- Elemental Electro particles hit the Large Pyro Slime
Again, again, and again
And
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
A titanic explosion erupted, brighter and louder than a cannon shot.
A wave of fire and electricity mingled in a deafening roar, enveloping the Ruin Guardian in the very heart of the impact in a white light.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
The colossus staggered, its joints creaking under the force of the shock, as a shower of burning debris rained down all around. Venti, however, had already anticipated the explosion and used his reduced mass to leap out of range, hovering slightly before landing softly.
He turned his head toward the scene.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGG
The Guardian staggered, its black carapace smoking, its eye blinking intermittently.
Venti: "He's still standing!"
The mechanical colossus, struck head-on by the explosion, violently shook its entire structure.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
A metallic howl, almost human in its despair, escaped its innards as the combined force of Pyro and Electro energy penetrated its fragile circuits.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
The Guardian tried to stabilize itself, its arms moving erratically, attempting to maintain some semblance of balance, but it was too late.
.....
Then, in a final burst of light, the Guardian's energy core, located in the center of its torso, exploded in a brilliant red light.
BBBBBOOOOOUUUUMMM
Venti: "Whoa!"
The core, the source of its power and aggression, shattered in a burst of flames and sparks.
Silence fell once more over the clearing, heavy, almost unreal, after the thunderous explosion.
Venti surveyed the scene before him.
The Ruin Guardian was now a heap of scrap metal, twisted cables, and molten metal.
At the center of the destruction, a green glow was fading, a sign that the core had ceased functioning.
A sigh of relief escaped Venti's lips.
Venti: "It's over..."
he murmured, exhausted but satisfied.
He cautiously moved away, making sure the explosion hadn't attracted any more enemies or created any new threats.
Venti: "Too bad I had to sacrifice two slimes to defeat this thing."
This fight had been far more intense than anything he had imagined.
Yet, a small smile appeared on his face as he reflected on his brilliant plan, on how perfectly everything had unfolded.
It was a victory.
Bbbbbrrrrr
Venti suddenly felt something vibrate in his pocket, then glow with a brilliant turquoise light, almost blinding in the shadow left by the explosion.
Venti: "Huh?"
Surprised, Venti looked down and felt a shiver run through his body, as if a light, pure breeze had just passed through his soul.
Venti: "Oh, it's my Adventurer's Crystal."
He held the gem up to his eyes, and immediately, luminous lines of text appeared before him, floating in the air like words carried on the wind:
[Level Up!]
Venti — Level 8
His eyes widened.
Venti: "Already...?"
He murmured.
Just with that fight?
Venti: Venti didn't think he'd reach such a level so quickly.
Originally, the quest he'd been sent on was simply to pick some flowers.
And in the end, he found himself facing a Ruin Guard and having to defeat it single-handedly.
This earned him a lot of experience points.
He then opened his stats window, visible only to him.
The numbers scrolled by, updated by the gem:
HP: 2000 → 2600
ATK: 500 → 620
DEF: 300 → 360
Elemental Mastery: 100 → 145
He inhaled a little too sharply, surprised by the magnitude of the gain. He hadn't expected such a significant increase, especially for an impromptu fight where he'd nearly died several times.
He had just faced a monster that resembled a golem made of wood and metal.
But what caught his attention most was the box that had just lit up slightly:
Improved Skills:
Elemental Anemo Mastery — Level 2 → Level 3
Teleportation — Level 1 → Level 2
A smile slowly spread across his face.
He had just used these two skills instinctively and desperately:
- His teleportation to avoid the Guardian's attack.
- And Elemental Anemo Mastery to trigger the explosive elemental reaction.
venti: "So… the more I use them, the stronger they become…"
He thought, captivated.
Venti: "It's… incredibly useful."
Venti had finally figured out how to increase his power levels:
- The more monsters he fought, the higher his level would climb.
- When the world levels up, only those stat points increase.
- To increase his skill levels, he had to use them.
Venti: "This power-up system is really ingenious."
"I wonder how far I can take it."
He closed the display with a slight gesture.
Bbbbbrrrrr
The gem gradually lost its luster and became steady again, as if it had simply delivered its message before fading away.
A strange feeling washed over him. A combination of pride and a growing sense of responsibility.
Venti: "I'm getting stronger," he thought, looking up at the sky.
"But I'll have to learn to control all this... otherwise, I'll end up causing a disaster."
He cast one last glance at the still-smoking carcass of the Ruin Guard.
Before, this kind of machine had posed a danger even to experienced adventurers.
Yet, he had just defeated one, admittedly with strategy and luck, but still.
He closed his fingers around the gem.
The wind blew gently around him, as if to encourage him.
Venti: "Level 8…"
"I suppose I'm officially on the path to becoming a true adventurer."
He thought, regaining his mischievous little smile.
Then he turned on his heel, ready to resume his quest.
Currently, they had just defeated a Ruin Guard, but it still lacked the power to rip trees in two or create hurricanes with its breath.
.....
(For now)
[Venti's Stats — Visible only to him]
Name: Venti
Level: 8/100
Max HP: 2600
ATK: 620
DEF: 360
Elemental Mastery: 145
Identified Skills:
- Telekinesis — Level 1/10
- Stat Boosting — Level 1/10 .
- Intangibility — Level 1/10
- Flight — Level 1/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 1/10
- Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 3/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 1/10
- Resistance Reduction — Level 1/10:
- Stat Reduction — Level 1/10
- Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 2/10
- Teleportation — Level 2/10
- Wind Communication — Level 1/10
Chapter 14: Sweet Flowers and Overload
The End