My Isekai Fantasy Is All Wrong!

Chapter 15: Battle’s Over

[+26 Exp]

[Level Up!]
[Full Recovery!]
[+3 Stat Points!]
[+1 Ability Point!]

Standing almost literally on top of the monstrous Level 15 Diamond Dog I’d managed to finally kill, I stewed in a deluge of warring emotions. I was glad that the fighting was over. I felt pride in the fact that I managed to beat the veritable Boss of this real-life dungeon. I was happy to have Leveled Up yet again. But for every positive emotion, there was a negative one that swallowed every bit of joy I might have found at the moment.

I was angry at myself for my reckless carelessness in approaching the motherfucking mutated monster of a Diamond Dog. I felt dirty and ashamed after killing yet another sentient, intelligent being even if I could fully justify and defend the action against the biggest threat to my life that I had encountered thus far. But most of all, I felt tired; not physically, but rather from an emotionally drained standpoint.

Over the course of the last hour, I’d been put through a rollercoaster of emotions which, were it not for my illogical body that worked off Gamer powers, I was sure would be crashing from a maelstrom of hormones. I also learned a valuable lesson about the nature of my existence. That being, that even if I had Gamer powers, this second life should not be treated like a game.

All I wanted to do right now was find the nearest bed and go to sleep. But I couldn’t do that because there were still slaves around that were probably in need of freeing or, at the very least, being told that they didn’t have to worry about the unhinged maniac who had arrived to beat the ever-living shit out of all the Diamond Dogs in the underground layers of the Mine or kill the ones that pissed him off.

I took a deep breath, sighed, and straightened out my piss-poor posture before taking out more suppressants from my inventory and shackling them against all the Diamond Dogs that were still alive, as I made my way back up the underground layers. I was only marginally surprised to find that none of the slaves had stuck around while I had been in the middle of my rampage.

They had plenty of time to escape while I had chipped away, ever so slowly against the alpha Diamond Dog’s ridiculous Health Pool and even crazier Constitution-backed physical defense. I didn’t time it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the battle of attrition had lasted more than ten minutes.

I guess the silver lining to overcoming that particularly insufferable ordeal was the new Skill I’d unlocked during the fight.

[Skills]
…
[Name: Anti-Magic Core Lvl 1]
[Description: It’s looking more like an “Anti-Magic Grain Of Sand” right now. Has enough Magic built up to allocate 1 Free Point and is 21% of the way there towards the next one.]

The Skill had appeared after I’d taken the initial sneak attack from the alpha Diamond Dog and improved with every subsequent hit I deflected and redirected to the best of my ability. The only thing I could make of it without reading the Skill’s respective Tutorial Text was that it improved whenever I absorbed Magic from the alpha’s obviously magically enhanced physical attacks. Clearly, it was a Skill derived from my Impossible Existence Perk.

[World Quest Complete!]
[Name: Griffon Rescue Chain Quest 4]
[Description: Impressively Cleared.]
[Progress (1): Ask the Griffon about the slave encampment ✔ | Establish a plan of attack ✔ | Clear out the encampment of slavers (34/34) ✔ | Free the slaves (62/62) ✔ | Bonus 1: Recruit the Griffon to help carry out the liberation of the camp ✔ | Bonus 2: Take out all the slavers without killing a single one | Bonus 3: Kill all the slavers | Bonus 4: Free the slaves without a single casualty | Bonus 5: Defeat the Mutated Alpha Diamond Dog ✔]
[Rewards: +33 Exp, +1 Perk Point, +Large Reputation Increase with Various, Griffon Rescue Chain Quest 5.]

[New World Quest!]
[Name: Griffon Rescue Chain Quest 5]
[Description: The fifth of a chain of decisions you need to make to resolve the situation before you. Choose between (1) Resolving to consider the rescue effort over, or (2) Pledging to continue helping the freed slaves until they reach safety outside the lawless domain of the Boundless Territory]
[Reward: (1) +100 Exp, (2) Variable]

‘What? Why did the Quest clear now?’ I wondered before defaulting to the second option. I mean I’d already come all this way. A paltry 100 Exp was nowhere near enough to tempt me to pick the morally worse — in my opinion — option.

When I returned to the open space of the uppermost level in the mine, I found out when I saw the massive congregation of all the freed slaves all looking back at me as I climbed out of the stairs.

For a long moment, I just stared back at them, not really knowing what to say or do. But then, Greta broke the tense atmosphere by approaching and touching me before she spoke.

“Um, not to be rude, but you look absolutely terrifying with that blood-drenched armor you’re wearing. Could you maybe take it off, while we discuss what we’re going to do next?” She asked.

A part of me wanted to vehemently deny her request, with the memory of my carelessly given trust backfiring spectacularly with the Mutated Alpha Diamond Dog. But, my better reason won out quickly enough and I decided to comply. After all, the only people around were the slaves I’d freed who almost certainly made up the “Variable” group of individuals I’d been awarded a massive reputation gain with. I didn’t know what exactly that did for me from a Gamer power perspective, but from common sense and actual video game experience, it should mean that they’re much more likely to like and trust me.

Not to mention that even without the Magic Suppressing Manacles on, the recently freed slaves couldn’t hope to do anything against me even if they all tried to fight me at the same time; not when they were still overrun with various Debuffs like Sleep Deprivation, Hunger and Thirst at the very least. And especially not when after my every Level Up, all the Buffs I’d stacked before embarking on the Rescue Quest had their duration refreshed along with the rest of my Status with the free Full Recovery.

“Is this better?” I asked as I swapped my Iron Armor for the spare set of regular wool clothes I put on when I was not actively prepared to fight; it’s what I wore when cooking, mining, or traveling for the expedition.

“...Yes,” Greta looked taken aback and it didn’t seem like it was just because I was pulling off what she would call Space-Time Magic with my Inventory shenanigans.

“Are you sure? Because you look more worried than you were before I took off the armor,” I said.

“I’m just surprised. I didn’t expect you to be so, um… hairless. I was expecting something more like a slimmer Minotaur or a taller Diamond Dog with more proportionate arms.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen hairless yet. I haven’t prioritized grooming ever since I was dropped in this place and found the time to clear up this mess of a beard I have going on along with my nonexistent mustache and goatee,” I let out a small snort of amusement. I never had been able to grow any respectable amount of facial hair. It always grew in patchy and unappealing to me, so I took the time to keep myself clean-shaven every day before work; you know, back before I died.

“Is this really the time to talk about that? How are we going to survive a journey back to our homes!” A familiar British voice called out from beyond Greta’s spot between me and the rest of the freed slaves.

“I don’t know,” I bluntly said. “I don’t even know what planet I’m even on, never mind where on it we are relative to wherever it is that you or anyone else here used to live before being enslaved.”

“What are you some kind of extraequstrial?”

Screech!

“It could be an angel.”

Hisssss!

Neigh! Whinny!

“I agree with the gentlepony. It must be an alien.”

Amidst the sudden “argument” that broke out amongst the freed slaves, one particular Pony caught my attention above even the fact that I was learning I could only understand the Unicorns without holding physical contact. I let the conversation continue as I discretely looked at the anomalous Pony who had hissed and used Observe on it.

[Observe]
[Name: ???]
[Description: ??? is a Changeling who was recently freed from being enslaved. He is currently using his innate Magic to disguise himself as an Earth Pony while waiting for the opportunity to escape and return to his Hive.]
[Level: 7]
[Status Effects: Thirsty, Hungry, Malnourished, Starvation (Extreme), Sleep Deprived]
[Health: 150/150]
[Strength: 1]
[Constitution: 2]
[Vitality: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Perception: 5]
[Intelligence: 2]
[Wisdom: 1]
[Luck: 1]
[Charisma: 1]

Holy… This guy had the absolute most abysmal stats I’ve ever seen. He’s not just running on fumes, he’s well and truly standing at the precipice of being technically alive.

Also, Changeling? After Diamond Dogs that was the next race of creatures I’d been introduced to in this world that I had previously never heard of. Although, off just the principle that it was either a shapeshifter or an illusionist, I found it more interesting.

“Everyone!” I called out to the quarreling masses. When I had their attention and the open space quieted down, I said, “How about we all get something to eat and drink before we discuss our next move? You haven’t had the chance to rest from today’s, uh, work and chaos I caused while beating up all the Diamond Dogs here, right?”

No one had any complaints about that. And when I offered to cook anything and everything they wanted in exchange for the pile of mined rocks and raw gemstones in the open space, I not only got a massive influx of equivalent Shop Credits but also the chance to grind out my Cooking Skills for a bit.

Even at the expense of buying some pretty ridiculous ingredients like Filet Mignon for some of the Griffons or White Truffles for some of the Ponies, I still came out with millions of Shop Credits.

[Skill Level Up!]
[Name: Cooking Lvl 1 → 2 | +20 Exp]
[Description: Good enough to avoid Gordon Ramsey’s abject disappointment.]

All was good… except for the fact that the disguised Changeling, the main reason I’d thought to even suggest cooking for everyone, actually turned down the chance to eat. It didn’t refuse no, but it asked for a simple salad then went off to a corner by itself and hadn’t taken a single bite when its compatriots that had received their food requests half an hour after it had long since licked their plates clean.

When I finished preparing the last requested meal, I made something for myself and used it as a pretense for sitting next to the Changeling and speaking to it.

“You mind if I eat here and talk to you for a second?” I asked it.

Aside from the hesitance and wariness I’d expected from all but Greta who had gotten the chance to get used to me, the Changeling didn’t react oddly. It nodded and patted the spot next to it as if to gesture that I should sit there.

When I sat down on the dirt floor next to it, I said, “To understand you, I’m going to need to make physical contact.”

It voluntarily stretched out a leg and had it touch one of mine.

“Thanks. Now, I’ve been wondering,” I said while staring pointedly at its face to see how it would react when I said, “Why are you keeping up that disguise with a body that’s on the brink of collapse?”