Chapter 13:

Taiga Forest

Fantastical Rebirth


We walk among the taiga trees.

Sun: "Oh, I forgot to buy you an armor, Miguel."

Miguel: "Nah, my fashion sense can wait. I can't even tell we're walking in the snow right now."

I emit a heatwave around me and protect everyone from the cold.

Nebula: "That's right, my brother! This mission is perfect for us, since you can counter any ice attack!"

Sun: "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Ice levels can vary. Some are eternal and never thaw."

Nebula: "Then we'll just have to protect you!"

Slinger: "Who would target someone who has the perfect power to match against them?"

Sun: "She's right. We should be worried about you."

Miguel: "And lose our shield? Man, you're the tank here. The most reliable class in any guild. We wouldn't be able to survive the environment without you here."

Sun: "You give me too much credit. What's the point of being immortal if you can't damage anyone?"

Nebula: "The thing is, you're not immortal. But you can pack a punch."

We heard some rustling in a nearby bush.

Sun: "It may be just some wild animals. Miguel, do you want to test your weapon?"

Miguel: "Can I? I thought you wanted me to wait for the right moment."

Sun: "I didn't want your minion to go after other adventurers and make them hostile to us. But now we're outside the city, in a low- to mid-level area."

Miguel: "Hey, it shouldn't be that hard to control my summons. I'll get the gist of it before we finish this mission."

He raises his wooden staff. The slimy tip turns into a ball of green slime, which falls into the snow. It has eyes and a mouth, and smiles like an innocent pet. It begins to hop from one spot to another, until it leaps through the bushes.

Miguel: "Do you think he will die?"

Sun: "Summons can die, but you will just have to use the staff again."

Miguel: "How many can I summon?"

Sun: "I don't know, you'll have to test it. But I suggest you focus your strength on a single slime. Long-range attacks can kill many at once."

Miguel: "Understood. I'd make him bigger, but then he'd be a easier target. I think I'll focus on speed and agility."

We hear some noises behind the bushes. Then, a howl, probably a wolf's. I run through the vegetation and see wolves and the slime fighting. The little green dot seems to be doing quite well. It damages them by jumping and concentrating its force on one point.

Sun: "See? Even if it dies, it can reanimate. Unless it disintegrates or suffers massive damage."

Miguel: "That's amazing! Although I don't think I deserve the credit..."

Sun: "The summoner is the source of the summon's power. Without you, it wouldn't even be alive."

The slime pierces through the wolves, killing them. We hear some stomps nearby.

Slinger: "The howl... called the pack."

Sun: "Alright, stand behind me."

I walk in front of them, preparing myself for the worst. I summon the metal gloves on my hands, since I don't have to access the Stocker manually for that.

A white wolf leads the pack. He leaps toward me, and I punch him, slamming his body into a tree and breaking it. The others attack us, but they're just regular wolves.

I punch and kick a few, killing them instantly. Slinger shoots them with her shapeshifting gun. Miguel enpowers the slime, making it faster and stronger. Nebula summons ice spears from the ground, piercing them.

Sun: "You're not hesitating to kill them, that's great. Especially you, Nebula. I thought you were more delicate."

Nebula: "I'm training my mind. If I can't even kill hostile wild animals, I'm not cut out to be an adventurer."

Slinger: "Killing doesn't faze me. But I don't enjoy it either."

Miguel: "It's not like others don't do the same. We're always villains in someone's eyes. So why not enjoy life while it lasts?"

I smile at them, approving of their attitude. Each of us has a different reason for being here, but being adventurers is what unites us.

Maybe I shouldn't care about the lives of monsters... They don't care about us either.

Miguel: "Sun, behind!"

As I turn, his slime hits the white wolf, knocking him away. He growls angrily. I smirk at Nebula.

Sun: "Can I fight him alone?"

Nebula: "Sure thing, brother."

She puts up a barrier around me and the wolf as they fight the pack.

Sun: "Come on, I'm giving you a chance to shine. You're the one who went after us. Well, it was the slime who started it all..."

The wolf leaps at me. I punch him in the stomach, but he bites me on the head hard enough to latch onto me. I try to pull him away from my face, but he keeps biting me harder and harder, until I start to bleed. I grab him by the sides and heat my gloves, cooking him on the outside. He lets go of my head and jumps back.

Sun: "Humans have survival instincts too."

He starts to circle me and then jumps again, as if he has no other way to attack. I kick him harder this time, sending him crashing into the barrier. He becomes angrier and jumps at me again. I dodge the attack and punch him again. He gets faster again, until my eyes can no longer follow.

Sun: "Heh. Nebula, you can dismiss the barrier now."

I close my eyes and focus on my surroundings. The barrier disappears. I feel the wolf aiming for my back. I run forward to avoid harming my crew. It chases after me. I run around a tree and hide behind it. 

The wolf circles around and leaps at me. I dodge the attack and punch it into the tree with such force that it flies hundreds of meters, crashing through dozens of trees and exploding each one. I return to my crew. The wolves run away.

Miguel: "What the hell was that?! Did you do all that?"

Sun: "Sorry, I got a bit fired up."

Nebula: "You should be more careful, brother... What if the relics we seek are destroyed by your attacks?"

Sun: "They're not here. We can't even see the castle from here."

Nebula: "Still... you're overworking yourself. Shouldn't we save energy for the ice queen?"

Sun: "I needed to measure my own strength somehow. This is the best place for it."

Slinger: "Are you doing this for fun? We should be doing our mission."

Sun: "Come on, don't act like..."

...wait, they're used to it. I've always wanted to fight without the physical limitations of my world, but this is nothing new to them...

Sun: "I've never felt so much freedom before. Let's enjoy it before it's gone."

Nebula: "We have plenty of time for that. Are you afraid we'll die? If the mission's rank recommendation is wrong, we can sue the association."

Sun: "No, I won't let you die, no matter what. But... something unexpected might happen. Let's not think about it too much, okay?"

Luminit
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