Chapter 115. Recruiting Village Residents #3
The Dune Strider turned to ash and scattered in the air.
At that moment.
The Necro Puppet Master stretched out his arm.
Then the drifting ashes were drawn into the Puppet Master’s palm.
［Gauntlet. Since this one is already dead, I will turn it into a puppet and use it as a resident of the desert village.］
It seemed that even a creature that had turned to ash could be reborn as a puppet if absorbed.
“Puppet, didn’t you say that you’d gather the ones you made into a puppet village later?”
［A few won’t matter. Anyway, that village will only house the elite puppets.］
【Pururu】─ When did we ever discuss a puppet village? LOL
【Mysticism】─😮 So is Niara NoPanties going to be assigned to that village too?
【Yumi】─ Probably not. Miss Niara Nepensis is the type who would die if separated from Gaon.
【Rizenova】─ She follows Lord Gauntlet more fondly and loyally than her real master, Lord Necro…
【Bubble Bubble】─ She’s not human.
After pulling out the corpses stored inside his body, the Puppet Master said:
［I will synthesize some of the corpse materials left by the Dollmaker.］
He began recreating the Dune Strider as a puppet.
While waiting for him to finish, I looked up at Solorb, who had just annihilated the Dune Strider with a single blow, and asked.
“…Solorb.”
［My apologies. Originally, I intended to interfere as little as possible so that you, Explorer, could tame that guy. But his actions were so arrogant that I couldn’t suppress my anger.］
“No, I’m not criticizing you for that. If something bothers you, it’s only natural to kill it.”
［Hmm… that’s true. Thank you for understanding.］
【Pururu】─ Solorb’s likeability increased. LOL
【Mysticism】─🤭 Her smile is twitching since you sided with him!
【Rizenova】─ Where’s her mouth? Are you saying you can see that?
【Mysticism】─ It’s just a figure of speech. 😶
If it were a monster I had tamed, I would have said something.
Even if the tamed monsters weren’t my subordinates who had to follow my every command, I had clearly informed them beforehand that we were recruiting village residents and had urged them to prioritize capture whenever possible.
But Solorb wasn’t a monster I had tamed.
Moreover, she was an SSS-class monster you couldn’t afford to upset.
Complaining to such a being was out of the question.
Even if I had complaints, the right answer was to pretend I didn’t.
That way, I could gradually build up her likeability.
［So, why did you call me?］
“Ah. Before that Dune Strider appeared, weren’t you about to say something? I called to ask about that.”
［……］
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
［Did you mishear? I wasn’t saying anything.］
“….”
I hadn’t misheard.
I clearly remembered that she had been muttering something before the Dune Strider appeared, cutting off her words.
But I didn’t press the issue any further.
She didn’t seem eager to bring it up again.
Solorb, you’re unexpectedly exhausting.
“Yeah, I guess I misheard.”
［You seem to be very tired lately. Your current body is quite weak, so until all the seals are lifted, don’t overdo it and take breaks here and there.］
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
But did I ever talk about the seals with Solorb?
… I couldn’t quite remember.
He must have learned about it through Bastet Daong.
***
─［I have completed the entry in the guidebook, Explorer.］
［Gauntlet. I have finished creating the puppet.］
The voices of the Centaurides and the Necro Puppet Master rang out simultaneously.
First, I checked the Centaurides’ drawing.
It depicted the Dune Strider sitting against a desert backdrop.
A flawless drawing.
“The speed of your drawing is improving day by day. And the quality has noticeably advanced.”
─［You flatter me. The speed is increasing, but my skills are still subpar.］
【Mysticism】─😮 So humble!
【Pururu】─ I always want to slap people when they say stuff like that with so much talent.
【Rizenova】─ Why are you so bitter?
【Yumi】─ Pururu, you’re talented too.
【Pururu】─ I’m a hard worker. When I was very young, I couldn’t even draw stick figures properly.
【Mysticism】─ You’re a hard-work bug! 😋
【Rizenova】─ Calling yourself a bug, you’ve got excellent self-awareness.
【Bubble Bubble】─ Maybe you’ve got talent in self-awareness.
【Pururu】─ ?
Next,
I examined the puppet corpse of the Dune Strider that the Puppet Master had created.
Its appearance hadn’t changed.
“Puppet, what’s different from when it was alive?”
［I didn’t change its exterior, but I added an ability through synthesis.］
“What ability did you add?”
［The ability to temporarily weaken the opponent’s power. Among the corpses left by the Dollmaker, there was a monster with such a power.］
“It’s a similar ability to mine.”
［It’s far inferior to the one you possess.］
In any case, he had chosen an ability that suited the Dune Strider well.
It seemed that the Puppet Master was getting smarter as time went on.
After a short conversation with the Puppet Master.
I turned my attention to the Dune Strider and spoke to it.
“Dune Strider. Head to the desert village and help with the work. I’ve already informed Iris about you, so if you run straight that way, a robot will come to greet you.”
［Aye!］
The puppet Dune Strider gave me a sharp salute and quickly sprinted in the direction I pointed.
***
The Tower of Life.
A structure that drew water from the oasis, purified it, and supplied the entire city with water through underground channels.
Omega had mentioned that it would be great to place a monster that could control water there, ideally one that could even create water.
And.
［Nyaaa!］
By sheer luck, I discovered a monster that met Omega’s conditions.
Its actual danger level was S-class.
Its nerfed danger level was B-class.
A monster with the body of a crab and the face of a cat.
Not only could it spew water from its mouth.
It also wielded its pincers to create water in midair.
I named its species ‘Cat Crab.’
【Mysticism】─😮 A water-attribute kitty!
【Yumi】─So cute!
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s not cute at all…
【Pururu】─A little rival for Chocomi, huh? But unlike Chocomi’s species, this one’s aggressive.
【Rizenova】─Is that monster really S-class? It doesn’t look it.
Anyway.
The Cat Crab was subdued in an instant.
It recklessly charged at us, only to be completely bound by the threads spewed by Kinogine Arachne.
［I will use mind control right away.］
The Necro Puppet Master stepped forward and spoke.
I nodded and squatted by a puddle of water in the sand nearby.
The water that the Cat Crab had sprayed at us.
I carefully touched it with my finger.
As soon as my finger made contact, the puddle quivered, then burst like a balloon, releasing a massive amount of water.
It was as if a hot spring had erupted.
【Mysticism】─😱
【Yumi】─Gasp!
【Pururu】─Is that a water bomb?
【Bubble Bubble】─Doesn’t seem like a bomb. There’s no power behind it.
“…This isn’t just ordinary water.”
I didn’t understand the exact mechanism.
But it seemed like this liquid created by the Cat Crab was highly compressed water.
Its usual attack strategy must be to inject this compressed liquid into its opponent’s body and then make it explode from the inside.
Most living creatures would drown from being filled with water.
【Pururu】─ But isn’t that a pretty average ability for an S-class monster?
【Yumi】─ Isn’t it amazing? It’s like creating something from nothing, generating water in an empty space.
【Pururu】─ But that ability wouldn’t work against most labyrinth monsters.
【Bubble Bubble】─ It’s too early to judge its ability. It’s nerfed right now, and it didn’t show its full power during the fight.
“Elise is right. For all we know, it could create a tsunami large enough to engulf an entire nation with this ability.”
Well, it could be relatively weak for an S-class monster.
But such things didn’t matter to me.
The fact that it could create water was more than enough for me.
Combat power wasn’t the priority here.
─［Explorer! I’ve completed the guidebook entry!］
“…Wait, I was going to draw this one myself.”
─［Oh, I’m sorry!］
“No need to apologize. Just show me the drawing.”
─［Yes! I’ll display it through Iris!］
On Iris’ screen.
The picture of the Cat Crab, drawn by the Centaurides, appeared.
■Cat Crab
─Actual Danger Level: S-class.
─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-class.
─Abilities: Water creation, water compression.
“You drew it well. Good job.”
─［Thank you!］
─“Nyang! When is Gauntlet coming back, nya! I made lots of delicious food, so come back soon, nya!”
When the Centaurides removed the drawing and showed her face, Merino popped in from the side and spoke.
“I’ll be back soon… Well, not that soon, but I won’t be too late.”
─“Nyang!”
【Pururu】─ Merino’s really fond of Geon now. Could she be tamed too?
【Yumi】─How could a Drifter be tamed?
【Mysticism】─🤭 Purufu-dummy.
After that.
I tamed the Cat Crab quickly.
Although it held a lot of hostility, thanks to the Puppet Master’s mind control, it quickly calmed down.
Then, just as I was about to board the Giant Caterpillar and move on.
［Explorer. Did you like that creature?］
Solorb suddenly spoke to me again.
She’s surprisingly chatty today. Is she bored?
“You mean the Cat Crab? Yeah, I like it. The desert village needs a monster that can create water.”
［If you desperately ask, I could tell you where to find a place where many of those creatures gather.］
“Really? Where is it?”
［I don’t like the way you’re asking. Show me some desperation.］
“Forget it. I’ll just find it on my own.”
［……］
Solorb was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
［Haha… Since you so desperately want to know, I have no choice but to tell you. Just go past the rock in front of you.］
【Pururu】─Idiot.
And so, we headed toward the place where the Cat Crabs were gathered, following Solorb’s guidance.