Chapter 135. Neo Chicken
The Skull Angel, who had been defeated and destroyed by Merino’s Manifestation Form.
The Celestials, upon seeing its appearance, spoke in unison.
They said that a god resembling that thing also existed in the Celestial Realm.
It was a moment that confirmed that this space had been modeled after the Celestial Realm.
─［Explorer, what should we do now? I think the chickens have moved beyond the door and relocated here. Shall we search the area and return?］
Artpega asked Iris, looking at her.
I nodded and answered.
“Yes. Don’t go too deep, just look around a bit and come back. We’ll organize a proper expedition tomorrow.”
─［Understood.］
If she were still an S-rank monster, I would have ordered her to return immediately, but now that Artpega was an SS-rank monster, I judged it safe for her to stay in the space a little longer.
─［Before searching, I should create a few more Manifestation Forms in advance. Do you have any specific preferences for the forms?］
“Preferences for the forms…”
【Pururu】─Draw me, please.
【Mysticism】─😃 Draw me too!
【Mir-Stin】─I’d appreciate it if you drew me.
【Luna-chan】─Does Artpega know what we look like? o_O
【Yumi】─Of course she does. She’s read every encyclopedia out there.
【Rizenova】─Indeed. I know she’s often looked through the Assistant encyclopedia.
【Bubble Bubble】─Since it’s not her own drawing, she seems to look at it more often.
“Draw me again, please! I’m the strongest!”
A few assistants, along with Merino Ula, began asking her to create their Manifestation Forms.
Since she had already created Merino once earlier, I decided to exclude her.
“Art, could you draw the assistants for me?”
─［The assistants? Yes, I can create Manifestation Forms of them as well.］
“You remember their faces, right?”
─［Of course. I’ve seen the encyclopedia countless times.］
Artpega answered, and then immediately used the power known as Instant Art.
From her fingertips, paint spread out, and the assistants’ figures began to quickly take shape in the air.
─［I’ll discard the weak Manifestation Forms immediately. After all, they’re just empty shells, with no soul, unlike Necro’s puppets, and they lack any consciousness.］
“No consciousness?”
─［Yes. Manifestation Forms created with Instant Art don’t have consciousness. Only those carefully drawn over time can gain a consciousness. If you’re lucky, they might even receive a soul.］
“I didn’t know that.”
─［I just discovered it this morning while practicing drawing. However, just because a Manifestation Form is carefully created doesn’t guarantee that it will be born strong. Like with Instant Art, the strength of the entity is decided randomly. That’s why I’ve chosen to avoid creating those forms as much as possible. If I end up with too many entities to protect, it could cause trouble for others.］
I could understand why Artpega preferred Instant Art.
If she carefully drew a Manifestation Form, gave it consciousness, or even infused it with a soul, and it turned out weak, it would be a hassle to deal with.
It would be like adding a burden.
So, it made sense that she preferred to create disposable Instant Art Manifestation Forms.
Artpega might seem tough, but she had a surprisingly soft heart.
─［It’s done.］
In the short time we had been talking, Artpega had created seven Manifestation Forms resembling the assistants.
【Pururu】─Oh, look! I’m here!!!
【Mir-Stin】─Haha, I’m here too! This is awesome!
【Rizenova】─The resemblance is uncanny. This feels strange.
【Mysticism】─Wait? Did you make me taller?! 😃
【Yumi】─Why am I so short? I’m not that small!!!
【Bubble Bubble】─You looked small in the encyclopedia.
【Luna-chan】─It’s just the face that looks the same for me. O_o
─［I will dispose of the entities that won’t be helpful in battle. If none of them are useful, I’ll have no choice but to fight directly.］
I examined each of the assistant Manifestation Forms.
And assessed their threat levels.
Pururu: F-rank.
Mysticism: D-rank.
Yumi: C-rank.
Rizenova: F-rank.
Bubble Bubble: D-rank.
Mir-Stin: S-rank.
Luna-chan: A-rank.
Artpega, having created them herself, seemed to have an accurate understanding of their level.
─［Pururu, Mysticism, Yumi, Rizenova, Bubble Bubble… I will dispose of them. Farewell.］
With no hesitation, Artpega swung her arm, and the five Manifestation Forms dissolved back into paint.
【Yumi】─What?!
【Pururu】─Damn it!
【Mysticism】─😱😱😱
【Bubble Bubble】─Too bad. I guess my Manifestation Form was weak.
【Rizenova】─This too is a strange feeling…
Only two Manifestation Forms remained.
Luna-chan and Mir-Stin.
Artpega stared at Luna-chan for a moment, then with a regretful expression, waved her hand.
─［Hmm. Unfortunately, I’ll have to discard Luna-chan as well.］
【Luna-chan】─Aww! ㅠWㅠ
【Pururu】─Come join us.
─［As for Mir-Stin… She seems strong enough to keep around. That’s a relief.］
【Mir-Stin】─Ohh! I made it! My Manifestation Form must be really strong!!!
【Mysticism】─😠 This doesn’t make sense.
【Pururu】─This game is all about luck.
In the end, Mir-Stin’s Manifestation Form was the one chosen.
─［Then let’s get going, Manifestation Form Mir-Stin.］
─［Mir-Mir!］
【Mir-Stin】─Everything is fine, but can’t we do something about that speech pattern?
【Pururu】─Don’t ask for too much.
【Yumi】─Just be satisfied with being chosen.
Artpega, with the Manifestation Form Mir-Stin, set out to search for the chickens.
About 20 minutes into exploring the Celestial Realm within the labyrinth, they encountered a new monster.
─［That is…］
What Artpega saw was a monster in the shape of a chicken.
However, it looked very different from the chickens we usually hunted and ate.
─［Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!］
─［…It seems that the habitat change has caused a species transformation.］
I agreed with Artpega’s thought.
That creature was indeed the chicken we had seen before, and it seemed that the transformation of the space had caused the species to change. There was no other reason for a chicken to be in a place that resembled the Celestial Realm.
Of course.
It hadn’t evolved.
Its danger level remained at S-rank, just as it had before.
I named the creature “Neo Chicken.”
─［Mir-Stin. Capture that thing.］
─［Mir-Mir!］
As Artpega gave the order, Mir-Stin’s body stretched like rubber and charged toward the Neo Chicken.
─［Cock?! Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!］
The Neo Chicken spread its wings and generated a whirlwind, sending a violent storm toward Mir-Stin’s body.
But it had no effect.
Mir-Stin turned her body into paint and absorbed the attack.
【Mir-Stin】─That was cool!!!
【Yumi】─I guess because she’s made of paint, her body is very flexible.
【Pururu】─Wow, a paint-human.
【Mysticism】─That’s creepy. 😨
The Neo Chicken then opened its beak and spewed out a massive flame.
Not only could it control wind, but it seemed to have gained the ability to manipulate fire through its species transformation.
The chickens we had seen before couldn’t use fire.
─［Mir-Mir…!］
Mir-Stin’s body began to melt as it was engulfed by the flames.
Then Artpega, observing from a distance, unleashed a large amount of paint from her fingertips to reinforce Mir-Stin’s body.
【Rizenova】─Immediate backup, I see.
【Mysticism】─😮 Isn’t that cheating?
【Mir-Stin】─There’s no such thing as cheating in a fight!
【Bubble Bubble】─It wasn’t a one-on-one fight, to begin with.
【Mysticism】─That’s true! 😀
Mir-Stin, having returned to her original form, immediately grew in size, stretching her body to become massive.
And then.
A cascade of rainbow-colored paint gushed out of her body like a waterfall, instantly covering the Neo Chicken.
─［Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!］
The chicken, covered in paint, let out a painful screech.
From its beak, fierce flames spewed forth, and its powerful wings flapped violently, creating strong gusts around it.
The Neo Chicken’s desperate struggle.
It didn’t last long.
Mir-Stin’s paint absorbed all of its attacks and wrapped tighter and tighter around the chicken.
─［Cock… cock-a…］
Crack-!
In the end, the Neo Chicken lost strength, its neck snapping, and it fell dead.
【Mir-Stin】─Ohh! I won! I beat an S-rank monster!!!
【Yumi】─Congratulations!
【Pururu】─If Arte hadn’t helped, you would’ve lost.
【Luna-chan】─It wasn’t Mir-chan who won. It was Paint-Mir-chan. o_O
***
After Artpega caught the Neo Chicken and returned.
At Kang Geon’s hideout, preparations for dinner were in full swing.
“Yay-yay-yay~”
Merino Ula was cooking the Neo Chicken that Artpega had hunted.
Her every move radiated a freedom and joy she hadn’t felt before.
Time passed.
“Yay! Dinner’s ready! Everyone, let’s eat!”
Once the meal was complete, Merino handed out the food to Kang Geon and the monsters.
“Great job, Merino.”
［Doodoomba! Well done!］
Kang Geon and Hedgehog thanked her for her efforts.
［Ohh! This meal is delicious!］
［Japan! So good! So good!］
Artpega and Jafan expressed their admiration while devouring the chicken.
［As expected, Merino’s cooking never disappoints. It’s so delicious.］
［Pii! I could eat Merino’s food every day and never get tired of it! I can’t eat anything else anymore!］
Arachne and Princess offered sincere compliments.
“Yay-yay… Enjoy your meal…!”
Merino’s face flushed.
She still felt awkward receiving praise like this.
In the past, things she did were taken for granted, but here, they were appreciated, which made her happy.
As the meal began in earnest.
With laughter and conversation filling the room, Merino glanced around.
‘Everyone seems so happy.’
A warm feeling grew inside her.
‘I’m happy too…’
This time spent sharing a meal together.
Not only the free time they spent playing.
Just being here in this moment made her feel happiness.
‘So this is what true happiness is…’
Her current life was completely different from her past.
There was no one here to beat her, no one to exploit her.
Everyone treated her as a valued companion, a precious member of the group, and she found it amazing.
‘The happiness I thought I felt before was fake.’
Merino slowly realized.
The days of constant exploitation due to her special abilities.
The violence she endured whenever she made a mistake, which seemed so normal at the time.
The supposed freedom of the fields, which was nothing more than a prison.
Her previous life in that world.
Only after experiencing true freedom and happiness did she come to understand how abnormal those times had been.
Even though it hadn’t been long.
Merino had already grown deeply attached to life in this world.
She no longer wanted to return to her original world.
Though there were members of her race there, they never treated her as a friend.
‘I can’t afford to become a burden. I must cook even better meals. That way, no one will abandon me. And…’
Merino thought to herself.
Since she had latent strength, she believed she could also be helpful in battle.
‘I’m like Gauntlet, with my power sealed away. Hehe.’
Finishing her thoughts.
Merino turned to Melody Fox, who was eating next to her.
“Melody!”
［Kyuu?］
“Did you see my strength earlier? I knocked out that bad monster with just one punch.”
［Kyaa!］
“From now on, just trust me. I’ll protect you, Melody! With just one punch, I can win every fight!”
［Kyuu…］
Melody looked at Merino, flustered.
Kang Geon then quietly approached and told Merino the truth.
“…Merino. You don’t have any power. What you saw earlier was Artpega’s strength, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Yay?”
Revealing the truth was harsh, but it had to be done.
For survival, understanding your limits was crucial.
If Merino falsely believed she was strong and acted recklessly, it could lead to dangerous situations. To prevent accidents, the brutal truth had to be told.
“The Merino Ula you saw summoned earlier was just a paint creature. It has no connection to you other than its appearance. So, of course, its power is different.”
“…So I’m just weak? I don’t have any latent power?”
“Yeah. None at all.”
“Yay…”
Merino was in shock.
It wasn’t a huge shock, but still.
After finishing her meal, Merino stood up and walked away, feeling down.
She picked up a encyclopedia.
“I need to draw to shake off this gloomy feeling…! I’ll handle the encyclopedia work today!”
Merino began drawing to soothe her sadness.
Of course, it was her first time drawing.
Some time passed.
“It’s finished! Everyone, look at this!”
Merino had completed her drawing.
The model for her drawing was the ‘Neo Chicken,’ which hadn’t been recorded in the encyclopedia yet.
The monsters who saw Merino’s drawing gave awkward smiles and clapped.
They even complimented her, saying it was well-done.
Kang Geon also decided to praise Merino’s drawing.
He couldn’t bring himself to crush her innocent spirit.
He figured that a little lie like this wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Of course, since he wasn’t used to lying, he stumbled over his words like he was reading from a textbook.
“…You, you’ve drawn it well, Merino. You have a talent for drawing.”
“Yay! I’ve finally found my talent!”
Afterward.
When Merino wasn’t looking, Kang Geon secretly worked on the encyclopedia.
Thankfully, he didn’t get caught.
—
■ Neo Chicken
─Actual Danger Level: S-rank.
─Abilities: Wind Manipulation, Fire Manipulation.
After completing the encyclopedia entry.
Kang Geon carefully stored Merino’s drawing alongside the Monster encyclopedia, without throwing it away.