There were immediate responses after Clyde posted in the group chat . Good thing he left his phone on the charger . Well, it'd be safe in the inventory, unless he died .

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Upon meeting up with the others, he nearly chuckled at the h.e.l.l he sensed deep within their eyes . Chika almost knocked Harumi to the side in her rush to hug the s.h.i.+t out of Clyde .

"I was so frightened for you," she said . "I felt so powerless when that thing carried you off . "

Neko sighed .

"Took a lot of effort to get some sense into that one's head . Just blindly going off in a general direction would only serve to get herself killed . We had to trust in your power to get back to us . "

"I admit, even I felt a rise of panic after you were launched off like that," Toru said . "It woke that one up though . " He pointed at Dark . "Pulled some kind of miracle, unleas.h.i.+ng everything he had on his slime captor . "

Harumi looked weary of Alice but approached Clyde anyway . She seemed to glance at him with a healer's eye, nodding at what she saw .

"Most people don't come back unharmed, if ever," Harumi said .

"I've had to use this to get out of some of the craziest situations," he said, placing a finger on the side of his head .

"You sure you have no idea where that redheaded girl went?" Kitome asked .

"No and why aren't you transformed yet?" Clyde said . The blue-haired girl sighed but complied without complaining .

"Is this what you go through, often?" Dark said, his voice without any of his wannabe edge-lord tones .

"Don't worry, Toru lost his virginity to a slime too," Clyde said, "but if it makes you feel any better, I'm willing to pretend it doesn't count . "

Dark looked like he wanted to argue but stayed silent in defeat . There was no way Clyde would tell him that he got done in by a honeybee girl . Looking back, Alice remained as the best experience, though he'd never admit it . The demoness didn't need the extra ego .

Dark gazed at Alice . And he flushed .

"Who…I mean…" he couldn't finish his babble .

"Alice," the demoness said simply .

Seth nodded .

"Is that your girlfriend, dude, not that I'm asking out of intense jealousy or anything . "

Alice laughed then winked at him . Seth's blush almost made Clyde protest . Protest for what? He hoped it wasn't jealousy .

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"Enough talk," Neko said . "We've got a door to find and most likely more demon lord minions . "

To Clyde's surprise, the only monsters encountered were ions and imps . The party mowed through them with ease . Clyde even gained a level out of it, but no new skill . Still, unarmed combat sucked . He couldn't make killing blows without expending his MP .

"Neko, I need to—"

Alice placed a hand on his shoulder, gaining his immediate attention .

"It's finished . Remember when I told you to get equipped . I've gathered enough demonic energy to form this . " A steel sword surrounded with a reddish black aura appeared out of thin air, into Alice's grip . "It's nothing amazing, I'm no demon smith, but it's better than your old one . "

[You have received Basic Demon Sword level 14 . Item cla.s.s: rare . ]

"You are just too amazing," Clyde said as she examined the weapon . Alice handed him a black sheathe with pins and straps for his side .

Harumi rolled her eyes to the young man's surprise .

"Men and their swords . "

Chika's jealousy flashed like thunder . Dark looked like he wanted one too, but Alice only stared ahead, smugly .

Another half hour of walking and few encounters and a fair share of complaints, Neko's cat-like ears perked up .

"We're here . "

"Near the town hall?" Clyde said .

"Yep andddddd there are guards," she responded, giving the young man an innocent look as he glared . She stepped forward, probably to give him a lick, but Alice blocked her path .

"We don't have time for your games, cat," she said . "If anything happens to my Clyde, I'll turn you into a rug . "

Neko still held the innocent smile, showing no fear whatsoever to the demoness . Way too much amus.e.m.e.nt danced in those eyes .

Clyde unsheathed his sword .

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"I don't see anything . "

That's when the area, yards ahead flickered . He saw two large, heavily muscled lizard-like creatures standing in front of a translucent-blue door . A door that had no building behind it .

"Nya, let's take 'em down," Neko said . "And by we, I mean you . "

Clyde's glare had no effect on the catgirl . She slipped past Alice in a blur then took one long whiff on the young man .

"You know what I want," was her whisper before she danced away from the demoness .

Dark sighed .

"Clyde, go kill yourself . "

Clyde gave him a surprised look then laughed . He said nothing else as he led the charge against the guards .

Lizard Guard

Level: 23

Type: demon lord sp.a.w.n .

Work under: Zeth, Hidden Lotus .

Special: None .

[Your party has entered combat!]

Clyde activated Scatter shot . The barrage of energy b.a.l.l.s served as the distraction he needed . The others rushed in to engage the creatures . Hearts, black lightning and even regular lightning seemed to fly in all directions . Alice and Neko remained kept a distance away from the fight, observing .

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In what felt like no time, they wiped the creatures . Clyde nodded, giving himself a mental pat on the back for taking no damage despite fighting on the front lines with Toru and Seth . His new sword was incredible! Basic level fourteen? A leveling sword . The gamer inside jumped for joy .

"Well, let's see what's inside this f.u.c.ker," Clyde said . He waited for a few seconds to see if his trap detection skill would go off, then opened the door when nothing happened .

[Warning: you are about to enter a dungeon . Dungeon type: hall of power . Difficulty: Normal . ]

Clyde wanted to relax as it seemed like this was the easiest difficulty he received since coming to this ridiculous world . He wouldn't let his guard down, knowing d.a.m.n well that it would probably rise in secret .

A hall of power .

Didn't feel impressive at all . It was simply a narrow hallway, dimly lit . It eventually led into a circular room made of stone . Three metallic pedestals rested in the center of the area . Three symbols, a rock, a leaf, and a snake were engraved atop of the four-foot-tall hexagon pillars . It didn't take Clyde more than a few seconds to notice three stony objects on to his left that matched the ciphers . They easily snapped in place .

The pillars shook, sinking to the ground . Moments later, a large glowing white door appeared in front of the party . Something about this door felt right to Clyde . It pulled at his psyche, beckoning him forward . He opened the door and led the group in .

They found themselves in a large ballroom, devoid of windows . The glossy floor felt endless . Ahead, Clyde felt it . A flow of raw…something . Power? A piece of himself? It continued to call for him, feelings of longing and strength and safety and purpose . It was a sweet voiceless whisper that made him happier the closer he got . An enormous sphere of golden light floated several yards ahead . It looked like the sun, but Clyde knew the object . Something that would do more than just help him defeat the viper .

Someone blocked the path . He stood up, reptilian-like gaze on them . Flanking him were two lizard guards .

He was a tall man who looked to be in his early thirties, with blue skin that seemed to faintly glow, and black and silver hair . Dressed in s.h.i.+ning silver armor, he gave off a vibe of pure danger .

Clyde a.n.a.lyzed him .

Zeth, leader of the Hidden Lotus .

Level: 37

Type: Demon .

Work under: Demon lord . Left Eye of the demon lord .

Special: Negative Raid Ender . [This attack can inflict heavy damage to affected party members . ]

Weakness: Your hostile detection isn't high enough for this . s.h.i.+t-for-brains .

Resistances: See above . Ding-dong-head .

Secret: Your hostile detection, luck, and will isn't high enough for this . Idiot stool .

So this guy is the leader of this Hidden Lotus I've been seeing, Clyde thought . He was glad that the system didn't give him a warning to run like it did with Alice . Unsurprisingly his level stood higher than Clyde's but at least it wasn't as untouchable as the abyss .

"I figured you'd eventually show up with your adventurer, Neko," he said in a smooth voice, "but Princess Alice . What is this?"

Alice simply shrugged .

"I wouldn't miss your death for anything . "

A flash of rage briefly jolted through his eyes .

"No matter . This is perfect," the man continued . "Once I kill off these so-called gifted, I'll take the Omen's sphere and you back to your father . Of course, you'll be obeying me, traitor . "

"Before you breathe your last breath from Clyde's sword, just know that you've never had a shot with me . " Alice laughed . "Do you know that I'm compatible with a human? It's amazing . It means I will never have to worry about becoming a background slave to some egomaniac . "

Zeth shook his head .

"Just like your pathetic mother, liking humans . Disgusting . Enough of this talk . I'll slice off the head of your Clyde and shove it where it matters . "

A booming blast of rage rushed through Clyde's veins .

"f.u.c.k you!" he barked . "I won't be easy meat . "

Zeth looked surprised when he gazed at Clyde, as if for the first time . Then he smiled .

"You…" he laughed . "Guards, kill them . Let's do this dance, gifted, who is beyond a gifted . "

[Your party has entered a Boss fight!]

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