Clyde waited in antic.i.p.ation after telling them his story . Mortem didn't appear, no time-freeze, nothing . The surrounding women stared at him, wonder and curiosity in their eyes .

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[You have given a trust bond to Alice, Harumi, and Chika . This cannot be taken back . Because all three of them are close friends, you've earned a 10% bonus to HP and MP . Your new skill: Trust Bond Skill Mimic is on hold until you've read Path of the Mystic . Alert, this skill is required, therefore you will be forced to read it at dawn . ]

Clyde glanced out the window and sighed at the wink of the sunset orange sky . There went his sleep-in . A lesson about procrastination, he supposed .

"Are you…" Harumi paused as if searching for the right words . "Do you hate it here?"

The question revealed hopeful gazes .

"No," Clyde said, causing the women to smile in relief . "This is a strange world, but I don't hate it . " He left off the, "because of you guys . "

Had to separate himself from the dopey main characters somehow . And saying something like that out of the moment…Not him . Even if it was true . Of course, judging how they looked at Clyde, whether he said that or not wouldn't have mattered . "We've been through a lot in just one freaking week . And speaking of fighting, I know you're trying to be modest Chika, but could please tell us what you did while we were battling Zeth . "

"You saw?"

"Remember how I said I can sense people's powers and actions," Clyde said . He didn't dare reveal anything about the prompts—there was a limit to how much he'd risk drawing the attention of someone more dangerous than Mortem . Besides, if they knew that the prompts could reveal their secrets or that it kept up with how they felt about him—revealing their internal relations.h.i.+p—embarra.s.sment would become the understatement of the century . He told them the truth of being sent here, Mortem, the Stone and its purpose to kill someone called the Viper, and how deities watched . He left out the gamer talk . "I didn't sense you . h.e.l.l, you weren't even there for most of it, but you did something . I felt that much . "

Chika looked shocked for a moment then nodded .

"Fine . I'll tell you . It's not like it's a big deal anyway . "

During the boss fight… .

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Chika was ready to strangle Zeth when he dared to ensnare Clyde with his stupid challenge . She gritted her teeth, opening herself to the ma.s.sive whirlwind of strength within . She'd end this quickly, save the young man the trouble so he could do whatever ridiculous thing that cat told him .

Oh she hoped this was a trap . She wasn't a murderer and preferred a lot and a lot and A LOT of love, specifically love-making with Clyde, over violence, but she'd make an exception for Neko . She just needed an excuse .

Abruptly, the silver-haired girl noticed a thin tendril of pulsing blue light leading out a door that wasn't there before . She knew she could ignore such a thing, help the others—destroy Zeth, but something felt wrong, off . She felt danger, danger for all of them . She couldn't explain the feeling, but the chills crawling down her spine lurched her into action .

[Chika activated Brief hyper stealth . ]

She disliked this skill, as it didn't work on powerful enemies or hyper-powerful sense of smells . This helped her sneak out of the ballroom, magically unnoticed by friend nor foe .

She ended up darting down a hall, following the blue magic . She let go of the stealth, reacting to her urge to move faster . Faster! Before it was too late .

Oh, please let me make it in time, she thought .

A second door appeared ahead, the blue spectral of magic oozing from beneath it . She placed a hand on the surface, closed her eyes and activated another rogue skill .

[Chika activated Peek . ]

With this ability, she saw the room and the monsters inside .

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[Chika activated Eavesdrop . ]

Now that she could hear the conversation as well as see what was going on, she planned . There were three Lizard guards hastily unpacking what looked like large timer-bombs from crates . One guard song something disturbing to himself .

"If you can't kill, blow em up, blow em up . If your wife bakes a human pie, kiss her then eat the pie, la la la la blow em up, blow em up . "

"Crock's toe! Shut the f.u.c.k up ya dumb gecko," one of the other Lizard guards snarled .

"Oh you know you like the song . Blow em up, blow em up . "

Chika deactivated Peek and Eavesdrop, pale . Zeth sat on his high horse as if he was some honorable warrior, meanwhile planning to just bomb them and half of the city . Strange…she didn't feel like this was an order he'd make . Why would his troops put their master in this kind of danger? They were pretty far to give a fair warning—not to mention the demon lord's daughter being among the chaos .

Chika didn't have time to play detective with a bunch of sc.u.mmy monsters . She burst through the door, armed with a dagger .

The first Lizard guard looked at her as he fell backward, the blade poking out of his skull, blood spraying from the wound like a crimson fountain .

"Crock's a.s.s! Kill her," yelled an unseen voice .

The two remaining guards obeyed the overseer, rus.h.i.+ng the silver-haired girl . She leapt and landed on top of the closest monster with a single-handed handstand . A quick twist of its head downed it .

The other guard paled, backing way .

"Crock's a.s.s, crock's toe, she's a monster . "

Chika grinned, pink aura radiating around her like the aura of the su . Before the monster could take his next break, she had a second dagger, well a large kitchen knife, plunged into its throat .

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A forth lizard guard wearing a red robe appeared . The overseer . He spoke with a voice that sounded like a man struggling with a heavy weight .

"Crock's toe, worm, I'll toast ya . You won't be stopping this operation . "

Chika allowed her foresight to reveal the lizardman's nature . It showed a little information, but enough for her to keep in mind in case she needed answers later .

Lizard Wizard

Level: 26

Gist: lizard sorcerer monster that specializes in fire .

Chika pulled out her last hidden dagger, sending it flying . The wizard thrusted a hand forward . A fireball leapt from its scaly palm, confronting the weapon, melting it . Exactly what the young woman wanted .

[Chika activated Source hunter . ]

The lizard could only scream when she simply appeared in front of him, midair, her hands on his head . A hard twist instantly killed the pest .

[Achievement earned: Defeat two or more enemies in a row using head twists! You go girl!]

Source hunter was the young woman's newest skill, learned from raising her power level . Within a certain range, she could instantly teleport in front of anyone that used a weapon or casted magic . Source hunter also gave her a fifty percent boost for the next attack .

After making sure there were no hidden guards, she left, deciding it was best not to disturb the bombs, just in case they were sensitive . Some powders reacted badly to air, according to a TV show she once watched . If the dimensional door didn't vanish, she'd simply call the cops .

Present at Clyde's apartment… .

All mouths were agape, eyes staring at the silver-haired young woman in wonder . Clyde feared and respected her .

"Thanks for saving our lives," he said, honestly . "But…who could've set this up? Any idea, Alice?"

The demoness was frowning, eyes flas.h.i.+ng with indignation . Chika nestled next to Clyde .

"I'm not sure," Alice said, "but I have a suspicion . "

"A suspicion? Who?" Harumi said .

"I think my cousin knows who . " She stood . "I…" She looked at the cake . "Well, after we finish eating—then I'll go . "

Everyone burst into laughter .

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