Chapter 54. Unsealing
The Dog Spider transformed into a golden cocoon, and Melody Fox, who had been singing, collapsed into a deep sleep as if she had fainted.
[Kkyu-kuul…]
It seemed that the buff from Melody Fox had fully transferred to the Dog Spider.
Exhausted from the effort, Melody Fox had fallen fast asleep.
【Pururu】─What the heck? Did the buff from Melody Fox already take effect?
【Yumi】─Already? It’s only been two days!
【Mysticism】─😮
【Rizenova】─Oh! Has the Dog Spider started to evolve?
“It’s too early to say for sure if it’s evolution.”
Just as I said.
It wasn’t certain whether this was the precursor to natural evolution.
It could also be a sign of physical enhancement or preparation for a species transformation.
[It seems the Dog Spider received Melody Fox’s buff. I’m envious.]
“We don’t know what kind of change it’s preparing for, do we?”
[No, we don’t. From just that, it’s impossible to tell what kind of change will occur. I’m very curious to see what happens. I doubt even Melody Fox herself knows what kind of change it will trigger.]
There was only one way to find out what kind of change it would bring.
We had to wait for that golden cocoon to tear open.
Centaurides gently touched the golden cocoon as she continued.
[Whatever it is, it’ll be a positive change. I’ve heard that negative changes never occur with Melody Fox’s buffs.]
“That’s a relief.”
【Pururu】─I hope it’s evolution! But what’s the difference between evolving with a ticket and evolving from this buff?
【Yumi】─It’s probably the difference between natural and artificial evolution.
【Pururu】─But isn’t this also kind of artificial evolution?
【Yumi】─Centaurides said that evolution from Melody Fox’s buff is considered natural.
【Pururu】─I see.
【Pururu】─Anyway, I’m excited. The thought of seeing an SS-grade little one makes my heart race. Haha!
“Don’t get your hopes too high. It might not raise the grade.”
【Pururu】─Yeah, I know.
【Pururu】─But if that cocoon is for evolution, doesn’t that mean SS-grade is guaranteed?
“Even after evolution, the grade might stay the same.”
【Pururu】─Really? Huh…
Didn’t I mention that before?
I wasn’t sure if I had. Maybe I had just thought about it to myself, or perhaps Pururu had simply forgotten.
In any case.
Since the Dog Spider had entered a transformation phase, I decided to halt Team 2’s exploration for the time being.
“Dochi.”
[Do-doom-ba.]
“Since your partner is in a cocoon state, you should take a break from exploring too.”
[Do-doom-ba!]
Until the Dog Spider woke up, I assigned the Hedgehog Summoner to standby duty.
Meanwhile, I moved Melody Fox to the main base team.
【Pururu】─Kang! Kang!
“What?”
【Pururu】─If the little one evolves or changes, can I draw its new form this time? Is that okay?
“You want to draw it?”
【Pururu】─Yeah, and put my drawing in the monster index too.
“Hmm… I don’t really mind, but are you good at drawing?”
【Pururu】─To be modest, I’m not bad.
【Pururu】─To be honest, I’m really good. Haha!
“Really? Then go ahead.”
【Yumi】─Oh, I didn’t know Pururu had a talent for drawing. That’s surprising.
【Rizenova】─Quite surprising.
【Mysticism】─Very surprising.
【Pururu】─Shut up, you crazy people.
If the Dog Spider’s appearance changed, I decided I’d honor Pururu’s request and add their drawing to the index.
It was a request from an Assistant, after all.
‘Since Pururu claims to be good at drawing, I’m actually a bit curious about their skills.’
Whether it was unfounded confidence or real talent, I would find out soon enough.
Even if it turned out their drawing skills were terrible, it didn’t matter.
Even a crude drawing would go into the index.
I couldn’t disregard an Assistant’s sincere effort, and the thought behind drawing the Dog Spider was more important than the artistic quality.
‘Now that I think about it, who among my acquaintances was good at drawing?’
A few names popped into my head.
It was likely to be one of them.
‘Maybe I’ll learn Pururu’s identity sooner than I expected. I might be able to figure it out from their drawing style.’
I wasn’t too concerned about revealing Pururu’s identity anymore.
It didn’t seem like they would run away even if their identity was exposed.
【Pururu】─Oh, Kang! Kang!
【Pururu】─Also, if the little one evolves or changes, shouldn’t we change its name too?
“Probably. Why?”
【Pururu】─Then let me name the little one!
【Pururu】─I want to give my favorite monster its new name!
“Alright. Do as you like.”
I gave permission for the name as well.
That much authority was fine to grant.
It seemed Pururu had been particularly fond of the Dog Spider since the early days of the broadcast.
【Yumi】─Pururu seems really excited today. Even from the chat, you can tell their energy is through the roof.
【Rizenova】─It looks like they’re thrilled at the prospect of seeing their favorite monster change.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【Pururu】─Haha, I can’t wait to see the little one evolve. My heart’s racing. Haha.
After chatting a bit more with the Assistants, I decided to get some sleep.
Tonight, I slept next to the golden cocoon.
***
Day 28 in the labyrinth.
There was still no change in the golden cocoon.
However, something surprising had happened to my body.
“…What’s going on?”
I instinctively knew.
This was something even the dullest person would be aware of.
Because my body, which had been close to that of an ordinary person, had suddenly surpassed the realm of superhuman overnight.
I asked the Assistants who had tuned into the broadcast.
“Can any of you tell me how many seal markings are on my back?”
【Pururu】─Huh? What? One of the circular marks is gone!!!
【Yumi】─What? Didn’t you say those were seal marks?
【Rizenova】─Could it be that a seal has been lifted?
【Mysticism】─😱
“It seems like it. One of them has definitely disappeared, right?”
【Pururu】─Yeah! There are only four circle marks now!
One of my seals had been lifted.
Not all of them, but with one of the circular marks gone, it meant that the first stage of the seal had been broken.
【Pururu】─Since only one was removed, the seal isn’t completely undone.
【Pururu】─So what’s your danger level now, Kang?
“B-grade.”
【Pururu】─Is that B-grade after being nerfed, or is your original strength B-grade?
“My original strength is B-grade.”
【Pururu】─If your original strength is B-grade, wouldn’t you be D-grade after being nerfed?
“No. I’m still B-grade. The Explorer’s innate strength doesn’t get nerfed, remember? Azeras told us that before, don’t you remember?”
【Pururu】─? When did they tell us that?
【Yumi】─Probably mentioned it briefly before bed. I don’t remember clearly either.
【Mysticism】─😐
【Rizenova】─It’s remarkable that just one stage of the seal being released has made you so powerful…
【Pururu】─But how did you unseal it? Did you tame a monster that unlocks seals in the middle of the night?
【Yumi】─I don’t see any new monsters around.
【Pururu】─Then did the seal just naturally break?
“I don’t think it was a natural release…”
I glanced to my left.
Melody Fox was still sound asleep.
It seemed that her buff had affected me as well.
And as a result of that buff, one of my seals had been lifted.
There was no other explanation for why the seal had been undone.
“I think it’s thanks to Melody Fox.”
【Yumi】─Oh. The power in Melody Fox’s song broke the seal?
【Pururu】─Her buff can break seals too? That’s insane.
【Mysticism】─Such a versatile buff! Amazing!
【Rizenova】─It seems the full extent of the power contained in the song has yet to be revealed.
As Rizenova said, it appeared that the power of Melody Fox’s song was incredibly vast.
Even Centaurides hadn’t known it could break seals.
‘Could it be that every beneficial effect imaginable happens?’
It wasn’t impossible.
After all, Melody Fox was an S-grade monster.
And if I kept Melody Fox by my side, I had a feeling that eventually, all my seals would be undone.
Perhaps they would only release up to the third stage.
If I reached the third stage, I would become S-grade, just like Melody Fox.
Probably.
‘She really was an unexpected treasure, like winning the lottery.’
Anyway, now that one of my seals was undone, I felt much safer.
Now, I didn’t have to worry about losing my life in vain if I encountered a labyrinth monster without buffs.
My actual danger level was S-grade, but it had been nerfed to B-grade.
And while I was at B-grade, the nerf didn’t affect me.
In other words, I could handle most monsters on my own.
‘Should I try it out?’
To celebrate the release of the seal, I decided to put my newly freed power to the test.
*
*
*
I didn’t engage in any real combat despite unlocking my power.
There was no need to risk my life fighting a monster that matched my strength.
Instead, I conducted a mock battle with one of my tamed monsters.
[Kee-reeek…! Why is your body so tough?]
Psycho Clown used its super speed ability to attack my fingers.
Just like in our first encounter.
But this time, Psycho Clown’s attack didn’t work.
Unlike back then, my fingers remained unscathed.
“My body is tougher than I expected… I still can’t quite match Clown’s speed, but if I get used to it, I’ll be able to react when it gets close.”
As I muttered to myself.
Psycho Clown used its super speed ability again to close the distance between us.
I quickly reacted and swung my fist.
Bam!
My punch landed squarely on Psycho Clown’s abdomen, and his body bounced off the ground, flying far away.
[Beeeep! Beep! Beeeeeep!]
Medical Mushroom hurriedly flew over to Psycho Clown and sprayed pink liquid all over his body.
The injuries weren’t that serious.
[Gauntlet has suddenly become much stronger. Kee-reeek…]
[Beeeep. Beeep.]
【Pururu】─Whoa. You’re fighting Clown on equal terms now.
【Yumi】─Seriously. You’re amazing…
【Rizenova】─Impressive…
【Mysticism】─If all the seals are broken, you really might become SSS-grade!
【Pururu】─Mysti, tone down the chatting. Stick to your persona.
【Mysticism】─😝
That was the end of the mock battle.
I’d confirmed the strength of my unsealed power, and that was enough for now.
“Clown. You did well.”
[Kee-reeek. You too, Gauntlet. And the mock battle was fun. Let’s do it more often.]
After that.
I left the sleeping Melody Fox and the golden cocoon under the guard of the Magma Slime, while the rest of the monsters and I headed to the pond to wash up.
Magma Slime didn’t need to wash, after all.
‘It’s much more convenient now that I don’t always have to bring Magma Slime with me everywhere.’
After cleaning myself up.
I returned to the hideout and looked over at Melody Fox, who was resting on the mattress.
She was still fast asleep.
She had probably used up a lot of energy.
It didn’t seem like she would wake up anytime today.
The golden cocoon hadn’t shown any signs of change either.
Since it wasn’t an evolution triggered by a ticket, there wasn’t a timer displayed.
‘It’s taking longer than expected.’
No matter how long it took, I decided to wait patiently.
The longer it took, the better the change would be, I hoped.
***
Day 30 in the labyrinth.
[Kkyuuuuah!]
Melody Fox, who had been in a deep sleep, yawned and woke up.
And almost at the same time.
Crrraaack-!
The golden cocoon began to tear open.