Outside Old Reve Orchard — Ray Starling
After I defeated the Demi-Dragon Worm, I picked up its drop item, a Demi-Dragon Worm Treasure Coffer, and escaped from Old Reve Orchard while carrying Milianne.
I didn’t think about going to aid Liliana.
On the window screen displaying our party members’ status, I could see that she was doing fine. Moreover, there was no way that a miracle like what had just happened would occur a second or third time. I had the feeling that if I were to get full of myself now, then it would definitely ruin things.
“Withdrawing is the right choice.” Nemesis, who was apparently my Embryo, explained the battle situation like so. “That tian girl won’t die. She’s the stronger of the two, so even if it takes some time, she’ll win for sure against that damn centipede.”
“Even though you were just born, you seem to be more informed about this world than I am,” I said.
It appears she even knows about Liliana, so maybe she has memories from before she hatched.
“That’s because even if I take the form of a human, I’m not one,” she said. “Mysterious things like that exist. More importantly, Master, if you possess a thing called curiosity, then isn’t it about time you had something to ask me?”
Nothing sprang to mind. I didn’t respond.
I’m starting to get a handle on it, but Nemesis seems to be the type that likes to speak in a roundabout way, I thought. Well, I guess I’m not one to talk, since I’m able to understand her.
In other words, she was saying, “Hurry up and check out my abilities on the status screen.”
I looked at the status screen and saw that a category for Embryo had been added. I clicked on it right away and a window appeared displaying Nemesis and her parameters. Displayed on the window was the name “Maiden of Vengeance Nemesis,” and “Type Maiden with Arms.”
Additionally, there were ATK and DEF stats listed, as well as modifiers for each stat. The ATK and DEF stats applied when equipping Nemesis as a weapon.
So this is the same as normal weapons and armor.
The stat modifiers, however, appeared to always be in effect just by having Nemesis around, and they apparently weren’t just a set value boost to my stats. When leveling up, increases in my stats would also take these modifiers into account.
As an overall evaluation, her stats weren’t that strong. The modifier for HP was a bit high, but the rest were low. The ATK stat for equipping Nemesis was only about 50.
It’s strange to compare this with Bro Bear’s costume, but even after taking that into account, my stats themselves don’t seem like they’ve gone up that much, I thought. Well, I guess that goes without saying since Nemesis was only just born as an Embryo. But in that case, how was I able to defeat the Demi-Dragon Worm?
As I pondered this, I found the section for skills. Listed there were the two skills “Counter Absorption” and “Vengeance is Mine.”
The Counter Absorption skill was the wall of light that Nemesis had used. It had a max stock of two uses, and with each use, a wall of light could be created to nullify attacks. It replenished one of its stock every 24 hours.
And then there was the skill that had defeated the Demi-Dragon Worm, Vengeance is Mine.
This skill took the total damage received from an enemy within 24 hours, doubled it, and then unleashed that damage as an attack that ignored all defense. Even damage that had been reduced by other skills and items, or nullified by Counter Absorption, was added to the total.
But once the skill is used, it looks like the damage counter is reset for that enemy, I noticed.
“Okay, I get it now,” I said. “So that’s how I was able to defeat that Demi-Dragon Worm.”
Although the damage was reduced by the Dragonscale Wards, I did take three of its hits, I thought. On top of that, Nemesis nullified one attack with her other skill, Counter Absorption. So that’s four in total, and the damage would come out to roughly 3,600. Plus, the ability for Vengeance is Mine then doubled this to around 7,200.
I don’t know how much life that Demi-Dragon Worm had, but this must mean that it wasn’t more than 7,200 HP. Or maybe its head was a weak spot, and landing a direct hit on it had some effect.
“...Even if I know how the trick worked, it’s still a miracle,” I thought aloud.
The one-hit killer move had only worked because I had been weak, and my opponent had been strong. What had also played a big role was that I had overcome several near deaths thanks to the items my brother had given me. But more than anything, Nemesis’s skills had been a perfect match for the situation.
“The end result sure seems convenient,” I said to myself.
Embryos are supposed to be unique and based on things like one’s personality, biorhythm, and attributes, right? I thought. Looking at the results this time, it almost seems like it was set up. Also, a skill that gets stronger the more damage I take... I feel as if I’m getting treated like a huge masochist.
“A masochist, huh... I’ll have you know, this is the result of my having observed you, Master. There were no mistakes,” said Nemesis, seemingly offended.
Wait, can she hear my thoughts?
“But anyway, you said ‘observed’?” I asked.
“The zeroth form is a time period for Embryos to observe their Masters,” she said. “After observing their psychology and behavior, an Embryo’s first form is then born based on this.”