2 – Predation

The Seal was released.

The window that had been appearing with messages changed in an instant.

[Devourer]

Ominous black letters.

Force emanated from the neatly summarized information window, consisting of just two letters.

Amel held the [Black Sword] in reverse grip.

At the same time, water fell over her head to quell the storm.

Before the water all fell and became a hindrance,

She plunged the [Black Sword] down.

“Hiss…!”

She stabbed the [Black Sword], imbued with [Electricity], into the smooth, jewel-like floor.

[Electricity] traveled through the [Black Sword] and burrowed deep underground through the ground.

Beneath the surface, a liquid resembling water filled the space, and deeper within, the [Devourer] was hidden. [Electricity] reached the [Devourer].

A subtle current touched it,

And she exerted a strong Force.

Imbuing it with [Frost].

‘Freeze.’

The identity of the [Devourer] was a Slime.

The Slime’s body was composed of liquid.

It shouldn’t be compared to the Slimes she fought before, but thinking simply, it was bound to be advantageous.

[Electricity] a little stronger,

Crackling.

Even stronger,

Crackling!

Even more powerful!

Crackling!!!

Amel drew out [Electricity] with unprecedented power.

The Magical Power of the Spirit Vein she obtained as a Lord possessed a much greater quantity than the [Magical Power] Amel originally had.

It was an incomparably large amount.

It was already more than double,

10 times? 20 times?

It was even more than that. Even comparing it to 50 times, it seemed more, and beyond that, it was impossible to gauge at once.

It could only be explained by the Territorial lord level affecting [Magical Power] as well.

As the level increased, the total amount of Stats’ effects also increased, so 180 points of [Magical Power] definitely exceeded 180 points at level 34.

She didn’t know exactly how much,

But now was not the time to calculate such things.

Amel drew out more power than the maximum output of [Electricity] she had ever used.

It was a realm she was entering for the first time, and because that realm was vast, she couldn’t unleash it all at once.

But she steadily increased the output of [Electricity].

The core of the [Devourer], which was in contact with the [Electricity], froze solid with [Frost].

This floor below was also filled with water, but it was a little more difficult to freeze, perhaps because it wasn’t ordinary water.

At most, it was just a difference of putting a little more Force into the [Frost].

She froze the inside solid, and the [Devourer]’s core couldn’t move.

Crack!!!!!!

Crackling!!!!!!

Bang!!!!!!

Kaboom!!!!!!

The overcurrent she was releasing.

A tiny portion of the unrefined [Electricity] flowed over her skin.

It burned the clothes she was wearing, and the falling water exploded and scattered as soon as it touched her.

Kaboom. Kaboom. When a large amount of water fell, a massive explosion lifted the water, and more thickly condensed water covered her.

The massive explosion created a vacuum of ice bubbles in the water.

Frozen by [Frost],

Exploded by [Electricity],

Amel’s body was struck by the explosion caused by the water, but,

“….”

Crack-!!!!!!

Crackling-!!!!!!

Bang-!!!!!!

Kaboom-!!!!!!

She held onto the [Black Sword] she had plunged in reverse grip, unwavering.

The curse left by Dragon Girl was still ongoing.

The higher the output of [Electricity], the stronger the fixed Force acting on Amel’s body, making it impossible for her to move even if she wanted to.

Perfect.

Thanks to that,

‘I can Focus.’

The damage from the explosion was just the right stimulus. A stimulus that pulled her previously relaxed body taut.

Amel smirked.

Even stronger,

“Hiss…!”

She applied [Electricity].

Kaboom-!!!!!!!!

She observed the state of the [Devourer]’s core.

It was intact.

“….”

Amel was annoyed.

The blood vessels on her face twitched.

[Electricity] even stronger,

Applying it even stronger,

She pierced the core of the [Devourer].

Receiving sensation from the end of the [Electricity], she poured strong [Electricity] into the [Devourer]’s core as if crushing and breaking it with her hands.

But [Electricity] clearly pierced the shell of the [Devourer]’s core, and [Electricity] flowed inside.

The more [Electricity] she poured in, the more the [Devourer]’s core filled with Electricity, and the [Frost] mixed with the [Electricity] froze the [Devourer]’s core, causing it to contract strongly.

She captured that sense of contraction and shriveled the core.

Creating differences in which parts froze more and which froze less, she tried to shatter it.

…She tried to.

‘Why isn’t it working?’

She tried to destroy it by pouring in as much [Electricity] as she could, but the [Devourer]’s core didn’t budge.

Not even a crack.

Not even a scratch.

Was it because she lacked Strength?

It was plausible.

Amel’s level was 34, and even her Territorial lord level was limited to 60 at most.

The power of [Electricity] also had a limit corresponding to the limit of [Magical Power].

On the other hand, the [Devourer] was a Great Devil.

Although it was a Slime, the level of the Great Devil was estimated to be closest to 100.

Even if she attacked its weakness, she lacked the physical ability to pierce it.

Nevertheless, why was the [Devourer]’s core staying still?

She had only assumed it was weakened because it had just been released from the Seal,

But she was starting to feel uneasy.

‘Just break already…!’

The expectation that she could handle it in one try. She had such expectations when the [Electricity] safely reached the [Devourer]’s core.

Because [Electricity] was, no matter what anyone said, Amel’s greatest weapon.

No matter how strong [Sword Aura] was, she only used it because it had its own unique advantages, but Amel’s maximum power was always [Electricity].

When the output of [Electricity] stopped increasing.

Amel felt helplessness for the first time in her life.

No, in fact, this was a familiar sensation.

Before Awakening her Ability.

It was what she always felt.

Was she too hasty?

Was she too rash?

‘It would be nice if even a little damage was inflicted.’

If that were the case, there would have been hope, but.

Did she think she could fight Chris and Jua, that she was on par with them?

Even they couldn’t defeat the weakest of the Great Devils alone.

‘Tch…!’

The [Devourer]’s core remained in its original state, even after being bombarded with so much [Electricity] and cooled by [Frost].

At that moment, as she frowned in helplessness.

…Crack.

Electricity sparked.

From the [Devourer].

Something was wrong.

Something was seriously wrong.

Amel felt it right after sensing the Electricity from the [Devourer]’s core.

That intuition instantly manifested into reality.

Crack-!!

The [Devourer]’s core was emitting Electricity.

Something was wrong.

The [Electricity].

Was being pushed back.

The Electricity emitted from the [Devourer]’s core pushed back Amel’s [Electricity].

“Wow…”

Devourer.

The word “eat.”

Did the [Devourer], who had seized the title of Great Devil, get the name [Devourer] simply because it ate a lot?

It couldn’t have been [Devourer] simply because it ate well.

Come to think of it, that was true.

She should have thought about it more.

Great Devils were beings that shouldn’t be faced mindlessly. They weren’t designed that way in the first place.

Just like Awakeners.

Like Awakened Abilities.

A target to be attacked with thorough analysis of the Ability and extreme compatibility against it. That was what a Great Devil was.

The game developers probably designed the Great Devils based on Awakeners.

To that extent, Amel, who was shot with Electricity by the Great Devil and countered with Electricity, felt the concept and intention of the [Devourer] drawn by the game developers.

It was being pushed back.

She was being pushed back.

───She was pushed back.

She was overwhelmed in output.

The [Devourer]’s Ability was to replicate the Abilities of what it ate.

Even…

The [Devourer]’s Electricity strongly electrocuted Amel, running through the [Black Sword] embedded in the floor and her two legs.

That power was more intense than the [Electricity] Amel had emitted.

…It was stronger.

The [Devourer] replicated the power of what it ate even more strongly and returned it.

Stronger Electricity swept over Amel.

Amel’s body was firmly captured by the Electricity, and all the hairs on her body stood on end.

The surrounding water shot up to the ceiling the moment the [Devourer]’s Electricity passed through, even spurting out through the hole in the ceiling.

Chizzzzzz-!!!!!!!!!!

Chizzzzzzzzzzik-!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amel,

“Uwoooooooo.”

Felt good.

‘So that’s why they blocked it.’

She understood why the game developers tried to block Awakened Abilities even while being criticized by the Players.

To an Electrical Ability user,

‘Electricity doesn’t work.’

Amel absorbed the [Devourer]’s Electricity.

The absorbed Electricity became Magical Power,

And the Magical Power produced even stronger [Electricity], piercing the [Devourer]’s Electricity and striking the core.

Stimulated, the [Devourer] generated even stronger Electricity.

A cycle of adding power to power up to the [Devourer]’s maximum output was running.

The [Devourer] didn’t know.

The [Devourer], which didn’t have eyes for Electricity, didn’t even know that the Electricity it was emitting was being absorbed, and it responded with counterattacks.

One-dimensional resistance.

It was impressive, but,

‘You met the wrong opponent.’

It really was.

If the opponent hadn’t been an Awakener, the [Devourer] would have replicated the opponent’s Ability and crushed them with their own Ability.

But the opponent was an Awakener.

The same Abilities don’t work.

The nemesis of replication Abilities.

The Electricity that the [Devourer] endlessly drew out scattered in all directions and eventually broke the crust.

There was no water left.

It had all evaporated.

The ground shattered and exploded, breaking even the path through which Electricity flowed, and the crust was split apart, creating gaps.

Thick flames caused by Electricity flowed through those gaps.

Bluish flame discharge flowed like threads through the split crust gaps.

The broken crust didn’t fall. The intense Electricity created electrodes on each piece of the crust, suspending them in the air.

Amel floated in the air above the collapsed ground, exchanging the [Electricity] she emitted with the [Devourer]’s Electricity.

As the [Devourer] drew out more power,

Crack-.

It broke.

Amel’s body.

Crackling-.

It was breaking.

Her clothes had already been completely burned and annihilated, and cracks burst on her skin.

The cracks that burst from her body and the shell of flesh she peeled away. Inside, a blue-glowing body composed of Magical Power was filling the space.

Skin peeling away like pottery.

Skin was cracking off like a shell.

A blue-glowing body was revealed.

Her Magical power entity, previously constructed using [Sword God]. As her Magical Power filled, it engraved its existence in space.

Amel didn’t know.

She didn’t think about using [Sword God]. She was filled with the Electricity the [Devourer] was giving her and was distracted by it.

She was lucky.

If she hadn’t constructed her Magical power entity beforehand, the overflowing Magical Power would have broken her body and scattered it.

Magical Power would have leaked out through her broken body.

She wouldn’t have died from being electrocuted, but.

Magical Power would have destroyed her.

The stronger Force was countered with a stronger Force, and the stronger Force was applied to Amel.

Because that Force was Electricity, a smile bloomed on her face.

Like someone who had fallen in love with something lovely.

Her face flushed as she looked down at the [Devourer]’s core.

Cracks burst on her face,

And it became a smooth, blue-glowing face.

The moment there was no more shell to fall off her body.

Her long hair scattered a brilliant blue glow and extended [Electricity] even more sharply.

The cave that formed the Subspace evaporated and disappeared, and the components of the evaporated cave were spewing out through the holes pierced in the Subspace.

The more [Electricity] and Electricity scattered in all directions, Amel and the [Devourer].

Only the two of them remained.

The [Devourer], which had lost all its water and had only its core left.

The [Devourer]’s Force, which reciprocated the applied Force with the same Force like a single-celled organism, was truly absolute, but the equilibrium of that Force was gradually.

Gradually.

Being matched.

When that balance reached equilibrium.

Crack-.

A crack burst.

Amel’s body.

The surface of the core.

The Subspace.

Burst all at once.

[Conditions met.]

[Initiating Rebirth.]