Ch.422422 – Meta Confrontation

# 422 – Meta Showdown

While I was contemplating how to teach those insolent seniors trapped in the defensive barrier a lesson, the ringleader—Orcatch, the head of the Plant Club—raised an objection.

“We may have lost due to lack of strength, but the fact remains that mandrake isn’t yours.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t say such things in front of someone who’s thinking about how to punish people who trapped her!”

“Do as you please. But we won’t take this lying down. Rumors that you stole someone’s precious treasure will definitely spread.”

Orcatch isn’t a combat-focused third-year.

He’s a third-year with the Treasure Hunter class, specialized in exploration and treasure excavation!

Among them, he’s someone who took up searching for and collecting relatively dangerous and unpopular plant-type rare monsters as a side job, eventually rising to become the club president.

‘If I had just followed this senior around until his graduation, I could have seen all kinds of plant monsters and completely filled the plant tab in my monster encyclopedia!’

But after extracting all his knowledge, I no longer needed Orcatch’s help.

“Hmph. Then I’ll spread rumors that you’re garbage who ruined my baby’s upbringing by teaching it shabby and messy techniques!”

While Orcatch remained silent, the club members beside him who had their hands raised became agitated.

“Our techniques aren’t shabby or messy!”

“What’s wrong with our highly effective rapid growth techniques taught to first-years and the debuff combos learned in second year?”

“We even held back on using third-year techniques, and you’re complaining? If we hadn’t been thinking about cost and had used all our expensive materials, we wouldn’t have lost so easily!”

“But you still lost, right?”

“Ugh.”

“I want to give her a knuckle tap.”

Tremble all you want.

You’re the ones trapped!

From the moment third-years get caught by a first-year, they’re the ones who’ll suffer irreversible damage to their reputation if they start a diss battle, not me.

But Orcatch is the head of the Plant Club.

He’s not someone who would take this lying down.

“Fine, I admit it. If we both spread rumors about each other, we’ll suffer more damage. But if we’re prepared for that, you won’t get away unscathed either. At least I have the connections and confidence for that.”

With the “Scary Child” penalty already making it difficult to increase new likability, having rumors spread about being a bad child who stole someone else’s baby wouldn’t be beneficial.

━━━

*Scary Child*: Your every move makes people tremble in fear. It becomes more difficult to gain anyone’s favor.

━━━

*Guide of Salvation*: As a result of saving the world from destruction multiple times, you have become the world’s hope.

-Title Equip Effect: Blessing <Infinite Respect> activated

-Title Possession Effect: Basic likability of all things increased by 10

━━━

Of course, thanks to the counter effect of the Guide of Salvation title, I have a basic likability of 10.

But 10 is a really small number.

It’s not enough to feel secure.

Back when I was <AllInOnStrengthOneHitCharacterILike Marine>, I remember giving insect gifts collected over three months only to have likability decrease rather than increase.

In a world where kindness isn’t purely accepted, if bad rumors spread, likability will plummet while wariness and hostility will skyrocket.

“Hmph. I don’t want to eat alone anymore.”

“Boss, looks like this kid used to eat alone.”

“I feel a bit sorry for her. Maybe we should let her off?”

“Are you guys crazy?”

Orcatch looked at his members with disbelief.

“How can you fall for a few words just because the kid is cute and pitiful? In the end, we lost the mandrake and got beaten up. Do you want to go back with our reputation damaged after getting beaten without fighting back, all for nothing?”

But I’m starting to like him.

He didn’t get beaten by a baby because he lacked skill, but because he held back when he could have counterattacked.

This changes things.

Looking closely, the baby’s roots are more plump than before, and its movements are more agile, showing it’s grown quite a bit.

‘It would have been nice if it had stayed quietly in the bottle and used all its nutrients to bloom!’

Even if the flower that’s consumed as an elixir doesn’t grow, just drinking the water the mandrake has been swimming in provides sufficient medicinal effects.

If the baby grows healthily, I can steep it in water for longer, so there are positive aspects too.

“Since you seniors played with my baby while I was gone, there might be a way to forgive you.”

“What are you plotting?”

“I could release you without spreading rumors on the condition that you continue to play with our baby.”

Orcatch’s cheek twitched.

“Are you looking down on me? If given such an opportunity, I would definitely reclaim my mandrake next time.”

“Hmph. Your skills aren’t nearly good enough. Even if I release you, there will be additional conditions.”

“What conditions?”

“As I said before, I can’t forgive your messy and shabby techniques. So I’ll have to fix the techniques you teach while playing with the baby.”

“What?”

“I’m going to teach you seniors until you’re qualified to play with the baby!”

In response to my bold declaration, Orcatch let out a laugh.

“Well, well, well. Do you think third-years are a joke?”

“Whoa, the boss is angry. Look at him getting serious with a kid.”

“Look at that murderous intent in his eyes. Truly an embarrassing boss anywhere you go.”

“When the boss gets like this, only Professor Warerd can stop him. Should we get him?”

“Whose side are you on?!”

The club members, completely won over by the promise of being taught techniques, hid behind me and jeered at their president.

Well, by third year, they probably don’t have the luxury of saving face when it comes to getting stronger.

“Then how about a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“A duel using only nature magic. The judges will be the club members here. If my techniques are inferior, you win, and if you want to learn, I win.”

“What’s at stake?”

“If I win, you’ll obediently learn the techniques, and once you’ve built up enough skill, you’ll have to play with the baby.”

“And if I win?”

“I’ll go around promoting the Plant Club, saying there are such kind seniors who take time on weekends to play with babies.”

“Promotion alone isn’t enough. Get ten first-years to join the Plant Club within 10 days using your own influence.”

“Deal!”

With the bet decided, we moved to an open space often used as an unofficial dueling ground.

The baby, freed from paralysis, sat in the water bottle with arms crossed and a sulky face, watching the duel that would determine its growth as if it were someone else’s business.

With the Plant Club members and Alice also watching, I guess it’s okay to let the baby watch too?

“You’ve got the basics down. Bringing seed pouches and catalyst pouches.”

Seeing my preparations as I stepped onto the open ground, some of the anger that had filled Orcatch’s face subsided.

He’s an easy man, like those dolphin pants ladies whose likability shoots up just by jogging 10km together at dawn.

“Don’t make excuses about losing because you saved rare materials. Since we’re doing this, I’m going all out!”

Using rare materials in battle is like spending money and time like water.

The seed meta plant-nature combat is a golden spoon meta that not just anyone can do unless they’re someone with outstanding search abilities or the head of an organization with resource supply!

“Hah. You’ll probably just recklessly bring out expensive materials bought with the Foundation’s influence. Today I’ll teach you the true value of combinations with synergy effects, regardless of price.”

Orcatch proudly scattered seeds.

<Rapid Growth – Royal Jelly Grass>

<Bewitching Fragrance>

<Call of the Spirits>

Orcatch’s strategy was a spirit multiplication meta using royal jelly, which spirits and bears die for!

This meta, which controls anywhere from several to dozens of spirits with a single seed, is ranked within the top 10 seed metas among players, a fairly decent quantity meta.

“I smell it. The scent of royal jelly!”

“Where is it?”

“Just one bite for me too.”

Small rifts began opening in space with popping sounds as spirits started poking their heads through!

“Is that all?”

As I waited with my arms crossed provocatively, Orcatch gritted his teeth and scattered rare seeds in succession.

<Rapid Growth – Pew Pew Grass>

<Shape Transformation>

<Protective Barrier>

Pew Pew Grass, which shoots seeds like a machine gun while making “pew pew” sounds, spread out in front of the Royal Jelly Grass.

[That guy is trying to eat your royal jelly. Quick, get in the cockpit and defeat him!]

The spirits, their eyes rolling at Orcatch’s spirit language, sat in the Pew Pew Grass’s cockpit and aimed the mini-seed ejector at me.

“Is that all?”

“Two are enough to make you black and blue like our club members. I’ll pay you back exactly what you dealt.”

“Then it’s my turn now!”

“Hmph. Whatever seeds you bring out, it’s useless. The spirits will keep replenishing, and even if the Pew Pew Grass gets damaged, it will instantly recover with the royal jelly’s healing effect.”

“Hmm~ That won’t be enough.”

“Shut up. Stop talking and scatter your seeds. I’ll give you the luxury of deploying up to three times.”

“Hmph. I wanted to bait three, but since spirits are added as a bonus, I’ll be satisfied with this much.”

With those words, instead of opening my seed pouch, I pulled out a long stick from my backpack.

<Vacuum Cleaner (+5 Enhancement)>

It was the very vacuum cleaner that Senior Tetrapos had made after suffering three consecutive unlucky breaks.