Chapter 105: Sooner Rather Than Later


    ‘Liz is pretty strong. I’m surprised they had trouble here when much more numerous… Well, I suppose it’s because she’s strong that she survived. Liz was probably one of the strongest of the bunch…’


    The Paru Devoured more Crystals and,


    “Oho.”


    “Found something interesting?” Liz asked.


    [Your Endurance Stat increases by 1 Stat Point.]


    [Your Endurance Stat increases by 1 Stat Point.]


    [Your Endurance Stat increases by 1 Stat Point.]


    [Your Endurance Stat increases by 1 Stat Point.] [Your Endurance Stat increases by 1 Stat Point.]


    “Yep.” The Paru answered while staring at the series of messages. “These red ones are good. They can probably hold energy, like batteries.”


    “Like batteries…?”


    “Yes.” The Paru, who had been crouching, stood up and rubbed his stomach as he talked. “Deep red, kind of look like a huge ruby. If you see some of them, tell me about it.”


    Liz’s eyes narrowed.


    “How do you about batteries… And about rubbies?”


    “Does it matter?”


    “I’m just trying to figure out… What I’m dealing with.”


    The Paru let out a sigh as he turned around.


    “You’re a Soldier, aren’t you? Focus on the mission and stop asking meaningless questions.”


    “Hu… Ha? Meaningless? There’s nothing meaningless about-”


    “Oh. There are some there.” The Paru said as he wandered off.


    Liz clenched her fist as she stared at the Paru walking away.


    ‘Could he talk before? When we found him inside the…? Or did he develop the ability to talk after we got on Tyl? Whenever it is that he obtained the ability to speak, he kept it a secret for a while. Why? Why would he do that?’ Liz rubbed her face for a moment, confused at why she was this annoyed by the fact that the Paru had hidden it. ‘I mean… I get it. Even now, I feel like something entirely different is standing before me… Something… Someone else. I understand why he would keep it hidden. But do I still feel this annoyed by it? I’m not even sure when it was that he obtained it. I don’t have the right to see him as something else or start doubting him when it’s thanks to him that our trip on Tyl went smoothly, with zero casualties. Still, this confirms that he has, indeed, taken the Tsero Crystal from us…’


    Liz flicked her index finger at her thigh repeatedly.


    ‘I seriously can’t figure it out.’


    Twenty minutester, the whole area around the spaceship had been covered in a four-hundred-meter radius.


    More Cryllo and Cryna Hurna had been dealt with smoothly, as well as other Species of Visero.


    “Looks like the area is safe.”


    “I’ll need to find more things to eat.”


    “Do whatever you want.” Liz muttered as she turned in the spaceship’s direction. “I need to tell them that the area is safe.”


    The Paru scratched his cheek.


    “Anything else you will tell them?”


    “Do you expect me to keep this a secret? Why? You’ve already talked.”


    “I talked so that this would go smoothly. And it did. You agree, right?”


    It was true. Many times, each had alerted the other to the presence and appearance of Visero.


    “I suppose.” Liz muttered as she walked away.


    Sigh-


    ‘Well, I suppose them knowing now wouldn’t be so bad anyways. My words kept Liz safe when she didn’t notice that Cryllo…’ The Paru scratched his head, slightly annoyed. ‘It was much easier when I just thought about keeping them safe to make the ship work… Or when all I thought about was having fun. Well, I shouldn’tin about the fact that they’re actually likable and growing on me.’ He cracked his knuckles. ‘I’m thankful that they’re not all like…’


    The Paru’s thoughts trailed off as he noticed something in the distance.


    He walked closer.


    ‘That’s…’


    Arge crystalline structure that only seemed small.


    ‘It continues underground, but differently than the others. Plus…’


    What made it more interesting were the numerous holes that the structure adorned.


    Bringing his face closer, the Paru noticed that they weren’t simply holes, but tunnels.


    The Paru extended his arm, and suddenly changed, turning into a long and very sharp de.


    ‘I didn’t use much Skills in front of Liz…’ He noted. ‘Guess I didn’t want to weird her out. Although she did say that me eating them was cool… What’s up with that?’ The Paru thought as he struck the crystalline structure four times.


    It took four times to be able to pull it to the surface.


    ‘A Paru’s fangs deal with them easily, but otherwise… Granilith limbs are cut in one swing, while it took four for this-‘


    KrshKrshKrsh-


    The Paru brought his ear closer to the structure thaty in front of him.


    The next second, a thread exited one of the numerous holes,nding on his thigh.


    ‘Huh…’ The Paru held that very thin thread with a hand. ‘This is perfect.’


    He brought his face closer to the structure, and bit into it.


    Both the crystalline structure, as well as the hundreds of tiny Visero living inside of it were Devoured.


    Liz, once halfway between the Paru and the spaceship, turned back towards him, unsure what to do.


    By the time that the Paru managed to find and Devour three other simr crystalline structures,


    BAM- CRUMBLE-


    Both Liz and the Paru turned in the direction from which the distant noise originated!


    Pirs of crystals were being brought down in the distance.


    ‘Mm…’ The Paru had been thankful for those pirs, as all of the lightning bolts that struck since his first step taken on Serolia hadnded on those pirs.


    Meanwhile, Liz’s hand was shaking.


    “Fuck… Fuck. Fuck!”


    She prayed that she wouldn’t hear it, but she did.


    Just like she had once.


    A roar like no other resonated in the air, and another tall pir of crystal was brought down.


    ‘Don’t tell me it’s…’ The Paru clenched his fists.


    Tall pirs were being brought down in the distance. And if it’s keen on bringing down tall andrge things, then, no doubt, it would soon turn towards the spaceship.


    ‘Not… Again…!’


    Liz’s leg muscles had turned into stone.


    ‘What should I-‘


    “GO!” The Paru shouted, as he started running in the direction of those falling pirs. “NOW!”


    Liz’s body shook, as if the shout had woken her up.


    “Go tell them to get out of here.” The Paru whispered as he stared. Another distant pir fell, and an incredibly loud roar resonated again. “I guess it was going to happen sooner orter.”


    Of course, he had been hoping that it wouldeter.


    The Apex Predator of Serolia approaches!


    ***


    The Apex Predator’s body mmed against a pir of crystal, and those that covered its body flickered.


    With each pir that was brought down, the crystals on the Giganto Zi’s back started shining brighter and brighter.


    Eventually, the air started feeling different.


    The Giganto Zi loved nothing more than this sensation.


    It lowered the front of its body, while raising its backside.


    The Giganto Zi’s long and thick tail was extended upwards towards the dark sky.


    The next instant, its clouds were split.


    The Giganto Zi could precisely tell when it would happen, and it did exactly when expected.


    By destroying the pirs around the area, the Giganto Zi got rid of all thepetitors that could’ve taken it from him.


    It directed its long tail upwards, and aimed its tip towards the sky.


    At the end of the Giganto Zi’s tail was a crystal, shaped like a tall, thin, and pointy pentagonal bipyramid.


    Lightning struck.


    Quietly and silently, a blueish lightning bolt descended from the sky.


    Its target was the Giganto Zi. Or rather, the pointy and charged tip of its tail.


    The energy quickly moved through the crystals on the Giganto Zi’s tail, back, nape, and head.


    Before thunder could unleash its roar, countless sparks of electricity were flying from the Giganto Zi’s glowing crystals.


    Feeling unbeatable and ecstatic due to the surge of energy, the Giganto Zi lowered its back end and raised its head with a great roar.


    A momentter, the roar of thunder resonated, as if answering the Giganto Zi’s.


    The pleasure and sensation that came from being hit by lightning, and by absorbing its energy… There was nothing quite like it.


    The Giganto Zillo immediately spotted another pir of crystals.


    The Crystal at the end of its tail shone brightly as the Giganto Zi aimed the tip of its tail towards that pir.


    The next second, the upper half of the pir slid off its lower half.


    Thump-


    The pir had been brought down, cut in two by a concentrated, sharp, and incredibly fast beam of energy.


    Another roar resonated.


    ‘I’m supposed… To defeat that?’


    The Paru already knew the answer to that question.


    After all, he hadn’t received a Quest urging him to do so.


    Gulp-


    ‘I suppose there are some things I can try.’ The Paru thought to himself as he approached the area.


    The Giganto Zi mmed its tail against a smaller crystalline structure, waiting eagerly for the next time that lightning would strike.


    For the next time that it would feel the pleasure of Devouring lightning.


    A pleasure that the Paru, soon, woulde to experience.