Tilea's Worries

"I deeply apologize for the other day!"

I approached the blonde girl once again, bowing low in a deep dogeza.

"No, no, please, raise your head. It's fine as long as nothing serious happened."

"But I can't let it go so easily. Even if it was unintentional, I almost did something unforgivable."

"It's really okay, I understand how you feel."

Understand how I feel? How could she possibly know how I feel? How shocked I was when she resisted my most potent poison? The irritation built up inside me as I bowed my head, my anger simmering at her clueless comments. I wanted to leap at her, but I held back.

She still trusted me. I was close enough to my target. There was still a chance. Acting impulsively would be the height of foolishness.

I suppressed my inner fury and raised my head, showing a face that expressed gratitude toward the blonde girl.

"Thank you, Tilea-san, for your forgiveness."

"Yes, but Yana-san, I've told you before, you really need to be careful when using wild plants. There are plenty of dangerous ones with poisons like that, so you mustn’t recklessly add them to your cooking."

The blonde girl started lecturing me again about poisonous plants.

Annoying. I already know that much. I'm Ryuko, the master poisoner. I know far more about poison than you ever will.

"You're right, Tilea-san. I apologize, and I’ll remember your advice in the future."

Her knowing expression irritated me even more.

But I held it in. I bowed my head again to end the conversation.

There's no point in continuing this discussion about poisons. At least I learned that she’s immune to poison. My most powerful weapon as a poisoner was rendered useless. My options were now severely limited. If I were a second-rate assassin, I would have fled with my tail between my legs.

But a true professional doesn’t falter when faced with such irregularities.

I am a top-tier assassin.

Even if one of my favorite techniques is neutralized, I have other strategies.

This place is a cave…

I've cleverly set up a barrier to keep people out. It's nearly impossible to find unless you’re a highly skilled practitioner. I had planned to lure stronger enemies here if they ever appeared. It’s one of my backup bases.

A professional always has multiple fallback points.

Since our last encounter, I had invited the blonde girl to this cave as an apology for the poisoned manju. The blonde girl is also a cook, so I knew she couldn't resist the lure of rare wild herbs. I tempted her by offering to show her a cave where such herbs grew.

As expected, the blonde girl took the bait and followed me here without hesitation.

"Really, you don’t have to worry about it. A place with rare wild herbs is something a merchant would normally want to keep secret, right?"

"No, no, I made an inexcusable mistake with Tilea-san, and I have no other way to make amends. This isn’t enough to atone, but please, accept it as a token of my apology."

"You're so serious. I understand your sincerity. Honestly, your words alone would have been enough, but I know that wouldn’t satisfy you, would it?"

"Exactly. A mere apology isn’t enough."

"Hehe, alright, I’ll accept it. To tell the truth, I’m excited. You said there’s something like abricose and faige growing here?"

"Yes, that’s right..."

Good, she completely trusts me.

I deactivated the barrier and led her into the cave.

Crackling sounds of thunder echoed from deep within. Lightning magic was raging far inside the cave.

It’s intense.

Even from this distance, I could feel the energy.

"Hey, why is this cave making those crackling sounds?" the blonde girl asked curiously.

"This is the Crackling Cave. The air coming into the cave causes the crackling noise to echo."

"Oh, I didn’t know there were caves like that."

Heh, as if such a cave exists, you fool!

This blonde girl really is naive. Even if she is a master of ancient martial arts, her poor reasoning skills are dragging her down.

Lightning magic…

Among the eight magical attributes—fire, water, wood, earth, wind, lightning, light, and dark—lightning is second only to dark magic in power. Dark magic is exclusive to demons and is practically unusable for anyone else.

Therefore, lightning magic is considered the most powerful attribute.

The legendary hero Raiden was said to have conquered the continent using this lightning magic.

Using high-level magical tools and special techniques, I have stored this powerful lightning magic within this cave. Over many years, I have meticulously charged this cave with lightning magic. After more than a decade, its power has likely surpassed that of the highest-level lightning spells.

No matter how tough a large magical beast is, or even an SS-rank legendary adventurer, nothing could withstand this. There is no living creature that could survive after being struck by such powerful lightning.

Blonde girl, don’t get cocky just because you resisted my most potent poison.

I’m about to unleash the lightning trap I’ve been building for years. This isn’t just a natural lightning strike. It’s an artificial lightning storm of the highest caliber.

Heh, this will be your grave.

"Wow! There really are so many wild herbs growing here," the blonde girl exclaimed with delight.

Well, it’s true that there are plenty of wild herbs growing here. This cave has been kept hidden by the barrier, so no one has been able to enter. There are likely rare herbs growing here that haven’t been disturbed by humans.

"Yes, yes, this is amazing. There might even be the legendary ingredient, Mugetto."

"Indeed. There are rare herbs further inside as well. You might even find Mugetto."

"Really?"

"Yes, you’ll be so thrilled that you won’t be able to stop trembling."

"That’s incredible."

It seems the blonde girl doesn’t know the meaning of suspicion. Without any caution, she moved deeper into the cave.

"Come, come, the best herbs are deeper inside."

"Yes, thank you so much. Huh? Why is it so bright up ahead?"

"Ah, that’s because this area is home to many special Hikari-take mushrooms. They glow so brightly that it’s like daylight, even at night."

"Oh, wow, nature really is amazing."

Nodding in agreement, the blonde girl reached the area filled with lightning magic.

Suddenly, the lightning that had filled the room converged on a lightning rod that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Huh!? What the—Aaaahhh!!"

The blonde girl’s scream echoed through the cave.

She had just been hit with over a decade’s worth of stored lightning magic. There shouldn’t be a single cell of her body left—it should have disintegrated into dust.

Fool. This is what happens when you underestimate the great assassin Ryuko.

Heh heh heh, hahahahaha—huh?

As I was laughing, I noticed the blonde girl standing there, completely unharmed. She was standing on her feet, without a single scratch, let alone showing signs of being electrocuted.

"Phew, that was shocking. Yana-san, be careful. It seems this place has a lot of static electricity."

"S-Static electricity?"

"Yes, yes, there’s a lot of static buildup. You know, even though it’s just static, you shouldn’t underestimate it. It gave me quite a jolt—it’s bad for the heart. We might need a sign warning children and the elderly to be careful."

The blonde girl started advising me on how to deal with static electricity, suggesting that I should roll up my sleeves and touch the walls to discharge it.

My ultimate weapon… she thinks it was just static electricity?

…

………

……………

You’ve got to be kidding me! That was a billion volts! How are you still alive? This is impossible!

Huff, huff, calm down. Stay calm.

I am a top-tier assassin. A professional can adapt to any irregularity.

I calmly analyzed the situation.

I remember reading about this in a document somewhere.

There is a method to develop magical resistance through exposure. By repeatedly taking damage from a particular attribute, you can gradually increase your resistance to it. For example, there’s a training method where you run barefoot through fire to build fire resistance…

In theory, it’s possible to develop resistance to lightning as well. If you keep subjecting yourself to lightning magic, you could naturally build up a resistance to it.

The blonde girl must have trained in resistance alongside her ancient martial arts.

But this was a billion volts! No matter how strong someone is, that kind of power should have reduced her to nothing. To have resistance strong enough to negate that…

She must have been exposed to lightning from birth for this to make any sense.

She must have endured years of near-torturous levels of electric shocks. The fact that she’s laughing now is a miracle—or rather, it seems there were side effects. This blonde girl’s apparent lack of intelligence might be a result of the training she underwent to build up her resistance. If she was zapped too many times, it would make sense if her brain got fried in the process.

So that’s it. That’s the reason.

Lightning doesn’t work on this blonde girl.

The blonde girl continued gathering wild herbs as if nothing had happened. Occasionally, she seemed to get hit by the lingering sparks of the discharged lightning, but she didn’t even flinch. Even the leftover shocks contained tens of thousands of volts—enough to fry a high-level adventurer—but they didn’t bother her at all.

It seems the third round is my complete defeat as well.

Blonde girl, how much more are you going to toy with me?

I’ve failed three times to kill the same target. Fine. I’m a professional, after all. I can’t let you live after this humiliation. I’ll keep going until the job is done!

**Several weeks later...**

I employed summoning magic. I commanded a summoned slime to carry a pouch of Wūpa, a spice that would pique my target’s interest. Despite the blonde girl’s abnormal abilities, I had figured out her personality. She’s a cook, so she’s always on the lookout for ingredients. If the slime carries a tempting spice, there’s a high chance she’ll take the bait.

The blonde girl is tough—neither crossbows nor magic had any effect on her.

But I found a weakness. She’s not very bright. The consequence of being struck by lightning since she was a child.

A professional exploits a weakness once it’s found. Even the mightiest fortress can be brought down by a single crack.

Heh, blonde girl, this time, this will be your grave.

I sent the summoned slime ahead of the blonde girl, who was walking around without a care in the world. This slime moves entirely according to my will, but it’s no ordinary slime. It’s a specially engineered slime created with explosive materials by the Arks Mechanized Corps.

Typically, slimes are composed mainly of water. However, I paid a high price to acquire this explosive material from the Arks Mechanized Corps. Through a special ritual, I mixed this material to create a volatile substance known as nitroglycerin, which I then used to form the slime.

Just one drop of this nitroglycerin could blow up a tank. This slime is a dangerous mass of that explosive liquid.

Not a mere soft-bodied creature, but a true explosive organism.

Heh, blonde girl, I understand that you have resistance to magic.

But what about physical attacks?

This is a new type of weapon—an explosive technique you’ve never encountered before. You won’t have a counter for it.

The Nitro Slime closed in on the target.

"Whoa!? A slime in a place like this? What should I do? Should I call the security force?"

The blonde girl seemed startled by the slime. She looked around nervously, unsure of what to do.

How could she be scared of such a low-level monster…? With all the power she has, can’t she tell the difference in strength between herself and a slime?

She doesn’t even understand something so basic. It’s clear now—her brain has short-circuited.

The blonde girl was backing away, as if she was about to flee.

This is bad.

I quickly moved the Nitro Slime toward her.

Look! This Nitro Slime is carrying your favorite cooking ingredient, Wūpa!

"Huh? Could it be…"

The blonde girl took the bait.

I moved the Nitro Slime in a way that suggested it was offering her the spice.

"Are you giving that to me?"

In response to her question, I made the Nitro Slime quiver affirmatively.

"Oh, really? Wow, you can understand human speech?"

The blonde girl let down her guard and eagerly approached the Nitro Slime.

Are you stupid!? There’s no way a monster could understand human language!

"Hey, hey, where did you come from?"

The blonde girl, full of curiosity, began speaking to the Nitro Slime. I made the Nitro Slime quiver as if responding.

As she kept talking to the slime, she suddenly paused and said, "Oh, wow, you’re that communicative… Wait a minute, are you actually human?"

Heh, how did she even reach that conclusion? She’s too dumb for words.

Anyway, her suspicion toward the Nitro Slime was fading fast. Time to seal the deal. I had the Nitro Slime respond to her questions to further gain her trust.

"I knew it! You must be human! So, what’s the story? Were you reincarnated as a slime?"

The blonde girl started rambling about "reincarnation" and something called "Nihon"—nonsensical terms that didn’t make any sense.

She’s clearly insane. She’s speaking in riddles that don’t connect.

I just kept having the Nitro Slime nod along to everything she said.

"So, you’re from Fukuoka? What a coincidence! So am I!"

By continuing to respond at random, it seems that my Nitro Slime has now been given the backstory of having been born in a place called "Fukuoka" in a country called "Nihon." And she genuinely believes that it’s a former human who died and reincarnated as a slime.

What kind of ridiculous fairy tale is this? She’s trapped in her own delusions.

Alright, it’s time.

The blonde girl had completely let down her guard around the Nitro Slime.

All that’s left is to wait for the perfect moment.

Suddenly, the blonde girl hugged the Nitro Slime, inviting it to her home. The slime and the target were now as close as they could get.

Now!

I triggered the Nitro Slime to self-destruct.

An ear-splitting explosion shook the area.

The blast was deafening, a massive explosion caused by the latest weapon from the Arks Mechanized Corps. She couldn’t possibly have resistance to explosives. This time, she must have been blown to pieces, completely obliterated.

Hahaha! I did it! I finally did it!

"Yes! Take that! Game over!"

Overcome with excitement, I pumped my fist in triumph.

Heh, heh, heh… Ah…

But as the smoke cleared, the blonde girl stood there as if nothing had happened. She was performing a strange little dance, singing some nonsense, but she was completely unharmed.

I-It can’t be… The explosion was powerful enough to blow up a tank with just one drop of nitro!

All she did was shout, "Wow, that was a surprise!"

D-Damn you! Are you mocking me!?

This was nitroglycerin! The latest explosive technology! No matter how high your physical resistance, you can’t just shrug it off like that. This is impossible!

Why? Why is she still alive?

In a move unworthy of a professional, I couldn’t control my emotions. I stepped out of my hiding spot.

"Oh? Yana-san, what a coincidence running into you here."

Oh, stop greeting me like nothing’s wrong!

I walked straight up to the blonde girl.

"Yana-san, you won’t believe what just happened! That slime exploded right in front of me! It really scared me. You can never be too careful with monsters."

"Why?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Why aren’t you hurt at all!?"

"Well, it was just a bit of noise and light. Even though it was a monster, it was just a weak one. Its self-destruct wasn’t all that powerful."

"That’s impossible!! There’s no way! You don’t have a single scratch! How can this be!?"

I couldn’t hold back my frustration anymore. If I kept dealing with her, it would destroy the very foundation of all my experience as an assassin.

I poured out all my doubts and frustrations to the blonde girl. There’s no way you should be unscathed after all that!

But all she gave me were vague, nonsensical responses, and in the end, she just said, "The human body is amazing!" as if that explained everything.

This is pointless. Talking to an idiot gets you nowhere.

What is this? What the hell is going on?

The human body? You’re not even human, are you!? Stop pretending to be one!

I’m starting to think this blonde girl isn’t even human. Maybe she’s part dragon, or even a demon. Nothing else could explain this toughness.

Her resistance to both magic and physical attacks is off the charts. She’s a monster.

Alright, fine. I admit it. I can’t handle this.

Heh, heh, heh, ahahahaha!

Fine. I’ll play my worst card. This might end up destroying not just a country, but the entire world. But you pushed me this far.

I’m heading to Santuario, the place marked as an absolute no-go by the United Nations of States. There, a monster lies dormant.

It’s said that this creature wiped out a third of the population in its time. Even the nation’s Seven Heroes couldn’t defeat it. Countless armies were annihilated. Entire nations were swallowed whole. The legendary Grand Sage barely managed to seal it away.

I’m going to unleash this calamity.

To defeat a monster, you need another monster.