I Hate Systems

A Haggon was standing atop a hill, constantly scouring through its surroundings, just like the Haggons—part of the Secret Society—that were posted everywhere throughout the Mohart Dungeon. Suddenly, it noticed two figures appearing on the shores of a lake, conveying through telepathy, "They've appeared here, Lady Hekatra."

Once it relayed the location, Hekatra processed the information, conveying the message to the Dungeon Boss, "Your Majesty, they have been spotted. They are currently on Level 3."

"Alright." Smirking, the Dungeon Boss gave a command to all the Haggons in the area, "Swarm them!"

…

A Haggon had been sleeping while drooling, using a large boulder to rest its head. Suddenly, it was jolted awake by the Dungeon Boss's command, instinctively gazing at the commanded direction, getting up to roar once.

Simultaneously, Haggons roared from every direction before charging towards the lake.

…

'System, save Raecha and Wakuta! Please!' Regriel screamed in his mind, flustered.

[Mental Energy: 33]

Ignoring his pleas for a moment, the Slave Harem System felt its Mental Energy reserves, worrying, 'This recent spatial jump cost me 76 Mental Energy. As expected, carrying along another person spiked the consumption. Thankfully, the objective has been completed.'

<Ding!>

[Quest Completed]

[Obtained Reward: Overdrive (Level 1)]

Once the Quest window displayed before his face, the Slave Harem System's voice resounded in his mind.

[Host, your companions are injured, but still alive. They have been captured as a wager to transact with you.]

"Transact with me?" Regriel was confused for a moment before he understood what his System was implying, turning around to see the bleeding figure of the middle-aged lady. 'She looks like she's on the verge of death.'

He then remembered what she had uttered before, asking in shock, "You said you were…poisoned by Domino?"

"Of course, who else?" The middle-aged lady coughed up blood, gritting her teeth as she wheezed for breath, "It was a last ditched effort on his behalf once I dealt him the killing blow."

"He's…dead?" Regriel was shocked, failing to understand how that was possible considering how mysterious Domino Plottopia was in his eyes.

"Heh, he was the last to be killed from the Secret Society." She snorted, "That's how we were able to obtain their accumulations."

"Stop!" Activating his Skill of Overdrive, Regriel slammed his barrier on the ground, flashing before the middle-aged lady as he swatted away the Armament in her hand, "I won't allow you to commit suicide."

He quickly tore out a piece of her dress, rolling it into a ball before stuffing it into her mouth, preventing her from biting her tongue to kill herself, "You'll live and implant the Warble on me."

Upon seeing that she was about to say something, he removed her gag, hearing the middle-aged lady say, "Heh, unfortunately for you, our death is guaranteed. Sprinkled on my body is a powder that acts as a bait to lure all the Haggons in the vicinity towards me."

"Impossible! You're lying!" Regriel shouted in alarm before refuting logically, "If that had been the case, why didn't any Haggon appear in your hideout?"

"You are really ignorant, huh." As the middle-aged lady was quickly losing strength, she laughed with a vicious glare, "The trees surrounding the hideout prevent this smell from wafting outward. We used this to ensure no one would dare steal our treasure. Of course, this is also coated on the Warble."

Saying so, the middle-aged lady suddenly bit off her tongue, grinning as she was slowly losing consciousness.

Her actions alarmed Regriel when he thought of something, quickly placing his hands on her cheek, activating his Minor Healing, noticing that its power had been amplified a bit thanks to the Skill of Overdrive, 'Though, it's nothing compared to the power I wielded when fighting the bandits.'

Just as her consciousness was dissipating, the middle-aged lady was shocked when she noticed her mind had cleared up all of a sudden, observing that she was able to feel her tongue once again, glaring at Regriel, "Bastard!"

"Heh!" Regriel smirked, "Even if you try to commit suicide, I will heal you. Just give up and surrender yourself to me. I promise I'll treat you better than that bandit."

Roar!

The roar of a Haggon alarmed him, causing him to look at the middle-aged woman in fluster, noticing her eyes curling up into a sneer. He quickly grabbed hold of her, slumping her on his shoulder as he ran towards the lake, intending to plunge her into the water to wash away the Haggon bait powder on her.

But, right as he approached the lake, followed by bubbles that formed on its surface, a Haggon stood up, grinning as it looked down on Regriel, slamming its fist onto him right away.

"Dammit!" All he could do was condense his barrier, coughing up blood as he was sent flying.

"Kyak!" The middle-aged lady screamed, also suffering damage from the force that sent them flying. Upon crashing into a boulder, the barrier shattered as the two rolled on the ground.

Minor Healing!

Regriel quickly healed himself, getting up as he noticed the Haggon casually exiting the water before walking towards him. He gazed at the middle-aged lady, noticing that she was about to die as her injuries had piled up to a significant extent.

'No, she's the only one that is able to implant the Warble on me! I can't let her die!' Regriel scurried towards her, grabbing her before he tore off his shirt, tying her onto his back like he was giving her a piggyback.

This way, he'll be able to run without feeling her as a burden. He seeped the effect of his Minor Healing into her while holding her legs, healing her to ensure she wouldn't die. And, it seemed the poison in her body had circulated further, preventing her from even moving.

Thanks to that, he regenerated her limbs without fear that she would attack him, hurriedly condensing the sphere around them, expanding it towards the ground as he used the force to jump backward, evading the Haggon's blow.

But suddenly, another Haggon crept up from behind him, kicking his barrier like kicking a ball, sending him flying into the air as it grinned, looking like it was playing with its prey before intending to gobble them up.

The force sent him reeling into the lake as the ball-shaped energy blade crashed into the water, floating on the water surface thanks to its buoyancy when a pair of hands grabbed it from within.

Another Haggon slowly exited the water, grinning at it gazed at the two preys within its hold, slowly increasing the force it exerted onto the barrier, causing it to crack as Regriel became pale with fear.

[Mental Energy: 19]

Author's note: December month's mass release quota:

Golden Ticket: 1 bonus chappie for every 12 GT

Magic Castle: 2 extra bonus chappies for every Magic Castle

Spacecraft: 5 extra bonus chappies for every Spacecraft

Read 8 chappies in advance in Privilege