*Thum!*
Consciousness came back to Nero like someone had just drop-kicked his brain back into his skull.
One moment he was floating in peaceful darkness, and the next moment every nerve in his body was screaming about how much everything hurt.
"Ugh... what the fuck hit me?"
His voice came out as a raspy croak that sounded like he'd been gargling gravel for the past hour.
"Lord Nero!"
Aurelia's worried voice cut through the fog in his brain like a silver knife through butter.
The relief in her tone was so obvious it made Nero's chest do this weird warm thing that he wasn't ready to analyze right now.
"You've been unconscious for approximately 2 hours and 17 minutes."
Juno's analytical voice provided unnecessary precision that somehow made Nero feel more grounded.
Leave it to the math nerd to turn waking up into a data point.
"Damn, that short huh…"
It looks like his VIT stat was still doing the wonders of regeneration.
But,
"... Ow."
When Nero tried to sit up, it turned out to be a big mistake as his entire body immediately protested.
Every muscle felt like it had been put through a meat grinder operated by an angry gorilla.
"Take it slow, you reckless bastard."
Mina's voice carried her usual tough-girl energy, but there was genuine concern underneath the casual insults.
"You scared the shit out of everyone when you just collapsed like that."
Blinking away the remaining fuzziness, Nero finally got a clear look at his surroundings.
They'd arrived back at the small camp, inside an intact room that provided decent shelter from the outside chaos.
Everyone was sitting around in various states of exhaustion, with Gilbert and Haori working together to treat injuries, while the other survivors were assisting them.
The gentle plant mage was growing medicinal herbs while Gilbert enhanced them with his Assisted Living Operation skill.
"How's everyone holding up?"
"Physically? We're all breathing, which is more than we expected 3 hours ago."
Ren was leaning against the wall with an ice pack on his forehead, still looking pale from mana exhaustion.
"Mentally? That's a different fucking story."
"We survived an SR-tier anomaly."
Jin's voice carried amazement mixed with the kind of disbelief that came from living through something impossible.
"Still can't believe we actually pulled that off."
"Yeah, well, credit where it's due."
Genya's chains were coiled around his arm in rest position, but his eyes were alert and surprisingly bright despite everything they'd been through.
"You two did the heavy lifting on that one… The rest of us just provided backup."
He paused for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh that seemed to shake off some of the battle's tension.
"Actually, before we do anything else..."
Genya's expression shifted to something more earnest, though his natural good humor still shone through.
"I need to properly thank you both."
"Thank us?"
"I heard what you've done for our boys… back at the camp."
His voice carried the weight of a father's gratitude, but there was also a warmth there, like he was sharing good news rather than dwelling on distance.
"We heard from you before about how they've been growing stronger, more confident..."
"More mature."
Ren finally lifted his head, ice-blue eyes meeting Nero's directly, though his usual stoic demeanor was softened by obvious pride.
"From what you told us about their training, their teamwork... they're not the same kids we left behind."
"Ha! The way you described Haru stepping up as a leader when needed..."
Genya's chains shifted with his animated gestures, his enthusiasm infectious even in their exhausted state.
"Kid's apparently mastered lightning magic and everything. Our tough-girl Mina would be so proud if she could see him now."
"Hmph! W-Who's proud of that gloomy kid?"
The tomboyish tsundere mom crossed her arms and pouted her face.
… It would've been convincing if there wasn't the faint blush from her cheeks and how her toes were wriggling in excitement.
"And Kaito..."
Ren's voice carried a note of warmth, his paternal pride breaking through his usual cool facade.
"Sounds like he's become the tank we always knew he could be. Protecting others, staying strong…"
"Yes!" The magical girl nodded her head bubbly in agreement.
"As parents... we owe you everything."
The simple honesty in their voices hit harder than any dramatic speech could have, but it was delivered by Genya, Juno and Ren with the easy camaraderie of men who'd found something to celebrate even after hell.
These weren't just grateful survivors.
These were proud fathers talking about their sons becoming heroes.
"... Jeez, it's not a big deal, we just did what anyone would do."
Nero felt a bit bashful. He could only scratch the back of his head while sighing wryly.
"... No."
Ren's voice was firm but warm, cutting through Nero's attempt at modesty.
"Most people would have run. You helped them through this hell and even guided our kids along the way."
"That's not something you forget."
Genya nodded vigorously, his good nature making the gratitude feel more like shared celebration than heavy obligation.
But then as if remembering something important, Genya introduced his bulky self and the almost dying Ren,
"Oh, right! I want us to properly ourselves… mostly, this guy."
Genya tapped Ren, prompting the good-looking man to introduce himself as his magical wife fangirled him.
"... Sorry for the late introduction, I'm Ren… Ren Kazuri, the father of Kaito and the husband of Yuki."
"Kiyaaa! I love you Ren-kun!"
"Hahaha…"
The two parents immediately became lovebirds, showing how healthy their relationships are.
And just as it was about to get even rowdier,
"Ahem." Juno cleared his throat. "… While this gratitude is well-deserved, we should let Lord Nero rest properly. The injured need recovery time, and we have strategic planning to consider… Both of you get back to your rooms."
"Right, of course."
Genya stood with surprising energy for someone who'd been through what they had, chains clinking softly as he moved toward the door.
"We'll be in the next room if you need anything. And hey, once we're all patched up, drinks are on me."
"Get some rest, both of you."
The still exhausted Ren pushed himself up from the wall while receiving help from Genya and Juno.
"And thank you again… for everything."
"Teamwork makes the dream work, or some shit like that."
Nero's grin was getting stronger as his brain fully came online.
The victory was starting to feel real instead of like some crazy fever dream.
"... Lord Nero, how are you feeling?"
Aurelia was sitting close enough to help if he needed it, her silver eyes scanning him for any signs of lasting damage.
"Like I got hit by a truck driven by another truck."
His honest assessment made several people who were about to leave chuckle.
It looks like they don't need to worry about his condition if he can joke like that.
"But alive, so I'm calling it a win."
"Ara ara~ You gave us quite the scare."
Haori's gentle voice carried relief as she continued working with the medicinal herbs.
"Collapsing immediately after such a dangerous battle... we weren't sure if you'd sustained internal injuries."
"Nah, I think I just pushed my mana too far past empty."
Nero did a quick mental check of his body, looking for anything that felt seriously wrong.
Stamina and mana exhaustion, check.
Muscle pain from the Metalloid Transformation, double check.
But nothing that wouldn't heal with rest and maybe some of those enhanced medicinal treatments.
His eyes lit up as he remembered something, but he kept his expression neutral.
"Huh?"
"Uh... nothing, just made me remember something but nothing crucial."
Everyone was looking at him with curiosity as his expression shifted from tired to slightly excited, but he played it off casually.
"... Alright then."
Juno stood up, his analytical brain already processing their next moves.
"We should also go."
"Good thinking."
Mina stretched her enhanced muscles, working out kinks from the battle.
"I could use some food that doesn't taste like monster blood."
"Ara ara~ I'll prepare some medicinal tea for everyone."
Haori's gentle voice carried maternal concern as she gathered her herb supplies.
"Gilbert, could you assist with the enhancement process?"
"O-Of course!"
The part-time frontline healer was already moving to help, his Assisted Living Operation ready to boost the effectiveness of whatever Haori prepared.
"We'll give you cuties some space, good rest everyone~"
Yuki's magical girl energy was subdued but caring as she headed toward the door.
But not before shooting Aurelia a supportive wink that made the angel's cheeks turn slightly pink.
Haori caught the gesture and added her own subtle smile, giving Aurelia an encouraging nod.
"Take your time, both of you…. We'll be right outside if you need anything."
Juno announced as the rest of the parents soon followed Ren and Genya as they left the room.
Within a few minutes, the room had cleared out, leaving just Nero and Aurelia alone together.
"..."
"..."
The silence wasn't awkward, more like the comfortable quiet that came from people who'd just survived something impossible together.
"Lord Nero..."
"I'm fine, angel. Really."
He could feel her concern through their mental connection, warm and protective like being wrapped in silver light.
"Just need a minute to... process some things."
Now that he is alone with Aurelia, Nero can finally let his excitement show.
'Time to see what goodies we got from that plant bastard.'
*Ding!*
The system interface appeared in his vision, displaying a list of rewards that made his inner gamer start doing victory dances.
"Holy shit..."
[Congratulations. You have defeated a unique creature named "Verdant Tyrant" (SR).]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Your passive skill "Greater Instincts" has been upgraded to MAX level.]
[Your unique ability "Metalloid Transformation" has been enhanced.]
[You have obtained an item: Verdant Core (SSR).]
[You have obtained an item: Nature's Wrath Essence (SR).]
[You have obtained an item: Greater Mana Potion (SR).]
His Greater Instincts passive skill had jumped a massive 3 levels to maximum, which felt like a complete overhaul of his awareness systems.
And there were these sweet 4 level ups too.
But the real prizes were the item drops.
And holy shit were they OP as fuck.
---
[Item Drop: Verdant Core (SSR)
Type: Enhancement Elixir
Description: The crystallized life essence of an SR-tier plant anomaly. Contains concentrated nature magic and corrupted divine energy. When consumed, all abilities and skills' mana consumption is reduced by 50%. Extremely rare and valuable.]
---
"... Holy mother of angels."
An SSR-tier consumable item that could permanently cut his mana costs in half.
That was like having infinite mana for most situations - he could spam abilities without worrying about running dry.
*Gulp.*
Nero gulped at the endless possibilities.
And then his gaze landed on the next item.
---
[Item Drop: Nature's Wrath Essence (SR)
Type: Enhancement Elixir
Description: Concentrated essence of corrupted nature magic from an SR-tier anomaly. When consumed, upgrades the level of any dark, corrupted, or evil-essenced skill by 2 levels. Single use only. WARNING: May cause temporary personality shifts toward aggression and malevolence.]
---
Skill level upgrades for corrupted abilities instead of temporary plant magic.
That could be incredibly valuable depending on what abilities he developed in the future, but the personality shift warning made it sound risky as hell.
And then there was the urgent item.
---
[Item Drop: Greater Mana Potion (SR)
Type: Consumable / Recovery Item
Description: A high-grade magical energy restoration item. Instantly restores 100% of magical energy reserves and provides +25% enhancement to all magical abilities for 30 minutes. Additionally grants temporary immunity to mana drain effects.]
---
"Oh, this is fucking perfect."
Full mana restoration plus enhanced magical abilities plus immunity to mana drain.
That was exactly what they needed to turn their desperate situation into something much more manageable.
"Lord Nero?"
Aurelia had been watching his expressions change with curiosity and growing excitement.
"Good news from your system rewards?"
"Good news doesn't even begin to cover it."
He turned to her with a grin that was pure satisfaction.
"We just went from probably dead to maybe having a fighting chance."
His enhanced Greater Instincts were already pinging with new information, like his awareness had been cranked up to 11.
"But first, let me check something."
Nero glanced down at the tattered remains of his armor set, which had been carefully removed and placed beside the makeshift bed.
Well… calling it an armor set might be an overstatement at this point.
The Ravager Chitin Set had clearly seen better days.
---
[Item: Ravager Chitin Set (B)
Type: Armor Set (Light)
Durability: 12%
Description: Crafted from the hardened chitin of a Burrowing Ravager. This lightweight armor provides decent protection while maintaining mobility. Perfect for beginners who want to look less like a walking target. +0.15 STR, +0.01 CHA
WARNING: Durability critically low. Armor effectiveness severely reduced. Replacement recommended immediately.]
---
"... Well, shit."
His armor was basically held together by hopes and prayers at this point.
12% durability meant it was about as protective as wet tissue paper.
'I need better gea–'
Nero immediately stopped.
An idea started to click into place in his mind.
'The Verdant Core cuts my mana consumption in half. Combine that with my enhanced Metalloid Transformation...'
His metallic scales weren't just tougher now - they'd be sustainable for much longer periods with the reduced mana cost.
'It's like having natural armor that doesn't break down from damage.'
The synergy was incredible. Half the mana cost meant he could maintain his transformation almost indefinitely in combat situations.
'But It's just a temporary solution though. Metalloid Transformation burns mana even at half cost, not to mention my pitiful amount of mana in my body… I'll still need proper armor against assassins or sneak attacks when I'm not transformed.'
Long-term, he'd need to find gear that could handle the kind of punishment they were facing. But for now, this combination gave him options he didn't have before.
'Time to show that manipulative bastard what happens when his pawns start playing by different rules.'
With that in mind, Nero swallowed the Verdant Core and Nature's Wrath Essence in one go.
He felt the changes on his body, feeling a mix of both hold and cold before disappearing completely.
Once he confirmed the changes on his stats, Nero wanted to share the good news with Aurelia.
But just as he was about to open his mouth… the system chimed, again.
[Congratulations. Due to your reckless endeavors, your heart pumps for more action. Your innate instincts run dominant.]
[You have acquired a new passive skill.]
***
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