Chapter 133.1. Retrieval
The defender sighed, shoulders slumping, exhaling fatigue. My mana levels were depleted, with just around 30 remaining. When mana runs out, the old man transforms into a useless form.
Honestly, this unexpected battle has taken a toll. My mana is depleted, and Shizuku is seriously injured. Forced teleportation from detection was unexpected. We must find a solution. If it weren't for Yukika, we might have been wiped out.
"Let's hurry and retrieve fuel for the generator. If we can't, we'll destroy it on our way back."
Shizuku, who came closer, suggested, but it's a dilemma.
"Shizuku, Release All Units. You've taken quite a beating, right?"
My legs are pierced and covered in blood, and my body is battered. The old man is worried. We need to release all summons to recover quickly.
Shizuku shakes her head with a serious expression, looking at me.
"It's still dangerous. I'll stay by your side, Sakimori-san."
"Don't be reckless. Yukihana will guard here, so rest assured and take a break."
"That's right. Shizuku might be a hindrance in that state. Leave it to Yukihana-chan."
Proudly swelling her chest, Yukika eagerly accepts the responsibility. It seems harsh, but I agree. Shizuku is at her limit.
However, Shizuku firmly refuses with a strong tone.
"No way!"
I gaze into her determined eyes, wondering if there are still formidable enemies.
"It's impossible! We'll escape from underground just the two of us. How does that sound? A man and woman who barely survived the hellish battlefield. In a movie, there'd be end credits in the background, and they'd kiss and become lovers. By the way, the heroine usually breaks up with the hero at the end."
It was a truly ridiculous reason. Yeah, I know there are movies like that in a series. This is reality.
"It's a more formidable enemy than the Crystal Golem! She'll probably pretend not to care and then blush later. This girl is like that!"
[Release All Units]
My partner, annoyed by my scolding, pouts with jealousy. I store the noisy Jealous Angel away.
"...Make sure you don't turn into a yandere."
Sighing, Shizuku, with half-open eyes, seems unconcerned. She doesn't need to worry. Shizuku loves over-the-top nonsense. Well, sometimes it's troublesome.
"Now, let's move forward. Does this Golem have a Monster Core? What about Crystal Zombies? Do they have one inside?"
Regaining focus, I return to a serious discussion. Shizuku, now in a ghostly form, snarls and pretends to bite my head, but I'll ignore that. Shizuku seems to have switched to serious mode quickly.
[Crystal Zombies shouldn't have a core. They're in power-saving mode and weren't moving? It's evidence that they don't have a core. Crystal Golem should have absorbed the Blaster's core to create its own, so it should have one. In return, the Blaster's fuel should have lost its power.]
Good, relieved that Shizuku is back to normal, I absorb the Golem's Core. The next target is the severed arm.
[Magic Rare B Monster Core]
It absorbed just like the usual Core. Next, I reach for the severed arm of the Crystal Golem.
It's a bizarre fusion of machinery and eerie flesh. Something is shining. It's a small crystal, palm-sized and transparent.
I gently pick it up, but nothing happens. What's this? Shizuku and Yukika seem disappointed, thinking it would absorb.
"Too bad. I hoped we could treat the Element like a Core."
"Yeah... even though it was something better off not using, I hoped it would work since I made it. The Element itself is just a lump of energy."
The two hesitate, seeming to know various things, but they don't seem willing to share. It's the usual.
I kick the crystallized remains of the Crystal Golem. Ash scatters, revealing a red core in the center. It'll become more brittle than glass soon.
I reach out and absorb it.
[Rare B Monster Core]
It absorbed like the usual Core. Next, I reach for the severed arm.
The eerie fusion of machinery and flesh, reveals a small crystal. It looks like a transparent crystal.
I try to absorb it, but nothing happens. What's this? Shizuku and Yukika seem disappointed, thinking it would absorb.
"Too bad. I thought you'd do something, Master."
"Expecting something and getting disappointed on your own? You're doing it on your own, right?"
I can only give a wry smile at their words. Their expectations are too high. Are Elements and Monster Cores of the same standard? They seem to be.
They notice my puzzled expression. Shizuku sighed sadly and changed her expression as if she had forgotten the current topic. Yukihana, too, despite noticing Shizuku's expression, doesn't change her expression.
I somehow get a vague idea from their figures.
Hmm, I see. They avoid the topic unnaturally. Does talking activate protection? They can mention words of interest, but the core of the conversation cannot be discussed. Can they remember the conversation if they avoid it? If they want to talk, the protection activates at that moment. I don't know when it activates. But even if they avoid it, they still remember the conversation.
So, Shizuku avoids it for a reason. Classified information. The fairy machine's protection? Both Shizuku and Yukika. It seems that both have the same attitude towards the same topic. They have different personalities. Shizuku might feel guilty, but she doesn't mind. I need to do something. The method is predictable, but it seems that the level is not enough yet.
You can mention the topic a little, so there is a gap. I need to handle this topic carefully. Let's leave it for a while. Until I can change the performance of items at the equivalent exchange store.
Reaching the generator's location, I wipe off my sweat and enter. Despite having no mana, being in a dangerous place made me more tense than expected.
The generator, like before, was there in the darkness. It hasn't been destroyed.
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