Ank

Did that mean we would get the attention of the [Goddess] too soon? Perhaps, but hopefully, my twin sister and I would be already far away from her territory when we finished there, and it wasn’t like she’d come personally for us anyway. Nor like Hunah and I could just abandon people to the fate we went through before.

The thing that assumed the form of a pile of rocks by the side of the road didn’t know we came to finish it, and we’d take full advantage of this fact in a powerful first attack: I had already a [Treppaned Experiment, Level: 114] summoned and with all of its mouths already carrying their attack, prepared to spit at any moment; it coasted me one of the two expansive [Magic] potions, I bought, but I was also helped by a few even more expansive rings that augmented my [MP], which I bought with my part from the reward of the rank up quest.

Plus, after we pocked around the Cloud Fortress City for a bit and discovered that the sacrifices were set up for a ceremony already in the first lights of the next day, we used the Hunah’s part of the rank up quest’s money to buy her new equipment, which consisted of a new [Bronze Sword], which she paid an enchanter to imbue with “Ice” effect, and also an enchanted bronze set of armor to substitute the old leather, the new metal magically enhanced way beyond its expected capabilities.

My summon was hiding, floating far above us in the night skies, as my twin sister and I passed by the unsuspecting [God].

Then, when the target got into Hunah’s reach, I ordered:

“Now”, and then, corrosive black liquid rained all over the enemy.

The pile of rocks quickly disassembled and got back together again, but then organizing themselves in a vaguely humanoid form, as the [God] staggered away from the pool of acid beneath it. Or, at least, it tried to do so:

“[Weapon Soul]”, Hunah brightened her curved bronze blade with deer antler for handle, and swung it at the stone figure.

As the blade touched the enemy, however, no spark flew away, but shards of ice, as crystals of frozen water grew over the part of the [Apacheta]’s body that was hit, limiting its movement; Hunah’s sudden charge sent the [God] straight back into the acid pond, the enemy falling with its back right over it and covering itself with the vicious substance even more.

The deity clearly didn’t expect to take so much damage with those attacks, our [Title: Dungeon Finder] unknown to him, causing double the damage against his rocky body… Well, o be fair, I was also surprised that being made of stone counted as some “kind of corporal protection”.

We couldn’t see the thing’s [HP], but its despaired reaction was evidence enough that we dealt good damage at this initial contact:

“[Cosmic Children: Loyalty!]”, it screamed with no visible mouth, and, suddenly, its rocky body made of a hundred stones of various sizes started to crack all over, and, from these crevices, bright green emerald crystals emerged.

After its species name, now floated new text: [Level: 254 (+20)]

“Is it as strong as a [Level: 274] creature, then?”, I asked, frowning, as if the previous 50 [Levels] of difference from before wasn’t bad enough.

With a stomp of a foot, the dirt ground cracked beneath the [Apacheta], and the black acid spilled into it and away from the empowered enemy, and its moves broke the ice over its body effortlessly.

“Yeah, apparently so”, Hunah pointed. But didn’t hesitate in dashing for the offensive immediately. The slaves to be sacrificed couldn’t wait until after the night ended.

The [Apacheta] threw a punch against my twin sister, but she not only dodged the hit, but managed to connect a slash against the incoming stone limb, a trail of ice growing along the enemy’s arm. Still, the [God] was dozens of [Levels] stronger than us, and getting over the surprising newly learn movements of Hunah, it kneeled her right onto her stomach: the metal covering her belly magically shining, yet emitting crushing sounds, which echoed loud.

I haven’t just stood still observing, however, and when the deity remembered that I existed, I was already smashing the back of its head with a heavy copper ball-headed hammer. I didn’t have the same agility as my twin sister, but when the [Apacheta] tried to give me a crushing emerald-crystal-blanketed hug, a dozen blood spikes shot from ground, and hurled the deity high into the skies; a spell from my summon.

While falling, however, the enemy finally spotted the ugly floating creature up there, and with a brush, it shot a volley of green emeralds against my [Treppaned Experiment], destroying the body of the strong, but almost defenseless creature easily.

An acceptable sacrifice; it gave me enough time to conjure:

“[Summon: Copper Weapon, Electric Item]” I made myself a bow and a copper arrow infused with electrical power, tensed the spring to its physical limit, and, after shooting, I added: “[Make: General]”

I invested the 1 point I received from killing the [Water Lily Monster] (probably thanks to my Speedrunner title) into unlocking that spell, and even spent all my money on items which gave me enough [MP] to use it. I had high expectations for 50% stronger summons.

I went blind for a second, as the arrow exploded in fire and lighting when it touched my target; the night became day for a second, the earth shook, and the thunder was deafening. The deity became immobile while falling, and I was notified even through my blinking eyelids:

[Enemy Stunned!]

As I retreated and regained my vision, I noticed Hunah stepping forward and slashing again, taking advantage of the velocity and weight of the falling body: her sword scratched the [Apacheta] all over, and there was no rest for this last one even when it hit the ground with thud, Hunah kept madly slashing.

When my twin sister was forced to retread with a jump from an emerald-covered hand, the deity was already completely enveloped under ice, from head to toe, and I noticed: the thing wasn’t breaking the water crystals that easily anymore.

[Species: God, Type: Apacheta, Level: 254 (+9)]

The previous analogy that put that [Cosmic Children] skill as a fuel suddenly started to make more sense, as I noticed the “extra [Levels]” were quickly decreasing.

Still, the enemy was strong and still alive: the deity got back onto its feet, and engaged in a duel with my twin sister, who then managed to keep up with the slowed-down opponent.

I took back the hammer that I had not discarded, and went for the [Apacheta]’s legs, but this time, it was more than just aware that I existed, and the rocks that constituted its body rearranged themselves, and most of them moved to the [God]’s arms, organizing themselves in a very long and thin line: when the deity spun with its dozens of meters long arms, the wind whistled, and the surrounding trees were cut down in the blink of an eye.

As a wall of trees fell behind me, I was cornered by the deity, who went back to its more robust form. It was about to hit me, when my twin sister spoke:

“This counts…”, with some effort, but not quite pushing her limits, she carried a whole cut-down tree over her head. “As a weapon: [Weapon Soul]”

The tree blinked, bright red one moment, a common tree another, before my twin sister screamed and brought down the trunk over the [Apacheta], digging the creature into the ground in a single blow, as her “weapon” exploded in a thousand fragments on impact.

Immediately after the attack, there was a tense silence. Then, a crack, as the body of our enemy shattered and its corpse became mere common rocks.

The level up messages were still popping when we emptied our potions’ flasks. We still had people to save, and their buyers probably wouldn’t let them just go, after all.

I unlocked the summoning of the [Apacheta] with [Dissection], and immediately spent a point to learn it; Hunah collected some of the stones that once were a [God], and we headed back to the city, avoiding the guards who were sent to see what was happening.