33 Plant manipulation
The goal is to stay in Zhreta.
And for that, the first objective falls on not dying.
Which is hard to say with a portal outsidde of town.
MDW Ministress' promise?
Do people truly rely on government statements these days?
No way, no way!
…
…
So there he was.
Cutting fruits with a finger.
Sometimes a mango and sometimes an apple.
The sugary juices splashed on the cutting board, and those pomaces fell by obvious gravity.
[CRITICAL +10]
[5 FRUIT COMBO +5]
[SLICE!]
[1 HITS]
[2 HITS]
[3 HITS]
[4 HITS]
[5 HITS]
[6 HITS]
[7 HITS]
…
[16 HITS]
[17 HITS]
…
[23 HITS]
[ +23!!! ]
…
"I can't with this anymore!"
Sebastian threw the tablet aside, stretched out his fingers, and closed his eyes tightly as if doing that would ease the discomfort of seeing double.
Because last night he discovered that the system worked with mobile games too, Sebastian downloaded back all the ones that he once erased.
They could be from five to seven years ago, literal childhood games, as his account has remained the same this whole time.
Doing what is productive, he has been trying to complete the quests, but this time, it was no longer accumulative labor but certain skill and experience what was required:
[ Mission: reach 3000 points in arcade mode ]
Seeing the '545' on the left top corner, he knew he had a long way to go.
…
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
"Hmmmm, where are the monsters that suddenly attack the protagonist when he's on a just slightly dangerous location?"
Sebastian looked at the horizon as he used his [Triple Continuous Fireball] on the nearest rock.
Normal for an ability that can 'kill' a person in the game, the rock was destroyed completely after the third explosive impact.
This was him practicing the ability he just got yesterday but didn't have the time or space to try it out.
In the surroundings, there was no grass with good shape left. Result of consuming his mana to point just enough for self-defense in case of unexpected situations.
Of course, the 'unexpected' would carry less surprise as he is looking forward to a flexing point to occur.
"Hey, Peter, why no 'monster tide' has happened yet? We all know I'm the protagonist." He looked at the marionette, which now seemed to have a name.
"...….….….….…"
"Oh, silly me, I'm not in an adventurer group with a pretty girl whose only purpose is to observe how I show off my unordinaryness and then fall in love."
"...…....….…."
"Peter, I know you don't have a mouth, but you have to speak."
"...…..….…....."
"You get it? It's that 'I know you're blind, but you gotta see this' meme."
".....…..….…..."
"We really need more communication, I can search a sign language manual for ya… if you want."
"....….…..….."
"I wonder if there's any game about sign language, what do you think?"
"....…..…..."
"Come on! You can shake or nod your head! It's not that hard."
"....….….….….."
"You're so boring Peter… hmmmm, maybe you have more of a Sam face. Come on, do Sam things, Peter."
"...…...…...."
"Are you ignoring me, Sam? I'll fight you! And you know how? I'll summon another Sam to beat your ass, just wait… wait…"
"Huh… I can't."
"Seems like two Sams cannot coexist in the same world."
"I'll call it the Sam Paradox."
"...…...…..."
The marionette finally couldn't stand the absurdness of his owner. His green metallic hands opened the car door and found the tablet, he then handed it to Sebastian.
"But I'm tired, I think…"
A knife was created on the other hand of the marionette.
Sebastian: ".....….…..."
[Help! The super-strong armored creature I summoned is forcing me with a knife to play video games so I can become strong enough to revenge my family that was killed by monsters!]
Haha, sound like a Japanese novel.
But Sam was not joking around, the knife was suddenly put on his neck.
'I'm being serious.'
That message was forwarded by the connexion existing between the two.
"Oh, so you do talk- OKAY OKAY! I got it! Put the knife away!"
Under the observation of the marionette who did not say a word again, Sebastian opened the game and began slicing his fruits.
For many reasons together, Sam looked like that green owl that would say 'Spanish or vanish' or 'take your f*cking courses before I take your family.'
The mana around slowly started to be dragged to the same spot.
…
11:35 a.m., highway outside of Zhreta.
Inside of a black SUV driving at regular speed, a young man around the age of 25 had his head leaning on the window. Headphones were plugged, the speed was just perfect to not feel any turbulence, but the landscape was not as extraordinary as the music delivered.
Overuse of figurative language was his on-spot opinion.
But, perhaps out of a need to prove that he has the same artistic sense as the singer, to see the same imaginary, he turned his full attention to the outside of the window, hoping to find similarities between the Rocky Mountains in the verses with the plastic garbage on the side of the road.
Suddenly, he pointed out of the window.
"Hey, isn't that our landlord?"
The passengers in the same car followed his finger, just to see next to a car a person with a familiar face.
Which wasn't alone. A knife, a knife held by a green tiny silhouette was put next to his neck.
"Yes! It's him!" One of his friends called.
Hearing the confirmation, the man immediately jumped out of the car still in movement.
His figure sprinted with high speed only seen in pro-athletes— the distance of over a hundred meters were reduced in a matter of seconds.
"Get away from him!"
A direct punch broke a layer of the armor and repelled its wearer.
Baam!!!
Dust was shaken off with the dragging of the body knocked back.
"Are you okay, Mr. Bercic?"
"?????"
Sebastian, whose gaze was still fixed to the apples, mangos, bananas, coconuts, and watermelons flying on the screen, was dumbfounded by the sudden violence he couldn't witness nor react.
Huh?
He looked up.
Sam was laying ten meters away, half dead.
He then viewed the person who gave the punch.
"Odell?"
A weird thought suddenly rose in his mind.
[The super-strong armored creature I summoned that was forcing me with a knife to play video games so I can become strong enough to revenge my parents that were killed by monsters was just defeated by my tenant that has been paying high-cost rent for a tattered apartment I brought four months ago… Does he wants all that money back? Is this a threaten? Help!]
Sounds like a best-selling in Japan.
"Don't worry, you're safe now, just let me end that thing's life…"
Odell's words dragged him back to reality.
After saying that, the man placed himself in front of Sebastian in way of protection, unaware of the weird face, or perhaps he simply interpreted it as 'shocked'.
His body changed to combat pose: every segment of his visible skin shifting to a grayish color, while on his arm, a long medieval-lance-looking pyramid replaced his fist.
"I've never seen anything like that. Is it a manifested animal? A human ability product? And why was it attacking you?"
".....…...."
The solemnity of Odell's questions inflicted on Sebastian's every intention to explain things.
This is embarrassing, what am I supposed to say? My summon was fed up with my nonsense, so he decided to unalive this unqualified owner?
Nah…
That is a ruthless creature that suddenly attacked me! Thanks for saving my life Odell, next month's rent will be for free! Just keep what happened here in secret.
Sam?
Who's Sam?
I don't know anyone called Sam…
Sam: (╬▔A▔)╯
…
"Is it provoking me?"
Odell observed the marionette that got up from the punch. First thing to do being flipping him off.
But Odell had not a hint of anger, inside, he was even paranoid.
'I've seen this before… it is a trap!' His eyes widely opened, using 100% of his brain capacity to draw the possibilities.
'If attack as that thing expects, any kind of things can happen! Explosion, poison gas, freezing, some type of controlling ability, instant death!'
Identical to a statue, not a single muscle fiber moved as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Maybe the best would be to wait for his friends' assistance.
But then, he remembered something...
"Hahahahahaha! You came to the wrong person, little thing." Odell laughed as he pointed at the armored creature, assuming by the provocation gesture that it had intelligence, at least whoever is behind it.
"My initial is the best to counter you!"
Sam: ???
Sebas: ???
Sam: Is he okay? Like… mentally?
Sebastian: I have no idea…
"I'll not fall into your trap" Odell continued to say.
Sam: ???
Sam: What trap?
"You're lucky Mr. Bercic, not everyone can get to see my B-class ability" His arms opened wide. "Plant manipulation!"
Sam: !!!!!
Sebas: !!!!!
Sam: "…..…..….."
Sebas: "..…...….…...."
Odell: ".....…..….….."
Sam: ???
Sebas: ???
Odell: ???
"Plant manipulation?"
The man opened his arms again, controlling his mana to walk the route that he has familiarized a hundred times, to say the least.
But still, nothing happened.
The breeze blew the garments of the people present, they were there, the three of them, looking at each other.
Sam: I'm being serious, maybe we should charge him less rent so that he can have enough for his pills.
…
Feeling both gazes, front and back, Odell had only one thought left in his troubled mind.
'Why there's no grass in this place?'
