CH 49: Loophole

Alistair, smiling nervously :"(Did I ever tell you how pretty you look when you're angry?)"

Natasha :"Well I must be gorgeous right now because I'm fucking furious!"

--------------------------

"[We're getting close.]" Alistair frowned :"[The god awful stench is getting closer.]"

Serenity :"Yeah, I can clearly sense their aura now that they've gathered in one place."

After walking a bit, the sound of the squealing of pigs became more and more audible, until they came across their tribe.

"[Holy...]" Alistair's eyes widened as they looked at the numerous Orcs "[There must be around 100 of them here.]" 'Hahahaha, seems like getting my D-Class Absorption EX isn't going to take long!'

Natasha :"Yeah, definitely around a hundred of them. I can also sense the aura of one a lot stronger than the rest."

Serenity :"Must be their chief. Yeah, makes sense why they've developed so much. One of them must have evolved and then gathered the rest."

Alistair :"[Evolved?]"

Natasha :"Uh huh. Remember when I said when one reaches their max Level, there's a chance that their Job/Class may increase? That must have happened here.

As Serenity said, an Orc must've evolved. Monsters that evolve tend to gather their species as subordinates, and that's exactly what has happened."

Alistair :"[Ooh, okay, okay.]"

Serenity smirked :"So what now? Should we start killing?"

Natasha :"You don't seem worried at all. Sure, it's an Orc, but it's gone from D-Class to C-Class, you know?"

Serenity playfully rolled her eyes :"Psh, I can take care of C-Class monsters while blindfolded and my hands tied behind my back. A single one can't do a thing."

Natasha smirked :"You've got guts. But I guess your strength gives you the right to be confident."

Serenity :"Heh, of course~. So, what shall we do? Should we just rush in?"

Natasha looked thoughtful :"Hmm... no, let's leave it to tomorrow."

Alistair :"[Is it to make a plan?]"

Natasha :"Partially. But mostly, it's because of the state the monsters in the forest are. Because of Seph's power surge, all the monsters are terrified right now.

If we were to start a large-scale battle, there's a chance the hiding monsters will go on a rampage. Worst case scenario, a stampede will happen. We can't let that happen."

Alistair/Serenity :"[Oooh, gotcha!]"

Serenity :"Haaah, and I got excited thinking we could have fun. So what now? Should we just go back?"

Alistair :"[I think we should study this place a bit. Even if they're just Orcs, we should at least know the place of the fight, right?]"

Natasha smiled and stroked his head :"Good job, Al. That's right. If you want to plan an ambush, you should know your enemy and the place of hunting."

Serenity smirked :"I guess that can be fun too. Then it's settled!"

-

(A/N: Mobs' reactions won't be described whenever they see Alistair changing forms, alright? Just use your imagination, since I don't want to waste word count.)

A while later, the trio returned to the village. As the villagers greeted them, they went to meet the village chief. His house was bigger than the others. Probably to house the meetings the village would hold.

"Oh, Adventurers! You're back!" An old hunching man holding a cane smiled at their entrance :"How did it go? I hope you're back with good news!"

Natasha nodded :"It went well. We even hunted a few of them and found their hideout. But we'll be planning our attack today and attack tomorrow."

The village chief laughed happily :"I see, I see! I'm very glad to hear that! Then this calls for a celebration!"

Natasha :"Huh? No, no, there's no need for that."

Village chief :"Nonsense! The villagers have been worried about the Orcs ever since they showed up! It's only natural that we have a feast since they'll be gone now!"

Natasha :"Uuh, well..."

Serenity :"Why not, Natasha? It'll be fun and we can eat to our hearts' content!"

Natasha :"Well... haaah, what do you think, Al?"

Alistair shrugged :"[I don't see why not. It's better than sitting around and doing nothing.]"

Natasha :"That's true. Alright then, we won't refuse your offer."

Village chief :"Hohoho, fantastic! Then let's have a fun feast tonight! You can just have fun around the village till then."

Natasha :"You're pretty sure about victory though? What if we didn't succeed in the raid tomorrow?"

Alistair's PTSD hit him :'Raid?! RAID?! RAID SHA-'

Village chief :"Lass, I'm old, not stupid. Even if I were to ignore you two, you've got a mighty dragon on your side. Even if he's a young one, Orcs are no match for dragons."

Alistair :"[Heh, this old man knows his stuff.]"

Natasha smiled :"I see. Alright, then we'll be off."

Village chief :"Take care."

They exited the house, strolling around randomly as Serenity asked :"So what should we do until the night?"

Alistair :"[Is there anything entertaining to do? I'm bored too.]"

Serenity smiled :"How about we play some games while we wait?"

Natasha :"Hm? Like what?"

Serenity :"All kinds! Fortunately for you, I love fun, so I have all sorts of games in my Storage Ring! Card games, board games, you name them."

Alistair :"[Oh, then let's go to that hill we found last night so we wouldn't be bothered!]"

Serenity :"Then let's go so I can teach you the methods of getting rid of boredom, my lil friend!"

-

Hours always passed so quickly when having fun. Especially when it's with other people. The sun had already set and the trio had returned to the village to see a big bonfire in the open field of the village with people surrounding it.

"Oh, you're finally here!" Serilda smiled at them from behind a table :"Thought you wouldn't show up. Come on, you should quickly get something to eat before everything is finished!"

Natasha nodded :"Yeah, you're right. Al, you can sit. I'll pick some food for the both of us."

Serenity pouted :"What about me?"

Natasha :"How many hands do you think I have?"

Serenity :"Oh come on, you're just pampering him."

As their conversation grew distant with each step, Alistair transformed into his human/dragon hybrid form and sat next to Serilda :"Hello, auntie."

She smiled :"Hello, Al! Did everything go well out there? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, everything went well."

"I'm glad to hear that! I hope nothing happens tomorrow either."

Looking at her, Alistair hummed internally :'Something is definitely different from yesterday. After I ate Hurtez's hair and got his abilities, I've felt this sense of closeness whenever I'm near her.

It's definitely because of the Corruption inside of her, which is now linked to me as well. How should I put it... it's like she now feels like a highly trained dog.

Well, her Corruption Level is 5, so even a dog wouldn't be as obedient as her. Should I... test it out? When there are so many people here?'

Glancing at the people around, he smirked :'Sure, makes it even kinkier.' He smiled at Serilda :"Hey, auntie?"

"Yes, dear?" She smiled kindly, as if waiting for orders. As if what happened last night was just a common occurrence. His crooked smile revealed a few teeth :"Can I grab your butt?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" She blinked innocently, and Alistair felt something inside of her react :"Why would you want to do that?"

"Hm? I mean, isn't it completely natural for me to touch your body?"

"Huh? Oh, of course!" He felt it react again as she smiled :"You're right, of course it's natural! Then just go right ahead, no need to ask!"

"Is that so?" His smirk grew into a toothy wicked smile :"Then don't mind if I do."

As he got handsy with her, he licked his teeth at the juicy sensation of her plump ass. His fingers easily sank in the moment he squeezed a bit :'My god, this woman has one fine ass.

But seriously though, this power is something else. Completely suitable for trash MCs like him that have having a harem as their top priority and completely ignore their first lover's dissatisfaction with the idea.

This power is definitely amazing for having a harem, but I don't think I'm going to use it much considering I don't want a harem. But who cares if it's used or not.

As long as such a treasure like a Rank-5 Job doesn't belong to a trash like him, then it's completely good. And besides, I'm a collector! And what's better to collect than a Rank-5 Job?

By the way, speaking of the trash.' He glanced back to see Hurtez glaring murderously at him. The wood he was leaning on to hide crushed under his hold.

Alistair's leisure smile turned into a taunting toothy grin as his hand moved from Serilda's ass and disappeared between her thighs, making her flinch as she suppressed a moan.

Unfortunately though, he had to stop when he saw Natasha and Serenity coming back :'Although humiliating satisfies my sadistic side oh so much, seeing his lifeless corpse will be a lot more enjoyable. I should find a chance to get rid of the trash before it dirties the place.'

- (Next day)

As they walked towards the Orcs' hideout while chatting nonchalantly, Serenity looked at Alistair :"You know, it's so interesting how your one word can translate to a full on conversation."

Natasha :"Right? It's not like there are different pronunciations either, it's just Gauw."

Alistair :"[Well, it's... how should I put it... like a normal speech/telepathy. A mix of both. When I speak, instead of saying something, it's like I utilize Mana like how I'm using my fire, but send it directly to you, where your own Mana converts it so you can understand.

The reason why I can't have a conversation with anybody but Nat is because my Mana is too underdeveloped to interact with other people's Mana. Natasha is a special case because of certain reasons.]"

Serenity :"Ooh, that's interesting! So when you get stronger, you'll be able to converse like other dragons?"

Alistair :"[Uh huh.]"

Serenity :"That's interesting, because only dragons talk like that. All other monster species, even us demons, just talk normally if we can. And those that can't speak, just have their own species' language."

Alistair :"[Like how the Orcs squeal?]"

Serenity :"That's right. Hmm... you know, I've been curious about something."

Alistair :"[What's up?]"

Serenity smiled interestedly :"How would your Draconic Language work with Magic?"

Alistair/Natasha :"[What?]"

Serenity :"Think about it! His Draconic Language carries an entire conversation in an instant! How would it work with Magic and chants?! Or with Skills that need a command word?! Would it be possible to use several Magic Spells and Skills at the same time?!"

They came to a stop, with the duo looking at each other in shock, before their wide eyes stared at Serenity :"You know, you're a real genius sometimes, unlike how you act."

Alistair :'Damn, this girl really found a glitch in the system.'

Serenity :"Hey, what's wrong with how I act?"

Natasha :"Well, no, there's nothing —wrong— with it. It's just that you'd expect someone who acts like you to be the comedian of the group, that's all."

Serenity grinned :"Hey, don't underestimate my Intelligence Stats. I bring fun and plans to the group."

Alistair was excited :"[Then should I try it? Although I don't know how to use Magic right now, we can still see if it works with my Appraisal!]"

Serenity :"Yeah, that can work too- wait, you have Appraisal?"

Alistair :"[Yup. Was born with it.]"

Serenity :"Damn, you're lucky. But yeah, it'll work too, since Appraisal needs a command word to be activated."

Natasha :"Then what are you working for? Go ahead and try it. If it actually works, we should focus on teaching you Magic too, because damn, will the Draconic Language be busted for Magic!"

Serenity :"Right?! Especially those long ass chants! Man, if it works, it's going to be so~ funny later on when he uses it against other mages! Hahahaha, it's going to be hilarious!"

Alistair grinned :"[Alright then, let's try it!]"

Taking a deep breath as the two gave him some space, he summoned his Status Screen before smirking :"Gauw! (Appraisal Appraisal Appraisal...)" And his eyes widened at the number of used times on his Skill skyrocketed.

Appraisal Lv 3 (SS) [2/100]

[3/100]

[69/100]

[81/100]

Appraisal Lv 4 (SS) [31/500]

[183/500]

[419/500]

Appraisal Lv 5 (SS) [584/1,000]

[718/1,000]

Appraisal Lv 6 (SS) [3,719/5,000]

Appraisal Lv 7 (SS) [9,172/10,000]

Appraisal Lv 8 (SS) [2,291/50,000]

Appraisal Lv 9 (SS) [69,420/100,000]

Appraisal Lv 10 (SS) [Max]