The Newbie Is Too Strong's
185. The Biggest Source of Fear Areka
“Thank you Senior Areka, for reminding me of my selfishness.”
“Eh, you're talking something, Luca?”
“Hmm. It'sit's nothing. Then beg for his help, Senior, to block those zombie minotaurs so that I can slash their necks all.”
“OK. Trust this in your senior and. sorry for not being a senior you can trust.”.
“Eh, Senior Areka says something?”
“Nothing.”
That is how the teamwork between me and Senior Areka began. Senior Areka held back on each side of the zombie minotaur attack while making sure the monsters were not in our blind spots.
Thanks to Senior Areka's sturdy protection, I was able to casually and freely float my assassin's special slash skill into the necks of those zombie minotaurs one by one.
I do not expect if having a party partner will be this comfortable and very easy work if we can really take advantage of each other's advantages. I. no, I mean we can easily defeat all four minotaur zombies.
However, when I looked up again, Brother Silvia and Sister Agnes who were trapped in the cage were gone. Simultaneously, suddenly the great altar split in two and revealed once again the steps to descend into it.
There the mysterious voice reverberated,
“Well, now. Come down to face your last ordeal.”
I no longer try to respond to that voice. In addition to seeing Senior Areka who was trying to also show me a gesture to make me calm, I was even more lazy to argue first.
We obediently complied with the voice's desire to descend to the stairs in the middle of the split altar while maintaining our vigilance.
We continued walking down the one-way street again until we reached the other end of the room.
But there is absolutely nothing there. But when I and Senior Areka went a little further, suddenly from behind the upper cave wall, came out a cage in which there was Brother Silvia and Kak Agnes.
I immediately wanted to run up to them, but Senior Areka immediately intercepted me and told me to stay calm that there should be no traps there.
I was immediately aware again of my unusual hunting attitude due to this unpleasant disturbing feeling of seeing Brother Silvia and Kak Agnes taken hostage. Thankfully there was Senior Areka who could calmly assess the situation.
I also with Senior Areka then walked slowly to make sure that there were no traps that we stepped on or accidentally activated.
But there, two cute ball creatures made of transparent gel suddenly appeared before us.
I immediately confirmed the name of the monster on the system. Thankfully, even though the sound of the system is no longer heard, the system board seems to be fine.
\=\=\=
Species name: Slime negative memories (Lv 1)
Type: non-elemental beast
Age: ???
\=\=\=
“Well, as your last test, each one of you, beat one of those slimes.”
The mysterious voice returned. Whether he was joking or mocking us or how, it was impossible for us to lose because of a level 1 slime.
But instantly, I immediately understood what the voice meant. The slime is not as easy as it looks. They have special powers. The one in front of me had suddenly turned out to be exactly like the 999-level green dragon I had faced during my maturation exam quest.
“Face the biggest fear figure in your heart. Thus, you will be the knights of light completely.”
I understand now why the slime was named as a negative memory slime. The slime apparently embodies the most terrifying memory figure embedded in our deepest hearts. And to me, it was the figure of the green dragon that Lia and I had met accidentally in the gap of the dimension of my maturation exam quest.
Curious as to what the most frightening memory figure for Senior Areka would look like, I turned to look at the form of slime change faced by Senior Areka.
“Hah? Why did my face even appear, Senior?!”
I involuntarily exclaimed loudly as soon as I found out what made me curious about the figure of the creature that Senior Areka feared the most, apparently myself.
Perhaps he was embarrassed to admit that the person who was the greatest trauma was his most kind junior. Of course I never felt like I had done anything wrong even to Senior Areka.
Well, but I can actually understand what that means. Feelings are something that cannot be controlled at will, including feelings of fear. But what I wonder is why I should be the most frightening figure for Senior Areka?
I had indeed subconsciously humiliated him when he had just entered the school by defeating him in public in an unofficial fight. But it was not I who gathered the masses to crowd around watching his defeat with that battered.
Ever since I entered the team, I won Senior Areka's first place without giving her another chance to rise to that number one spot.
But all of that should not be an excuse to make me the scourge that scares her the most.
Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked Senior Areka directly, “Can I have unwittingly done evil to Senior who traumatized Senior?”
“I told you, not like that, Luca. Ck. I don't want to talk about it here because it's embarrassing. We just focus on facing the monster first here.”
Senior Areka seemed reluctant to answer. We each focused on the scariest figure in our hearts and did not pay attention to each other for a while.
I slashed at the monster many times. The monster went on a rampage and attacked me.
The monster made a move that was exactly the same as the monster's movements in my traumatic memory. But what is this? Although the shape was the same and the aura was also as frightening as the one in my memory, the green breath contained absolutely no poison as the original.
Now I get it. The negative memory slime monster can manifest the most negative memory figure in our hearts complete with its truly intimidating appearance according to our memories, but not with its ability.
Our hearts will really be degraded if the mental players are weak, because even though they do not have the exact same strength as those in memory, the aura of its existence alone was enough to shake the opponent mentally to its lowest point especially with the legendary level of mental degradation debuff ability possessed by the monster.
Fortunately, I have high mental resilience, thanks to my ‘sang true wanderer’ title so it's absolutely no threat to me.
I also activated the shadow step skill combined with a quick step slash many times to a point, the monster can no longer maintain its physical form through its regenerative abilities that are actually quite extraordinary until the monster was scattered into disgusting melts.
The monster seems to have lost but somehow the former form of the melt is still on the floor without disappearing into data grains like other monsters that I have defeated.
Now there is Senior Areka's fight. Due to feeling low, I also intend to offer my help to Senior Areka. But that's where I just noticed it.
“Basic annoying midget! You always mocked me in your heart just because you were better?! Huh uh?! I am your senior, after all! Why have you never once shown me your appreciation?! Is being great so bright in your eyes that you even see it as an insignificant extra?! Once in a while notice your senior is also a worthy rival!”
That's what Senior Areka said angrily while slashing the slime that existed and his movements were exactly the same as mine. Well, certainly not with his strength.
I also felt a dilemma about it. Either I should be angry and offended at him for calling me a midget, or should I feel sorry for him who feels neglected.
Surely I decided to choose the last one about having been two months I know Senior Areka and I know very well she is a good person.
However, none of my intentions were to ignore his existence as he said it was. Senior Areka herself is difficult to approach so I mostly don't interact with her at the club. I didn't know that Senior Areka would have such feelings for me.
‘ Anyway, I will pay more attention to Senior Areka from now on.’ I murmured in my heart.
After a while, he finally managed to split the body of my doppelganger with the collision of his shield. Just like the slime I faced, the slime faced by Senior Areka also only melted and did not turn into details after being defeated.
A moment later, it seemed that Senior Areka had returned to her consciousness and she had seen me standing nearby.
“Ah.” His face immediately flushed in embarrassment.
“It's not so, Luca. Saying that earlier.no.don't think about my words earlier. It was just my slurping speech without any intention.” That is how Senior Areka said frantically before me.
Well, after listening to that, how could I possibly ignore it. Unknowingly, I formed a slight stain on the friendship between me and that sacred Senior Areka. I feel guilty about all of that.
However, before I could say anything to melt the tense atmosphere between us, the mysterious voice suddenly reappeared.
This time, it appeared in a physical sense.
“Yo, sincere congratulations to the examinee who passed the test of inheritance of the precious property of Master Lacoza.”
Apparently, the voice that had been echoing inside the dungeon belonged to the little creature that stood before us at the moment, the squirrel-like mascot creature as it often appears in anime-anime.
“Include, my name is Lutfi.
And that's how he introduced his name.