NOVEL NEXT Chapter 972
<972 – Double Experience Points (9)>
There’s a tale that says if you arrive late at Oknodie’s mansion, trials will greet you.
Irene hates this story.
It’s ridiculously hard.
“Jiang. What do you think that is?”
As the third years rushed into the mansion’s door, causing a ruckus with the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic, the sharp-eyed Irene and Jiang, along with a handful of other seasoned second years, merely stood outside, watching.
What caught their attention through the mansion’s windows was a ghostly sight: enormous frames that seemed to float in the air, radiating a strange power.
“It looks like a demon monster… but what kind of grudge has an area of its own?”
The Picture World, where souls are detained, had been upgraded thanks to the modifications made by Oknodie, allowing parts of its domain to extend into the reality surrounding the frames.
The frames drifting near the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic’s window were fresh off the exhibition hall, modified and ready to go.
It was simple for Oknodie to gain their cooperation.
The long-standing longing and earnestness of the souls trapped inside the frames lured them in.
– Bring your friends to the mansion diligently, and the VIP who brings the most friends will be set free!
Jiang and Irene knew too much about Oknodie for it to be considered a secret.
“I somehow feel like there must have been some deal like that.”
“I agree. Surprising, isn’t it? I thought the Northern Grand Duchess wouldn’t care about anything apart from preparing for the Northern Front and Expedition.”
“Oknodie is the biggest contributor for releasing the Northern Front, and I believe they will significantly help the Northern Expedition, so they’re always keeping an eye on things.”
“How far have you been watching?”
“To the secret of Sing’s sister.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t need to know.”
As Jiang’s indifferent face was upgraded from an outsider’s typical attitude to a beautiful mystique by the mask, he pouted his lips.
To be honest, Jiang thought he was definitely a kid compared to the mood-slayer, Northern beauty Irene.
“I have many secrets too. I’m an assassin.”
“Impressive. Keep those secrets coming.”
“…I hate you.”
Irene sharply rejected his secret trading offer!
Jiang’s lips puckered as if he was facing a tough enemy, but the real tough opponents were the third years suffering inside the mansion.
But they could no longer ignore it.
One frazzled third year, having engaged in some mishaps inside, pushed the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic’s main door only to be grabbed by a hand and dragged back inside.
The 980th class, recognized for their unity, almost had a desertion during a massive skirmish and rescue operation.
If left alone, they could face annihilation or a similar disablement incident.
Naturally, the future of the 981st class, who would need to pass through that door, would become troublesome.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Behind Irene and Jiang, second years like Dorothy, hiding behind nearby rocks, and Titosso, playing with slimes under the tree, along with Kasia, who was lazily sprawled out somewhere in the fields, and Vladimir, who was whining beside her, gathered one by one.
Nevertheless, once the school’s strongest lineup got into action, even those who had been resting and playing naturally came together.
“We’ve also experienced Professor Sadako’s catacombs. A housewarming is nothing special.”
“We’re also planning to participate in the Northern Expedition.”
While Jiang completely ignored the danger Irene casually mentioned, he said, “Let’s go. Let’s rescue the useless third years.”
Under a bright sky, they headed toward the dark mansion’s entrance, with Titosso showing no hesitation.
Having overcome personal challenges, even the biggest cowards could muster courage.
Second years might not be as much as third years, but there was a bond among them to look out for each other.
Most of this sense of togetherness stemmed from the large-scale rescue operation led by Oknodie, even if they didn’t remember it particularly well.
‘Anyway, as long as we have courage, that works, right?’
Surely, Oknodie wouldn’t try to kill us, would they?
With a light heart, Jiang opened the door.
And without surrendering himself to the black hands of the Mimic welcoming them, he activated [Shadow Movement].
‘They were tongues.’
What everyone thought were hands were actually multiple tongues sprouting from the throat of the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic, grown to swallow intruders.
These organs grabbed and tossed prey, preventing them from escaping any deeper.
Of course, the strength of that grabbing varied depending on the targets and the captured prey.
‘Wait, isn’t this the strongest mimic in the world?’
It was as if the Director had tossed mana users to the mimic like bait for a year, putting the tongue’s danger level on par with the Empire’s Ten Great Swordsmen and the Four Kings of Class.
[Ambush]
[Paralyze]
[Incision]
[Limbs Dismemberment]
[Wound Removal]
[High-level Stealth]
As soon as he charged in and cast ambush on the root of a tongue, this was the thought that struck him.
Although the optimal strike triggered by the interlinked multitude of abilities paralyzed the enemy, the duration wasn’t long.
And other tongues remained intact.
However, this was only a minimal dealing to prevent confusion upon entry.
With Jiang’s intrusion, the strong ones each grabbed hold of a tongue.
Thanks to this, students like Titosso, who found it hard to land precise strikes, could enter the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic’s interior without being thrown around by the tongues.
The entrance and esophagus of the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic—the hallway that served as the mainway.
Dodging the winding path and emerging tongues, they found themselves in the grand banquet hall, serving as a disguise.
And in the grand banquet hall, black Mimic minions in the form of butlers were carrying plates and glasses filled with digestion fluid intended to physically “digest” intruders.
The combat strength of the Mimic minions was comparable to actual butlers.
There were even a couple of strong minions nearly on par with Jonnas, who was seen as the next Butler of Foundation.
Among the third years, only the likes of Io, known as the Blue Fist, and Deadcat were barely managing one each.
The other students were cornered by the other Mimic minions, getting thoroughly beaten by soul bodies that had sprung out of the frames.
“Hmm?”
Incredibly absurd, even Jiang, who relied on stealth abilities and concealment, exclaimed without meaning to.
Why were they all getting beat up together in such a friendly manner?
The answer lay in the dark, unlit hallway leading to the place where the Northern Grand Duchess Mimic had hidden the transportation magic and the demons trying to abduct students, compounded by the students’ natural rebellion against not wanting to go to such a place.
“If you don’t follow my orders, I’ll chop off your limbs like ingredients!!”
“I’ll follow!!”
“Don’t listen to that fiend’s wicked whispers! Only listen to me. I know how to save you. Just heed my words.”
“Anyone’s fine! I’ll just follow!”
“You scoundrels!! Not taking my guidance and answering to the call of other souls, I can’t forgive that! I’ll beat you all down equally and abduct you with force!!”
“Eek!”
In the distant future, when mature Oknodie visits the main house, they will receive the skills they’ve nurtured, carefully crafted into specialist souls by the Director.
Even those at a lower level, thanks to the efficacy of the Picture World, could unfold similar areas, maintaining the jurisdiction where the main world’s function held the absolute priority.
“Your hostile movements are not economical, you know? Freeze magic is the foolish act of a poor person ignorant of the cold truth of economics.”
For reasons unknown, the students shivered before the authoritative presence of an expert soul in “Economics,” fully immune to freezing magic.
“Oh dear. Missile magic can only perform one-dimensional attacks in a three-dimensional world. Such an incomplete weapon.”
Dodging all flying magic with divine movements, the expert soul in “Physics” approached the students, leaving the Mimic minions entranced.
Souls dominating everyone—including students and Mimic minions—within “each’s domain” demonstrated how powerful beings could become after dedicated focus on one field for long, as well as the sheer importance of Function Experience Points.
To Irene, who excelled in logical thinking, the scene looked something like this:
While students with 1000 Function Experience Points could only output 10 per second for 30 seconds before exhausting themselves…
Before them appeared demigod-level beings with nearly 10,000 Function Experience Points, outputting 200 per second for a maximum of 500 seconds like disruptive ecological invaders.
The equations dealing with actual Function Experience Points, output, and maintenance time are not that simple, but the essence remains.
That was a gimmick-type bully that couldn’t be overcome unless “similar functions” manifested their characteristics within “the corresponding field.”
“Sorry, Tito.”
“To join the Northern Expedition, you must overcome this level of obstacle yourself.”
Quickly recognizing this reality, Jiang and Irene dashed into the dark corridor as soon as they entered, before getting bashed by the framed spirits.
Titosso, who had been following behind them, saw Jiang dart away alone and let out a late cry before bursting into tears, though his cries went unheard.