If the Succubus Queen invades personally, I think there’s a reason they haven’t sent their strongest from the start.
They must have their own circumstances. And for a clan leader, the top dog, to spearhead an invasion is a big risk.
But it’s not something to dismiss as impossible.
Naturally, I don’t want to “remove the source of desire,” and the wraith seems clueless, but there are ways to reduce desire, like hormone therapy or hair loss drugs.
“Another way.”
[Does there need to be one?]
Why’s it up to you to decide?
[If I don’t return, there are beings with Memorials who’ll think they’ve found a warrior to avenge them. Among them, if you get the Great Sage’s grudge, your Intelligence will skyrocket, lowering the chance of being charmed.]
Sounds like automating sage mode. Isn’t that mental castration? Better than neutering, though.
“So Intelligence can block it?”
[If you’re level 40,000, you’d block it. Otherwise, Luck and Intelligence might let you dodge it sometimes.]
From the description, they’re tougher enemies than I thought. If I get charmed and start acting for the monsters, it’s game over.
[The surest way is to get the Memorial ‘Eunuch’s Grudge,’ made by the sacrifice of castrated soldiers.]
Block it with sage mode or eunuch mode. That’s the gist.
“So, acquire this Memorial, level up, get skills, and block the Succubus Queen. That’s your point?”
[Exactly.]
To fight demons, those tiny folk made items by taking each other’s lives for a hero to level up.
The Swordmaster didn’t use a Memorial from killing people; he hunted demons and left one with his own EXP.
I felt some aversion, but no reason not to take it.
“No harm in leveling up, so I’ll do it.”
No loss for me. Or so I thought, but if Strength rises too much, I might break walls or buildings. Not exactly harmless.
[Thank you so much. Not only did you defeat the traitor, but you’ll avenge our enemies. Oh, you’re sincere.]
“Traitor?”
[The red mage.]
Oh, the one about someone’s heart. So, it gained levels and defected to the demons?
“You know my sincerity?”
[I feel my end is near. That shows your sincerity.]
“Huh? Uh.”
The level 40 Wraith wasn’t fully visible, but light clumps formed under its title, rising like heat haze into the air.
[If you show this resolve, this sincerity, the last of humanity’s resolve will aid you. Please, annihilate them.]
“Uh, hey, wait.”
The level 40 Wraith vanished like the Swordmaster’s wraith, leaving a small glowing fragment. “Was that… sincerity?”
Rather than restraining something, can’t I block the Succubus Queen’s invasion another way? I just imagined it, and the level 40 Wraith ascended, leaving a sparkling fragment like the Swordmaster’s.
<memorial>
It’s even labeled. Touching it with my finger, the Memorial’s traits and memories flood my mind.
“Rookie!”
“Y-Yes, Captain!”
“Kill me.”
***
A battered knight captain holds out a dagger.
“Y-Yes!?”
“If I die like this, my EXP and knowledge go to them. If you kill me, you can face them at my level. Hurry. Now.”
“B-But I, I-I-I-I…”
The trembling rookie was barely more than a child. His frail arms and legs holding a weapon were almost pitiful.
“You’re the only one left. The youngest, weakest level, but that means your growth is unpredictable. If Speed rises, escape as far as you can. If Strength surges, stab this sword into their heart for me. If Stamina increases, wear my armor and protect the Memorial. Please.”
“Captain…”
Swish.
“No, no!”
The level 40 Wraith was a knight guarding the base of the extinct human community making Memorials to resist.
Their base was invaded by demons, and while the community fought off attackers, he held the rear with a suicide squad.
Fatally wounded and about to die, he risked his level being taken by a balrog attacking him.
In that moment, he urged a young soldier with the steepest growth potential to land the final blow, but before his eyes, the boy’s head was sliced off by the balrog’s bladed horn.
At that moment, the level 40 Wraith squeezed out strength for one more defense, but without hesitation, threw his life away.
His grudge was to leave this Memorial for a champion to devour those cursed demons.
“Hm.”
Pretty heavy. The Swordmaster’s memories, or this rear-guard knight’s, it’s like… “Enemy indoctrination class?”
Yeah, that vibe. It’s like they’re stoking my hatred for monsters to make me fight. With those memories, the Memorial’s traits rolled in.
Trait <shield king>
When equipped with a shield, you draw the aggro of hostile enemies, taking all attack damage yourself.
Reduces damage from all non-magic attacks by 90%.
“Hm.”
The trait’s great but specialized for tanking. Getting beat up by tiny invaders in my room is a weird scenario, but would it hurt?
Wait.
“Hold on?”
Thinking it over, with a shield, I can protect my room from otherworld monster attacks?
No need for fire insurance forms? Is that right?
If guys like the red mage show up with fire or corpse explosions, instead of windows or stuff taking the hit, I do. Non-magic attacks get 90% damage reduction.
“But a shield…”
“No, wait.”
I was thinking medieval RPG shields, but it doesn’t have to be.
Wouldn’t a riot shield like the ones riot police use work? Maybe even better as a shield.
Going to a protest to farm… that’s a crime, so no. No intention of clashing with authorities, so I search online and find similar stuff for sale.
“Wouldn’t Korean-made ones from the military regime era be crazy sturdy?”
I searched, but they’re all Chinese-made. Looks like China’s bolstering public forces to protect the regime.
Is their system shaky? Other than that, it’s mostly cosplay props, all Captain America shields. Prop shields are pricey, so I pass.
Cosplay shields seem weak, so I look for riot shields. Someone’s selling a legit one with the Korean police logo, used. Korean lettering looks badass.
“But why’s a legit one for sale?”
Why’s an individual selling the real deal? I stop overthinking the shield and check the remaining message.
<this memorial contains lv40>
You can obtain it, but only designated stats are gained. Random stats are also absorbed as designated.
<Would you like to accept?>
Why wouldn’t I take a level 40 boost?
<memorial of the rear-guard captain who embraced sacrifice>
<Stamina +80>
<Skill/Trait Slots increased to 15>
My level shoots to 136, slots open, and Stamina breaks 100. Then:
<stamina stat affects super regeneration>
<regeneration rises to lv10>
<stamina stat affects regeneration. regeneration rises to lv55>
Feels like… these stats, skills, and traits are given expecting me to get pummeled.
My imagination?
“Ugh. Oh, you’re back?”
***
The Succubus Queen was racking her brain over the otherworld gate conquest.
Imps, being smaller than this world’s humans, had few high-level individuals who could handle the gate.
Leveling up required delivering the final blow to kill, but imps lack that power. If they had it, they’d have been used as envoys already.
Amid this, a level 100 imp volunteered.
“I’ve returned, Your Majesty.”
“How was it? The giant? Did he negotiate?”
“He set firm conditions: bring treasures to boost his level and skills, and a level 40,000.”
“Level 40,000, specifically?”
“Yes.”
“That’s aimed at me. How does an otherworld giant know my level!?”
“Must be the wraiths’ scheming.”
Due to her nature of extracting resources from humans, the Succubus Queen was friendlier to humans than other demons.
That’s why she employed human wraiths, only to be backstabbed. They kept crossing to the otherworld, feeding info to the giant.
Only they could know her level without the giant seeing her.
“No choice. I’ll send my direct subordinates.”
“But the wraiths’ info about the giant being into men doesn’t seem wrong. He had murals of seductive male poses on his walls.”
“What a troublesome guy.”
Even for a giant, charming and subduing him wasn’t hard for her, and her direct succubus subordinates could do it too.
But the wraiths’ peculiar info and the imp’s testimony align.
She didn’t want to send her cherished subordinates rashly, and now there’s little reason or effect to do so.
“Your Majesty, may I speak?”
“What?”
“If Your Majesty steps down, wouldn’t it open a path?”
“You’re saying that too?”
Currently, demons with hundreds to thousands of levels don’t welcome the otherworld expedition.
The conquest clans are young demons born after the level war, around tens of levels, succubi and necromancers needing human resources, and aquatic and volcanic monster clans with low levels due to humans not fleeing to seas or volcanoes, making their security shaky.
These groups lead low-level clans in their world, with weak political power. If a level war turned into civil war, they’d be the first hunted by their own kind, so they’re tackling the gate.
But they lack strong fighters. The giant’s known level is 96. Only someone stronger can kill him, seize the dungeon, and open a path through the gate.
“Yes, declaring you’ll marry whoever kills the giant and brings his head would motivate the strong, I believe.”
“You think I don’t know that? I can’t do that yet, so here we are. I’ll give a personal letter. Will you negotiate again?”
The imp hesitated, then said, “Hmm. If you offer a dragon’s egg, I’ll negotiate again.”
“Dragon’s egg?”
***
They’re attempting negotiations, and combat’s on hold for now, but I’m setting up an active defense strategy to say, “You just fell and died in my dungeon’s harsh climate, oops?”
I set it up to kill bugs or invaders in my space. If these otherworld guys fall and die, I can claim negotiation upfront while avoiding blame for killing them.