WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈
Chapter 57: Silverback Chimpanzee Akims Lv. 129
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An Overlord's fruit.
The name was a little ominous, but based on the name alone, it looked like the best fruit I'd seen so far.
At least it sounded better than the ‘Radiant Fruit’ that was supposed to grow from the giant root in the central area in a few days.
What would it do?
‘You become a strong and cruel Overlord.’
Wouldn't it have an effect like that?
But when I checked the description.
──────────────
【Overlord's Root Fruit】
You can emit an overbearing aura.
The intensity of that aura is proportional to the strength of the monster that consumes it.
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It was oddly vague.
What exactly was an overbearing aura?
Was it something like Haki?
It couldn't be a skill from some pirate manga, could it?
Still, there probably wouldn't be a problem calling an ‘overbearing aura’ Haki for short.
‘It's kind of ambiguous...’
That was my impression.
Every fruit I'd eaten so far had given me a tangible effect.
They made my body more efficient, let me share experience points, and lent me useful skills like Emergency Return.
But an overbearing aura?
-If it's a mental skill like Intimidation, it'll be better than you think.
A mental skill.
Come to think of it, I didn't have a single skill related to the mind.
Still, there was one thing I couldn't understand.
‘Don't I already emit a sufficiently overbearing aura?’
-?
I didn't like the way Pelerian looked at me.
‘Watch this.’
The leader had infiltrated right in front of the enemy commanders and stolen the fruit, yet some monsters were lazing around without a care in the world.
I approached them and shouted harshly.
“Shhhh!”
They immediately panicked.
The owl flapped its wings wildly, while the mole dug into the ground and hid.
I gave Pelerian a meaningful look, as if telling them to see for themself.
-If startling someone counts as an overbearing aura, then the cockroach that jumps out from under your bed is the Overlord of all Overlords.
‘...Come to think of it, you're right.’
-Mental skills are completely different. Just look at your father.
I'd heard that Dad seemed to have a mental skill similar to Charm.
He kept his status window so carefully hidden that I hadn't been able to check properly.
I immediately went looking for Dad.
He was taking a nap.
‘Uh...’
But something seemed off.
For some reason, he looked listless. He normally never let anyone see him sleeping.
Whenever it was time to sleep, he disappeared somewhere, but now he was simply lying there without any strength.
I asked the gorilla about the situation.
“Big and Cool Snake... seems sick.”
So he hadn't just been sleeping.
“Since before, he has had no... energy.”
The other monsters didn't go near Dad.
They came right up to me without hesitation, so why wouldn't they approach within ten meters of Dad?
-If anyone has an overbearing aura, it's that snake.
As the leader of the group, that hurt my pride.
Still, I couldn't help worrying.
I cautiously approached Dad.
Even then, he didn't open his eyes.
-Ho, he really does look unwell.
Pelerian scratched their chin with interest.
Was it really appropriate to be so interested in someone else's sick father?
-Ahem, I'm quite knowledgeable about monster ecology. I'm only trying to see what the problem is.
Pelerian made an excuse. I hadn't expected them to look that embarrassed.
-I've been storing up my strength little by little, so I should at least be able to examine him.
Then Pelerian spoke as though doing me a favor.
-Press the ring against your father's body.
‘Like... this?’
I very, very gently placed my tail on Dad's body.
I called him Dad, but honestly, I was still a little scared of him.
What if he suddenly changed and ate me?
Ever since my previous life, fathers had been frightening beings to me.
-Wait a moment.
Pelerian chanted a strange spell.
Unlike me, Pelerian couldn't use silent magic. Poor thing.
Without knowing what I was thinking, Pelerian finished the spell.
Then the ring felt slightly warm.
Pelerian pressed an ear against Dad's body.
-Uh...
Pelerian frowned.
What was it? What was wrong?
-Mana depletion. No, how can this be?
Pelerian sounded like a doctor who had discovered a rare disease.
-A monster of this level shouldn't recover mana this slowly.
‘Explain it to me too.’
-His body's balance is out of order.
Pelerian's explanation wasn't too difficult.
Monsters possessed mana.
Using all kinds of skills and magic was possible because they consumed mana.
Mana was a real force, so when you used all of it, you became dizzy and exhausted.
But as time passed, mana naturally replenished itself.
Dad's body wasn't recovering properly.
His mana recovery was absurdly slow.
-It seems to be because he recently used a skill that consumes a great deal of mana, like Destruction Beam... but it's still strange. He should have recovered by now.
‘Could he be sick?’
-Maybe...
Pelerian's expression became even more focused.
-No... It seems to be leaking away. Most of the mana being replenished is escaping somewhere.
Where was that mana going?
Could something inside him have cracked?
‘Then what should we do?’
-What other method is there?
If there was a problem with his body, we had to find it and fix it. Otherwise, he needed to eat things that could replenish mana.
Like mana potions.
Had Pelerian's examination been too intense?
Dad suddenly rose.
His eyes flashed, and he twisted his body convulsively.
「...Ah.」
Then he looked at me in surprise.
I was already in the middle of digging into the ground to hide.
Fortunately, he seemed to recognize me, so I came back out.
My heart nearly stopped.
He definitely looked exhausted.
I thought for a moment.
I hadn't eaten the crimson root fruit yet.
Partly because its effect was vague, but also because I remembered what the fruits I'd eaten so far had done.
‘Should I just give this to Dad?’
-That fruit?
Every fruit I'd eaten so far had been rich in nutrients.
They weren't as effective as potions, but apart from their special effects, they contained plenty of mana.
Of course, there was an even bigger reason.
-That would be more efficient.
The description attached to the Overlord's Root Fruit.
‘The intensity of that aura is proportional to the strength of the monster that consumes it.’
Even though I'd become much stronger, Dad was still the strongest member of our crew.
He looked cool and huge too, so he would also have an advantage in emitting an overbearing aura.
I held up the fruit after thinking about it for a while.
I wondered whether Dad would want it.
Sssshhk-
He coiled his tail around my body.
What are you doing?!
「You eat it.」
‘Huh?’
His child was trying to be filial.
‘Me again?’
He only looked at me without answering.
With no other choice, I crunched down on the Overlord's Root Fruit and swallowed it.
It was sweet, at least.
Only after watching me eat it did Dad loosen his coils.
He was an incredibly taciturn man.
He lightly tapped my head with his tail.
For some reason, it didn't hurt my pride.
*「You consume the ‘Overlord's Root Fruit.’」
*「You temporarily acquire the skill, Overlord Lv. 2.」
Whoa!
Was Emergency Return Level 20?
The skill I'd gained this time was only Level 2.
But I was even more excited.
‘It seems like a higher-tier skill.’
-That's right. You can tell just from the name.
You couldn't compare Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv. 1 and Magic: Static Electricity Lv. 10.
Higher-tier skills just had a different feel to their names.
──────────────
【Overlord Lv. 2 (Temporary)】
You emit an overbearing aura. Targets feel intimidated regardless of their rank.
Monsters of lower rank may feel overwhelming fear.
──────────────
Was this some damn Conqueror's Haki?!
After receiving the description from me, Pelerian nodded.
-Overlord is a higher-tier skill than Intimidation.
‘You know this skill?’
-Yes. It is a skill that only a few gifted heroes of an era possessed, and now a mere snake can use it.
Since he put it that way, there was no helping it.
I had to test it in actual use.
There would be no point testing it on monsters already under my command.
I rode Spot down the cliff.
Of course, there weren't only monkeys and insects in this region of Shadow Forest.
Those were simply the two groups. There had to be plenty of other monsters too.
Naturally, none of them could stand against the Silver Monkey or the Insect King.
I went looking for monsters like that.
They weren't hard to find.
A herd of deer was grazing.
I tapped Spot's head once, and Spot slowly came to a stop in front of the herd.
They weren't ordinary deer. They were monsters that occasionally ate meat too.
You could tell from their sharp teeth.
A stag that appeared to be the leader raised his head and watched me warily.
“Grrr...”
That was a tough growl for a deer.
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【Thornbush-Horn Deer Lv. 19】
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Right, so it was the leader in its own way.
It stepped forward as if to protect the others and growled at me.
Its antlers were vicious.
Unlike an ordinary deer's, they were sharp, as though someone had ripped thornbushes out of the ground and stuck them onto its head.
Blood stained the thorns red. Rotten flesh and torn scraps of hide hung from them.
“Grr!”
It scraped its hooves against the ground like a warhorse.
The spirit was admirable.
I like you.
I tested my newly acquired skill.
*「You use ‘Overlord Lv. 2.’」
I hadn't expected visible results.
Since it was a mental skill, I thought it would only affect the targets.
Whoooooosh!
Who would have thought a violent gale would blow through the area, flattening the grass all at once?
The surroundings darkened, and the temperature dropped by several degrees in an instant.
If I had hair, it would have been whipping around madly right now.
Like a Demon King descending upon the mortal world...!
Of course, I had no hair, so only Spot's mane was blowing around.
And the deer took the full force of my invisible energy.
Plop.
The timid ones dropped pellet-like droppings.
When I glanced at the ones standing behind them, they lowered their heads or suddenly dropped to their knees.
Wow, this consumed an insane amount of mana.
But the leader stag remained standing.
-That deer has spirit.
I stared at it and maintained the Overlord skill.
‘Ah.’
I realized it.
The leader was unconscious while standing.
Its eyes had gone unfocused.
‘This is incredible.’
The Overlord skill's effect surpassed my expectations.
I shouldn't underestimate mental skills.
I jumped in front of the stag and struck its neck with my tail.
Only then did the deer regain consciousness and whimper.
‘You, and you, you.’
I picked three that looked capable in battle, including the leader stag.
‘Join our crew.’
At least, the current twenty monsters were far too few.
Once their spirits had been broken, monsters were easy to tame.
*「You use Taming Lv. 8.」
*「You have succeeded in taming ‘Thornbush-Horn Deer Lv. 19.’」
*「You have succeeded in taming ‘Thornbush-Horn Deer Lv. 16.’」
*「You have succeeded in taming ‘Thornbush-Horn Deer Lv. 17.’」
Oh.
I hadn't expected it to be this easy.
It would have made things much easier at the Indoor Zoo if I'd had this sooner.
*「The proficiency of Taming increases.」
*「Taming Lv. 8 has become Taming Lv. 9.」
Should I fill the crew up to around fifty first?
* * *
The small snake and the big snake ruled the cliff.
Hadn't rumors like that spread among the surrounding monsters?
It seemed likely.
All the monsters that used to wander near the cliff had vanished.
They had either been absorbed into the Beasts of the Zoo.
Or they had fled far away in fear of the snakes.
I checked the higher-ranked accomplishment.
──────────────
【Monster Leader】
You have tamed 50 or more monsters.
Your control over monsters increases.
You emit the aura of a leader.
──────────────
I now had more than fifty subordinates.
I increased their numbers by recruiting monsters I encountered and hunting from time to time.
We were still the smallest of the three groups, but I could proudly say I had gathered only elites.
The phrase in the accomplishment, ‘You emit the aura of a leader.’
It was hard to feel it myself, but I seemed to have gained a more dignified appearance.
There used to be plenty of monsters that looked down on my small body and attacked me, but that no longer happened.
Even without using Overlord, I was attacked first less often.
Now the time to aim for the Radiant Fruit that would grow on that enormous root in the center was approaching.
Dad's condition improved for the moment.
That was because we hunted nearby monsters and harvested Magic Stones.
I gave them to Dad.
The effect of ‘eating Magic Stones’ was surprisingly limited.
Magic Stones contained an abundance of Magical Essence and were essential for evolution. Eating them slowly replenished mana.
But eating them didn't make your level shoot up or immediately make you stronger by the amount you consumed.
Using precious Magic Stones like mana potions was terribly inefficient.
-Magic Stones need to be digested too. Your digestion efficiency is fairly good, but digesting them properly is not easy. The higher the grade of the Magic Stone, the more strain it will put on the body to absorb it as mana.
‘Aren't you saying that because you don't want your Magic Stones stolen?’
-...That isn't entirely untrue, but it is the truth. That snake looks physically weak too.
It seemed Pelerian's vow to tell the truth was still holding. At least, judging by what Pelerian said.
Pelerian explained further.
-The true value of Magic Stones lies in magic and alchemy. In particular, high-grade Magic Stones are needed as catalysts when an individual uses great magic. The same is true when making potions.
‘We don't need them for elementary magic.’
-Did I not say great magic?
‘You said Magic Stones sell for a fortune. Then mages must be money-devouring monsters.’
-Traditionally, yes.
It sounded like Pelerian had ruined fairy society's finances before being expelled.
‘Still, let's use some of those high-grade Magic Stones.’
-...
‘You said you can grind them into potions. If you don't want to, Dad can just eat them whole.’
-All right, all right. I'll make them.
‘Thank you.’
With Pelerian's help, I made mana potions.
They were much harder to make than health potions, so we only managed to make two bottles.
That would only replenish a little of Dad's mana.
Still, if we worked for a few more days, we could probably make two or three more.
A brief respite.
The monsters and I were spending our time that way.
But as always.
Disaster struck when no one expected it.
It was something that could truly be called a disaster.
The Lion Owl, with a mane like a lion's, was flying around with a flap of its wings.
Why was that usually nocturnal creature out and about?
Was it because the purple sky made it impossible to distinguish day from night?
Or perhaps it had the admirable thought of scouting the area on its own.
I was lying beside Dad, watching the owl fly around.
Boom!
The owl disintegrated, leaving only feathers behind.
Its body almost completely vanished, while its feathers exploded and fluttered down.
I realized right afterward that it had been struck by a Stone Throwing attack fired like a bullet.
‘O-Owl!’
I shot upright in shock and rage.
Dad, who spent more than half the day lying down, did the same.
Someone appeared.
The gorilla, who was always brave, began to tremble.
“L-L-L-Leader...!”
The gorilla made a futile attempt to hide behind me.
I didn't know whether she was calling for me or reacting to the Silver Monkey walking toward us alone.
──────────────
【Silverback Chimpanzee Akims Lv. 129】
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The enemy commander had appeared alone.
And the first thing he did was kill one of my subordinates.
Ssssss-
My scales darkened on their own.
Dad stepped in front of me.
When he rose, his enormous presence was overwhelming.
But the silver chimpanzee didn't look frightened in the slightest.
“Big and Cool... Snake. So in the end, you formed a new group?”
He was smiling.
Wasn't he afraid?
-He must have mistaken your father for the leader.
Ah, was that it?
Um, hmm. There was no need for me to step forward and announce that I was the leader here.
I hid behind Dad's back and peeked at the chimpanzee.
「Silver Monkey...」
Dad's Thought Wave rumbled like a growl.
「Did you come here... because you want to die?」
Nice!
Coming here alone, was this monkey insane?
But the chimpanzee laughed and said,
“I came to kill you and your subordinates.”
Seeing him so confident made me feel a little uneasy.
Surely...
“You. Halfwit.”
The chimpanzee pointed at Dad.
“Mana-depleted, sick snake!”
Had he already known about Dad's condition?
Was that why he had come here, believing he could really defeat all of us alone?
Silverback Chimpanzee Akims declared,
“I alone can kill you all!”
Footnotes:
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