Chapter 274 : Obscene

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Sora watched Karl with interest, completely ignoring Tian Long, who was talking to him nonstop.

‘I still haven’t reset since my fight against Tian Long. Normally, my sword mastery should’ve rivaled his, but by absorbing the Alter Egos, I recovered my affinities and all the mastery of the skills I had lost… It’s a pretty crappy feeling to feel [Faith in the Sword] regress, but I’ll have to deal with it in time.’

Faced with the choice between keeping his sword mastery or the hundreds of 1★ and 2★ skills, Sora had chosen the ultimate skills.

‘Faced with the same dilemma I had a few days ago, Karl didn’t hesitate to throw away all his affinities once again. But I didn’t expect him to also sacrifice the ultimate skills he’d gained from his brothers. Some of those were still extremely useful, even for him.’

As he was lost in thought, a presence appeared at his side.

"Are you going to keep ignoring me forever?" Tian Long complained. When she saw him turn his head toward her, she added, "Do you always space out like this in the middle of a fight?"

Sora smiled at the jab. "Only when I’m not in any mortal danger."

And indeed, Sora wasn’t in any danger. Far from it.

Minny, now in his fourth phase, was darting through space, doing his best to dodge the attacks of a ghost. Karl stood in the exact same spot as at the beginning of the battle, and yet, a silhouette was relentlessly pursuing the Stellar Jinn everywhere.

"Your Alter Ego already mastered [Sword Clone]… If we compared that skill to skills you have, it’d be the equivalent of a 3★ Ultimate Skill. Karl is probably stronger than you now."

Pointing at Shade, she added, "That guy pushed his Supreme Skill to the point that it’s basically the equivalent of a 2★ Ultimate Skill. Not bad, but it’s still not enough to match either of you."

Sora gave Tian Long a sideways look. "Karl, stronger than me? If you say so..."

He looked at Karl’s [Sword Clone] relentlessly hounding Minny, one question on his mind.

‘Has Karl really surpassed me?’

A ghostly figure, identical to Karl in every way, stood just inches away from the Jinn, sword in hand. It thrust forward, and the Jinn reacted instantly, jumping backward to dodge. When the clone appeared behind him, Minny ducked his head just in time to avoid being decapitated.

While the clone’s power, strength, and speed were impressive, Sora was even more surprised by Minny’s ability to react and survive for so long.

Focusing on that, he quickly realized that the Jinn wasn’t just reacting—he was anticipating. Each time Karl’s clone began a movement, Minny moved in the optimal direction to dodge the upcoming attack.

This could have been explained by a reaction time far beyond normal, but a few times, Minny began dodging before the attack even started.

Sora sighed. ‘He’s not even trying to block or counterattack because the power gap is too big. Karl is starting to realize what’s going on, and it’s getting harder and harder for Minny to keep up.’

What was bound to happen, happened. The World Boss was grazed by the tip of the sword, lost his composure, and was skewered in a single clean combo.

[You have defeated the Lost Child: Minny.]

[Special Quest (Raid): Minny – Complete]

Notifications flashed before his eyes, and a large amount of loot spilled out from the World Boss. Sora summoned Netsu and Hiyoko, tasked with managing his wealth and finances. Having experienced a similar scene in the past, he waited patiently for Minny to reappear.

‘I hope he’s not pissed because of the defeat…’ Thinking about the beating his Alter Ego had delivered to the World Boss, he was worried the young Jinn would refuse to join his team.

Soon enough, the planets destroyed by the group reappeared one by one. And a few long minutes, the World Boss began to materialize in front of the group of players and Tian Long.

“How can humans already be this powerful? Aren’t you from a planet without mana or magic? How can such lowly mortals reach this level in so little time?”
The first words out of his mouth didn’t sit well with Shade or Karl, but Sora, who had started to grow fond of the Jinn, wasn’t offended by them.

“Don’t take it personally… He’s not a bad kid,” he told the group, then added, “Just think of him as a child.”

As small smiles appeared on the faces of the two Alter Egos and Tian Long, Minny’s face instantly darkened.

“Human, I thought you came here to ask for my help… And with that kind of attitude, you think you’re going to get it?”

Realizing his mistake, Sora scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to upset you… I just wanted to let my group know that you’re a good person.”

While Tian Long covered her eyes with her hand, Minny looked even more offended.

“A good person? You think you can sweet-talk me with such corny lines? You think I’m some ‘good guy’ you can butter up with words? If you want me to become your mercenary, then you’ll have to beg for it.”

As Sora began to lose control of the situation, Shade looked over at Karl and Tian Long. Karl shook his head and gently floated backward, putting distance between himself and Sora. Shade did the same, and Tian Long followed their lead, leaving Sora isolated—face-to-face with the arrogant young Jinn.

Sora felt his anger beginning to rise, but managed to keep it in check.

“Listen, Minny—” he began, before being cut off by the World Boss.

“Minny? You dare call me by my first name? Didn’t anyone ever teach you respect?”
The stellar Jinn crossed his arms and floated upward, now looking down at Sora from above.

Sora followed his movement with his eyes and ended up staring at him from below.

“You little brat, you’re really starting to get on my nerves! I’ll be the one to teach you respect.”
Sora took flight, grabbed the World Boss from behind, and wrapped his forearm around the Jinn’s neck.

[You are not allowed to attack a World Boss within its resting period. (Time left: 6 days, 23 hours, and 54 minutes.)]

A force violently repelled him backward, and he grimaced as a protective bubble appeared around the Jinn.

“Hehehe. You can’t hurt me or threaten me, human,” Minny said in a provoking tone.

“No problem. I’ll come back every week to visit until you learn how to speak properly,” Sora responded calmly, then turned to the group.
“We’re leaving.”

Sora ignored the panicked look on the young Jinn’s face and turned his back. As the four of them began walking toward the exit, the World Boss yelled,
“Don’t leave!”

Sora, Shade, Karl, and Tian Long all had the same reaction—completely ignoring the plea of the one who had been their opponent just minutes earlier.

“Please…” he added, in a voice far less confident, nearly inaudible.

Sora stopped and looked at him. Minny’s head was lowered, and all traces of arrogance had vanished from his eyes. The superiority he’d flaunted moments ago had been replaced by something else—loneliness.

At first tempted to tease him, Sora held back from asking him to repeat himself.

He simply said, “I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Sora, and these are my friends: Karl, Shade, and Tian Long. We already told you why we’re here today. What would you prefer I call you?”

Surprised by Sora’s kind tone, the Jinn looked up, incredulous. After a few seconds of silence, he replied,
“I’d like to say my friends call me Minny… but I’ve never had any friends. Even if we’re not friends, you can call me Minny.”

Sora, Shade, and Karl were surprised by the young Jinn’s response. Though the creature looked young, they were well aware that youth was a relative concept for beings from other worlds. This Jinn could easily be thousands of years old. That he had never had friends shocked them.

Sora, touched, still remembered the Jinn’s earlier arrogance and refrained from saying anything too sentimental.

‘If I say I can be his friend and he trash-talks me again, I might snap.’

“Nice to meet you, Minny… Do you want to become my mercenary? If so, what do you need in exchange for your services?”

He kept it simple and got straight to the point. Minny remained still for a few moments, then looked at each team member, one by one. His gaze stopped on Tian Long.

“What are the terms of your agreement? Besides fighting by your side, does she have to sleep with you to earn her freedom?” he asked, sounding innocent despite the obscene question. Then he added, “Because you must understand there’s no way I’d ever accept that kind of deal.”

“Hahahaha, I love this guy!! Look at Tian Long’s face!! She’s fuming!”
Twelve laughed heartily inside Sora’s mind.

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