Chapter 271 : I screwed up again

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Sora was surprised by the little World Boss’s reaction.

As he wondered how to fix the situation, Tian Long sent him a telepathic message.

“Sora, don’t take what he said the wrong way. Stellar Jinns are very sensitive to how we phrase things and what our intentions are… If they think we’re after their wish-granting power, they become suspicious right away.”

Sora was even more confused. “A Stellar Jinn can grant wishes? We have legends about Jinns granting wishes in our world... Why would he be against people wanting him to do that? I didn’t even ask him to grant anything, by the way...”

“Asking for his help the way you did more or less implies you want him to use that power for you. And the reason it’s taboo to ask a Jinn to grant a wish is simple...” Tian Long paused before continuing. “For a Stellar Jinn... granting a wish costs them their life.”

“Are you serious? That’s such a lame power! Why would they ever use it?” Sora was shocked by the revelation and looked again at the young Jinn, who was now sulking with his arms crossed.

He rephrased, “Young friend, I spoke poorly. I have no intention of requesting you to use your wish-granting gift in any way and wasn't even aware you had such power. I only wanted to ask if you’d be willing to become a mercenary in the war my kingdom is fighting against its enemies.”

As if by magic, the Stellar Jinn instantly stopped sulking. But the look he gave Sora was even worse than before.

Arms still crossed, chin raised, his eyes were filled with disdain.

Unconsciously, Sora clenched his fists.

“Easy, Sora…” Karl’s voice echoed in his mind, grounding him again.

‘This little brat’s gonna make me lose it…’ Realizing he’d lost control — and his temper — Sora unclenched his fists and tried to relax.

‘He looks like a kid, and that made me want to go easy on him, but it seems I have no reason to do that anymore. When the time comes to fight him, I’ll make sure he learns some respect…' With that thought in mind, he managed to smile again.

“You want me to be your mercenary? Then where’s the rest of your army?”

Faced with the group’s silence and surprise, he exclaimed, “Don’t tell me the first raid I’m going to face in this world is against you four? Three puny humans and a dragoness who couldn’t even protect her people?! What a humiliation! What a disgrace!”

He pointed at Sora. “You look a little sturdier than the three clowns with you, but you still don’t stand a chance against me.”

Sora was speechless. ‘Looks like some Jinn parents forgot to educate their kid. I’m dying to slap this brat…’

As he restrained himself from slapping the World Boss, he turned to talk to his companions—only to find the three of them trembling with rage.

‘So I’m not the only one this kid is getting on… Karl told me to calm down earlier, and Tian Long asked me not to take his provocations seriously, but look at them now... It seems like they’ve changed their minds.’

“Easy, guys…” he said with a smile.

“We came here to beat this brat up, so there’s no need to talk any longer. Start the raid, Sora!” Tian Long rose in the void, distancing herself from the small planet.

Sora saw his two alter egos follower her and decided to take off as well.

He turned his gaze to the World Boss.

“You asked for it…”

Sora created a party with his allies and launched the raid.

[Special Quest (Raid): Minny – Phase 1 in progress!]
[Destroy the Seventy-Two Satellites of the World Boss to complete Phase 1.]

He was confused by the quest title.

‘Seventy-Two satellites? What the hell is that supposed to mean? This World Boss has minions like Tian Long?’ He glanced around, searching for targets to complete the mission.

“Stellar Jinns are quite unique… Their birth is unusual, their magic is one of a kind, and so is their combat method. Destroy all the planets around you before they come fully alive. Those are Minny's satellites.”
Tian Long’s voice echoed in the minds of the three humans.

Seventy-two planets left their respective orbits and tried to surround the group of four warriors.

Sora had already noticed the seventy-two miniature planets when they entered the Stellar Jinn’s territory, and now understood Tian Long’s warning clearly.

He readied himself for battle and opened the communication channel with his alter egos inside his [Soul Palace].

“Boss! First, activate Newtons’ power! Then use Seventy’s skills to make this arrogant brat eat his own planets!” Twelve’s voice was the first to speak up.

“If that’s what you all want…” Hearing the agreement from his other Alter Egos, Sora smiled and nodded.

After activating Newtons’ Supreme Skill, he triggered [Master of Puppets], the signature skill of Seventy—the Alter Ego who had once controlled many of his brothers during the last qualifiers.

[Minny, destroy your satellites!]

Sora’s booming voice echoed through the void, surprising even his allies. They froze in place and turned to look at him—then at the boss.

A surreal scene unfolded before their eyes.

The young World Boss, who just moments ago had a smug grin on his face, suddenly froze. After a brief moment of resistance, his body loosened, and his eyes began to glow with a purple light.

He raised one hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. But as his fingers curled inward, his hand started to tremble. The glow in the young Jinn’s eyes even flickered, as if about to vanish.

Sora sensed the boss’s resistance and abruptly increased the mental power channeled into [Master of Puppets].

All resistance vanished, and the Jinn’s hand finally clenched tight…

What had to happen, happened. The seventy-two celestial bodies that had surrounded Sora’s group began to tremble—then exploded into thousands of pieces.

“The effect of [Master of Puppets] in your hands is insane… You’re controlling a level 250 World Boss with a 2★ skill? How is that even possible?” Tian Long was stunned and communicated to the group.

She wasn’t the only one. Shade and Karl stood wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Do you even need us?" Shade asked.

Sora scratched the back of his head. “It’s a team effort. I inherited all of our brothers’ passive skills after all… And while [Peerless Mind Forging], my Supreme Skill, does most of the heavy lifting, I have dozens of 1★ passives that either reinforce my foundations or enhance my abilities.”

He started listing a few:
“[Underdog] boosts my skills against enemies the system considers stronger. [Bully] does the same against those of equal or lower power. So no matter who I fight, my skills are always boosted. [Void Beast] doubles my skill effects when I’m in space, and I can feel the bonus now—so I guess this territory counts as space. The list goes on, but ever since I absorbed our brothers… I feel unstoppable.”

As he explained the effects of merging with his brothers, a piercing scream suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

The young Jinn clutched his head with both hands, screaming in agony.
He looked so tormented that—for the first time in a while—Sora actually felt a flicker of empathy for his opponent.

Minny slowly lifted his head toward Sora. His eyes were bloodshot, and tears mixed with blood streamed down his cheeks.

‘What the hell?’ Sora thought, shocked by how things had turned out.

The purple glow vanished from the Jinn’s eyes once the command was executed, and his expression darkened.

“You want me to become your mercenary after that cheap trick? YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID?" Minny’s voice grew louder, echoing the loss of control over his emotions...

“Looks like you hit a very sensitive nerve… Making him blow up his own satellites might not have been the smartest move. Prepare for Phase Two.” Newtons’ voice echoed in his mind.

Sora assumed this was the start of the Jinn’s transformation into his next phase, but something felt off.

“Of all the ways you could’ve fought, you chose the one that caused permanent damage… A Jinn draws his power from his sun, his planet, and his satellites. By destroying them himself, he’s lost that power forever. If you did this in the real world, the damage would have been impossible to recover from...”

Hearing Tian Long’s long telepathic message, Sora turned and saw the pity in her eyes.

She continued, “Even if we win today, that Jinn won’t reach his current level again for a long time. And he’d rather die than become your mercenary.”

“Just admit they sent you to break me because I won’t give them what they want! Was it Scorpio? Iris? Or that son of a—” As Minny’s shouting grew louder, Sora suddenly sensed an overwhelming surge of energy piercing through dimensions and heading straight toward the Jinn.

He thought to himself. ‘I think I screwed up again…’

Realizing he’d gone too far, Sora reactivated Newtons’ skill.

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