Chapter 041
Seeing Leon and Gakuto with their hands raised and the two Pokemon flanking the latter, the Lugia gradually lowered itself to the ground, the fierce winds it produced dying down as it asked, "Is this the path thou hast chosen? Coexistence...?"
"Peaceful coexistence is always preferable to war," said Leon. "Though we may have to fight countless battles during our ascent, fighting is not 'why' we climb. Some might see things differently, but I personally look forward to the day when there is no longer a reason to fight..."
Shaking its head, the Lugia contended, "Young Champion, there is always a reason to fight. Even coexistence is an interminable struggle as there art always those who long for more and covet those more blessed. So, do not fear conflict. Prepare those who would follow after thee so that when the time cometh for thine departure, thou can goest peacefully, knowing thine labors bore fruit..."
Spreading its hand-like wings and levitating into the sky, the Lugia added, "I hast read the heart of thee and thine companions. Thou possesseth the qualifications to move forward, but thou too desireth more, dost thou not? Come forth, young Champion...best me, and the Lord of the Sea and Skies shalt be thine to command...!"
Though he wanted to accept the Lugia's challenge and partner with a Legendary Pokemon, Leon raised his hands a second time, showing he had no intention to fight as he stated, "I would prefer to earn your trust without a fight, but if that's not an option, I will return another day, once my strength has grown, to face you personally."
"Hmmm..."
Staring at Leon for several seconds, kept aloft by powerful swirls of wind that gathered in its 'hands,' the Lugia appeared to contemplate his words before nodding its head, stating, "Then I shall await thine return...". Then, flapping its wings in a manner that caused it to spin, a vortex of wind and water enveloped the Lugia before it collapsed in on itself with an audible 'fwip.' Afterward, the Lugia was nowhere to be seen...
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Without the Lugia to bar their path, Leon and the members of the Frontier Expedition Squad were finally able to access the Third Floor after nearly three months on the Second. It was a little anticlimactic, especially when they teleported to the Third Floor to discover themselves atop another hill with a picturesque view, but that sentiment didn't linger for too long as a group of green-skinned, roughly meter-tall humanoids wearing loincloths and makeshift armor came charging at them from the nearby forest, their numbers easily exceeding thirty.
"Get into formation...!" shouted Mordred, a battle-hungry smile developing across her face. She doubted the group of child-sized monsters would prove much of a challenge, but formations were the foundation of a group battle. And since their enemies were humanoid and wielded tools, it was best to do things by the books and not underestimate them.
As the monsters, which Leon had identified as Goblins, stumbled their way up the hill, Shino's Pidgeotto slowed them with Gust while Gakuto's Vaporeon and Jolteon unleashed a powerful Watergun and Thunderbolt combination. Nearly everyone in the Frontier Expedition Squad had also been equipped with a heavy crossbow in preparation for fighting Lugia, so the Goblins didn't stand a chance, most dying before they could get even halfway up the hill.
"What were the rewards...?" asked Mordred, directing the question to Kisara. In response, the maroon-haired woman, loading another bolt into her nearly meter-long crossbow, replied, "They're called Goblins, and the First Kill reward was two points in Endurance."
Turning to Leon, Mordred remarked, "Looks like the Field Monsters of this Floor aren't particularly welcoming. Should we start setting up a defensive line and petition the Yamato Agency to construct another fortress...?"
Nodding in affirmation, Leon replied, "That is precisely what we'll do. But these Goblins give me a bad feeling, so let's have everyone stay in groups of at least three as we expand the perimeter, two to clear trees and one to provide overwatch."
"You heard our Lord!" shouted Mordred. "Split into groups of three and get to expanding the clearing! We're not returning until we have a perimeter of at least a hundred meters!"
Though it would have been impossible for an ordinary group to carry out Mordred's order, the members of the Frontier Expedition Squad quickly got to work expanding the clearing, making short work of the trees and bushes present by simply cutting them down or knocking them over with raw physical strength. Their numbers had also grown to nineteen, even if they didn't count Pokemon, so it would only take a few hours for them to complete the task assigned to them while Leon constructed a series of six rudimentary watchtowers by stacking stone blocks.
"Is there a particular reason you're so tense...?" asked Mordred, standing cross-armed beside Leon atop one of the 3x3x10m watchtowers he had constructed.
"Though there are nearly as many types of Goblins as there are fantasy settings, these remind me of those that appear in a fairly brutal setting called Goblin Slayer," explained Leon. "We'll need to scout the area to be sure, but if I'm right, the Floor Guardian might have an entire army at his or her command..."
"Good," said Mordred. "The previous Floor's circumstances caused some of our members to become lazy and their growth to stunt. Battling against an army and witnessing the horrors of group warfare will either light a fire under their asses or cement their position as common servicepeople. Not everyone has the capacity to become a Knight."
"Mmm...well, regardless, we shouldn't underestimate these Goblins just because one particular raiding party was weak," said Leon. "If this Floor truly is based on the setting of Goblin Slayer, even you could be in danger if you lowered your guard. We'll explore and fight together until we have a better grasp of the situation..."
Narrowing her eyes and adopting a cheeky smile, Mordred asked, "You want to spend the entire day inside me~?"
"If necessary..." answered Leon, causing Mordred to frown slightly as he turned to her, caressing her head and face with his mechanical, gauntlet-covered hand. Because of his 'training' with Bulma, Miu, Mordred herself, and a few others, he had become markedly more direct and confident. He still had no desire to create a harem, but until he entered into a committed relationship or decided on a Queen, he saw no reason to stubbornly reject those who approached him with the foreknowledge he had no intention of catching feelings.
"Is it weird that I miss the chickenshit version of you...?" asked Mordred, a teasing smile developing across her face.
"Mmm..."
Gently pulling Mordred to stand in front of him with her back facing him, Leon wrapped his arms around her body, caressing her abdomen as he brought his nonexistent lips to her ear and whispered, "You're lucky the sun is up right now..." before adding, "Bring Kisara to your room tonight..." a few seconds later.
"If that's what my Lord desires..." replied Mordred, her expression and tone sultry as she reached around the back of Leon's helmeted head with her left hand before half-turning and twisting her own, planting a lingering kiss on his faceplate...
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Though the Goblins on the Third Floor were reminiscent of those seen in Goblin Slayer, Leon's concerns were largely put to rest when several other types of monsters were discovered, ranging from Horned Rabbits to giant suidae known as Terminate Boars. This made it much harder to ascertain the setting, but since there were Field Dungeons, mines, and underground labyrinths, only marginally more challenging than those found on the First Floor, he wasn't too concerned. At least, not with matters going on inside of the Tower...
Contrasting Leon's expectations, Stunk was able to gather a group of six like-minded men and one woman to gather enough resources to summon tens of people from his world in just the first week. By the end of a month, the man's group had grown to more than twenty, and they had more than enough 'succu-girls' to open two brothels, one in the West and another in the East.
Since he was nothing if not a man of his word, Leon kept his promise and constructed the brothel in the East first. He wasn't too surprised when he was prompted to summon someone to manage the facility, but the person who popped out left Leon feeling equal parts excited and concerned as it was the nine-tailed fox woman from the series 'The Eminence in Shadow,' the white-haired, blue-eyed, breathtakingly beautiful Yukime.
Though the appearance of Yukime was a tremendous boon, as she was accustomed to ruling over a lawless zone, Leon felt a little 'pressured' as her presence opened the possibility of summoning others from her verse, particularly Cid Kagenou and the members of Shadow Garden. Leon had no doubt the group would be a tremendous asset to his fledgling domain, but with Yukime being a green-grade summon, he would need 'at least' a green summoning crystal to summon the others.
Fortunately, while they were relatively uncommon, a new form of crystal currency, called Hundred-Grain Crystal Fragments, started to appear on the Third Floor. This was great news, as it indicated higher Floors would drop even better fragments, but they would still need ten thousand of the Hundred-Grain Crystal Fragments to produce a single Green Crystal. Blue would take one hundred thousand. As such, it would be quite some time before Leon could fulfill his dream of learning Nuclear Magic and possibly petting the adorable Delta's ears...
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"Is this for real...?" asked Leon, his nonexistent expression stupefied as he was introduced to the 'upgraded' body Bulma and Winry had partnered to prepare for him. Winry looked embarrassed beyond compare, blushing to the tips of her ears, but Bulma was as calm as a cucumber as she replied, "Of course, it's real, silly. It still needs some finesse and a bit of artistry to get out of the uncanny valley, but this new body has artificial synapses to simulate tactile sensations and is even equipped with olfactory and taste receptors. Now you'll be able to feel, smell, and even taste things~!"
"Which I'm grateful for and looking forward to testing," expressed Leon, gesturing to the bald but surprisingly realistic-looking body the duo had prepared for him, adding, "The problem is...this thing is very clearly a sex doll..."
"It is 'not' a sex doll," contended Bulma. "While it's certainly 'capable' of being used for sex, that isn't its primary function. You wouldn't refer to a human as a sex doll, would you?"
"No, but..."
Picking up one of the many 'attachments' the artificial body came with, Leon remarked, "Most humans can't swap out their penises with various sex toys..."
"Hey, how about a little gratitude?" asked Bulma, crossing her arms and looking a little miffed as she pointed out, "We made this thing with your mental health in mind, you know? You're the one who's constantly going on about how frustrating it is not to be able to eat, sleep, and feel things. Excuuuuse me for trying to be considerate!"
Though he was tempted to point out he had mentioned his frustrations a grand total of one time, at least to Bulma, Leon ultimately responded by bowing his head and stating, "Thank you, Bulma, Winry...while I can't help feeling a little taken aback, I am truly grateful for your consideration..."
"Don't mention it..." replied Winry, her face still as red as a tomato as she rubbed the back of her head and avoided looking directly at Leon or his new body. As for Bulma, she issued a faint 'hmph' before raising her nose somewhat snobbishly and replying, "That's more like it. Now, if you 'really' want to show your appreciation, swap over to your new body and give it a test drive. There are some tests we need to perform, but after that, you're free to 'do' whatever you want."
Punctuating her words with a wink, Bulma silently implied she should be among the first things he considered 'doing.' Weeks of what amounted to foreplay had left her yearning for more, but she had little interest in going out and entreating someone else to scratch her itch. Not because she had fallen for Leon but because her ambitions of recreating Capsule Corp and becoming the wealthiest person on the island were heavily dependent on his continued support...
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