Chapter 150
(A/N: This chapter is brought to you by Joshua Lehman, Gigachad's elder brother.)
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After completing their largely unnecessary preparations, Ryuko pushed herself to close off most of the tunnels beneath the Redcap's treehouse lair, using the same dirt to construct a large wall around it. With Anan in their Party, they could easily destroy the tree and everything in it, but as that would destroy the core and deprive their lesser acclimated members of combat experience, Izuku made the executive decision to clear it using more 'traditional' methods.
In response to being attacked, nearly a hundred Redcaps, grey-skinned humanoids with gaunt features, sunken-in ears, and crooked noses, their heights ranging between eighty and one hundred centimeters, swarmed out of their tree home. Behind them, a distinctly female Redap, standing approximately 120cm tall and wielding a staff made of bone, capped by a large deer skull with antlers, began waving her weapon around, producing an even thicker mist/fog than what filled the forest.
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Name: Mistress Goregullet
Species: Redcap
Title: Redcap Broodmother(Vit+300)
Class: Shamaness
Bond Level: 0
Current Level: 93
Effective Level: 132
[Attributes]
Strength: 42
Agility: 35
Vitality: 894
Intelligence: 177
Dexterity: 59
Luck: 113
Free Attributes: 0
[Perks]
[Lesser Regeneration], [Prolific Breeder], [Mana Detection], [Mana Control]
[Skills]
[Frenzy Mist], [Befuddle], [Illusion], [Memory Drain], [Head Bash], [Blood Letting]
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Though the female Redcap's stats weren't that intimidating, low enough that even an average Hero Course student should be able to fodder her if not for her protection, Izuku decided to play it safe, nodding to Shino. In response, the exceptionally thick, burgundy-haired cat girl, wearing a far more lethal pair of claws than usual, used [Mind Crush] to instantaneously disable the Shamaness mid-cast.
Seeing their queen and mother collapse, two Level 88 Redcaps quickly grabbed and carried her to safety while the others charged forward in a frenzy. Inko tensed at the sight, leaning back against Izuku for moral and emotional support, but Momo, one of the vanguards of the raid, stepped forward without fear or hesitation. She was physically weaker and slower than the Redcaps, but as the breaches seemed to be balanced for people 'without' Quirks, the difference in stats was negligible.
Raising her hands at an angle, Momo began firing mortar rounds from her palms. They had learned over the past two days that weapons produced by her Quirk, regardless of whether they were modern or more traditional, didn't suffer from the penalty that applied to manufactured weapons from the outside. This property would be lost around six minutes later, but that didn't really matter when she was using explosives.
Undaunted by the sounds of explosions and screams behind them, a trio of Redcaps at the front of the pack began leaping through the air, raising their hatchets and sickle-like weapons overhead as they intended to bring them down on Momo's head and body.
Without fear or hesitation, Momo aimed her hands at the Redcaps on the flanks, extended tungsten rods from her palms as another protruded from the center of her chest, just above her cleavage. The Redcaps ended up being skewered by their own momentum, but the one at the center didn't give up, hurtling his hatchet at Momo's head in a last act of defiance.
Though Momo could have reacted in time, she ultimately didn't need to as the hatchet stopped mid-air, courtesy of a heavily sweating, frowny-faced Inko.
"Thanks for the save, Kazehana-san...!" shouted Momo, keeping her eyes to the front as she materialized a titanium kite shield to receive the attack of another Redcap with her left hand. In her right, she created a thin but durable sword, stabbing it through the body of the Redcap before letting go of the handle and simply creating a new one.
Seeing Momo begin to struggle, Shino stepped forward and abruptly got on all fours, providing Izuku a compelling view of her ass and pure white panties before her thighs bulged, preempting her leaping forward at high speed. Except for Chatora, who wasn't present, she was easily the most adept combatant among the Pussycats, but her fighting style, based on an actual cat, was somewhat strange. Cute and sexy, especially with her constantly flashing her ass and panties, but definitely strange.
Passing next to a Redcap in a flash, Shino sliced the diminutive creature's side open with her oversized, paw-like gauntlets. The gloves she and the other Pussycats weren't designed to deal fatal damage, so Mei had made at least Shino a far more lethal variant. They were much heavier than what she was used to, but since many of her techniques required her to use her hands as pivot points, she quickly got used to the added weight, allowing her to transition into kicks and change direction more easily.
Taking advantage of another feature of the over-sized, cat's-paw-themed gauntlets, Shino grabbed the entire torso of a Redcap that attempted to flank her, the gauntlet producing a loud, mechanical hissing sound as the artificial muscles within contracted like a hydraulic press. The mechanism was a bit slow, however, so with the Redcap still in her grasp, Shino used it to bludgeon another. Her 125 Strength granted her a lifting strength of approximately 312kgs, so while she winced due to the pain from her side, she had little difficulty swatting aside and propelling the fairly diminutive Redcaps through the air.
Seeing Shino push through the pain of her injuries to keep fighting, Izuku, standing with his hands on Inko's shoulders, nodded approvingly. He had given her the option of staying back and observing, but since she insisted she could still fight, Izuku expected her to hold her own...
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After finishing off the Redcaps outside, Izuku took point as the only one to enter the fairly enclosed interior of the treehouse lair. The tree's trunk felt massive at 8m in diameter, and it was, but trying to fit ten people into it comfortably was a tough ask.
Without bothering to turn his head, Izuku skewered the Redcaps hiding above the tree's entrance, waiting to ambush him. In the same series of motions, he slammed the Redcaps guarding the Shamaness into the wall, crushing them instantly before approaching their unconscious leader. He felt a fleeting discomfort when he noticed that the ghastly Gobliness was pregnant, but there was no hesitation in his actions as he cocooned her in Black Whip and crushed her as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Turning to face the entrance, Izuku shouted, "It's clear...!" in a loud but neutral tone. The girls filed in shortly thereafter, most of them dutifully looking around as a precaution while Inko, staring directly at him, asked, "Are you okay...?" with a visibly concerned look as she approached and wrapped her arms around him.
"I just got a lot better..." replied Izuku, habitually placing his hands on Inko's ass and squeezing her pillowy cheeks as he unashamedly pressed his bulge to her soft, pliable mons. A rosy hue colored her cheeks as she reciprocated by pressing herself even more snuggly against him, but her expression remained one of concern as she faintly reminded, "You know I can tell when you're lying, right...?"
"Then you should know I really am feeling better..." contended Izuku, and he meant it. As a result, Inko could only exhale in mild exasperation, a hint of ardor tinging her voice. Instead of acting on it, however, she placed her head against Izuku's chest and tightened her hold on his body, conveying as much tenderness and love as she could manage.
Understanding they shouldn't intrude upon the unconventional mother-son duo's moment, the remaining girls focused on the glowing crystal sphere embedded into the wall opposite the entrance, surrounded by circuit-like patterns that flowed from it and spread throughout the tree's interior. None were surprised when a notification window appeared, but when they read what it said, everyone but Anan and Tomoko opened their eyes a bit wider.
[Congratulations on reaching the end of the [Redcap's Enchanted Forest]! Please nominate someone within your Party to receive a Blessing! Once it has been applied, you need only to destroy or remove the core before you and all participants, irrespective of their condition, will be transported to the outside world to receive completion and contribution rewards!
Notice: There are only [7] monsters remaining before the [Full Completion Prize Box] can be acquired!]
"Well, that's curious..." remarked Nemuri, crossing her arms and openly postulating, "I wonder if the Blessing it's referring to is the Status Board? If so, it might be better if we refuse it."
"I don't think that's it," replied Izuku, raising his cheek from Inko's head. The girls turned to look at him in response, and when they did, he added, "This is just speculation, but I'm fairly certain the Blessing refers to Skills, Perks, or an increase in the amount of Mana a person has. If it's the latter, it's basically a stat increase."
"Then, should we permit the person with the lowest Effective Level to receive the Blessing?" asked Nemuri.
Shaking his head, Izuku surprised the person in question by stating, "It should go to Momo. The two of us are bound to be made to compete with the other Knight Candidates, so we should possess at least a few Skills to exhibit when the time comes."
"Then...then wouldn't it be better for you to receive the Blessing...?" asked Momo, thankful for the nomination but feeling she hadn't done anything to deserve it.
Adopting a teasing smile, Izuku answered, "Fine. Let's say I 'did' receive it. Now I'm giving it to you. Are you willing to refuse your Master's gift...?" Squeezing her thighs together when Izuku referred to himself as her Master, Momo loudly but somewhat embarrassedly replied, "O-Of course not...!" while pumping her fists.
"Good girl," said Izuku. Then, giving Inko's ass one final squeeze, he let her go, walking her over to the rest of the group to witness the Blessing bestowal process more closely.
Swallowing nervously, Momo approached the notification window and said, "I shall be the one to receive the Blessing..."
In response to Momo's words, several smaller windows appeared before everyone present, asking, 'Will you allow participant [Momo Yaoyorozu] to receive the Blessing? [Yes] or [No].'
With everyone pressing [Yes], the bottoms of Momo's feet began glowing before a bluish-white light spread across her body, briefly obfuscating her form. When the light faded, Momo's usual Hero Costume was nowhere to be seen. In its place, she had on what looked like a solid gold breastplate that barely covered her breasts, tiny pauldrons, a frilly golden gorget, red arm warmers, frilled golden gauntlets, winged greaves, red stockings, and golden faulds with crimson fabric covering her crotch and outer thighs like a skirted loincloth. She also had on a golden tiara, affording her a certain degree of regality, but it was undercut by the raw, unadulterated 'appeal' of her armor...
"W-what is this...?" asked Momo, looking down at her body and blushing fiercely. Truth be told, the armor didn't reveal much more than her usual costume, but since it was a two-piece instead of a one-piece, Momo felt a lot more exposed, instinctively covering her crotch even though everyone present had seen her naked and in various compromising positions.
"Check your Status Board," advised Izuku, having already confirmed it for himself. Momo immediately did as he instructed, her eyes widening as the boons supplied by the blessing were far beyond expectation...
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Name: [Momo Yaoyorozu]
Title: Sexy Secretary(Luck +50, Luck +1 Each Time You Cum Inside Her)
Quirk: Creation
Bond Level: 100
Current Level: 63
Effective Level: 130
[Attributes]
Strength: 75->83
Agility: 79->87
Vitality: 426->469
Intelligence: 171->188
Dexterity: 65->72
Luck: 372->409
Free Attributes: 0
[Perks]
[Healthy Body], [Big Eater], [Encyclopedic Knowledge], [Armory]
[Armory]: You have access to a 100x100x10m pocket dimension where you can store equipment and items. Living creatures, recently deceased corpses, and objects with sapience cannot be stored within.
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"I-Isn't this the same as Historia's...?" asked Momo, staring wide-eyed at Izuku for confirmation. When he invariably nodded, a wave of 'giddiness' permeated Momo's body as, now that she had access to her own pocket dimension, she could create and store many items in advance, sparing her the need to do so on the fly. She could also be of even greater assistance to Izuku by lugging around things like furniture, food, and bedding, so her obsidian eyes glistened with anticipation and excitement as he waved her over to reward her even further with a kiss...
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(A/N: The 10% stat increase is a one-time boost from each tier of breach above B. Also, the Perks acquired via Blessings do not conflict with the six Perk Slots afforded by being a member of Izuku's Party. In other words, while most people can only acquire six Perks, maximum, those in Izuku's Party can acquire nine.)