The Aftermath(1)

For folks like me, the most frustrating thing is when hard work doesn't pay off. I understand I'm not the main character, just a named NPC, and I should be content with that. However, deep down, there was a part of me that believed I could start anew in this new life and alter my destiny, become someone "greater." Damn, I must be an embarrassment to all the transmigrators out there. Even with an overpowered system, I'm getting my ass kicked and teetering on the brink of death on my very first mission. If I'm struggling here, how the heck am I supposed to complete the main mission?

As Tempest slowly closed in on me, its tiny form containing seemingly boundless power, I remembered something, Oh yeah, I still have that. How disgraceful that I have to use it already! But it'd be foolish to be choosy now when it's uncertain whether I'll even survive. With Tempest drawing nearer, inflicting more crippling pain, I mustered my last ounce of strength to mentally call out to my companion, "Oi, Light! Cash in my summon ticket."

"Are you absolutely certain about this? The odds of it making any difference are less than 1%."

I know that you bastard why are you arguing with me now! It's not like I have any choice. "Just do it! The one thing NPCs are blessed with is bullshit-level luck."

The only response I received was a familiar sound, DING! 'Redeeming Summon Ticket (rare) x1. Summoning subordinate in 3....2...1.' As the summoning process commenced, I found myself bathed in a blue hue that seemed to draw Tempest's attention. He lunged at me with godly speed, a threatening "Grrr" escaping him as he sought to put an end to me. I couldn't help but wonder, was he genuinely threatened just now? After everything I'd been through today, perhaps it was because of the absurdity of it all that I couldn't muster up fear.

As Tempest's claw inched closer to my forehead, the surroundings erupted in a vivid display of blue tendrils of electric and wild lightning. In an instant, before Tempest or I could react, he was swatted away from me, sent flying several meters back, and left in a state of confusion.

Within the electric field, a familiar voice rang out, igniting the Magna Swing within me. "Hahaha, Magna, you look beat up, don't you? Hehehe, that means this guy is tough, isn't he? This is going to be fun!"

"Luck!" I managed to gurgle out through the haze of pain. What a coincidence.

As the electricity gradually died down, I could finally see him – a young man of short stature with piercing blue eyes and medium-length messy blond hair that cascaded over his ears and forehead. His attire was simple, consisting of an aqua-blue tunic with long sleeves that gradually widened as they reached his hands, giving the tunic a loose appearance. The tunic extended just below his waist, adding to the casual look. His pants were teal and reached just below his knees, adorned with light-colored strips featuring stitch-like cross patterns at the sides. Luck also sported a pouch for his grimoire, fastened securely around his chest with a belt. Completing his outfit was a pair of light-colored brown boots that covered just above his ankles.

Being a member of the Black Bulls, Luck donned the squad's signature robe. The robe was black and covered the upper portion of his torso, featuring gold trimmings along the edges and hood. It was secured with a gold button on the right side and bore the squad's insignia on the left.

Luck shifted his gaze to me, and his typically cheery, sadistic grin was replaced by a rare frown. "You're not Magna," he declared, "not Grey either. Who are you?" His tone no longer carried a sense of playful curiosity but rather a demanding insistence. To emphasize his intent, he raised his right arm, encasing it in one of his signature Thunder God Gloves, a clear warning that he was ready to unleash a Thunderclap Crumbling Orb at point-blank range unless I provided the answer he sought.

I couldn't help but marvel at his remarkable magic-sensing ability.

While I had the power to summon a clone and compel his obedience, I was not inclined to play such games. There was no point in hiding the truth. With the last shreds of my strength, I enveloped myself in a swirling cloud of magic and undid my transformation. As my disguise faded, I watched Luck's countenance shift from curiosity to sheer confusion and horror. Before him stood a pitiable child, not much older than a toddler, dressed in tattered rags. My stomach bore the telltale mark of a deep fist impact, and blood poured from every orifice in my body.

Luck began to stutter, overwhelmed by the sight of my battered state. "Y-you ...h-how .. w-who did this," he stammered, his gaze shifting to Tempest as he clearly recognized the source of my injuries. Kneeling beside me, he reached out as if to help me up. "I-I got to get Charmy.... no Mimosa! She can fix you right up!" 

I swatted his hand away, aware that in this world, Charmy and Mimosa didn't exist – at least not yet. The summon ticket had a limited duration, and precious seconds were ticking away. I couldn't afford to waste time. "I-I'm fine," I weakly replied, my voice choked with blood, "just take care of that guy!" I gestured towards Tempest with a jerk of my head.

The summon ticket's power over Luck was absolute, and despite his apparent reluctance, he was forced to comply. He nervously turned away from me and faced Tempest, his complexion darkening as anxiety and anger coursed through him. But as he confronted the mini-god, a thought gnawed at me.

I may not have been conscious in this world for long, but Gramps had drilled into me the knowledge of the prime powers within this realm. Tempest seemed to be on par with the Fourth Emperor of Ishgar, a force potentially at the level of a Wizard King. The question loomed – could Luck, even with his impressive strength, deal with this god-like creature and finish the job within the remaining ten minutes?

As my answer came, the crushing force that Tempest unconsciously emitted, which had been wreaking havoc on the surroundings, suddenly focused on Luck. It was clear that Tempest regarded Luck as an opponent, not merely as prey or a minor nuisance like me. While relief washed over me, I also felt a twinge of frustration. I could empathize with Magna, who had felt left behind as the other Black Bulls grew stronger, and especially with Luck, whom he considered his rival. He needed to acknowledge his weaknesses and devise a smarter way to compensate for his lack of mana. This experience was nothing short of humiliating, making me realize how far I had to go.

Lying stomach-first on the ground, I anchored my head upwards to witness the impending battle. Despite Tempest's howling winds that seemed to snuff out all sound, I could hear Luck's voice resounding through the area.

"Normally, I'd be happy to play with a strong guy like you," Luck began, his voice cutting through the wind, "but I'm in a hurry, so I'll have to finish this quickly!"

As Luck approached Tempest and the mini-god mirrored his advance, he bellowed, "Lightning Ultimate Magic: Lightning Battle Fiend!" It was a spectacle to behold as Luck's magic power exploded, and even someone as weak as me could sense the ambient and natural magic power surging into him. His entire body became enveloped in Lightning Magic, and he donned thigh-high boots and clawed hands. Two horns sprouted from his head, along with lightning-shaped protrusions from his shoulder blades, and a lightning-shaped tail extended from his lower back. His pupils transformed into vertical slits, and two lightning bolt marks adorned his cheeks, resembling tattoos from his time under the influence of the elves. Around him, eight balls of pure lightning floated, forming a circle around his back. It was a transformation that exuded immense power and readiness for the battle ahead.

Sensing the impending danger, Tempest also made his own preparations. The Yakuma roared a "Grrr," and from the palms of his hands, two spikes seemed to protrude outwards, before changing shape to form a dual-wield of niuweidao, similar to the Blue Spirit's weapons, donning an emerald scale-like scabbard and a rustic green blade.

They halted a few feet away from each other, each one ready to commence the battle. "Light?" I called for my companion. "Yes?" he responded. "I'm too weak to keep up. Is there any way you can help me watch it? I want to see this fight!" "Very well," he replied, and at that moment, a pair of glasses materialized on my head. They had a large white frame, elongated lenses, and wing ornaments on the sides with a 20X inscription written along the temples.

"What are these?" I mentally questioned. The familiar DING occurred. "Gale-Force Reading Glasses: A common magic item native to Ishgar that allows one to read at extremely rapid paces. These have been customized to allow you to witness any event at 20x your regular speed. You may keep them. Rarity: Rare."

At that moment, Luck and Tempest shot towards each other at blistering Mach 20 speeds. However, it was clear that Luck had the upper hand in speed. Horizontally anchoring his body, he buried his connected feet into Tempest's face, sending the mini-god flying backward. To halt his descent, Tempest dug his swords into the earth and came to a stop. In a flash, Luck was upon him again, but this time Tempest was better prepared. Before Luck's fist could connect with Tempest's body, the summoned creature shrouded himself in a massive wind barrier, redirecting Luck's assault.

Tempest dispelled his barrier and chased after Luck, propelled by his winds. He attempted to strike Luck with his swords, but lightning proved faster than wind. Despite Tempest's incredible speed, he couldn't land a solid hit on Luck. Conversely, Luck's attacks seemed to do minimal damage to Tempest's seemingly impenetrable dragon scales. They both momentarily slowed down before engaging in a flurry of attacks, with Luck's clawed hands connecting with Tempest's blades. Both combatants appeared evenly matched, unable to inflict significant damage on each other.

There was a moment when it seemed like Luck had slipped, and Tempest moved to capitalize on the opportunity by attempting to deliver a lethal, x-shaped strike to Luck's head. However, I could make out Luck's sly smile as his tail spun and began to tie and restrain Tempest's arms. Luck then brought his hands together in a cannon-shaped motion in front of Tempest's face, creating a large magical array that collected ambient Ethernano. He unleashed an unnamed point-blank attack into Tempest's face, causing the mini-god to let out a hideous screech, dropping his weapons and desperately trying to free himself while clutching his injured face. Luck decided to assist Tempest's escape by untangling his tail from Tempest's arms and sending him hurtling backward with a powerful backflip kick.

After taking a moment to collect himself due to his scorched face, Tempest was once again bathed in a green light that began to mend his injuries. He let out a powerful scream directed at Luck, momentarily taking both of us aback by this sudden burst of strength and regeneration. However, it was surprising to see cracks starting to appear on Tempest's cheek. Luck seemed to notice it too and had come to the same conclusion as me: this fight was already over.

The Yakuma clan had long perished since the age of gods on Earthland had passed. The Battle God Magic was a sacrificial summoning ritual that allowed Adonis to trade some of his life force to bring Tempest's soul from another plane to this world. But due to Adonis's severe injuries before casting it, he couldn't provide Tempest with a proper vessel to handle his full strength. It was similar to Orochimaru's failed Edo Tensei, and Tempest's form could probably only harness about 90% of his full power. Bluntly speaking, Tempest was doing us a favor by destroying himself as he tried to exert more power.

"Mou," Luck childishly began, "This won't even count as a Game." As Tempest infuriatingly roared, charging at Luck with even greater strength while more cracks appeared on his body, Luck realized it was time to end it. In a brilliant flash of light, far exceeding the speed he had previously shown, Luck bulldozed straight through Tempest's chest, tearing it open with a gaping hole. He paid Tempest no more heed as he walked past the defeated mini-god toward me, his transformation unraveling.

My attention was drawn to Tempest this time, not wanting to raise any more flags until I was sure he was truly defeated. Fortunately, Tempest's glowing eyes dimmed, and his body began to fall apart like shattered glass, leaving behind only signs of blood.

"Now it's time to get you some help," Luck stated as he kneeled in front of me, and this time I didn't swat his hand away. However, the moment he was about to make contact with me, instead of touching me, his hand went through me. "W-what's happening?" Luck questioned, his voice tinged with fear and confusion.

As I looked at his flickering form that seemed to be fading like a dying candle, growing more transparent with each passing second, it dawned on me that I had foolishly forgotten to tell Luck about the time limit, and the 10-minute summon was about to end. Luck looked at me in horror as he desperately tried to pick me up, but his hand passed through my insubstantial form. I answered his question, my voice filled with resignation, "N-nothing's happening to you. You're just going back to where you came from."

"But what's gonna happen to you!" He demanded. It made me realize that despite our appearances, I had probably seen more death and hardship than Luck. In reality, I was the adult in this situation, while he was just a young adult starting his journey in life. I calmed him and told him, "It'll be fine. My gramps will be here soon. He knows some healing magic, and he'll fix me right up."

However, Luck didn't seem convinced, obviously not sensing any nearby magical presence. Looking at his fading form, he said one thing before the summon came undone, "You'd better not die." I gave him a nod of affirmation to see him off as he left this realm.

Well, I guess this is it, I thought as I turned my body to lay on my back and gazed up at the sky. At least I cleaned up my mess and didn't get the villagers killed, or rather, Luck cleaned up my mess, I thought in a self-mocking tone. I can't feel anything, be it my mana or my legs. If an NPC like me has plot armor, now is a good time for it to kick in. And kick in it did.

*DING!* "Congratulations on completing the assigned quest 'Bandit Slayer'. Rewards: Bond Ticket (Uncommon) x2 and Charmy's Booster Juice (Rare) x1."

*DING!* "Bonus reward for eliminating all the bandits: Partial Completion Ticket (Rare) x1."

*DING!* "Bonus reward for defeating an inquisitor from the cult of Zeref: Summon Ticket (Heroic) x1."

*DING!* "Bonus reward for defeating a Yakuma Battle God: Temporary Bond Ticket (Heroic) x1."

*DING!* "Congratulations on completing the side quest 'For the Church'. Description: 'Become a Temporary Religious Leader.' Reward: Completed Template, Theresa Rapual (Common) x1."

"Completed Template?" I questioned.

*DING!* "Due to the host's incapacitation, the template will be automatically bonded. Commencing bonding in 3...2...1."

I felt my mana return to me with a warm feeling as my magic power and physical strength surged. I then commanded Light to hand me the booster juice, which I began to gulp down, healing myself as I examined my new template.

- Name: Theresa Rapual

- Alias: Crimson She-Leopard

- Magic: Fire Magic

- Age: 65

- Height: 162 cm

- Blood Type: O

- Eyes: Light Grey

- Hair: Well it's grey now

- Country: Clover Kingdom

- Occupation: Nun

- Squad: Crimson Lion (Formerly)

- Progress: 100%

I thought I couldn't receive new templates until I completed the previous one. Light then spoke up: "That is for drawn templates. Specific templates that are rewarded to you can be automatically bonded." I gave a light nod of understanding and I then commanded it to show Magna's template.

- Name: Magna Swing

- Alias: Weird Glasses Yankee

- Magic: Fire Magic

- Age: 20

- Height: 169 cm

- Blood Type: B

- Eyes: Light Grey

- Hair: Don't Ask

- Country: Clover Kingdom

- Occupation: Magic Knight

- Squad: Black Bull

- Progress: 50%

Well, this isn't so bad. I should have Nobel-level magical power now. As for the new things I acquired, I'm too lazy to check them out at the moment; I'll do it later. I then lay back down, seemingly intent on just resting in the destroyed area that reeks of havoc.

"Rex!" My attention was drawn to my left, where I could see my anxious grandfather rushing to me. However, he paused to take in the sheer devastation of the area, his gaze lingering on Adonis's mushy corpse and Tempest's glassy remains. Then, he seemed to put that on the backburner before rushing to my side, "Rex, are you alright?" I nodded to him, and he sighed with relief and confusion. Despite my clothes being torn and stained with blood, I didn't appear to be in such bad shape, except for some minor bruises.

As he looked at me questioningly, I sighed and tiredly replied, "We have a lot to talk about, old man." He affirmed, "That we do, lad, that we do. But that should be for later. I think what you need right now is some rest." He then proceeded to pick me up, cradling me in his arms like an infant. Normally, I would protest, but I found myself agreeing with him and began to shut my eyes as I lost consciousness.