Chapter 37 - A Pleasant Awakening!

It was getting super late, approaching midnight. The field went silent, the only noises being frogs croaking, crickets chirping, and the gentle breeze blowing through the trees. Monster guts littered the field, seeping into the grass, almost as if they were...dissolving...

To me, it seemed as if the remains of humanoid monsters dissolved on their own, rather than requiring cleanup like typical remains. It was eerie...knowing that the truth was we had slaughtered nearly 20 humans...it disgusted me.

It got to the other heroes as well. I could tell they were distressed. The Zodiac was playing mind games with us. To promote their agenda, they would brainwash humans into turning into monsters, and lead them to their deaths, guilt-tripping us into submission...it was twisted, but genius...

However, we weren't going to let it get to us. We knew there would be no way of talking people out of it, as brainwashing was incredibly effective. Our only option would be to resume protocol as normal and protect ourselves...by any means necessary...

We decided to call it a night. We wanted to make the most of our time, and decided that the best way to do that, would be to return to the camp, notify the administration of our circumstances, and get some sleep. Tomorrow was transfer day, and we would be sent to Camp Omega, the port city...

I had two concerns. The first being the possible Zodiac Patriarchs and members we would come across in Omega. The other, being the fabled "water beasts" Cyprus told me about. I wondered what kinds of eldritch serpents and monsters awaited us in the vast open sea...

"Follow me guys, we should go back now... if we stay out here any longer, we'll waste valuable sleeping time. Rest is important, especially if we're being transferred out tomorrow." said Ambrosia.

Everyone gathered together and began their walk back to the southern gate, Natsuo being helped by Saburo, as he was limping. Natsuo was still in severe condition and would need to be healed. He would be transferred sometime later.

We entered Camp Alpha and immediately went to the Benevolent Boar Hotel. There were no other practical places to sleep, except for a cheaper motel on the other side of the city, so the top ten decided to take refuge here for the night.

They each made their way to their rooms, as dictated by Kenji. Ambrosia and I returned to our room, where we found Mayumi, Yui, and Cyprus fast asleep. Ambrosia quickly dragged me into the bathroom for a quick energy infusion before bed.

"This won't be long, I'm just doing this for consistency's sake, okay Yuki?" said Ambrosia, starting the infusion.

"Sure, I don't mind. I am quite tired though. I can't believe a call for level 6 heroes turned into the potential mass-death of the entire top ten. Mayumi won't believe this one." I said, yawning.

"Me neither... it just goes to show the true power of The Zodiac. We were never trained on how to handle intelligent monsters. This changes our entire operation. The Hero Camp will have to completely re-establish its teachings, and exams, to accommodate for this new threat..."

"I wonder how they're going to go about that... it seems like it would take quite a while if I'm being honest. Maybe even a few years."

"It's going to be a difficult process, but it's not impossible," said Ambrosia.

"Hey, think we'll be ranked up because of this battle? Technically, this was the first-ever retaliation against The Zodiac. I wonder if the administration will shift us around."

"Most likely. You'll probably move up a few spots simply because you were there the entire time, and you temporarily held control of a lot of monsters. As for the others, I'm not too sure. The top ten rankings are pretty tight-knit, so it takes a lot for a position change."

"I'm still gunning for the number one spot though. A sure-fire way to move up the ranks is by dueling somebody, and winning. If Grandmaster challenged me and won, he would become #2."

"Thinking about it, I think it's about time I dueled against Hero again. I've been training pretty hardcore lately, and think I can land a few hits on him, at least," said Ambrosia.

"Are you confident that you'll win, given enough training?" I asked.

"Not a chance, but it's still fun seeing how much I've improved. Hero is more of a "test dummy" to see if I'm improving or not. If we duel, I'll show you what I mean."

"Well, when I was talking to Hero while time was stopped, he did tell me about your experiences dueling with him, aaaannnd-" I was cut off suddenly.

"He did not!"

"Oh, he did. You really lost 80 times in a row-" Ambrosia put her hand over my mouth, and assumed an expression of bitterness.

"You shut your mouth, Hmph!" she said, looking the other way, and puffing out her cheeks.

"Hah, it doesn't matter though! You still try your best, regardless of the outcome, and your determination to keep going after 80 losses is commendable!" I said.

"Hm, I suppose so..." Ambrosia sighed and smiled slightly. We were still covered in cuts and bruises from the battle. Everyone was, as the debris battered us the entire time.

"I'm going to end the infusion now. Tomorrow, if we can, we'll do it a little longer than usual, to supplement what we missed tonight, okay Yuki?"

I was going to answer, but was suddenly interrupted by something...inside of me. I felt a weird surge of electricity flow through my body as Ambrosia cut off her infusion. It felt as if something was...waking itself up, in a way.

I looked down and noticed my stomach had begun to glow. It was glowing a bright orange. I felt like I was absorbing all of the electricity in the room. It was unpleasant, I needed to fix it!

"Um, Ambrosia? I feel funny...what's going on?"

"Oh? What are you feeling? Did I overwhelm you somehow? I didn't do anything different, at least, not that I could tell..."

"I feel...energized, but like...more than normal. Can you check my insides? What's going on in there? I feel static, almost as if I'm conducting electricity." I said. Ambrosia came close to me and put her hand on my torso. Immediately, her eyes widened.

"Yuki, you're stomach, it's oran-OW!" said Ambrosia.

She pulled her hand away quickly and shook it as if it was in discomfort. She looked at me with a half surprised, half confused expression, and talked in an apprehensive tone.

"Y-Yuki! You're emitting a massive amount of energy right now, more than any normal human should. What happened to you?"

"I don't know... here, is there something here I can punch? I need to exert this, I feel the urge to hit something, really bad."

"Umm, hang on a second, let me grab you a pillow or something!" said Ambrosia, quietly leaving the bathroom. She returned with a pillow in her hand.

"Here, hit this, and tell me how you feel. Your energy levels are like...dangerously high. I'm a bit worried." said Ambrosia, holding the pillow out away from her, and bracing herself.

I prepped my fist, took a deep breath, and propelled it forward. I felt a rush of adrenaline overcome me as I made contact with the pillow. Instantly, the pillow ripped into shreds, and Ambrosia was knocked to the ground.

"Oh shit! Ow, Yuki-Ah!" said Ambrosia, tumbling over into the bathtub.

"AH! What the hell!? Ambrosia, are you okay?" I asked, rushing over to pick her up. She was dazed, but came to her feet.

"Hah, well, that was new, wasn't it, Yuuukiio?" asked Ambrosia, smiling smugly.

"What do you think happened? The pillow, it's just, gone! I freaking annihilated it! That felt really good."

"I think we might have just awakened some of that power residing inside of you. Here, you seem like you've calmed down some. Let me check again to see if anything has changed." said Ambrosia, placing her hand on my torso once more.

This time, she didn't remove it. Instead, she pressed harder. She was smiling. She gazed into my eyes with excitement.

"Well, I'll be. Some of that energy dormant inside of you is waking up and manifesting in your body. You're much stronger than before, Yukio. Though, you still have a very long way to go before you've hit your full potential."

"I'd say we've awakened a good 2% of your power. But if that's enough to knock me over, then that's saying something. I think we should put you to the test tomorrow. Maybe Hero will let you punch him, hehe." said Ambrosia, waving her body around.

"Are you serious? This is fantastic news! Maybe I'll actually be of some use now! It's about time I started getting into the action." I said.

"It seems my energy infusions are working after all. Let's keep doing these, and striving to max you out!"

"Agreed. But, we should really get some sleep now, after that punch, I suddenly feel exhausted. That was such an odd boost of energy..."

"I see, perhaps you're right. Let's go to bed, and discuss our plans tomorrow. Goodnight Yuki!" said Ambrosia, punching my side. I flinched, but I knew she was being friendly.

We both got up and exited the bathroom. Ambrosia made her way to her bed, and I climbed into mine. I pulled the covers over me and closed my eyes. But it wasn't too long after that, that I heard a voice whisper to me.

"Psst, Yukio. Yuukiooo."

"Eh? Yui, is that you?" I asked, turning the other way.

"Yeah, it's me. I couldn't sleep until I knew you were safe. I'm happy to see you back partially unscathed. Are you hurt?" asked Yui. She had stayed up until we returned.

"I'm not hurt. I wasn't too involved in the battle. But boy, do I have a hell of a story for you tomorrow." I replied.

"Oh really? I love battle stories. You should tell me all about it."

Yui shifted over towards me, and snuggled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You know, Yukio. Do you ever wear that necklace I made for you? I made it out of--well, um." I cut her off, to ease her nerves. I could tell she was slightly stressed.

"Every day. I make sure nothing happens to it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just worry about you when you go off with high-level heroes like that. If you died, or if something happened to you, I'd be really sad."

"Don't worry Yui, I'll be okay. I appreciate your concern, it means the world to me."

Yui wrapped her leg over my body and rested her head on my chest. It seemed she was getting more comfortable around me. It felt strange, but I could tell she was forming a deep connection. But, it put me into an odd situation.

Why were my features so charming to people in Etheria? I was summoned here from another world, and my DNA had been modified, changing my appearance to match those around me. But still, people like Yui and Ambrosia found me exceptionally desirable.

Even Daphne found me charming in a way. For some reason, Mayumi wasn't affected as much. Regardless, I couldn't let this distract me from the fact that the Zodiac was at large, and that I needed to stop them.

I was sent here with a task, and if this was it, then I would put all of my efforts into it. Though, relationship building didn't sound all that bad. I needed to have a little bit of fun in this world too. Yui seemed to have genuine feelings for me, while Ambrosia seemed to simply bond with me over shared knowledge that only we knew.

Speaking of which, if I wanted things to flow smoother, perhaps it would be best if I explained my true circumstances to everybody. Considering I have the word of the top two heroes, my story would be much more credible. Yui then spoke to me once more,

"I heard some noises coming from the bathroom earlier, are you alright?"

"Ah, about that. I'm fine, I was just doing an energy infusion with Ambrosia. I seem to be awakening some more of my powers, meaning I'm getting stronger."

"That's really good to hear. You're going to need strength to be a successful hero. I'm glad you're here. Someone like you could really help the Hero Camp out."

"Yeah, I hope I can help out as much as possible. Even if I won't ever be as strong as someone like Hero, I hope to at least be in the top ten one day."

Yui lifted her head slightly and looked at me, confused. She missed the entire ordeal outside, so bringing up Hero seemed to confuse her.

"Ah right, you weren't with us. Well, long story short, Hero came back and saved us all. He's pretty strong, ya know? But, I'll tell you everything in the morning. We need some rest..."

"I see... please tell me, and everyone else, exactly what happened. If Hero really did come back, then that means something has gone...terribly wrong..."