Red looked at the full rundown of her Stats before the finale.
LEVEL : 56AFFINITY : AmalgamationHatchling Red
ATTRIBUTE : Identity< CORRUPTED >NAME : RedHP : 19,120 ^3/minMP : 15,210 ^3/min
AGI : 35RESIST : 52AGE : 0ATT : 660 (+35)MAG ATT : 410
O : 51D : 0ORIGIN : OriginalATT DEF : 560MAG DEF : 250
S : 17E : 9
< PROFESSIONS >
(O) HUNTRESS: 51
(S) FRIENDSHIP: 17
(E) EXPLORATION: 9
< ACTIVE SKILLS >
(O) Huntress’ Ssh III [3/10]
(O) Punch I [8/10]
(S) Friends! I [7/10]
(E) Appraise Object [9/10]
< PASSIVE SKILLS >
(O) Bdeworks
(O) Critical Eye
(S) Bonds!
(E) Boosted Appraisal
< ABILITIES >
Blessing of the Star Child | Unrealized | Vengeful Colors | Aspect of Amalgamation | Fairytale Huntress
* * *
The road to the summit of the mountain was strewn with the melting figures of humans. What remained of them were their husks and final expressions.
Anything inside had been hollowed out and absorbed into the brambles that wove between each of them.
Veins. Red couldn’t see the dark, pulsating brambles as anything else. She hacked several along the way, causing crimson pulp – a combination of liquified innards and meat – to gush.
It was being pumped somewhere.
Upwards, she believed.
Towards the light.
The same, emphatic light she saw within the cave that had led her to the Still Unloving.
“The light I saw was blue. But it transformed into a white light. The walls that were made of meat disappeared once that Anid died. I think it had something to do with this.”
Red produced the egg Rockie had found from her [Dimensional Storage]. She tried to analyze the object but received the same warning that her Appraise Object Level was too low. It was handed over to Snow who also attempted to identify it.
However, not even she could determine what it was.
“I don’t think it’s the same thing…” Snow whispered. “It’s not producing any light. You said you definitely saw a light. I’ve seen a simir sight before. A long, long time ago.”
“It was a light like this that granted my wish to become human.” Red added, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
Nothing but a field of meat surrounded them.
If an enemy approached, then they would have ample time to react. The fact that they were so close to the finale and not a single soul was present caused Red’s hunter instincts to heighten.
The final section of the mountain was a straightforward walk. Rockie kept close to Snow. Each of its long, six limbs were primed to assault any threat that dared to y a hand on her. Another major proponent to its alertness was Scarlet Logic.
If there were any still alive, then Rockie needed to be prepared to take a bullet for Snow.
Red didn’t know if its high-DEF stats were what made it selfless, or if Rockie was naturally like this. Regardless, it was a rge weight taken off her shoulder, as it allowed her to focus on the offensive.
Once their heads emerged at the top, they were greeted by rge stretch of ft nd. It was easily more than a hundred, if not hundreds of meters long. The ground was firmer here, and the light of the distant star sat atop one final spire.
No. It was not a spire. It was a rge, dark oak-shaped tree. Red veins ran along it. They pulsated as the blood of its victims were brought to fill its hollow shell.
And attached to that tree, which appeared no rger than a sapling from beneath the mountain, was a rge golden apple.
LEVEL : 0 The Fruit of Eversting Miracles
< A miracle granting fruit. Take a bite. Savor the flesh. And may your dream be realized >
ATTRIBUTE : Ignorance
ORIGIN : FolkloreHP : 45,000ATT : 0
MAG ATT : 0 AGI : 0
“A tree… The light is coming from the tree, isn’t it?” Red softly spoke, utterly entranced by the blinding light.
“Not the tree. It’s emanating from within the tree. But there’s another light coming from the apple. It’s… rancid. Hurgh… *bwarg*.”
Snow suddenly began vomiting the contents of her stomach. It was as she said. A foul, malevolent light came off from that apple, resembling a golden miasma.
Looks were deceiving. It pyed on with the Attribute of the entity, which Red recognized as the final apple.
It was no doubt a Corrupted.
She brandished her bde, but did not approach it right away.
Something was off.
“Ignorance. Snow!”
“Ignorance… Ugh… falls under the Affinity of Hope. What we see isn’t the whole thing. But my dairy hasn’t shown me that something is awry. It’s still a Trickle Corrupted…”
Affinities were the broader, umbrel families of the Attributes. For instance, the Attribute of Obsession fell under the Affinity of Attachment.
“Does this dumb Corrupted think we’ll actually take a bite from it? Agate. Conditions? Or Snow – do you have them?”
“Nothing… from me just yet. I can force it with my blood. There’s…”
Snow’s fingers dug into the ground, drawing blood from the fttened corpses beneath her.
“… so much material here…”
Her sprawled diary flicked to page 709 as blood was drawn into it from the surroundings. Afterwards, Red received the Condition from Agate.
< CONDITION: Unknown >
< SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns is Suppressed when The Fruit of Eversting Miracles is destroyed >
< SUBJUGATION REQUIREMENT: The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns is Subjugated at a set time after its HP reaches 0 >
“Then what are we waiting for!?” Red had no reason to wait.
She sprung forward; her bde held in a reverse grip. In her free hand was a fragment of a rock bug’s shell, which served as a shield.
Then, with a single ssh, her bde cut through the flesh of the golden apple. Her bde did not physically damage it, nor did she manage to inflict any Bleed Stacks or a Critical Strike.
However, its HP had dropped regardless of this.
The Fruit of Eversting Miracles | HP: 44,305
“No defense?” Red murmured.
Could it truly be this easy?
She didn’t stop her sshes.
Her hands swung like an axe, chopping away at its exterior, only that nothing was removed from the apple itself. Its HP whittled down fast.
Too fast.
“Any idea why this isn’t fighting back!” Red cried.
“I’m not receiving anything else. It’s just… an apple. My diary won’t take anymore blood. I can’t brute force it!”
“I thought blood was your only limit!”
“Blood is a medium! Blood doesn’t lie! But it’s my emotions that’s suppressing what can be written!”
Red remembered how Snow was able to reveal other crucial components of the Sweet Thorns and the like thanks to entering the First State. If she had to make a comparison, unlocking a State was like turning the page over in a bestiary.
Weak points for example required Snow to enter the First State.
At least from what Red could tell.
However, this could be brute forced.
It was just that the apple had nothing else to show.
Either that, or there were things that could only be seen when her emotions had been Heightened.
“Alright! Snow! Get mad! Scream! Shout – ROAR!”
Red’s attacks grew wilder with each word she howled.
Snow slowly hollowed out a section of the ground. Blood pooled into it. Then, she cupped it and pped it from her palms.
“THIS IS THE BASTARD THAT KILLED MISTER HUNTSMAN!”
“The bastard that killed Theron…” Snow repeated, attempting to channel her hatred into strength.
“WHAT DESTROYED YOUR HOME!”
“My home…”
< Snow’s Emotional State is rapidly increasing >
It was working.
Just a bit more and we’ll be able to see what you’re hiding!
The Fruit of Eversting Miracles | HP: 11,640
Syringe
