80 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Chapter 80: The Former Slaves Are Obsessed Rin resolved to deal with the bear demon (ungui). Despite the fear of the bear demon and the complex relationship with the Hoyo tribe being significant obstacles, Rin miraculously overcame them. Prioritizing her master's orders above all else was a testament to the high regard Rin held for Karami. Karami experienced a sense of achievement and pride whenever the slaves prioritized his will. With the decision made to capture the bear demon, it was crucial now whether Rin could defeat it. She had to fight alone without assistance. Fortunately, her master was a fervent gamer who had spent so much time in the immersive world of Tao Soul that the line between reality and game had blurred. She had memorized the strategy for conquering not just ordinary mobs, but the boss monster bear demon as well. "Let's start with the basics you need to be cautious of. First is the mist. It's the bear demon's breath." Karami squatted down and sketched a rough bear drawing in the dirt with a twig. "When the bear demon gets angry, it starts huffing and producing this mist. The mist currently in White Cloud Valley is too diluted to be potent, but avoid inhaling the fresh breath it releases." "What happens if I inhale it?" "Handling magical energy will become difficult." In the game, when the bear demon released its breath attack, the slaves' MP would rapidly deplete. This required them to rebuild MP, delaying their skill timing by a crucial beat. Losing the timing for using skills in a turn-based game is critical. Therefore, players would often equip MP recovery items or bring zero-cost slaves who didn't use MP. Alternatively, they'd use characters with extremely strong basic attacks. Luckily, while it was unavoidable in the game, Rin could now defend against the attacks with the right tactics. "The second thing to watch out for is its roar. As you attack, it will roar. Hearing it will make you dizzy." It's a wide-area stun. You need to block your ears at the right time. Karami explained the bear demon’s pattern and strategy in detail, though it needed some adaptation to fit the current scenario. The combat in Tao Soul typically involved a party of five, with one main story-bound slave as mandatory and the rest freely chosen. But even those four characters had reduced stats, making it impossible to clear the story without leveling the story-bound slave. Thus, players typically constructed decks that focused on buffing the main slave for carry, but now it was just Rin. She had to do it all alone. The concern was that teaming up with others might reduce Rin's individual contribution. Fortunately, the soul-bound slaves were stronger than they were in the game. Karami believed Rin could handle the task by herself. Recalling Karami's strategies, Rin stood at the entrance and exit of the fox's den. Ominous mist drifted in from outside the valley. The eerie cries of ghosts lingered. An all too familiar landscape. Rin had always played the role of decoy to allow the Hoyo tribe to safely gather herbs and hunt prey. Every day she stood here thousands, even tens of thousands of times. Each time filled with fear. Not once had she wanted to go out, but without doing this, the Hoyo tribe would have abandoned her, leaving no choice. 'Now it's different.' Rin glanced back. The foxes, as always, glared impatiently, urging her to leave as quickly as possible. Previously, Rin would have been driven out, unable to stay even a moment, but now she wasn't paying them any mind. "I'll be waiting, so do well and come back." Amidst the all-too-familiar foxes, a newly met person was smiling at her. Awaiting her return rather than her departure. As a pinkish emotion began to sweep over her body from the depths of her chest, Rin couldn't suppress a momentary impulse and hugged Karami. She buried her face in his chest, taking in his scent with deep breaths, and smeared his scent on every corner of his body with her tails. Then, looking up slightly, she gave a mischievous wink. "Don't let other foxes touch you. I'll come back to apply my scent again before it fades." "Ooh." I'll return before the food gets cold. Version: Rin Karami let out a foolish exclamation at her bold statement. Satisfied with his response, Rin left the fox's den with light steps for the first time. *** Trudge. Trudge. Rin wandered through the thick fog-covered mountain, barely able to see a step ahead. The fog, winding through the forest as if alive, soaked the leaves and silenced her footsteps. Branches stretched out like the grasping hands of ghosts but burned out in the ghostly light of will-o'-the-wisps. In the labyrinth of the monster's cave, devoid of breathing room and teeming with unpredictable threats, Rin's steps were full of leisure today. Having unleashed five of her nine tails, Rin was no longer a presence to be trifled with by some lowly monster residing in the woods. Using the fog as a curtain to conceal themselves, they howled like lunatics, sounding the alarm. Rin paid them no mind. It was a waste of time to bother with such low-level creatures. Boom. A tremor shook the mountain. The bear demon's mere footsteps reverberated throughout the mountain. Thanks to this, locating the bear demon was not difficult. "......" Rin halted her steps and craned her neck to look up. A colossal bear filled her view instead of the sky. So massive that calling it a bear risked cognitive dissonance. To catch that creature. In the past, she wouldn't have dared, but now was different. Her mind was consumed with the thought of completing the task and returning to her master. To hug her master. To inhale his scent profoundly. If she delayed, filthy female beasts might seduce him, wagging their tails. Her master exuded an alluring scent that captivated female beasts. With the bear demon unaware of Rin's presence, it seemed wise to attack now, yet Rin held back. It was the strategy Karami had emphasized multiple times. "Take your time with the first attack. Aim for the bear demon's weakness with your strongest attack. It will always attack second." The strategy was still puzzling to her. Karami had pointed out the bear demon’s weak spot: a scar etched onto its chest. Approaching it meant the bear demon would undoubtedly notice Rin, regardless of its size. A powerful attack required time, and the bear demon wasn't some gentleman that would wait patiently. Rin's instinct was to maintain distance and bombard it with ranged attacks, but... 'No.' She shouldn't dare doubt her master's words. All she had to do was follow instructions like a puppet. Thwack! With a nimble leap, Rin propelled herself off the ground, gracefully navigating the terrain and perching atop a tree. Boom...! The bear demon passed by Rin. She had ascended high enough to match its eye level, the mist concealing the ground beneath. Rin focused on the bear demon’s movements, summoning fox fires with her spirit orb. Like awakening stars, they slowly ignited, beginning to radiate light one by one. One, two, three, four... Seven fox fires in total. It wasn't just the number she could control that had increased; the size of each fire was now several times larger than before. But the spectacle didn’t stop there. The seven fox fires began to merge into one unity around Rin. The singular blue fox fire grew so large it felt as if there were two moons in the sky. Yet, the bear demon remained unresponsive. Even with a fiery mass looming close by, it didn’t spare it a glance. The bear demon's steadfast trait of always attacking second remained unyielding. Turn-based games allocate each side a chance to attack, one after another. To balance the advantage of attacking first, developers often provide more resources or additional card draws to those attacking second. Yet, in poorly balanced games, losing the first turn might mean defeat without a chance to counterattack. In Tao Soul, due to a silly pattern where the bear demon depletes the player's MP, players inherently are awarded the first move. In other words, 'Apply all buffs and debuffs, then unleash an ultimate attack to slash its health by half from the start!' Unable to sit idly by yet too afraid to venture out, Karami peeked his head just enough from the fox den to gaze at the sky. Even with mist obscuring the view, the mist shimmered with a faint blue hue. "Go for it! Strike first, win first!" Though his voice couldn't possibly reach her, Rin acted as if she heard, aligning with Karami's advice to announce her attack move. "Blue Sky, Azure Flame." The massive fox fire moved with deliberate slowness before erupting against the bear demon's chest in an explosive climax. Boom! The fox fire detonated with a thunderous roar. The resulting shockwave swept away the mist, momentarily clearing the sky. "Aaarrrgghhhh." The bear demon let out a bellowing cry, vibrating the air as it teetered backward. Its massive shadow loomed, blanketing the earth with devastation. Sssssssss─. An immense breath escaped from the fallen bear demon, its sheer volume turning the clear sky back to mist once more over White Cloud Valley. A subsequent roar threatened to shatter eardrums. The roar flattened nearby monsters and wild creatures. But Rin—forewarned by Karami—remained unaffected. A pink barrier unfurled from her spirit orb, silencing the sound. Tremors buzzed around her, yet she stood unfazed. 'As expected...!' Karami’s information was accurate. Everything was unfolding so seamlessly that it almost seemed too easy. Rin felt a shiver of awe at Karami’s foresight, akin to the legendary 'clairvoyant vision.' If she followed her master’s words, defeating the bear demon was easier than eating boiled potatoes without water. Rin conjured fox fires once more. Guardian of White Cloud Valley? What’s that? If you're a guardian, then I'm a fox goddess.