This was nice!
The little farmhouse was filled with the aroma of roasted pumpkins and a peaceful atmosphere.
Jack basked in the serenity as well as the love and trust he felt. Pumpkin Girl had a huge smile ever since he had assured her that everything would be fine.
She cared about the farm, but he was still her number one priority. He felt her warm gaze stick to him even as she served food to the guests.
The monk was happily recounting their adventures while the old elemental was wriggling uncomfortably on his chair. When was the last time he had to interact with humans?!
No one would have believed that this calm scene was the precursor of an incredible battle.
Worry? None
Fucks Given? None
Preparations? None
The old elemental was all the preparation they needed. They didn't even flinch as tons of notification showed up and the shrieks of the Macabre Rats resounded.
[High Concentration of Demonic Energy Detected!]
[New Event! Resist/Escape the Rat Invasion!]
[Reaching the Town Will Be Considered a Win!]
[Optional Mission: Save the Pumpkin Farm!]
[Good Luck! Rats ARE Scary!!!]
None of this affected the tranquil atmosphere.
"Escape? Hehe, as if! Guess it's your time to shine, old man." Jack gently chuckled.
"Hey, it's Misty Old Man to you!" The elemental protested, taking the air of an elder.
"Pffftt— How peculiar! Mister Misty Old Man, would you like some more pumpkin bread for the road?" Pumpkin Girl nicely offered.
He grumblingly accepted. (As if any living creature could resist such a tempting offer!)
They exited the farmhouse relaxedly as if going on a stroll or watching a movie. In their hands, they had snacks and drinks.
Surrounding the farm were more than a thousand nightmarish macabre rats, their eyes glowing in the dark!
Moon Moon was the first to react.
"Woo!" (Shocked!)
So many! The rats were so numerous that they obscured the very ground they stood on. There was just a sea of monsters and nothing else!
The little wolf started "counting" them 1111111-111111111-11111111-11111111-11111111-11111111 -11111111…! That was a lot of ones!!! Heck, even the elemental was impressed!
"Tch— That's a LOT of them…no way that I'll be wasting my time on them."
"Is it too much even for you?!" Pumpkin Girl asked with worry painted on her gorgeous face.
"NONSENSE! As if it would even be a problem!" He thundered, his pride bruised. At this moment, he forgot all about the deal he had made: he was simply eager to prove himself!
Jack chuckled as he saw her mischievous smile.
The elemental grabbed the Pearl of the Depth, using it as a power source. He then radiated with mana as he chanted a super long incantation.
The rat leader saw this all happen. They knew of the naked one, he had been on the farm before, but this one was new! Who the hell was this human?!
— SHRIEK!—
Without waiting, the rat leader called for the assault to begin. A thousand creatures all rushed forward, their paws trampling the field and the Demonic Energy spreading.
If they reached the farm, it would be game over for the Pumpkins! But their true target was the man who had created them. Only by slaying him would they prove their strength!
This time they had enough brethren for sure! Once he was gone, they could slowly get rid of the cowardly humans hiding behind the blue light at the town: they were weak!
But before they could reach the farm, the elemental was done with his spell. With an incredible explosion of mana…
— It started raining! —
Yes, that was it. It was pouring on the rats, but it didn't affect them in the slightest. So what if their fur was wet? It wasn't like they could get sick. They were already dead!
They couldn't help but feel emboldened, for they were resistant to the spell!! They even shrieked in joy as they charged even faster!
— SHRIEK!—
Jack couldn't help but shake his head at their foolishness. That's when the elemental finally went on the offensive.
Now that the sky, the air, and the ground had turned into water…this whole area was his playground.
"Begone!" He bellowed.
Following his shout, the water droplets turned into glistering blades that flew all over the place, digging deep in the rats and soil alike.
"?!?"
The rats tried avoiding, but it was all pointless. The level 10 creatures had strength in number, but projectiles flew everywhere!
The rat leader noticed the creator as its brethren were dying by the dozen every instant. The man they wanted to dethrone at all costs wasn't even looking at them.
He was happily devouring some of the orange things while talking to the girl nearby. Had they done all this for nothing?! Were they always condemned to feed off scraps?!
Before long, the rat leader found itself alone with all its brethren annihilated. This was the end of the journey.
The man of rain gave it one quick glance before he suddenly realized what had happened. He turned toward Jack, laughing his water ass off:
"Hahahaha, this is rich! Your own creation attacked you?! That's why you needed my help?! Talk about ridiculous! What a fool!" His voice echoed all over the plain.
"What?!" The monk jumped in surprise as he glanced at his friend weirdly.
1. How the fuck had he created that army?!
2. How had he known how to get rid of it? He kept saying meeting the elemental was a coincidence but was it really?
"Mister Misty Old Man, this fool made it possible to grow Pumpkins. I think you shouldn't eat any more of them, just to be safe." Pumpkin Girl said with "concern".
That's when the elemental suddenly choked as his face twisted in regret:
"T-that's not what I meant! I was being playful, playful! Can I get some more Pumpkin Bread? I'll bless this land in exchange!" He begged and even bargained.
This grumpy bastard of an elemental was acting so coy?! How the hell was this possible?! The monk was about to go insane.
Jack smiled knowingly: the being was probably scheming for the future. Water and Life Energy shared similar properties, so he had probably sensed her Ultimate Pumpkin Growth skill.
Hearing this offer, she seemed to hesitate…
"I care about this land, but I care more about him…." She whispered very naturally, pointing Jack's way while blushing slightly. How scheming!
"F-fine! I'll bless both!" The elemental finally relented.
A blue light covered the entire Pumpkin Patch as he waved his hand.
[Acquired Blessing of the Misty Olden Lake Elemental!]
[Increased Pumpkin Growth Rate by 250%!]
[Increased Water-Based Healing by 15%!]
[Increased Affinity to Water by 10!]
But just as the scheming duo was celebrating, the monk's shocked voice resonated:
"What the heck are they doing here?!" He was pointing a distance away. Tons of players and a few NPCs were staring at the rat corpses, utterly frozen.
But there was something very strange about them. For some obscure reason, they were all freaking naked! Why?!
Jack glanced at the half-naked monk, resting his hand on his shoulder.
"Look, so many perverts! Go on, join your people!" He gave him an encouraging smile.
"Screw you! I'm like this because of my class! They can't all be monks, right?! Maybe they're just insane?" He whispered.
They would soon know, for the man leading them was rushing their way. But as she saw him, Pumpkin Girl uttered in surprise:
"Mister mage?!"
Oh? This could be interesting…
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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! 🔥
Welcome to How to train your elemental!