Extra Chapter… (For Completing 600 Power Stones)
….
"Hey Drago… big guy, are you okay?!" The moment the spatial barrier dissolved, Kumoko rushed over to Elliot. Watching that heart-stopping battle from the sidelines had terrified her.
Elliot shook his head. "I'm fine." To be able to fight an Administrator to that extent, even in defeat, was an achievement in itself.
But it also served as a stark warning: without god-slaying level skills, his own power was insignificant compared to an Administrator.
Kumoko stood protectively in front of Elliot, nervously eying Administrator Kuro.
This man... he actually managed to injure the Earth Dragon this badly. Who in the world is he?
Clack~
Kuro, seemingly unfazed by Kumoko's wariness, tossed a smartphone onto the ground.
"If you have any questions, talk to her." After saying that, Kuro opened another spatial rift and vanished.
Kumoko stared at the smartphone, hesitant to approach it. So weird! Why would a smartphone suddenly appear here?!
"Hello, hello! This is Administrator D!" The smartphone suddenly blurted out. The voice was female, and incredibly pleasant to listen to, but it also had an infuriatingly smug quality.
That "I'm above it all, looking down on everyone, I'm the best in the world" kind of vibe.
Yeah, exactly that. Even though there were inflections in her tone, it lacked any real sincerity, like a customer service rep trying to sell you a credit card, treating you like a clueless mark ripe for the picking. It sent shivers down your spine. Just hearing the voice was annoying!
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I've already discussed it with him. He won't actively interfere with you two anymore," the D on the other end said.
Kumoko was still confused. This person... who exactly is she?
"I'm D," the feminine voice of D answered unexpectedly, startling Kumoko. She had just thought the question, and the person on the phone knew! This person can read minds!
"Yes, that's right. I can read minds," D chuckled, unconcerned.
"You-you-you... you're prying into my thoughts! Does that mean you've been watching my actions all along too?" Kumoko was horrified.
Did this mean D knew everything, from the moment she was born, to meeting Elliot, to all the hardships they'd faced? Even... even her muddled, unexplainable feelings for the Earth Dragon?! Kumoko's face turned bright red.
Aaaah... This is awful! How can someone just peek into a girl's private thoughts like that!
"Relax, I have no interest in that sort of thing," D said in a lazy, leisurely tone. "Indeed, both you and this Earth Dragon are quite amusing. You've provided me with considerable entertainment. I'm quite enjoying watching you. I appeared this time mainly to stop that guy from meddling with you two."
Entertainment? Watching their every move, just because she found it fun?
Elliot nodded slightly. As D said, this being was an unscrupulous Evil God. If she found something amusing, she'd do it, even if it meant destroying the world.
As a side note, Wakaba Hiiro was the human alias this Administrator used while playing around on Earth. The reason the entire classroom was reincarnated was also directly related to her.
"However, this time, it seems I've discovered something even more interesting," D continued.
"This… Earth Dragon beside you, he's a reincarnator just like you, yet he possesses such miraculous power... to actually injure an Administrator. It was quite a sight to behold."
"Interesting... Truly worthy of my attention," D mused with a smile from the other end of the call.
She had initially been focused on the spider's antics, but then this big fish or lizard appeared.
Comparatively, her interest in Kumoko had waned considerably. If only I could uncover this Earth Dragon's secrets... how fascinating would that be!
"Mm, so what?" Elliot said flatly. He felt nothing towards this Evil God; in fact, everything was proceeding as he expected.
Kuro backing off was likely her doing as well.
An Evil God with top-tier power in this world, yet she chose to mess around as an ordinary human on Earth... you couldn't judge her actions by normal human logic.
"By now, you must understand. Without a Ruler's abilities, even with your immense power, you have no chance of winning against us," D stated. "As Administrators, possessing authority over this world, ordinary skills cannot harm us in the slightest."
"So... if you're willing to join my ranks, I can grant you the authority of a Ruler. How about it?" D was very interested in Elliot.
A reincarnator who could injure an Administrator with lower-tier skills... how powerful would he become if he gained a Ruler's authority? It was too intriguing; even she couldn't predict the outcome!
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "You're saying if I become your subordinate and follow your orders, I can obtain the power of a Ruler?"
"Naturally. You won't be mistreated under my service."
But what happened next surprised her.
From the other side, Elliot's voice came: "I refuse!"
"Hmm?" D's expression turned peculiar. She genuinely couldn't understand why this Earth Dragon would reject her offer.
"You should think this through carefully. Once a Ruler's authority is given out, it's gone. Even… I can't just take it back. You should know, I don't have many Ruler titles left. If you miss this chance, there won't be a next time."
"Miss D, I'm sorry, but I've already decided." There's no such thing as a free lunch.
D granting Kumoko Ruler authority wasn't an act of charity; she had her own reasons. Even some of the skills D gave Kumoko would be taken back later.
Getting a Ruler skill was awesome, sure, but taking handouts meant being indebted. What if the god he eventually needed to slay was this Evil God?
Could he be sure the Ruler authority she gave him would actually allow him to kill her?
Since he had already managed to harm an Administrator with his own skills, it meant Administrators weren't truly invincible in this world!
"... Alright. I admit, you are indeed somewhat unique," D sighed. "For now, I'll continue to watch over you both. Improve yourselves. I have high expectations."
After saying that, the phone vanished.
"This D, and that black-clothed man... what are they? Administrators?" Kumoko shook her head, still confused. According to D, she'd keep watching them. The thought of being observed while eating and sleeping sent shivers down Kumoko's spine.
"Let's leave the Middle Stratum for now," Elliot said softly. The battle with Kuro had given him a lot to think about.
Without a Ruler skill, fighting an Administrator in this world is almost impossible... What should I do...?
Accepting D's charity was out of the question. He had to obtain power through his own efforts!
[Ding! You have encountered one of the higher gods of this plane. Divine Spark Awakening Quest initiated!]
Just as Elliot was pondering, the system's voice sounded.
Divine Spark... Awakening?
As Elliot was about to examine it more closely, Kumoko suddenly exclaimed with a terrified expression, "Oh no! I think my mom's coming for me! We need to run, quick!"
Kumoko had a sort of mental link with her mother, the Queen Taratect.
The Queen maintained this link with all her offspring, allowing her to issue commands.
If one of her children reached a certain level of strength, she would use this link to summon them back to her side.
Kumoko's recent rapid power-ups had apparently met the Queen's requirements. But if the Queen Taratect kept her daughter by her side, Kumoko would find it very difficult to ever leave the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
The Queen Taratect was over Level 80, with all her stats in the five digits. Ten Earth Dragon Arabas wouldn't be a match for her, let alone Elliot in his current state.
"Talk about bad luck! Just fought an Administrator, and now the Queen Taratect shows up!" Elliot immediately started running with Kumoko.
In the original story, Kumoko only managed to fight a guerrilla war against the Queen after defeating Earth Dragon Araba and reaching Level 30. Right now, Kumoko stood no chance.
….
NEXT ExtraChapter On 900 Power Stones (600/900)
Next Chapter on my discord for free.
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y