173 Thread

Ah.

Children are convenient.

She works without me saying a word.

Moreover, excellent.

My life is sustained without my doing anything.

Excellent.

Yet I cannot simply do nothing either.

The demon who had been marking the path was nearing the lowest level.

After defeating my original body, the Demon King headed straight toward the lowest level of the Elro Great Labyrinth.

I think I went to check on the queen that was taken from me.

A confrontation would leave no chance of victory.

If Abyss Magic is used again, it won’t be a joke. The parallel consciousness occupying Mother’s body must be given an escape route. A way out must be prepared.

Thus, egg-laying begins.

The body shrinking is painful, unlike before.

A large egg is being generated within my body, larger than the current form of my body.

Hard.

About half a day of sustained effort.

The egg is finally laid.

Ah... that was exhausting.

But now the preparations are complete.

All that remains is to retreat before being struck by Abyss Magic.

Ideally, I’d pretend to be dead without actually being hit by Abyss Magic. But given the Queen’s massive form, the likelihood of a wide-area annihilating spell is high.

As expected, while waiting, the second one hatched from the egg.

Good morning.

{Good morning. No way. Impossible.}

Yeah.

You understand my intent?

{Yeah. There’s no way we can win.}

For now, just keep that body functioning.

I’ve left a small amount of food behind.

{Thanks.}

Thus, the second one has been added. There’s something I’ve noticed.

The second one’s species remains unchanged—Queen Talatect.

Currently, my form remains the same as it was at rebirth—but eventually, it will return to that massive body, I suppose?

If it does return, how long will it take?

More importantly, I must remain vigilant regarding the Demon Lord’s movements.

Though I doubt it, they might notice we’re alive and begin searching.

To avoid a repeat of last time, we must maintain strict surveillance.

The Demon Lord still resides in the lowest layer.

I don’t know what it’s doing, but as long as it remains within the Great Labyrinth, we cannot afford to be careless.

As we pass the time in this manner, the Baby Unit returns once more.

Ah, yes.

I half-expected it, but everything has evolved.

They’ve even acquired the title “Glutton.”

Though they still haven’t obtained “Monster Slayer,” judging by this pace, it’s only a matter of time.

Not just titles—skills are increasing steadily as well.

Life and other status-enhancing skills beginning with Life, sensory enhancement skills such as visual acuity.

These ones… really are too excellent.

Do you have any idea how long it took me to reach that stage?

Well, I have no complaints about having such capable subordinates.

In fact, it’s convenient.

They’ve brought back the monster corpses precisely as instructed.

Wait—there are snakes here.

Seriously?

They can already defeat snakes?

Impressive.

My children depart again, leaving behind monster corpses.

There’s already a sense forming, as if seasoned warriors have begun their advance.

The rate of evolution in such a short time… just how intense has the fighting been?

It’s not unthinkable they’ll be even more evolved when they return next.

For now, eat.

Consuming restores status.

Status recovery triggers molting, resulting in increased body size.

Molting has not occurred outside of level-ups before. But this is what molting is supposed to be, inherently.

The memory of molting during level-up is too strong.

My body size has largely returned to normal—approximately eighty centimeters.

Just a little more to go.

Status recovery, however, remains incomplete.

Around fifteen thousand.

Reaching this level of recovery means I no longer fall behind weaker opponents, but given the presence of the Demon King nearby, I would prefer full recovery before acting.

I am not, in the least, unwilling to break free from this idle existence.

Not at all.

The second entity also ate and regained some status, but its body size increased faster than mine.

Perhaps because it started larger, it grows faster.

We consumed roughly the same amount, yet this disparity—where does it come from?

Curious.

Having experienced the mystery of the monster, I consider the next steps.

First, once fully recovered, I intend to visit the town where the Vampire Child resides.

They revered me as a divine beast. My sudden disappearance would cause confusion among them.

There was mention of war with a neighboring country as well. It would be prudent to observe the situation firsthand.

Afterward, I will resume the assault on the Demon King.

If we do not meet, we hold the advantage.

If we meet, they hold the advantage.

By evading through teleportation while maintaining attacks, victory should be possible.

There is no direct method to defeat such a creature. Only unconventional tactics remain.

And I possess that unconventional tactic.

Then, regardless of whether it is considered dishonorable, I shall pursue victory.

Kukuku.

Debts are repaid.

Wait there, Demon King.

I’ve got the Hero’s abilities too.

A Demon King isn’t worth fearing.

Hehehe.

Ah, but please don’t come at me head-on—I mean it.