Chapter 16: Brother And Sister
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Jack continued running through the dungeon, finding many clues of battle where his sister’s scent had been left behind. As he was able to channel Fenrir’s powers, it was quite obvious his sense of scent was as sharp as that of a wolf. He relied more on it than even his vision and hearing. Especially of the scent of her blood, which only made him imagine the worst-case scenario.
“This is… battle? Did Anna fight against bugs?! Ah, is she alive?! If her body’s not here then…!”
He kept rushing through the Dungeon, finding the remains of more battles. He found the corpses of slain monster bug monsters and other living creatures lurking around such as giant salamanders, a large spider, and a sleeping cyclops until he finally reached the Boss Room’s gates.
“This…! Anna’s scent is here too. Why didn’t she stay in here? It is safe…” Jack muttered. “Unless she encountered someone else that forced her to escape?”
“Oi dumbass, don’t you remember that snake saying something about his disciple? He sent someone after your baby sister!” Fenrir barked.
“Shit…!” Jack quickly remembered that after Fenrir reminded him. His mind was always fuzzy after fighting.
He kept leaping from wall to ceiling, running across the tight roads inside of the caves, until he finally found a large battlefield. The floor was shattered in several areas, the walls were broken, and there was the foul smell of venom and burned flesh everywhere.
“Anna? ANNA!” Jack grew more desperate, thinking his sister was killed here, but the only thing he found was… A corpse, the corpse of a snake man, beheaded at that, several tiny bugs were already beginning to eat him while he rotted there. Jack felt confused.
“He died? But- Don’t tell me, did another, stronger monster show up?!”
“I can smell her over there! HURRY!”
Fenrir alerted Jack, as he quickly continued rushing in, leaping from wall to wall, and then finally, finally! He found her. She was there! Alive!
FLAAASH!
A beautiful light appeared before his eyes. It was shining like the sun itself. Her hair was long, brown, with a golden hue, almost making her look blonde. With shiny eyes, shining brightly with yellow light. Her skin was so bright it blinded him the more he looked at her.
Barely wearing some rags made up of insect armor… he finally found her. Somehow, the little sister he thought he had to protect at all costs. The little sister he thought was weak and innocent, incapable of killing a single thing. A little princess, so pure and beautiful… His baby sister he had to protect from all things, she was almost like his daughter.
“…A-Anna?” Jack felt surprised, the more he looked at her, the more different she looked from the sickly and poor little sister he saw every day in a coma inside the hospital.
“Jack...?”
.
.
.
As I was looking at my own status, I suddenly felt a powerful presence, so strong it almost paralyzed me on the spot. A massive darkness was approaching, one so big it could swallow everything. Yet… when I saw who it was, I immediately felt the impulse to cry, a surge of emotions rushing in. Despite having regained my previous life memories. I still had this life’s memories, of being Anna, of loving my family and my brother.
After going through this damned hell… finally, he finally found me.
“…A-Anna?”
“Jack…?”
We stared at one another for a few seconds. He seemed rather fabled I had changed a bit… But I simply couldn’t resist my urge to hug my brother, my beloved big brother, the dumbass that gets himself into trouble and always is sacrificing himself. If one thing I’ve learned through my previous life’s memories is how much he suffers, and how he sacrifices. I think he really deserves a hug!
“Jack!”
I ran towards him, jumping over his body and throwing him down into the ground, hugging him and kissing him on his cheek.
“I missed you! I was so scared… But I… I fought! I am not weak, you know?! I-I am strong! And I won’t burden you again! I will grow stronger… So you don’t have to suffer!” I began crying more and more, Jack felt so confused he looked funny.
“A-Anna… I… I also missed you.” Jack said, hugging me, and giving me a head pat.
Once he hugged me back, my cold body finally felt warmth again. It felt like all my worries were going away like they were no longer important. Remembering how lonely my previous life was, having someone I could hug whenever I wanted was really nice.
“Just… what happened to you? Did you awaken? This is amazing, you’re overflowing with power!” Said Jack.
“A lot happened but… I did. I awakened and beat a bug boss, absorbed the bug boss magic crystal, and then defeated that snake guy after I ate a pill I found inside that treasure chest!” I pointed at the treasure chest, making up lies and mixing them with truth. The power of the Charlatan Skill was easily boosting the lies to be more believable.
“I see…” Jack sighed.
“She must’ve been able to beat him after I ate Uroboro’s fragment, though he remained looking like a snake…” A black dog showed up from his shadows.
It was Fenrir, the Fallen Constellation and my brother’s source of power, and the very reason he’s here alive as well. I honestly have mixed feelings about him. He’s a bastard who pushes him too hard, demands too much, and is monstrous beyond belief. Yet… he also accompanied him when nobody did, talked to him when he was always alone, and was there when nobody could.
And he’s…
“He’s so fluffy!!!”
I ran towards the big black wolf, hugging him. He was made of darkness but somehow, he was covered in an indescribably fluffy fur! The wolf groaned in surprise, it felt like he would have bitten me by reflex, but he somehow stopped himself from doing so, looking flustered.
“H-Huh?! What with this brat?! You’re not afraid of a talking wolf?” He wondered, suddenly getting all embarrassed. “G-Get away! I-I… am not good at dealing with brats!”
Heh! The power of my Charm Stat was working.
“But you’re so fluffy, how could I ever find you scary? I want to hug you forever!” I continued hugging him. Honestly, I felt like sleeping over him.
“T-This… Oi Jack! G-Get her away from! There’s something weird about her… She’s kind of dangerous…” Fenrir muttered.
“Hahaha, seems like this is the first time you interact with a child.” Laughed Jack.
“I am not a child! I am 17! I am already a young adult.” I sighed.
“W-Well, yeah, but 3 years ago you were a child.” Sighed Jack.
“G-Get off me! Uuuggh…” Fenrir seemed to be trying to fight, but…!
“Pat, pat! Good boy, you’re a good boy!” I said with a happy smile, giving him head pats. “Let’s be friends from now on, okay?”
“W-What? You dare call me good boy?!” Fenrir suddenly began acting more dog-like as he said those words.
A pink-colored aura surged around him, glowing only for a split second before it quickly faded away. The notification of the system then blocked my vision.
Ding!
[The Effects of [Let’s Be Friends! (F Rank Privilege)] have begun to influence the [Fallen Constellation: Fenrir]!]
[Fenrir] has a more favorable impression of you!]
Hehe, slowly but steadily, he will become my puppy!
“Kyu!”
“Huh?! A monster?!”
Jack quickly attempted to attack Violet, who emerged over my head. I swiftly grabbed the little bug before my brother’s claws were to rip him to shreds.
“WAIT! He’s Violet, I tamed him!”
“Eh? Y-You can tame monsters?!”
“Woah! That’s interesting, Tamers are super rare.”
My brother and Fenrir were both surprised.
“Yep, he helped a lot too, so you better leave him be.”
“Haha, fine.”
My brother gave me a head pat, as he tried to touch Violet.
“CHUU!”
However, Violet hissed at him and almost bit his hands.
“C-Calm down!” I told him. “He’s my big brother.”
“Kyuuu…” Violet didn’t seem fond of other people yet.
“Well, for now, we should quickly get away from here. Once everything’s over I should come back to safely kill the boss monster.” My brother said.
I guess that’s better than staying here for another second. As we both rode over Fenrir’s back, a sudden tremor spread into an earthquake across the dungeon.
“What is happening?!” Jack felt shocked. “A monster or-”
“T-This presence is no mere monster, Jack!” Fenrir said.
“Huh?”
Ding!
[The Cosmic Throne {Trillion-Legged Millipede That Swarms The Cosmos} says she has found a more fitting candidate to be her priest!]
[Utilizing her special Privileges, she has destroyed the shackles holding her sealed within the Dungeon!]
[The [Insect Queen Lolth (B+++ Rank)] power is growing stronger as she received the blessings of {Trillion-Legged Millipede That Swarms The Cosmos}!]
[Her Rank has increased from B+++ Rank to A+++ Rank!]
CLAAASH!
Suddenly, we heard the gates of the dungeon boss breaking apart, as a massive monster started crawling from within.
Ding!
[The Cosmic Throne {Trillion-Legged Millipede That Swarms The Cosmos} happily awaits your death after having offended her generosity by rejecting her offer.]
[Her giant, sharp mandibles have begun clicking viciously.]
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
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