Although he was grumbling under his breath, Allen was actually quite pleased, after all, this was the first time the system had given him equipment. Even if it shamelessly charged an outrageous "processing fee" for it.
As for whether the icy-blue flame would be turned into something completely different, Allen decided not to care. A person ought to learn to be content with what they have.
Compared to the system's "gold essence" that was so expensive Allen could sell his soul and still not afford it, this was already a blessing. Feeling quite satisfied, he promptly chose to pay. When he pressed the confirmation button, nothing particularly dramatic happened, aside from a faint feeling that his resistance to magic had slightly improved.
Well, that made sense. A magic resistance cloak was the most basic kind of defense gear. If even that started glowing and sparkling, how were the divine-tier artifacts supposed to keep up appearances?
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
After climbing out of the pool, both of them were soaking wet, but thanks to Annie's skilled control over fire, she quickly dried their clothes. Only then did they remember the mountain troll girl still lying unconscious below.
Poor thing was still sound asleep, probably because Allen had hit her a bit too hard…
Feeling a bit guilty, the two quietly removed the bandages from her upper body, then exchanged a glance and prepared to sneak off.
Wait until she wakes up?
Are you kidding?! International joke of the year!
Sure, they had helped her resolve a big problem, but that did absolutely nothing to fix the awkward situation they were now in. Time to make a strategic retreat.
Besides, this place was nearly impossible to find. She'd be fine. That girl was far from weak, she had, after all, knocked Tibbers out in an instant. No way she was as harmless as she looked.
Unfortunately… they were too late.
Just as Allen was about to leave, a slender hand grabbed the hem of his pants tightly.
"Why did you knock me out? Did Miss do something wrong?"
Uh… miss, that's not an easy question to answer.
Not that she seemed to need an answer. The mountain troll girl simply looked up at him with confusion.
"Is there something wrong with Miss? Mommy said I'd grow up to be a beautiful mountain troll."
"Didn't Mommy say that men like you would never refuse Miss's requests?" she asked innocently, still lying on the ground.
What kind of parenting is that?!
This wasn't the world of Dungeon Fighter Online, okay?! Sure, Allen wasn't wearing a suit, but a wizard robe wasn't some shabby outfit either!
Why did he have to do whatever she said? Even if she was an adorable girl, there was no way he was going to just throw himself at her beck and call!
"So… what do I have to do for you to agree to mate with me?" she asked, still wearing that harmless little expression, as if she were simply asking for directions.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Wait, what?
Allen suddenly thought he was hearing things. Had she really just said,
Maybe sensing his confusion, the mountain troll girl kindly repeated herself, even offering an explanation just in case he didn't understand.
"So I want to know, what kind of price do I need to pay for you to engage in sacred mating with me, so I can fulfill the sacred duty of species reproduction?"
Allen was utterly stunned.
He understood this time. Completely.
So… how was he supposed to respond?
Bow down to the boss and serve her tea? Surrender to the fluffy forces of cuteness?
Or maybe… reject her with a disgusted expression and walk away?, Uh, that option felt kinda risky…
Thankfully, someone else made the decision for him.
With a loud bang, a red stunning spell smacked the girl right in the head. Caught off guard, she collapsed in a completely different posture this time, OTZ.
"Brother, let's go. Problem solved. We still need to hurry back," Annie said calmly.
A clean solution, and a brilliant one at that. Allen gave her a thumbs-up and quickly bailed. A girl asking for a mating ritual right after meeting someone? That was way too terrifying.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
After leaving the cave, they soon found a certain good-for-nothing still cooking breakfast, currently holding yet another rabbit…
Why another rabbit?
Simple. A whole pile of rabbit bones was already lying next to Tibbers, easily from over a dozen of the critters.
Worthless. There were only three people in their party, and yet this guy managed to rank fourth!
Even though Tibbers had clearly eaten his fill, Annie didn't blame him for slacking off during the last fight. Instead, she happily patted his head. Then, under the surprised gaze of the so-called Ivan the Useless, Tibbers' massive body suddenly began to shrink, until he was the size of a plush toy.
"Wha-what…" Ivan the wizard stammered, tongue-tied.
"Something wrong?" Allen asked casually while packing up their things.
"Isn't that bear supposed to be a tamed magical beast? Wasn't she a beast-taming witch?" Ivan finally managed to get his words out.
"Yep, he's a tamed magical creature. Name's Tibbers. Very well-behaved," Allen replied offhandedly, tossing spice bottles into his bag.
"By Merlin's beard, how could he suddenly shrink so much? That kind of high-level transformation magic, how could a little girl possibly…" Ivan trailed off mid-sentence.
His expression changed. He looked at Annie with a newfound reverence, as though he had just made some kind of amazing connection.
"Auntie… may I ask… what era did you survive from…" He respectfully opened his mouth, clearly preparing to sing her praises in poetry.
What he got in return was a fireball to the face.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
After the chaos settled, the three stood atop a magic circle Allen had drawn. According to the useless wizard, most areas were now under lockdown. He intended to take them to one of his secret hideouts first before making further plans.
It was a fallback location he'd prepared for emergencies, stocked with lots of supplies. Most importantly: food.
Even in today's world, food was still the ultimate hard currency. No matter how magical you were, you couldn't just conjure lunch out of thin air. Allen's snack stash was fine for occasional munching, but definitely not suitable as long-term rations.
With a flash of blue light, the three of them vanished from the now-depleted magical forest.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
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