"So, it sees us as food?"
Damien recognized the black bear's identity. "A C-rank monster, Terror Burst Bear. Think you can handle it, Ogerpon?"
"No problem!"
Ogerpon wasn't new to fighting the monsters of this world.
A mere C-rank wasn't enough to intimidate her.
"Good."
Damien quickly stepped back to a safe distance.
He fixed his gaze on the Terror Burst Bear, a spark of anticipation in his eyes. "If you're coming for us, you'd better be ready to become dinner yourself."
"Go all out, Ogerpon."
Damien grinned. "Tonight, we're having bear paws!"
"Got it!"
Ogerpon gripped her cudgel, her body surging with green Grass-type Magicule.
In the next instant, she vanished from where she stood.
Whoosh!
Swish, swish, swish!
Ogerpon transformed into a streak of green light, darting between the trees so swiftly that the once-ferocious Terror Burst Bear was left bewildered.
Phantasmal afterimages overwhelmed the bear, leaving it unable to keep up.
"Now's the chance!"
"Bo ne!"
Suddenly, a three-to-four-meter-long cudgel, formed entirely of energy, descended from above, slamming into the bear's skull.
Thud!
Boom!
Its head shattered, blood splattered, and the bear's massive, house-sized body collapsed alongside it.
"Bo ne!"
Ogerpon leapt down from the air, landing steadily in front of Damien, striking a cool pose for good measure.
[Notice: Individual 'Ogerpon' has defeated C-rank monster 'Terror Burst Bear']
[Unique Skill 'Grower' successfully absorbed Magicule]
[Gained Existence Value: 3 EP]
In just a few days, Ogerpon's Magicule had risen from 6500 to 7000.
The Grower skill was undeniably overpowered.
As long as she kept defeating or killing opponents, she could harvest Magicule.
And Magicule was the key to a monster's evolution.
"Nice work."
Damien praised, "You've got full control over your magic and strength now, Ogerpon."
"Bo ne um~~"
Ogerpon dissipated her cudgel back into Grass-type Magicule, scratching her head shyly at Damien's compliments.
"Your Magicule went up by 500."
"If we'd run into more monsters, you could've gotten even stronger."
Damien thought of Rimuru from the original story, whose Predator skill was even more absurd than Ogerpon's Grower.
Of course, beings like Rimuru or Ogerpon, who could grow stronger by devouring or defeating other monsters, were rare in the Cardinal World.
Monster evolution wasn't easy.
Before Rimuru's rise, an A-rank ogre in the Ogre Tribe was a legend unseen for a millennium.
It wasn't common, but not impossible either. If Ogerpon could defeat another thousand monsters, she could evolve into an A-rank monster.
"Ogerpon got a little stronger just now."
"It feels like I've been getting so much stronger lately."
Ogerpon bounced back to Damien's side, tilting her head curiously. "Is it because of that stuff called Magicule (EP)?"
"Exactly."
Damien patted her head, explaining, "In this world, Magicule is closely tied to a monster's strength."
"Generally, the more Magicule a monster has, the stronger they are."
This didn't quite apply to humans, though.
Humans relied more on techniques, unlike the skill-based power of monsters.
"The Terror Burst Bear we just took down was a C-rank monster."
"And you, Ogerpon, are B-rank."
Damien shared what he knew. "After B-rank comes B+, A-, and the higher A-rank."
In the Cardinal World, Existence Value roughly translated to ranks as follows:
0–1000: E-rank
1000–3000: D-rank
3000–6000: C-rank
6000–8000: B-rank
8000–9000: B+-rank
9000–10000: A–rank
Then, 10,000 was a threshold. Breaking it meant becoming an A-rank monster, earning the "Hazard" designation.
10000–100000: A-rank
The A-rank range was vast, on an entirely different level from lower ranks.
Typically, an A-rank Hazard monster could single-handedly destroy a city in the human world.
At the higher Special A-rank, a monster became a "Catastrophe" capable of wiping out a nation.
Breaking the 100,000 Existence Value barrier earned a Special A-rank designation.
Of course, Special A-rank had its own spectrum.
Some Special A monsters, unable to progress further, were labeled Catastrophes.
But those who broke their limits and continued evolving, reaching 200,000 Existence Value, became what humans called "Demon Lords." or Demon Lord Seeds.
In the original story, Demon Lord Seeds weren't portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful, sometimes barely qualifying as Demon Lords.
But in this real world, humans didn't distinguish between Demon Lords and Demon Lord Seeds so casually.
A Demon Lord Seed was a Demon Lord... a colossal Catastrophe capable of threatening or even destroying a nation.
The emergence of such a being could lead to millions of deaths and tens of millions displaced.
Even in the Cardinal World, let alone a modern society, it would be a global catastrophe.
"Ogerpon's gonna be a Demon Lord!"
Ogerpon's resolve to become a Demon Lord grew stronger. The little creature's thoughts were simple: "That way, Ogerpon can protect Damien even better!"
"Haha."
Damien's heart warmed. Truly my loyal companion.
"Come lend a hand, Ogerpon." Damien said. "I'll make you something tasty!"
"Ohhh!"
The Terror Burst Bear was far too big for Damien and Ogerpon to eat alone.
But that was no issue.
Damien had Spirit Space, where he could store the remaining bear meat without worrying about spoilage.
They weren't short on food... Damien's space held plenty of supplies bought from the Pokémonverse.
But bear paws? Those were something Damien had only heard of in his past life.
Now that he had the chance to try them, he wasn't about to pass it up.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Damien noticed Ogerpon staring at the fallen Terror Burst Bear.
"What's wrong?" He guessed her thoughts. "Feeling uneasy?"
"A little, but not much."
Ogerpon shook her head. The Pokémonverse had regular animals too.
She wouldn't kill Pokémon, as they were her kind.
But ordinary animals? She didn't mind.
It was much like the relationship between monsters and beasts in the Cardinal World.
Monsters were intelligent, with their own language, capable of communication and emotion.
Beasts like the Terror Burst Bear, however, were driven purely by instinct.
They weren't even products of natural reproduction.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (removespace)