There may also be some inaccuracies, since English is not my native language.
Essentially, TBATE is first translated from English into my native language — and in that process, some details are already altered to make it more understandable for us. Now I'm taking that adapted (and somewhat distorted) version, revising it, rewriting it, and then translating it back into English.
I hope you'll point out any mistakes in the text that I might have missed.
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From a third person view
"Someone's coming," Arthur croaked, struggling to his feet.
Regis turned around, and his smoky black body paled. "Oh, shit."
Arthur's heart pounded wildly, as did Lucius's, as the rapid footsteps grew louder. It seemed as if a whole horde of creatures was rushing toward them through the jungle. Arthur and Lucius exchanged a quick glance and sprinted toward a hollow in the ground near a large tree nearby. The exposed roots intertwined, weaving in and out of the ground, providing them with a hidden refuge.
Arthur's gaze darted to Lucius, demanding an answer.
"This is the boss of this zone, a sound-sensitive centipede," Lucius's voice rang out in Arthur's mind, activating thought communication.
Feeling the connection, Arthur asked, frowning in pain, "Why didn't you say right away that there was a sound-sensitive monster here?"
Lucius smiled weakly in response, "Then you wouldn't have picked that fruit. Just lie there and don't move unnecessarily."
With that suggestion, the thought communication shut down, leaving them with their own thoughts.
Lucius's heart pounded with excitement as he waited to see this monster in person, listening to what sounded like a panicked retreat rushing back and forth across the terrain from which he and Arthur had barely escaped, undoubtedly in search of them.
By this time, the constant series of quick footsteps had come so close that the ground itself shook beneath them. A series of loud, clicking, chirping sounds followed, and Arthur and Lucius suddenly felt the pressure emanating from the hunter.
"This is so strange," Lucius thought with a slight fear that disappeared after a few moments when he felt this pure power for the first time.
Calming their breathing, they froze as the grinding sound of rusty gears clanking together grew closer. Regis flew into Arthur, afraid of being seen despite his incorporeal state.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when they sensed something approaching their hiding place. The rapid clattering grew louder until Lucius could make out the enormous creature.
The chimera Arthur had killed was quite hideous to look at, but this creature was something straight out of a demon's nightmare.
With the general structure of a millipede—only the size and thickness of an express train—the creature writhed past them, its countless thin legs more than three meters long. Looking at it all, Lucius could see the serrated claws on its head as it passed by, but most of the small details escaped him. He was distracted by the fact that the millipede was almost transparent, which was surreal for someone who had been living in the normal world just a few days ago.
Colored in a soft purple hue that blended with the glowing leaves, the giant millipede looked more gelatinous than solid, as if it lacked a hard shell. However, seeing how even the sharp, unyielding branches of the aethereal trees left no scratches on the creature's skin, it was clear that killing it would not be easy.
The millipede continued to crawl around them, searching for its prey. Despite its enormous size and length, it moved with such agility and flexibility that even when it moved to another area, there were no broken branches or dug-up earth to indicate that a giant monster had passed through.
Time dragged on as Arthur and Lucius waited anxiously for the millipede to leave, when there was a change in the nature of its noises. The monster's rapid steps began to slow down, then turned into the rhythmic stomping of its numerous legs.
A chorus of painful cries pierced the humid jungle air. When the rhythmic stomping stopped, Regis, who could not be detected by echolocation, hesitantly left Arthur's body and crawled out of the pit.
"It's okay, you can come out. It... it's eating," Regis whispered.
Exchanging glances with Arthur, Lucius, feeling a faint burning sensation still consuming his core, poked his head out of cover, and a second later Arthur joined him.
The millipede had wrapped itself around a massive tree that until recently had been home to a family of two-tailed monkeys. It was a bloodbath. The larger monkey, covered in its own blood, had been swallowed, while the smaller monkey desperately but unsuccessfully pounded the millipede's head with a rock. A moment later, the millipede's head jerked violently, throwing the attacker into the air, and, quick as a snake, it grabbed the little monkey, swallowing it along with the rock.
Watching this bloody scene, Lucius's gaze wavered slightly, but a second later it became calm again as he watched the millipede. His greatly strengthened soul did not allow fear to paralyze him for more than a moment.
Arthur's gaze was even more anxious as he watched the millipede like a predator.
"Please tell me you're not thinking of fighting that creature," Regis whispered, hovering inches from Arthur ear.
"I hope we won't have to."
"We will have to," Lucius replied in a low voice, "there are too many advantages stored in both the millipede and its cave."
"Of course," Regis seemed to have resigned himself to his fate.
Arthur glanced at Lucius as if to say, "Send the chapter directly to my mind again." Lucius nodded affirmatively and then turned his gaze to the slaughter.
Soon, more than half of the dozen two-tailed monkeys had been eaten, after which the remaining half surrendered and fled, dropping their sticks and stones to climb up the vines before disappearing into the trees hanging from the cave ceiling.
A few minutes later, when the millipede finally spun itself off the giant tree and began to crawl away, they couldn't help but stare at the monkeys inside the monster's body. As the organic material withered away as if the aether had been sucked out of their bodies, a faint glow began to envelop the stones that the millipede had swallowed along with them.
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Lucius Zogratis POV
Later, I was finally able to devote some time to consuming the remains of the fruit. Biting off piece after piece, I watched as Arthur slowly and carefully took another bite, which was logical considering that even with my pain adaptations, I felt it only slightly and couldn't even imagine how much pain Arthur felt. But putting aside all distracting thoughts, I experienced an all-consuming feeling of warmth spreading throughout my body and gathering back in my core. After that, I dug into the fruit even more eagerly, and my core absorbed the aethereal essence.
After eating the fruit, I looked inside my body and discovered that the aether in my body had lost some of its reddish tint, even before my body had completely absorbed all of the aethereal essence.
Inviting Arthur to sit down, I sat opposite him and, activating mental communication, sent chapters 258 and 259 into his consciousness in a few moments, unlike the first time.
Five minutes later, Arthur opened his eyes and stood up. Nodding to each other, we set off to comb through the aetheric forest, which, unsurprisingly, went without incident. The moment I got the aether arrow, I figured out how the wealth multiplication system worked, so I threw in the [Rank fifth flytrap monster fruit] and started collecting all the herbs, plants, and even a couple of trees into this system, hoping it might come in handy. After all, even the fertile soil here was weakly saturated with aether, not to mention the evolved trees.
I told Arthur that it was just an inventory item that came with the system I had lied to him about.
And then we encountered several more monster flycatchers, their fruits tempting me every time we passed by. Watching Arthur kill them quickly and silently, avoiding attracting the attention of the giant centipede again.
I tried it myself, and the first time was a failure because three of my phalanges were bitten off, but I still completed my attack and killed the flycatcher monster. My fighting talent helped a lot, as subsequent kills were faster and easier, and it seemed that my body was developing to deal more effectively with what I wanted.
None of the other fruits were as powerful as the first one I ate, but I was still happy for the extra ether. They were all rank third. For two of them, I chose x10 so as not to give myself away in front of Arthur. For the others, I raised them to rank fourth.
We took breaks periodically, mainly so that Arthur and I could sit down and focus on our aether cores after consuming the fruits.
Arthur took out Sylvie's stone a couple of times, but with a complicated expression on his face, he put it back. He knew what the result would be, so he looked at me and said, "You said I could revive Sylvie, but when will that happen?"
"When you reach the fourth layer of the aether core, only then will you have a chance to fill her egg so she can get out, but even that's not a certainty." I shrugged and was about to concentrate on the core, but I noticed Arthur's emotional gaze, so I sighed and continued, "She's completely safe, you know that, but after killing the centipede, you can use the aether from your core to feel better. Don't dwell on time and just try to get stronger at every opportunity. That's the only way you'll be able to get her back faster."
Arthur sighed quietly and muttered, "Thank you."
Shrugging, I tried to return to my core, but
"Are you sure we should fight this centipede? Of the three of us, only Arthur can fight properly," Regis' voice pulled me out of looking at my core.
Turning my head toward him, I said, "You saw the memories of this zone in Arthur's head, so why are you bringing this up? Even if I don't know how to fight properly, you've seen how quickly I'm progressing, and even if I can only run fast and occasionally strike so that Arthur can deliver the final blow, I can do it. Even if this creature tears off my arm or leg, it's not a problem, I can fix it."
Regis' voice sounded right in front of me again, "Why do you want to die so badly? I understand Arthur, after all, I have his memories. But you, I don't understand you. You said you're a 16-year-old schoolboy, but when they bit off a couple of your phalanges, you didn't even flinch. You just kept at it until you became better than Arthur at killing these creatures. Just why?"
I turned to Regis, my gaze making him flinch as I said with steel and longing in my voice, "I just want to go home. My mother and younger brother and sister are alone, and I can't sleep peacefully knowing that Mom has taken everything upon herself again. We'll kill this millipede and become stronger. Arthur will save his family, and I'll return to my world, to my family. I don't care how many arms and legs I lose, it doesn't matter if I can see them with even one eye."
I sighed softly and calmed down from the emotions that were overwhelming me.
Regis muttered in a tone I had never heard from him before, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. You're right, we'll kill this millipede, but this time I don't want it to eat me."
A smirk escaped my lips when I realized that Regis was trying to cheer me up. "You're right, buddy, it's better if you don't get eaten this time."
Arthur's hand rested on my shoulder. He didn't say anything, but his eyes said more than a thousand words. Nodding weakly to each other, we moved towards the cave of this giant millipede.
At that time, using thought communication, I sent my thoughts about the battle with the millipede, as if modeling the possibilities of battle in our minds. A couple of times, Arthur asked me to tweak something, and since he had much more combat experience, I corrected it and restarted the video.
Again and again, our battle plan was played out in the form of a video. Time flew by quickly, which is why a couple of hours later we found ourselves standing right at the entrance to the giant millipede's lair, one black wandering light, one guy dressed only in a flimsy leather vest and torn cloth pants, and me completely naked, a wonderful team.
After exchanging glances with Arthur and then Regis, I began to descend the slope into the lair. "Let's go."
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As we descended into the giant hole, spiraling into the ground, it strangely became lighter, not darker. A faint purple glow covered the ground, walls, and ceiling of the winding tunnel.
Regis scouted ahead, returning to us every few dozen meters to report what he saw.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black wandering light returning. Arthur quickened his pace, stepping lightly on the ground as he realized we were very close. I didn't let go of thought communication, so we all talked in real time through mental space.
The tunnel split in two, but remembering the story, we headed for the slightly wider passage on the left. It was wider in diameter and brighter. It took only a few minutes to get to what Regis wanted to show us.
Clusters of aether crystals, or rather the excrement of this millipede, were scattered all over the ground, not that I was complaining.
"See?" Regis said eagerly. "Aetheric excrement, enjoy!"
Regis flew close to Arthur's body, knowing what was coming next.
"You can absorb it, I'll rely on the system," I sent my thoughts to Arthur.
Nodding, he quietly picked up the fist-sized aether crystal and absorbed its essence until the purple glow faded. Finding another fist-sized aether crystal nearby, he absorbed it and turned to me.
[Rank first aether crystal x10 or upgrade to rank second?]
[Rank first aether crystal x10 or upgrade to rank second?]
Choosing x10 twice, as I didn't see much point in these weak crystals, I took out two rank first excrements identical to the one Arthur had absorbed, absorbed them, nodded, and we moved on.
As we advanced deeper into the millipede's territory, the tunnel gradually became brighter until, at the very end, a dazzling purple light shone, so bright that I couldn't see the room beyond it.
Arthur and I exchanged tense glances before continuing. My heart was pounding in my chest and my palms were sweating at the thought of my first battle, a battle with a giant millipede. I thought usually start with goblins, not S+ class monsters. Being so close to the aether beast in its own home, my body felt the pressure emanating from it.
Taking deep, calming breaths and steadying his gait, Arthur stepped forward into the blinding purple light.
"Let's begin."
I tensed up in anticipation of my first real battle. The tunnel led to a huge cave with a domed ceiling. The entire space was flooded with a sea of purple light emanating from mountains of sparkling crystals piled on top of each other.
Exchanging glances with Arthur, we split up and went to different sides, as a waterfall of aether crystals poured out of the back of the giant millipede, forming a small hill next to the other mountains of crystals.
Picking up two stones and taking a deep breath, I threw them at a specific spot a meter away from Arthur. The sound of the stones echoed through the giant cave, attracting the attention of the giant millipede.
Regis, who had flown out of Arthur, was very close to these stones and immediately shouted throughout the cave. Loud footsteps filled the cave as the creature turned at a terrifying speed and rushed across the cave, its scythe-like jaws snapping hungrily.
I darted to the left. Arthur to the right. Regis flew upwards.
"Hehehe, even knowing it's aether, it's strange that you absorbed it without any problems, you ate this bag's shit!" Regis cackled. His voice echoed through the cave: "Shit! Shit. Shit..."
Regis's cries also attracted the attention of the millipedes, which gave me time. I enveloped my body in a thick layer of aether and went on the offensive. The surroundings blurred as I approached the millipede. I aimed at the joints where one of its many legs attached to its body, and a moment later, there was a satisfying crunch as my fist sank into its paw. At that very second, another loud crunch echoed through the cave.
A giant leg broke off and fell to the ground, and a purple gelatinous liquid gushed from the wound. The aether beast let out a piercing scream before turning its attention to Arthur, as he was the last one to inflict damage on it.
As the millipede approached, Arthur sent a signal through thought communication—a signal we had decided to use because of its simplicity, to confuse the sound-sensitive aether beast.
At that moment, Regis shouted, "Over here, you, Crystal-sharding bug!"
The millipede stopped abruptly and turned toward the source of the noise. Arthur sent another signal, and Regis let out another shouted to get its attention. The millipede hesitated, its numerous legs stamping in place like an angry child throwing a tantrum, then it lunged at Regis, giving me some space.
Since our cores were full of aether, we didn't stop. After a couple more attacks, we broke off seven more of its countless legs. I couldn't break off one of the legs because the millipede jerked toward me at the moment of impact. But thanks to my speed and the fact that Arthur had broken its leg, I was able to dodge and jump away. The millipede began stomping its feet again, clicking its mandibles.
As expected, this did not cause much damage, but that was not the goal. All this time, I was trying to adjust to Arthur's attacks, and my eleventh rank talent proved itself once again as I realized that we could coordinate our actions quite well.
Sending my thoughts through mental space, I clapped my hands, attracting the millipede's attention. The millipede lunged at me, but once I understood its attack pattern, it became much easier to deal with it. Moving sharply to the right, I saw out of the corner of my eye how Regis flew into Arthur's body and the ether began to accumulate in his hand.
Once again dodging the millipede's blow, I tore off another of its legs with a loud crunch. Roaring, it lunged straight at me, and I began to dodge, pulling it closer to Arthur. Its serrated claws snapped nearby as the millipede lunged at me frantically. At that moment, sensing Arthur's thoughts, I lunged to the left.
Pushing off one of its legs, I landed on the millipede's back and ran across its smooth flesh. The uneven surface of countless plates that divided the beast's body, combined with the swaying, kicking movements with which the millipede tried to throw me off, created difficulties that I easily overcame.
Approaching the millipede's head, I enveloped my body in a layer of aether, like purple armor. Raising my left hand, the aether spread across my body and immediately rushed to my main arm.
To increase the force of the blow, I opened my core and allowed the aether accumulated there to escape and pass through me. Pulling my fist back, I brought it down on the beast. A deafening roar echoed through the cave, and the millipede's head jerked down sharply. I couldn't hit as hard as Arthur, and that wasn't the goal.
A network of lightning-like cracks spread out from the point of my strike, but it wasn't enough. The millipede was about to lunge at me when I began to release the aether from my core. My aura flashed purple from the sudden release of aether, but I didn't stop there. I allowed the aether inside me to break through the thin barrier of my body, releasing itself in the form of a translucent dome of purple energy.
My legs immediately became heavy with tension, but the effect was exactly as I had read about, and a smirk touched my lips.
The millipede froze from the impact of my attack and pressed itself into the ground. In my hand appeared its leg, which I had picked up at the beginning and sent to the system. A powerful blow from my homemade spear struck its cracked shell, but it wasn't enough to kill it. The millipede was too focused on me, and I knew I couldn't deal a decisive blow, but that wasn't necessary.
At that moment, Arthur appeared next to the millipede, pulling back his smoky black fist, clearly activating the Gauntlet Form, and brought it down on the beast, combining the speed of his fall with the force of his swing, driving his fist straight into the homemade spear. The pleasant crunch of the millipede's exoskeleton cracking echoed through the cave.
The giant millipede let out a painful roar, so guttural and wild that my ears rang, and its body collapsed to the ground. Standing in a fighting stance, Arthur struck the broken end of the millipede's leg once more, driving it deeper into the aether beast's head.
My body felt heavy as lead when the adrenaline from the first battle dissipated. My core ached, completely drained, as without channels for precise manipulation of the aether, the aetheric aura was like the opening of a dam, very powerful, but in a couple of moments all the aether from my core disappeared.
But I felt good — better than ever.
This fight was fantastic. The eleventh rank talent turned me into a beast. It was the first time I had ever fought, and I'm willing to bet that I was better than many who had honed their fighting skills for years.
Sitting on the aether crystals, I was breathing in the air when Arthur quickly approached me.
"You turned out to be much cooler than someone who has never fought before," Regis said, flying out of Arthur's body and examining my body, his gaze lingering on my left arm.
"How are you feeling?" Arthur handed me a large aether crystal, also looking at my left hand.
Only now did I notice a slight tingling sensation that I hadn't noticed because of the adrenaline. It was coming from my fist, which had turned into a bloody mess when I hit the millipede on the head.
"Wow," I said, examining the horror. My fist looked like a mixture of bones, skin, and muscles slowly coming together, too slowly because there was not enough aether.
"Yeah, it's fine, it tingles a little, but it's okay," I said, wiggling that piece of flesh and grinning. "Usually, the first time is awkward for men, but I wasn't bad for a first time, right?"
"Pha-ha-ha, a little tingly, huh?" said Regis, looking at me strangely, then sighing sadly. "Another masochist. I'm the only normal one here."
I ignored him.
"Yes, you were great. Even though you've never fought before, you're an incredible fighter. How quickly you picked up what I showed you and how quickly you applied it in real combat is honestly a little annoying," Arthur said, looking me up and down like an older brother checking his younger brother for injuries. "To be honest, I thought you'd do several times worse. I'm sorry, and thank you. Thanks to you, everything is easier once again."
Smiling, I held out my right fist, and Arthur tapped it lightly in response.
Turning my gaze to the aether crystal, I said, "Now don't distract me, I need to replenish my aether supply. And if you can, collect every aether crystal you and Regis can find."
They both nodded and went to do what I asked, as Arthur needed to replenish his aether core as well.
Leaning back, I exhaled quietly. It had been a wonderful battle.