NOVEL WEB Androids…? (17.2)
Game
Thoughts
“Talking”
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“What’s the plan?” Asuna asked as the entire team gathered in a circle. The forest around them was still pitch-black, illuminated only by the sparkling stars, which didn’t make it far past the tree brush above.
“They’re moving comically slow,” Celia said, a frown on her face, “That’s the main reason I wasn’t concerned about them coming at us. I’m not sure they’re even headed at us specifically.”
“What other reason could they have to head here?” Gray asked, gesturing to the forest around them, “There’s not much here, besides the island above us and the weak tribe under it. Either they chose a very coincidental time to attack Kami, or they’re coming for us.”
“They might not know where we are,” Asuna offered her input, “You said you started suppressing our energy signals right when you spotted them, right? Maybe they saw us earlier, but don’t know where we went, and are looking.”
“No, why would they move so slowly if they’re searching for us?” Gray countered, “They’d be racing all over the place.”
“They could be being cautious,” Nam grunted, “They spotted a strong enemy, and then they disappeared. Splitting up to search around would be foolish.”
“They should know where we are,” Celia spoke up, “I can suppress our energy a lot, but not completely. I’m not fully recovered, and you’re too strong, Gray. Even with my suppression, your power will still stand out on a scouter.”
“Maybe they want to ambush us?” Ranfan said, her head tilted cutely, “When you sneak up on people, you have to move slowly so they don’t see you!”
“That’s the most obvious reason,” Gray hummed, “Not everyone just rushes straight into a fight like Saiyans do. An ambush would be smart, but taking literal hours to sneak over? Seems like a waste, and stupid of them to assume we don’t have scouters.”
“Gray,” Celia’s frown deepened, her face marred in thought, “I… I think we should run.”
Gray’s body physically recoiled at the thought of fleeing an enemy they hadn’t even seen yet.
“Eh?” Gray looked at her quizzically, “Maybe, but only one of them is really a problem now, right?”
Gray subtly glanced over, where a set of stat sheets were floating. He’d wasted no time checking his team's new power levels as they gathered.
[Survivalist] Celia:
[Saiyan Princess]
Age: 16
PL: 39,850,220
HP: 75,000/75,000
TKI: 1,202,000/1,202,000
Reputation: 800/1000 (Liked)
[Survivalist] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will do whatever it takes to survive.
[Masked] Saeko:
[Galatic Sword-Collector]
Age: 17
PL: 20,528,602
HP: 55,550/55,550
TKI: 50,000/50,000
Reputation: 725/1000 (Liked)
[Masked] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be adept at masking their true personality and emotions.
[Emotional] Asuna:
[Ex-Vice-Captain of the Raditz Squad]
Age: 17
PL: 38,560,400
HP: 90,200/90,200
TKI: 105,000/105,000
Reputation: 350/1000 (Liked)
[Emotional] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will highly value their emotions, doing whatever it takes to follow them.
[Sexy] Ranfan:
[Martial Artist]
Age: 25
PL: 1,250,550
HP: 5,725/5,725
TKI: 9,500/9,500
Reputation: 1,100/5000 (Greatly-Liked)
[Sexy] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally sexy, being unafraid to utilize this sexiness to get what they want.
The party system was nice. Very nice, as while Gray had practically manhandled the two Saiyans the previous day, his party received the bonuses as if they’d defeated the multiple-times stronger enemies themselves.
The whole team had received a pretty large power boost, except for poor Nam. Gray wasn’t sure how the party knew what four members to add, as he hadn’t done it manually, but it had left Nam out to dry. Even if they only gained 10% of the benefits from Gray defeating Peacha and Berri, that was more than enough to catapult them up.
Some gained more than others, as the XP gains have a bigger impact when you’re weaker. Saeko’s power level had nearly quadrupled, while both Asuna's and Celia’s had pretty much doubled. Ranfan’s had risen by nearly 500x, but that wasn’t saying much considering she was pathetically weak to start with.
“Most of them won’t be a problem, but they have numbers,” Celia explained, “There’s 20 of them. 18 are weak - oddly similar in power. Two are stronger than me, with one being about as strong as the male Saiyan you manhandled yesterday. If it was just them, fighting would be fine, but it’s the strongest one I’m worried about…”
“I’m not expecting you guys to handle the rest while I fight the leader,” Gray said with a nod, “Just throw up a moon for us. We’re the only Saiyans on the planet besides the Raditz squad, and it’s not them right? We should make use of the transformation.”
“I can’t make one again - well, I could, if you’re fine with sacrificing me,” Celia said, raising her arm. She pulled back the underarm sleeve, showcasing her arm as she held up a hand.
“What…” Gray’s eyes widened in shock, staring at the girl's arm. It was blackened, covered in burns and bruises as the skin peeled away - looking almost zombified.
“There’s a reason only the royal family learns this technique,” She explained, “If every Saiyan could use it, they’d be able to transform at will. It’d make conquering planets much easier. The issue comes with the backlash.”
She pointed to her arm, “Unless performed perfectly, the energy of the artificial moon will shoot back into your body. If it was my Father, he could use it a hundred times in a row without an issue. I’m not nearly that proficient. I shouldn’t use it more than once a month, and I used it three times yesterday alone, as well as once on Vargon. If I do it again, I’ll lose my arm at best. At worst, the backlash will kill me.”
“Although, that might be for the best,” Celia said, her eye twitching slightly as she spoke, “My Ki is a mess right now. I have to be careful while using it, or I could permanently cripple myself. It’ll take weeks to heal, and I’ll be much less useful while it does. It might be best for us to part-”
“Shut up,” Gray cut her off, looking at her like she was stupid, “We’ll just fight them, alright? If I take down the big guy quickly, I can help with the cleanup afterward.”
I can’t believe she’s even offering to sacrifice herself. Her modifier is literally ‘survivalist.’
“Gray,” Celia said, her eyes looking slightly pleading, “I… Their energy is strange. It’s not wild, or overflowing. It’s coiled, suppressed, wrapped around them like a barrier. I can’t get a good gauge of how strong they really are. Whoever they are, they're dangerous. Either let me sacrifice myself to make the moon, or run away.”
Gray locked eyes with the Saiyan Princess, staring seriously into them. Her eyes were wide, looking pleadingly, and Gray saw a hint of… fear. It was a strange look for the emotionless-scheamer. He opened his mouth, but his body tensed as he tried to speak. Adrenaline shot through him. His heart beating faster.
I… want to fight.
“Fine. We’ll run,” Gray finally said, betraying his instincts as he forced the words out.
“Will you?” A sudden male voice rang through their small camp, and Gray abruptly threw himself back as a Ki blast shot in front of him.
The fuck?
Behind him stood a man - looking strangely like a normal human. A patch of orange hair sat on his oval head, a muscular frame covered by a biker jacket. Black pants finished his look, as the humanoid man leaned casually against a tree, his hand extended outwards.
Where did he come from? I didn’t even feel…
Gray’s eyes suddenly shot open in shock.
Android 16?!
Then he blinked again as he fully took in the man's face.
No, not him. They kinda look alike, but maybe it’s just the hair color.
Gray reached his senses out, blinking as they reached the man. He felt… nothing. It was as if the man in front of him wasn’t even real.
“No energy?” Celia muttered to his side, “Gray, we need to g-”
“Going already? That’s no fun!” A voice rang out from above, and Gray flashed to the side as he grabbed Ranfan, moving her as a huge man landed directly where she was standing. Gray turned around, taking in the new opponent, who… was the same guy?
‘Same’ wouldn’t be the right word, as the new man looked like the first man on steroids. Large muscles bulged out of his huge frame, nearly ripping his biker jacket. He was tall, looming nearly 10 feet in the air. The same oval face stared at Gray, with a pouch of orange hair on his head as he grinned stupidly.
“Don’t kill them yet, Funf! We’re just keeping them here until your boss shows up!” A high-pitched voice said from his side, and Gray’s head swerved over to see another man - though this one looked more like a child. He was sitting casually on one of the branches, wearing a miniature biker jacket. The same oval face with a line of orange hair looked down at Gray. Once again, Gray felt no energy. As if the man didn’t exist.
“What the heck?! There’s three of him!” Asuna said, tensing her arms as she appeared next to Gray. Gray nodded, tensing his arms as he set Ranfan down next to him.
“This is bad. I can’t feel their energy - I don’t know if it’s technology or an ability. They can still use Ki, but I can’t feel it. We need to run,” Celia yelled, dodging as a Ki blast veered past her from behind. Behind her, between two large trees, was an tall and lanky orange haired man.
“Run? I thought you were the smart one, Celia,” Gray smirked as he raised his hand, slamming one fist into his palm, “Isn’t it obvious what to do? We have some androids on our hands!”
To confirm his suspicion, Gray silently used observe on the large man in front of them.
Funf:
[Artifical Intelligence]
Age: 1
PL: 16,000,000
HP: 175,000/175,000
TKI: 100/100
Reputation: 0/0 (Neutral)
Modifier - This individual has no modifier.
A ton of HP, but no Ki. A strength-only build.
“Androids?” Celia said, frowning, “The Red Ribbon Army, then?”
“Saeko, guard Ranfan for me,” Gray said casually, stretching out his arms, “Grab Nam too.”
“Got it!” Saeko responded, the quick girl zipping over to pick up Nam a second before the large orange-haired man, apparently named Funf, spotted him. She appeared by Gray’s side, setting Nam next to Ranfan as she unsheathed her sword.
“T-This isn’t a good situation, Gray,” Celia tried to reason, “We should get out of here. The other 20 power levels are still heading this way, and now we have to deal with these as well.”
“Yeah, that much is obvious,” Gray hummed as he tensed his legs, “But you heard them, right? I bet that strong guy coming over is their boss. They’re trying to keep us here until they arrive. If we run, they’ll just chase after us, and we can’t sense their energy. Invisible pursuers sound like a bad combo. So, we just gotta bust their heads in first!”
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Gray Tanaki:
[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]
Age: 15
Wallet: 164,650 Coins
Lvl: 14 (193,000/250,000 XP)
PL: 162,225,200
Available Points: 0
HP: 230,000/231,850
TKI: 330,000/335,925
STR: 515
AGI: 700
END: 450
INT: 505
CHA: 205
LUK: 505
KI: 665
HREG: 456
EREG: 456
Skills: [Observe LVL 5], [Running LVL 6], [Determination LVL 4], [Ki Control LVL 9], [Ki Gun LVL 5]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 4], [KI Suppression LVL 5], [Ki Sense LVL 3], [Pushup LVL 5], [Punch LVL 5], [Kick LVL 5], [Jump LVL 4], [Flight LVL 4], [Prediction LVL 2], [Zenkai Boost LVL 1], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 1], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 1], [Mouth-Beam LVL 1], [Ki-Blade LVL 1], [Cooking LVL 1]
Perks: [Gamer’s Mind], [Gamer’s Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]
Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 2]
Party: [Saeko, Celia, Asuna, Ranfan]
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Thank you for reading! You can read the next three chapters right now at Patreon.com/Koyon !
Shortish chapter this week, but don’t worry, because the next two are both a lot longer than usual! The next one will be out Wednesday!