Leopin’s Ark, Once More

Leopin collided head-on with a mountain-like boulder.

…GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!

That tremendous noise echoed even to the special stage set up in the distant residential district.

In an instant, a thunderous cheer erupted.

“YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“The trash bastard finally died! He’s dead!”

“Serves him right! Evil always perishes in the end!”

“I knew it! The first student to retire would be that loser!”

“Now that the garbage is gone, this academy will finally be normal!”

Some of the Tamer students slumped their shoulders.

“Leopin-kun… died…”

“He was so loved by animals…”

“Ah… I’d only just realized how amazing he was…”

The principal and vice principal embraced in joy.

“Bahahahahahahaha! We did it! We did it! I have finally won! It was worth sacrificing everything! Justice always prevails!”

“Muhahahahahaha! Only I could achieve such a goodbye grand-slam comeback! Our sponsors will praise us! Now I can reclaim my vice-principal seat!”

Monaka and Kotone collapsed in tears.

Their attendants were also consumed by grief.

“Uwaaaaaaa! Leo-kun! Leo-kuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!”

“Aaaaaah! How tragic! Masterrrrrrrrr!!”

The crystal screen on the stage was covered in noise and dust clouds.

It had become a barren land where no living being could even stand.

…or so it seemed.

As the rising dust gradually thinned, a vague silhouette emerged.

One student noticed and pointed at the crystal screen.

“L… look! Someone’s there!?”

Gasp…! Attention gathered on the crystal screen once more.

Its outline finally became clear, standing motionless like a statue of a diamond deity.

…or so it seemed.

Suddenly it bent forward and began trembling.

Then everyone heard a voice like a hallucination.

“…cough! cough! gah! I thought I was gonna die…!”

“E… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?!?”

Before my coughing eyes, an unfamiliar window appeared.

“A hidden skill has awakened!”

So it really was true after all.

It had been a gamble, but my prediction seemed correct.

I opened my status window and touched the skill tree of Jack-of-All-Trades with still-shaking fingers.

This skill full of question marks was the hidden skill I gained when the level reached 8.

Apparently, once a hidden skill’s effect activates multiple times, its name and effect become revealed.

The first effect had activated accidentally during gym class.

At the moment Nickbacca punched me, I hurriedly raised my Toughness parameter using Dexterous Body.

Even after taking his punch, it felt no worse than a mosquito bite.

Moreover, for a brief instant, my body hardened like steel.

Like a giant tree rooted underground, I did not move even a single millimeter.

Just before being swallowed by the rock, I remembered that moment because of the heckling hallucination and bet on that possibility.

Yes — the parameter I bet my life on was neither Agility nor Strength…

But the ultimate long shot — Toughness…!

I touched the name of the revealed hidden skill.

Absolute Defense “Immovable”

Activates if Toughness increases by over 2000 within 0.033 seconds of receiving an attack

Until that attack ends, all physical damage becomes zero and knockback is nullified, entering the “Immovable” state

I was already completely exhausted, so the explanation barely registered in my mind.

…Rumble rumble rumble…

Feeling another tremor, I looked toward the mountain.

This time, I saw water rushing toward us.

“N-no matter how much we wanted water, that’s way too much!”

Out of the frying pan into the fire.

I turned around in new panic.

All the animals lay flat on the ground, covering their ears with their forelegs and shrinking like turtles.

“Everyone, r-run…!”

Mid-shout, I noticed a gigantic driftwood log lying beside them.

“U… UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

I squeezed out my last strength and ran desperately toward the giant log.

I didn’t even spare the time to change jobs and attacked with a stone axe and knife dual-wield.

“HERE I GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

…DOGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

I had never crafted with such single-minded desperation in my life.

“I-it’s done! E-everyone, hurry and get on this boat!”

The animals rushed in and clung to the ark almost at the same moment we were swallowed by the muddy torrent.

…DOGOOSHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

“We… we did it! This time we truly won!”

“Y-yes! What happened earlier was an illusion! This divine flood strategy is my real trump card…!”

But the hallucinated voices quickly turned into screams.

Our ark rose rapidly as if flying.

With a splash like breaking through thick clouds, it surfaced onto the water.

“GYAGYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?!?”

It was a sight like a miracle delivered by a god.

And a purifying scream as though a demon had been struck down.