BAMN: Chapter 24/27

Chapter 24: Ogerpon Evolves

Divided by monster destruction levels, the Explosion Magic that Rin condensed with all his might, spending nearly a quarter of an hour, had already reached the level of a Special A-Rank instant burst of all magicules.

If it's hard to understand, one can consider Rin's Explosion Magic to be equivalent to the destruction caused by a Special A-Rank monster self-destructing.

A Special A-Rank monster, with over 100,000 magicules, is a power far beyond what Rin can imagine right now.

However, by relying on ultimate control over Explosion Magic...

Rin, with a C+ rank foundation, managed to accomplish such an incredible feat.

This shows the potential of Explosion Magic, and the immense boost provided by the Mage profession.

"Quickly, now, Ogerpon!"

So many monsters that had lost their combat capability were the best food for Ogerpon.

"Pon-yo!"

Without Rin's command, Ogerpon seized the opportunity and directly used area-of-effect magic (Pokémon moves).

Almost at the same moment, Seed Bomb and Leaf Storm swept across the battlefield, and energy balls rained down like drops, shattering the severely wounded Insect Monsters.

[Defeated C+ Rank Monster x15, gained 120 Existence Points]
[Defeated B- Rank Monster x8, gained 160 Existence Points]
[Defeated B Rank Monster x4, gained 400 Existence Points]
[…]

The notifications of gaining large amounts of magicules were like the most beautiful music in the world, almost making Rin unable to suppress the corners of his mouth and laugh out loud.

[Individual name 'Ogerpon' Existence Points reached 10,000, triggering evolution]

"Evolution?"

Reaching 10,000 Existence Points so quickly was indeed somewhat beyond Rin's expectations.

But what surprised Rin even more was the "evolution" notification triggered by Ogerpon.

As a Pokémon, Ogerpon was already in her final form and could not evolve again.

"So, the evolution here should be a monster transforming into a higher-grade monster."

Ogerpon, who was in the middle of the battlefield, glowed with dazzling light.

"Pon-yo?"

The little one was a bit at a loss.

Fortunately, Rin immediately sent a message, telling her about the monster evolution mechanism.

"Ogerpon is going to evolve?"

Any Pokémon holds hope for evolution.

Ogerpon also really wanted to know what she would become after evolving.

[Evolution complete]
Individual Name 'Ogerpon', evolved from 'Elemental Spirit' to 'Kijin'

"Ponii!"

Looking at Ogerpon again, the little one, who was originally only 1.2 meters tall, had now grown to just over 1.5 meters.

In terms of appearance, her original orange face was gone, replaced by a delicate, pale face that looked slightly youthful.

Her green cloak had become a jade-colored kimono, and the girl's hands were hidden beneath wide sleeves. She had long, light-green hair, and the wooden clogs on her legs, wrapped in black silk, made a crisp tap-tap sound as she ran toward Rin.

"Rin! Rin! Ogerpon's grown so much!"

Ogerpon blinked her beautiful, light-golden eyes, the star patterns within them sparkling, as if possessing infinite magic, drawing Rin's gaze.

"This is a monster's evolution."

Rin affectionately stroked Ogerpon's head, and she immediately showed a comfortable expression.

At the same time, Rin opened Ogerpon's status panel.

---

[Ogerpon]
[Contractor: Itoshi Rin]
[Race: Kijin]
[Existence Value: 12000 (A-Rank)]

[Magic: Pokémon Moves, Appraisal]

[Class Skills: Melee Combat Mastery (includes Swordsman, Knight, Lancer, Cross Swordsman, Hunter, Thief, and other job skills)]

[Intrinsic Skills: Elemental Super Absorption, Ability Super Enhancement, Super-Speed Regeneration]

[Extra Skills: Image Reflection (unleashes one's power, summoning masks of different attributes)]

[Special Skills: Magicules Solidification, Explosion Magic (pseudo-nuclear magic that condenses a large amount of magic power), Oni Transformation (all-around attribute boost)]

[Unique Skills: Destroyer, Growth]

---

"The race has become Kijin."

There's nothing much to say about this.

According to the Cardinal World's setting, Elemental Spirits and the Ogre Clan are at the same stage, both B-Rank demons.

The first evolution will turn them into A-Rank Kijin, and then Special A-Rank Wicked Oni or Fair Oni.

Wicked Oni and Fair Oni are like the difference between a warrior and a mage.

The former excels in melee combat, the latter in magic, but essentially they are still at the same level of existence.

As Wicked Oni and Fair Oni continuously grow stronger, they will acquire the title of Demon Lord and be recognized by the world's voice, becoming qualified to evolve into True Demon Lords.

Thus, as long as enough souls are collected, they can transform into Demon Lords, becoming "Oni Gods."

Of course, this process is quite difficult.

Especially for someone like Ogerpon.

Because she is Rin's subordinate, she cannot awaken on her own.

Rin needs to collect souls and bestow them upon Ogerpon for her to become a True Demon Lord.

"Appraisal and melee skills?"

Ogerpon originally didn't have these two abilities, but now they've appeared.

"Is it because of me?"

Rin remembered that in the original work, there was a setting where Rimuru would randomly inherit Veldora's abilities after naming his subordinate monsters.

"Ogerpon's situation should be like this."

"During the evolution process, she inherited some abilities from me."

Rin thought to himself, "The Appraisal skill allows Ogerpon to better understand her opponents, and the melee combat mastery from Konosuba makes Ogerpon, who is already skilled in close combat, even more formidable."

"Elemental Super Absorption, Ability Super Enhancement, Super-Speed Regeneration."

"Super Absorption and Super Enhancement are advanced forms of Elemental Absorption and Ability Enhancement, giving Ogerpon higher magic resistance and faster magicule absorption efficiency.

"Ability Super Enhancement should be a derivative of traits like 'Never Give Up.'"

As for the Magicules Solidification and Super-Speed Regeneration that follow.

Super-Speed Regeneration needs no further explanation; it's a self-recovery ability even more terrifying than that of the Ogre Clan.

According to the feedback from the Appraisal skill, Super-Speed Regeneration has the characteristic that as long as the head isn't severed, one cannot be killed.

In addition, it also has powerful functions such as limb regeneration and internal organ repair.

"Magicules Solidification—is it like me, where I can convert magicules into various basic attributes in the form of 'levels'?"

The magicules in the Cardinal World, and their relationship with monsters, is more like a pond and the water within it.

The pond water does not reinforce the pond itself.

So, an individual with 10,000 magicules, facing an individual with 10,000,000 magicules.

The difference in their physical strength is not as exaggerated as imagined.

In contrast, with the Magicules Solidification ability, a situation will arise where a Level 50 fights a Level 100.

Even if a Level 100 monster runs out of magic power, its basic attributes are not something a mere Level 50 weakling can contend with.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 25: Danger Assessment: Special A-Rank!

With the Special Skill Magicules Solidification.

As long as Rin and Ogerpon continuously increase their magicules, their physical strength will also continue to increase, making magicules directly proportional to physical strength.

"Finally, there's Explosion Magic and Oni Transformation."

Explosion Magic, in the Cardinal World's judgment, is defined as Nuclear Magic.

Nuclear Magic refers to magic with destructive power comparable to nuclear weapons, considered a classification system by the people of the Cardinal World for gauging magical destruction levels.

For example, the Explosion Magic that Rin previously cast, which consumed a large amount of magicules and time, fell within the scope of small-scale Nuclear Magic.

Of course, due to differing world levels.

The soil, rocks, and gravity of the Cardinal World far exceed those of other worlds.

So being able to cause nuclear-explosion-level destruction in the Cardinal World, when brought to other worlds, could potentially sink continents or even destroy planets.

"Has Ogerpon also mastered such a large-scale destructive move?"

Rin felt quite reassured about this.

There was nothing he could do; his attributes ultimately couldn't compare to Ogerpon's.

Although Ogerpon didn't have the passive buffs from Rin's Mage profession, her A-Rank magicule reserve completely overwhelmed the current Rin.

It's easy to imagine just how terrifying the power would be if the current Ogerpon were to cast Explosion Magic.

"Ogerpon."

"What is "Oni Transformation" like?"

Rin was quite interested in this, so he asked Ogerpon to perform Oni Transformation once.

Ogerpon's body erupted with fierce magicules.

The next moment, Ogerpon's body began to swell, rapidly growing from a small stature of less than 1.4 meters to a height of 1.8 meters.

Not only that, her sharp Ogre horns, fierce eyes, and seemingly slender yet explosively powerful physique all indicated how terrifying Ogerpon was in this state.

If the previous Ogerpon was a cute little girl.

Then the fully transformed Ogerpon had clearly become a beautiful older sister with an impressive figure.

Even Rin, who had always treated Ogerpon as his younger sister, couldn't help but take a few extra glances.


---

[Oni Transformation]

[Description: Temporarily increases one's actual combat power by one rank, but consumes a large amount of magicules.]

---

"Appraisal."

Rin unhesitatingly cast Appraisal on Ogerpon in this state.

---

[Ogerpon]

[Danger Assessment: Special A (Disaster Class)]

---

"Disaster Class!!"

Rin hadn't expected Ogerpon's transformation to provide such a significant boost.

Even though Ogerpon's magicule quantity was still A-Rank, her actual combat power was such that even a veteran A+ powerhouse might not be able to defeat her.

Coupled with this Oni Transformation ability, Ogerpon forcefully received a Special A assessment.

"Ogerpon, how long can you maintain this state?"

"Hmm..."

Ogerpon thought for a moment, then obediently said, "About... 5 minutes."

In other words, Ogerpon, at full burst, could maintain Special A combat power for 5 minutes.

"All right, change back."

"Mhm."

Ogerpon's body quickly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, she returned to her petite form.

"Ogerpon has gotten stronger. Rin, have you gained power from Ogerpon?"

"Haha."

"Of course I have."

Rin stroked the little one's head and laughed. "Ogerpon provided me with a full 6000 Existence Value."

"Now, I'm also B-Rank, you know."

The Leader Unique Skill allows Rin to gain about half of his subordinate's Existence Value.

Ogerpon's Existence Value is 12000, so the amount transferred to Rin is 6000.

In addition, Rin himself had also made some breakthroughs.

His original base Existence Value was only 500 points.

But because of this battle, Rin also gained "merit," which is recognition from the voice of the world.

Although not much, it at least allowed Rin to escape the weakling category.

To describe it numerically, it probably increased from 500 Existence Value to 1500.

Among monsters, this is already equivalent to D-Rank.

"So, Rin's current magicules are 7500, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ogerpon immediately perked up. "Ogerpon will continue to work hard to let Rin evolve soon too!"

Yes, Rin can also evolve.

As a hybrid of demon and human, setting aside the human bloodline for now.

The demon bloodline also grants Rin the ability to evolve like monsters.

However, Rin is not yet clear what his demon bloodline is.

In addition, there was another piece of good news.

That is, as Rin broke through from C-Rank to B-Rank, his subordinate slots also changed from the original 1/3 to the current 1/6.

"Do I gain 3 new subordinate slots every time I advance a rank?"

Rin originally thought that the upper limit of subordinate slots could not be changed, but he didn't expect them to continue increasing with his strength.

In that case, there's no need to be too conservative with the subordinate slots.

"Ogerpon?"

Suddenly, Ogerpon, who was cuddling with Rin, seemed to sense something.

She turned her head and looked in a certain direction but didn't see anything suspicious, which puzzled Ogerpon.

"What's wrong?"

Rin noticed Ogerpon's actions and asked curiously.

"A gaze..."

Ogerpon said, "Just now, it seemed like someone was peeking at us, but Ogerpon couldn't find the peeping person."

"This is already the second time. The first was when Master used Explosion Magic."

"Peeking at us?"

Rin naturally wouldn't think Ogerpon was being overly sensitive.

Ogerpon was a monster now, but she still retained her Pokémon abilities, and her perception of external dangers still existed.

Someone is secretly observing us... Who could it be?

Rin thought of many possibilities, such as Clayman, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords.

This Insect Monster appeared very abruptly, unlike how it was in the original novel.

Otherwise, with that wave just now, even if Benimaru could escape, the remaining Ogre Clan would surely suffer heavy losses.

Besides Clayman, there are also the guardians of the Great Jura Forest, those Dryads.

Rin couldn't be sure which side it was. The Dryads are fine. I don't have any fundamental conflict with them.

Rin used Explosion Magic to destroy the Insect Monsters that were harming the forest's ecosystem.

The Tree Elves wouldn't bear ill will toward him because of this.

But if it's Clayman...

Clayman's strength in the original novel indeed seemed like a clown.

But he was a Demon Lord after all, and Rin wouldn't truly underestimate him.

According to the novel's setting, Clayman in his half-awakened state has an Existence Value of about 700,000.

But he's definitely not that strong now. At most between 300,000 and 400,000.

Such power, for the current Rin and Ogerpon, was indeed an unmatchable strong enemy.

"I can only hope that the next few worlds will allow Ogerpon to grow stronger quickly."

Clayman was not an awakened Demon Lord, just a Demon Lord.

And Ogerpon's Growth skill, even after reaching the Demon Lord stage, could continue to grow.

Using the Great Jura Forest as nourishment, combined with abilities from other worlds.

As long as Rin and Ogerpon were given time, surpassing Clayman would be a relatively easy task.

"And now..."

Rin looked at Benimaru and the others who were rushing toward them, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. "It's time for you all to contribute your strength."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 26: Invitation

"Is it, is it over?"

The pink-haired Ogre girl, who would become Shuna in the future was still somewhat lost in thought.

Following her brother and clansmen, they had formed a search party and successfully located the Insect Monster's nest.

Originally, they only intended to test the strength of these Insect Monsters and estimate how many more were still in the nest.

But who would have thought that the Insect Monsters, initially judged to be without reason, would deliberately feign weakness, luring the Ogres deeper and deeper?

By the time they realized it, it was already too late.

There was no other way. Faced with the encirclement formed by a tide of Insect Monsters, everyone could only break through under the leadership of her brother.

However, the Insect Monsters seemed to have anticipated that reaction.

Kill one wave, and the next would immediately fill the gap.

They were endless, as if they could never be completely killed.

Soon, casualties began to appear among the clansmen.

Magicules and stamina were heavily consumed, weapons were damaged, and comrades fell one after another.

For a time, the Ogres, always known for their bravery and skill in battle, could only fight to the death with their backs against the wall.

However—

The disparity in numbers between the two sides was too great.

When the girl's best friend fell protecting her, Shuna had already prepared for death.

But death never came.

Ogerpon!

Shuna would never forget.

At her most dangerous and desperate moment, what she saw was that small figure descending from the sky, saving her and her dear friend.

Her appearance was different from theirs.

But the blood that flowed within her was undoubtedly the same.

The other party was an Ogre!

There was no doubt about that!

The same Ogre horns, the same ferocity, the same monstrous strength.

Charging forward, invincible.

That was an unparalleled bravery Shuna had never imagined before.

Rumble~

The ground trembled, and a deafening roar filled the air as Shion, who had recovered, pulled Shuna away.

Shuna instinctively looked back.

What she saw was a towering pillar composed of hundreds of stacked magic circles.

"Highest-tier Explosion Magic: Explosion!"

Emerging from her earlier memories, Shuna gazed at the enormous crater in front of her, which seemed to pierce the earth. "This, can this really still be called magic?"

"Explosion Magic, so strong..."

Just as stunned as Shuna were Shion and the surviving Ogres, including Benimaru.

"Look over there!"

"Is that... a human?"

As the smoke dissipated, everyone clearly saw the two figures at the edge of the giant crater. One of them was the small kinswoman who had just saved them.

But what surprised the Ogres was Rin, standing beside Ogerpon.

"Rin, they're coming over."

Noticing the Ogres approaching, Ogerpon instinctively stepped in front of Rin and looked at them warily.

"You are human?"

They looked at Rin with disbelief, not understanding how a human could be here.

After all, the Great Jura Forest had always been a monster's domain. At most, humans hunted low-level monsters around the edges. No one had ever penetrated this deep.

"No, not human."

"His eyes, that's not a human eye color."

"And that aura."

The Ogres quickly noticed the oddities. Rin's golden eyes and the vast amount of magicules emanating from him were powers no human could possess.

"I apologize. My clansmen and I have been rude."

Benimaru, as the leader of the group, quickly stepped forward and bowed to Rin in apology. "May I ask, was the nuclear strike magic just now cast by you?"

"If you're talking about Explosion Magic, yes, I cast it."

"Thank you so much for your timely help in our time of crisis!"

Hearing Rin confirm it, Benimaru lowered his posture even more. "We are the Ogres living in the forest. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Itoshi Rin, and this child is Ogerpon."

"Ogerpon? Rin?"

"They have names?"

Hearing their names, the Ogres were even more shocked, not expecting to have the good fortune to meet two named monsters.

It turned out that not only Ogerpon, but Rin was also a named being with his own name.

Moreover, it was unclear if it was just their imagination.

Benimaru felt that the pressure emanating from Ogerpon was several times stronger than it had been just moments ago.

"This pressure...!"

Benimaru, Shion, Shuna, and Souei—the future core retainers under Rimuru—all looked upon Ogerpon with deep respect and solemnity, their gratitude transforming into awe.

"Could it be... could it be the legendary Oni?"

"It must be. Only a high-ranking Oni could be this powerful!"

For a moment, the surviving Ogres all showed expressions of admiration and longing.

In the monster world, strength is everything.

Ogerpon was stronger than them, had saved them, and was a higher-ranking existence within their bloodline.

With all these factors combined, Benimaru and the others unhesitatingly extended an invitation. "Please, both of you, come to our village so we may repay your kindness for extending a helping hand in our time of need!"

"Uh..."

"All right. Then we'll impose on you."

Rin had no intention of refusing. He still needed Ogerpon to level up through fighting monsters, and a village of 300 Ogres was simply perfect. "It just so happens that my camp in the forest was destroyed by these insects."

"You had a camp in the forest?"

"Darn insects!"

"It's all right. Our village is very large. You can settle down completely."

"Also, may I ask what the relationship is between Mr. Rin and Lady Ogerpon?"

This last question was what the Ogres were most curious about.

They deeply respected Rin, because it was the young man before them who had cast such a world-destroying nuclear strike magic.

So, not only Ogerpon, but Rin was also their savior.

Of course, compared to Rin, the Ogres still felt a closer kinship with Ogerpon.

"This child is my family."

Rin briefly explained his relationship with Ogerpon.

He didn't tell the full truth, but instead described Ogerpon as a child he found in the wilderness.

The two of them depended on each other in the forest, like siblings.

"Rin is Ogerpon's most important person!"

Ogerpon immediately took Rin's hand, expressing her closeness.

"So that's how it is."

The Ogres understood.

They could easily accept this kind of relationship.

Intelligent monsters meet and live together.

This kind of thing, though rare, wasn't impossible.

As for Rin himself...

There was nothing to hide about his half-demon identity.

Humans may dislike half-demons, but in the world of monsters, as long as you're strong, no one cares if you're half-demon or not.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 27: Visiting the Ogre Village

"Since that's the case, why not stay in our village?"

Benimaru was very enthusiastic. That was how the Ogre Clan was—loyal, righteous, and proud, disdaining the use of schemes and tricks.

They were grateful to Rin and Ogerpon for saving their lives.

Of course, there was another point: their strength.

If a powerful spellcaster like Rin could join the village, and with Ogerpon, an A-Rank Ogre, the Ogre Clan's strength would undoubtedly leap to a whole new level.

"This, we need to consider."

Rin did not agree directly but feigned hesitation.

"Brother, you're being too rude."

Seeing Rin's slight reluctance, Shuna quickly interjected, saying there was no need to rush and that they should first properly host the two of them.

As for whether they were willing to stay, that could be decided after visiting the Ogre village.

"Right, right, I was too hasty."

Having not yet experienced the pain of clan annihilation, Benimaru was still a straightforward, big-hearted simpleton.

"All right then."

With the Ogres' warm invitation, Rin naturally wouldn't refuse.

After all, he already had the intention of subduing the Ogre Clan.

Rin had a good impression of them. He knew their future trajectory and didn't want them to be annihilated by the Orc Lord.

Three hundred Ogres, with an average rank of B.

Such a force, if brought under Rin's command, would allow him to formally establish a foothold in the Great Jura Forest.

Moreover, the Ogres' potential was high. In the future, they could evolve into Kijin, or even into Fair Oni and Wicked Oni.

Rin had no reason to pass up a ready-made army like this.

Thus, Rin joined the Ogres' group, preparing to return with them to the village.

Before that, the Ogres still needed to collect the remains of their fallen comrades.

They did not blame Rin's Explosion Magic for blasting some of the Ogre bodies to pieces, even turning many to ash.

About this, the Ogres had only one thing to say: "Perhaps it's not bad to be buried in the Great Jura Forest."

"Besides, there are so many Insect Monsters to be buried with them…"

The Ogres were very open-minded about life and death.

And in such a critical moment, it was already a miracle that Rin had acted. Who could dare ask for more?

The reason for cleaning the battlefield was only to confirm whether there were any survivors.

The result did not exceed Benimaru's expectations.

The Insect Monsters' claws contained extremely terrifying venom. Even the Ogre Clan's strong bodies could only resist for a short while.

In this regard, Shion surviving was truly very lucky.

"Rest in peace, everyone…"

"Rin and Ogerpon have already avenged you."

Soon after, led by Benimaru, the Ogres held a simple mourning.

Rin and Ogerpon stood silently off to the side, not participating but waiting patiently for the ritual to end.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"No matter."

"Please follow us."

Benimaru led the way toward the village, with Rin and Ogerpon walking behind the group.

During this time, the two girls, Shuna and Shion, frequently looked back.

They were very interested in Ogerpon.

However, Ogerpon stayed right by Rin's side to protect him, making it impossible for them to find a chance to approach and express their thanks.

"We've arrived."

"Welcome to the Ogre Clan's village!"

Stepping out of the dense forest, what appeared before Rin's eyes was an ancient village.

The village wasn't large, with architecture leaning toward Japanese style—mostly wooden structures, arranged along grid-patterned streets.

Rin naturally understood the reason for this.

Hakurou's grandfather, Araki Byakuya, was an Otherworlder who had crossed over from Japan more than 300 years ago.

It was because of his influence that the Ogres used swords as weapons and valued loyalty and righteousness more than the knights of this world.

The Ogres would not submit to others.

Conversely, once they pledged allegiance to someone, they would follow them wholeheartedly.

"What exactly happened?"

The Ogres in the village had already noticed Benimaru and the others' return.

The families of the fallen wept, and the women and children sobbed softly.

But sadness was meaningless. The world of monsters was not like the world of humans, where people could wallow in grief.

Perhaps they had long since accepted life and death.

The Ogres who had lost loved ones took their family members or what remained of them and buried them in the cemetery near the village.

Throughout the entire process, Rin showed no displeasure. He simply gave them the basic respect they deserved.

"Father!"

After dealing with the affairs of the fallen, Benimaru finally had time to introduce Rin to his father, a red-haired Ogre much older than himself.

"Thank you very much for your assistance."

"Please accept our sincere gratitude!"

Led by Benimaru's father, a group of Ogres bowed deeply to Rin in unison.

"No need for this."

Rin waved his hand and said, "I just happened to be passing through. I also have a grudge with those insects, so I helped out."

"No matter the reason."

The red Ogre leader replied sincerely, "In such a critical situation, if it weren't for your righteous intervention, my son and daughter would surely have perished."

"Father! How much longer are you going to make Rin and Ogerpon stand here?!"

Shuna said, "They just fought a fierce battle and traveled all the way here with us. They must be exhausted!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

Like his son Benimaru, the red Ogre leader scratched his head awkwardly. "It was my oversight."

"Honestly!"

Shuna turned around and gestured to Rin and Ogerpon. "Please wait a moment. I'll have hot water prepared for bathing right away."

"Uh…"

Rin initially wanted to say there was no need to go that far.

But seeing Shuna's serious gaze, he and Ogerpon exchanged looks and could only nod.

"All right then. Thank you for the trouble."

Shuna was right.

They had been traveling through the forest all day, and the sun was already setting. Saying they weren't tired would definitely be a lie.

Rather, the fact that Shuna could notice such details showed her thoughts were far more delicate than the other Ogres.

(To be continued.)