Maids VS Apocalypse

[Item: Maid Uniform.

Type: Clothing

Grade: C

Description:

A uniform created from high-quality fabric and enchanted threads. Several support-type Enchantments have been inscribed onto it using special ink.

]

A small options menu appeared asking him whether he wanted to use the item, equip it, or send it to the Inventory. Mark chose the Equip option and selected Lara, the only maid currently under his employment.

’Now that I think about it, I can remove her clothes whenever...’ If he wasn’t buried under tons of rubble, Mark was sure he would’ve smacked himself for having that thought. ’Focus, damn it! This isn’t the time for that!’

With the maid uniform repaired and equipped, his plan progressed to the next step; assigning every bit of AP he had to Lara. This one required a signal from her, however, so he couldn’t go ahead unless he received one.

Mark didn’t want to repeat the same mistake he made while they were surrounded by Malarak’s spawn the other day.

Though she said her vessel had high pain tolerance, Mark wasn’t sure if Lara could keep going at the same pace even while undergoing the excruciating torture of a level-up.

Their opponent this time was an Awakened human that wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of any opening shown in front of them so Mark believed it would be for the best if he avoided raising Lara’s level while she was engaging the enemy.

His wait didn’t last long as a notification appeared in the corner of his field of vision out of the blue.

[Lara has defeated Draco (Fiend)]

[+150 AP]

Smiling to himself, Mark navigated straight to the Maids section and selected Lara’s status card.

[

Name: Lara Becker

Race: Dhampire

Rank: Apprentice.

Stats:

Level 09

HP: 100/100

MP: 78/100

Strength 28 (+5)

Endurance 47 (+5)

Agility 45 (+5)

Dexterity 35 (+5)

Focus 40

Mind 38

Soul 48

AP:

0/455

Equipment:

Maid Uniform.

CFBW type 05 (+1)

Abilities:

Force Field.

Lunar Arts (Master).

Spear Arts (Master).

]

He didn’t pay much mind to the stats themselves and went for the AP counter.

[

Aether Points: 101750

Assign AP to Lara Becker:

+00/455

]

Seeing the number, Mark hesitated for a moment. If he had other options, he would’ve preferred to hold back on leveling up either of them until they had the leeway to train and raise their stats. Nevertheless, it was always their current situation that dictated what kind of action needed to be taken.

At the moment they required all the firepower they could get. In the early stages, a single extra point in any stat would be a huge boost. Even if her stats weren’t maxed out, Mark hoped that his gamble would give his maid a chance at defeating the hooded woman.

’I’m counting on you, Lara!’

Time wasn’t on his side and the enemy wasn’t going to go easy on him. Lara, or the Being that took her form, had knowledge and skills, which would allow her to make better use of the boons from leveling up, as meager as they might be.

Having made his decision, Mark focused on the + option and started pumping all of his AP into Lara.

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

~[ ]~

Alarm bells went off in the woman in red’s head informing her of the approaching danger. She had turned to check on the familiar she had tasked with distracting the silver-haired girl, but what she saw only helped make the situation all the more bizarre.

Walking toward her was the same girl from before, only she looked entirely different. The military garb she had worn earlier was gone, replaced by a maid’s uniform that looked closer to the traditional kind with a long skirt that reached all the way down to her ankles.

In her hand, she held the spear, the head of which was now coated in a shimmering blue glow. What drew the woman’s attention, however, was the Halo decorating the girl’s head. A bright white crown with a form much more complex than her own.

"Tsk... what in the world is going on here?" The woman in red turned to face the maid who she now recognized as the source of the pressure. "Your Soul wasn’t that powerful before. Where the hell did you get the Aether?"

She was sure the girl was still an Awakened or an early-stage Apprentice, seeing that a mere Fiend was enough to give her trouble, but the Soul Pressure she released just now wasn’t far from that of a Soldier.

Arriving a dozen meters away, Lara came to a stop. She stared at her opponent for a moment then took a fighting stance, held her spear firmly with its head lowered to the ground, and spoke with a clear voice.

"Master has been quite generous from the start."

The woman in red drew her brows together in a frown.

"Master? Are you taking this costume thi-" She halted her words, her eyes widening as if she was just hit with a realization.

Lara didn’t let that moment of distraction go. With a push from her right foot, she closed the distance between them in a single step. The woman in red was taken aback by the sudden burst of speed and was late to retreat, which left her wide open for the head of the spear thrust at her chest.

Left with no choice, she cranked her Force Field up to its maximum output and enveloped her chest in its glow.

The spear was engulfed in the maid’s Force Field as well, but that didn’t matter. Even if both of them were using their maximum output the attack would simply be deflected. That’s what she mistakenly believed.

The spear was no ordinary weapon and the woman would soon learn what a meager +1 Pierce could do.

"Wha-

Sparks scattered as the two Force Fields collided and the woman in red instantly realized something was off. Shifting her posture at the last instant, she managed to avoid having a hole pierced right through her at the price of a shallow cut that went from the center of her sternum to her right shoulder.

With pain from the fresh wound reaching her mind, the woman in red lost focus, leading to her Halo dissolving momentarily.

That wasn’t much of a loss considering she planned on switching it for another one immediately after, but her opponent wasn’t about to give her the opening she needed to execute such a move.