"...That's about all she remembers. Seriously, did you two have to hit me that hard?"
Herohero, back in his Rogue form, rubbed his face and spoke weakly.
Beside him was a massive crater—the one he'd made when he fell from the sky.
To be honest, he was still a little dazed. Just moments ago, the three of them had been getting along perfectly fine. Then, out of nowhere, Momonga and Naohara had each punched him.
Herohero felt deeply aggrieved. Did they have any idea how much damage those two punches did to a Slime?
"I see."
Naohara ignored his complaints and stroked his chin, contemplating what he had just heard.
Ninya—that was the name of the headless corpse before them. The moment Herohero mentioned it, Naohara remembered her.
A pitiful child blessed with a Talent, yet burdened with a tragic fate.
If he remembered correctly, she had met a rather miserable end in the original story. Then again, her current state wasn't much better.
"Should we revive her?"
Momonga looked at the two of them and offered his suggestion.
For them, resurrecting the dead was hardly difficult—especially when it was just a human child under level 30.
"We definitely should. This happened because of us, after all."
"But…"
Naohara gazed at the headless corpse, and a bold idea suddenly formed in his mind.
"Blackie, you said earlier that she had a Talent, right?"
"Right. She has an ability that accelerates the speed at which she learns magic."
"Then… can you extract that ability?"
"…Well…"
Herohero fell into thought. In theory, he should be able to devour her Talent—it was part of her being. As an Elder Black Ooze, inheriting such a gift was well within his capabilities.
"I'll give it a try. It shouldn't be a problem."
As he spoke, Herohero's arm dissolved into viscous Slime and wrapped around the headless corpse.
Momonga and Naohara watched quietly from the side. They were no strangers to innate Talents—unique abilities exclusive to the New World.
From Nigun's memories, they had already obtained most of the world's information, including the existence of Talents.
The three of them had discussed extracting such abilities before to strengthen themselves. Now was the perfect chance to test it while the opportunity was fresh.
If it worked, Nazarick's overall power would undoubtedly increase, and the safety of the Floor Guardians would be even more secure.
Time passed, second by second, as Herohero's tentacles coiled around Ninya's body and writhed continuously.
With his eyes tightly shut, he carefully sensed every inch of her skin and flesh, inside and out. His tentacles moved through her body without obstruction.
"Found it."
The instant they touched her heart, Herohero sensed a distinct fluctuation. He guided his tentacles to wrap around it and pulled it straight out.
A large hole instantly tore open in Ninya's chest, and a dark red heart appeared before the three of them.
On the surface, it looked completely ordinary—no different from any other heart. Yet under their focused gaze, a unique power could clearly be felt within it.
The tentacles reformed into arms. Holding the heart, Herohero looked at the other two.
"This is it."
"What a remarkable creation. Truly incredible."
Momonga activated a spell. A red glint flashed in his eyes as he examined the heart in Herohero's hand, unable to hide his admiration.
To think that someone under level 30 could possess an ability impressive enough to draw praise from him. As expected of the New World.
"So the core doesn't exist in the soul, but is anchored in the body instead?"
Naohara took the heart from Herohero and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Blackie, Momonga—do you know what this heart means to us?"
He turned around, his expression suddenly serious as he looked at them. The abrupt change in tone caught both of them off guard.
"It means we can start extracting Talents on a large scale?"
Momonga gave his answer, and Herohero nodded.
Now that they understood the nature of Talents, they could carry out large-scale captures—turning the New World into their own breeding ground, steadily supplying Nazarick with all kinds of rare abilities.
"Yes and no."
Naohara nodded, then shook his head. Under their puzzled gazes, he continued.
"Momonga, Blackie—we use magic and skills as naturally as breathing. No preparation, no chanting. It's just like operating a game interface."
"That's both a strength and a weakness. We have no real foundation in magical theory. If it's outside the system's framework, we simply can't learn it. We don't even understand it."
"But this heart changes that. It accelerates magical learning. It's a key—a key that lets us touch the magic system of the New World."
Naohara fixed his eyes on the heart in his hand.
He knew that the Dragon Lords of the New World wielded a power known as Wild Magic—an ancient force that likely surpassed even Super-Tier Magic, perhaps standing on the same level as World-Class Items.
He wanted that power.
World-Class Items were undeniably overwhelming, but they were still external tools. Wild Magic was different. It was something the three of them could learn themselves.
With the aid of this Talent, Naohara was confident they could grasp Wild Magic.
"…I see."
Herohero looked at Naohara, seeing this side of him clearly for the first time.
He might act carefree about most things, but when it came to power, his desire ran deep.
From the intelligence obtained earlier by devouring Nigun, they had already learned fragments about this system of magic. It differed from tiered magic—an ancient art once used by the Dragon Race centuries ago, known as Wild Magic.
[If Naohara wants this power, then I'll make sure he gets it.]
Herohero made the decision silently. His next priority would be gathering intelligence on the Dragon Lords and formulating a plan to obtain this power for Naohara.
Momonga also fell into thought, clearly stirred by Naohara's proposal.
As a Player who had mastered over seven hundred spells in Yggdrasil, Momonga had always been fascinated by magic itself. The idea of an entirely new magical system deeply intrigued him.
"I have no objections. A different magic system? That's genuinely fascinating."
Momonga looked at the two of them. There was no reason to oppose it.
"In that case, one heart won't be enough."
Herohero lowered his gaze to Ninya's corpse at his feet, his voice turning cold.
"Resurrect her. Then extract more hearts. We'll need at least a few hundred."
Momonga's tone remained calm. Though he felt some sympathy for the girl's fate, it weighed little against their shared interests.
At worst, they could compensate her afterward.
"Then let's begin. Work quickly, Blackie."
Naohara watched the two of them with a faint smile, his eyes chillingly indifferent.
Like Demons, the three of them stared down at Ninya's corpse without emotion.
After activating a magical isolation barrier, they began.
Time passed quietly...
Half an hour later.
"…What am I even doing…?"