Toxic Parent Reincarnation ~ When I Doted on My Daughter Destined to Become the Final Boss, She Ended Up Liking Me an Abnormal Amount ~
Aldo and Clara are engaged in combat with a female-type evil spirit. As Aldo swings his sword, the spirit dodges his attack. However, Clara is waiting at the spot where the spirit evades, ready to deliver a punch. Yet, the spirit catches Claraโs attack with its hand. A sharp sound echoes as the spirit deflects Claraโs strike.
โWhatโs wrong? Is this all youโve got with the two of you? Why donโt you bring that useless little mage brat from the back into the fight too? Ahaha!โ
The evil spirit laughs mockingly, hitting Irisโs insecurities. Iris takes further emotional damage, but Aldo canโt just stand by and watch.
โYouโฆ donโt you dare mock Iris!โ
Gritting his teeth, Aldo swings his sword in a fit of rage. Itโs a wide, powerful strike, but its predictability allows the spirit to dodge and close in on Aldo again.
โHow simple-minded.โ
With those words, the spirit punches Aldo in the abdomen. The blow lands squarely, but Aldo braces himself and endures it. Itโs precisely because Aldo has low faith that he can withstand such an attack. An average person would have suffered fatal spiritual damage from that strike.
โAldo! Are you okay?โ
โYeah, Iโm fine. Itโs nothing.โ
โStop acting tough! Ugh, having such a stubborn teammate is such a hassle. Giving up just because your magic didnโt work for a bit during the fight. Having to babysit such a burden is just pitiful!โ
The spirit presses its attack. In truth, Aldoโs body is still numb from the earlier blow, and his movements are slower compared to when he was unharmed. But Aldo has no choice but to stand his ground.
The spirit launches a kick, and Aldo, enhancing his speed with the power of the Wind Blade, narrowly dodges it at the last moment.
โWhat?!โ
The spirit is shocked. This time, Aldo closes the distance and lands a punch with his left hand on the spiritโs jaw.
โGahโฆ!โ
โDonโt worry. Iโm not hurt. But this thing hurt Irisโs feelings. I canโt forgive that.โ
Aldo tightens his grip on his sword with both hands, drawing out the power of the spirit weapon. The mana surrounding the spirit weapon is unleashed to its fullest potential.
โWhirlwind Slash!โ
Aldo swings his sword, and the attack strikes the spirit.
โGahโฆ!โ
The spirit could still endure this level of attack, but the true power of this technique is just beginning to show. The wound inflicted by the sword begins to generate rotating blades of wind, tearing the wound wider and dealing further damage to the spirit.
โAhhh! Wh-what is thisโฆ?! Gaaaah!โ
Aldo sheathes his sword. He knows the battle is over. The spiritโs body is still being carved up by the wind blades. Once wounded, thereโs no escapeโcountless wind blades emerge from the cut, eventually causing the spirit to vanish.
โN-no wayโฆ! Nooo!โ
The spiritโs body disappears, and with it, the wind blades vanish too. All that remains is a small stone fragment falling to the ground where the spirit once stood. The battle is over.
โUghโฆโ
As the spiritโs body disappears, Aldo drops to one knee. Clara rushes over and casts a healing spell, โApat,โ to treat him.
โAre you okay, Aldo?โ
โYeah, Iโm fine. But what about Iris?โ
Despite their victory, Irisโs expression remains somber. Given her upbringing, her self-esteem is incredibly low.
Though her physical wounds are healing, the emotional scars of a child who was never loved by her parents arenโt so easily mended.
โIrisโฆ!โ
Aldo approaches Iris and pulls her into a tight hug. He senses that she needs this embrace more than any words of comfort.
โDadโฆ Iโm sorry. Iโฆ Iโฆโ
โItโs okay, Iris. This isnโt your fault. Youโre not useless. Remember that dungeon we explored before? There was a spirit that was resistant to physical attacks, and you were the one who saved us then. This enemy was probably just a spirit resistant to magic. Thereโs nothing you couldโve done about that.โ
โButโฆ all I have is magic.โ
โIf thatโs the case, then I canโt even use magic. We complement each otherโs weaknesses. Thatโs how it should be.โ
Irisโs voice trembles with tears. Just as it seems she might break down cryingโ
โHmm. The young man speaks wisely.โ
A voice echoes from nowhere. The tone is elderly, but the voice itself is youthfulโalmost childlike.
โThe Spirit of Abundance!โ
Clara calls out to a girl about Irisโs height. Her hair is green, and her skin is slightly tanned. She has triangular body paint around her eyes, giving her a wild, untamed appearance.
โItโs been a while, Clara. Youโve grown.โ
โAhaha, have I? But youโre still the same height, Spirit.โ
โHahaha, well, I suppose. I give most of my energy to this land, so I donโt growโฆ Just kidding. Spirits are mental entities, so we donโt age or grow. Once our form is set, it doesnโt change.โ
The Spirit of Abundance approaches Iris and lightly taps her cheek.
โOw!โ
โIris?! Hey, Spirit! What are you doing to my daughter?!โ
โAhaha, calm down, old man. I just gave her a little pep talk. Little girl, it seems you donโt yet understand the nature of spirit magic.โ
โThe nature of spirit magicโฆ?โ
Iris tilts her head, confused. Sensing that an important conversation is about to begin, Aldo and Clara step back.
โRed magic, blue magic, green magic, yellow magicโthough their attributes differ, their fundamental nature is the same. The strength of the magic depends on the casterโs faith, and the damage is reduced if the target has low faith. This is the basic principle of magic. But spirit magic and evil spirit magic are different.โ
โDifferentโฆ? How?โ
โFirst, let me explain spirit magic. If the casterโs faith is high, the power increases; if not, it decreases. This is an absolute principle of magicโฆ but in the case of spirit magic, the targetโs faith has no bearing on the damage.โ
โWait, really?โ
Claraโs eyes widen in surprise.
โClara, you didnโt know this?โ
โAhaha, my bad.โ
โMy apologies. This is my fault for not teaching you properly. Now, let me explain evil spirit magic. The casterโs side works the same as other magic, but the targetโs faith plays a significant role. High faith means greater damage; low faith means less damage. The nature is similar to other types of magic, but the variance is much greater with evil spirit magic.โ
โVarianceโฆ?โ
โYou donโt seem to grasp it. For example, letโs say thereโs Person A with high faith and Person B with low faith. Color magic deals 10 damage to A and 5 damage to B. Spirit magic deals 8 damage to both, as it doesnโt depend on the targetโs faith. But evil spirit magic deals 20 damage to A and only 2 damage to B. The correction based on faith is much more pronounced.โ
โSoโฆ if the target has high faith, using evil spirit magic is more effective, but if not, itโs better to use other types of magic?โ
โHmm. You catch on quickly, little girl. That spirit earlier had low faith, so it had high resistance to evil spirit magic. Thatโs why your attacks didnโt do much damage.โ
โAh, now that you mention itโฆ when Dad was hit by evil spirit magic, it didnโt do much damage, but when I used it on the boss in the previous dungeon, it dealt massive damage.โ
โThatโs because that boss was a magic type with high faith.โ
Iris nods in understanding.
โSo my evil spirit magic isnโt useless after all.โ
โExactly. If you choose your targets wisely, you have the potential to be more useful than anyone else.โ
While Irisโs expression brightens, Aldoโs darkens.
โWait a second. What happens if Iris is hit by evil spirit magic?โ
The air grows tense. The advantages and disadvantages of high faith are two sides of the same coin. While high faith allows you to deal massive damage, it also meansโ
โWell, sheโd likely suffer fatal injuries. She might even die.โ