Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

All twenty thousand pairs of eyes are on him - the legendary hero.

"My name is Barnacles, but you can call me Barns. Or 'legendary hero'. Or... You know, just call me whatever you like. Just don't call me late for dinner!"

No laughs, just a very distinct cough from someone in the crowd.

He curses under his breath. 'I said don't say anything stupid!' he reminds himself.

"Listen. I know I spoke around a few of you on our way here, but here's the deal, plain and simple. This crab here is named Clancy, and he's the king of all humanity. And I have the honor of being his number one.

"Clancy and I, we have a dream. We're going to reset the apocalypse! When we first started out only a month or so ago, it was just the two of us. And now we're..." he pauses to check the system message, "26,780 strong. And that number will only grow from here. That's my promise to all of you."

Barns takes a deep breath. The nerves are leaving him. As he looks over the captivated crowd, he comes into his confidence.

"I don't have all the answers. I make mistakes. The title of legendary hero still feels inauthentic to me. I don't know if it will ever feel fully right, but to me it's more about what the title represents. I have a power that can be used to save humanity. The ability to resurrect the dead."

There are surprised gasps from the crowd. He normally never has to spell this part out, but strictly speaking the twenty thousand before him were never dead, just soulless.

"So I invite you all to join this kingdom of ours. Let's work together, and achieve something greater than we had before. Let us prove the strength of humanity and take back control of our world!"

He pumps his fist in the air, expecting some excitement. He gets a slow clap and a few cheers. Not the worst response.

'Alright, curb the enthusiasm a little,' he cautions himself.

"There's one thing I want to leave you all with," he says into the microphone, his voice a touch more wistful than it was before. "Let's all be good to one another. Humanity lost the apocalypse because we were divided. But if we can stick together, then anything is possible.

"I don't know what each of you remembers about the last six years. I don't know what you lost. But I do know this - today, you have a second chance. And I'm here to make sure it's worth it."

He cracks a smile and closes his eyes. "Now, let me introduce you to your new King, the honorable Clancy!"

He steps aside and the giant crab scuttles in front of the microphone. He raises his claws into the air as he speaks.

"PARTY TIME!"

Clancy gets the loudest cheer of the day.

"Way to ramble," Roscoe jests as Barns stands by his side.

"Hey, you brat. Do you want combat training or not!?"

They both direct their attention back toward Clancy, who's now doing one of his signature crab dances in front of the microphone.

"We really need to get better at these speeches."

Later, the crowd has dispersed into three groups. One group will settle the land between Dimartino and Ordella, bridging the two civilizations. Another group will settle the eastern coast, near the beach where Barns cleared out some slimes. The third group will stay in the heart of Dimartino, bolstering the lands around the town.

Thankfully, Dimartino has no shortage of land, and according to Quinn who's helping out with the logistics, they have unlocked 'Level Two City Building' and groups of people can now come together to generate apartment buildings with the system. That will greatly save on space. It's convenient in another way - among the twenty thousand, it turns out there are a few families.

After the ceremony, Barns and Clancy finally have a moment to catch up for real.

"So, about the hat," Barns says with a nervous chuckle as the two walk down a lavish castle corridor in tandem. "You become sainted while I was gone or something?"

"ORDELLA RELIC," Clancy explains. "GOD KING CRAB."

"Right, right," Barns says, biting his lip. It's as good an explanation as he'll get from the crab. After twelve years together, he knows better than to try and get the full story, and he's gotten good at reading between the lines.

"Oh, that reminds me. Did you find a Moderator for Ordella?"

"MODERATOR!" Clancy bounces. "PRETTY LADY. BIG RACK."

"You didn't choose her because of that, did you?"

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The crab smiles and clicks his claws daintily. Of course he did.

"And…I heard about the Sentinel. Donatella, was it?"

"CRAZY LADY! BIGGER RACK. EVIL RACK. CLANCY NO LIKE."

"She was strong?" Barns asks quietly.

Clancy stops scuttling as he recalls his battle with Donatella. Barns whips his head back, surprised that Clancy halts in his tracks.

"VERY STRONG. BARNACLES. NOT SURE IF WE CAN BEAT HER."

The words hit Barns like a bag of bricks. "You think…she would have defeated you?"

It's tough for the king crab to admit, but he knows that if Donatella went full power that she would have defeated Clancy.

"KING THINKS…CRAZY LADY AND KING WOULD KILL EACH OTHER. NO WINNER. STRONGEST EVER SEEN. MAYBE EVEN BEAT BARNACLE CLANCY DUO."

Barns sighs. Clancy was quite chatty about this, and that can only mean one thing. The fight has cemented itself in the crab's mind - normally only fish and women have that effect on him.

'Are you afraid, Clancy?' Barns thinks, but he dares not put his crab in such a vulnerable position with a question like that. He does what makes sense and pulls his crab in for a hug.

"Next time she comes around, I'll be at your side, King. She won't beat us. No chance."

Clancy wraps his claw around Barns. His shell is warm, as if he were just baked in the sunlight.

"BARNACLES MAKE KING CRAB HAPPY. GOOD BARNACLES. STRONGER BARNACLES."

"I did gain a few levels since we last fought together," Barns smiles. "Level 8 now that I beat Adon, but I was in such a hurry I didn't even get a chance to check the stat window."

Almost like magic, a window appears in front of him. Zelia must be listening to their conversation.

[Name: Barnacles

Species: Human (Irregular)

Level: 8 (650/1000)

Strength: 17

Vitality: 17

Agility: 17

Intellect: 15

Control: 8

Charisma: 18

Luck: 20]

"Check it out, Clancy, I'm smarter than you now," Barns gloats, pointing to the system message. As he does, another one pops up, this one for Clancy.

"Oh, you leveled up too, King," he says, looking at the window. "Wait! Your Intellect is the same as mine again!?"

[Name: Clancy

Species: Human (Irregular)

Level: 8 (650/4600)

Strength: 38

Vitality: 49

Agility: 20

Intellect: 15

Control: 14

Charisma: 32

Luck: 10]

"Oh, one other thing, King. Check this out!"

Barns does a dramatic pose and thrusts his arm forward. "Claw of Death!" he shouts, as his arm transforms into a crab claw and slices through the empty air.

Clancy clicks his claws. "MASTERY!" he says, excited. "CLAW ATTACK. HARDEN BODY. CRAB INTUITION. ONE MORE AND BARNACLES READY FOR NEXT STEP."

"The next step…?"

"ULTIMATE CRAB."@@novelbin@@