Chapter 26 – Virtual Reality – The Hero (4)

“Aaargh! You crazy little bitch!!”

The villain jumped up, frantically brushing off stone fragments falling from his forehead.

His petrified skin that shouldn’t even scratch if a tank ran over it…!

Had it been shattered by just that one shot?

Judging by the red bloodstains between the stone fragments, it wouldn’t have been strange if that single shot had killed him instantly if he’d been unlucky.

‘Whatever the kid’s ability is, I can’t take hits like this head-on.’

He couldn’t underestimate her anymore.

She was clearly a pampered brat, so he’d planned to toy with her for a while, but…

…No.

This was dangerous.

Despite their size difference, no matter how much he shouted and raged, the girl didn’t even flinch, maintaining her blank stare.

Those beastly yellow eyes were chilling.

“As expected of a demon. You’re tough.”

The girl’s muttering left no time for further thought.

The villain immediately reinforced his forehead’s stone armor and charged at the girl with a boom!

Thud, thud, thud thud!

His heavy, petrified body made loud noises echoing all around.

It looked like a rhinoceros charging.

– Wow, why is a C-class Awakened so strong?

– That’s just how this game is

– Yeah, the tutorial raid is difficulty-scaled too

“Try taking this!”

In reality, his petrified strength was beyond that of a rhinoceros.

It was a charge that would make even decent Awakened tuck tail and run.

The villain, of course, pushed his ability to the limit to petrify the girl’s legs so she couldn’t escape.

But.

Her legs should have turned to stone and frozen in place, and yet…

“What? Where’d she go?”

In an instant, the girl who had been right in front of him vanished into thin air.

Plop plop- Something heavy fell on top of the villain’s head.

Green? A pinecone…?

Oh, shit.

Ka-boom!!

It was a grenade.

“Yay! How’s that for divine punishment?”

No matter how tough a demon was,

If one hit didn’t kill it, hit it twice.

If two hits didn’t kill it, hit it four times, right?

That’s how she’d been taught, and that’s what she’d done, so it was only natural for the girl.

Since it was created above the villain’s head using her wish ability, it was God’s punishment for demons.

The girl declared this wasn’t a grenade, but divine retribution.

Boom! Bang! Ka-boom!

Grenades fell like ginkgo nuts, turning the surroundings into chaos.

It looked like an airstrike to anyone watching.

“Did I… really need to follow her…?”

She was completely overwhelming the villain that everyone was supposed to fight together.

The man who had followed the girl, as well as the other players, went into spectator mode, dumbfounded.

“Fuck! Start making sense, you crazy bitch!”

For the villain who nearly died from the grenade blast, this was insane nonsense that made his blood boil.

If this were a martial arts novel instead of reality, such provocation might have driven him into a frenzy and killed him.

The girl tilted her head, confused by the answer that came from somewhere underground.

“Huh… You shouldn’t be alive? How are you still alive?”

The concrete floor had completely disappeared, revealing bare earth, yet he was still alive!

This demon was tougher than a cockroach!

The Sage had said:

In such cases, just pour on more firepower!

The girl’s eyes glinted.

She pondered for a moment before finally pulling out something familiar.

Instructor Yang Joya and the Guild Master had already seen this large, majestic black form once before.

– …No way, she’s summoning all sorts of crazy things?

– Is it something like a Weapon Master?

– Probably a subspace item

– Whatever it is, it’s damn romantic lol

– But a 10-year-old kid doing this is just… something something…

The girl clicked the launch button.

With a whoosh, the Javelin missile soared into the sky, immediately tracking the villain and falling onto his head hidden underground.

Ka-boom!!

The ground shook with a thunderous explosion.

Shattered concrete flew in all directions.

The aftershock rising from the crater left a long trail like a mushroom cloud.

The girl sneezed – achoo! – at the rising dust.

She wiped her nose with her fingertip and peeked into the dark tunnel, tilting her head.

“Is he dead?”

– What a flag to raise!!

The viewers and players were shocked, but there was no answer.

Maybe he really is dead.

“Hehe… I won!”

Only then did the girl show her usual bright smile.

She clenched her tiny fist in excitement, clearly thrilled.

– LOLOLOLOL He almost died from the shotgun, there’s no way he survived a Javelin missile to the head

– She really won with just one click lol

– I was wondering why the C-class villain was so strong, but the real monster was the host…

The chat exploded with comments as the girl’s victory was undeniable to anyone watching.

The speed of the messages was so fast that anyone not used to broadcasts would have trouble reading them.

Most of the comments expressed surprise at how a girl who looked like an elementary school student at best had overwhelmingly defeated the villain, and speculated about her abilities.

“Wow, is she a prodigy raised by some guild?”

“I don’t think we could beat her even if we all attacked together…”

Only then did the Guild Master quietly sigh in relief.

‘At least it seems there’s no one in our guild who would try to exploit the child’s abilities or view her negatively.’

This meant there was no need to hide the girl’s identity.

[Tutorial Clear!]

However, the girl wasn’t completely satisfied even when the clear message appeared.

Since this was a virtual reality world, the demon-possessed Awakened had been neutralized as the text suggested, but…

What if he was still alive somehow?

What if he got another chance to commit sins?

Complacency is as much a sin as arrogance.

She needed to confirm he was definitely dead.

Huff-

The girl approached the tunnel the villain had dug into, wearing a triumphant smile.

The problem was that despite her enthusiasm, her physical condition was at its worst.

Summoning weapons, teleportation, acceleration, and healing…

From making so many wishes in such a short time, her fingernails and toenails were empty, blood trickling down.

Even some of her blood and fat had been used as payment, leaving her visibly haggard.

This was already holding back because it was Mia’s body, avoiding using important parts like organs.

[Haah……]

Watching this from inside, Mia felt beyond frustrated—she wanted to unleash every curse word imaginable.

What good would it do to beg her to live her own life, to take care of my body?

In the end, she’s so brainwashed that she goes berserk at the mere mention of demons, rushing in to kill or be killed.

The only reason Mia didn’t intervene was because, like when facing the wooden doll before, she knew this was virtual reality.

After this, when she returns to reality and comes to her senses, she’ll probably cry her eyes out saying, “D-did I do this to Mia’s body…?”

So Mia decided to just watch.

– Um… Does she not know how to log out?

– The simulation even implements abilities, so she must be tired

– A child is still a child, we need to protect her.

The viewers reacted with confusion to the girl’s unexpected behavior.

Mia was equally curious about how far the brainwashed girl would go and what exactly she was trying to do.

After all, Mia only knew the girl before she was brainwashed and when the brainwashing wasn’t complete.

“…Wait. Just in case, I’ll move the child to a private session.”

The Guild Master was the only one worried about this situation.

The players who had been waiting for a chance to talk to the girl faded away like ghosts, becoming transparent.

This was because they switched to the individual session by activating “The Hero’s” story mode.

Thus, the girl could focus on her task without any interruptions.

Step, step.

The girl approached the gaping hole and jumped in without hesitation.

Flash!

She lit up the area with a wish, revealing the tunnel’s interior that couldn’t be seen clearly from above.

“…Urghk.”

The tunnel floor and ceiling were cracked and crumbling, as if the villain had tried to block it with his petrification ability.

In the middle, the villain with his shattered head was gasping for breath.

His eyeballs were popping out, and blood continuously poured from his nose and mouth.

– …Is this really rated for all ages?

The viewers gasped and covered their screens at the graphic scene.

However, the girl…

“Heh, I knew you wouldn’t be dead.”

She looked down at the villain and smiled.

Unlike her shy smile from before, this was a chilling grin like an evil spirit.

Her reaction, seemingly glad he wasn’t dead, made the chat fall into an eerie silence as if time had stopped for a moment.

“This is why the rule is to leave no trace of demons, not even a corpse. Consider this a preview of the punishment you’ll receive in hell.”

The girl reached out her hand.

An unknown transparent liquid began to fill the tunnel.

Sizzle-!!!

“Aaaaaargh!!”

The villain’s body started to melt.

White smoke erupted along with bursting blood.

Beep! The broadcast has ended.

And so, the girl’s first broadcast and virtual reality experience came to an end.

—