episode_0002

‘Should I quit?’

Today, too, I have those kinds of thoughts in my head.

That word was one I repeated nearly a thousand times during the six months I was at this party.

Since I abuse it dozens of times a day, it would probably be around a thousand times.

Quitting seemed like a pretty good idea.

Well then at least I wouldn’t have to do this crappy thing.

Crunch, rustle.

Inside a rest area in the dungeon.

I was there, hard at work dismembering the monster’s corpse.

Naturally, monster corpses are worth quite a bit of money.

The bodies of those who can block steel blades with their bare bodies are in themselves no different from high-quality materials.

It is used for a wide range of purposes, from weapons and furniture to high-quality food ingredients and cosmetics.

The corpse of a monster, if handled properly, is no different from a lump of money.

Money was also an important thing for the warrior party, and thanks to that, I was working hard on the dismantling work.

That way, you can take it easily.

Of course, the physiological effects of dismantling monsters were entirely my responsibility.

“······Damn, it’s so fucking hard to cut.”

The monster’s corpse contained many impurities.

From the various bodily fluids they shed, to the clumps of shit that accumulated in their eyeballs, organs, and intestines.

Most of these were useless and simply annoying.

I would like to share the work with my party members, but… that probably won’t be possible.

Originally, dismantling work required a certain level of expertise, and I wanted to do something like this so that I wouldn’t get irritated.

At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard from behind.

“Warrior, are we there yet?”

He was a knight in charge of the front ranks among the party members.

His dark blue hair is soaked with sweat and sticks to his cheeks, and his expression is cold and solemn.

I was working hard in the blazing sun, and it looked really disgusting that he was asking me such authoritative questions while resting… but I didn’t show it.

Instead, he wipes the sweat from his forehead and answers appropriately.

“There’s still a little left. The poison frog tendon is tougher than I thought.”

“Tsk··· You useless guy. Are you really going to finish before the sun sets if you’re that slow?”

Then you help me out too, you piece of shit.

Those words came to mind automatically, but I held them back as well.

Anyway, getting angry would only hurt each other’s feelings, and I knew now that the situation wouldn’t get any better.

“Haha···.”

So I just awkwardly laughed and ended the situation.

Rather, we need to finish the dismantling work quickly.

Their mucus contained a mild toxicity, and my hands were beginning to tingle even at this very moment.

But there isn’t much left, so I’ll just do a little bit······.

That’s when I was thinking that.

Crunch!

And a pile of frog corpses falls from the air.

The corpses that had finally appeared on the floor were now piled up like a mountain again.

It was the moment when the work that was just about to end was put back to its original position.

The corpses appear to be lumped together, without any sort of organization whatsoever.

The sight of bones, flesh, and fluids all tangled together in a messy manner was in itself physiologically repulsive.

It’s a lot of work to take that off.

“······.”

I looked up for a moment, hiding the resentment inside me.

A dark elf with dark skin appears.

He was a thief who served as a lieutenant and scout for our team.

I could sense a hint of contempt and disgust in her golden eyes.

Yeah, it’s the same as always.

I’m not sure if the disgust is directed at the mass of corpses or at me.

Maybe it’s both.

“······.”

She glared at me for a moment and then walked away.

What was left were the corpses of the replenishing poison frogs and my body covered in blood.

When I saw that, I let out a small sigh.

“Sigh······.”

I’m really thinking about quitting.

+

“─Okay, I’m done.”

It was early evening when the work was finally finished.

Since the battle ended around the time the sun began to set, it took about 2-3 hours just to dismantle it.

As such, my body was now contaminated with the blood and mucus of the Frozen Frog.

I feel a tingling sensation, discomfort, and tingling all over my body.

I smiled bitterly.

“Washing is also a job.”

It’s a bit far to go to the nearby stream… I should ask the saint to purify me.

There is also a magic called Clean that wizards use, but you still need to purify yourself to remove the toxins that have accumulated in your body.

Honestly, I don’t think they’ll listen, but I guess I’ll have to ask at least once.

So I started looking for a place where the saint might be.

The elf and the knight just confirmed that they had entered the tent… The saintess has never done that before, so she is probably outside.

While I was walking around like that, I came across a magician meditating.

“Ugh, it’s dirty···. Hey, can you go wash up and go?”

“······.”

But I heard something and immediately left the place.

Anyway, we did run into each other.

“So I’m going to wash up, damn it···.”

I muttered like that and wandered the streets again.

Fortunately, I was able to meet the saint shortly thereafter.

The image of the saint was seen praying to God, as if asking for something.

She has golden hair that sways as if in waves, and a gentle face that seems to be modeled after kindness.

“Oh my god···Why did you make such an evil person a warrior······.”

Although the things that came out of his mouth were actually bad words directed at me, the fact that he looked kind remained unchanged.

Actually, it’s true that it’s good, except for me.

I watched the scene for a moment, then soon made a sound.

“Big, that, saintess?”

“Oh, yes? What’s going on?”

“I’m a little dirty right now, so… Could you please bless me just once?”

I held out my hand to the saint and asked her.

“···Hmm.”

Luckily, she didn’t frown or anything when she saw me covered in mucus.

It was the same smiling face as always.

At least from what I know, she wasn’t the type of person to show her emotions openly.

Instead, there is just something gloomy about it.

Finally, she opened her mouth with a pitiful smile.

“Oh, what should I do? I want to write to you, but my stamina is running low right now.”

Of course… it’s a lie.

The fight with the Poison Frog was annoying, but it wasn’t that intense.

There was absolutely nothing that could match her vast power like the ocean.

It’s not a high-level blessing, but you can use it to the extent of purification.

But it was clear that the reason she lied like that was purely to tease me.

I know that fact, and the other person knows that fact, and I know that both the other person and I have noticed it.

“Well, then there’s nothing I can do.”

I just decided to take a step back.

I wasn’t expecting it anyway. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m not disappointed.

“Yes, then.”

After that, she smiled affectionately and left the place. It seemed to anyone who saw her that she was trying to get away.

As I watched that, I let out a bitter sigh. I wasn’t disappointed, but I couldn’t hide my bitterness.

This is what I’ve been like for the past half year.

I’m being bullied on a daily basis and having to do all sorts of chores.

Even though I was given the title of warrior by God, I am in this state.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Sigh······.”

How on earth did it come to this?

Surprisingly, they didn’t originally have that kind of personality.

Rather, they were the most dedicated and courageous of all. I could say this with certainty, having seen them hundreds of times, even if only on the monitor screen.

And it’s probably no different now.

I’m probably the only one who has that kind of attitude.

That makes me sigh even more.

“Hoo······.”

How on earth did it come to this?

···No, actually, even as I said this, I already knew the cause.

It’s probably not them, but my body itself that’s causing it.

I made a choice, and they became like that because of that choice.

Then what on earth did you choose to do that?

What did you do to make them act so prickly?

To know that, we first need to know what happened half a year ago.

I started to worry inwardly.

Let’s see… Where should I start explaining?

How should I begin my explanation so that my story can be conveyed very vividly······.

…Well, okay, I think it would be good to start with this sentence.

When I first dropped, my level was 1.

*

Iron fist!

“Ugh!”

As I pressed the ‘YES’ button, a very hard floor greeted me.

A cold pain hits my skull, as if my head had fallen off.

“Ugh···! What is it.”

At this time, I was quite confused.

In contrast to the burning pain in my skull, my head was furiously filled with questions.

What the? I was definitely playing a game in the corner of the room just now.

You’re about to do your 1000th try, and you’re excited to discover a new route.

When I came to my senses, I found myself on the ground.

I looked around, wondering if I had fallen off my chair from the sudden burst of light.

And I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

“Huh?”

This is because what came into view was not a dark, semi-basement room, but the inside of a shabby bar.

You can see walls painted with old wooden planks. Orange lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Even the bitter smell of alcohol spread everywhere.

And below that, I could see people looking at me with mocking expressions.

“Kick, look at that guy. He can’t even control his own body properly.”

“How much alcohol must he have had to drink to act like that. The young man is tsk tsk.”

I felt suddenly embarrassed and immediately got up and sat down at the table.

To them, it looked like I had fallen to the floor while drinking.

You can see the table filled with snacks and large beer glasses.

For a moment I felt a strange sense of discomfort.

It was an unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar sight.

That’s because the tavern in the game I was playing, [Demon King and Hero Party], had something like this.

Every time I returned from an expedition, I always stopped by a tavern to relieve my fatigue.

The atmosphere of that tavern was very similar to the atmosphere here.

Not only that, but also the people’s clothing, and the vividness felt on their skin······.

‘Is this a game?’

Thanks to that, I was able to easily come up with this answer.

It’s a really absurd thought, but it would be difficult to explain the current situation otherwise.

That was when.

“But don’t say anything too much. Seeing you drinking so much, something bad might have happened. Maybe you lost a family member to the Demon King’s army.”

“···Tsk, that could be true. The problem is that the Demon King’s army is too powerful these days.”

Near my table, I could hear two middle-aged men talking.

The two were gulping down glasses of beer and chatting about dark stories.

‘The Demon King’s Army.’

Hearing that word, I felt more certain about my assumption. It was a familiar word.

As with other games, [Demon King and Hero Party] also unfolds as the Demon King’s army gains power.

The prologue of this game was that the world became chaotic and a hero was chosen to go save the party members.

And I just hit my 1000th try and I’m here.

I guess I’ll be the chosen warrior.

Despite the confusion, my mind continued to reason like water.

Even in the midst of all this, the conversation among the middle-aged people continued.

“Don’t worry though. It seems they are slowly searching for the hero. Enen said. An oracle has come down that a new hero may appear soon.”

As expected, we haven’t chosen a warrior yet.

Okay. Now, all we have to do is gather the warrior party members scattered across the countries──

“Ah, I heard that too. It looks like all the party members have already been organized?”

···huh?

‘Wait, what?’

The entire warrior party has already gathered?

“Yeah. It seems like the Demon King’s army is acting too aggressively, so the Empire will soon hold a ceremony to launch its campaign.”

Are they already preparing the inauguration ceremony there?

‘What the hell are you talking about?’

When I heard that, I frowned.

The original warrior is selected, and then party members are gathered.

It was common to level up slowly like that, and only then prepare for the departure ceremony after all four were gathered.

But… all the party members are already gathered, so now all we need to do is choose a warrior?

Although this game is a roguelike, the story changes slightly with each playthrough.

I have never experienced anything like this before.

The start itself was wrong.

At that moment, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

[Quest!]

+

QUEST: The heroines’ departure to the Demon Realm is just around the corner.

The empire will bless the future of the warrior party, and the warrior party will begin the arduous journey to subdue the Four Heavenly Kings.

I hope you too, will build up your strength until then and join this journey.

QUEST Condition: Reach Lv70 before the warrior party leaves.

(Current Lv: 1)

Clear Reward: Obtain the title ‘Warrior’!

caution!

If the clear fails, the heroines will start the expedition without the warrior!

+

‘crazy.’

I cursed inwardly.

A party of heroes without heroes? What kind of crazy talk is that?

Even in the midst of all this, the middle-aged men continued to chat.

“I see. Then, when is the inauguration ceremony?”

“There’s not much left. Two weeks later.”

“······.”

I was speechless.

When I first dropped I was at level 1.

And you have to reach level 70 within 2 weeks.

+

caution!

If the clear fails, the heroines will start the expedition without the warrior!

+

The quest window lingered above my confused eyes for a while.