episode_0011

“Excuse me······.”

Just like Mei Luina, I knew that the owner of this hospital room I had just entered was also a helpless plant human. However, this time, I had to be even more careful.

Because the person I was about to meet this time was more monstrous than any creature I had ever encountered, fitting the word “monster” better than any being revealed to the public so far.

Regardless of any demon or awakened individual, he was a monster in a class of his own, unmatched in the aspect of monstrosity, the world’s number one hero, the strongest human.

“There she is.”

The woman with short crimson hair lying on the bed in front of me like she was dead was none other than the monster introduced earlier, Dain Adamas.

“Phew·····.”

Clearly, Dain Adamas, who was now a plant human unable to move a finger voluntarily, made my mouth dry and my feet unsteady just by looking at her. The reason I felt hesitant approaching Dain Adamas while I could readily approach Mei Luina was simple.

It was because, at least to me, Mei Luina was a better person than Dain Adamas. Compared to Dain Adamas and Mir Ryu, Mei Luina was like a fairy. Hm hm.

Recalling the dreadful memories tormented by Dain Adamas in the past, I suddenly wanted to leave this hospital room. But even if I left, there would be no one waiting for me except the terrifying monster in front of me and Mir Ryu, and I had no choice but to approach Dain Adamas in order to treat the three people under my care and gain my freedom.

“Yeah, this is for the future. Besides, you can’t move anyway since you’re a plant human now. So, you don’t need to be scared at all.”

I reached out my hand towards the trauma right in front of me, trying to hypnotize myself. It felt like reaching out to touch a sleeping lion, sending shivers down my spine, but my desire for the hopeful future I had dreamed of every day was greater than the fear towards this plant human. And so, driven by that desire, I touched Dain Adamas’ forehead.

Tap.

At the same time, just as Mei Luina had done, Dain Adamas’ status window appeared before my eyes.

=====

[Name: Dain Adamas]

[Alias: Devastator]

[Gender: Female]

[Age: 24]

[Rank: S-Class]

[Ability: Divine Might (Epic)]

Divinity is imbued in the flesh.

[Current Status: Mana Starvation. Plant-human hybrid. Loneliness. Powerlessness. Fear.]

! The target is trapped in a state anomaly known as “Eternal Prison.”

Eternal Prison: A curse where the entire mana of the body vanishes, and the soul is sealed, leading to the disconnection between the body and soul, confining them in an eternal prison.

! I cannot release the target voluntarily.

! Eternal Prison Trait – Equivalent Exchange: The method of release imprinted on the target’s body permanently due to the nature of the Eternal Prison.

[Treatment Method: Infusion of Vital Energy]

! The greater the physical and mental arousal of the target, the more effective the treatment.

Upon the user’s request, the imprint rises above the target’s body.

! Only by infusing vital energy into the imprint can the curse be lifted.

=====

Wow, how did someone end up with the alias “Devastator”? With just one ability description, “Divinity is imbued in the flesh,” is she really the best in the world? She’s like a real monster. Even if you brought a real monster, you’d still say, “This crazy monster of a woman!” while looking at her.

As I was sincerely admiring Dain Adamas’s status window, an awaited notification gently filled a corner of my retina.

[You can listen to the inner thoughts of the subject. Would you like to listen? Y/N]

“Huh.”

Simultaneously with the appearance of the notification, I blurted out my determination. When I opened the status window, it was overwhelming, and since I had made up my mind to do what I had to do in one breath, I spoke.

[Your choice has been confirmed. You can now listen to the subject’s inner thoughts within a certain distance.]

Soon, the confirmation notification filled and disappeared before my eyes. Although my heart fluttered momentarily at the prospect of being able to hear inner thoughts, I calmed myself with the thought that I was currently nothing but a plant-human. Then, I shifted my gaze to Dain Adamas’s face. And just as Mei Luina had said, Dain Adamas’s voice began to resonate.

[Haah, haah, nu, who’s there? Who touched my forehead! Ugh, ugh… I can’t see anything. My body won’t move either. Even when someone I don’t know touches my forehead, I can’t do anything. Ugh, why, why… Why is this happening to me…]

Who is this?

I looked at her face with a voice so familiar that for a moment, I wondered if she was the Da-in Adamas I knew.

At the end of my gaze was the face of Da-in Adamas, the strongest human in the world, identical to the image in my memory.

She was a person who gathered followers regardless of gender, as well-regarded for her destructive power as for her devastating beauty. The word “handsome” seemed to fit her perfectly.

“…You’re Da-in Adamas.”

[H-huh?! I’m… a guy? W-who are you? Your voice sounds familiar…]

“So, who is this person speaking right now?”

The Da-in Adamas I knew lived as if she knew she was the strongest person in the world. As a human, she followed societal norms, but only for her own comfort. She adhered to the bare minimum that a human should follow and lived strictly according to her own standards.

A person who comfortably lived life, doing everything she wanted with the power she possessed. That was the Da-in Adamas I knew.

[Ugh, I-I don’t know who you are, but if you leave right now, I’ll let you go! So get out! Tell whoever it is to leave me alone!]

She wasn’t trembling like a frightened small animal.

“Huh…”

At that moment, when I was momentarily stunned by Da-in Adamas’s unprecedented fear, unexpected words came out from her.

“Wait a minute. Could this sighing sound be… weakness? Is she weak? Why did she come here…?”

“What?”

When the word “weakling” came out from Da-in Adamas, I was shocked to the point where my eyes widened.

Because the term “weakling” was what she used to call me, it was never a warm or pleasant title from my perspective.

“What. How did you know?”

Caught off guard, I unintentionally responded to her words, and Dain Adamas, equally surprised, exclaimed loudly.

[Wha-what?! What’s going on! Are you really a weakling? Wait, before that, why can we even have a conversation? No one has heard my voice for a month!]

Ah, I intended to prepare myself a bit before engaging in conversation, but due to the surprise, I found myself answering without thinking.

The fact that Dain Adamas remembered me was truly beyond my imagination, resulting in an adorable, unexpected situation.

Nevertheless, in order to undergo treatment, conversation was necessary. Seeing Dain Adamas trembling with fear, I comfortably provided an answer to her question once my own nerves had settled.

“I don’t really know why you remember me, but I can converse with you thanks to my status window ability.”

[St-status window? Ah, come to think of it, you had that ability······.]

“What. So I remember while my ability doesn’t? I thought you remembered me because of my ability.”

To be remembered as a person while my unique status window ability, untraceable in history, remains forgotten.

It hadn’t even been 5 minutes since I could hear Dain Adamas’s inner thoughts, yet she had already been surprised countless times.

But seriously, why does Dain Adamas remember me? After completing training camp, we cut ties immediately and never contacted each other. Why? Not that I waited for contact or felt regretful about cutting ties. Anyway! Why me?

I was so flustered that I entertained thoughts that might sound strange, but truthfully, I was not pleased to see Dain Adamas.

Even though there was no one else who could hear my inner thoughts, to me, Dain Adamas belonged to the category of humans that I wanted to erase the most, to the extent that I would mutter excuses to myself internally.

Upon completing training camp and being dismissed right away, were you really so happy that you could shout “hurrah” with joy?

Amidst my confusion and distress, Dain Adamas provided an immediate answer to my questions.

[“Why do I remember a weakling like you? Well, it’s because there was never a shuttle as neat and sensible as yours before or after you!”]

“······.”

It was truly a deflating response that made me feel like I had heard it for no reason at all.

Yes, I was Dain Adamas’ classmate during our awakening training camp days, and at the same time, I was her exclusive shuttle.

A dedicated shuttle that was easily taken advantage of just because I was considered weak.

Recalling the memories of that day, my heart sank and anger began to simmer.

However, my opponent would eventually be healed and stand firmly on their own two feet again, becoming the strongest human in the world.

So, I tried to control my anger, thinking that once they were healed, we wouldn’t meet again, and that it was just bad luck that I had stepped in dung at that moment.

[“Still, I’m glad it’s you who came here, weakling. It’s annoying to say this, but realizing that I’ve become a body that can’t do anything alone has made me truly afraid of the world for the first time. If the person who entered now wasn’t you, but a man with ill intentions, who knows what might have happened? So, I’m really lucky that it’s you who came. Nice to see you again, weakling.”]

Dain Adamas said unnecessary things.

“Hmm.”

It seemed like I might have to use a slightly rough treatment method with this one.