Ch.130Acknowledging NPC. (3)

Tell me it’s a lie, damn it. I haven’t checked the time, but the moon’s position in the sky says it all.

I’ve been awake for three days straight.

“Wh-what?! That is…!!”

The direction Green Stone was pointing and shouting at wasn’t Er Jim’s corpse. Rather, it was toward the elf’s body that Er Jim had killed with his own hands earlier.

“Gu-guaargh?!!”

“Wh-what is this?!! A-alive… gaargh!!!”

“N-no!! What is this!! P-please spare me…!!!”

“Aaaack?!!”

“E-elder…! Elder Niiiick?!!!”

Something clearly malevolent began flowing like black smoke from the corpse, starting to absorb the crippled elves nearby. Green Stone and I cautiously backed away toward the cave.

“This energy is… a demon?”

“Oh, Green Stone. Can you sense something like demonic energy too?”

“Is that what matters?! Why are you so calm about this?!!”

*Swish!!*

Green Stone slashed through the black smoke approaching us with his sword, then widened his eyes in genuine bewilderment at my reaction. I simply shrugged and continued walking toward the cave.

[Seed of Wrath (Boss: Germinating): A seed that controls emotions, planted by a demon of wrath. Once it germinates, no one except the demon who planted it knows what will be born.]

After reading the information that appeared in my status window, I placed Miho, who had been trembling behind me, against the wall. She painfully lifted her head with difficulty to look at me.

The way her golden pupils trembled anxiously reminded me of a puppy about to be scolded by its owner.

“J-Jack… I…”

“It’s okay. I won’t abandon you.”

I cut off her anxious voice and gently patted her head.

Don’t worry, I have no intention of abandoning you or the beastkin remaining in the cave.

Miho seemed surprised that I stroked her head, her eyes widening, but assuming she had calmed down, I removed my hand and returned to Green Stone’s side.

He was busy rapidly slashing away at the black smoke that had begun targeting Er Jim’s corpse.

Hmm.

“Green Stone?”

*Swish!!*

“I’m busy!! What are you doing?! Quickly evacuate the beastkin in the cave…!!”

*Thud!!*

“?!!!”

Oh. Green Stone’s eyes widened almost to anime character proportions. Wow, they look like they might fall out.

“Wh-what are you doing…?!!”

“Huh? I just gave it what it wanted.”

“Y-you madman!! The master’s corpse…!!!”

After calling to him and making him turn his attention away for a moment, I kicked Er Jim’s corpse straight into the black smoke. The entity immediately began devouring Er Jim’s body as if it had been waiting for this.

“Jack!! What are you thinking?! No matter who you are, this action…!!!”

“Now, now. Calm down. If you watch, you’ll understand. Green Stone, just make sure the demons it summons can’t get near the cave.”

Er Jim’s life story was certainly enough to tug at my heartstrings, and I do think he was pitiful.

But that’s no reason to let the living—us and the victimized beastkin they kidnapped—suffer harm.

I made Green Stone, who didn’t understand my intentions, back away, and waited for the black smoke to consume Er Jim’s corpse and coalesce.

The status window said it didn’t know what would be born from this, but unfortunately, I already knew.

[Kerrc⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!!!!!]

[Elf Flesh Mass Dominated by Wrath: Level 266]

[HP: 20,000]

A flesh mass born with an incomprehensible, bizarre roar.

Its appearance resembled a random scattering of hands, arms, teeth, and eyeballs from the elves it had devoured.

Ugh, people with trypophobia definitely couldn’t handle this.

“Wh-what in the world is that…”

“Leave this to me. Green Stone, please guard Miho and the cave entrance.”

No need to say that I’ll be taking the experience points.

It’s exactly like the game. Before facing the Demon of Wrath, if you kill one of their named followers, it absorbs nearby corpses and a demon is born once more.

I’d seen it in the game, and it was quite grotesque even then, but seeing it in reality makes it even more horrifying.

“But the problem is, it’s only an ep. 2 champion level.”

[Demon Handler Thug Effect: The strongest of the Seven Deadly Sins has submitted to you. Additional damage is inflicted on all demons except the Seven Deadly Sins. (Additional damage: 1,0??)]

Plus, the leader of these demons, the Demon of Wrath, died by my hand. I’m even stronger now than I was then, and I have this absurdly overpowered skill like a real demon handler…

Huh? The question mark is gone? And judging by the comma placement, the minimum additional damage is a thousand?

I’ve been so focused on whether my intelligence stat would increase that I hadn’t noticed the question mark in my skill had been revealed.

In the game, additional damage in the thousands is considered mid-to-late game specs, around level 700. So I have the additional damage of a level 700 character against demons.

“There’s no way I can lose this, is there?”

The corners of my mouth involuntarily curl upward, and my drowsy mind suddenly feels wide awake as I charge toward the creature.

Indeed, whether in reality or games, it feels good to see your own growth!

*

Didn’t he clearly ask me to protect the cave and Miho?

“Hahaha!! Wake up and come at me, you piece of trash!!!”

*Boom!!! Crash!!*

[Krrc⎯??!!]

Though it doesn’t have a face, this demon is clearly bewildered.

The fists of Jack, former ranger turned adventurer, fly toward the demon with speed and destructive power that surpass even my own.

His movements aren’t those of someone trained in combat techniques, but he clearly knows exactly when to strike and when to dodge, smashing the creature’s flesh masses with precision that makes me wonder why he asked me to stay back.

Moreover, just as Jack said, the flesh mass seems to be creating smaller demons by spewing out its own flesh, but he’s destroying every single one without missing any.

…But he’s fighting that disgusting thing with his bare hands. What makes him so happy? Is he going mad from sleep deprivation?

“…Haaa.”

“Hmm?”

When Jack once again created a thunderous boom by punching apart the tentacles and arms the flesh mass had thrown at him, I heard a sigh from Miho sitting behind me and glanced back.

“Miho, you’re not…?”

“…Eh? Yes?”

I notice her face flushed red, mouth slightly agape, eyes following Jack’s every move.

…From what I heard earlier, they used some potion that elves use to restrain criminals, but such potions shouldn’t have effects that make one’s face flush or body heat up.

This is completely…

“…Jack truly is a sinful man, isn’t he?”

“R-really? Isn’t Jack a good person?”

That’s not what I meant, but I just smile bitterly at her failure to understand.

Well, I do understand.

Jack is quite handsome and good-looking among humans, tall, and as for his character… hmm. After traveling with him this time, I can’t say it’s perfect, but considering the power he possesses, he’s not a bad type of human.

Above all.

*Boom!! Thud!!*

“Hahaha!!! Come on!! You bastard!! What are you doing?! I’m dying of sleepiness, so if you’re going to fight to the end, show some spirit!!!”

*Crash!!!*

[Kerrc⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯?!!?!]

He has the kind of strength that beastkin admire. With one kick, flesh masses shatter and scatter everywhere, even making the trees behind them sway—it’s almost sickening to watch.

Both female and male beastkin are drawn to strength in others, and Jack—no, this male—displays inhuman power.

It’s more surprising that Miho is only now showing this reaction. The problem is…

“Hmm, with two already, it’ll be tough. Still, hang in there.”

“What? Ah, yes…? What do you mean…”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

As I quietly watch his battle from in front of the cave with Miho… huh?

“Jack!!!”

“Yeah?”

“Yodo… sae… inga… jugeeo…”

“What the f—?!!”

*Squelch!!!*

Good heavens!

I immediately draw my sword and move forward…

“Nngh!! Stay back!!!”

Despite having his side pierced by a small flesh mass that had gathered and taken a form similar to my master, Jack refused my intervention.

*

Ah, shit!! I got too cocky!!!

[HP: 250,896+???]

Nearly 70,000 HP gone in one hit. No, if I include the unknown HP that doesn’t normally decrease, it might be even more serious.

That means I was stabbed in a very dangerous spot, right?

“Inga aaa…”

“Ha, ha. Damn, this wasn’t in the game.”

[Elf Flesh Mass Dominated by Wrath: Level 266]

[HP: 936]

Is this some kind of desperate pattern?

The main flesh mass is completely on the verge of death, with just one more hit needed to finish it off.

That’s why there’s no particular movement even though I’ve been stabbed with a sword. Perhaps this mass formed from the pieces I shattered has become something like its heart. Even though I detected this one right before being stabbed, I couldn’t dodge.

It seems it can not only take Er Jim’s form but also use his skills. Getting ambushed by someone with [Preemptive Sword]—there’s really no counter to that, is there?

*Squelch!!!*

“Nngh…?!!”

“Yodo sae… my yodosae… inga… jugeeo…”

Even though I’m holding the sword piercing my side with one hand, it’s pushing with its entire body to drive it in deeper. This really fucking hurts…!!!

“…Huff! Huff!! Er Jim? Is that you?”

“Yodo… Er… Mu…”

It doesn’t answer my question, but this flesh mass probably has Er Jim’s memories.

“Huff! Are you angry because I kicked your corpse?”

“Er… Mu… I…gan… inga… jugeeo…!!”

Well, this is something. What am I doing with a blade stuck in my gut? But I can’t help wanting to do this.

I thought we were completely done in this world, but now we’ve met again like this.

I’ve realized there’s still something to settle.

“Huff, huff! As I said before, I think your anger is justified. I will never deny you.”

I breathe heavily like a pregnant woman and speak quickly.

I don’t know if it understands my words. I only feel the blade in my stomach trying to push in deeper.

If my level had been lower than it is now, I might have already crossed the river to the afterlife.

“But thinking about it again, the situation isn’t quite like that, is it?”

Yes, the situation was over, Er Jim was dead. So I was going to let it go. Pretend I didn’t hear it.

No, even if I heard it, I was going to pretend I didn’t think anything of it.

“So, properly. You should also be forgiven and go. By ‘someone who has the right to deny you.'”

[…Even if Jack says this, even if the Elder apologizes, I won’t forgive him.]

*Crash!!!*

Instead of using my free hand to destroy Er Jim’s flesh mass, I grab it with both hands and turn my head.

Not toward the flesh mass behind me, nor toward Green Stone who had drawn his sword to help me.

“Do it.”

I’m not sure if her golden eyes properly met mine in this dark moonlit night.

But she said it before, didn’t she? That she’s nocturnal, that she becomes faster and stronger at times like this.

So I called to her without even shouting.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

“Hyaah!!!”

A snow-white silver beast gleaming in the moonlight. Someone’s “little sister,” she properly denied his actions and delivered punishment with her swinging fist.