Ch.168Awakened NPC. (2)

“Your Honor! I was not on standby!!”

When I approached, the situation looked like it was ending. I just heard Luxuria’s voice trembling slightly at the end and thought, ‘Hmm, something’s about to go wrong~’

I’m not some clueless extra who would jump in between the protagonists who finished the job while I was knocked out, saying “Hehe, good work everyone?”

Absolutely, definitely NOT! I’m not saying I took revenge for the hit to my jaw earlier during this urgent situation!!

“Hmmph.”

-BOOOOOOM!!!

“Huh? Huh?!! M-Mr. Johnson?!!”

“You’re awake? Hehehe…”

So what I’m saying is, I don’t even know if this will work or not.

With Saint Ira’s voice behind me and the Demon of Lust Luxuria suddenly smiling for some reason, I quickly extend my fist toward the tentacle that’s already reached my face.

-Whoosh.

My fist cuts through the air smoothly, and the approaching tentacles suddenly freeze in place.

-———!!!

“Eek?!!”

“Wow~!”

Following an explosive sound of air bursting, all the tentacles explode as if they had bombs attached to them.

Phew, that was close…

“…If you could blow them up without touching them, why did you hit my jaw, you son of a bitch?”

“Uh, um. I needed your seat for my hypothesis?”

Son of a bitch? I’m your descendant, you know?

As I awkwardly laugh while explaining, my ancestor looks at me with eyes that clearly say this bastard is definitely lying.

Damn, this is why sharp old folks are…

[sYsTem sTaTuS c…]

“Don’t give me that cliché ‘how are you alive when you should be dead’ nonsense. It makes you look really pathetic.”

[tHiS c…]

“‘This can’t be happening’ or ‘This is impossible’ or ‘You’ve escaped your fate’? If that’s what you’re going to say, just shut up.”

[……]

“…Who are you talking to right now?”

“Huh? Oh? Probably the thing that was attached to Luxuria?”

Thankfully, the broken status window helped me change the subject at just the right moment, and I buried the truth in darkness.

[-Occupation: Mountain Keeper – Level: 610 Name: Jack. Age: 22.]

[-Occupation: Saint – Level: 562 Name: Ira Age: 19.]

[Demon of Lust (Luxuria): Level 656]

Looking around at everyone, I see my status window is working normally. Earlier it said it would completely block whatever status interference was showing up as broken text. Seems like it was talking about that thing. Apparently, this trial was something I truly needed.

But why is everyone’s level so high? Is my ancestor’s level for real? He must have really been going easy on me when we fought! And both the Saint and Lust have higher levels than in the game?

Ah! I’m doing it again. Okay. No more useless thoughts, let’s wrap this up…

[Trial completed. Returning to original location in 3 minutes.]

Huh?

-RUMBLE!!!

[tHe wOrLd mAy hAvE bEeN sAvEd bUt yOu wIlL pAy tHe pRiCe.]

The ground shakes as the completion status window appears, along with its threat.

…If all our ancestors die here, will Ira and I disappear too? Oh, shit? Suddenly it’s a time attack situation?

“Damn it, what now?!”

“E-earthquake?!”

“N-no. My tentacles! They’re still inside the mountain’s ground!!”

My tentacles? It sounds kind of erotic when a woman says it like that. After hearing the demon who looks remarkably like Ira, I looked down at the ground.

Well, I expected this.

‘This bastard doesn’t even show up on the status window.’

“Ancestor.”

“What?”

“Can you take those two and escape?”

“What about you?”

“Haha. You saw earlier, right? I’m no longer just a mountain keeper or whatever, I can throw punches much better than before. Besides, we’re running out of time.”

I could say “I suddenly quit being a mountain keeper and became a big brother!” but that would just make me sound crazy. Or I could say “I’m about to disappear!” but that would sound like I’m going to die. So I just make up that excuse, and he strokes his chin as he walks past me toward the two women.

“…From the first time I saw you, you were never a mountain keeper.”

“Ah, was that so? For someone who’s not…”

“Yet, the reason I thought of you as a mountain keeper was…”

Ignoring what I was saying, my ancestor continued speaking and reached out to pat my back.

“Because you were just like me, someone who fights to never lose something precious. That’s probably what I sensed back then.”

“Oh.”

That’s quite a cool line. Maybe I should use it on someone later? I turn my head in slight surprise, but he doesn’t look at me and just smirks.

“…The mountain keepers who were your parents must have taught you properly, just like my father did to me. Don’t die.”

“Ha! I won’t. And you, make sure to have our descendants properly, okay?”

“…The Saint, is it? I’ll consider it.”

After sighing bitterly at my words, he walked over to the women.

“W-what are you two talking about?! Is Mr. Johnson going to face it alone?!”

“Hurry~ Hold me~ Darling~ You promised to marry me, right? I heard you say you’d take responsibility for me forever~!”

“Saint, please get on my back. I need to carry Luxuria.”

“N-no! W-wait…!!”

Perhaps because I said I’d handle it alone? Saint Ira looks back and forth between me and my ancestor in confusion, but I just give her a thumbs up. I hope she gets what I mean?

Well, whether she understood or not, my ancestor grabbed the still-confused Saint’s arm and put her on his back, then picked up the fallen demon and started running. I begin loosening my shoulders.

“What should I call you? Calling you ‘status window’ sounds like shit. For now, you’re my benefactor, and probably Gore’s parent, right?”

It didn’t answer my question. I have so many questions for this bastard, but somehow I know for certain.

After I leave this trial world and part ways with this thing, I probably won’t be involved with it for a while.

“Fine. Don’t talk if you don’t want to.”

-RUMBLE!!! BOOM!!!

Did it get angry because I told it not to talk? The ground bursts open, and thicker and more numerous tentacles than before rise up. Some of them are already chasing after my ancestor instead of me?

“You bastard.”

I stop rotating my shoulders and look down at the ground as I speak.

“When you’re talking to someone, focusing on them is basic courtesy.”

I punch down toward the ground with more force than before.

-BOOM!!!

[—?!!]

Even though I didn’t hit the tentacles directly, the ones chasing my ancestors explode, and the status window that was refusing to speak pops up in apparent surprise.

And seeing the tentacles around me writhing grotesquely in pain before collapsing, it seems my guess was right.

“It’s strange, you know. These tentacles keep appearing even though they’re not summoned by Lust. And they’re centered around here. The things like you that I’ve seen usually try to spray this stuff near towns or cities to mind-control people and use them.”

[hUmAn!!!]

Is it because my intelligence is 7 now? When I recite what I’ve figured out with my well-functioning brain, it lets out a chat message that’s almost a scream, as if I’ve guessed correctly.

“You stole all of Lust’s power and directly summoned Lust’s tentacles, the demon’s main body, under the ground? And you escaped there before being purified, right?”

[wOrThLeSs tEnTaClE tHiNg!!!]

“The worthless tentacle thing sure talks a lot.”

Did it give up chasing my ancestors? All the surviving tentacles around me rush toward me, but…

“Too slow.”

As the words reflexively leave my mouth, I throw casual one-two punches into the air as if sparring, and all the tentacles burst.

Direct contact would inflict Lust’s mind control status effect. This is related to Lust’s authority, but the tentacles themselves also have abilities according to the setting.

If they touch me now, I might really see some terrible nightmare.

“Though touching me now would be impossible, right?”

After mocking its desperate attempts, I shift my thoughts.

How many minutes or seconds do I have left? It’s a fact that 3 minutes feels slow when you’re waiting for cup noodles to cook, but unfortunately, it’s too short and insufficient for me right now. So…

“This is my first time, so I’m not sure if it’ll work. But I have to try.”

A tiny bean-sized something I feel inside my body. Is this the energy called mana? I manipulate this sensation I’ve never felt before as if grasping it in my hand, and activate a skill.

[Human Radar: Consumes 1 mana to detect everything within 10km for 1 minute.]

[Target: [Lust’s Tentacle] location is displayed.]

Deep beneath the mountain’s surface. A massive sphere that looks like a tumor appears like an image. With tentacles attached around it, it looks like a close-up photo of a pimple. Ugh, really disgusting.

“Since it didn’t burst from my earlier attack, I could try hitting it with full power to destroy it.”

With my current full power, I could probably sink the mountain’s surface by a few centimeters. Totally doable. Honestly, I kind of want to try it. Who wouldn’t want to experiment after becoming this strong?

“But that could cause a landslide. Or the surrounding crust might shake and cause an earthquake.”

I seem kind of smart. Well… thinking that probably makes me an idiot.

I slowly walk over and pick up a fallen machete.

Is this my ancestor’s? The handle is wood. The blade… does he use it often? It’s well-maintained. I didn’t use mine much.

“If that happens, it would defeat the purpose. Our ancestor with a level over 600 would probably be fine in a landslide, but we descendants wouldn’t be, right?”

I casually grip the machete handle and spin it in my hand. It feels like it fits perfectly, as if made for my hand. And seeing me raise the knife, it seems to have guessed what I’m planning to do, as it began attacking me with all the remaining tentacles around. However…

“I told you earlier, you idiot. You’re too slow.”

-Whoosh.

I lift my body slightly off the ground, and then…

-Thud.

I slightly embed the machete blade into the ground.

The tentacles hurriedly move toward me and the knife handle, but they still appear too slow.

[sToP iT!!!]

“Nope~ Don’t want to~”

-BANG!!!

It hastily displayed a status window as if to block my vision, but my hand accurately struck the machete handle embedded in the ground like hammering a nail. The surrounding tentacles burst just from the air pressure.

The machete I hit drilled into the ground at tremendous speed in my skill detection vision, and then…

[#@$!○%%#$☓#!@⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!!]

“…It pierced through, huh?”

It penetrated the tumor-like tentacle in the mountain and stopped even deeper below.