Ch.173Awakened NPC. (6)

The village’s barrier sways.

-BOOM!!

The earth trembles.

-BOOOOM!!!

The air shudders.

-BOOOOOM!!!

The Great Elder’s scattered demon flesh had sent the beastkin, demon tribe, and even elves fleeing. I was watching those on the barrier wall with concern, wondering if the beastkin village’s defenses would collapse at this rate. And then…

“…Has Jack been consumed by the Demon of Wrath?”

“Hoho… *cough*! I don’t think so. His eyes look fierce, but he hasn’t lost his reason.”

“Oh, I’m dying. He’s too cool! My stomach is fluttering!!♡”

“…Jack.”

Four people—Green Stone, Perna, Chikuyo, and Miho—recovered with the potions Jack gave them and now watched him overwhelm the Great Elder while being guarded by beastkin warriors.

Where the Great Elder had been was now a deep crater, as if a meteorite had struck. The surrounding trees were toppling over, their thick roots exposed as if an earthquake had hit.

They knew he was strong, but seeing him demonstrate such overwhelming power against that monster of a Great Elder had Chikuyo blushing and fidgeting.

Occasionally, the Great Elder’s buried arm would rise to swing a sword, or his leg would kick at Jack’s waist, or flesh chunks like those that had attacked them earlier would fly toward Jack, but…

-BOOOOOM!!!

He effortlessly swatted away the Elder’s sword strikes with his bare hands as if shooing flies, received kicks as if they were children’s tantrums, and the flying flesh chunks exploded in mid-air before even reaching him.

This sequence happened so quickly it was barely visible, and by the time one realized what Jack had done, his fist was already striking the ground again.

Even Miho, who had traveled with him for nearly a year, could confidently say she had never seen Jack this angry or moving like this before.

“Sister.”

“Haah~♡ Oh, yes?”

When I quietly called my sister, who was touching her flushed face and breathing excitedly, she looked at me with an “oops!” expression and composed herself.

…Not that she needed to fix it. Even I thought he looked cool. No, that’s not the point.

“What exactly is this trial? Did you also take this trial to become as strong as you are now?”

“…Yes. I did take it, of course. Though I didn’t know it could make someone that strong.”

“Hoho. The difficulty and rewards of the trial differ depending on what each person desires and what burden they must carry.”

“…Such a thing existed?”

“Let me tell you this—only those approved by the Chief can take the trial. Others can’t even attempt it.”

When Green Stone asked in surprise, Perna shook her head, indicating that Green Stone couldn’t take it anyway. However…

“…Could I take it too?”

“Hoho. Go see the Chief and find out. Well, for now, let’s focus on that battle.”

“…Honestly, even though I’m watching, I don’t really understand. I can tell he’s neutralizing all the Great Elder’s attacks and one-sidedly beating him up. But I can barely see his hands moving.”

“Hehe. Don’t worry, Miho. Your sister can’t see it either.”

Shouldn’t that be more concerning? The current Jack has clearly become so strong that “people like us” wouldn’t even register to him. If, after this fight, Jack says he doesn’t want me or my sister following him because we’re too weak…

‘I wouldn’t have any grounds to object or reason to follow.’

Once again, a column of dust rises as if a meteorite had struck the ground.

After Jack’s first attack until just now, the ground had been excavated to reveal wet soil, so no dust was rising. But now it meant they were breaking through that wet soil to reach the dry ground where even groundwater didn’t flow.

This… this is the power of the male I’ve come to love…

“…I need to get stronger. To follow Jack, I really need to become much stronger.”

“””……”””

At Miho’s muttered words, the three looked at each other’s faces. Green Stone and Perna smiled warmly, while Chikuyo tilted her head slightly in confusion.

‘…Hmm, Miho didn’t hear what Jack said earlier?’

The words Jack had thrown at that demon while crushing the Great Elder like a ghost in the distance.

In fact, neither Perna nor Green Stone had heard it either. Only Chikuyo, with the best hearing among the four, had caught it.

[Seeing Miho’s condition, it seems you didn’t just crush her hand, but touched her chest and lips too? You mold-crotched bastard. I hate NTR the most, and you dare touch ‘my woman’?]

She couldn’t understand some words, but contextually—no, just by listening—she could tell. Whatever he saw in his trial and whatever egg he hatched, he already intended to claim Miho. And moreover…

[Plus, you captured the ‘little sister’ to toy with the ‘big sister,’ seriously. That makes me so angry.]

-Thump♥ Thump♥

Maybe, just maybe, he intends to claim me too! Even if not, I’m already so moved by that man’s words.

He was so angry about my earlier helplessness when I couldn’t save Miho!!

But still…

“Hehe, then. After the battle ends, let’s thank Jack and visit the Chief, even briefly. I’m sure the current Miho can hatch the egg.”

“…Okay.”

As I gently stroked my sister’s head to comfort her while she sat watching Jack intently, I continued to observe him as well.

“…The mana is moving.”

With Green Stone’s quiet words, the battlefield began to change.

*

“You fucking bastard.”

– ⎯⎯⎯!!

“Try talking like before.”

– ⎯⎯⎯!!!

“Even a beating is too good for scum like you.”

– ⎯⎯⎯!!!

“They say fools get better when they die, but before calling you a fool, you’re just a rotten excuse for a human being.”

– ⎯⎯⎯!!!!

“Shit. Come to think of it, if I gave you a tan, you’d really be a golden sun? Why are all elves blonde? Is NTR actually a racial trait?”

– KWAAANG⎯⎯⎯!!!!

I keep pouring my rage into the bastard’s face. The ground has already sunk to about my sitting height. I…

[-Elf Great Elder- : Level 896 (Status: Seed of Wrath Absorbed.)]

[HP: 112,614]

…continue to hurl insults and violence at this guy who still isn’t dead despite all this beating.

Honestly, something feels off. His HP dropped by nearly 20,000 with my first attack, but now it’s decreasing unusually slowly. And…

‘His head is already gone…’

The body that should be above the shoulders, specifically above the collarbone, has been completely pulverized and merged with the ground.

His face was already smashed beyond recognition by my third attack, unable to curse or beg for forgiveness, and after countless more hits, his body without a head…

-KANG!!

“You senile idiot. So you sold your soul to a demon and became a body that won’t die even with your head blown off? Well, fucking congratulations?”

…now just moves its arms to swing swords at me. Of course, since the status window shows his HP and current state, I didn’t let my guard down as long as (Dead) wasn’t displayed.

-KWADDEUDDEUK!!!

“How many times have I broken this now? Honestly, it’s not fun, not scary, just annoying.”

I keep breaking all the moving limbs. When I break them like this, they stay quiet for a while but soon move again, though they’re hardly what you’d call a threat.

“Well, he’s still losing blood, so he’ll die if I keep hitting him.”

With that, I strike with full force at the wriggling mass of flesh near his heart, something I’d rather not touch if possible.

Perhaps his mind and body have already been devoured by the demon, and that’s his true form now. I’ve considered that, but…

– ⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

[KEEEEEEEC?!!!!?!!]

“…Somehow I thought this would happen.”

In my accelerated thought process, I had focused on just killing him because I suspected hitting that would trigger a different reaction. Sure enough.

As soon as the flesh mass in his heart exploded in my hand, the creature with no throat began to emit bizarre screams. And then…

-SPLASH!! SPLASH!! SPLASH!!

“Hmm? Déjà vu? This pattern seems familiar.”

The scattered flesh pieces begin to pull in the corpses of dead elves from everywhere and drag them into the pit.

The body inflating like a balloon is almost identical to what happened after Er Jim died that day.

“After all that talk about elven rage, you resort to demonic power in the end? You’re despicable to the very end, you piece of shit.”

I casually climb out of the pit and look at the status window.

…Still fixed as Elf Great Elder. That day, the flesh mass born from devouring Er Jim and the elves changed its status window name to that type of demon, but I wonder if this is the only difference? Or…

[EEEEENG!! GAAAAAAAAN!!!!]

[-Elf Great Elder- : Level 896 (Status: Seed of Wrath Germinating.)]

[HP: 250,000]

…It seems there’s a phase 2. Since I skipped the Wrath Demon’s phase 2, it looks like this Elf Great Elder bastard is taking its place, which gives me a headache.

Seriously, these guys are nothing but trouble in life.

[EEEEECK!! PUUUUUU!!! UUUUUU!! EOEOEOEK UUUUUU RAAAAAM GAAAAA!!! BUUUUN NOOOOO?!!!!!]

“Got dementia too? Speak properly. To be blunt, you’re hurting my ears, you piece of shit. And if you’re upset, you should take it out on the person who made you upset. Why get beaten up at the East Gate and then come make a scene at the South Gate?”

You got beaten by me too, but that’s because you deserved it, right?

And didn’t you get beaten at the East Gate thousands of years ago? The people living at the South Gate would be completely baffled if you suddenly came and caused trouble.

I shrug my shoulders and slowly approach him. But really, is he mentally deficient? Why is he growing so large inside that pit? Well, it makes him easier to hit.

As I approach him with such leisurely thoughts…

[-Elf Great Elder- : Level 896 (Status: Seed of Wrath Germinating. Absorbing Spirit Tree’s Energy.)]

[HP: 251,967]

Huh? Suddenly??

His status has been updated. Absorbing Spirit Tree’s Energy? Don’t tell me he’s planted an egg in the ground to suck the power of the spirit tree? His HP is increasing?

“Shit, I thought I’d broken this storyline. Are you really the Wrath Demon’s stand-in?”

Originally, the Great Elder possessed by the Wrath Demon would bring the demon near the spirit tree, allowing it to steal the tree’s power and exert strength beyond its original capabilities, starting the raid.

But that Wrath bastard couldn’t control his anger disorder and came all the way to Aigram, where I killed him. So I thought this storyline was gone.

“Sigh, you elf excrement. Playing demon stand-in, you should really be embarrassed.”

[JUUUUUUUCK EOEOEOEOEOENG!!!!]

His flesh masses fly toward me, and I casually swing my fist to make them all explode in mid-air.

What’s the point if your level stays the same and your HP just recovers? You’ve just increased your size, not your strength. Moreover…

“You’re even less threatening than before.”

His sword earlier might have seemed like a low-level player’s normal attack to me, but to others, it was probably incredible swordsmanship they couldn’t even see. Considering my current stats, it’s not that this guy is weak—it’s that I’m too strong.

…Well, correction: I’m just stronger than him. I’m not “too strong” yet. I don’t want to lose my hair.

Anyway, from the perspective that this creature was a human body until recently, he truly was a monster capable of conquering half a continent. But now…

-BOOM⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

“Just a high-level sandbag.”

His attacks are slow. He can’t dodge. He can’t even swing his sword effectively anymore, so he’s less threatening.

Chikuyo mentioned something about his blood, but unless the blood directly enters your body, it’s not 100% guaranteed to possess you.

My fists are covered in his blood, but I’m not being possessed at all. And surely…

“So, are you sticking with what I said earlier? Beg for forgiveness and ask to be spared. You can speak now even without a throat. It’s a good time to beg.”

[EEEEEEEEENG!!! GA⎯…!!!]

Using his grotesque screams as a beat, I casually swing my fists to explode the flesh masses.

He’s sucking the spirit tree’s energy, but it’s only recovering about 1,000 HP per second. It’s not like before when his blood wouldn’t decrease, and moreover…

[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. (Currently submitted demon: [Wrath] / Additional damage: 1,000)]

I’m definitely this bastard’s designated bully. The HP he recovers completely evaporates from the additional fixed damage. And…

-KWANG!⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

[KIEEEEEEEEECK⎯?!!]

[HP: 199,967]

Unlike before, I don’t need to aim just for his head—his HP drops by tens of thousands wherever I target. Perhaps because of this, he started throwing flesh masses toward the beastkin village as well, but…

-PAPAPA! PANG!!!

“As I told some other guy, focusing on your opponent is basic courtesy, you old fart.”

The pressure from my fist makes all the flesh masses explode and evaporate in the air.

And so, what was not a battle but a one-sided bullying of a pathetic pig on the ground…

I started to think a little more as I continued to pound him with my fists.

[HP: 1,816]

“Kiya~! This is sick, so sick. Look at that control.”

I successfully controlled his remaining HP by thoroughly pounding every corner of his body. His size is now just slightly larger than an adult male. Good!!

“Miho!! Chikuyo!!!”

I can see his HP recovering. He’s sucking the spirit tree’s energy, recovering a thousand per second, quite fast but…

“Yes!!!”

“Huh?! Suddenly us?! Miho said you’d call for her… but why so suddenly?”

Oh, Miho? She had already approached behind me with Chikuyo, holding her hand.

Could it be? Did she sense that I was controlling him and keeping him alive? Or…

“Last time, you let me finish it off too!!”

“Y-you fought such monsters before?!”

“Ha! Your intuition has really improved!”

“Yes!!”

[-Elf Great Elder- : Level 896 (Status: Seed of Wrath Germinating. Absorbing Spirit Tree’s Energy.)]

[HP: 5,541]

“Alright then. Let’s all strike together.”

“O-okay!!”

“Got it!!”

At my words, Chikuyo pulled out her tail to grasp her sword, and Miho took her stance as if she’d expected this. I told them we’d strike together on the count of three.

[JIIIIIM SEUUUUUNG!! EEEEENG GAAAAAAAA?!!]

“One, two. Th…”

“Hup!!”

“Haaah!!”

The moment a wrinkled old man’s face appeared among the flesh masses, looking wronged, both of them charged forward simultaneously. And I…

“If you catch this, come with me.”

“Huh?!!”

“Eh?!!”

With emotions completely different from that day in Natie, I swung my fist while happily listening to the foolish sounds the two of them made.