Ch.234Meeting the NPC Now (4)

“Are these things really crazy? Why are there so many?!”

-BOOM!

After taking down the last of the strangely aggressive monster horde, I look around and can’t tell if this is a mountain or a magic stone quarry anymore. At first there were 4-5 monsters, then over 10, and now about twenty jump out at once. I can’t tell if I’m on my way to meet a demon or suffering through a monster parade. And on top of that…

“Seaak, seaak.”

“…Kuuul…”

Miho and Chikuyo have completely collapsed and fallen into sleep, unable to fight anymore. They aren’t injured, but they’ve literally exhausted all their strength and can’t move. I put them both up in a tree to rest, and now they’re sleeping with their bodies overlapping. Whew, the sight of them embracing each other in their sleep makes quite a picture. Ah, I wish I could sleep embracing Ira like that.

“…This is serious.”

[-Job Striker- : Level 383 Name: Miho. Age 20. (Status: Stamina Depleted.)]

[-Job Magic Swordsman- : Level 368 Name: Chikuyo. Age 22. (Status: Stamina Depleted.)]

Looking at their status windows makes me gasp involuntarily. Not only is it concerning that their status shows “Stamina Depleted” due to their exhaustion, but the two of them have gained almost 60 levels each from killing all these charging monsters. I originally planned to level them up more safely, but this is like power-leveling in a game by risking your life to farm mobs. There’s no resurrection system here—I never wanted this!

“This won’t do. Leveling up is good, but this is beyond what these two can handle.”

This field is like being force-jumped from ep.2 to ep.4. Their levels have risen enough to narrow the gap with the monsters, giving them the basic specs to not lose in a 1:1 fight, but that’s about it. The current number of monsters forces a 1:many situation, and with their current abilities, they can’t handle all of them. Why are so many monsters charging at us? I don’t understand.

-THUMP THUMP THUMP…

“Shit. Here they come again.”

I was sitting in the tree taking a short break when I hear sounds from the distance. I immediately jump down to prepare as about 20 monsters come charging through the darkness. This is absolutely ridiculous. Wasn’t the monster parade supposed to be over? Is it actually still going on?

This isn’t some tower defense game, yet they keep coming in groups of about 20, and they’re all around level 400? Damn, is someone really targeting us…

“…Could Luxuria be watching us?”

I instinctively look around, but unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to search for magic. In the end, I throw myself between the approaching monsters and clear them all out before they can get near the two. Well, I’m benefiting from the leveling, but…

[-Job: Ira’s Brother- Level: 343 Name: Jack. Age: 21.]

[Strength: 1211+100]

[Agility: 1433+100]

[Luck: 200MAX+100]

[HP: 91,000]

[Intelligence: 7]

[MP: 1]

Unlike the other two, I’ve gained nearly 200 levels. As I check my stats and look around at the corpses, this really doesn’t make sense. Unless someone is deliberately spawning monsters, this is…

“…Spawning? Wait, since Luxuria used her power, it wouldn’t be strange if someone really is spawning them.”

She’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust. If she activated her power, its effects might have been transmitted to some monster, causing all this. The moment this thought occurs to me, I return to the two, quietly pick them up, and start moving silently. Jumping between trees while trying not to wake the sleeping pair, I confirm my suspicion.

“I was right. Damn it. Someone’s set up a monster baby factory and is churning them out!”

And they want to produce more!! I’ve reduced my speed to move as quietly as possible—not as comfortable as a Simos bed, but quiet enough—yet with my current level and stats, I’m now higher than a level 1,100 player without equipment. In other words, even using only half my ability, I’m moving at the speed of someone above level 600, yet monsters are still approaching us without losing track. This means…

“Someone—a monster or demon—wants to use us, or at least the girls, as hosts?”

There was a setting in the game where monsters that violate humans and use them as hosts produce offspring that become stronger depending on the person’s level. The monster’s level and the host’s level combine to produce even higher-level monsters. And now, this creature has probably seen our strength and is convinced we’d make good hosts, so it keeps sending monsters after us.

“…What bastard is orchestrating this fucked-up situation?”

If it’s Luxuria, I’m definitely giving her three gut punches, I think as I carry the two deeper into the mountains, avoiding the monsters. Hmm, I’ve been here once before, so I roughly know the terrain. It should be around here…

“Ah, found it.”

Arriving at a place that brings back memories from about 5 years ago, I immediately look around. Ha, even that’s become a memory now. Back then, I was quite startled when a mime golem like a mannequin stared at me with a blank face. Come to think of it, Gore has changed the most among us.

“Well, memories aren’t really important right now.”

I tap with my foot at the entrance of the cave that was blocked by a pile of rocks, where Gore had thrown me to save me before. It’s quite sealed, but I can tell there are still some gaps. I never imagined I’d return here. I really couldn’t have… Huh?

[Lust Tentacle: Level 600 (Monster Breeding in Progress.)]

“…Haha, are you kidding me? Really?”

No matter how I look at it, that tentacle must be a descendant of the one I fought in the Trial 8,000 years ago, right? So Luxuria did activate her power to multiply monsters? I look around after the status window suddenly appears, but I don’t see any tentacles.

Damn, do I have to use a skill that can only be used once a day now? I’m guessing it’s most likely inside this cave. Surely it’s not summoning from inside to the outside? It’s not like it’s Protoss or something—I hope it’s not that kind of summoning.

I move away from the cave with the two I’m carrying, as fighting the tentacle with them would be troublesome, and the status window disappears as if it lost track of the creature. Sigh, so it really is in there…

‘I can’t fight with these sleeping kids, and even if I wake them up, they probably can’t support themselves in their current state. What should I do?’

Should I just observe the situation for now? Check how the monster summoning works, clear out the summoned ones, then activate my skill [Human Radar] to track the creature and finally make up for my mistake back then? That seems like the most constructive plan. I move to a position where I can safely observe the cave entrance from a distance, and after checking the surroundings for a while… Huh?

“Is that a hole?”

Something catches my eye—a hole that appears to be directly above the cave I want to enter. Wait a minute. That location…

“…No way? Could it be the Celestial Demon’s escape hole?”

When I first started escaping from Ponia, I recalled this location—the boss of ep.4. Luxuria, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, originally had her nest in that cave, waiting as a raid boss. And after defeating her in the episode, there was a sub-quest with the Celestial Demon and mime golem waiting in a room. So if she hasn’t left this mountain in reality, she should be there. If she’s already released her power and tentacles through that hole to pour monsters outside…

“…Ancestor, I might not be able to fulfill your request.”

If Luxuria has already decided to become humanity’s enemy and is moving to destroy Ponia, then one way or another, I have no choice but to defeat this demon of the Seven Deadly Sins here. I don’t know what the tentacle is using for breeding mode, but honestly, I can’t help but think the hosts are ‘humans.’

“For now, it doesn’t seem like monsters are coming out, so I’ll have to wait until the kids wake up.”

The monsters that were tracking us earlier don’t seem to be able to follow us because I kept moving, and it’s too dangerous to fight against the tentacle and possibly hostile Luxuria while protecting the exhausted kids. So, since there’s quite some time until they wake up…

‘I’ll use a skill once to assess the surroundings and then fight.’

Having finally reached a conclusion after somewhat grasping the situation, I lean the two against a tree and activate my skill. I can’t shake the feeling that the veteran mountain keeper’s detection from before was better.

As the skill activates, a map instantly forms in my mind, and the surrounding landscape begins to come into focus. The tentacle is indeed using humans as hosts. It seems to be violating about 20-30 people to produce monsters… The exit point isn’t the hole I can see. There’s another connected path. And below that hole…

‘…A woman alone. Wings, mismatched horns. Definitely a demon.’

Perhaps because the distance is too great, the status window doesn’t show her name, specs, or HP, but somehow her wings are torn like rags, and one of her arms hangs limply as if broken. She must have been quite injured in battle with Ponia’s strengthened mountain keepers. This is…

“…Seems like now’s my chance?”

No matter how I look at it, she doesn’t know my position. If she did, there would be no reason for her to be crouched down like that. The fact that I could ambush her from above through that hole doesn’t make sense.

“Ah, damn. This is…”

Seeing such a defenseless enemy makes me eager to ambush, and I find myself looking back and forth between the two who are still sleeping soundly.

Is it the right answer to leave them here and go down? Or should I wait until they wake up?! Ah, it’s such a dilemma…!!!

“Alright. I’ll go down and finish it in one blow, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll grab the kids and run.”

If it’s certain the opponent is deeply wounded, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I could simply deliver the finishing blow and end the situation. Ah, I can’t resist this!!

“You two, just one minute. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Once the decision is made, things move quickly. I cover the exhausted sleeping pair with my outer garment to hide them, place them on the tallest and thickest tree, and immediately jump toward the hole with all my might. If it’s a trap as soon as I go down, I plan to retreat immediately and escape with the two. With tension building, I begin falling into the dark pit, confirming that the woman detected by the radar is getting closer, and I gather all my strength into my fist to deliver a blow—?!

“*Sniff*… Huh?”

“!!!”

In a space with no light source, where everything appears pitch black, just before I strike the crown of her head following the radar, she seems to sense my presence and looks up. Our eyes meet—black sclera with golden irises. What was that called again? Mystic eyes? No, more importantly.

-TAT!

“Eek?!!”

As I land in front of her, she lets out a small scream and struggles to back away, seemingly unable to move properly. I approach the injured demon with large strides. This is…

“Were you… crying?”

“P-please don’t ki—?! Huh?”

Purple skin reflecting in the moonlight shining through the only hole, black horns and black hair. Black sclera with golden eyes that no human could have, and goat-like pupils within them. Not the demon who resembled Ira from the past I once saw. The demon who killed me in the game and destroyed Ponia was looking at me with tear stains on her face, her eyes distorted with fear and tears welling up.

[Demon of Lust (Luxuria): Level 333]

…With a level far, far lower than in the game.