Ch.408Collapsed Daily Life of an NPC. (2)

Die, die, die. Please just die!!!

“……”

It’s not breathing. It doesn’t make a sound. Yet, the barriers created by laser beams, holy weapons, and sacred spells keep regenerating. The status window doesn’t show death either. How, how the hell am I supposed to kill this thing?!!

-CRACK!!

“Damn it…!!”

Now it feels like I’m beating rotten meat past its expiration date. What the hell is the effect of the Pride Authority? Is this thing that died before ep.8 was updated rolling around and screwing with me? This is absolute bullshit!!

-KWAAANG!!!

I slam the old man’s corpse into the ground, bury my fist in his face one more time until brain matter flows from his skull, then create some distance to avoid the lasers and sacred weapons while observing with my eyes. As expected, that black stuff that’s been slowly creeping out must be the Authority’s demonic energy. Is the Pope’s corpse supposed to somehow consume that and enter Phase 2? Is it against the rules to hit him before transformation, is that it?

Thinking he’s being quite stubborn about this, I deal with the incoming attacks and back away. And sure enough, as I watch the Pope being consumed by the flowing demonic energy…

-JOLT!!

“Yeah, yeah. So? What’s Phase 2 all about?”

“……”

The Pope, whose eyes are so unfocused they can barely be called cross-eyed, must have developed incredible core muscles because he suddenly sits up like a jiangshi from a B-grade horror movie, stares at me, and slowly walks out of the crater. The holy energy that had been shining from his body gradually begins to mix with demonic energy. No, that’s…

“Is the demonic energy consuming the holy power?”

I heard about this from Luxuria, but was that possible not just because of Greed? Is anything possible now?

The attacks that had been flying at me suddenly stopped, and the demonic energy that had consumed all the holy power began to restore the old man’s body. Yeah, fine, do whatever the fuck you want. With that feeling, I stand still watching, when…

“…heh heh heh.”

“What’s so funny? Not fixing those crossed eyes?”

-KWANG!!!

Seems like he’s done whatever he wanted to do, so I immediately kick off the ground and drive a straight punch into his face. As the old man falls backward, hitting the ground head first, I stomp on his abdomen to burst it open, balance myself, bend down to strike his face again, and repeat the stomping. Since I don’t know what tricks he might pull, killing him before he can do anything would be the right answ—

“Arm or leg. Choose.”

-CRACK!!

“Your head.”

Though all his teeth were supposedly knocked out long ago, he speaks fluently. I smash his face once more with my fist, and I see his mangled face curl into a sinister smile. What the hell is so funn—?

-CRACK!!

“Huh?”

“Now, what’s next? Left arm? Right arm?”

“…What did you just do?”

I should have hit his face and stomped on his abdomen again, but when I stomped, I felt bones breaking—and not just his. I instinctively back away and check the leg I used to stomp, and with the spreading pain, I’m certain there’s something wrong with the bones in my ankle or foot.

My God, is this the Pride Authority? What kind of gimmick is this?

“You’d better choose quickly. Otherwise…”

“I said your head.”

-SPLAT!!! CRACK.

Hmm? I should have struck the old man’s face as he got up again, but my left fist shattered. Of course, his face is equally bloody as he collapses again after taking my hit. This doesn’t look good.

“Heh heh heh. Only I can present the choices. No matter which path a worm like you chooses, the end result is subject to what I dictate.”

“…So the Pride Authority’s effect is presenting? No, forcing choices?”

After backing up two steps, I clench and unclench my broken left fist, feeling that while it’s not unusable, this is definitely a bad matchup. Sloth was also a terrible matchup, but at least there were countermeasures.

This is just the opponent setting up predetermined answers and one-sidedly inflicting damage, isn’t it? In the first place, I didn’t even answer his choices, so why are my limbs breaking?

“Now, what’s next? Right arm? Right leg?”

“Head, you fucker, head.”

-SMACK!!!

This time, I use neither hand nor foot but headbutt his crown, burying him into the ground. So then…

-CRACK.

“This is ridiculous. Even when I headbutt instead of using arms or legs, my arm gets damaged?”

“…heh heh heh.”

But it’s not my right arm that’s broken, it’s my left. Or is it just cracked? It hurts sharply when I move it, like I hit it against something, but it’s not unusable. Maybe that’s it? When choices appear, one of my skills gets sealed, or my attack power or agility decreases? If not that, this old man would have already asked about my neck or head by n—

“Then, what’s next? Head or heart?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake.”

Looking at my status window, my HP is still over 100,000. I don’t think my head or heart will suddenly burst and kill me, and the necklace meant to prevent that hasn’t been consumed yet. So then.

“Your head, asshole.”

-KWAAANG!!!

I jump up from the debris piled nearby and drive my knee into the face of the guy embedded in the ground. A crater forms, and I can feel his skull shattering under my knee. But, as if this still hasn’t killed him, his hand slowly moves to grab me, so I quickly move my body…?

-TAP TAP!!

“…No way.”

“Heh heh. Now, what’s next? Heart or leg?”

My judgment speed has slowed. Until just now, his movements couldn’t keep up with mine at all, but his hand touched my leg for just a moment. So it’s that kind of debuff? Ah.

-KWANG!!

“…Shit.”

“Come, decide quickly.”

The laser that was glowing yellow before is now painted black as it flies toward me, and unlike before, I barely manage to dodge it. The speed doesn’t seem much different from when it first came at me, but my head feels like it’s rotating slower. No, this feeling is…

“…You, you’re the bastard who messed with my intelligence before?”

“Heh heh heh. Asking questions is not an option.”

-CRACK.

Again, my heart didn’t burst, but my ankle, which was just slightly painful before, now hurts terribly. I’m screwed. This is properly broken. Don’t tell me just talking to him counts as making a choice? Damn, how am I supposed to beat this?

“Now what’s n………”

Since I haven’t directly touched his demonic energy and I don’t understand how he keeps breaking my body, I try covering my ears. But.

-CRACK.

“Ugh…!”

I didn’t hear the choices, and I don’t know what he said. But the conclusion is my left arm. I didn’t choose anything and didn’t hear anything. As I click my tongue at the pain of my arm going limp, the old man’s face tears in an even more bizarre way in proportion. Ah, fuck. How am I supposed to deal with this?

“This is too much. You don’t die even when your head is blown up or your heart is destroyed. But I get shattered one by one just from listening to you, no, just from you talking?”

“Heh heh heh. How is it? This is what Authority means. Do you understand how futile and inferior it is for the other Seven Deadly Sins to wield abilities that merely serve their own desires?”

As the cross-eyed man spreads his arms and talks as if he’s already won, my head starts to hurt. Ah, I’m screwed. Getting hit in the head was really bad. With my thinking ability decreased, I can’t even remember what I had figured out earlier. Was the Pride Authority’s ability forced choice? Or was it not about choice but about whatever he designated getting damaged? Damn, if my head gets hit again, I might go back to having an intelligence of 6…

“Now, what’s next? Head or heart?”

“Wow. This is really driv…”

[Heart.]

“Huh?”

Suddenly seeing a status window appear before my eyes, I’m too mentally impaired to understand and just stare blankly. The old man also just chuckles for a moment before stopping and tilting his head with his crossed eyes, looking at me strangely. Huh? What’s going on?

[Ding♬ You have received 100 damage to your heart.]

[Effect disappears because you have no heart.]

“…Gore?”

“…What did you just do?”

-KEEEEENG!! KWAAANG!!!

I dodge the laser painted with black demonic energy and retreat to a corner while looking at the status window. Wait, is my thinking ability still impaired from before? But my heart is fine? No, rather, since I obviously have a heart, this must be…

[Master. There’s big trouble above. You need to finish here quickly and come up.]

“You took it instead? His ability?”

[Yes. It wasn’t visible to either your eyes or mine until now, but somehow I ended up focusing on my original role and now I can see it clearly, which is how I found out. That old man, the Pope, is dead. That’s not the Pope anymore.]

Gore, I’m really sorry, but I just lost some intelligence. My thinking ability got nerfed, so I probably have the stupid brain I had when I started in Neity. So I don’t understand—please explain briefly.

[The Pope probably made a contract with Pride and chose an immortal body. And while fighting you, the Pope’s mind died. What’s moving his body and using the Authority now is Pride himself.]

“So? To defeat that bastard—”

[Ding♬ You have received 1500 damage to your arm.]

[Effect disappears because you have no arm.]

“Hey. That status window is a bit concerning? What are you talk—”

[I’ll offset all the damage he inflicts. Master, just attack as you normally would, and soon a card will come to drive him out.]

Ah, shit. Who’s coming? Before my head gets hit again. Thinking this doesn’t feel good, but understanding that at least my body won’t break any further, I charged at the Pope again.

-SPLAT!!!

“Gugh…! What on earth are you doing?!”

“How should I know, damn it! I don’t know either!!”

[Ding♬ You have received 5000 damage to your head.]

[Effect disappears because your head is detached.]

Trusting Gore’s concerning status window appearing before my eyes, I began beating the Pope’s corpse with all my might.