Ch.43Unfair Treatment-Savvy NPC (2)

When flesh meets flesh, and the scent of sweat-soaked bodies fills the air, the atmosphere inevitably becomes strange and pungent.

However, few would likely find this particular space strange.

“Hah. Everyone escape by tomorrow morning.”

“Whew. Wait, Boss, are you staying behind?”

“Of course. If I flee too, who knows how far that traitorous demon bitch Avaritia will notice and act. Just because our operation in Aigram failed doesn’t mean we give up everything. We can’t let this affect the other apostles working hard in other countries.”

“…That doesn’t sound like something the Apostle of Envy would say. You’re truly remarkable.”

“Bullshit. It’s precisely because I envy more intensely than anyone that I can endure more strongly than anyone. Damn, how did our branch manager end up dead…”

The scene of men completely naked and chattering in a small hut built inside a cave resembles a bathhouse, but with one drastically different aspect. That is the fact that something that should never flow between their legs is flowing.

It’s certainly a sight that would make anyone who saw it want to gouge out their eyes, empty their brain, and smash their monitor.

After finishing what they were doing, they wipe their behinds and get dressed. It’s time for them to move now, as the day has begun to change.

“Well then, thanks to you, Boss, we’ll escape with our lives. I hope you stay safe. If it ever becomes too hard to bear, please find us anytime.”

“Sure. Contact me when you reach another country. From what I hear, the Spirit Magic Kingdom is having strange complications, so it would be better to go to Neitina or Phonia.”

“…Of all places, Wrath and Lust? I’d rather not get involved with either.”

“We’re not in a position to be picky anymore. If we had summoned our Master first, it would be different… but we need to borrow power from either side to summon our Master. Understand?”

“*Sob* Yes! Leave it to us!! We will definitely prepare to summon our Master!!!”

The sight of several men embracing one person reminds one of separated families saying farewell, but looking at their eyes and actions, it’s impossible to think of it that way.

Men touching, caressing, and rubbing other men’s bodies. The revolting scene continues, and after briefly separating:

“…Boss. Would you like to do it once more before you go? You probably won’t be able to for months…”

“…Why not? Indeed, you guys are the only ones who think of me. Working under that female-stinking woman has got me all pent up…”

The sight of these men, who were just talking about parting ways, suddenly taking off their pants again creates not just disgust and revulsion, but anger.

If the Apostle of Wrath had been here, they would surely have slaughtered these men, even if they were fellow demon followers.

Just then.

-Knock, knock, knock.

“Huh?”

“What’s that? Was someone else supposed to come?”

“No. Ah! It’s probably the guy who was keeping watch outside, coming back for his turn!”

“Ah, I see. He was sturdy too, quite nice. We can’t leave him out after all this, let him in!”

The man called Boss gestured toward the door with a lewd expression, telling the person outside to come in. However.

“Huh? I said come in quickly!”

For some reason, whoever knocked isn’t coming in. What on earth…

“…Wait, could it be?!”

“Everyone put your pants on!!”

At the Boss’s command, the men who had just undressed again all put on their clothes and sense the presence outside the door.

One person. Someone is there, but it’s not a presence they recognize. Neither the energy of black magic nor baptism can be felt from this intruder.

They tensely prepared for the intruder’s attack…

-Crackle. Crackle!! CRACKLE!!

“W-what?!”

“Huh.”

“F-fire?!!”

“What the fuck?!!”

They realize the hut has caught fire. The men panic and use black magic to break through the hut and rush outside.

The intruder outside was a problem, but they couldn’t burn to death in here.

And the moment they burst outside:

“Fuck. This isn’t a seafood market. Should have just burned to death quietly, the stench of rotten squid is overwhelming.”

-WHAM!! THUD!!

“Guhk?!!”

“Kuhak?!!”

The two men who rushed out first were struck by attacks too fast to see and flew back into the burning hut.

The man called Boss, startled by the sudden situation, stares wide-eyed at the person who attacked them.

Could it be an assassin sent by the mayor, by Avaratia? With such thoughts, he looks at the man blocking the cave entrance.

“W-what?! T-that guy?!!”

“Hm? What? You know me?”

Gray hair with orange eyes. A young man dressed like an ordinary traveler. He squints his eyes as if he’s heard something he shouldn’t have and glares at them.

Yes, they know him. That man is definitely…!!

“I-it’s Adventurer Jack!! The one who killed our branch manager!!”

“What?!!”

“No!! Such a handsome man?!”

“The enemy of our branch manager…!!”

“Slurp, i-if it’s such a handsome man…”

“Wow… you disgusting bastards, your comrades are burning to death and that’s what you have to say?”

“Huh?”

“What?!”

At his genuinely bewildered words, they finally notice that the men who had been thrown into the hut haven’t come out, and when they turn around, they see that both have indeed burned to death without being able to move.

It wasn’t that they were careless. Even if it was a surprise attack, they were demon followers and black mages.

The idea that they could be knocked unconscious by ordinary punches or kicks seemed impossible. That was their “common sense.”

But as that common sense crumbled and they witnessed two comrades die before their eyes, they immediately tried to avenge them…

“Crazy. You smell fishy, but are you really seafood? There’s an enemy in front of you, why are you turning your heads?”

The moment they tried to move, the man was already in front of them with his fist extended. They had been more than ten steps apart, so how?

Before they could even finish that thought, lightning-fast punches and kicks instantly overwhelmed the black mages.

*

I kill everyone except the one who recognized me and mentioned the branch manager. It wasn’t that difficult.

Above all, I wasn’t mistaken—I didn’t feel particularly reluctant about killing people.

“Guhk!?”

“W-wha… Keaak?!!”

“S-strength?!?!”

Besides, I don’t see much difference between these guys and the goblins or orcs in the mountains.

[Demon Follower: Level 73 (Dead.)]

After hitting one man in the solar plexus and taking him down with one blow, I throw him into the fire pit. The remaining three back up against the wall as if trying to escape. Ha.

“Let me tell you something—don’t think your tentacles and black thorns will work on me. My personal recommendation is to walk into that fire pit over there and die. And if you don’t follow my recommendation…”

-PAPAPAPAT!! PIPIPIPIK!!!

Like those assassins before, why do they always stop listening halfway through? Are they perhaps…? Do they have Korean blood? Is it because Eight is a Korean game?

Listen to people until the end, especially in Korean—it’s always beneficial!

I easily dodged the half-hearted tentacles and thorns of the guys who ignored my words and attacked, then quickly approached with a real fire club that had fallen from the hut and finished them off in the way they seemed to love.

Of course, the upper hole, not the lower one. I’m not as angry as I was then, and my stomach couldn’t handle that.

“D-damn… W-why are you doing this to us?! What did we do?!”

“…Huh? You’re demon followers, aren’t you? Do I need a reason to kill you? When you kill people to summon demons, do you have some brilliant reason for that?”

This is ridiculous. Do you need a reason to kill seawater or pests?

I’m just killing to survive, to protect my people. I slowly approach the last man standing alone—the one who recognized me and was probably the highest-ranking person here—and he launches tentacles and thorns in a final desperate attack.

Well, seeing him launch attacks that he knows won’t work, it’s like watching a mayfly’s last struggle. In other words, I feel no sympathy whatsoever.

-WHAM!!

“Guhak?!”

“I need you for a bit, so I won’t kill you here… Ugh, fuck, the smell, really. How much sex did you have here? No, why do you do such horrible things? Is it because you’re demon followers?”

No. But the direction is all wrong, the direction!! It’s terribly horrific, but the direction of that horror is completely different.

These guys didn’t have such settings in the game, and if they had, I would have quit during ep.1.

I broke all his limbs and tied his broken body with nearby ropes…

“Mmm!!♥”

“…Please. I want to kill you right now, so shut your mouth.”

Wait, all four limbs are broken so it must be extremely painful, but this is his reaction?

Is this Eight? Dark fantasy? The direction is completely wrong. I’m about to go dark in the head, so I wish this would stop.

I quickly looked around, dragged over one of their comrades I had killed at the entrance, stripped him, and used his clothes to cover the man’s flushed red face.

After tying his neck just tight enough to prevent him from making those disgusting moans, I slung him over my shoulder.

“…Hah. To see such a beautiful sunrise from this mountain and feel nothing but bewilderment and incredulity—that’s truly legendary.”

A magnificent sunrise. A mountaintop view so spectacular I want to bring Ira to see it.

Yet I feel no emotion. What I’m carrying, the current situation is so legendary that I really can’t feel any appreciation.

I descended the mountain as quickly as possible with the beautiful sunrise behind me. It’s almost time for Ira to wake up.

And then.

[(!)Quest: Eliminate the demon followers hiding in the mountains! -Completed-]

[(!)Interactive Quest: Capture the follower leader and return to the city! -Time remaining: 29 minutes 39 seconds-]

[Penalty – If you don’t arrive in time, someone in your party will become unfortunate.]

Surely, someone—not Ira—is waiting for me. I was certain of that.